Caring for a newborn is a difficult moral and physical work. Almost every young mother faces a particular problem when the long-awaited baby is born. What should be the care of a newborn in the first month of life and beyond?
In the hospital
First, the mother and child are in the hospital. Here, a woman can be assisted by medical personnel with basic manipulations for caring for a newborn on the first day of life. But nevertheless, mother is fully responsible.
In the maternity hospital, a woman is still gaining strength; it is not so easy for her to take care of a newborn. She gets used to breastfeeding and a new daily routine for her.
It is worth noting that in the early days, the child sleeps most of the time. Therefore, a woman should spend this period sleeping as much as possible. When the baby falls asleep, she needs to go to bed to rest as well, because then such an opportunity may not be due to domestic problems.
Early days at home
After discharge from the hospital, all actions to care for the newborn fall on the shoulders of the parents. They must get used to the new rhythm of life. Initially, you need to prepare a "corner" for the baby.
Be sure to install a cot with sides, a changing table and a chest of drawers for baby things in the room. It is better if the baby is in the same room with the parents for up to a year.
Thus, caring for a newborn in the early days is immediately several times easier. Night feeds will not become super heavy due to the transition from room to room. It is necessary to provide a lamp. It will come in handy during baby's night awakenings.
It is desirable that domestic problems and concerns be divided between the spouses in half, so that the woman has time for a good rest. If this is not possible, then grandmothers or other relatives and friends can be involved in this matter.
Swaddling
Is it relevant now? Already 15-20 years ago, swaddling was a mandatory manipulation in caring for a newborn. For a month or more, the baby was fixed in one position and slept calmly.
Now more and more often children are given complete freedom of movement from the first days. Pediatricians also do not insist on this manipulation. But especially troubled babies can be swaddled, and sometimes even necessary.
Up to 5-6 months, the child makes involuntary movements and wakes himself up. To prevent this from happening, you can fix it using diapers. Sometimes they use this method only to the chest or vice versa. It turns out that the swaddled legs of the newborn or his handles.
But more and more mothers do not use this method and the children sleep just in humans. Thus, the baby gradually gets used to his sensations and movements, which cease to interfere with him.
Navel processing
Nowadays, maternity hospitals use modern devices to fix part of the umbilical cord. For this, special plastic clothespins are used. The baby is discharged home with the umbilical cord still attached.
In the early days, the navel is processed with green. After separating the clothespin with the remains of the umbilical cord, care will change slightly. During this period, before complete healing, hydrogen peroxide must be applied before treatment with brilliant green.
Such manipulation is done carefully using a cotton swab. Then, after drying, a small amount of Zelenka is also applied. Such care for a newborn baby should be done several times a day and especially carefully after bathing.
These manipulations will need to be done until the umbilical wound is completely healed. This will be reported at a routine examination by a pediatrician who monitors the baby.
Breast-feeding
According to all WHO recommendations, it is advisable for an infant to eat mother's milk for one and a half years. Breastfeeding is supported now from the first minutes of the baby's life.
Even before cutting the umbilical cord, the child is placed on the mother’s chest in the delivery room. Thus, the first drops of colostrum will provide good immunity to the newborn.
By new standards, the baby should be breast-fed on demand, and not by the hour, as happened before. Thus, the arrival of milk becomes larger, as a result, it is enough for the newborn.
But there are times when the baby "hangs" on the mother’s chest around the clock. Then it is better to keep the time frame, otherwise the woman will be busy all day only feeding.
Artificial Feeding
Caring for a newborn baby may be somewhat more complicated if it was not possible to organize breastfeeding. In this case, it is necessary to switch to artificial infant formula.
The selection should be based on the particular health of the particular baby and the solvency of the parents. Unfortunately, quality mixes are very expensive right now.
The choice of food should be discussed with the pediatrician. He will tell you the best option for quality and price. If a baby rash or severe colic occurs after applying a specific mixture, then it must be replaced.
It is also very important to take a responsible approach to the choice of food for small children. For them, a special high-calorie mixture is on sale. It is worth remembering that from 6-9 months, complementary foods are introduced, so the amount of the mixture is calculated taking into account this condition.
Bathing
In the first days of staying at home, it is difficult for mother to navigate in the mode and determine the rules for caring for a newborn. Bathing is best done a few days after falling off the remainder of the umbilical cord with a clothespin.
For this manipulation, it is better to use a baby bath first. To swim, you need to prepare warm water. It used to be that it should be boiled. Modern pediatricians do not advise doing this and bother with unnecessary unnecessary actions.
