Bringing Home Baby
What supplies should I buy for my newborn?
You know, there's not a lot you have to do for your home, but there are some things you should have ready for your baby. I think, if I was going to do a pre-natal survival kit there's some things I would put in it. I would have diapers for the baby. I would have some sort of diaper paste or cream like a Desitin or a Balmex or even a thick moisturizing paste like an Aqua 4 cream. I would have baby wipes to help out with those diaper changes. I would have a thermometer so in case you feel your child is warm, you can take a temperature. And a simple rectal, digital thermometer works fine. Nothing fancy. You don't have to get the ear thermometer or now they have the ones that go on the forehead, but just a simple rectal, digital thermometer. And then, for your child, of course, you're going to want some clothing, maybe some onesies, some blankets, receiving blankets, blankets to swaddle your baby in. And then you're gonna need a crib or a bassinet, someplace for your child to sleep and some way to move around with your baby whether that is a stroller of some sort or a carrying bassinet. And I think those are the major things. If you're gonna buy any medicines for your baby, infant Tylenol, is something good to have in your house. But you should always consult your pediatrician before you use it and children's Benedril as well but, again, you should talk to your doctor before you use it.
What are the normal behaviors to expect when I bring my baby home?
When you first bring your newborn child home, it may be very overwhelming. You haven't had a lot of sleep and the baby may be crying a lot, but in general, babies do either feed or sleep for the majority of time. Your child may seem to sleep for 18 to 20 hours out of a 24 hour period, and that is very normal. Your child is going to feed about every 2 to 4 hours on the breast or the bottle, and this could be 24 hours a day for the first 2 to 4 months of life. Then, other than that, the baby will be pretty much sleeping. These are very normal behaviors when you bring the baby home.
How do I hold and carry a newborn?
So there are a lot of different techniques for carrying a new born and I think a lot of it is just trial and error. And you figure out what works best for you. A lot of families carry their new born over their shoulder cradling their head like this. Some hold the baby in a foot ball hold, holding their head cradling it or even holding the baby with their chest in your hand leaning forward like this. But I think a lot of it is just trial and error and getting used to it, you can also swaddle your baby. We talk about how you swaddle a child. Because your child's gonna feel best during things mimic being inside of you. Being tight in a tight swaddle, holding them, talking to them, swooshing them, rocking them so any type of holding measures like that will work really well.
What is "swaddling"?
Swaddling is a technique to make your baby feel comfortable and it sort of mimics them being in the womb. One of the swaddling techniques that works really well is when you take a rectangular or square blanket, fold over the corner, and then place your child with their back and shoulders basically along the level of the flat line of the corner you just folded down. Hold down one arm and place the blanket around them, then take the feet corner and put it up by their shoulder, and then take the other arm, put it down and wrap them that way. This creates a nice burrito, or bundle, and your child feels comforted and warm. Swaddling often helps with fussiness and crying.
What is an "umbilical stump"?
The "umbilical stump" is the remainder of what happens after the obstetrician clamps the umbilical cord and they cut the cord after delivery. The umbilical stump eventually dries up and falls off, leaving what you know as your "belly button". That usually happens in the first couple weeks of life. It's important to take care of and watch your umbilical cord. You really don't have to do anything. In the olden days, we used to use alcohol swabs to dry out the cord. Now we use iodine after delivery to dry the cord, so you can just leave it alone. The cord will dry up and fall off on its own. When it falls off thought, there often is a yellow, mucusy discharge. It's as thick as vanilla pudding and it smells horrible, and there may even be a little blood from where it separates. This is all very normal for the umbilical stump. You can leave it alone and let it dry up; it takes about a day or two to dry up. When your child has a normal "belly button", you can bathe them normally. Up until that point you should just sponge bath them, keeping that area dry so that the umbilical cord does fall off.
Can I travel with my newborn?
We usually recommend that you wait at least until the first set of vaccines, which is given at two months of age. When we talk to families about this, I think it's really important with all topics in pediatrics to talk about hearing different arguments. You'll hear some people say, "Don't leave your house for two months," some people say, "Do whatever you want," and then everything in between. The reason why pediatricians usually want you to wait is because any type of illness or fever in the first four weeks of life is extremely serious. If your child gets fever in the first four weeks, and this is standard of care across the country, they're going to be hospitalized for at least two days, they're going to get a blood and urine test, and even a lumbar puncture to rule out meningitis. Then if everything is normal, you'll go home, and if something is positive, you'll stay longer. This is if your child has a runny nose, just like everybody else in the family, as in those first four weeks you really can't tell, so you have to assume the worst.
Is it safe to travel with my newborn after he is vaccinated?
Now once those first set of shots are given at two months, we feel a lot more liberal about what you can do. By no means are you fully vaccinated or have coverage for these serious infections that you're getting vaccinated for, but your child's a little older, and now they have some coverage for the most common and serious infections in that age group. Before then we say, "You know what, try to avoid really crowded areas." Where are the crowded areas? They are the airports, the aeroplanes where they recycle air, malls, and restaurants. Really avoid the crowded areas. Stay 'open-air'; go take a walk around the block. You had to leave the hospital, so it's okay to get out of your house; you shouldn't be a prisoner in your home. Go take a walk around the block, visit family and friends, or have people visit you. If you're going to be crazy about anything, be crazy about 'Purell-ing' and people washing their hands before they touch your child. Be crazy about toddlers or school-age children who are sick that staying away from your child. Really anybody who is overtly sick can stay away from your child until that point. What we really recommend, until those first set of vaccines, is to take it easy and just watch your exposure when you're most likely to get sick.
Does sneezing or the hiccups indicate that my baby is ill?
Sneezing and hiccups are very common. Your child's going to do it a million times and it's absolutely normal. Sneezing is how your child expels dust in the air, and hiccups are because they're always swallowing air and there's nothing we can do about it. So just ignore the sneezing and hiccups. It doesn't mean your child's sick and it doesn't mean they have allergies in the newborn period.
