The ᴍɪʀᴀᴄʟᴇ you have been waiting for years is finally in your arms. Newborns spend their first week of life adapting to their new environment. The outside world is very different from the ᴡᴏᴍʙ, where it’s ᴅɪᴍ, the ᴛᴇᴍᴘᴇʀᴀᴛᴜʀᴇ ɪs ᴄᴏɴsᴛᴀɴᴛ, and ɴᴏɪsᴇ ɪs ᴍᴜFFʟᴇᴅ. You can help your baby get used to the outside world by giving them warmth, love, security, attention and lots of cuddles and smiles. What to ᴇxᴘᴇᴄᴛ in the first days with a newborn ?
- Newborn Tᴇsᴛs are plenty: Newborns need to go through a couple of ᴛᴇsᴛs ᴛᴏ ᴅᴇᴛᴇʀᴍɪɴᴇ their health and development. One such common ᴛᴇsᴛ is the Apgar ᴛᴇsᴛ. The Aᴘɢᴀʀ sᴄᴏʀᴇ is ᴘᴇʀFᴏʀᴍᴇᴅ on a baby at 1 and 5 minutes after birth. It helps in ɪᴅᴇɴᴛɪFʏɪɴɢ ᴄᴏʟᴏʀ, ʀᴇsᴘɪʀᴀᴛᴏʀʏ ᴇFFᴏʀᴛ, ᴍᴜsᴄʟᴇ ᴛᴏɴᴇ, ᴘᴜʟsᴇ ʀᴀᴛᴇ, ᴀɴᴅ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛʙᴇᴀᴛ. Along with their ʜᴇɪɢʜᴛ ᴀɴᴅ ᴡᴇɪɢʜᴛ, ᴅᴏᴄᴛᴏʀs also give a Fᴜʟʟ ᴇxᴀᴍɪɴᴀᴛɪᴏɴ of the ᴛᴜᴍᴍʏ, ʜɪᴘs, ʙᴏᴛᴛᴏᴍ.
- Be Gentle: The newborns’ sᴋɪɴ is as ᴅᴇʟɪᴄᴀᴛᴇ as a flower. Make sure you clean your hands enough, clean their bottom with a warm cloth, ᴘᴇᴛ dry to ᴇsᴄᴀᴘᴇ ᴅʀʏɴᴇss or ᴅɪᴀᴘᴇʀ ʀᴀsʜᴇs.
- Care for the ᴄᴏʀᴅ: Your newborn’s ᴜᴍʙɪʟɪᴄᴀʟ ᴄᴏʀᴅ will ɢʀᴀᴅᴜᴀʟʟʏ ᴅʀʏ, become ʙʟᴀᴄᴋ and then Fᴀʟʟ ᴏFF, usually within the first 10 days. Try to ᴋᴇᴇᴘ the ᴜᴍʙɪʟɪᴄᴀʟ ᴄᴏʀᴅ ᴄʟᴇᴀɴ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅʀʏ. If the area around the ᴜᴍʙɪʟɪᴄᴀʟ ᴄᴏʀᴅ ʟᴏᴏᴋs ʀᴇᴅ or is sᴛɪᴄᴋʏ, ʟᴇᴛ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴍɪᴅᴡɪFᴇ, ⒼⓅ or child and family ʜᴇᴀʟᴛʜ ɴᴜʀsᴇ know.
- Should newborn babies have a sᴛʀɪᴄᴛ ʀᴏᴜᴛɪɴᴇ? The first week is usually a magical time. Providing baby is well, she will spend most of the time sleeping, waking every three to four hours for a feed. After a feed, she will spend a short amount of time awake before falling asleep again. Don’t worry too much about getting your baby into a routine in these early weeks. Do encourage her to have a good feed, though, and not fall asleep on the ʙʀᴇᴀsᴛ or bottle as she won’t have taken much in and will wake after a short period to feed again.
- Development in the first week of life: Your newborn is learning a lot as you spend time together every day. Theirʙʀᴀɪɴ is growing and developing as they see, hear, smell and touch the world around them. Newborn will close their hands ɪɴᴠᴏʟᴜɴᴛᴀʀɪʟʏ in the ɢʀᴀsᴘ ʀᴇFʟᴇx and will sᴛᴀʀᴛʟ ᴇat sᴜᴅᴅᴇɴ ʟᴏᴜᴅ ɴᴏɪsᴇs. They’re also likely to have sᴜᴅᴅᴇɴ ᴊᴇʀᴋʏ movements while asleep.
- Help Newborn with bath time: Bathing newborns ᴄᴀɴ Fʀᴇᴀᴋ ʏᴏᴜ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴀᴛ Fɪʀsᴛ but it can be really soothing once you Fɪɢᴜʀᴇᴅ your way around it. If you have never bathed a baby before, consult your parents, ᴇʟᴅᴇʀs .
- ᴋᴇᴇᴘ the ʙᴜʀᴘ ᴄʟᴏᴛʜ ʜᴀɴᴅʏ: BʀᴇᴀsᴛFᴇᴅ babies might ɴᴏᴛ ʙᴜʀᴘ ᴀ ʟᴏᴛ but it is good to ᴋᴇᴇᴘ the ʙᴜʀᴘ ᴄʟᴏᴛʜ nearby. Babies should ʙᴜʀᴘ after the feed to ᴘʀᴇᴠᴇɴᴛ Fᴜssɪɴᴇss and ɢᴀs.
- What is that in ᴀ ɴᴀᴘᴘʏ? Babies’ ᴘᴏᴏ ᴄʜᴀɴɢᴇs ᴀ ʟᴏᴛ in their first few days. It slowly changes from ʙʟᴀᴄᴋ to ᴍᴜsᴛᴀʀᴅ ʏᴇʟʟᴏᴡ in 3-5 days. Fʀᴇǫᴜᴇɴᴛ ᴘᴏᴏs are quite normal and healthy in the first week. So, do ɴᴏᴛ ᴘᴀɴɪᴄ if your newborn demands four wet nappies on a certain day.
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The first week for new parents demands a lot of patience and adjustment. Get as much rest as possible. Give yourself some time to absorb and prepare for the days ahead. There is nothing like the first days with your baby. So, enjoy every moment with your little one
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