How to take care of a newborn baby

The body of a newborn baby is not fully developed, and its immunity and resistance are relatively poor. In addition, the baby's skin and organs are relatively delicate. Therefore, parents should be extra careful when taking care of their newborn babies to avoid accidents.

1: Items that need to be prepared before the baby is born: Generally, the hospital will have a delivery bag, which contains: diaper pads, diapers, common toiletries, etc. Families waiting for the birth of a baby need to prepare more diapers in case of emergency, and also need to prepare a set of spare clothes to ensure that the baby has clothes to change. As for milk powder, most hospitals encourage breastfeeding, so it’s okay to prepare some in case of emergency.

2: After the child is born, he or she will spend more time sleeping, so just make sure to wrap him or her in a quilt. Someone needs to watch over the baby at all times. If the baby cries, first check whether it is due to urination or defecation, and change the diaper in time.

3: If the baby continues to cry, consider whether he is hungry. At this time, the mother needs to lie on her side to feed the baby. When moving the baby, it is best to have an experienced person hold the baby and then place the baby in a comfortable side position to ensure that milk sucking will not affect the baby's breathing due to spilling milk.

4: After the baby is born, you need to pay attention to the meconium problem in time. Expelling meconium in time is beneficial to the health of the baby. You also need to observe the frequency of the child's urination and defecation. At this time, the baby has very little needs, so the first thing to do is to check the stool and the second is to check hunger.

5: After the baby is born, the mother's burden is heavier. Try to reduce the time the mother takes care of the baby. Have family members hold the baby, change diapers, etc., and ensure that the baby can breastfeed smoothly while the mother moves less.

6: Pay attention to the sleep and sleeping posture of the newborn baby. The sleeping posture affects the breathing and the newborn's head is relatively soft. A good sleeping posture is beneficial to the development of the head. It is recommended to have a comfortable small pillow with a thickness of 1 to 2 cm, slightly sunken in the middle and slightly raised at both ends. The best sleeping position is lying on your back or side to avoid compressing the chest and lungs. It is recommended to sleep on your side after feeding to avoid suffocation caused by spilled milk or choking. When lying on your back, you should change your position frequently. Full-term babies are more active, so they can lie prone in the first few days after birth to facilitate the outflow of respiratory secretions and prevent vomitus from flowing back into the trachea. However, when lying prone, the pillow must be removed and the head must be turned to one side. Parents must be present to supervise. Newborns usually sleep 18 to 20 hours a day, but babies under one month old should not sleep for long periods of time. Parents should wake them up every 2 to 3 hours to facilitate feeding.

7: Pay attention to breastfeeding and feeding of newborn babies. Newborn feeding is a big science. Experts believe that the earlier breastfeeding starts after birth, the better, generally about half an hour after birth. If the mother does not secrete milk for the time being, she should try to let the newborn suck the nipple to promote milk secretion, enhance the mother-child relationship, and help the mother's postpartum wounds heal due to childbirth. When breastfeeding, you should adopt the "vertical holding position" with the head slightly raised. This is the most ideal and most natural way of breastfeeding. In this position, the newborn and parents look at each other, which can also increase their sense of intimacy with each other. Wash your hands and clean your nipples before breastfeeding. If the mother has respiratory diseases, she should wear a mask when feeding. If the skin on the breast is cracked or inflamed, she should consult a doctor and decide whether to continue breastfeeding based on the specific circumstances.

Be careful when feeding newborns. Many parents have never breastfed their children. When mixing milk for their children, they do not pay attention to the temperature of the milk powder. This can easily cause scalds to the children. There are also many things to pay attention to when bathing children. Avoid letting the children bathe with too hot water. Warm water is enough.