Taking care of newborns, especially for first time mothers, is very surprising. You may feel overwhelmed in the first place, because there is so much to learn. But don’t worry, you’ll soon know your baby’s needs and how to meet them.
Here are 5 tips to help you feel more confident when you become a mother for the first time.
1. How to hold and support your baby
You can choose some safe and comfortable ways to hold a newborn baby. Whatever position you choose, always support your baby’s head because his or her neck is not strong enough to hold the head.
– Start by placing your baby on his back and using his arms to hold him up, one hand supporting the bottom while the other can be comfortable.
– Use your arms to support the baby’s head and the hands to support the buttocks. Your other arm can now assist or caress the baby gently.
2. Lactation
Babies usually eat every 3-4 hours, even some babies eat every two hours. Breastfed babies will eat more often than bottle-fed babies because breastmilk is easily digested. As children grow older they will eat less but their meals will last longer.
Your baby will tell you when he or she is full, the most obvious way is to refuse a pacifier or bottle.
Because healthy babies rarely get dehydrated, it is not necessary to add water or juice to their babies. In fact, the amount of breastmilk or formula that meets all babies’ water needs for at least the first six months of life.
If you think your baby may be dehydrated, look for signs such as: coma, urinating less than 8 times a day, refusing to eat, dry, dark skin … In severe cases more importantly, a sunken point will appear on the top of the baby’s head.
3. Help belching babies
Babies tend to swallow air during a feed, causing babies to burp food or become discouraged if they do not burp frequently because they are bloated. Try these three methods to help your baby belch in general.
– Baby standing baby leaning on your neck. Gently pat the baby’s back with the other hand.
– Put your baby on his stomach on your lap and pat his back gently.
– Sit baby on lap, support chest and head and pat on baby’s back.
4. Put your baby to sleep
Some babies sleep 10 hours a day, while others sleep as much as 21 hours a day. Babies usually sleep all night and day for the first few weeks. What’s more, most babies don’t sleep through the night until around four months of age. To adjust the habit, mothers should wake up during the day and sleep at night, try the following:
– Avoid putting your baby’s sleeping area in too much light or changing diapers for too long at night. Be sure to put your baby to bed again immediately after feeding and changing diapers at night.
– If your baby sleeps longer than three or four hours during the day, call him to wake up and play with him. Because when your baby sleeps too much in the morning, it will be harder for him to sleep.
– Lay baby on a firm and firm mattress. Don’t let soft, fluffy objects like pillows and stuffed animals around when your baby is sleeping. Although seemingly harmless, these products may increase the risk of death from asphyxiation.
5. Hold baby crying
For babies, the reason why babies cry is not always clear. If you’ve changed the method and your baby still cries, try the methods below.
– Give burp often, even if the baby does not feel uncomfortable. If you breastfeed, burp your baby every time you change breasts. If your baby is bottle-fed, burp babies after eating 60 or 90ml of formula. Stop breastfeeding if your baby is uncomfortable or turns away from the nipple or bottle.
– Swing your baby in your arms from side to side. Singing and talking also make babies stop crying.
– Put me in the stroller and go for a walk. The movement also has a calming effect on the newborn.
– Give your baby a warm bath.
According to MASK Online.