Congratulations on your newborn! This is a happy, but sometimes, challenging time so we’ve put together our essential tips to newborn care for first time parents.
Bonding with your baby is different for every parent
Every mother and baby bonds at different times. For some, it takes time, especially after a traumatic birth, and for others its instant. It’s important not to stress about bonding, it should be a natural and often gradual process (and not always the one you thought it would be when you were pregnant). Skin to skin contact with your baby is a lovely way to help with bonding, as is lots of eye contact, smiles and chatting with your baby. Indulge in time alone with your baby to build this bond.
Your baby needs to develop trust
Babies need to experience love, care and attention to build trust. This trust and attachment is built up over time and without it, babies can develop fears and suspicion. Build trust with your baby during feeding, feed in a safe, warm and comforting environment, smiling and talking to your baby as much as possible. Skin to skin contact is important for trust as well as bonding. Wearing your baby in a sling whether you’re inside or out and about will help ensure this trust builds into a beautiful relationship long into childhood and beyond.
Your baby will experience sensory overload
Moving from the warm, dark comfort of your womb into a world full of lights, sounds and smells is perfect for stimulation and supporting rapid development in the early weeks and months of baby’s life, but can also be unsettling. There will be times when your baby cries for no reason other than sensory overload and a simple cuddle can help soothe and reassure baby that they’re in a safe environment.
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Read More:
7 Tips to Prepare Your Home for the Arrival of Your Newborn
Newborn Baby Shopping List for First Time Mums
Basic Newborn Sleep Guide from Birth to 3 Months for New Parents
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Be patient with each other
You and your partner are probably both sleep deprived either from being on night feed duty or getting up early for work. No job is harder, more stressful or demanding. Remember why you wanted a baby, why you love each other and be mindful of each other as your lives change.
It’s not a race
Think how subtly different you are to the people you know. What age did you learn to drive? When did you take your first holiday alone? How about your first date? We’re all different as adults and we are as babies too. If friends with a baby the same age as yours has smiled, or laughed, or slept through the night and your baby hasn’t, don’t feel anxious. Congratulate them and know that your baby will do all these things soon and has probably already done something another baby hasn’t. We all reach our goals in the end, just at different times.
Be realistic
From the moment you gave birth, life changed. You now have a small but oh so demanding human being totally dependent on you. Life has changed in a beautiful way but will sometimes feel like the exact opposite. This is totally normal and there isn’t a new parent out there who hasn’t felt the strain, many times. So, don’t focus on or stress about the little things. If someone visits and your house could do with a clean, it doesn’t matter. Chances are your visitor didn’t even notice and was too focused on you and your new baby. Surround yourself with people you love and love you back, a mix of new parent friends and older, established ones who knew you as you before parenthood. Most importantly enjoy these early weeks and months, as they don’t last forever.
References:
http://www.pregnancyandbaby.com/baby/articles/939215/parents-of-infants-and-trust-relationships
http://www.bounty.com/baby-0-to-12-months/postnatal-depression-and-bonding/bonding
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-23226216
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