During the initial few weeks after childbirth, it feels like you are in an endless routine of feedings that occur every few hours, lack of sleep, and many other activities like changing your baby’s diapers. In the middle of this busy schedule, there arises a doubt in your mind about the usefulness of what you are doing.
The good news is that usually it does! There are some basic tasks, which when done in a consistent manner day by day, tend to make a huge impact on your baby’s development and growth rather than the big decisions. None of these things will involve fancy equipment or parental skills.
Breastfeeding: More Than Just Nutrition
However, breastfeeding is about much more than food for babies. Apart from calories, mothers’ milk contains various antibodies, substances that help build up the gut microbiota and consequently the brain. Therefore, as soon as it is safe and possible from a medical perspective, starting breastfeeding early is beneficial.
A proper latch is more important than people usually think. If it is performed correctly, feeding is more comfortable and effective for both the mother and child. An incorrect latch leads to discomfort, problems with breastfeeding, or inability of a baby to properly extract milk. It is normal when breastfeeding gets stuck because this happens quite regularly and does not mean that something is wrong. In many cases, consultation with a lactation consultant allows solving the problem in one session.
Finally, it is important to understand that breastfeeding is not all or nothing. Breastfeeding, combination feeding, pumping, and using a bottle are different ways to achieve the primary objective: the baby is growing and gaining weight normally.
Skin-to-Skin Contact: The Underrated First Step
As skin-to-skin contact becomes a common term among new parents, it can easily turn into a cliché. However, the physiology involved here should definitely be taken seriously. The warmth provided by direct contact between skin will help regulate the body temperature and heart rate of a child without putting any additional effort from an adult. It basically means that a baby relies on your body to regulate itself because its system has not been developed yet.
Skin-to-skin contact in the first days of life will also help to make feedings much easier as a warm and peaceful baby will latch better than a fussy one.
It is a quiet routine that can support several things at once: temperature regulation, feeding, and bonding, but sometimes parents forget about it once they get occupied with bigger things like establishing sleeping routines.
Pediatric Visits: Not Just a Formality
Baby visits to the doctor are surprisingly frequent compared to what many first-time parents expect. Not only does this serve as a formality; there are measurements for growth, development, weight, head circumference, and other things that are not easy to do at home.
The shots babies receive during this stage are also important because they bridge an important gap. Babies are born with some level of immunity from their mothers, but this will gradually dissipate until the end of the first few months while their immune system is still developing. It is important to keep up with their shots to make this process faster and easier.
At the same time, it is entirely acceptable and highly recommended to contact the doctor if anything is off between visits. If there is any change in the way the child eats, unusual behavior, unusual skin, or a fever, then it may be possible to get a quick evaluation by calling the office or visiting the same day. It may seem like waiting to see if it passes is safer, but that may not be the case.
Safe Sleep: The Rules That Actually Reduce Risk
Safe sleeping practices are quite repetitive once you hear about them for a dozen times, but that is due to the high validity of data that supports them. Back sleeping, use of firm mattress, and lack of any items (blankets, pillows, stuffed toys) in the crib decreases risks, including sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
The urge to overdress the child is understandable, especially when the temperatures are cool outside.
Daily hygiene routines do not have to be very elaborate. The use of mild, fragrance-free soap while bathing, and checking the diapers every two hours will prevent many irritations and rashes without the need for any special preparations in the cabinets.
The Bigger Picture
None of these actions have to be carried out perfectly in order to make an impression. Missing one instance of skin-to-skin, latching not being quite perfect one afternoon, or the diaper change coming a few minutes late is nothing that could jeopardize the whole process. Instead, what would really add up would be doing all of these actions consistently and regularly during the first weeks and months.
Equally crucial is the ability to remain alert to small changes in the newborn’s behavior, appearance, energy level, etc. They will become apparent only due to some changes in the established routine and should not be overlooked. Being attentive and calling a pediatrician whenever something is off is more important than carrying everything out to perfection.
Newborn care can never be perfect. It should be consistent.
