Tried and True Steps for Newborn Care
It can be difficult for a new parent to know when a baby is sick. Sometimes a parent’s concerns can be treated as a casual inquiry by medical workers who are accustomed to soothing new-mother nervousness. It’s enough to make a mama doubt her own instincts.
It will come as a relief to know that there IS a way to objectively measure a baby’s health.
THE FIRST SEVEN DAYS
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. Baby’s first bowel movement will be a black paste called muconium. The texture and color will change from a blackish green to a brownie batter consistency. By the fourth or fifth day, this will appear yellow. During the first two days of life, a child should begin to have wet diapers. 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. Nursing for less than fifteen minutes fewer than 8 times per day, showing no desire to eat and having a sucking reflex that is week are all signs for a parent to be concerned. Signs that something is wrong can include a clicking sound when the baby nurses, cheeks that pucker inward and dimple when the baby sucks, or the inability to stay awake for a full 15 minute feeding. If the pattern of stools don’t progress and transition and there aren’t wet diapers within two days of birth, this is not normal. Two days of these symptoms indicate that you should seek medical help.
THE FIRST FOUR WEEKS
A healthy baby will continue to have healthy signs for the next month. For weeks 2 through 4, the baby will continue to nurse at least eight times a day and have 2 to 4 yellow bowel movements per day. Wet diapers will likely occur between six to eight times per day with clear, not yellow, urine. The suck will strengthen, and you should see milk and continue to hear swallowing during feedings. Your baby will grow both in weight and alertness.
However, in this 2nd to 4th week, you should make a note of anything that is out of the ordinary such as a baby not eating at least 8 times per day, infrequent or small stools, too few wet diapers, or if the urine becomes bright yellow. Your baby should gain weight and grow longer. 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. These behaviors for two consecutive days mean you should seek medical assistance.
WEEKS 5 TO 10
A baby may change from 8 to 7 feedings per day during this time. This is due to your growing baby’s ability to hold more food. 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 isn’t unusual in breastfed babies as they assimilate much of the milk. The wet diapers (6-8 per day) will continue in frequency, but check to be sure the urine isn’t a yellow concentrate. Expect increased alertness, strengthened suck, audible swallows and a little milk dribbling at feeding time.
During this 5th to 10th week you may have reason for concern if your baby doesn’t nurse at least seven times per day or produce the right amount of wet (not bright yellow) diapers each day. Make a note if your child stops gaining weight or doesn’t grow in length. Weak, tired sucking without an audible swallow indicates the baby is not getting proper nourishment. Should the baby become sluggish, slow to respond and be unable to sleep between feedings, seek medical assistance in rectifying this problem. A couple of days in a row of these indicators mean that something is not well 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 simple way to remedy this is to leave a notebook and pencil near the baby’s sleeping area. Whenever mama feeds or changes the baby, note the time and what was done along with your observations. One example of an entry might be: “10:00 a.m. – BIG BM, brownish green, nursed 30 minutes.” Start with a clean sheet each day. Write the date at the top of the page.
Should you need to confer with your doctor, you’ll be able to reference your notes for detailed information. Your notes can also help you bond more effectively with your little one. 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. This goes a LONG ways towards helping a new mama learn to trust her instincts when it comes to her baby.
Yet, BEST advice is often the most common advice, and it comes from the not-so-new mothers. Enjoy these first few weeks to their fullest. Other things can wait while you take the time to get to know your baby. Too soon, they are no longer little.
If you’re a new parent, you might like more tips on child training. No Greater Joy has written a best a bestseller called To Train Up A Child that has helped thousands as well as publishing many articles on their website dedicated to helping parents bring up children they enjoy.
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