Congratulations, you have given birth to your first baby!
The months of curiosity, anxiety and questioning such as who will my baby look like? Will baby have hair? How much will baby weigh? Will baby be a boy or girl, are over!
Suddenly all of those questions are answered and as you look down at your first newborn you ask yourself even more questions.
What do I do now…and How…
– Do I hold baby?
– Do I feed baby?
– Do I burp baby
– Do I change baby
– Do I bath baby?
– Do I put baby to sleep
Your ‘first baby moments’ of mixed emotions are a normal part of being a new mum. It’s also normal that your happiness may sometimes turn into fear, as your feelings of excitement turn into anxiety.
So how do you put those emotions aside and start to consider how to care and nurture your newborn baby?
For you and your newborn this is just the beginning of your bonding. Time for you to get to know your baby and, for your baby to get to know you.
During the first few weeks your main concern for your baby should be feeding and sleeping. This is the time where you will learn to hold, feed, burp, change, bath and put your baby to sleep.
Many of these things that you do with baby will be repeated several times a day, every day. One of the best ways to cope with them is to have a routine. Having a routine will help you to organise your day better and give you time to get some rest. Baby will also start getting use to a pattern which will help baby to settle easier.
Here are some practical tips that will help you with your routine:
1. Feeding Baby
Baby will need to be feed every 2-3 hours, 3-4 hours or on demand. Whether breast feeding or bottle feeding your baby, you should try to get your baby into a feeding routine. This can be challenging at first, particularly at night, but if you persevere, baby will eventually get used to it.
Part of feeding baby, is helping your baby to burp and bring up wind. Bringing up wind can sometimes be difficult for baby and you may need to give baby some extra help. One way to do this is to sit baby on your lap, making sure to support baby’s neck and rub or lightly tap baby in the middle of the upper back with the other hand. Do not be alarmed if baby brings up some milk during winding. This is normal. Relieving baby from wind and settling baby after feeding will help make baby relax and sleep more peacefully.
Changing your baby regular will avoid baby’s bottom being over exposed to urine and poo and reduce the risk of baby getting nappy rash. To reduce nappy rash, it is important that you check baby’s bottom before and after every feed. Each time you change baby, you should clean, dry and lubricate baby’s bottom. If baby cries between feeds or cries during sleep, you should also check their nappy, as a filled nappy will make baby fret and feel uncomfortable.
If you are experiencing sleepless nights, it can be very tempting to let your baby sleep and not wake baby for a feed during the day. Try not to let baby sleep for more than 4 hours. Feeding baby at regular intervals during the day will not only help establish day time feeding habits, but may also help to reduce night time feeds, as your baby begins to associate these feeding times with day time and may sleep a little longer between night time feeds.
2. Putting Baby to Sleep
It is usual for newborns to have unusual sleeping habits and your baby is no exception. For the first few weeks your baby will sleep on average between 16 to 18 hours a day. At this stage your baby cannot distinguish between night and day.
Your baby will nap throughout the day, but if baby naps for too long after their due feed, then don’t be afraid to wake baby up. If baby doesn’t wake straight away, lift baby up, talk to baby, and try tickling the bottom of their feet or take off an item of clothing. To help baby to wake up fully, use this time to play with baby before feeding.
When doing household chores, don’t worry about noise that may wake baby while sleeping. Baby will soon get used to it and sleep through. Getting baby used to daily noise and undimmed rooms will help baby to start distinguishing day time sounds and light and help them transition from day time sleeping to night time sleeping.
You will also need to develop night time sleeping habits for your baby. To help your baby’s transition from day time sleeping to night time sleeping, you should establish a ‘bedtime’ routine.
For example, if you recognise that giving baby a bath helps baby to sleep longer, then bathing should be part of the ‘bedtime’ routine. Equally, if playing music or singing a lullaby helps baby to sleep, also do this at bedtime. These patterns will help baby to make associations with night time sleeping. Giving a ‘top up’ feed before the next feed is due, can also be part of the ‘bedtime’ routine, keep baby full and help baby to sleep for longer during the night.
Putting your newborn to sleep in a cradle instead of a cot, may help baby to sleep better as the smaller space may make baby feel more cosy and secure. Also keeping a good temperature, in the room where baby sleeps so baby is neither too hot or too cold, will help baby to sleep more soundly. A cautionary note, from time to time while your baby is sleeping, always check to see that baby is comfortable, is not having any problems with breathing or getting cold or overheated.
These baby caring tips provide a few solutions to help you to care for your newborn during the first few weeks. As your baby develops you will start to recognise your baby’s reaction to feeding, changing, bathing and sleeping and begin to find your own solutions to meet your baby’s needs.
The most important thing for you is that you satisfy your baby’s needs and make baby as comfortable as you possibly can. Creating these daily routines and bedtime patterns with your baby, may not stop night feeds straight away but will help to develop healthy and satisfying sleeping and feeding patterns for your baby and help you to catch up on your own sleep … Night night!
