Helpful Parental 'Advice Tidbits' for Newborn Babies

A Few Tidbits for Parenting

New parents face many problems and issues that they are expected to understand and deal with immediately.  Unfortunately, newborns do not come with an instruction book so here are a few topics that you may need to know about.

* Bathing your baby:  Until your baby’s umbilical cord falls off one to two weeks after their birth, only give her sponge baths.  A cotton ball or cotton swab dampened with alcohol can help to dry the umbilical stump or follow your pediatrician’s directions.  After the stump falls off, you can give him a bath in a sink or shallow tub. 
* see bottom of page for Newborn Bathing video guide

* Caesarean delivery:  A caesarean is usually performed to make delivery safer for you or your baby.  C-sections can be done for many different reasons including stalled labor, complicated labor, problems with the baby that may make delivery difficult, or other problems.  It does not matter if you deliver vaginally or by a caesarean section, you are still a mother with a beautiful new blessing.  

* Circumcision:  Many doctors agree that there may be some benefit to circumcision, but it may not be absolutely necessary.  It may help to lower the risk of urinary tract infections and eliminates just about any chance of penile cancer.  Circumcision does not cause long-term emotional problems for your child.


* Crib death (SIDS):  Many studies have been done regarding SIDS.  Although the cause of SIDS has not been definitely defined, there are some correlations that have been made between SIDS and the following things:

* Diapers or Nappies:  Most babies that are fed using the PDF method usually need a diaper change at each feeding time.  This means that your baby will need about 6-8 diapers a day or more.  Many new parents time the diaper changes with the after dinner bowel movement, but if you miss it, you will just have a few more diapers to change during the day. Non-disposable nappies which are made of cloth, require a folding technique to fit baby and yes, come with the hassle of daily hosing-off, soaking and washing (Napisan is a Great product for this)

* Diaper rash:  Sensitive skin is a common problem for some babies and they may get a diaper rash due to a food allergy, yeast infection, sitting too long in a wet or messy diaper, or teething.  If you notice your baby beginning to get a diaper rash, talk to your pediatrician about which diaper rash medicine will work for your baby.

* Growth spurts:  Growth spurts can start as early as 10 days after your baby’s birth.  Growth spurts usually are preceded by a sleepy, lethargic day and a big jump in appetite.  Growth spurts may happen again at 3, 6, and 12 weeks and again at 4 and 6 months.  If you begin to notice that your child is not as satisfied with the amount that you have been feeding her previously, then she may be beginning a growth spurt period.  If you are breastfeeding, you may want to add a feeding or two to satiate your baby’s appetite and to help increase milk production.

* Immunizations:  With all of the conflicting reports on immunizations, you may be unsure about whether or not you want your child to receive immunizations.  I think that there are simply too many fatal diseases that can be prevented by immunizing your baby to take the chance.  If you are unsure, then you need to talk with your pediatrician, but understand that the reason that the infant mortality rate is so low in this country is because immunizations are routinely done.

* Pacifiers (dummies) & thumb sucking:  If you breastfeed, do not allow your child to use you as their pacifier.  If your baby seems to have a need to suck beyond eating, then you need to give them a pacifier.  There is no “nipple confusion” between a breast nipple and a pacifier as they are very different in feel and taste.  Babies will know the difference between the two.  Some children do not want a pacifier but will suck on their thumb.  If you don’t have a problem with it, then let them.

* Spitting up:  It is very common for babies to spit up, but some babies do it more than others.  If your baby is growing normally, then there is no need to worry about it.  Projectile throwing up is not the same as spitting up.  Projectile throwing up is a violent reaction to reject the contents of the stomach and not just “burping” up a little milk.  If your baby does this frequently, consult your pediatrician.

* Keep baby covered:  Babies cannot regulate their own body temperatures so ensure you keep baby wrapped in a suitable cloth according to weather though not too tight. Warmer blanket for colder weather of course, and light cotton or 'Arabic style' wraps. There are many great folding techniques available which wrap baby perfectly and comfortably with their arms loosely inside the coverings and still around the head without covering the face.

