When you first get home, feeding time may feel awkward, but soon you'll feel like a pro. The secret to successful feeding is flexibility. Your baby will let you know when and how much he wants to eat. When you're in the hospital after delivery, we'll encourage you to feed your baby every 2 - 4 hours. This is to make sure he's getting all the calories that he needs at first. Once you get home, you'll find that your baby will let you know when it's time to eat. If your baby wants to eat too often, it may be that he's not getting enough food at each feeding. A simple solution is to increase the amount of feeding or, if you decide to breast-feed, increase the length of time that your baby nurses at each breast. Babies also go through periods of very fast growth called "growth spurts". During these spurts, your baby will want to be fed more often.
Like feeding, burping your baby is a great chance for both of you to get some much needed cuddling. Bottle-fed babies should be burped at least halfway through the feeding and then again at the end. If your baby is spitting up large amounts during each feeding, he may need to be burped more frequently. Breast-fed babies should be burped between breasts and again at the end of the feeding. Since a breast-fed baby won't swallow much air while nursing, he may not burp with every feeding. Both breast-fed and bottle-fed babies may spit up small amounts with burping or after feedings. If your baby is spitting up large amounts with every feeding or is vomiting forcefully, which is known as "projectile vomiting", then you should call your baby's provider.
To burp your baby, hold him up to your shoulder, upright in a sitting position on your lap, or face down across your lap. Pat him gently but firmly on his back until he burps.
Once your baby is eating well, he should go through at least 6 wet diapers every 24 hours. This may not happen right away, since babies are often slow to start feeding well. In terms of bowel movements, at first your baby will pass a thick, dark greenish-black, tarry substance called meconium. This quickly changes to a yellow or green color with small curdlike material that look like little seeds. Breast-fed babies frequently have very watery yellow stools. While your breast-fed baby may soil several diapers a day, this is not considered diarrhea. How often your baby makes stools will also vary. Some babies produce dirty diapers every day, or even every feeding, while others go days between bowel movements. Use your baby as your guide. If he seems happy and relaxed, he's probably just fine.
Constipation is not very common in newborns. If you think your baby is constipated check with his provider. Never give your baby any kind of over-the-counter laxative or medicine without talking to his provider first.
Don't be surprised if your baby's skin is blotchy and red at first. Her skin may also be dry and scaly, particularly if your baby was overdue. You may also notice little white spots on your baby's face. Milia, as they are called, are generally concentrated across the nose and are caused by blocked sebaceous glands. Sometimes babies have red, mottled spots on their eyelids, bridge of the nose, forehead, or nape of the neck. These "stork bites" or "angel kisses" can look quite dark. Although sometimes they can be long lasting, they'll usually fade by your baby's first birthday.
You will notice that there is a clamp on your baby's umbilical cord. This will be kept on her cord for 24 hours, or until her cord is dry enough for the clamp to be removed. You should clean her umbilical cord with alcohol at every diaper change. Gently pull up on the cord and clean around the base with an alcohol soaked Q-tip or cotton ball. Your baby will probably cry because the alcohol is cold. If you're gentle, you won't hurt your baby since her umbilical cord has no feeling.
Her umbilical cord will fall off in about 10 days to 3 weeks. Until then, turn down the top part of her diaper to make sure the cord gets plenty of air. You should always wash your hands before and after cleaning your baby's umbilical cord or changing a diaper.
Instead of submerging your baby in water, you'll need to give her a sponge bath until her umbilical cord falls off. There's no certain time that you need to bathe your baby. Many parents like to schedule bath time before bed as part of the bedtime routine. It's better to give a bath either before or at least one hour after a feeding. Babies with full tummies tend to spit up in the tub! You won't need to give your baby a bath every day. More than 3 or 4 baths a week can give some babies dry skin. Be sure that you never leave your baby alone, even for a second, when she's in the tub or sink. And always check the water temperature with the inside of your wrist to make sure the water’s not too warm before putting your baby in a tub.
If you have your little boy circumcised, you'll be given special directions from your provider on how to take care of it. A circumcision will usually heal completely after about 2 weeks. Until it's healed, don't use soap or diaper wipes on his penis, since that will sting! Clean the area with plain warm water and a soft cloth or cotton ball.
The best cure for diaper rash is to keep it from happening. Be sure to check your baby's diaper often and change it whenever it's wet or dirty. Diaper rashes are caused because of moisture next to your baby's skin. If your baby does get diaper rash, keep her skin clean and dry. Air-drying after each diaper change or bath can help to dry out the rash.
The chemicals used by manufacturers to treat new clothing and blankets can also irritate your new baby's skin. Be sure to wash all of her new clothes before dressing her in them. Also, some laundry detergents or fabric softeners can cause rashes. Wash your baby's things separately from your clothes, using a mild laundry soap and avoid using fabric softeners. If your baby still develops a rash, double-rinsing may help get rid of any residual soap in her clothes and blankets.
Over-the-counter diaper rash ointments may help to protect your baby’s sensitive skin.
It should come as no surprise to you when your baby cries. But when the crying is excessive and your baby is very difficult to console, colic may be the culprit.
The definition of colic is persistent, inconsolable crying. The symptoms of colic may include:
Colic usually occurs in babies that are 2-12 weeks old, and the crying can last for 2-4 hours each day.
Although there is little that you can do to relieve colic, just know that it will not last forever. If your baby cries uncontrollably, be sure to let your provider know. He or she may have suggestions on how you and your family can best cope with the condition.
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