Yahoo Lifestyle Your Newborn: Surviving The First Week
Yes, bringing home your newborn is an incredibly exciting time… until you suddenly find yourself alone and nervous about what to do next! There’s no hospital buzzer to press for help and advice, no midwife standing by to encourage you and teach you new skills – it’s time to embark on your own parenting journey.
As a new parent, you now will discover a depth to the swirling emotions of anxiety, excitement, fear, joy, uncertainty and disbelief that you have never experienced before. Your baby is thriving and settled, but you may find yourself checking in on him every few minutes. You have a loving partner and a healthy baby, but perhaps you just can’t seem to control the tears. Maybe your body won’t rest, despite having recently completed the equivalent of a marathon. Your breasts may be springing leaks. Don’t worry, this is all completely normal.
A loss of control
You may be used to being in control, but now is not the time. Just relax and go with what your heart and instincts are telling you. This first week is not the time to get your baby into a routine, to worry about spoiling him or to be fearful that he’ll start forming bad habits.
Also, don’t be a martyr. Go ahead and accept any help that is offered to you by close friends and family and know that accepting this help is not a sign of weakness; it’s a sign of strength. It’s all about surviving the madness, however you can. Have willing visitors cook, clean, iron, shop and wash for you. But try to leave bub’s care to his Mummy and Daddy. Dad may not be able to breastfeed, but he can certainly help change nappies and burp, settle and bathe bub!
Being the ones to cuddle and care for your baby can be important in the bonding process (the experts say that the bonding period in the weeks following birth is vital for foundations of human attachment and relationships). This being said, please don’t fret – not all parents have warm and fuzzy feelings towards their baby right from birth. These things can take time. If you do feel like you’re struggling particularly hard with this and that something just isn’t right, though, don’t be afraid to have a chat with your GP or child and family health nurse.
Babies Cry
Your parenting expectations can play a significant part in how you feel and cope as a new parent. Throughout your pregnancy you may have formulated ideas of what living with your newborn would be like – ideas that just don’t fit the reality you come to live. We’ll, here’s at least one realistic expectation to have: your baby will cry. It’s his first form of communication.
Hunger is one reason babies will cry. (Though bubs with jaundice are usually sleepy and can need to be woken for regular feeds, as they may not cry for them.) Breastfed babies feed every two to three hours during the day and often at longer stretches during the night. It may feel like you’re always feeding, but this will get better once lactation is fully established, which could take around six to 10 weeks. And persisting is worth it! Make sure you seek professional support early if feeding isn’t going well.
Babies who are fed infant formula do not need to be fed as often as breastfed bubs, so be wary of overfeeding. Four-hourly feeding (timed from the start of one feed to the beginning of the next) is sufficient for most brands. Always seek professional advice before starting formula.
Baby poos
What goes in will be utilised or expelled in one form or another. During the first week it’s important for bub to poo at least daily, and some babies will poop in every nappy. The poo of breastfed babies is typically a mustard yellow with white seedy pieces and is quite liquidy. The poop of formula-fed babies is usually a pasty green shade and is thicker and smellier, though thankfully doesn’t happen as often – but it should be every day or two to avoid constipation.
Poo or wee left in contact with delicate skin can cause burning and nappy rash. Change your baby’s nappy regularly, use non-perfumed barrier creams and give him air time without his nappy when you can.
Newborn sleep and settling
Your new baby won’t sleep for much longer than a couple of hours at a time during the day, but may have longer snoozes at night. (And by this I mean three or four hours a stretch!) If your littlie has turned his day into night and vice versa, make sure you wake him every three to four hours during the day to feed.
To help bub settle, focus on mimicking the womb environment. Provide warmth, movement, muffled noise, dim light and a firm enclosure (swaddle using breathable fabric for this). These will all help make the transition to the big wide world a little easier.
Surviving the first week at home with a newborn requires a calm attitude, not perfected parenting skills. The key is to relax. You’re not going to get everything right straight off the bat, but there’s plenty of time to learn – parenting is something that takes place over a lifetime.
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