Newborn Care Tips For New Parents
Babies seem so large when a woman is nine months pregnant and she is waddling around because her stomach seems about to burst open. However, that little one is smaller than you think when he or she comes out. Some new parents are afraid to touch their baby at first, fearing that they are going to do something to hurt them. Most of the time, they won’t but that does not stop them from feeling a bit afraid of their baby. Newborn care is something that comes with experience, but there are some things new parents can keep in mind when handling and caring for their new baby.
All newborns are top heavy. That means their heads are bigger than their bodies in proportion to what their head size will be when they are older. That means their heads are a bit heavy. A very important aspect of newborn care is to always support the head when lifting or turning a newborn. Not only are their heads heavy, their necks are weak and they can not lift their own heads. If they can, its only for a few seconds. Parents must compensate for the weak neck by always lifting with one hand under the head. Within just a day or two, supporting the head will be second nature and parents will automatically do it.
Newborn care also means taking care of healing circumcisions and belly buttons. Boys who are circumcised have special care needs until that heals, and all babies will come home from the hospital with part of the umbilical cord still attached to the belly button area. The cord will turn black and fall off, but until then, newborn care requires a few things. For one, babies with either should be sponged bathed only until both issues are gone. For the umbilical cord, diapers should be turned down so that the fabric of the diaper does not rub on the cord.
Most parents know that newborn care requires a baby to eat often, but they may not know how often. Taking care of a newborn baby may mean feeding every two hours. Some babies eat more often than others, so you may find that it is three hours in your case. Newborn care can mean that you have to wake your baby up to eat if they have started to sleep through a feeding time. Most parents are so tired that they hate to do this, but babies eat often at this age for a reason. In order for baby to grow and thrive, they need to eat on demand if possible, and be woken up if they sleep too long. Don’t worry, you’ll get more sleep soon enough.
Newborn care may also mean doing a lot of laundry. Many new parents do not realize how cooler air hitting the diapered area can trigger a baby to go to the bathroom. Many parents of boys have been surprised with a spray when they take off a dirty diaper, and even some parents of girls. Urine and even bowel movements can go anywhere. You may find that newborn care means changing sheets, blankets, and clothing items more often than you think. Those tiny items can pile up quickly so stock up on laundry detergent for newborns. You are going to need it.
