the9months

Baby’s first days: crying

Your baby may not cry much while both of you are in the hospital, or you may not notice his crying while people are around to help you. Once you get home, it may seem as if he is crying more than when he was in the hospital, and he may be, as he is becoming more awake. Generally your baby will cry when he is hungry and will settle down when you feed him. A baby will also cry when he is tired, and you will discover how to soothe your baby to sleep, whether by rocking, patting his back, or walking with him. Read the rest of this entry »

The Breastfeeding Journal (https://www.theparentreview.com/nursing/breastfeeding/breastfeedingjournal.jsp?week=1&weekType=Infancy&parentID=85204493&hospitalID=54523908) has all the details that you need to start breastfeeding your little bundle of joy. Strongly recommended for all new moms!

Baby’s first days: feeding

Soon after your baby is born—within minutes if you are breastfeeding—you will be feeding your baby. Right after birth, you will be given the baby to hold; whether or not you are nursing, holding the baby skin-to-skin can have benefits. You may try to nurse at this point, but don’t be surprised if your baby is too tired. Within a few hours, she will be ready to nurse or to take a little bit of a bottle if you are not breastfeeding.

Even if you have prepared for nursing by taking classes and reading books, you may have difficulty getting the baby to latch on at first. Read the rest of this entry »

Do it now, so there’s no last-minute scramble to fill a suitcase between contractions!

Your departure for the hospital or birthing center probably won’t be as frantic as Hollywood wants you to believe, but it’s still a good idea to be prepared. That means having your birth plan  finished and your Who to Call list right where your partner can find it. (You have created a birth plan and a Who to Call list, right?) That also means having a bag packed and ready to go several weeks in advance of your due date (yes, weeks — just in case your baby decides to make an unexpectedly early appearance). You certainly don’t want to do any last-minute scrambling worthy of a sitcom script (it won’t be nearly as funny if it happens in real life). Read the rest of this entry »

Baby’s first days: sleeping

While you and your baby are in the hospital, your baby will likely spend most of her time sleeping. The average newborn baby spends 18-20 hours a day sleeping. When she wakes, she will cry periodically to eat but will not eat very much before falling back to sleep. This pattern may continue after you go home, or the baby may be awake more each day. It is hard to control a newborn’s sleep schedule, so don’t expect regular naps; she will eat and sleep when she needs to (do check with your pediatrician to see if you should wake your baby for feedings in the first days). Over several weeks or even longer, she is likely to fall into a two-nap-a-day schedule, waking only to eat during the night. Read the rest of this entry »