What are the first steps or things to be done and not to be done when the baby is newly born. For example, you have come home from the hospital, and regarding bathing and feeds and sleep? When should the first bath be given? What all can be used on the baby when newly born sch as oils, shampoo, soap etc?
I did not give a full bath for my DS until the umbilical cord fell off and it took 3 full weeks to fall off. So for the first 3 weeks, I gave him only a sponge bath with warm water and wash cloth. After the cord fell off, we gave him bath. I started with Johnson & Johnson baby oil, soap and shampoo. But unfortunatley that did not suit him and he got rash/eczema. So we had to stop immediately. My Paed said since babies don't get really dirty, there is no need to apply soap. I applied soap only in the diaper area for the next few days until his eczema cleared up. Regarding feeds - Feed them in a quiet place. For new borns you need to feed them every 2-2.5hrs. Regarding sleep - Newborns sleep all the time. I think the maximum time they are awake is only 60-90 mins. They snooze pretty much all the time. So try to create a soothing environment so that they get good sleep. The more they sleep the better it is. Even you should try to get some sleep when the baby sleeps. But it is almost impossible to do that way. But try to get as much rest as possible. Also take good and healthy food. If you have help from parents/in-laws then don't hesitate to ask them for help. Remember a healthy and happy mom is a healthy and happy baby Good luck!
Neets Adding to what Mridusudha has said - Feed on demand - feed when he/she cries for hunger. Youo will know the cues in few days. Some babies do more of comfort sucking as theor environment is new and they love to be with mummy. While it may get tiring at some times, pls let them do it. They will change once they get to see more of the world. Bath - We bathed DD when she was 15 days and since then it has been a traditional leg bath wit oil on alternate days. If you do not have people/experience to do it, I suggest you start off with a bathtub with infant support when LO is arounf 15 days or so and continue to do so. Slowly you will know what is comfortable with u/LO. You need not worry uch about anything else - just create a good atmosphere for him to sleep; ensure he knows day from night; keep a count on the number of pees ....
Hello Neets Congratulations on your pregnancy! When is your baby due? I am also in London, so it will be good to know where are you based? To Answer your questions - I asked the midwife to give my girl a bath in the hospital. My mom came here from India, but I still wanted to see how they do it here. After that we gave the LO a bath after her cord fell off. Till then it was massage and wiping. They are so delicate in the beginning that just a sponge bath is good enough for them. We took care that the cord does not get messy in her poo (meconium at that stage - its green sticky poo) I dont know if you plan to breastfeed/formula/mixed. If breastfeeding then its all on demand. However for first 1-2 days they dont feed a lot. Later they feed at short intervals - sometimes every 1/2 hr. Rest of the time they either sleep or rest - like sudha said above. Your nipples will hurt in the beginning - lanisoh helped me. My mom used to bathe her in her lap. Later I started doing it when she was 3ish weeks old. I used just luke warm water. I had a vacuum suction so there were bruises on her head. I shampooed after a few weeks till then just wiped. The main thing is to keep their nappy area clean and dry. Initially they need a nappy change every 2-3 hours. The main thing is that take as mush rest as you can. First 6 weeks are tough, next 6 are better and then by the time they are 4-5 months old things start falling in place. The midwives/health visitor will come and visit you intially and you can ask them as many questions as you need. HTH JS
