There is so much emphasis on getting all the right equipment and being prepared with the practical and material goods that sometimes the reality of normal newborn behavior is forgotten. The reality is that in the first week your baby will either be FEEDING, SLEEPING or CRYING and will not need much more than you to get by. But that alone will be extremely tiring. Here are some useful tips on how to prepare for your newborn.
Sleeping Patterns of a Newborn Baby
There’s not much parents have to do to encourage or schedule their baby’s sleep patterns during the first week. They will sleep anywhere, anytime – whether it’s in the middle of a feeding or just as the family comes over to visit. This is normal.
Newborn babies need to sleep between 14 hours and 18 hours a day right now, which seems as though you’d have plenty of time to sleep yourself. However, their irregular short naps, one or two hours at a time, doesn’t leave nearly enough time to feel rejuvenated. At this stage short naps are important as it is during these short naps in rapid eye movement (REM) sleep that aid in their development.
- If your baby passes out as soon as the suckling starts, you might want to wake him or her. Often they are too warm and cozy so start by unswaddling. If that doesn’t work, strip the baby down to his or her diaper (if it’s not too cold), which should awaken the baby from a light slumber.
- If breastfeeding, hold your baby upright for a few seconds and then switch nursing positions.
- Try gently burping him or her.
- Make sure the lights aren’t too bright (where your baby would want to shield his or her eyes) or too dark.
Learn more about how to establish good sleeping habits for you and your newborn
Unless you are following a rigid schedule then it is important to LISTEN, WATCH and RESPOND to your baby’s cues and feed on demand, allow the baby to sleep after feeds and hold the baby or feed when they cry. Watch this short video about the importance of understanding your baby’s cues
Placing too much focus on preventing problems like “spoiling your baby by holding them or responding to cries” ultimately causes other problems that are much harder to handle. Newborn babies need to be held and rocked, especially in the first month following birth. Think of it as the 4th trimester – your baby getting used to life outside of your body.
How Many Times do I Feed and How much?
A multitude of factors (mode of delivery, gestation at delivery, medical issues, use of medication etc) influence the way your baby will feed in the first 24 hours following birth and must be taken into account in order not to panic.
Regardless of how you gave birth, spend the first few hours with your baby lying skin to skin on your chest. Given enough uninterrupted time skin-to-skin, your baby may move towards your breast and begin feeding without assistance. Allow the baby to let you know when they are ready to feed.
Prepare to be overwhelmed. Be overwhelmed with love, emotion, and exhaustion. Be overwhelmed with new thoughts and feelings of responsibility, with the enormity of being a mother and the changes in your relationship with your husband.
Prepare to take one day at a time. Prepare to enjoy every moment with your precious newborn. Prepare to accept huge change in your life. Prepare to feel more love than you have ever thought possible. Prepare to learn valuable life lessons from your baby. Prepare to trust your innate ability to mother your baby – learn to trust your instinct. Do your best. You may not always get it right but you keep trying and learning and you get by and your best is enough.
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About the Author
Karen Wilmot is a Midwife, Yoga Instructor, Birth and Lactation Consultant. In August 2009, she started a community based service offering birth preparation classes, home and hospital visits and support throughout pregnancy, birth and beyond.
Learn more: www.pregnantinoman.com
Contact: karenwilmot@gmail.com | +96897319976