There will be so many
new things you will experience in the first couple of weeks, and
questions you will no doubt be wondering the answers to. I have
compiled a list below of some of the common subjects parents think
about initially...
Midwives/
Health visitor
Your midwife will come
and visit you at home once you are discharged from hospital. If you
live in a busy town or city it is highly likely you will have more
than one midwife and will see a different one each time. She will ask
you questions when she visits and check your and your babies’
health to make sure everyone is happy with the way things are going.
Don’t be afraid to bombard her with questions-it is much better to
ask than struggle on when a simple answer could help make things
easier for you. If you are having problems breast-feeding, she will
be able to give you details of your local breast-feeding counsellor,
who will come out and do a home visit.
She will also do
your babies’ Guthrie (or heel prick) test on day 7. A few drops of
blood are collected and sent away to test for a metabolic disorder
called Phenylketonuria or PKU, as well as cystic fibrosis and
screened for some other conditions too. You will be given a leaflet
that explains them all in more detail. You will then be discharged
from Midwife care around day 10, provided all is well with you and
the baby.
Your local Health
Visitor will then be given your details and will contact you within a
couple of weeks to come and do a home visit. She will introduce
herself and give you details of all the local baby clinics where you
can go to get your baby weighed, and meet other mums.
Cord/ Tummy
peg
This area needs to be
wiped gently all around the remaining cord a few times a day as you
do your baby’s nappy. Use a clean cotton pad and some cool boiled
water to clean off any dry blood. Don’t use wet wipes, creams or
any other antiseptic wipe in this area unless advised by your doctor.
The remaining cord
generally falls off between days 7-10 and you will most likely just
find it in your baby’s nappy as you go to change her. If your baby
was overdue then the likelihood is that it may come off earlier, but
if it still hasn’t fallen off by the time your Midwife wants to
discharge you around day 10, she will probably give it a helping
hand. Once it does fall off, your baby’s ‘tummy button’ as
they are widely known, may be a bit weepy and gooey for a couple of
days. Clean as directed above at every nappy change, ensuring that
you give a really firm wipe now, as any remaining little bits that do
not get cleaned off properly can make her tummy button red and sore
and may cause an infection.
Fontanelle
This is the soft spot
on the top of your baby’s’ head where her skull hasn’t yet
fused together. Unbeknown to a lot of people there is also a smaller
fontanelle towards the back of the baby’s head, which is much less
noticeable and very hard to find. The main reason your baby is born
with these two openings in the skull is to allow her head to mould
and fit through the birth canal during labour-something that wouldn’t
be possible with a totally fused skull. It also allows room for your
baby’s brain to grow in the first year.
The Posterior
fontanelle, at the back of her head, generally closes within 3 months
of birth. The anterior fontanelle is on the top of her head and
starts to close when babies are around 6 months, and is usually
totally closed by the time they are 18 months. The fontanelle on the
top of your baby’s head usually appears flat as part of the shape
of her head-you may notice it ‘pulsing’ if your baby doesn’t
have a lot of hair. This is totally normal and nothing to worry
about. It may also bulge slightly when she cries. However, a
fontanelle that bulges persistently should be looked at by a doctor,
as it may indicate increased pressure inside the head. Equally, a
significantly sunken fontanelle should also be seen by a doctor, as
this generally indicates dehydration.
Sticky eyes
This is very common for
babies in the first few weeks and is due to blocked tear ducts. You
may find yellow/ white mucus in the inner corner of the eye and the
lids may be stuck together when she has slept for a while. Clean each
eye with cotton pads and cool boiled water-taking care to use a
separate piece for each eye. Wipe from the inside corner (closest to
the nose), outwards. You could also try squirting a bit of breast
milk into her eye if you are breast feeding. It has amazing healing
powers and will more often than not clear up a sticky eye. Squeeze a
few drops into the affected eye before each feed over a couple of
days. If the mucus is more of a green colour, and the eye looks
particularly red, then see your GP as soon as possible, as it may
mean your baby has an infection that needs treating with antibiotics.
Reflexes
There are some natural
reflexes that your doctor will test for possibly at birth, but
certainly at the 6-8 week post-natal check up:
*Rooting reflex - If you
stroke a new-born baby’s’ cheek, they will immediately turn in
that direction with her mouth open ready to suck. This helps them
locate the breast or bottle and you can use this reflex to gain their
attention and encourage feeding even if they are sleepy. It lasts for
3-4 months but may persist when they are sleeping.
