Care Of The Newborn Baby – Initial Days – 1

Arrival of the Newborn Baby

After a long wait of nine months, when finally your baby arrives, you have some questions in mind, such as how your babies are born and what happens immediately after their birth. Actually when babies are born:

• They are wet and naked. They have come from a warm and comfortable environment in their maternal womb.
• They are immediately dried up, cleaned, and kept under a warmer to maintain a temperature.
• They are examined, to check if they are breathing normally, and all other things such as weight, height, heart sound, visual reaction, hearing screening, reflexes, and umbilical stump are normal.
• They are given the Injection of vitamin K, to prevent any kind of bleeding. If everything is alright, the baby is shifted to the mother’s room.

Baby with mother-“rooming in”

All normal babies are “Roomed In” or kept with their mothers. It helps in initiating breastfeeding and also keeping the baby warm and comfortable.

Keeping Baby Comfortable

As a parent of a newborn, you try your best to keep your baby comfortable in this new world. Following are the answers to some common questions:

What Should be the Optimum Room Temperature?

Unlike adults, newborn babies do not have adequate mechanisms to generate or shed heat, so they are required to be kept under optimum temperature.

Enlarging the room temperature which is slightly warm or uncomfortable to an adult is usually comfortable for the baby.

During winter baby should be fully covered with woolen. Socks, hand gloves, and caps should be used to prevent heat loss. The room should be kept warm with room heaters.

During summer baby should wear loose and soft cotton clothes. The room should be properly ventilated and kept cool by using cooler or air conditioners.

How to Assess Whether a Baby is Comfortable or not?

When comfortable, the baby’s hands and feet should be reasonably warm to the touch, and the sole and palm should be pink in color.

If the baby is too cold, soles and palms tend to get bluish. If the baby is sweating overhead and neck it means he is overclothed or the room temperature is too high.

Breast

Feeding The Baby

Breastfeeding is the ideal food for your child because of its nutritional composition. Following are the facts associated with the breast-feeding:

How to Go About it?

Baby should be put on the mother’s breast as soon as possible, preferably within half to one hour. Do not give anything else like honey, water, or top milk.

Initial watery yellow milk called colostrum is good for babies’ health and should never be discarded. Adopt a “Semi-demand” approach. If baby demands feed him otherwise offer every 2-3 hours. Babies have a tendency to fall asleep after a few sucks, don’t worry. Try to tickle him gently to keep him awake. Babies should be fed exclusively by breast for the first 4-6 months. During this period they do not require any supplements including water.

Is My Baby Getting Enough Milk?

A cranky baby, a baby who puts hands inside his mouth or who makes sucking movements doesn’t always mean a hungry baby.

Mother’s milk is always adequate for the nutritional requirements of a baby.

Be sure your baby is getting enough milk if he.

• Remains contented and happy for 2-3 hours after feed.
• Passes urine at least six times a day.
• Shows satisfactory weight gains i.e. App. 30 grams per day during first 4 months.