Newborn Tips

So I got the baby out of me, now what? Today’s hospitals vary greatly as to how long you are kept in for. Some may kick you out before even 24 hours have passed, and in the meantime you have been doing everything for your baby e.g. changing nappies/diapers, sponge bathing, checking them with the nurse’s help. Others will keep you in for longer, 2-3 days (or more if after a caesarian), but will have the baby in a nursery so you get home not having a clue where to start doing anything. Either way, the new mum may have questions, queries and issues that they didn’t answer in the hospital, and here’s some tips to help you on your way.

1. If your baby hasn’t passed a stool yet, or even if it has, the first few stools are likely to be black and sludgy. This is normal and will make way for yellow newborn stools.
2. Make sure your baby is making 5 or 6 wet (not stool, just urine) nappies/diapers a day. This ensures it is getting enough milk and liquid from you.
3. If you are really worried that baby isn’t eating enough, weigh baby on your kitchen scales (carefully!) before and after a feed. If baby has gained 150g, it’s taking enough from you and there is no need to worry.
4. To check baby’s temperature, feel the neck in the crease or the belly, not the hands, feet or forehead. If the neck feels cool, put more clothing on baby. If the neck feels warm/hot, remove some. The hands and feet may be cold even if the baby is hot as newborns have bad circulation. The general rule is to dress baby in one more layer than you would feel comfortable in.
5. When putting baby in the cot/crib, put its feet to the foot of the mattress (so the head is only halfway or even only 1/3 up the mattress). No comforters/duvets or pillows should be used, only sheets and blankets. You can layer the blankets up, but ensure they are tucked in firmly so baby cannot wriggle underneath.
6. The ideal temperature for the room should be between 16 and 20 degrees centigrade. At this temperature your baby will need one blanket and a sheet.
7. Babies asleep should not have hats on. Babies lose the most heat through their head and can overheat if their head is covered in bed.
8. Breastfed babies can go a few days without a bowel movement. Don’t stress, if they are feeding normally they are not constipated. It’s also normal for them to have a few bowel movements in a day, and this should settle down as they grow up.
9. If you change from nursing to bottle-feeding, expect constipation for a few days. Offer your baby water in a bottle, have some colic remedies handy as baby may have a stomach ache with the changeover.
10. A good method of helping baby with constipation is to lay baby on his back and ‘bicycle’ his legs. Massaging his belly in a clockwise motion with some baby massage oil can also help.
11. Tips for colic;
    1. Nursing mothers should remove dairy and spicy foods from their diet. Other colic-producing foods are citrus (juice etc), cabbage, beans and garlic. It takes a good 3 weeks to notice a difference in baby after a change in your diet, so don’t give up.
    2. Medications with simeticone in can help baby with colic. It is not absorbed by the system so has no side-effects. It causes the bubbles of air to join together so baby can burp more easily.
    3. Herbal infusions containing chamomile, fennel and other plants can help with some babies’ colic. A nursing mother can drink fennel tea to pass it to the baby.
    4. Baby massage can help a lot and there are many websites and classes that can teach tips for massaging babies.
    5. Cranial osteopathy is an often-used complementary therapy for babies who are generally kvetchy/not settling well. Make sure your osteopath is registered and experienced with babies.
    6. Try to keep baby upright as much as possible during feeding/nursing so it is easier to burp him.
12. If your baby gets a cold before 2 months old, poor you! Unfortunately you can’t give him any medications yet so only natural tips here;
    1. Get a humidifier for his room to help him breathe more easily.
    2. Raise his cot/crib by either putting a pillow UNDER his mattress or putting the crib feet on tins to raise the head end. Baby may slip down, so put towels rolled up either side of the crib.
    3. Saline squirted up his nose is awful and will make him scream but will also clear the stuffiness.
    4. Nurse or feed baby in a steamy room – the bathroom with the shower running hot water for example.
    5. When baby is older drops of menthol-containing liquids around his cot can help.
13. Get a good pediatrician with recommendations preferably before baby is born. You’ll need him/her more than you think – so someone who is patient and can take phone calls is very useful. The Dr shouldn’t make you feel embarrassed for calling.
14. Babies should not have solids until 4 months minimum so ignore anyone who tells you ‘just put baby rice in his bottle, he’ll sleep through from 2 weeks old!’
15. Routines are helpful. Choose your own! I recommend the Baby Whisperer.
16. Start bedtime an hour before – dim the lights, give baby a relaxing bath, massage, story/song, feed in a dark room and asleep. Get your evenings back asap!