Newborn baby information

A Guide for First-Time Parents (for Parents)

Life has changed now that your baby is here, and you might have lots of questions about what to do. These tips can help nervous first-time parents feel confident about caring for a newborn in no time.

Getting Help After Your Baby Comes Home

An important part of caring for a newborn is to also take care of yourself. Consider getting help during this time, which can feel hectic and overwhelming.

Relatives and friends might want to help. Even if you disagree on some things, their own experiences might be helpful. It's reasonable for you to ask anyone handling or helping with your baby to be up to date on vaccines and only help if they are feeling well.

But if you don't feel up to having guests or have other concerns, don't feel guilty about limiting visitors.

Handling Your Newborn

If you haven't spent a lot of time around newborns, they may seem very fragile. Here are a few basics to remember:

Wash your hands (or use a hand sanitizer) before handling your baby. Newborns don't have a strong immune system yet, so they're at risk for infections. Make sure that everyone who handles your baby has clean hands.
Support your baby's head and neck. Cradle the head when carrying your baby and support their head when carrying the baby upright or when you lay your baby down.
Never shake your newborn, whether in play or in frustration. Shaking can cause bleeding in the brain and even death. If you need to wake your infant, don't do it by shaking — instead, tickle your baby's feet or blow gently on a cheek.
Make sure your baby is securely fastened into the carrier, stroller, or car seat. Limit any activity that could be too rough or bouncy.
Remember that your newborn is not ready for rough play, such as being jiggled on the knee or thrown in the air.

Bonding With and Soothing Your Newborn

Bonding is one of the most enjoyable parts of infant care. It happens during the sensitive time in the first hours and days after birth when parents make a deep connection with their infant. Physical closeness can promote an emotional connection.

For infants, the attachment contributes to their emotional growth, which also affects their development in other areas, such as physical growth. Another way to think of bonding is "falling in love" with your baby. Children thrive from having a parent or other adult in their life who loves them unconditionally.

Begin bonding by cradling your baby and gently stroking them in different patterns. You and your partner both can be "skin-to-skin" with your baby, holding your newborn against your own skin while feeding or cradling.

Babies, especially premature babies and those with medical problems, may respond to infant massage. Some types of massage may enhance bonding and help with infant growth and development. Many books and videos cover infant massage — ask your doctor for recommendations. Be careful, though — babies are not as strong as adults, so massage your baby gently.

Babies usually love vocal sounds, such as talking, babbling, singing, and cooing. Your baby will probably love listening to music. Baby rattles and musical mobiles are other good ways to stimulate your infant's hearing. If your little one is being fussy, try singing, reciting poetry and nursery rhymes, or reading aloud as you sway or rock your baby gently in a chair.

Some babies can be unusually sensitive to touch, light, or sound, and might startle and cry easily, sleep less than expected, or turn their faces away when someone speaks or sings to them. If that's the case with your baby, keep noise and light levels low to moderate.

Swaddling, which works well for some babies during their first few weeks, is another soothing technique to learn. Proper swaddling keeps a baby's arms close to their body while letting them move their legs a bit. Not only does swaddling keep a baby warm, but it seems to give most newborns a sense of security and comfort. Swaddling also may help limit the startle reflex, which can wake a baby.

Here's how to swaddle a baby:

Spread out a baby blanket, with one corner folded over slightly.
Lay the baby face-up on the blanket with their head above the folded corner.
Wrap the left corner over the baby's body and tuck it beneath the back of the baby, going under the right arm.
Bring the bottom corner up over the baby's feet and pull it toward their head, folding the fabric down if it gets close to the face. Be sure not to wrap too tightly around the hips. Hips and knees should be slightly bent and turned out. Wrapping your baby too tightly may increase the chance of hip dysplasia.
Wrap the right corner around the baby, and tuck it under the baby's back on the left side, leaving only the neck and head exposed. To make sure your baby is not wrapped too tight, make sure you can slip a hand between the blanket and your baby's chest, which will allow comfortable breathing. But make sure that the blanket is not so loose that it could come undone.
Babies should not be swaddled after they show signs of starting to roll over. That’s usually when they're 2 months old. At this age, some babies can roll over while swaddled, which increases their risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

All About Diapering

Whether you use cloth or disposable diapers, your little one will dirty them about 10 times a day, or about 70 times a week.

