Tried and True Tips for Newborn Care

It’s not easy for a new parent to be certain when an infant is ill. Medical professionals field so many questions from mothers of newborns that they often treat concerns as nothing more than just new-mama nerves. Mothers can begin to doubt whether or not to trust their instincts.

It will come as a relief to know that there IS a way to objectively measure a baby’s health.

WEEK ONE
A baby should nurse a minimum of eight times each day for a period of at least a quarter of an hour each session during the first week of life. Listen and you should hear the baby swallowing milk. Muconium, baby’s first black sticky stool, will pass. You should see it progress from greenish-black to a brown soft play-dough consistency. By day 4 or 5 the color will be yellow. Wet diapers will appear by the second day. By the end of this week, the frequency of wet diapers will increase to 2 or 3 per day.

An ill baby will show definite physical signs of his condition. If a baby has no desire to nurse, has a weak suck, feeds less than 8 times per day and can’t manage to feed for at least 15 minutes, these are reasons for concern. If a baby falls asleep before nursing for 15 minutes, makes a clicking sound when nursing, and has dimpled cheeks when sucking, these are also indications that there is some difficulty. It is outside of a healthy range if the baby’s stools haven’t changed and there is no urination two days after the birth. If these symptoms are observed for two days in a row, seek medical assistance.

THE FIRST FOUR WEEKS
A healthy baby will continue to have healthy signs for the next month. The second to fourth week, babies continue to have two to four yellow stools and nurse eight times per day. Track your baby’s wet diapers. You should see between six and eight of them each day with clear urine, not yellow. Along with observing some milk and hearing your baby swallow during nursing, you should see a strengthening of the suck reflex. Your baby will grow both in weight and alertness.

Take special note of anything out of the ordinary: infrequent feedings, small stools or missed stools, decreased urination or bright yellow urine. You should be able to measure an increase in your baby’s weight and length. A baby that has a weak suck, doesn’t make swallowing noises during nursing, becomes sluggish and lacks quick responses and doesn’t sleep between feedings, is a reason for concern. Should you observe these behaviors for a couple of days in a row, seek out a health care provider.

WEEKS FIVE THROUGH TEN
In the second month of life, a baby might reduce the number of feedings to seven times per day. As your little one grows, he can take larger feedings. Again, you will notice a change in bowel movements to either several small stools per day or a large one as infrequently as every couple of days. This is normal for a breastfed baby as the body is able to assimilate much of mama’s milk with little waste. Six to eight wet diapers will continue daily, but check to be sure there isn’t a concentrated yellow color. You should notice that your baby is increasing in his awareness, has a stronger suck, audible swallowing and a little milk dripping at feeding time.

During the 5 to 10 week mark a baby that doesn’t nurse at least seven times a day and produce the right amount of wet diapers (without dark yellow color) should be watched carefully. Make a note if your child stops gaining weight or doesn’t grow in length. A baby that isn’t getting enough nourishment may have a weak sucking reflex and may nurse without an audible swallow. Should the baby become sluggish, slow to respond and be unable to sleep between feedings, seek medical assistance in rectifying this problem. If you see these things for two days in a row, something is not right with your baby.

HOW TO KEEP UP WITH IT ALL
Remembering how often and when a baby ate can be a challenge when you are well-rested. Asking this of a post-natal mama can be daunting. One solution is to keep a pencil and a notebook near the sleeping baby. Write down the time of each feeding and changing along with your notes. An example might be: “2:00 a.m., Nursed 20 minutes, wet diaper/clear, bm - greenish yellow.” Start with a clean sheet each day. Write the date at the top of the page.

Your detailed list will be of great value to you and your doctor should your little one become ill. This is also a good bonding tool for a new mama. By looking over her list, even a weary mama can tell at a glance if the crying is due to hunger (too long between feedings) or constipation (hasn’t moved his bowels). In turn, you begin to interpret your baby’s cries and what they mean. In turn, the new mother gains confidence in her ability to identify and meet her child’s needs.

Yet, BEST advice is often the most common advice, and it comes from the not-so-new mothers. The first few weeks are to be enjoyed to their fullest. There’s nothing more important than getting acquainted with your new baby. Too soon, they are no longer little.

Interested in more child training tips? No Greater Joy is a ministry dedicated to helping parents bring up children they enjoy. They have written a bestseller called To Train Up A Child that has helped thousands.

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