During your first week home with Baby, you may feel like you’ve entered a brave new world, and indeed you have. Suddenly, your days will revolve around this adorable and new tiny creature that – surprise! – you are responsible for caring for. So, just what will this care involve?
The good news is that baby care at this stage comes down to basic needs and small joys – feeding, diaper changes, cleaning, soothing, and helping your little one get to sleep.
So, just what should you know about the basics of newborn baby care before the big day?
Feeding
In the first week, it may seem like Baby is behaving like they&;re at an all-you-can-eat buffet, as they'll likely be feeding every one to three hours or about an average of 8 times in 24 hours. Keep in mind that babies who are nursing may eat more frequently because breastmilk is digested quickly, which may also mean more frequent poops! And formula fed babies may eventually go a little longer between feedings because formula moves through the digestive tract a bit more slowly. Some healthcare providers will recommend that if Baby sleeps for stretches beyond 3-4 hours, you wake them up to feed. If this happens to be what Baby does, check with their healthcare provider to see what they recommend, which may depend greatly on how they feed overall and gain weight.
And as you adjust to Baby’s feeding needs, it can be helpful to keep an eye (and ear) out for early signs of hunger – things like restlessness, stirring, sucking motions, lip movements, bringing their hands to their mouth, or, if Baby’s neck is strong enough, rooting around or bobbing their head.
Soon enough, you may even recognize exactly the sort of cry your little one makes when hungry! This can help you start to feed Baby before they get so hungry that they’re frantic, making it harder for them to latch well or settle down to eat enough to feel satisfied.
Whether nursing, bottle-feeding, or a combo you’ll want to hold Baby comfortably as they eat, adjusting your position during the feeding if necessary. And after Baby is done, think about the burp! You may even want to burp them when they take a little break between breasts if nursing or when halfway through a bottle. On the other hand, some babies are upset by the jiggling and repositioning of burping. Every baby is different, and you’ll soon learn what works best for your little one.
Diaper changes
Since your little one will eat so often, and their stomach will be so tiny, prepare yourself for many diaper changes. When it’s that time, use gentle wipes to clean Baby’s diaper area, always wipe from front to back, and use a barrier cream if needed. Not only will it help soothe Baby’s skin, but it will also help make poop cleanup that much easier because the ointment can help to keep poop from sticking to the skin. All of this can help stave off diaper rash. These are sensitive parts, so treat them with care.
When Baby is brand new, a good guideline for how often they should be peeing and pooping is one that corresponds to their age. In the first few days, they should have one wet diaper for each day they are old — meaning one wet diaper on day one, two wet diapers on day two, three wet diapers on day three and so on.
At around day 5-6, expectations level off. You can expect a minimum of 6 heavy wet diapers every 24 hours. The pee should appear pale yellow on the diaper. Fewer wet diapers than expected, or urine that is rusty or orange colored, can be a sign of dehydration, so it’s important to get support if you notice numbers below your targets.
The similar schedule exists for poop. Expect one dirty diaper for each day of Baby’s life, up until day 5 or 6. At this point, a minimum of two poops in 24 hours, although some newborns might poop more often — some even poop every time they nurse!
And beyond number, there’s a whole lot more to keep an eye on when it comes to newborn poop. You’ll notice in the first few days that your little one’s poop will be a dark, sticky, tar-like substance. This is because Baby will still be passing the meconium that coated their intestines in utero. Soon this will make way for a whole new variety of poo. And breastmilk and formula not only make a difference in poop frequency but also poop consistency.
After the meconium is cleared out, breastfed babies will have poop that is fairly loose and soft, with a curdled or seedy quality from the milk solids, and which can range in color from bright yellow to somewhat greenish. It generally has a mild odor, some people describe it as yogurt-like. Formula fed babies may have poop that is thicker and more solid in texture, and it may range from yellow to brown in color. The odor is much more noticeable in most cases!
If Baby isn’t peeing or pooping as frequently, or if their poop is red, white, gray or black (after the meconium passes), then you should be in touch with their healthcare provider. This could mean they are not eating as much as they should be or indicate signs of infection, jaundice, or bleeding.
Body care
When it comes to caring for Baby’s body beyond diaper changes, there are a few things to focus on:
- Umbilical cord: When caring for their umbilical cord, the less you do, the better. Simply keep it dry, and — until it falls off — consider keeping diapers folded down so they don’t rub against it. You may notice some blood or crustiness from the stump on Baby’s diaper, and this is usually okay. But if you notice swelling, redness, oozing, or odor at the stump site, call their healthcare provider. And after the stump falls off, keep in mind you may still see a bit crustiness or blood. Often you need to allow another 7-10 days for things to heal fully.