Before diapering your baby, make sure you have all supplies within reach. You'll need:

a clean diaper
fasteners (if cloth diapers are used)
diaper ointment
diaper wipes (or a container of warm water and a clean washcloth or cotton balls)

After each bowel movement or if the diaper is wet, lay your baby on their back and remove the dirty diaper. Use the water, cotton balls, and washcloth or the wipes to gently wipe your baby's genital area clean. When removing a boy's diaper, do so carefully because exposure to the air can make him pee. When wiping a girl, wipe her bottom from front to back to avoid a urinary tract infection (UTI). To prevent or heal a rash, apply ointment. Always wash your hands after you change a diaper.

Diaper rash is a common concern. Typically the rash is red and bumpy and will go away in a few days with warm baths, some diaper cream, and a little time out of the diaper. Most rashes happen because the baby's skin is sensitive and becomes irritated by the wet or poopy diaper.

To prevent or heal diaper rash, try these tips:

Change your baby's diaper often, and as soon as possible after bowel movements.
Gently clean the area with mild soap and water (wipes sometimes can be irritating), dry the skin, then apply a very thick layer of diaper rash or “barrier” cream. Creams with zinc oxide are best because they form a barrier against moisture.
If you use cloth diapers, wash them in dye- and fragrance-free detergents.
Let your baby go undiapered for part of the day. This gives the skin a chance to air out.

If the diaper rash continues for more than 3 days or seems to be getting worse, call your doctor — it may be caused by a fungal infection that needs treatment with a prescription medicine.

Baby Bathing Basics

Give your baby only sponge baths until after:

the umbilical cord falls off and the navel heals completely (1–4 weeks)
the circumcision heals (1–2 weeks)

A bath two or three times a week in the first year is fine. More frequent bathing may be drying to the skin.

Have these items ready before bathing your baby:

a soft, clean washcloth
mild, unscented baby soap and shampoo
a soft brush to stimulate the baby's scalp
towels or blankets
a clean diaper
clean clothes

Sponge baths. For a sponge bath, select a safe, flat surface (such as a changing table, floor, or counter) in a warm room. Fill a sink, if nearby, or bowl with warm (not hot!) water. Undress your baby and wrap them in a towel. Wipe your infant's eyes with a washcloth (or a clean cotton ball) dampened with water only, starting with one eye and wiping from the inner corner to the outer corner. Use a clean corner of the washcloth or another cotton ball to wash the other eye. Clean your baby's nose and ears with the damp washcloth. Then wet the cloth again and, using a little soap, wash their face gently and pat it dry.

Next, using baby shampoo, create a lather and gently wash your baby's head and rinse. Using a wet cloth and soap, gently wash the rest of the baby, paying special attention to creases under the arms, behind the ears, around the neck, and in the genital area. Once you have washed those areas, make sure they are dry and then diaper and dress your baby.

Tub baths. When your baby is ready for tub baths, the first baths should be gentle and brief. If your baby gets upset, go back to sponge baths for a week or two, then try the bath again.

Besides the supplies listed above, add:

an infant tub with 2 to 3 inches of warm — not hot! — water (to test the water temperature, feel the water with the inside of your elbow or wrist). An infant tub is a plastic tub that can fit in the bathtub; it's a better size for babies and makes bathing easier to manage.

In a warm room, undress your baby and then place them in the water right away to prevent chills. Make sure the water in the tub is no more than 2–3 inches deep, and that water is no longer running in the tub. Use one of your hands to support the head and the other hand to guide the baby in feet-first. Speaking gently, slowly lower your baby up to their chest into the tub.

Use a washcloth to wash your baby's face and hair. Gently massage your baby's scalp with the pads of your fingers or a soft baby hairbrush, including the area over the fontanelles (soft spots) on the top of the head. When you rinse the soap or shampoo from your baby's head, cup your hand across their forehead so the suds run toward the sides and soap doesn't get into your baby's eyes. Gently wash the rest of your baby's body with water and a small amount of soap.

