So it’s in the middle of the night here in Finland and I’ll probably fall asleep soon but I just realized an hour or so ago that I hadn’t even thought about how I’m going to introduce [name_f]Matilda[/name_f] (the baby) to her sister. We do have a gift for [name_f]Elisabet[/name_f] (the big sister) but that’s pretty much the only thing I’ve thought of to do? [name_f]Do[/name_f] you guys have any other ideas on how to make things go as smoothly as possible?
And we’re probably going home tomorrow morning! Well, this morning… I really need to sleep 
5 Likes
I need to sleep myself but I realize no one has responded yet and a mom as fresh out from birth as you are does not need anything extra to fret about so I’ll write a quick response.
You’re already doing great. The gift will be helpful.
If at all possible, try to set up the environment so that you can give [name_f]Eliz[/name_f]@bet immediate attention (if you can help it, don’t hold M@tilda yourself at first but make plenty of room in your arms or lap for big sister). Tell her how much you missed her and wished she could’ve been there with you. Then introduce them and allow whatever reaction to be what it is (fascination, indifference, anxiousness, etc.). Then do the gift thing.
Try to get a picture if it isn’t too distracting.
6 Likes
I went through a similar situation with my sister who was in the NICU for nearly 2 weeks. Our parents sat me down on the couch, went back into the bedroom, and walked out with her. I remember how in love I was with her just holding her for the first time. I know [name_f]Elisabet[/name_f] might be different from me when I was her age, but sometimes something simple works just fine. A gift sounds lovely 
1 Like
Thank you for replying 
I was meant to read the possible replies that I’d gotten before we’d come home but it was a bit of a hassle so I didn’t have the time/ I didn’t remember.
When we got home, my husband was carrying the baby carrier and I had the present for [name_f]Elisabet[/name_f]. She was so excited to have us home and hugged me for the longest time. We went to the living room and just sat on the couch the whole family including my sister who’d been taking care of [name_f]Elisabet[/name_f].
[name_f]Elisabet[/name_f] didn’t exactly notice the baby because she was so excited about everything until my husband started holding the baby. Then she moved away from my lap to sit next to me and my husband and looked at [name_f]Matilda[/name_f] for a moment and let out a few shy giggles before petting her gently the way we’ve taught her to do with our cats.
It all went well. Oh, my heart 
10 Likes