- Male babies are more likely to die from SIDS than females
- Prematurity makes it more likely
- Minority children are affected by it more often than non-minorities
- More children of young, single mothers die from it
- Children who live in a home with one or more smokers are more likely to be affected

Some people say that sleeping with your baby can reduce the risk of SIDS, but the American Academy of Pediatrics disagree with this statement and go on to say that there is a greater risk of SIDS in babies who co-sleep.

Back sleeping is what most pediatricians recommend for babies to decrease the SIDS risk.  The reason for this is widely debated between health experts.  If you have concerns, talk to your pediatrician.


Baby’s Nap-time


If you baby is not napping well during her first few months of life, you may want to try to cut back on the time she is awake by 15 minute increments.  If she is getting overstimulated, then she will fight sleep and be difficult to get to nap.  The way to prevent this is to watch her “sleepy” cues to make sure that you put her down when she is beginning to get sleepy.

Some parents believe that letting their child cry will harm him or her.  Fifteen or twenty minutes of crying will not harm your child physically or mentally.  Babies will learn to self-soothe and fall asleep by themselves, but only if you let her.  It is very important that babies learn to fall asleep by themselves so that they can self-soothe if they awake in the middle of the night.  Otherwise, you may have a child that will not sleep through the night for years.

Regular sleep patterns are inter-meshed with regular eating patterns, so let us look at the stages of a baby’s life:


* Newborn:  Your newborn will sleep anywhere from 16 to 20 hours a day, including the naps that he takes between feedings.  When your baby has been fed, let him stay awake for a short while and then put him down before he becomes overstimulated.

* Two months:  At two months and older, your child should be allowed to try to self-soothe during their nap-times and bedtime.  Crying is normal when you put your baby down, but it is okay.  If he cries for longer than 10-15 minutes, then go in and check on him.  Don’t get him up, but pat his bottom or lightly rub his back until he calms down.

* 3-6 months:  At around 3-6 months, your baby will stop taking one of his naps.  Usually it is the third nap or late afternoon nap that they do not need as much.  He may be a little fussy and may want to take a little nap, but you need to try to keep him up if you want him to go to bed at a decent time and sleep soundly through the night.

* 16+ months:  When your child is between 16-20 months, they usually quit taking the morning nap in favor of a longer nap in the afternoons.  Babies this age usually sleep between 10-12 hours a night and take a 2-3 hour afternoon nap.

Ground Rules about Naps
1. You decide when the nap starts and ends, not the baby.
2. When your baby is older than 4 months old, he/she will wake up crying if she hasn’t slept enough.  She might have a dirty diaper, be in a position that is not comfortable, or cold/hot. Fix the problem and encourage her to go back to sleep.  Babies that have enough rest wake up happy, talking, and in a good mood.

Breastfeeding Your Baby

Breastfeeding problems, such as milk production difficulties, are not as common when using the PDF feeding method, but they do occur.  Even if you are well rested, eating healthy, have a pretty routine life, and your baby is growing and getting enough food, you still may experience a milk production issue.  Many things can cause production problems.  Here are just a few.

Some things that can affect your milk supply are:
-  What mom eats
-  How much mom rests and sleeps
-  Her state of mind
-  The age of the mom
-  How many children you have
-  Your desire to breastfeed
-  Your nursing capabilities
-  Your nursing techniques
-  Baby’s latch on abilities

If you choose to breastfeed, it is very important that you take your baby for their check-ups as needed.  If you don’t, how will you know if he is getting enough milk and growing at the correct rate?  There is no way for you to tell that your child is getting enough nutrition for sure without your child being weighed.

During the first week of your baby’s life, your breasts will produce colostrum for them to drink. Colostrum is rich in antibodies and aids the baby’s immune system.  It also helps him pass his first bowel movement, which is called meconium.  Meconium is black and tarry looking and is in the first few diapers after birth.  Then he begins to transition to a brown substance and after your milk comes in, it becomes a yellow, mustardy stool that is loose and watery.  Bottle-fed baby’s pass firmer, tannish stools than breastfed baby’s.