Throughout the bath, regularly pour water gently over your baby's body so they don't get cold. After the bath, wrap your baby in a towel right away, making sure to cover their head. Baby towels with hoods are great for keeping a freshly washed baby warm.

While bathing your infant, never leave the baby alone. If you need to leave the bathroom, wrap the baby in a towel and take them with you.

Circumcision and Umbilical Cord Care

After a circumcision, the tip of the penis is usually covered with gauze coated with petroleum jelly to keep the wound from sticking to the diaper. Gently wipe the tip clean with warm water after a diaper change, then apply petroleum jelly to the tip so it doesn't stick to the diaper. Redness or irritation of the penis should heal within a few days. Call your baby's doctor right away, though, if the redness or swelling gets worse or if pus-filled blisters form, as these can be signs of an infection.

Umbilical cord care in newborns is also important. Clean around the stump with plain water and blot dry until the cord stump dries up and falls off, usually in 10 days to 3 weeks.

An infant's umbilical area shouldn't be submerged in water until the cord stump falls off and the area is healed. Until it falls off, the cord stump will change color from yellow to brown or black — this is normal. Call your doctor if the umbilical area looks red or if a bad odor or discharge develops.

Feeding and Burping Your Baby

Whether feeding your newborn by breast or a bottle, you may wonder how often to do so. Generally, it's recommended that babies be fed on demand — whenever they seem hungry. Your baby may cue you by crying, putting fingers in their mouth, or making sucking noises.

A newborn baby needs to be fed every 2–3 hours. If you breastfeed, give your baby the chance to nurse about 10–15 minutes at each breast. If you formula-feed, your baby probably will take about 2–3 ounces (60–90 milliliters) at each feeding.

Some newborns may need to be awakened every few hours to make sure they get enough to eat. Call your baby's doctor if you need to wake your newborn often or if your baby doesn't seem interested in eating or sucking.

If you're formula-feeding, you can easily see if your baby is getting enough to eat. But if you're breastfeeding, it can be a little trickier. If your baby seems satisfied, makes about six wet diapers and several poops a day, sleeps well, and is gaining weight regularly, then they're probably eating enough.

Another good way to tell if your baby is getting milk is to notice if your breasts feel full before feeding your baby and less full after feeding. Talk to your doctor if you have concerns about your child's growth or feeding schedule.

Babies often swallow air during feedings, which can make them fussy. To help prevent this, burp your baby often. Try burping your baby after every 2–3 ounces (60–90 milliliters) if you bottle-feed, and each time you switch breasts if you breastfeed.

If your baby tends to be gassy, has gastroesophageal reflux, or seems fussy during feeding, try burping your little one after every ounce during bottle-feeding or every 5 minutes during breastfeeding.

Try these burping tips:

Hold your baby upright with their head on your shoulder. Support your baby's head and back while gently patting the back with your other hand.
Sit your baby on your lap. Support your baby's chest and head with one hand by cradling your baby's chin in the palm of your hand and resting the heel of your hand on your baby's chest (be careful to grip your baby's chin — not throat). Use the other hand to gently pat your baby's back.
Lay your baby face-down on your lap. Support your baby's head, making sure it's higher than their chest, and gently pat or rub your baby's back.

If your baby doesn't burp after a few minutes, change the baby's position and try burping for another few minutes before feeding again. Always burp your baby when feeding time is over, then keep your little one in an upright position for at least 10–15 minutes to help prevent them from spitting up.

Newborn Sleeping Basics

As a new parent, you may be surprised to learn that your newborn, who seems to need you every minute of the day, actually sleeps about 16 hours or more!

Newborns typically sleep for periods of 2–4 hours. Don't expect yours to sleep through the night — the digestive system of babies is so small that they need nourishment every few hours and should be awakened if they haven't been fed for 4 hours (or more often if your doctor is concerned about weight gain).

