There are so many things to do when baby is born; nurse, change, hug, burp, sing, rock. I’ve learned that not everyone’s way is the best way, and for all the suggestions, there are no goals that must be reached in taking care of your child. So, as with all information you receive from loved ones, please take this with a grain of salt.
Nursing.
I nurse on demand. I found that makes life easier, calmer and it makes baby happier. It’s not giving into baby’s will. It’s a natural mechanism that God put in the child to help mama remember to care for baby without having to look at a clock. Babies will naturally put themselves on a schedule. Mine would regulate after 2 weeks and nurse every 2 hours almost around the clock. I knew what time it was because baby was calling for me & didn’t need to look at the time. If it’s less time, for instance, after just an hour or an hour and a half, the baby is just growing. Life is beautiful when it is free of stress and after just having baby you need all the rest you can get!
Remember that baby’s mouth, or upper lip will have a green-grey-blue coloring when baby needs to burp...if you want the meal to stay down, burp your baby. You may need to after just nursing on one side & not even finishing.
Don’t forget: Nursing is free (just drink your water!), it’s always ready, it’s the right temperature and it has the best ingredients...organic & home-made!
Hugs, Singing & Rocking
There is nothing more important than promoting a bond between mother and child. In newborns, it regulates body temperature, heart rate and breathing. My third-born had a bit of trouble breathing after birth, and just stroking his back and talking to him helped him to begin to breath regularly and calmly. Singing is also known to lift the spirits. Postpartum depression can be alleviated by just singing. I will address this in another article. Listening to baby and hearing him speak will also make it easier to care for him. The more I take the time to listen to what baby says when he’s hungry or poopy, the more I understand exactly what he’s saying & I can see in his eyes that he knows I’ve understood.
Changing
This may seem obvious, but not everyone understands the importance of changing baby. It not only gives another time to communicate with him, but keeps mama in the know of anything that might cause a rash. Using plain water on a small washcloth is not only the cheapest, but the healthiest way of keeping him clean. There are no chemicals that must be considered.
Using cloth diapers also keeps baby from rashes caused by bleaches and other chemicals in disposable diapers. I wanted easy when it came to cloth diapers...I don’t need any more work. You don’t even have to dump newborn diapers...they go right through the wash, no problems! That is if you are nursing. I’ve heard that formula-feed babies have stinky, yucky stuffs.
Sleeping
There are many debates out there. We co-sleep with, usually, our 2 youngest. I’m a light sleeper & hubby is ok with having babies in our bed. We do transfer the older to his own bed (it might be a crib mattress on the floor next to the wall) to get him used to sleeping without us. If you study the subject, co-sleeping is safer than cribs. As the “studies” came out that co-sleeping was bad, the rise in crib related deaths and accidents, as well as SIDS rose. If you are in another room, how can you care for a newborn?! Some are able to do this well and others do differently because it is a personal choice.
My 3 month old is sleeping through the night at just a couple of weeks with no effort or scheduling on my part!
I also will have baby sleep on his side or on my chest, NEVER on his back when newborn. Babies are still learning to swallow and breath, back sleeping is not even safe.
These are my basics of newborn care. This little gift from God is yours and you have the capacity to care for your child better than anyone else. Ask for suggestions or tips from others; chuck what you don’t like or need and keep the information that will make this thing called Motherhood joyous and memorable!
Nursing.
I nurse on demand. I found that makes life easier, calmer and it makes baby happier. It’s not giving into baby’s will. It’s a natural mechanism that God put in the child to help mama remember to care for baby without having to look at a clock. Babies will naturally put themselves on a schedule. Mine would regulate after 2 weeks and nurse every 2 hours almost around the clock. I knew what time it was because baby was calling for me & didn’t need to look at the time. If it’s less time, for instance, after just an hour or an hour and a half, the baby is just growing. Life is beautiful when it is free of stress and after just having baby you need all the rest you can get!
Remember that baby’s mouth, or upper lip will have a green-grey-blue coloring when baby needs to burp...if you want the meal to stay down, burp your baby. You may need to after just nursing on one side & not even finishing.
Don’t forget: Nursing is free (just drink your water!), it’s always ready, it’s the right temperature and it has the best ingredients...organic & home-made!
Hugs, Singing & Rocking
There is nothing more important than promoting a bond between mother and child. In newborns, it regulates body temperature, heart rate and breathing. My third-born had a bit of trouble breathing after birth, and just stroking his back and talking to him helped him to begin to breath regularly and calmly. Singing is also known to lift the spirits. Postpartum depression can be alleviated by just singing. I will address this in another article. Listening to baby and hearing him speak will also make it easier to care for him. The more I take the time to listen to what baby says when he’s hungry or poopy, the more I understand exactly what he’s saying & I can see in his eyes that he knows I’ve understood.
Changing
This may seem obvious, but not everyone understands the importance of changing baby. It not only gives another time to communicate with him, but keeps mama in the know of anything that might cause a rash. Using plain water on a small washcloth is not only the cheapest, but the healthiest way of keeping him clean. There are no chemicals that must be considered.
Using cloth diapers also keeps baby from rashes caused by bleaches and other chemicals in disposable diapers. I wanted easy when it came to cloth diapers...I don’t need any more work. You don’t even have to dump newborn diapers...they go right through the wash, no problems! That is if you are nursing. I’ve heard that formula-feed babies have stinky, yucky stuffs.
Sleeping
There are many debates out there. We co-sleep with, usually, our 2 youngest. I’m a light sleeper & hubby is ok with having babies in our bed. We do transfer the older to his own bed (it might be a crib mattress on the floor next to the wall) to get him used to sleeping without us. If you study the subject, co-sleeping is safer than cribs. As the “studies” came out that co-sleeping was bad, the rise in crib related deaths and accidents, as well as SIDS rose. If you are in another room, how can you care for a newborn?! Some are able to do this well and others do differently because it is a personal choice.
My 3 month old is sleeping through the night at just a couple of weeks with no effort or scheduling on my part!
I also will have baby sleep on his side or on my chest, NEVER on his back when newborn. Babies are still learning to swallow and breath, back sleeping is not even safe.
These are my basics of newborn care. This little gift from God is yours and you have the capacity to care for your child better than anyone else. Ask for suggestions or tips from others; chuck what you don’t like or need and keep the information that will make this thing called Motherhood joyous and memorable!
2 comments:
As a mother of 5, I nursed all my children, and several of them shared our bed until they were sleeping through the night. I agree that it's a stress-free way of caring for newborns. My children each found their own 3-4 hourly routine by a few weeks old and were sleeping through the night from as early as 10 days (for one) and 3-4 months for the other babies.
I would love to see nursing 'older' children become more acceptable. Each of mine were still nursing on their first birthday (though 'only just' for one) and one nursed until his third birthday. It's a wonderful time of bonding and I always feel sad for those mothers who say they didn't enjoy it and couldn't wait to wean.
Looking forward to reading more even though I'm now a grandmother (albeit a young grandmother) of one.
Blessings, Jules
I always wished I could nurse longer, but the Lord sees otherwise as he usually blesses us with the next baby. I heard one woman say that (of women) "some are good milkers and some are not."
I think it's a funny but true analogy.
It's so nice to hear of others that nursed "on demand". I saw it (before I was married) as some sort of hippy or unrestrained decision as if something bad would come of it. I guess I had to have my own to understand.
Hope you're enjoying time with your grandbaby!
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