Often, the expectation of a baby becomes a joyful event for all family members. A mother who already has children, during pregnancy, behaves more balanced and calm than a woman who is in the position for the first time. Typically, this condition is associated with a lack of experience and a fear of not coping with a tiny creature. We will help young mothers gain confidence and tell about the development of the child in the first month of life and caring for the baby.
Preparing for the hospital
Most mothers take care of the baby before it is born. This is facilitated by a balanced diet of a woman, a measured regime, and ensuring proper sleep and rest. And contrary to traditions from past centuries, modern parents pre-purchase things and devices to facilitate the postpartum period of the mother and the baby's arrival in this world. What must be acquired during pregnancy for future care of the newborn in the first month of life? In order not to waste precious time on trifles and enjoy staying near the child at the initial stage, pediatricians advise to prepare all hygiene products and household accessories for the baby and take it with you to the hospital:
- Disposable diapers for children weighing 3-5 kg (at least a pack of 24 pieces).
- Wet wipes marked with “for newborns” - 2 packs of 100 or more pieces.
- Dummy for age 0+.
- Disposable diapers - 5-10 pieces.
- Bottle for feeding and pacifier to it.
- The device for sterilization.
- Gel for washing the newborn.
- Cream for diaper rash or powder.
- A towel or a pair of diapers.
- Clothes for the child: 2 vests, 4 sliders, scratches, socks and a hat.
Since it is also important for the mother at this stage to keep herself perfectly clean, her set for the postpartum period should include:
- Gaskets are urological and conventional (in the total mass should be available 3 packs).
- Disposable postpartum briefs mesh type (5 pieces).
- Breast pump.
- Breast pads.
- Cream for cracked nipples.
- Toilet paper is plain and wet.
- Disposable toilet seats.
- Liquid soap with dispenser.
- Shower gel and shampoo.
- Towel.
- Comb and mirror.
- Two bras and two ordinary underpants.
- Clothing for the ward (if allowed, then you should take two shirts and a bathrobe).
- Cotton pads and sticks.
- Electric kettle or boiler.
In the maternity hospital
Neonatologists will take care of the baby right after birth. They will fix the main indicators of the baby. In this case, caring for a newborn in the first month of life, namely in the first hours, does not require any efforts from the mother, except to put the baby to her breast. Medical workers themselves will carry out all the necessary activities, including:
- Cord circumcision.
- Clamp with a special cord for the umbilical cord residue.
- Airway cleansing.
- Dripping drops in the eyes to prevent infection.
Doctors carry out several more necessary manipulations within 24 hours after the birth of the baby. In the first month, care comes down to ensuring perfect cleanliness and establishing a feeding process. The last event you need to start practicing in the maternity hospital. Mother's milk will not only benefit the baby, but will also allow the woman to relax in the near future while breastfeeding and enjoy communicating with the newborn.
As for hospital care for the child in the first month of life, immediately after birth, the following procedures are carried out:
- Treatment of skin folds with a 2% solution of iodine or salicylic alcohol.
- Washing the baby’s head with running water and baby soap.
- Removal of amniotic fluid and lubrication with special oil.
The next few days, care for the baby is carried out either by qualified medical personnel, or by the mother, if she and the child feel fine. Events develop differently if the mother is very weak or the baby was born prematurely. Usually such children in the hospital are closely monitored by neonatologists, and after 5-7 days they are transferred to the department of premature infants. In the first month, care for such a child is also carried out under the supervision of nurses in a children's hospital, where a mother is provided with a bed with her baby. Here, on the shoulders of the parent lies the responsibility for keeping the child clean and for feeding. Manipulations of a medical nature, the prescription of drugs, the provision of medical care are entirely in the area of responsibility of the institution.
For home use
In order to provide care for the newborn in the first month, the child needs a number of additional tools and devices. The list for acquisition should include:
- Crib.
- Linens.
- Bottles and nipples for them.
- Soothers.
- Diapers.
- Wet wipes.
- Cotton wool is sterile.
- Disposable diapers.
- Sterilizer.
- Breast pump.
- A couple of simple rattles.
- Diapers are fabric.
- Bonnets.
- Scratches
- Body or vest with sliders.
- Means for washing children's things.
- Gels for bathing and washing.
- Bath.
- Herbal bath preparation.
- First aid kit with a minimum set of necessary medicines.
- Bottle cleaner and brush for it.
How to help the whole family in this crucial period?