When can you expect your baby to sleep through the night? Many babies sleep through the night (between 6–8 hours) at 3 months of age, but if yours doesn't, it's not a cause for concern. Like adults, babies must develop their own sleep patterns and cycles. So if your newborn is gaining weight and appears healthy, don't despair if they're not sleeping through the night at 3 months.

It's important to always place babies on their backs to sleep to reduce the risk of SIDS. Other safe sleeping practices include:

not using blankets, quilts, sheepskins, stuffed animals, and pillows in the crib or bassinet (these can suffocate a baby)
parents sharing a bedroom (but not a bed) with the baby for the first 6 months to 1 year

Also be sure to change the position of your baby's head from night to night (first right, then left, and so on) to prevent the development of a flat spot on one side of the head.

Many newborns have their days and nights "mixed up." They tend to be more awake and alert at night, and sleepier during the day. One way to help them is to keep stimulation at night to a minimum. Keep the lights low, such as by using a nightlight. Save talking and playing with your baby for the daytime. When your baby wakes up during the day, try to keep them awake a little longer by talking and playing.

Even if you feel a little nervous about handling a newborn, in a few weeks you'll have a routine and be parenting like a pro! If you have questions or concerns, talk to your doctor. They can recommend resources that can help you and your baby grow together.

Getting to Know Your Newborn (for Parents)

Parents might be surprised by how their newborn looks. Before birth, babies are immersed in amniotic fluid and folded up in an increasingly tight space. Then in most deliveries, they're pushed through a narrow, bone-walled birth canal. So many newborns look bluish, are covered with blood and a waxy goo, and can even look bruised. These features can make a newborn look strange, but they're temporary.

What Happens Right After the Birth?

When you'll get to first see and touch your newborn may depend on the type of delivery, your condition, and the condition of your baby. After an uncomplicated vaginal delivery, you should be able to hold your baby within minutes.

In most cases, infants seem to be in a state of quiet alertness during the first hour or so after delivery. It's a great time for you and your newborn to begin bonding. But it's OK if you can't meet your infant right away — you'll have plenty of quality time together soon.

Your Newborn's Skin

Babies are born covered with a creamy, waxy white substance called vernix (VER-niks). It protects a baby's skin from the amniotic fluid before birth, and should wash off when the baby gets their first bath.

You might see your baby's scalp, forehead, cheeks, shoulders, and back covered with a fine hair, called lanugo (leh-NEW-go), especially if your baby was born early. Lanugo usually disappears in the first few weeks of life.

The hue and color patterns of a newborn's skin can surprise parents. Mottling of the skin, a lacy pattern of small reddish and pale areas, is common. So is blueness of the skin of the hands and feet and the area around the lips, especially if the baby is in a cool environment.

When bearing down to cry or having a bowel movement, an infant's skin may briefly look dark red or bluish-purple. Many newborns also have red marks, scratches, bruises, and petechiae (peh-TEE-kee-eye), tiny specks of blood that leaked from small blood vessels in the skin. These are caused by having to squeeze through the birth canal, and will heal and disappear during the first week or two of life.

The top layer of a newborn's skin will flake off during the first week or two. This is normal and doesn't require any special skin care. Peeling skin may be present at birth in some infants, especially those born past their due date.

Jaundice

Newborn jaundice is when the skin and white parts of the eyes look yellow. This is common and normally starts on the second or third day after birth. It'll clear up in 1–2 weeks. While some jaundice is normal, if an infant becomes jaundiced earlier than expected or their bilirubin level is higher than normal, the doctor will closely monitor the baby.

Birthmarks

Some babies are born with a birthmark. Pink or red areas, sometimes called salmon patches, are common and generally disappear within the first year. They're usually on the back of the neck or on the bridge of the nose, eyelids, or brow but can happen anywhere on the skin, especially in light-skinned infants.

Mongolian spots, flat patches of slate-blue or blue-green color that look like ink stains on the back, buttocks, or elsewhere on the skin, are found in more than half of Black, Native American, and Asian infants and less often in white babies. These harmless spots almost always fade or disappear within a few years.