- Bathing and washing: Right now, you might not be totally sure just when or how often you should bathe your newborn, but chances are, when the time comes, you’ll know. If, for example, your bundle of joy has a particularly explosive poop, a leaky diaper, or a really gnarly spit up, it’s a fine time for a bath. This might amount to two or three times a week. Bathing Baby more often, especially during dry or winter weather, can make them more likely to experience dry or cracking skin.
- In these early days, you can give Baby a sponge bath in an infant bath sling or on a towel. You also have the option to do a swaddle immersion bath in a tub, as some babies prefer this relaxing ritual. Swaddle baths don’t increase the risk of infection in their umbilical stump, but getting the stump wet may mean it takes longer to dry out and fall off. You can use a damp washcloth with warm water and/or water gentle unscented soap to clean them, gently washing the scalp, face, and down the body, avoiding the eyes. If you to clean around the eyes, just use water. Don’t forget behind the ears and in any cute and pudgy neck rolls or crevices, as milk and spit up can collect and cause irritation.
- Nails: When Baby is particularly wee, you might not think nail care needs to be at the top of your to-do list. But if their nails are long – and lots of newborns have some pretty serious claws – they can very easily scratch their face and your body. Adorable newborn mittens can help, but trimming Baby’s nails is an even better choice. Newborn nails are super soft, so it’s safest to file your little one’s nails with an emery board at this age. When they get a little bigger, you can upgrade to nail clippers.
Soothing
When your little one transitions to the big, wide world outside of your womb, it’s not always an easy adjustment. While in your uterus, Baby is snuggled up and cozy. Out in the real world, it’s just not the same. Engaging in skin-to-skin contact – where you keep your naked baby against your bare chest — is great for you and baby. (If you have a partner, they can do this with your little one too!)
It’s also helpful to do things that will help recreate all the familiar, cozy comforts of the womb, like baby wearing, swaying or rocking, dim lighting and shushing. You’ll have to experiment with what works best for your Baby. They might also quickly establish some preferences – you might find that they love to be sung to, be in a baby swing, be held upright, or have you carry them. At other times, Baby might need one thing in one moment and then something different in the next.
So if they get fussy, try all the greatest hits first: Are they hungry? Do they have a dirty diaper? Are they tired? Too hot or cold? Want to snuggle on your chest? Need a change in position or a change of pace?
And remember, even if you run through all of the above — clean diapers? Check. Milk? Check. Swaddle and a song? Check. Sometimes, you might not be able to tell exactly what is bothering Baby. Try your best to soothe them, and even if they continue to cry, they'll know that you love them and will always be there to comfort them, which is immensely good for Baby’s development.
Some parents find it challenging in the early days because what worked yesterday to help Baby doesn’t work today. If you’re feeling overwhelmed or frustrated, it’s always okay to give Baby to a family member to try to soothe them while you regroup. If you’re alone – it’s also okay to place Baby in a safe location, like their bassinet, while you take a few moments to breathe.
Sleep
Newborns sleep a ton — usually for about 16 hours or so a day — but it’s usually broken up into very short and irregular chunks. Again, just like all of their other adorable parts, Baby’s stomach is itty bitty at this point, so they'll wake hungry and want to feed very often. In these early days and nights, it won’t be unlikely for Baby to sleep for about two hours, wake to feed, and then repeat the cycle.
There’s really no way they can be convinced to operate on a different schedule at this point. So feed the Baby whenever they are hungry and—hard as the advice may be—try your hardest to sleep or rest when they sleep. Even if you happen to be the sort of parent who is running on some powerful new parent vibes immediately after the baby is born, after a few days, you may feel the exhaustion that comes with that lack of sleep.
This newborn care might be basic, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. Plus, you’ll still be recovering from labor and birth, will be going without long stretches of sleep (as if you need to be reminded), and may occasionally want to feed yourself or shower.
Joking aside, you’ll definitely want to sleep, eat, and care for yourself as much as possible because it will allow you to enjoy these moments of being with your new and growing family. So this is not the time to go it alone. This is, indeed, just the right time to ask for help. If you have a partner, hopefully they are stepping up and responding to your cues and needs. If not, communication can be key to get your rest and needs met.I
It’s also a great time to have family and friends help out — do some laundry, cook some meals, help care for your little one and any other kiddos or pets, and maybe let you squeeze in a nap or two if you can. Again, the early days of caring for a newborn will be a pretty intense period, but it won’t last forever. You’ve got this!
Sources
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