When Expecting, What To Expect
This is probably a milestone for almost every women across the globe, to having their first child. The news itself becomes so overwhelming that you easily tend to forget and look over safety guides for your newborn and yourself. For mummies with overgrowing bellies, and mummies with that need to make sure the right thing is going in their babies’ tummies, here is a heads up to what you need to know and should do.
About your little new arrival:
If this is going to be your first baby, then usually you might over worry yourself thinking you’re not ready to be a parent-what direction does the pamper go? Well, you’re not alone. Many new parents either feel they are unprepared or they haven’t learned enough when it’s time to bring their newborns home from the hospital. First thing first, go easy on yourself. Like your baby’s step, you also need to take them and help yourself to be ready for the transition at home.
Lots of new parents choose to either load themselves with books and magazines, while others choose to take newborn care classes. These classes are usually taken up during pregnancy, which helps to teach you to make preparations for the real deal. However, feeding and diapering a baby doll isn’t quite the same with a real one. One thing you should do is, during your hospital stay, make sure to get as much as help as you can from the nurses, by asking them to help with the basic baby care. It is good to keep in mind not to be hesitant to ask the nurses to show you how to do something more than once, you’re doing this for your baby! After all, practice does make it perfect. Now it’s time to take the little one home, so, it’s important that you and your partner are aware and comfortable with these newborn care basics:
- Handling a newborn, including supporting your baby’s neck
- Changing your baby’s diaper
- Bathing your baby
- Dressing your baby
- Swaddling your baby
- Feeding and burping your baby
- Cleaning the umbilical cord
- Caring for a healing circumcision
- Using a bulb syringe to clear your baby’s nasal passages
- Taking a newborn’s temperature
- Tips for soothing your baby
Most of you will get help from family and friends who are acquainted to the saying, “been there, done that.” Your baby’s first visit to the doctor will also ensure you on things you can recheck on your infant’s safety and health. An infant’s health is very fragile and prone to diseases so it is important to know about vaccinations and getting them at the right time.
Coming to new mothers, a mother needs to take extra good care of herself to rebuild her strength after birth. You will need a good amount of rest, good nutrition and help during the first few weeks. Learn to rest with your baby. Resting and sleeping when the baby is will help working with your baby’s sleeping hours and give you the rest you as a new mother need. You can also introduce a bottle to breastfeeding babies, so that you can have an uninterrupted sleep while someone else feeds them. Talking about breastfeeding, it is important to remember, your baby feeds off from what you eat. Cover the food groups such as, grains, vegetable, fruits, dairy and protein. It is important to avoid oily and fried food for breastfeeding moms.
Make sure that as your baby grows, you are keeping an eye on the things they do. They are more likely to, put things in their mouths, ears, belly holes and even their diapers where they definitely shouldn’t belong.