Other types of birthmarks include:

hemangiomas
port-wine stains
cafe-au-lait spots, light-brown spots that may deepen in color (or even first appear) as the child grows older. They're usually of no concern unless they're large or there are six or more spots on the body.
common brown or black moles (called pigmented nevi) can be there at birth or appear (or get darker) as a child gets older. Tell your doctor if your child has larger moles or a mole with an unusual appearance, as these might need to be removed.

Rashes

Several harmless skin rashes and conditions may be there at birth or appear during the first few weeks, including:

Milia: Tiny, flat, yellow or white spots on the nose and chin, which are caused by the collection of secretions in skin glands and will disappear within the first few weeks.
Miliaria: Small, raised, red bumps that can have a white or yellow "head," which is why it's also called infant acne. It's often on the face and can be on large areas of the body, but it's a harmless condition that will go away within the first several weeks with normal skin care.
Erythema toxicum: This harmless newborn rash of red blotches with pale or yellowish bumps at the center can resemble hives. It usually blossoms during the first day or two after birth and clears up within a week.
Pustular melanosis: This is a rash of dark brown bumps or blisters scattered over the neck, back, arms, legs, and palms. It clears up without treatment.

Also, because a fetus can suck while still in the womb, some infants are born with sucking blisters on their fingers, hands, or arms.

Your Newborn's Posture/Arms and Legs

During the first several weeks, babies tend to keep their fists clenched, elbows bent, hips and knees flexed, and arms and legs held close to the front of their body. This position is similar to their position in the womb during the last months of pregnancy. Because the hands are usually tightly closed, it may be hard for you to open them because touching or placing an object in the palms triggers a strong grasp reflex.

Note: Infants who are born early may have some differences in their posture, appearance, activity, and behavior compared with full-term newborns.

Sometimes parents worry about the curved look of their newborn's feet and legs. But the usual position of the fetus in the womb during the final months of pregnancy is hips flexed and knees bent with the legs and feet crossed tightly up against the abdomen. So it's no surprise that a newborn's legs and feet tend to curve inward.

You can usually move your newborn's legs and feet into a "walking" position. And this will happen naturally as a baby begins to bear weight, walk, and grow through the first 2–3 years of life.

What Are a Newborn's "Primitive Reflexes"?

Infants are born with natural responses to stimuli, such as light or touch. These are called primitive reflexes, and they disappear as the baby matures. They include the:

sucking reflex: This triggers an infant to forcibly suck on any object put in their mouth.
grasp reflex: This causes a newborn to tightly close their fingers when pressure is applied to the inside of the infant's hand by a finger or other object.
Moro reflex, or startle response: This causes newborns to suddenly throw their arms out to the sides and then quickly bring them back toward the middle of their body if they're startled by a loud noise, bright light, strong smell, sudden movement, or other stimulus.

Also, because their nervous systems are developing, newborns' arms, legs, and chins may tremble or shake, particularly when they're crying or agitated.

Your Newborn's Sleeping and Breathing

In the first weeks, infants usually spend most of their time sleeping. Newborns whose mothers had some kinds of pain medicines or anesthesia during labor or delivery can be especially sleepy during the first day or two of life.

Babies younger than 1 year old should always be placed on their backs to sleep — never on their stomachs or on their sides. Sleeping on the stomach or side increases the risk for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

It's normal for newborns to breathe somewhat irregularly. When they're awake, their breathing rate can vary widely. It might sometimes be as fast as 60 breaths per minute, particularly when they're excited or after a bout of crying. Also common are periods when they hold their breath for about 5–10 seconds and then start breathing again on their own. Known as periodic breathing, this is more likely during sleep and is normal. But if your baby turns blue or stops breathing for longer stretches of time, go to the emergency room right away.

Talking won't come until much later, but your newborn will make lots of noises — especially high-pitched squeaks — in addition to the crying that all infants do. Sneezing and hiccups are common and are not signs of problems.

