newborn

So after 9 months of pregnancy, the moment you’ve been anticipating has finally come and gone. You survived labor, held your beautiful baby for the first time and were sent out into the world with your brand new family member. Except : now what? After all of the research and preparation for pregnancy and labor, you might feel as though you’ve been studying for the wrong test. We know you might be a bit overwhelmed and confused, so we’ve broken down everything you might be concerned about during those first four weeks of your baby’s life. You can check out our Newborn Care Guide for specific week-by-week advice, but here are some general concerns you may have throughout the first month:

Baby’s Health and Well-being

• What you can expect at your baby’s first well-visit check-up, including immunizations
• Your baby’s development in the first few weeks
• Everything you need to know about your baby’s poop
• Eyes, ears and nose issues like unexplained sneezing, tear-less crying and loud noises
• How to diaper your baby
• How to bathe, groom and dress your little one
• How to care for your baby’s umbilical cord and penis.
• What to expect if you circumcise your baby after you get home from the hospital
• Everything you need to know about preventing SIDS
• Why you should never, ever, ever, ever shake your baby
• Which symptoms warrant an immediate call to the doctor

Mom’s Health and Well-Being

You knew there would be crying, feeding and diaper changes (although the around-the-clock realization might have been a shock), but did you ever expect to feel so sore, moody and overwhelmed? Going through labor and suddenly being thrust into this brand new lifestyle is monumental, both physically and emotionally. Again, you can check in with our Newborn Care Guide for advice tailored to each specific week, but here are the issues that you might need advice, comfort and reassurance about:

• Are you feeling the Baby Blues or is it Postpartum Depression? What to look for and how to treat both
• Everything you need to know about bleeding and cramping in week one, week two and at the end of the month
• What to expect while recovering from a C-Section, both in the beginning and as the month goes on
• Perineal pain and how to care for the area
• Everything you need to know about engorgement
• While exhaustion is an unavoidable part of having a newborn, there are some things you can do to fight the fatigue
• How to handle visitors
• Feeling stir crazy yet? Ready to get out of the house?

Feeding

Even beyond sleeplessness and the contents of your baby’s diaper, the topic of feeding tends to be the biggest concern of new parents. Whether you’re nursing or giving your baby formula, understand that this is a learning period for everyone involved – especially you. Perhaps breastfeeding doesn’t feel as natural as you imagined, or the process of making and warming formula is much more time consuming than you thought. Maybe you always imagined you’d breastfeed and are now faced with the unfamiliar world of formula. But don’t worry; we’re here to help you through this – and we promise it will get easier before you know it:

• General feeding tips for both breast- and bottle-feeders.
• Everything you need to know about breastfeeding, including:
• • Physiology of breastfeeding
  • How to get the correct positioning and latch
  • How much and how long you should be nursing
  • When to expect growth spurts
  • How to know your baby is eating enough
  • Possible breastfeeding problems
  • Supplementing with formula
  • What to eat and what to avoid eating
  • Which medicines and herbs are safe to eat and
  • Switching to formula
• Tips for formula-feeding, including:
• • How to know your baby is eating enough and
  • How to reduce your milk production

Sleep and Swaddling

Let’s be honest here: There’s not a lot of sleeping going on. Well, actually, your baby is sleeping a lot – just not at once. It’s completely normal for your baby to be up every hour or two around the clock, and there’s really no way you can possibly establish a schedule yet. While everything about your baby will evolve over the course of this year, his or her sleep patterns will especially transform drastically from month to month. Our Newborn Care Guide provides advice for each newborn week, but here is what you should know generally about your baby’s first month of sleeping:

• How much your baby should be sleeping
• Your baby’s changing sleep patterns
• Where should your baby be sleeping?
• How to swaddle your baby

Crying, Colic and Soothing Techniques

It’s no secret that babies cry, yet it can be much more distressing when it’s your own little baby wailing and you have no idea what to do. You’ll eventually get to know what soothes your little one (every baby is different), so all you can do at this stage is immediately respond to your baby and try to figure out exactly what’s wrong:

• What could your baby be crying about?
• Tried and trusted soothing techniques
• Could it be colic?
• Tips on surviving the dreaded colic stage

Developmental Milestones and Play

There’s something truly incredible about being able to watch our species develop from the first moment of life on, and to see our babies experience everything for the very first time. Your face, the carpet, a blanket – these are all brand new experiences that your baby is absorbing. So while you won’t be able to play catch – or even share a laugh – just yet, you’ll still see enormous changes in these first 30 days:

• What your baby might be doing in week one, two, three and four
• How to keep your little one entertained