Bringing Home Your New Baby!

Newborns are babies less than 1 month old

Keeping Baby Comfortable Swaddling Changing Feeding Massaging Bonding

What is swaddling and why should you do it? Wrapping your baby in a blanket or towel somewhat tightly Keeps baby warm. Babies have a hard time regulating their body temperature themselves Helps babies to feel secure as they adjust to their new environment You should only do this for the first month or so

Changing your Baby’s diaper Can use cloth or disposable diapers Babies should have at least 6-8 wet diapers per day Change regularly and as soon as possible to prevent diaper rash, keeping baby comfortable Can use lotion or cream special for their bottoms at each changing Do not use talcum powder because of the risk of pneumonia. Cornstarch reduces friction and may prevent rashes. First bowel movement is called meconium. This will happen at the hospital but the next few diaper changes may look similar. Next several bowel movements are seedy-looking.

Feeding Baby Breast fed versus bottle fed-it’s a personal decision Breast milk is made perfectly for the baby with lots of protein, the right amount of f fats and antibodies to build baby’s immune system It is very important for mom to eat healthy and to not drink alcohol while breastfeeding Formula is made to be a s close to breast milk as possible Some babies are sensitive or allergic to certain formulas and may have to change to a different type of formula

Guide for Formula Feeding (Age 0-5 months) Amount Per FeedingNumber of Feedings per 24 hours 2 to 4 ounces6 to 8 times 5 to 6 ounces5 to 6 times 6 to 7 ounces5 to 6 times

Solid Food Babies should not be given solid food before 4 months of age because they are not developmentally ready and they may have certain food allergies and their immune system is still immature

Baby Massage Massaging your baby may do several beneficial things for your baby Enhance the emotional bond with your child Calms baby when upset Improves sleep patterns Helps digestion

Bonding Bonding is what creates the relationship between parent and baby You do this by making eye contact with baby, talking and singing to your baby, meeting the needs of your baby, answering cries, touching and playing with baby By the time baby comes home from the hospital their visual activity is only cm (face to face). Your baby can track your movement Babies like to look at patterns, especially black and white contrast

“Why is Bonding Important” Bonding is essential for a baby. Studies of newborn monkeys who were given mannequins mothers at birth showed that, despite the efforts of the baby monkeys to get a response through holding and touching the mannequins, the lack of a parental response caused stunted development, sadness, and failure to thrive in the young monkeys. Lack of bonding in human babies causes similar problems. Babies can suffer from failure to thrive when they do not have an emotional connection with their caregivers. (

Keeping Baby Healthy Bathing and skin care Daily baths for babies are not necessary Umbilical cord care Keep umbilical cord dry Do not use alcohol to clean the umbilical cord area Circumcision care Immunizations

Bathing and Skin Care Babies do not need to be bathed everyday. Their skin is sensitive and can be wiped off instead. Use soft clean cloth to clean baby instead of holding baby under running water. Make sure to clean in all creases and under the chin and neck area. Although you can use lotion, it is not necessary to use everyday. Babies sometimes have baby acne, cradle cap, and dry patches. These are all normal. Wrap baby up right after bath and get dressed as soon as possible. Babies lose heat easily and need to be kept warm but not too warm.

Umbilical Cord Care Wash and wipe around the cord area with plain water. Do not wash on the actual umbilical cord itself. Alcohol is no longer recommended because it is not necessary. Make sure the cord “stump” is outside of the diaper Both of these will keep it from becoming infected. What ar some signs of infection? (Redness or puffiness) Notify your doctor if your baby has any of these signs. The cord will fall off by itself in about two to three weeks.

Circumcision Care Not all baby boys are circumcised. Keep the penis area clean with soap and water. It may look red It should heal within a week or two If your baby is not circumcised, leave the foreskin alone. You should not try to pull back the skin; the physician will do this as part of his or her assessment later. It may take weeks or months for it to retract. This is okay as long as he is able to urinate okay.

Immunizations These are important to keep your newborn healthy. At the hospital, a Hepatitis B vaccine is usually given. Hepatitis B is a disease of the liver caused by the Hepatitis B virus. Symptoms: yellow skin or eyes, tiredness, stomach ache, loss of appetite, nausea or joint pain may occur. These symptoms are not the same as jaundice, which also makes babies look yellow. Jaundice is not Hepatitis but it does have to do with the liver. Infants will get other vaccinations in the months to follow

The End!