Typical
Day and Night
Bringing home a new baby brings with it an exhausting array
of new responsibilities and challenges. Is there such a thing as a typical day
and night for new parents? Probably not!
Remember, the baby has just gone through an enormous change
too, so part of the process when you first bring him home is his transition from
the womb to the outside world. Keep the baby close to you, keep him wrapped and
warm. If you’re breastfeeding, this will take some time for both of you to
adjust to as well.
If you’re new baby is formula fed, he’ll need to feed every
3 to 5 hours. If you’re breastfeeding, he’ll need to feed more frequently.
Sometimes you will feel that all you do all day and night is breastfeed. You
will probably feel much more empathy with cows! And there will be a lot of
diapers to change, especially until you get familiar with his schedule. His
diaper will probably need to be changed shortly after feeding, about once an
hour in the very beginning. Be sure to check frequently.
Until the umbilical cord has fallen off, you’ll want to
keep to sponge baths every few days, but you will want to wash the baby’s bottom
every day. You can wipe the baby’s hands, face, neck and bottom every day with a
soft washcloth with warm water. When the baby’s ready for full baths, in a few
weeks, every day is a good idea to prevent diaper rashes. But keep in mind that
too much bathing can dry out his sensitive skin. So see what works for your
baby.
Those little finger and toenails will grow quickly, and
they’ll need to be trimmed regularly so the baby doesn’t scratch himself. The
baby’s nails can be long, even at birth and attached high on the nail bed.
You’ll need to gently press the fingerpad away from the nail and clip it with a
baby nail clipper. You might want to do this when the baby’s sleeping to ensure
that he doesn’t jerk those little fingers and toes away!
Get used to being busy 24/7 during the first month, at
least. You will be feeding and changing diapers around the clock so get as much
help as you can so you can have some peace too.