Of course, the purchase of a washing machine and dishwasher, as well as a microwave oven and a multicooker, will greatly facilitate the task. All this is costly, but with the help of such simple technical assistants, a woman will be able to simultaneously devote time not only to the newborn, but also to the rest of the family. If there is no money for all of the above, then at least provide the woman with an electric kettle and an electric cradle for motion sickness of the baby. It is also advisable to enlist the support of a close relative who can help the parent take care of the child in the first month of life.
The development of the newborn at this stage is minimal. The main advice of most pediatricians is as follows: it is necessary to establish a diet, sleep and wakefulness.
Breastfeeding counselors place the principle of repeated application of the baby to the breast on demand. More importantly, you choose. But remember that the development of a newborn begins with his birth. He studies this world every day. Therefore, give him all his free time and involve all family members in the first month of life for the care and development of the newborn.
Leather
With maternal care for the well-being of the baby, with the prevention of unnecessary suffering, with the prevention of pain, care for the newborn child begins. In the first month of life, it is problems with the skin and mucous membranes that can deliver the most unpleasant moments. But do not despair. Daily procedures will help to avoid negative consequences, and in case of occurrence - quickly emerge victorious from the current situation.
Since the baby’s skin is too thin and hypersensitive, it is not able to fully perform protective functions and carry out thermoregulation of the body. Therefore, the baby-infant both quickly overheats and cools at high speed.
Daily morning care for your newborn baby will help you. In the first month of a baby’s life, it includes washing, cleansing the nasal passages and ears, treating skin folds.
The child should be washed with a cotton pad or gauze swab dipped in warm water, after which it is necessary to wipe the face dry. For processing each eye, a separate wet swab is used, conducting it from the outer corner of the eye to the inner. The ears are cleaned with twisted cotton wool turundas or special cotton swabs for babies. The nose can also be treated with home-made cotton buds, and in case of dry crusts, they can be removed using oil. Folds on the skin of the baby can be treated with powder or specially designed cream for use in a newborn baby. Care in the first month of life does not end there. Perhaps special attention should be paid to hygiene products.
Diapers
No matter how some may say that diapers are evil, the advantages of using such a tool are huge. And in order not to tease the opponents of diapers from the environment of close relatives, you can not give them a reason for indignation. Therefore, it is necessary to carefully monitor the baby and often cleanse its skin. Be sure to wash the baby with each diaper change. If redness appears, try another series of diapers or products from another manufacturer, since the market is full of this kind of goods for any wallet.
The basic rule for using a diaper is to change it every three hours. As for the use of diapers, the hygiene in the first month of a newborn boy or girl is almost the same when changing them. Step-by-step instructions are the same for both sexes. All that matters is that some manufacturers produce separate product lines for girls and boys. However, this principle of fundraising is important to observe when the child reaches six months of age.
Now we learn the recommendations of specialists on the issue of changing diapers. Pediatricians are advised to proceed as follows:
- Remove the used diaper.
- Wash the baby with running water. Up to twice a day, the use of gel or liquid soap for the newborn is allowed.
- Dry the baby with a flannel diaper.
- Put it for a few minutes on a special table or in a bed for taking air baths.
- Treat baby's folds with a cream under a diaper or special oil. In case of diaper rash, get a therapeutic ointment such as Bepanten or Dexpanthenol and lubricate problem areas.
- Allow to absorb.
- Put on a diaper.
- Wrap up the baby, given the temperature in the room. It should be remembered that overheating a child is as harmful as leaving it in a cold room without proper clothing.
You have a girl
As described above, in the early days, care for a newborn practically does not differ and does not depend on the gender of the child. But to observe the genitals of the girl is necessary. It should be noted that vaginal discharge is the norm for women, but their appearance requires attention. There are three types of discharge:
- Bloody, which can occur during the neonatal period, are associated with an excess of the mother's hormones in the girl's body.
- White, who do not need special control, if there is no redness.
- A whitish coating is a lubricant that protects organs, so you can not remove it with napkins or cotton pads.
It is necessary to wash the girls, moving from the pubis back. The original grease that remained in the newborn girl requires removal, since it can lead to fusion of the labia. Any problem that occurs in a child requires contacting a specialist.
What to do with the boy?
It is also necessary to carry out daily care for the boy. The first month of a newborn’s life, parents must take into account several important features that distinguish their heir from the fair sex. Although this has nothing to do with changing the diaper, and the order of hygiene procedures is almost identical, there are a couple of nuances.
The head of the baby's penis is closed by a fold, under which there are glands that produce lubricant. Improper care can lead to inflammation in this area. Since the fold in this condition will be located up to about four years, it is necessary to correctly cleanse the penis.
