The 1st week of a baby's life: everything you need to know
- · Mother's health
- · The development of the child
- · Our tips
- · Not to be forgotten
Mother's health
1 week after childbirth
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After the birth, the first treatments concern the scarring of the episiotomy, if during the birth it was necessary to resort to this intervention.
Warning: clean and dry the scar well every time you go to the bathroom (you can use a donut to sit in rubber or foam rubber to limit rubbing), it is important to wash often and change the sanitary napkin frequently. Dry well after the bidet, dabbing with a soft towel without rubbing or use a hair dryer.After about a week, your stitches will be taken away.
In the case of a classic cesarean delivery, it is normal to experience acute pain for 24 to 48 hours. You will be prescribed analgesics to alleviate your suffering; however, if the pain persists, don't hesitate to mention it. Your body temperature and blood pressure will be kept under control.
If your doctor used absorbable stitches or suture glue, you will not be subjected to dressings. Otherwise, the points will be deducted after 5/6 days more or less. Be careful to take a bath or shower while keeping the dressing which will then be changed immediately afterwards.
You still have contractions: it is the uterus that is regaining its shape a little at a time. A strange yellowish and thick liquid will come out of your breasts: it is colostrum, a substance extremely rich in immune elements, minerals and proteins. Make your baby drink it: it will cleanse his digestive tract and strengthen his immune defenses. About three days after giving birth, this liquid will be replaced by milk.
The development of the child
An "explosion of vitality
Is your baby crying? It is a sign that everything is fine! Her respiratory, blood, cardiac systems started immediately after birth. The umbilical cord was cut (sometimes by the father) and now you have your baby in your arms.
The newborn will undergo some tests that will allow to verify his state of health: weight and height measurement, identification of any malformations, hearing and sight control, neurological tests, heart rhythm, reflex control ... All children are given a so-called score Apgar, so called from the name of the American doctor Apgar who proposed it back in 1953, and is used to evaluate the vitality and efficiency of the most important functions of the newborn child. Five vital parameters are taken into consideration, absolutely indicative of the newborn's ability to adapt, autonomously, to the new life. Each of these five factors is assigned a score from zero to two and their sum represents the score. When the child is checked again after a few hours and days, and even after several years, the The outcome of this test will allow every doctor, even if not present at the time of birth, to know if the baby has come to light with some suffering or not. To better define the vitality of the newborn, this evaluation is done twice: the first one minute after birth and the second after five minutes. In fact, in particular situations such as a caesarean section or a prolonged birth, the newborn may seem and not very vital immediately after birth, while it is simply still asleep perhaps due to the effect of the anesthetics administered to the mother. The repeated evaluation after five minutes may, in these cases, prove to be absolutely normal.
On the other hand, if the baby is born prematurely, it will be subjected to more thorough care.
The first feedings
Shortly after birth, the baby is wide awake and ready for the first feed.
In the 24-48 hours following the birth, on the contrary, the baby will probably sleep a lot. In most cases, things will change within a couple of days as the baby begins to spend more time awake.
From the moment of birth until the fifth or sixth day of life, the baby's stomach is about the size of a marble: it can only hold 5-7 ml of milk.
It is therefore normal for the baby to drink only small amounts of milk at short intervals.
The physiological decline
Your baby will lose some weight during the days following birth. This weight loss (7 to 10% of birth weight) is absolutely normal and is due to the evacuation of waste (meconium) present in the baby's intestine. .
From the fourth day after birth, the baby should no longer have meconial stools in the intestine.
Our advice
Rest after childbirth
Whether your birth was natural or caesarean, you are certainly very tired. Rest should be your priority. One way to do this? Reduce your visits and get plenty of sleep to recover faster. Suggest that your loved ones postpone their visits until you get home.
Breastfeeding
To stimulate the sucking reflex in your little one, offer your breast as soon as possible, either immediately after giving birth or within the first few hours after giving birth. It is normal for the first secretion to be rather scarce: the first "colostrum" milk is scarce in quantity, but rich in nutritional content (proteins, lipids, vitamins and antibodies). It is also normal that the practice of breastfeeding, a new operation for your little one, and, if it is the first child for you too, is performed at the beginning with some uncertainty.
Even if your little one takes in small amounts of milk at first, it is still important to stimulate the sucking reflex, which is essential to stimulate the production of your milk. In the first days, therefore, it takes a little patience for your baby to learn. to suck calmly and you become familiar with the necessary technique.
During sucking, a large part of the areola is inside the baby's mouth. Her gums press on the areola, while the nipple extends into the inside of your little one's mouth. At this point your baby, with his gums, will exert pressure on this area that makes the milk flow towards the nipple.
With the undulatory movement of the tongue from forward to backward, the baby moves the nipple, pushing it, together with the areola, against the upper gums. In this way, the gland is emptied and the milk is swallowed by the baby.
Find a comfortable position for both you and the baby. You may want to get a breastfeeding pillow, which allows you to breastfeed without getting tired while holding the baby in your arms.
If you do not want to breastfeed your baby, at least try to give him your colostrum: it is a concentrate of really excellent substances for the newborn. After two or three days, it will be replaced by the actual milk. It is preferable for the baby to drink all the milk in one breast before moving on to the other. If you have too much milk, massage your breasts in the shower to release the excess, which can cause pain.
Not to be forgotten
In the hospital: medical examination after childbirth and a short course on how to behave with the baby at home
Birth declaration to be made in hospital before leaving
Weigh the child (at home, at the local counseling center and or at the pharmacy)
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To learn more, read also: The first month of a newborn's life
See Also: Tiny Babies With A Lot Of Hair
