A Quick Guide for the New Mother

After having a baby, life is filled with questions, joy, confusion, worry and many wakeful hours and not enough rest. Each child is of course unique, but childcare has a few basics to ensure the best care of a child by those who take care of them. I have put together a few thoughts on some main topics of concern during the first one to two months of an infant's life. Hopefully this information can bring some reassurance and calm in a busy time of life. Please remember that it is always good to discuss any issues, questions and concerns you have with your baby's doctor.

• Nutrition.

The infant needs food to grow and develop. Milk is the only source of food the baby needs for the first 4-6 months of life. You can choose to use breast milk or formula. Infants usually regulate their amount of intake based on their need. When a baby if first born, they can be sleepy and may not wake up on their own to feed. If so, they need to be aroused to feed.

Breast milk provides important sources of energy for the baby; in addition it also provides illness-fighting antibodies from the mother to help with the immune system of the infant. Breastfed infants should be fed every 2 to 3 hrs, draining at least one breast per feed. Feeds should last at least 10 minutes each session. It takes at least 3-4 days for the mother's milk to fully let down. For this to occur, the infant must consistently be suckling to stimulate milk production.

Formula is to be mixed 2oz of water to 1 scoop of powder; there is also premixed formula. Formula should be given every 3-4 hrs. Infants usually start out taking small amounts of formula and it increases as they grow.

• Stooling and Voiding

Infants have their own schedule of bowel movements. They range from a stool after each feed to once every 2-3days. This is all within normal. The initial stools are black, sticky meconium but the stools eventually change to green or yellow in color and can be pasty to seedy in consistency. Constipation is considered if the infant is crying with stools and if the stools are hard rocks; infants with constipation may go 4 or more days between stools and may even have streaks of blood on their stool. Constipation is something your doctor should be alerted about to advise you on correcting the situation. Be aware that it is also normal for an infant to strain with bowel movements as well as to pass gas.

Infants should have at least 4 wet diapers for the day. Less than that can mean the infant is dehydrated from not taking in enough fluid or from loosing a lot of fluid in situations such as sweating, vomiting or diarrhea. Alert you pediatrician if this is the case.

• Reflux/ Spitting Up

It is a very common thing for infants to spit up in association with feeding. As the body grows and matures, spitting up is usually less common as the opening to the stomach is able to better keep down food. Reflux can range from a wet burp to a mouthful or two of formula occurring up to one hour after a feed. As long as the infant keeps down most of their feeds and continues to gain weight and is not in much discomfort, precautionary measures to help prevent a lot of spitting up can be helpful. Give smaller quantities of formula more frequently, burp the infant in the middle of a feed as well as at the end, and keep the infant upright for 30min post feeds. Discuss with your child's pediatrician other interventions that are available.

• Sleeping

Infants should be placed to sleep on their backs, as this is associated with less sudden infant death syndrome. Infants are safe when sleeping on their backs and are not at increased incidence of choking. As the child gets older and learns to roll over, placing the child on their back to sleep is obsolete.

The crib should not have a lot of stuffed toys or blankets and no pillow is needed. These things can all suffocate the infant who cannot move themselves away from any of these soft things that could cover the face.

• Fever and Illness.

Infants two months of age and under with a fever should always immediately be taken to the doctor. If the infant feels warm to the touch, a temperature should be checked. A fever is defined as a temperature of 100.4 degrees or higher; rectal temperature is the most accurate in a baby. Infants are small, and cannot fight infection as well as older children and adults. A newborn with a fever could have a serious illness, which if untreated has the potential of having a bad outcome.

• Safety

Infants depend of their caretakers for everything, including their safety. Whenever traveling in a vehicle, infants should be strapped into a car seat at the back of the car and the seat correctly strapped into the car. Infant's seats face backwards until they are 20 pounds and 1 year old; they can then face forward in their car seat. It is best for children to ride in the back seat of the car until they are at least 4 feet 9 inches tall. They should always wear a seatbelt.

When bathing the baby, it is important to know be sure the water is not too hot, which could cause a serious burn. Set the water heater for 120 to 130 degrees to prevent the possibility of the water becoming too hot.

Never leave an infant unattended. Even though they do not move too much in the first few months, it is for their protection not the leave them unattended on the bed, changing table, or in the bath water.

When a new baby comes home, everyone is curious to take a look and to touch, including older siblings and pets. Monitor their interaction with the infant, as they can unintentially injure the baby.

The care of a child is important. Children have parents and guardians who are responsible to provide a safe, supportive environment, to supply the child's needs and to prevent harmful situations. As always, speak to your child's pediatrician about your concerns or questions.

advertisement
mailto:kmt205@gmail.com