Over years of caring for newborns, it became apparent that there are questions that EVERY newborn parent has. Being a parent is scary, especially with a newborn! There is always plenty of recommendations from family, friends other parents, Facebook and Google. The question is what advise is the right advise? To be honest, that varies depending on life experience, family preference and each and every individual however there are consistent "norms" that pediatricians can attest to:
It is NORMAL......
for their eyes to cross? Your baby’s eye muscles are not strong enough to stay straight for the first 4-6 months of life.
for your baby to have a different breathing pattern than children and adults do. It is called a newborn breathing pattern. Sometimes it is fast and sometimes it is slow. They may also pause at times. If they are otherwise feeding and acting well they are!
for your baby’s legs to be curved and feet turning inward. As your child gets older the leg bones and feet will usually straighten out – but will not be “normal” until around that age of 6 years.
for your baby to get the hiccups and sneeze frequently. Hiccups will decrease as the baby gets older. Sneezes help the body rid itself of mucous, breast milk, formula, dust/pollens, and other congesting matter.
for your baby to make loud noises and grunt when passing gas or stool. They are not constipated and are not ashamed! It is also normal for babies to have loose stools, especially if they are breastfed.
for your baby to cry or startle/jump when unwrapped. His/her central nervous system is immature and will grow up quickly.
for your baby to want to suckle, even after being fed. It is soothing to them to just suck on something.
that your baby has dry flaky skin for a couple of weeks after being born. They have “water baby” skin and it flakes until about 3 weeks of age. At this point that baby starts to produce keratin which will make the skin soft. If often also causes the baby to get a rash across his/her cheeks and upper chest. This is called newborn acne and will resolve on its own.
It is a good idea to get baby pictures done before this time, just in case!
Good to know....
You CAN NOT spoil your baby, if the baby is crying, he/she needs reassurance and to be soothed- hold the baby as much as you feel you need to.
Never Shake a baby…put the baby down in his/her crib and walk away. A baby crying is better than a baby that is hurt. Call for support from friends/family. Take time for yourself. Babies are cute and loveable, but parenting is hard. You are not alone!
** Call the clinic and/or make an appointment if your baby’s temperature is equal to or greater then 100.4 degrees.
**Back to sleep: babies should always sleep on their back in a crib/bassinet. Co-sleeping with parents is never recommended. Both, of the above, requests are to prevent SIDs (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). Both have been widely researched and supported by pediatricians alike.
Do you have more questions?...schedule an appointment today!
www.t-townpediatrics.org or 253-338-6218
Kudo's to Teresa Poole CPNP for her contributions to this blog
Commentaires