*Sucking reflex - A
new-born will suck when the roof of her mouth is touched, i.e. with
the nipple or bottle teat. This reflex is present at birth and lasts
2-4 months when involuntary sucking takes over.
*Startle/ Moro
reflex - If your baby is startled by a sudden or loud noise, or a
feeling of falling, she will extend her legs, arms and fingers, arch
her back, draw her head back and then draw the arms back with fists
clenched into the chest. This moro reflex lasts 4-6 months.
*Walking or stepping
reflex - This works best after the 4th day. Hold your baby
upright on a table or flat surface, under her arms standing her up.
She should lift one leg and then the other as if walking ‘steps’.
This reflex is present from birth, and lasts for varying amounts of
time, but usually disappears around 2 months and comes back much
later when they are close to learning to walk.
*Palmar grasp
reflex - When you touch the palm of your baby’s’ hand, her fingers
will curl around and cling to your finger (or any other small object
you place in her hand). You may also notice that she will curl her
feet and toes when they are touched.
*Babinski’s/ Plantar
reflex - When the sole of a new-borns’ foot is gently stroked from
heel to toe, their toes will flare upwards and the foot turns in.
This reflex lasts between 6 months and 2 years after which the toes
curl down when the sole is touched.
*Tonic neck or fencing
reflex - When placed on their back a baby will turn one way with
opposite arms and legs extended and flexed-En garde!
1ST
bath
Most babies cry the
first few times they have a bath. Being lowered naked into water
without any warning is a real shock to them and the majority will
scream the entire time they are in the water. It is amazing how
quickly they forget that they have just been floating around in water
for the last 9 months. The more you bathe them though, the more they
will get used to it, and after a few weeks it begins to become a very
enjoyable experience for both of you. There are things that you can
do to help your baby begin enjoying bath time as quickly as possible:
*Use a bath aid - Babies
are like slippery little eels in the bath and are more likely to cry
if they don’t feel supported and safe. A bath aid will help with
this and give you more confidence, as you won’t be worrying about
her slipping out of your hands and going under the water. It also
gives you your hands free to splash water over her gently and wash
her.
*Have everything ready
before you start - nappies, clothes and a nice warm towel to wrap her
in once you are ready to get her out.
*Talk to her and
reassure her the whole time she is in the bath with a calm voice and
a smile on your face as you splash little bits of water over her
body. If she senses that you are anxious then she will be too. The
sound of your calm voice will help her learn that bath time is a nice
experience and not something to be scared of!
Baby blues
After the birth of a
baby just over half of all new mums experience the ‘baby blues.’
In my experience it usually happens between days 3-7 post birth but
can take up to 2 weeks to take effect. Many find that they are very
emotional over a few days and seem to cry over the tiniest of things
or even nothing at all! You may find it impossible to cheer up no
matter how much you try and find this frustrating as you can’t
understand the cause.
The baby blues are
thought to be caused by the hormonal changes in your body after the
birth of your baby. For many of us the baby blues tend to coincide
with the time that your breast milk comes in. This is usually a
stressful time anyway if you are breast feeding because your breasts
will be feeling so painful and engorged that your baby will be
possibly finding it more difficult to latch on. I distinctly
remember my husband walking past the nursery on day 4 after our
daughter was born. My milk had come in and latching on was proving
very difficult for my baby on a breast that she had previously been
used to being soft and accessible. He backtracked and came in
immediately as soon as he saw both me and the baby in floods of
frustrated tears! For me the baby blues only lasted a day or 2 with
all 3 of my children which is the norm. If after a couple of
weeks you are still feeling very overwhelmed and out of control then
it is worth checking your feelings against the signs and symptoms of
Post Natal Depression (PND)
by Lisa
Its worth noting that pretty much nothing is set in stone when it comes to babies! A lot varies from area to area too.
ReplyDeleteOur midwife wouldn't discharge us until Tyne's cord had fallen off naturally - it fell off on Day 14.
We were also told at the hospital only to clean the babies cord/peg area if it looked gloopy or had a smell - otherwise to totally ignore it and not keep cleaning it.
The advice you get when you have a baby varies wildly depending on the source!
Hayley
Sparkles & Stretchmarks
xxx