Congratulations on the birth of your baby!
This is a very exciting time, but we know you may have some questions about caring
for your baby after you leave the hospital.
Many of those questions may be answered in this video.
This information will be reviewed by your pediatrician at your first newborn
office visit in the next one to three days as well.
Babies should feed 8 to 12 times in a 24-hour period. You may find it helpful
to keep track of how often your baby is feeding with a feeding log.
You can do this on paper, or by downloading an app on your phone.
Babies need no other food than breast milk for the first 6 months,
this includes water or juice. If introducing a bottle of express milk at
age one month, it's important that you never prop the bottle on a pillow or
blanket. This can cause ear infections and lead
to your baby choking. Ask another family member to help if you
need assistance or hold off on feeding for a few minutes
until you can attend to your baby. Many new mothers who
breastfeed are concerned about not producing enough milk in the beginning.
All women initially make a substance called colostrum which is yellow because
of all the good healthy fat. Colostrum is low in volume but high in
calories and nutrition. Your baby's stomach is only the size of
a marble to start, so colostrum is all he needs to feel
full. It's normal for your baby to be hungry
often in the beginning, even every hour. Putting your baby to
breast often will help your baby transition your milk from colostrum
to mature milk.
There are a number of signs to look out for in the newborn that could indicate
an underlying infection or illness. If you notice a cough, inconsolable
crying, difficulty breathing, decreased responsiveness or a
significant change in feeding pattern please call your doctor. Remember the
baby's appetite should be steady or increasing with time and she should be
feeding 8 to 12 times in a 24 hour period.
Make sure you talk to your doctor before giving any medications.
She should be urinating at least once every eight hours but this will increase
to six to eight times a day once feeding is established. In newborn
babies, a high or low temperature can be a sign of serious infection.
You don't need to check your baby's temperature unless she's acting sick.
Please call your doctor if you measure a rectal temperature
of greater than 100.4 or less than 97.2 degrees Fahrenheit. If you don't have a
thermometer at home try to purchase one as soon as possible.
Babies can't breathe through their mouths like adults can,
so they will have to breathe through their noses. During times of congestion,
apply two to three drops of nasal saline to your baby's nose
followed by a bulb suction syringe. If your baby sneezes,
no need to use the bulb syringe.
The umbilical cord will usually fall off on its own when your baby is between
7 and 14 days old. Near the time of cord separation,
you may notice a small amount of oozing blood, this is normal.
You don't need to put alcohol or anything else on your baby's umbilical
cord. If you have any questions about how to care for the cord,
please ask your doctor. If there is bleeding, apply light pressure.
If the base of the cord becomes red or swollen, call your doctor as this is a
sign of infection. Jaundice refers to your baby's skin
looking yellow and is seen in many newborns.
This is a result of something called bilirubin that's found in the blood.
It is very common in the first weeks of life, usually peaking around days
three and four and then generally improving. In most
infants, jaundice is harmless but very rarely the level can get high enough to
cause brain damage. We monitor the bilirubin
levels in the newborn nursery but the levels can
increase after going home. This is one of the reasons we want your baby to be seen
by a healthcare provider one to three days after leaving the
nursery. Please call your doctor if your baby's skin
or eyes turn yellow or if you notice that he's sleepier than usual.
Bathe your baby every couple of days with warm water and a washcloth. Do not
submerge the baby in water until the umbilical cord has fallen off.
Until then you can use a sponge bath to clean him. Trim his finger and toenails
with a file or infant nail clipper as needed.
Dry skin is common in newborns and will shed and be replaced within the first
two weeks of life. Avoid moisturizers or lotions that
contain perfume as they can cause a rash for boys who have been circumcised. Apply
vaseline and gauze over the circumcision for the first 24
hours and then simply apply vaseline until the area is well healed.
Baby girls commonly have a white vaginal discharge that can be wiped off with a
sponge bath, there are sometimes even a few drops of blood
from the vagina, which is completely normal due to baby being separated from
mom's hormones. This will go away on its own and is not
bothering your baby.
It's against the law to transport a baby without a car seat. For the first
two years of life, all car seats should be placed rear-facing
in the back seat, preferably in the middle of the car. There are local
agencies that can check your car seat for proper
installation and fit. Babies should be placed on their backs to sleep to
decrease the risk of sudden infant death syndrome
or SIDS. Your baby should be in her own crib or bassinet for sleeping, but
ideally in the same room as you for the first
6 to 12 months. Your baby should have no extra
pillows or blankets in the crib and avoid the use of crib bumpers.
To make sure she's warm, she should wear a warm sleeper
or swaddle sack and a hat. While your baby is awake it's okay to place your
baby on her tummy for brief periods of time to
increase strength, but this should be supervised. Avoid using strong cleaners
or chemicals near your baby. Set the water heater to a maximum of 120
degrees Fahrenheit to avoid burning your baby.
It's really important to keep babies away from smoke. Family members and
guests should go outside to smoke and then wash their hands and change
their clothes before handling your baby. Babies can cry a lot especially in the
first few months. It tends to peak around four weeks of
age and slowly gets better by about three months.
When your baby is crying check to see if he's hungry,
cold or needing a fresh diaper. If not there are ways to soothe your baby
such as swaddling him in a blanket, offering a pacifier to suck,
making shushing sounds to remind your baby of being inside you and gently
swaying back and forth. Hold off on introducing a pacifier until
your baby is two weeks to one month of age when your milk supply is established.
Some babies will still cry and it can be very stressful.
It's perfectly okay to leave your baby in a safe location
for a short period of time, around five minutes, while you take a timeout and
calm yourself. If you can hear your baby crying you
know his lungs and heart are working and that everything is okay.
It is important to never shake your baby as you can cause permanent brain damage
or death. Encourage family members to take
timeouts too if needed. Most importantly take good care of
yourself so that you can care for your baby.