What nobody told you about caring for a new baby

We present a few newborn baby care tips that most women are unaware about — but you won’t be!

Caring for your newborn child is the joy of your life. But as your child grows, you notice some signs and changes that can scare you into thinking that something’s wrong. Relax and read on for a few newborn baby care tips that most women don’t know about.

* Your baby will feed often!

You might start out thinking that your baby will feed about three times a day and once at night — then get alarmed when your child clamours for your breast several times! The first rule of newborn baby care is to understand that babies don’t eat at certain times like adults. They feed a little at a time and reach satiety quite quickly — which means they get hungry quickly, too. So, you can expect many feedings till your child crosses over into Year 2.

* Some babies make a lot of noise even when they’re asleep.

You would expect your baby to make soft cooing noises every time they see you. But brace yourself for noises of every description, even when they’re sleeping! Apart from cooing, your baby will chuckle, grunt, ooh, aah, squeal and even scream. These are all babies’ ways of expressing themselves and the sounds are completely normal. Don’t freak out if your baby makes noises while they sleep — they’re probably responding to their own dreams. But do alert your doctor if you notice that the baby screams or develops a particular response to hunger or pain.

* You should sleep when the baby sleeps.

This is the basic tenet of newborn baby care. You need to rest and recuperate so that you can devote yourself to baby care much better. But this is easier said than done, especially if you are a worrier alert to every slight change in your baby. Try to rest whenever the baby falls asleep — it’s the only time that you can get to sleep off your exhaustion.

* Your baby’s stools may be two or more colours.

Don’t be alarmed if you open your baby’s diaper and find green or bright yellow stools. This is perfectly normal, and it is a sign of the baby’s digestive system grappling with breast milk. It happens till the first six months of the baby’s life, after which the stools normalise in consistency and colour.

* Your body will have changed forever.

Most women are fuelled by celebrity moms getting back into shape in just a month of giving birth — but these are unrealistic standards to follow. Even if you lose all the pregnancy weight, you may notice that you don’t fit into your pre-pregnancy clothes. Your hips will widen, your breasts will become bigger and may even sag, and your thighs will be bigger. Learn to accept your new body while trying to shift the excess inches and weight with concerted exercise and a proper diet.