First days of the newborn. 6 things to know to live them peacefully
Immediately after giving birth, and especially when leaving the hospital and returning home, mothers become anxious, asking themselves a thousand questions about how they should behave in the first days of the newborn. What to do if he cries? And if he does not sleep? , and the fears are many, but here we try to give you some good advice to live serenely the first days of a child's life.
The first days of the newborn at home: what to do?
The baby's first few days at home are the most difficult, and those that scare the most. Tata Simona advises in this video to be patient and keep calm, because at the beginning it is normal not to always know what to do, especially if it is the first child. During the last months of pregnancy it is good to organize the spaces so that they are functional , and start organizing the baby's room.All other tips can be found in this video!
See also
1. The fontanelles of the head are normal
The bones of the baby's head are not yet welded together at the time of delivery and this does not pose any danger. Nature provides for the flexibility of the head to allow the baby to pass through the birth canal. During this process the head lengthens and the forehead flattens: everything is absolutely normal and this is the reason why sometimes the head can be more or less deformed in the first days of life. The baby's head also grows due to the fact that the bones of the skull are not ossified. The main fountains close around the year of life, with some individual variables. Usually, however, at 18 months the main fontanel should be closed. The garment should be caressed delicately, but there are no particular risks or dangers. Furthermore, to dispel any possible doubts, open fontanels must not suggest deficiencies of any kind.
2. During the first few days the baby's skin is red
In the first hours of life, the baby's skin may gradually become more reddish and dry, in some cases even bluish. Do not worry, it is the result of the effort of childbirth: the baby struggled like the mother because she had to pass through the birth canal and even her head has undergone changes. The skin may also be covered with vernix and there may be spots on the body that will disappear within a few days. In addition, children who are born after the term can have very dry and cracked skin. All of this is normal and is a consequence of childbirth.
3. C "is a physiological weight loss in the first days of life
A weight loss in the first days of life is physiological and depends on the fact that the baby does not yet "introduce" breast milk, but only a few drops of colostrum. On the other hand, she has the first evacuations, pees and suffers from a very normal skin perspiration. Weight loss should normally be within 10% of birth weight and can last from 3 to 5 days. This is followed by 2 or 3 days of stability after which the growth of the newborn resumes. All you have to do is attach the baby to the breast as much as possible, even trying to wake him up if he is a bit sleepy to start the milk rising as soon as possible.However, all hospitals keep weight monitored even if mother and baby are discharged, through scheduled visits, until breastfeeding is started and the baby does not prove to be growing.
4. The baby may have neonatal jaundice
If the baby turns yellow, it means he has so-called neonatal jaundice. What does it mean? Babies in the mother's womb need more red blood cells, contained in the blood, than when they begin extrauterine life. For this reason, after birth it can happen that excess red blood cells "break": this leads to the accumulation of a substance called bilirubin that colors the skin yellow. The liver, which is not yet mature, cannot dispose of it and for this reason the skin takes on a yellowish color. This value is kept under control in the first 3 days of life through a simple test: if it exceeds a certain value, neonatologists appropriately intervene with phototherapy which is a very effective method to reduce bilirubin and absolutely non-invasive.
5. How to manage the baby's crying?
The baby cries often, and this is perfectly normal. But what are the main causes of this crying, which often leads the baby to wake up, and to wake you up, even at night? If the baby does not sleep it is often because he has to take a rhythm that he does not yet have, or because he wants to communicate a need. In fact, the pediatrician Roberto Cornali explains how the main causes of crying or waking up at night are: gaseous colic, which more or less all children have, earache and otitis (due to which children cry especially when they are lying down) and above all the crying from hunger or nightmares.In the case of colic or otitis, the pediatrician will tell you what to do, while night feedings will suffice for hunger.
6. Can the baby be taken outdoors in the first few days at home?
One of the big doubts of new mothers is: can I take the baby out, even if we just got home? A dilemma that Tata Simona helps solve in our video: going out is very good, so do it as soon as you feel like it. The walk will make you both relax, and the children need to start getting used to the outside air. The baby should be covered as the season requires, no more and no less: avoid covering them too much. Find out the rest in this video ...