After 24-48 hours after birth, your baby will start having wet diapers that will increase to two or three a day.

While your baby drinks colostrum and then milk, you should listen for a pattern of “suck, suck, suck, swallow.”  This pattern will be rhythmic and there should be no “clicking” noises.  The “clicking” sound can indicate that your baby is not properly latched on and may not be getting enough milk from you.  If you start to hear this, you need to unlatch him and then reattach him.  If you continue to hear this sound after reattaching him several times, then you may want to consult a lactation consultant or your pediatrician.

After the first week of life, you should see 6-8 wet diapers each day and at least 3 bowel movements a day.  His urine should be clear and he should become more alert with each passing day.  Your baby should also be gaining weight and growing, as this is the surest way to tell that they are getting enough nutrition.  If you have two days in a row that deviates from the above indicators, then you should call your pediatrician immediately.

Breastfeeding Questions & Answers


Q: How often should a newborn be nursed?

A: You should nurse a newborn no less than 8 times a day, depending upon how long he sleeps between feedings at night.  If he can go four hours between feedings, then you will probably feed him twice between 11pm and 7am.  If you feed him right before he goes to bed, then you may only have to get up one time during the night.  


Q. How often should an older baby be nursed?

A: Depending upon the age of your child, you should be feeding him every 3-4 hours during the day.  As your child gets older, they will nurse less, but they will be eating more during each nursing.  If you are going to nurse after your child is over 6 months old, you should not nurse less than 5 times a day.  If your milk supply is decreasing, then you may need to add a nursing or two to your day to help increase your milk supply.


Q: How do I go about dropping a feeding as my baby gets older?

A: The most common change that moms need to make is going from a every 3 hour to every 4 hour routine, dropping a feeding in the middle of the night, or dropping a late-night feeding.
Another common practice when the excessive need for Mummy to catch up on much needed sleep after several weeks of nightly feeding routines begins to affect mums health then it is time for 'taking turns' if you share your life and child with another. You can healthily substitute one feed at night with the best baby formula which suits your infant and using a 'newborn weening teet' on the bottle. Whomever is available to take the nightly bottle feeding (usually Daddy or close family member). Remember it can take trying a couple of different formula brands if your baby does not take to it at all although there may be some discontent from baby but he/she will adjust in time. If baby is healthy, hungry and it is edible food, then baby will eat :)


Most of the time you will know when your baby is ready to change their eating habits by a change in their sleep patterns.  A baby that has been on an every 3 hour routine normally takes 3 naps a day and if they eat every 3,5 to 4 hours then they may drop the last nap of the nap or shorten one of the other naps considerably.  Babies are usually ready to do this at around 3 months of age.

Most babies drop the feeding in the middle of night by themselves at around 6-14 weeks old.  You will know that they are ready when you awake in a panic in the morning wondering why your baby did not get you for a feeding.  The baby will require more food during the day though, and if you are breastfeeding, your breasts may feel full for a few days, but it is well worth it!

The late night feeding is usually the hardest to let go of.  Some parents think that if they do not feed the baby right before bed that the baby will awake in the middle of the night.  If you don’t think your child can do without the late night feeding, then push it back in 15-minute increments until you are feeding him at the time you would like to.  If the last two feedings of the day seem too close together, don’t worry.  It will all work itself out and you both will be much happier for it!


* For those uncertain how to keep baby clean, here is a great Newborn Baby Guide Video for you.

Q:  Is your babies' poo normal? Check and compare using the image below...

Take care of your family and don't forget about taking care of yourself while you're at it :) I really hope you have found some useful info here for you and that you have enjoyed my first 
'ego - Parents Advice Newsletter Edition #01'
Please feel free to share this valuable knowledge among other new and first-time parents and anyone else who needs it. I am trying to add new things you wouldn't usually think of however if you wish me to focus on a question or topic in the next Edition please email your Q: to services.gempower@gmail.com anytime. 
Thank you and have fun with your little one!....or your crowd lol :)