The water temperature is regulated by a special thermometer and should be 37-39 0 . Even 10-20 years ago, decoctions of various herbs were used for swimming. Now mom can optionally add them to the bath, but with special care so that the baby does not have an allergic reaction.
When bathing, you must use baby soap without additives. It is advisable to hold the head of the newborn in the palm of your hand so that water does not get into the ears. In the first months of life, bathing should be done whenever possible every day, so that the baby's skin is cleansed and the body relaxes before bedtime.
Do you need a dummy?
Almost every young mother is puzzled by this question. If the baby is calm and does not require extra attention, then without this accessory you can easily do.
If the child often screams and cannot stay even without a mother’s breast for a minute, then it is better to offer him a dummy. In this way, he will satisfy his sucking reflex and enable parents to go about their business.
It is worth noting that the main thing is to wean the baby from the dummy in time so that in the future he does not have problems with a bite. It is better to do this by 6-8 months.
Hygiene procedures
Every morning after waking up, the mother should take certain actions to care for the newborn in the first month of life. These activities include:
- ear and nose cleaning;
- processing of skin folds;
- skincare under the diaper.
To complete these actions, you should familiarize yourself with some rules. First of all, you cannot clean the ears and nose of a newborn with cotton buds. They can damage delicate skin and internal organs of hearing and smell.
For these purposes, special sticks with limiters are provided. Better yet, make cotton flagella on your own, which will bend and not be able to harm the baby.
Before each diaper replacement, it is necessary to wash the child to the waist and apply special products for newborns to the skin in this zone. Thus, it is possible to avoid diaper rash on the skin of the baby.
Colic
Many parents face problems with tummy pain in babies. A sudden cry that is difficult to stop in a child may be associated with colic.
They occur in many children due to the lack of formation of intestinal microflora. Not all newborns face colic, but those who fall into the “lucky ones” provide “stormy” days and nights to their parents.
To avoid such troubles, it is advisable for mother to adhere to a special diet. Now it is not very strict, as several decades ago. Pediatricians have proven that many previously banned products do not negatively affect the baby. But still, a woman should avoid some food:
- legumes;
- cabbage;
- alcoholic and carbonated drinks;
- too fried dishes;
- a large number of flour products;
- lots of chocolate.
These products can cause bloating and allergic reactions to the baby.
If colic "did not pass by" the baby, then you can use pharmacy remedies for them. Special preparations will be necessary to give the baby before each feeding. Scientists have proven that they are completely safe for young children.
At times of colic, you can also attach a warm diaper to the baby’s tummy. In extreme and rare cases, the use of a vent pipe is permitted. In no case should one apply for these purposes the "grandmother" methods - thermometers and cotton buds.
Walks
If the baby was born in the warm season, the first exit to the street is allowed immediately after discharge from the hospital. You can walk every day, with a gradual increase in the time spent in the fresh air.
Caring for a newborn in the first months necessarily includes staying on the street. Thus, the child receives the necessary amount of vitamin D from sunlight.
And also the immunity is strengthened and the nervous system of the child relaxes in the fresh air. Avoid walking in particularly hot times so that the newborn does not receive a heat stroke. It is also not recommended to be in open sunlight.
Better to take walks in the shade or in the evening. In the cold season, you also need to go out with the newborn. On frosty days, the first walks should start at 15 minutes with a daily increase in time.
If the house has a balcony, then in the first month of life you can do walks on it. In winter, you need to be in the fresh air with a newborn for up to 2 hours, but subject to a temperature regime of at least - 10 0 .
Features of caring for a newborn in the first months
A small child in the family forces parents to completely rebuild their lives. Often you have to sacrifice your interests for the sake of the heirs. But do not forget that no one canceled his personal life. Members of the family where the child was born should pay attention to themselves and not forget about their relationship.
It is necessary to leave time for a woman to rest so that a sufficient amount of milk is produced during breastfeeding. And also parents are required to closely monitor the child and his behavior.
When the newborn is a month old, the development and care of him must comply with the standards indicated by the pediatrician. The child should look a little at large objects and begin to babble.
The baby in the first month of life gains on a schedule from 500 to 1000 g. If the indicators are less, then you need to contact a specialist for adjustment of feeding. The doctor can send for additional examinations to find out the reasons for the underweight.
And also in this period, the child must undergo the necessary specialized specialists who will be able to detect congenital problems in time and help in their treatment. From the first month, children who are on artificial feeding increase the daily dose of the mixture. It can be seen in the table above and adjust the quantity.
No need to be afraid or hesitate to ask questions to the pediatrician at a scheduled visit, which should be observed monthly. Thus, it is possible to detect problems in time and solve them. And also it should be remembered that caring for a newborn girl in the first months does not differ from the general rules.