Caring for your newborn baby is undoubtedly and overwhelming task for a new mother and the family. But, when you have a caring pediatrician on your side, they take out all the guesswork.
Here are a few things to learn about new-born care.
Breast milk is the best milk for your baby. All nutrients needed for growth & development of the brain is provided by the breast milk. Do not give gripe water, honey or other type of food other than breast milk. Infant formula should be given only on specific advice of the doctor. It is important for the mother to stay calm & relaxed during breastfeeding. This helps increase milk secretion & calms the baby. Feel free to consult Dr. Sachin on issues concerning feeding as it is the most important aspect of your baby’s care in the first year.
Babies often swallow air during feedings, which can make them fussy. You can prevent this by doing burping after each feeding
Many babies have some degree of spitting up where some of the milk consumed tends to come back into the mouth. This usually occurs shortly after a feed & generally tends to get better as the baby start eating solid foods (around 6months to 1year of age).
To keep babies comfortable & maintain good health, it is important to keep babies warm.
Cord does not need any kind of intervention. Keep the area clean & dry & allow the cord to heal naturally. Refrain from picking & pulling the cord off. The cord usually falls off in 10days. If there is any kind of redness, bleeding & discharge of pus, please seek urgent advice from your pediatrician.
Until the umbilical cord is healed, American Academy of Pediatrics recommends you to stick to sponge baths. Wrap & dry the baby immediately after the bath & keep close to the mother.
Regular oil massages help babies relax, sleep & feed better. Coconut oil is preferable. Avoid mustard & nut based oil like almond oil. Applying zinc oxide based creams in the nappy area reduces the risk of nappy rash. Application of powder is not recommended, so use moisturizing cream.
Babies usually sleep between 14-18hours a day. Yet they awaken frequently, & rarely sleep more than 4hours at a stretch, even at night. When parents include their newborns in their daily activities , babies adapt more rapidly to the 24hour day.
It is identified by unexplained episodes of crying & fussiness, sometimes accompanied by bloated stomach or gas. Often crying occurs in the evening. It typically goes away by 6months of age. Please seek medical help if the baby cries persistently for more than 3hours or if the child looks sick.
What is normal ?
- Sneezing
- Red rashes on the body or white spots on the nose. These are harmless & eventually disappear without treatment.
- Passing stools anywhere from 10-12times a day to once every 2-3days. There is no need for concern as long as the baby is active, well & the stools are soft.
- Soft spot on the head i.e. anterior fontanelle usually closes between 9-18months of age.