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You and your baby are learning about each other.
During this first month, both you and your baby will spend time getting to know one another. Most of your baby’s time will be spent sleeping, crying, or eating. Most of your time will be spent figuring out the best way to meet your baby’s needs.
Sometimes, you may feel tired and nervous and may lose your temper. Most parents feel like this at one time or another. Don’t worry; these feelings will pass with time.
Many teenagers give birth, but the number of teenage births has fallen every year since 1990, when there were 37 births per 1,000 teenagers ages 15 to 17, compared to 32 in 1997, according to the 2000 Kids Count Data Book. As a younger parent, you may have some special concerns—living with your parents, being accepted by your friends, or finishing school. If you feel you need extra guidance or counseling, here are some places to get information:
Your local chapter of the American Red Cross has information and can refer you to other organizations in your community.
One way of checking on your baby’s health is to keep a record. You can keep a small family health note-book in which you write down items such as height, weight, immunization schedule, how many teeth your baby has and when she got them, and your baby’s blood type.
Write down dates of illnesses and briefly describe the symptoms. The school will need a record of immunizations completed by your child’s doctor. It also will be fun to look back through the book to see how your baby grew.
It is a good idea to keep handy the toll-free phone number of the Kentucky Regional Poison Center. (The number is 1-800-222-1222.) Your healthcare provider can tell you what items are useful to have handy in case of small accidents or mild illness and what you should do if something more serious happens.
Your local chapter of the American Red Cross can advise you about first aid kits for the home. In many areas, the Red Cross offers basic first aid and CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) courses. You can find your chapter’s phone number in the white pages of the phone book.
All your baby’s food and nutrition needs for the next four months can be met with breast milk or iron-fortified formula.
By now, your baby probably has a fairly regular feeding pattern. She may get hungry anywhere from every two to every four hours.
Don’t worry if your baby is a slow drinker or drinks less than you think she needs. If she doesn’t want that last ounce of milk, don’t force her. Overfeeding your baby can make her fat. An overweight baby is not neces-sarily a healthy baby. Overeating will only cause problems for your baby in later life.
Hold your baby close in the bend of your elbow while feeding. Remember that food and loving are both important. This is a time for getting to know each other—a time for snuggling, cuddling, and talking.
Hiccups are not unusual, especially if your baby is bottle fed. They may be caused by air bubbles your baby gets from sucking hard on the bottle. Air bubbles can be painful. A small bottle of warm water may help. Burping your baby at least once during a feeding and then again when the feeding is finished also helps.
If you breastfeed, you now need about 500 extra calories a day. For example, two additional glasses of milk and a peanut butter sandwich gives you more than enough extra calories. Remember to drink plenty of liquids and to choose foods that are good sources of nutrients.
Bath time can be fun for you and your baby. Make it as easy and pleasant as possible so both of you will enjoy it.
Your baby will be ready for a daily tub bath as soon as his navel (belly button) and circumcision have healed. Until that time, wash your baby with a soft cloth dipped in a basin of warm water.
Some babies like to be bathed before the morning or evening feeding. Others hate to be bathed before eating and like their baths after meals. Choose a time to suit you and your baby.
Babies may cry when they have their first bath, but by the time they are about 6 weeks old they usually like the feel of water.
Make sure the room is warm (between 75 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit) and draft-free.
Fill the tub or basin with warm water. Test the temperature with your elbow
or wrist to make sure the water is not too hot. Don’t put any softeners
or bath lotions in the water. They can cause a skin rash.
Wrap your baby loosely in a large towel. Keep his diaper on but not pinned.
Sit next to the tub or basin of warm water with your baby in your lap. Have
soap, a wash cloth, and a soft drying towel nearby.
Gently wipe your baby’s face and neck. Babies don’t usually like this, so get it over with quickly. About twice a week, wash his hair and scalp, rubbing your palms with soap and gently lathering his hair. To rinse, hold your baby’s head and back over the basin with your hand and arm in a football-carry hold. Rinse thoroughly to make sure all the soap is gone. Pat his scalp dry. Avoid getting water in his eyes.
Now move to his chest, arms, and hands. After soaping and rinsing with the warm cloth, pat dry. Patting instead of rubbing with a towel is easier on a baby’s tender skin. Turn your baby on his stomach to wash his back. Then turn him on his back again. Take off his diaper and wash, rinse, and dry his stomach, bottom, legs, and feet.
Use a plastic tub filled with warm water and place it on a table or the sink counter. This is easier on your back than leaning over a regular-size bathtub. If you are using the kitchen sink, place a towel in the sink as a cushion and turn the faucets away from your baby. Fill the tub or sink with warm water and test the temperature. Start out with just a few inches of water until you feel more comfortable. Hold your baby securely in the tub or sink by cradling him in one arm. Wash him the same way you would with a sponge bath.
