How to take care for Newborn Baby during first 40 days

After the delivery, the mother and baby both are discharge within 2-5 days from the hospital or maternity ward if all is well. Both are kept in hospital for few days, it depends on mode off delivery which can be of normal vaginal or forceps or vacuum or C section.

By Mahmood Hussain, dated 23rd November, 2016, the article is written for www.babyfirst.com.pk   BABY FIRST PAKISTAN and on Facebook.babyfirstPakistan and other social media such as LinkedIn, Twitter and so on. Writer Mahmood Hussain is from Karachi Pakistan

Hospital will discharge both newborn baby and mother within 2 days when baby is born via normal delivery. If delivery by any other procedure, than stay may be extended from 3-5 days in hospital. The gynecologist or doctor is the best judge to decide when to discharge from maternity home or ward. 

If it is first baby born, which means both of you are inexperience in terms of upbringing of newborn baby. The hospital do not provide any prescribe guide lines for upbringing off baby..

Both of you mostly learn from your mother and mother in law or senior / elderly women of family or friend who are experience in this regards. 

 Please be  relax, time will teach you how to take care of neonate in best possible way. Upbringing of newborn is not very difficult task but it is exhaustive and will engage you for 24/7. 

Below we are listing down and discussing how to up bring your child during the first forty days 

Daily routine and guidelines:

The baby is more comfortable and feel happy when he or she is in your lap or secure in your arm. This establishes body to body or skin to skin contact, which means its create bonding. During pregnancy baby was in touch all time with mother in the womb. Baby has recently arrive in this world, so it is advisable to spend more time in relaxing with the baby, by keeping on the chest by the parents. 

When you are working with your daily routine or moving around, keep baby in your lap or secure in sling or carry in wrap up sheets. In this way you are in close contact with neonate which they need it at this age of life. This is also important to keep baby away from kitchen or while you are cooking or doing any physical home work. Keep baby n such a place where yyou can keep an eye and communicate with them if they are awake.

In this period from day one to 40 days you as parent especially mother are getting to know your baby. Initially it will be difficult to understand what the needs are and why he/she is getting fussy. With passage you know handling of baby, you start understanding and recognize the signal reflected by baby in case of hunger or feeling tired or needed your warm lap or need big hug from you. In the initial days and stages you may receive signals, also understand wrong signal or mix up the message. With the days passed on, you are quite aware what the baby need is on different times of the day.

 Normally parents cover their baby too much, she needs to dress up as per seasonal or climate need.  It should be the same as we adult wear the dresses and have no need for extra layers.  If parents are living in tropical or warm weather places than just diaper will do the job. 

It is good and beneficial to both of us to take your baby outside of home at least one time in a day. As per reported in study the baby who spend time outside daily catch up good sleep, secondly this serve as mood elevator to parents.

Baby Feeding:

In the first month after the birth of baby, mothers time mostly engage in feeding to make him/her comfortable. Do your best to feed exclusively baby with breast mother milk for first six month.

There is no substitute of breast milk. Breast feeding is healthy and provide needed nutrients and natural immunity. Secondly baby is in touch with mother body and feel very secure .

You can use support to feed baby by using such as pillow or couch to recline yourself this will support and ease your position and baby during feeding. During this period mother has to feed baby very frequently that is from day one to five months, will gain 100% weight. Mothers do have to adjust feeding schedules, there is no fix formula or advice. Most of them have “cluster” or “bunch” of feeding schedules where mother has to feed very frequently.  Mother have to offer her breast several times for few hours and then baby gave breaks of few hours.

If as mother your nipples are tender or painful or sore please consult your doctor for advice and help. There are many problems but most of them with the help of expert are easily manage and breast feeding can be started or restarted. 

Baby Bathing.

It is good to bathe your baby on daily basis as soon as the umbilical cord looks dry or fall of and its look surrounding area is dry or healed. Baby can be bathe in a bathtub or this can be done in a sink of the bathroom. Please use slightly warm water for bathing and washing. 

It is very essential to properly dry and dress cloth as per season and weather persist in the respective area. Before bathing please ensure you have all items ready such as towel, shampoo, soap, Luke warm water, diaper, baby powder and all clothing he or she will wear after bath. 

Sleep patterns and habits:

The sleeping patterns varies from baby to baby. During first few days, the day and night are same for babies and most of the time sleeping. This period may persist for five to six weeks. 

It has been observed some babies will wake up for feed and when need for diaper change. Whereas others type of baby they are awake most of the time whether it is day or night. It is very difficult to predict their sleep patterns, third category is babies naturally fall at sleep and have pattern of sleep.  Few others babies may do not have any sleep pattern.

As the age progress in later stage you can be certain to predict baby sleeping pattern, which also permits you to plan and schedule your other works need to be perform.

During breast feeding mothers milk have ingredients which induces sleep, as well as sucking of the breast by baby has relaxing effect which makes baby to fall asleep .

This has been observed Babies who are wrap or place in sling (which means establish contact with mother) they sleep very comfortably for longer period. 

If shifting baby from the above positions, put baby down on his / her place of sleep. Give five to 10 minutes till that time baby goes in deep sleep. 

Baby Nappy or diaper change:

The diaper or nappy change according to the need arises from time to time in a day and each day.  Mostly mothers have to be vigilant and agile to know when to change. Though this consume time and place should be at comfortable height where this can be changed, If designated place or bed where diaper is change is not at right height this cann give backache pain.

We all are well aware of diaper rashes which is common, if proper care is not exercise than this problem arises. What I have seen and observe if we wash the diaper area by like warm water or use cotton ball soaked in water to clean the area and then dry with soft towel. After drying the area apply water resistant cream or petroleum jelly.

Article written by Mahmood Hussain for Baby First Pakistan website, facebook, linkedin, twitter and other social and digital media

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