Here is the long-awaited happiness! Your baby has left his cozy house, notified the world with a cry of his arrival, and now he sniffs funnyly in your arms. The first minutes, hours, days and weeks of a child are filled not only with joy and love, but also with anxiety. Mom tries to do everything for her baby, but is constantly afraid to make a mistake. What should be the care of newborns in the early days? More on this later in the article.
The first days of a baby’s life
Usually, at first, mother and child are under the watchful supervision of maternity hospital doctors. A pediatrician will visit you several times a day, which will carefully monitor the health and development of the crumbs. If you have any questions, be sure to ask their medical staff.
Are you curious about what will happen immediately after the birth of your baby? The algorithm of actions of doctors in maternity hospitals is debugged and brought to automatism:
- The umbilical cord is fixed in two places, and then cut off.
- The baby is dipped in a dry diaper to collect moisture from the skin.
- If the baby feels well, then it is laid out on the mother’s belly and covered with a diaper and a blanket. This is a very important point, as it allows you to establish the first contact with the child. In the case of a caesarean section, the baby is spread on the belly of the pope, if he does not mind.
- The doctor assesses the condition of the crumbs on a number of indicators. In the early days of the child will be often inspected to identify various abnormalities.
- Modern maternity hospitals in every possible way support breastfeeding and the natural development of babies, so they try to quickly attach the baby to the mother’s breast.
- If mother and baby feel good, then they are transferred to the joint room ward. Now your baby will be constantly nearby, and you will have to look after him yourself. What should be the care of newborns in the early days?
Hygiene
In the hospital, you are unlikely to be able to bathe a child, but regular maintenance of his body clean is simply necessary. Firstly, diapers should be changed at least once every three hours. If the baby has stained the diapers, then immediately change them and wash the baby. You can use special napkins or ordinary running water for this purpose. Try to wash your baby less often with soap, especially if you have a girl. Next, wet the baby's ass with a towel or diaper and put on a clean diaper.
Every morning, wipe the baby with water, preferably boiled. Its temperature should be between 35-38 degrees. It is very convenient to use cotton swabs or discs. First wipe the eyes in the direction from the outer corner to the inner one. Use a separate swab for each eye. Next, wash your face and neck. We change the fleece again and wipe all the folds on the handles and legs. At the end of water procedures, we wipe the entire body of the child. Remember that care for newborns in the early days should be as careful as possible.
Navel processing
The navel falls off a few days after birth, although in some cases it may take more than a week. Carefully treat the area of the wound with a regular green brush and cotton bud daily. Try not to twist the rest of the umbilical cord, so as not to lead to its early falling.
Choose such clothes for the crumbs so that the seams or buttons do not rub the navel. Also bend the edge of the diaper so that it does not injure the wound.
How to dress a baby
Now it’s not customary to swaddle children. Even for the smallest, funny costumes are on sale, so there should be no problems with buying clothes. But about how and what to wear baby, mothers often have questions.
The temperature in the chamber should be at 25 degrees. In such conditions, a baby in a cotton suit, socks and a hat is enough. Keep in mind that children have not yet established thermoregulation, so it is very simple to supercool or overheat them. Grandmothers advise touching the baby’s nose to determine how comfortable he is. However, neither the temperature of the legs, nor the nose, nor the ears will tell reliably about the well-being of the baby. Better focus on the temperature of the neck.
In the early days, doctors and nurses will help you take care of newborns, do not be afraid to ask for their help. Try to get the most information, because soon you will go home and be left alone with your baby.