If your baby’s skin is dry, apply baby lotion. Put a little lotion on a cotton ball and gently wipe his skin. You also could try bathing him less often. Watch for a possible allergic skin reaction to a particular lotion or oil. Use only one product at a time until you are sure it is safe for your child’s skin.
Fathers, if you haven’t tried giving your baby a bath yet, now is a good time to start. You can use bath time for sharing giggles, being close, and giving undivided attention to your little one.
Babies love to coo, splash, and play games with water toys while fathers observe, hum, and carry on a conversation with them.
Babies feel especially loved and loving when they are swept up in a big, fluffy
towel with a cuddle thrown in before the dressing game starts.
The happy times shared with your baby during his bath go a long way.
My daughter has colic. After the 6 p.m. feeding, she starts to cry and won’t stop. What can I do?
Some babies have crying attacks almost every evening, usually between 6 p.m. and midnight. They scream loudly, draw their legs up sharply, frown, and turn bright red. These attacks can last for hours and are a symptom of what doctors call colic, a name to explain any hard, continual crying in infants.
No one knows for sure what causes colic. Colicky babies are thought to have a lot of gas and cry because they are so uncomfortable. Some doctors believe that too much stimulation may cause colic. By the time a baby is 4 to 6 months old, daily colic attacks usually stop.
You cannot do much except comfort your baby until she stops crying. Sometimes it helps to hold her across your knees on her stomach and massage her back or rock her while constantly humming like a machine. Listening to a colicky baby and not being able to help can be frustrating. But remember, it is not your baby’s fault or your fault, and she will eventually get over it. If your baby continues to cry hard all day long and nothing seems to help, have her checked by a doctor or at a clinic. If you are breastfeeding, examine your diet for foods that may be irritating her digestion.
As a new mother, you may be going through what is known as the baby blues or the post-partum blues. The baby blues come from the many changes your body goes through after your baby is born. You may be discouraged, tense, or sad. Many new mothers feel this way. Don’t worry— these feelings are perfectly normal.
Some mothers worry that they look as if they are still pregnant. Don’t be upset. It takes at least six weeks for the uterus (womb) to shrink back to normal size.
There are no strict rules about being a parent. If you are uncertain about what to do, trust your gut feelings.
Here are some ways to help you through these blue days:
Birckmayer, Jennifer, Kathryn Mabb, Bonnie Jo Westendorf, and Jerridith Wilson (1996). Teens as parents of babies and toddlers: A resource guide for educators. Ithaca, New York: Cornell Cooperative Extension Service.
Brazelton, T. Berry, M.D. (1992). Touchpoints: Your child’s emotional and behavioral development. Reading, Massachusetts: Addison-Wesley.
Gnatuk, Carole A. and Sam Quick (2000). Keys to great parenting: Teach self-control, Key No. 6. Lexington, Kentucky: Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service.
Kids count data book (2000). Baltimore: The Annie E. Casey Foundation.
Lerner, Claire and Amy Laura Dombro (2000). Learning and growing together: Understanding and supporting your child’s development. Washington, D.C.: Zero to Three. Phone: 1-800-899-4301.
Marotz, Lynn R., Marie Z. Cross, and Jeanettia M. Rush (1997). Health, safety, and nutrition for the young child. Albany, New York: Delmar.
Pruett, Kyle D. (2000). Fatherneed: Why father care is as essential as mother care for your child. Washington, D.C.: Zero to Three. Phone: 1-800-899-4301.
Shelov, Steven P., M.D., M.S., F.A.A.P. (editor in chief) (1998). Your baby’s first year. New York: Bantam Books/American Academy of Pediatrics.
Snow, Charles W. (1998). Infant development (2nd ed). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
Carole A. Gnatuk, Ed.D., Extension Child Development Specialist
Sam Quick, Ph.D., Extension Human Development and Family Relations Specialist
Sandra Bastin, Ph.D., R.D., L.D., Extension Food and Nutrition Specialist
From a publication originally written by Dorothea Cudaback, D.S.W., and colleagues at the University of California Cooperative Extension.
Professionals at the University of Kentucky who have assisted in the preparation of the Parent Express series: Sandra Bastin, Ph.D., R.D., L.D.; Donna Clore, M.S.; Ruth Ann Crum, M.S.; Darlene Forester, Ph.D., R.D.; Starr Gantz, R.D.; Carole Gnatuk, Ed.D.; Peter Hesseldenz, M.A.; Janet Kurzynske, Ph.D., R.D.; Suzanne McGough, M.S., R.D.; Larry Piercy, Ph.D.; Sam Quick, Ph.D.; Michael Rupured, M.S.; Diane Strangis, M.S.
Parent Express guides you through parenting of children through age 36 months. For other publications in the 27-part series, contact your county Cooperative Extension Service office.