Newborn Care

HOW TO CARE FOR YOUR BABY

Comfort your baby when he or she cries. There are times when your baby is alert and bright-eyed. These are times to talk and sing and play with your baby.

Breastfeeding

• You should drink plenty of fluids
• Milk is stored in little spaces under the nipple
• The more the baby sucks, the more milk is supplied
• Milk flows into those spaces when the baby sucks, or cries
• Baby should be turned toward Mom
• Lightly brush baby’s mouth with breast to stimulate the baby turning toward nipple
• The whole areolar should be compressed by sucking
• Allow baby to nurse at first breast until breast emptied
• Insert finger in mouth to break suction
• Burp baby before changing breast and after second breast
• Alternate breasts
• Wash nipples with warm water and dry thoroughly
• Babies want to nurse frequently, every 2-3 hours when first born
• Tell your doctor or nurse when you are given medications that you are breast feeding

Bottle-Feeding

• Use prepared formula that is meant for feeding babies
• Be very careful to follow directions carefully
• Sometimes you add water and sometimes you don’t
• Have someone read the directions for you so you know
• For a newborn, start with about 3 or 4 oz in the bottle
• Prepare a fresh bottle for each feeding
• If the bottle is at room temperature, milk must be thrown out if not eaten in one hour
• If the baby doesn’t use all the bottle, can put in refrigerator for 4 hours.
• If in refrigerator longer than 4 hours, throw milk out
• Keep bottles you have made up in the refrigerator
• You may heat bottle by placing bottle in a pan of warm water
• Do not heat using microwave oven

Signs of Illness in Newborn Period

• Temperature above 38C (100.4F) axillary
• Continued rise in temperature
• Two episodes of forceful vomiting or frequent vomiting (over 6 hours)
• Refusal of two feedings in a row
• Difficulty in waking baby
• Baby with dull eyes, not moving arms and legs
• You can’t comfort baby or the baby’s cry is high-pitched
• Bluish discoloration of skin
• Baby stops breathing for longer than 15 seconds
• Umbilical is reddened
• Baby’s tummy is too full and baby cries when trying to pass stools
• Two green or black, watery, loose stools or increased frequency of stooling
• Less than 6 wet diapers per day
• Increased yellow color of skin, or white of eyes
• Blisters on baby’s skin
• Crusty fluid from eye

If your baby has any of these, you need to call the doctor or clinic.

Care of yourself after birth of your baby

1. Breasts: Wear a bra that supports your breasts.
   
2. You may have cramping (pain) as your uterus goes back to normal size.
   • Apply heating pad
   • Walk
   • Take two Tylenol
     
3. You may have pain as the stitches from the delivery heal up.
   • You can take a sitz bath (a special plastic basin is placed under toilet seat so you can sit in warm water for 20 min) or sit in bath tub for 20 min.
   • You can use a small squirt bottle to squirt the area after you urinate to keep clean.
   • You can use “Tucks” pads.
     
4. You may need to take a stool softener to help you have easy bowel movements.
   
5. You should not have sexual intercourse until the stitches heal and the bleeding has stopped.
   
6. You should wait a while before becoming pregnant again. Talk with your doctor or clinic about how to space or avoid pregnancies.
   
7. You need plan around the baby’s naps so you get rest.
   
8. You can start some exercise after the baby is born. See pictures.
   
9. Some women become sad after pregnancy. If you stay in a sad mood, talk with your doctor or clinic.
   
10. These could be serious problems. If you have any of these, call the doctor or clinic right away.
    • Your blood flow stays bright red
    • Your flow smells bad
    • You have a fever
    • Your stitches don’t heal
    • You have tenderness, warmth or swelling of the legs
    • You have tenderness, warmth or swelling of breasts