Your Newborn's Head

A newborn's skull is made of several separate bones (which will eventually fuse together) to allow the large head to squeeze through the narrow birth canal without injury to mother or baby. So a baby's head might show some degree of molding, which is when the skull bones shift and overlap, making the top of the head look long, stretched out, or even pointed at birth. This will go away over the next several days as the skull bones move into a more rounded shape. The heads of babies born by cesarean section or breech (buttocks or feet first) delivery usually don't show molding.

Because of the separation of your newborn's skull bones, you'll be able to feel (go ahead, you won't harm anything) two fontanels, or soft spots, on the top of the head. The larger one, toward the front of the head, is diamond-shaped and usually about 1 to 3 inches wide. A smaller, triangle-shaped fontanel is farther back on the head, where a beanie might be worn.

You might see the fontanels bulge in and out when your infant cries or strains, or if they seem to move up and down in time with the baby's heartbeat. This is normal. The fontanels eventually disappear as the skull bones fuse together — usually 12–18 months for the front fontanel and about 6 months for the one in back.

A newborn's head also may have a lump or two from the delivery. A circular swelling and bruising (called caput succedaneum) can appear toward the back of the scalp, the area of the head that often leads the way through the birth canal. This will fade over a few days. Some newborns have a collection of blood (called a cephalohematoma) under the outer covering membrane of one of the skull bones. Usually this happens during birth when the baby's head presses against the mother's pelvic bones. The lump is one side of the top of the head and may take a week or two to disappear. The breakdown of the pooled blood can make the baby a bit more jaundiced than usual during the first week of life. Both caput succedaneum and cephalohematoma happen outside the skull and neither are signs of a brain injury.

Your Newborn's Face

A newborn's face may look quite puffy or even distorted due to fluid buildup and their trip through the birth canal. This often changes a lot during the first few days as the baby gets rid of the extra fluid, while that folded ear, flattened nose, or crooked jaw usually comes back into place over time.

Your Newborn's Ears

A newborn's ears may be distorted by the position they were in before birth. They haven't yet developed the thick

cartilage that gives firm shape to an older child's ears, so it's not unusual for newborns to come out with temporarily folded or otherwise misshapen ears. Small tags of skin or pits (shallow holes) in the skin on the side of the face just in front of the ear are also common. Skin tags usually can be easily removed (talk to your doctor).

Your Newborn's Eyes

A few minutes after birth, most infants open their eyes and start to look around. Newborns can see, but they probably don't focus well at first, which is why their eyes may seem out of line or crossed at times during the first 2–3 months. Their eyelids can be puffy, so some infants might not be able to open their eyes wide right away.

When holding your newborn, you can encourage eye opening by taking advantage of your baby's "doll's eye" reflex, which is a tendency to open the eyes more when held in an upright position.

The white part of one or both of a newborn's eyes might look blood-red due to a subconjunctival hemorrhage. This happens when blood leaks under the covering of the eyeball during delivery. It's a harmless condition similar to a skin bruise and goes away after several days.

Parents are often curious to know what color eyes their infant will have. If a baby's eyes are brown at birth, they will stay brown. For infants born with bluish-gray eyes, the pigmentation of the iris (the colored part of the eye) may darken over time, and usually reaches its permanent color when a baby is 3–12 months old.

Your Newborn's Nose

Because newborns tend to breathe through their noses and their nasal passages are narrow, small amounts of nasal fluid or mucus can make them breathe noisily or sound congested even when they don't have a cold or other problem. Talk with your doctor about whether you should use saltwater nose drops and a bulb syringe to help clear the nasal passages.

Sneezing is also common in newborns. This is a normal reflex and isn't due to an infection, allergies, or other problem.

Your Newborn's Mouth

When your newborn opens their mouth to yawn or cry, you may notice some small white spots on the roof of the mouth, usually near the center. These small collections of cells are called Epstein's pearls and, along with fluid-filled cysts sometimes on the gums, will disappear during the first few weeks.

Your Newborn's Neck

Yes ... it's there. Normally the neck looks short in newborns because it tends to get lost in the chubby cheeks and folds of skin.

