babybook
Newborn Care 101: 10 Tips By Christa Melnyk Hines
Transitioning to life with a newborn can be as gratifying as it is overwhelming. Read on for time-tested tricks and expert tips that will help your baby – and you! – thrive during the first few weeks postpartum. • Expect a learning curve. No, it’s not just you. New parenthood is rife with uncertainty. “As the mother of a newborn, I know from recent experience that every little thing can be challenging – from burping to changing diapers to breastfeeding and even trimming tiny nails, no matter if it’s your first or third child,” says family medicine physician Jenna Eschol, MD. • Gather information wisely. In the midst of a perplexing dilemma, what parent hasn’t turned to Google or an online parent support group for quick answers? But, proceed with caution. “If it doesn’t seem like that online advice really fits your baby, maybe it really doesn’t. Talk to your pediatrician or at least a trusted relative who has seen the baby and knows the situation a little better than generic online advice,” says pediatrician Dr. Elizabeth Simpson.
• Make it a date. Don’t skip your newborn’s well-baby checkups. Your baby’s physician will assess their overall health and ensure they are gaining weight. A newborn should have regained their birth weight by around 10 to 14 days of age. Your baby’s appointment is also a good time for you to ask questions and raise any concerns. • Tiny renegades. Newborns don’t understand schedules. Plan to sleep when your baby sleeps. “Babies are little rebels. They don’t follow rules,” Simpson says. “Babies are the schedulers and the parents are the people that get scheduled.” • Hungry? Just as babies don’t care about clocks when it comes to sleep, they also eat on demand, anywhere between eight and 12 times in a 24-hour period. “Babies eat a lot during their first weeks, thanks in part to their tiny tummy size, and the rapid physical and mental growth
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they experience in the first couple months of life,” Eschol says. If you are breastfeeding, how do you know if your baby is eating enough? “If your baby seems happy and your doctor has assured you that weight gain is commensurate with age, and enough dirty diapers are being produced (eight to 12 a day), then your baby is probably getting plenty to eat,” she adds. If you participate in a breastfeeding support group at an area hospital, lactation consultants usually conduct weigh-ins too. • Dry skin. Because a baby’s skin is sensitive and thin, they are more susceptible to dry, chapped skin. Avoid long baths. Bathe your infant in lukewarm water only two or three times a week using fragrance-free hypoallergenic soaps. “And no bubble baths!” Eschol says.