They wash the boy in the same way as the girl, that is, from front to back. Categorically it is impossible to push back the foreskin, to direct a strong stream of water at it, to expose the head of the penis.
Navel Care
A few days after the birth of the baby, the umbilical cord with the clamp attached to it disappears, and the wound remains at the separation site. Since caring for a newborn in the first month includes a solution to this problem, we will tell you how to process the navel in order to accelerate tissue regeneration.
While they are in the hospital, nurses are watching the navel. They process it twice a day. After discharge, the mother independently provides care for the umbilical wound. This is best done after washing. First, you should moisten a cotton swab in a 3% hydrogen peroxide solution, gently draw it along the wound and separate all the crusts formed. If the wound remains wet, you need to remove moisture with a dry stick, then grease the navel with green paint or pipette two drops of brilliant green. Pediatricians advise once again not to touch the wound, do not press on it. If healing does not occur within the first month, then you need to see a doctor. He will prescribe other drugs to treat the navel.
Bathing
You can wash your baby a couple of days after the umbilical cord falls away. Until the wound has healed, water should be boiled. In order to provide an anti-inflammatory effect in the baby bath, it is necessary to add several potassium permanganate crystals or decoctions of a string, chamomile, oak bark.
As for the navel, it is better not to touch it again, do not wash it with gel or soap, do not massage it, provide air access and control the absence of pressing the diaper against the wound. If, when peroxide got on the skin, it stopped foaming, which means that the wound healed. In this case, you can stop boiling water and treat the navel.
Features of premature babies
You can identify a number of signs that distinguishes these babies from children born on time:
- Short arms and legs.
- Large fontanels.
- Weak thermoregulation.
- Lack of fat layer.
- The dark color of the skin, which, in addition to the shade, are wrinkled, they are also very thin, almost transparent.
- Ears are pressed.
- Low pressure.
- Silent pulse.
- Prolonged jaundice.
- Tremor of the chin and limbs.
- Anemia.
All this indicates the need for special care and increased attention, which should be given to newborns in this category.
How to care for a premature baby
If the child was born ahead of time, then after a certain time he will be transferred to the children's hospital. There he is provided with professional care in the first month of life. The development of a newborn in a hospital setting is perhaps impossible. And quite different goals are pursued during this period. When the baby gained weight, and nothing threatens his health, the baby and mother are allowed to go home. A prerequisite for discharge are good test results, body weight of more than two and a half kilograms and all kinds of examinations. The child should have a developed sucking reflex, swallow food well. He should not have respiratory arrest and other problems requiring constant monitoring by specialists.
Since premature babies need special attention, especially during the neonatal period, pediatricians are advised to adhere to the following recommendations at home:
- Observe the optimum temperature in the living room within 25 degrees.
- Ventilate the room periodically.
- No need to arrange tiny air baths.
- Do not freeze the baby or overheat.
- The humidity level in the room where the child is located should be around 70%.
- Drafts should be avoided.
- Walking, of course, is necessary for the baby, but only if the air temperature is above +10 degrees.
- Use best mixed feeding of the child. The first month you do not need to rush the baby, because he is much weaker than ordinary babies and eats more slowly due to the immaturity of reflexes.
- Mixtures suitable for this category of newborns should be selected.
- Be sure to use sterilized bottles and nipples when feeding.
Professional massage is the only right way to ensure the development of a newborn premature baby in the first month. Caring for a child in accordance with the recommendations of the doctor will help the baby to get stronger, and mom, watching the results, calm down and enjoy the success of the baby.
It should be noted that for such newborns, the pediatrician must draw up an individual vaccination schedule. Usually, premature babies are given a medical challenge for up to six months.
Finally
So, summing up what a child needs in the first month of life, experts say that he needs medical care only in the hospital. If born prematurely, a small patient is observed much longer. This period can last several months.
Be sure to prepare for the appearance of the baby in advance. Get all kinds of devices that make life easier for a young mother. This will help her withstand the difficult period of her newborn, lasting only one month, but taking away all the strength of the parent.
Mom should tune in to breastfeeding and be patient. This period will end soon anyway, everything will be fine, the child will grow up and most of the problems will go away.
Pediatricians are advised to the nearest environment to help parents with the baby if they ask, and not to interfere if the young ones cope on their own. You can offer to go shopping, wash clothes, take a walk with a sleeping baby, give good advice when asked, but don’t bother tired and exhausted mother with instructions from past centuries. Remember, this is their life and their child.