ESSENTIAL CARE FOR EVERY BABY - FIRST 2 WEEKSJuly 15, 2019

The birth of a baby is one of life’s most precious moments. The love and joy your little one has brought into your life is beyond measure. During the first few days with the baby, the mother can be excited, exhausted and confused at the same time. Newborn babies have amazing abilities, yet they are completely dependent on their mother for feeding, comfort and warmth.  Let’s get you started on the right foot to know some important care that is essential for a baby after birth.

• Skin to skin care/kangaroo care for building a bond with your baby

Spending time with your newborn baby in those first hours of life is very special. To cuddle your baby skin-to-skin, your baby will be placed directly on your chest, covered by a blanket. Let your infant get to know your voice and feel your touch. Kangaroo Mother Care (skin-to-skin care), is a simple method of caring for newborn babies where the mother uses her own body temperature to keep her infant warm. With this method, you can create a bond with your baby.  Apart from that, it kickstarts your breastfeed and it will bring a general sense of satisfaction and joy.

• Getting Started With Breastfeeding

Nothing is better for your baby at this time than breast milk. Breast milk is nutritionally custom made for your infant. It has a nearly perfect mix of protein, fat vitamins - everything your infant needs to grow.  It’s best to try to breastfeed your newborn in the first hour after birth. At this time you will be having thick, yellow milk, called colostrum. This is your baby’s lifeline before transitioning to normal breast milk.  By latching on and sucking, the baby begins switching on the cells in your breasts to initiate your milk supply. A newborn baby needs to be fed often and sleeps a lot. This loss of sleep may affect your breast milk supply as well. Sleeping when your baby sleeps, can help alleviate this. If you have low supply of breast milk, try pumping immediately after feeding your baby. Alternatively, pumping one breast while your baby feeds on the other can help you handle let down reflex, a common occurrence for those with low milk supply.

• Providing warmth for the newborn

Newborn babies are yet to learn to regulate their body temperatures to the environment outside the womb. As previously mentioned, placing a baby skin to skin on the chest or abdomen of the mother helps to keep the baby warm. Swaddling your baby well, will not only keep him warm, but also mimic the feeling of the womb, giving him better sleep.

• Medical care for your newborn

Right after birth, infants need various important tests and procedures to ensure they are healthy. Delaying further medical care will ruin the valuable first moments of life for you, baby and your partner. As a parent, it's your duty to ensure your newborn gets all the essential vaccines and tests on time.  It is common for many newborn babies develop New born Jaundice (different from adult jaundice), a situation in which the skin and whites of the eyes are yellowish in color. In fact, about 50 percent of term and 80 percent of preterm newborns develop mild jaundice in the first 3-7 days. Feeding your baby well can help flush out the jaundice causing excess bilirubin. Severe cases may need phototherapy.

• Round-the-Clock Feedings

Expect to feed the baby every one to a few hours. Frequent feeding helps to initiate and build your milk supply. So the more your baby feeds, the more milk you will make. There is no need for planning a baby feeding schedule as it might reduce chances to feed. You need to just concentrate on breastfeeding when your infant shows certain hunger cues like turning head when the baby feels something on his cheek, sucking lips, trying to eat hand, crying etc. So if the baby shows these symptoms offer your baby your milk.

These are certain essential care that every newborn baby needs. We at My Womb know being a newbie mom is not easy. Motherhood comes with its challenges, and we assure you, we are with you to celebrate your motherhood all the way.