Your Newborn's Chest

Because an infant's chest wall is thin, you may easily feel or observe your baby's upper chest move with each heartbeat. This is normal and no cause for concern.

Also, both male and female newborns can have breast enlargement. This is due to the female hormone estrogen passed to the fetus from the mother during pregnancy. You may feel firm, disc-shaped lumps of tissue beneath the nipples, which occasionally may release a small amount of milky fluid. The breast enlargement almost always disappears during the first few weeks. Do not squeeze the breast tissue — it will not make the breasts shrink any faster than they will on their own.

Your Newborn's Fingernails

Infants' fingernails can be long enough at birth to scratch their skin as they bring their hands to their faces. If this is the case, you can carefully trim your baby's nails with a pair of small scissors.

Your Newborn's Abdomen (Belly)/Umbilical Care

It's normal for a baby's abdomen (belly) to appear somewhat full and rounded. When your baby cries or strains, you may also see that the skin over the central area of the abdomen may protrude between the strips of muscle tissue making up the abdominal wall on either side. This almost always disappears during the next several months as a baby grows.

Many parents are concerned about the appearance and care of their infant's umbilical cord. The cord has three blood vessels (two arteries and a vein) encased in a jelly-like substance. Following delivery, the cord is clamped or tied off before it's cut to separate the infant from the placenta. The umbilical stump then will wither and drop off, usually in about 10 days to 3 weeks.

Until the cord falls off and the stump dries up, wash it with water if it gets dirty or sticky to help prevent infection. Don't soak the baby's umbilical area in water during bathing until the cord and stump are gone. The cord will go through color changes, from yellow to brown or black — this is normal. Talk to your baby's doctor if the area becomes red or there's a foul odor or discharge.

Umbilical hernias are common in newborns, especially in infants of African heritage. A hole in the wall of the abdominal muscles at the site of the umbilical cord allows the intestine to poke through when the baby cries or strains, making the skin over it bulge outward. These hernias are generally harmless and aren't painful to the baby. Most close on their own during the first few years, but a simple surgical procedure can fix the hernia if it doesn't close by itself. Home remedies for umbilical hernias should not be used. These don’t work and may lead to skin infections or other injuries.

Your Newborn's Genitalia

The genitalia (sexual organs) of both male and female infants may look relatively large and swollen at birth. This is due to several things, including exposure to hormones made by both the mother and the fetus, bruising and swelling of the genital tissues related to childbirth, and the natural course of development of the genitalia.

More than 95% of newborns pee within the first 24 hours. If your baby is born in a hospital, nursery staff will want to know if this happens while your infant is with you. If a newborn doesn't pee for what seems like a while, this might be because they peed right after birth while still in the delivery room. With all the activity going on, it might not have been noticed.

Females

In females, the outer lips of the vagina (labia majora) may look puffy at birth. The skin of the labia may be either smooth or somewhat wrinkled. Sometimes, a small piece of pink tissue may protrude between the labia — this is a hymenal tag. It's of no significance; it will eventually recede into the labia as the genitals grow.

Due to the effects of maternal hormones, most newborn girls will have a vaginal discharge of mucus and perhaps some blood that lasts for a few days. This is normal menstrual-type bleeding from the infant's uterus that happens as the estrogen passed from the mother begins to disappear.

Males

In boys, the scrotum (the sack containing the testicles) often looks swollen. This is usually due to a hydrocele, a collection of fluid in the scrotum of infant boys that usually disappears during the first 3 to 6 months. Call your doctor about swelling or bulging in the scrotum or groin that lasts longer than that or seems to come and go. This can be a sign of an inguinal (groin) hernia, which is much more common in males and usually needs to be fixed with surgery.

The testicles of newborn boys may be difficult to feel while scrotum is swollen. Muscles attached to the testicles pull them up into the groin briskly when the genital area is touched or exposed to a cool environment. Infant boys also normally get penile erections, often just before they pee.

