General: Congratulations on the birth of your new baby! Caring for a new baby is exhausting, but very rewarding, and your schedule will likely be quite unpredictable. For this reason, we recommend that you take good care of yourself as well as your baby; nap when your baby does, eat nutritious meals, and ask for help when you need it.
General: Congratulations on the birth of your new baby! Caring for a new baby is exhausting, but very rewarding, and your schedule will likely be quite unpredictable. For this reason, we recommend that you take good care of yourself as well as your baby; nap when your baby does, eat nutritious meals, and ask for help when you need it.
- Feeding: If your baby is breast fed, expect to nurse 7-10 times in 24 hours. If your baby is formula fed, expect to feed the baby 2-3 ounces every three to four hours. Make certain that you mix formula carefully according to the directions on the label. The baby will require no other foods until she is between 4 and 6 months old. All babies require supplemental Vitamin D. Breast fed babies require this through the duration of breast feeding, but formula fed infants can discontinue the supplements when they reach 32 ounces of formula per day.
- Sleep: Your baby will probably have a bowel movement with each feeding at first. As your baby gets older she will probably begin to have fewer stools and the color of stools will vary. Many babies strain and cry with bowel movements but as long as the stool is soft (rather than small, hard pellets) your baby is not constipated. Ask your doctor about management for constipation if this is a problem. Expect at least 5-7 wet diapers per day.
Development: Babies are born with the ability to respond to your face and voice. It is important to hold them in front of you so that they can see your face and to talk to them frequently. They pay attention to sights and sounds, but can block out this stimulus when they are tired.
- Motor Skills: Babies will stare at their surroundings, notice bright colors (but prefer black and white) and objects, and focus 8-12 inches away but their eyes may wander and cross occasionally. Babies can lift their heads but only briefly. •
- Communication/Socialization: Babies cry a lot because this is their only way of letting you know how they feel. They will cry when they are hungry, in pain or lonely; and over the first few weeks to months you will learn how to interpret what is wrong just by the sound of the cry. Babies tend to increase the amount of crying they do over the first 6-8 weeks, but then the crying diminishes. They will also utter noises, smile randomly and respond to human faces. Some babies develop excessive crying when they are either hungry, wet, overheated or in pain. We call this “colic”. If you are concerned that your baby is beginning to show signs of colic, please ask your doctor for suggestions in management of this brief but difficult condition.
Safety:
- Always use a car seat that is rear facing. Your baby should be placed in the back seat.
- Baby should be put to sleep on her back, and her crib should have a firm mattress without heavy blankets, pillows or soft toys in the crib.
- Turn water heater temperature down to 120 degrees F.
- Never shake a baby – if you feel angry or frustrated, lay your baby in a safe area (such as the crib) and take a break by leaving the room. Do not leave your baby unattended. It is normal to periodically feel frustrated, angry and tired. Call a friend or family member and ask for help.
- Be aware of the dangers of sunburn and always keep your baby’s sensitive skin covered and keep the baby in the shade.
- Eliminate baby’s exposure to tobacco smoke as it has been strongly implicated in childhood illnesses including ear infections, colds, asthma and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). As a parent, you have both the right and the responsibility to protect your child when visitors come to your home.
Parenting: You cannot spoil a child at this age by responding to their cries. In fact, when you pay attention to your baby’s cues and respond promptly, you teach your child that you can be trusted and strengthen the emotional attachment between you. Secure attachment is the most important thing in your baby’s life and is the foundation for healthy development. Your baby will also be learning to respond to your cues and will repeat behaviors that illicit a positive response (for instance if you smile in response to your baby’s vocalization or smiles, she will learn to repeat those behaviors).
Play: Babies enjoy being held, cuddled and talked to. They enjoy soft music or singing. Unbreakable mirrors attached securely to inside of crib, mobiles with highly contrasting colors and patterns, and soft brightly colored toys that make sounds are appropriate play items.
Next visit is at 2 months of age. However, if your baby feels warm to you, check her temperature rectally and call the clinic immediately for fever (rectal temperature of 100.3 degrees or above). It is very uncommon for babies to have fever in the first few months of life, and we will want to have an opportunity to examine your baby if she develops one.