More about NEWBORN BABIES

 

 

 Women greet their newborn babies in as many ways as there are mums. A mum`s initial contact with her baby is something she remembers for a lifetime.

Before they give birth, most women anticipate a rush of loving feelings, or even tears of joy. others anticipate instantly "feeling like a mum." Some women actually experience these things. Many do not.

Many MUMS speak of feeling outside of themselves after labor. Most mums say it takes days to come back into themselves. Many mums feel something amazing is going on. As boundaries are reclarified, they are also redefined. You are now a mum. Your baby is no longer one with you, as in pregnancy. But the new boundaries are extended, to connect you for a lifetime to this other person. This connection is the essential work of the first months of parenting. You may have all the loving feelings you anticipated, but you have to give them time to evolve, as you do the work of taking on your new role.

The Basics of Baby Care.

My daughter does not live in the same country as I do; so I was with her 15 days before she had her newborn baby and a month and a half after. When I arrived home from the hospital with my daughter my son-in-law and their beautiful little baby boy it was a sunny cold morning in December. My daughter was tired and sore with her cesarean and yet terribly excited. Her in-laws were there too.

The funniest thing about the whole day was that once we did finally jump through all the hoops and cross all the hurdles and got home we tried to help her out with all the modern things they had bought for their baby.Out came the instructions for their use and here was mum, dad and grandparents trying to decipher how to put the bath tub together; the diapers disposal; the breast pump....etc.....

We had a whale of a time but I would give you a tip;TRY DOING THIS BEFORE THE BABY IS BORN!!!!! because while we were all entertained with this; the sweet newborn baby began to cry, giving us an opportunity to try out all of our new parenting skills.

The good news is that taking care of a baby's basics needs, particularly as a newborn baby, is very simple. I've collected a group of instructions on taking care of your new baby from bathing to diapering, from feeding to holding. From these articles you can get a basic sense of how to take care of a newborn baby, whether it's your first or your fifth. (This goes for mom and dad!).

 

Choosing a Doctor for your Newborn Baby:

I bet you haven`t thought of choosing your pediatrician for your newborn baby. Many mums and dads don't realize that this is something that should be done well before baby is born to prevent any problems in the newborn baby's care after the birth. In many areas, unless you're using a family practitioner and sometimes a nurse midwife, the moment the cord is cut the obstetrician or other doctor is technically no longer responsible for your child.

I can tell you through experience it isn`t easy to find a doctor who will match your feelings of parenting and your partner's feeling as well . This doctor is going to be someone that you will be seeing quite frequently for good baby care and in cases of illness and emergency.It's very important that you find someone who has a style, personality and skills to match your needs.

Ask yourself how you and your partner feel about the following issues, and then ask your to be pediatrician:

Antibiotics:

In the past many pediatricians have over prescribed antibiotics. Due to this many pediatricians are using them less frequently.What do you feel about them?

Breastfeeding:

Does the doctor defend the natural breast feeding or will he suggest weaning at the first sign of trouble?

Parenting education:

Is this person someone that you would agree on with parenting issues like discipline, the family bed, feeding issues, etc.

Other issues:

There are many other issues which may be important to you, like office hours, on call schedules, vaccination issues, waiting rooms situations, etc. Anything that you think is important should be talked about in an interview prenatally. This interview is usually best done in person. It allows you to get a feel for how the office is run and what the staff and nurses are like. It will give you a chance to check out the location for convenience, cleanliness, and atmosphere. It's also much easier to get a feel for the practice in this hands on manner.

When you have your appointment, take your birth plan with you. Show it to the to be doctor(s). Since they will be the ones in charge of your baby's care in the hospital or birth center you will need to know if they will support your ideas at the birth. Things you might address are rooming in, breastfeeding, doing newborn exams in the room instead of the nursery, what will happen if the newborn baby needs to be transfered to the intensive care nursery, when will you see the doctor at the hospital, etc. If you're planning a homebirth, ask when they would like to see the baby. Will they do a home visit or are you required to come in with the baby within a certain amount of time? Most pediatricians are very used to dealing with these types of questions.

While there are certainly a lot of factors that will go into your final decision (insurance, hospital affiliation, gender preference, etc.), your gut feeling about the partnership you will have with this person is often a very good indicator. Don't hesitate to find out with your local medical association to see if complaints have been lodged or with local mums and dads to see how their experience have been.

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