Circumcision Care

After a circumcision, it usually takes between 7 to 10 days for the penis to heal. Until it does, the tip may seem raw or yellowish in color. Although this is normal, some other symptoms are not. Call your child's doctor right away if you notice lasting bleeding, redness around the tip of the penis that gets worse, fever, signs of infection (such as pus-filled blisters), and your baby not peeing normally within 6–8 hours after the circumcision.

What Else Should I Know?

The first days and weeks of a newborn's life are a time of great wonder and delight for most new parents. But if you feel anxious or uncertain about any part of caring for your baby, call your doctor or other health care provider, or talk to family or friends who have experience caring for a newborn.

helpful tips for baby care, feeding and sleep

Everything you need to know about your newborn baby. We list the main features of feeding, sleeping and caring for a newborn baby

Newborn baby: advice to new parents. Photo: pixabay.com

Behind 9 months of pregnancy, childbirth - and here you are at home with the long-awaited baby. There are a thousand questions in my head, how and what to do. The first month of a child's life is perhaps the most exciting for parents. We tell you what mom and dad should know in order to create the best conditions for their baby. By the way, a newborn is considered a child from the moment of birth to the 28th day of his life.

Caring for a newborn baby

The basics of caring for a newborn baby are quite simple. Here are some important tips for young parents from a pediatrician, candidate of medical sciences, author of the blog Anna Levadnaya .

The apartment where you bring your newborn from the hospital must be clean and well ventilated. Try to keep the temperature around 20-22 degrees, humidity - more than 40 percent. In winter, when the heating is on, it is recommended to use a humidifier. Remember that it is better to dress a child warmer than to keep him undressed, but in a stuffy and hot room. Babies are still poorly developed thermoregulation, and they easily overheat.
Change diapers regularly. If the newborn has frequent and loose stools, then you can use a diaper cream to protect delicate skin. Give your baby air baths regularly.
You can bathe your baby as soon as you have returned from the hospital. It is not necessary to boil water (in urban conditions, the water has already passed through all the filters). Start bathing with a water temperature of 36-37 degrees, gradually reducing it to 30.
In the morning, wash your baby with clean water.
As needed (every 5-10 days), the child needs to cut his nails. To do this, use special safety scissors with rounded ends so as not to injure the baby's skin. Don't cut your nails too short. It is recommended to leave 1 mm free edge, the shape of the nail is a square with slightly rounded edges. If redness or inflammation appears around the nail in a child, be sure to consult a doctor.

Feeding a newborn baby

No one will argue that mother's milk is the best food for a baby. The World Health Organization recommends breastfeeding up to 2 years of age. True, a woman does not always manage to establish lactation. Here is what WHO advises at the very beginning and most important stage for successful breastfeeding.

It is in the first month that lactation is established. It is very important to feed the baby on demand, and not by the hour, as was customary in the past.
It is not recommended to give newborns water to drink (unless there are special indications for this). Mother's milk contains enough water to meet the needs of the baby. And supplementation can cause problems with lactation, as the child will eat less milk.
For the same reason, it is not recommended to abuse the pacifier and bottle during the first month.
Remember that the main factors that indicate whether a child has enough milk or not are weight gain per month (an increase from 400 to 1200 grams is considered the norm) and the number of urination per day (at least 12 times).

If it doesn't work out with breastfeeding

If it so happens that a mother cannot breastfeed a newborn baby, artificial formulas will come to the rescue. It is important to choose a quality formula that will suit your baby. Be sure to check with your pediatrician. Choose mixtures of well-known, proven brands that have proven themselves well. The best option is an adapted milk formula. It is as close as possible to the composition of breast milk, easier to digest. Be sure to look at the age label and pay attention to the expiration date. As for the introduction of the mixture, all recommendations and dosages are detailed on the instructions, follow it.

Photo: pixabay.com

Newborn's sleep

A good sleep for a newborn is just as important as feeding and caring for him. In the first months of life, children sleep most of the day. But often young parents are faced with the fact that they can’t rock a screaming baby in any way. There can be many reasons why your newborn baby does not sleep, ranging from the most trivial (for example, the child is uncomfortable dressed) to the very serious (health problems). But there are some important tips from sleep consultants that will help you organize your newborn's sleep.