5 things you need to know about your newborn baby

5 things you need to know about your newborn baby

Having a baby is a life changing experience! As a soon to be mom, you may start wondering about how your newborn will look like, how to take care of your baby but what will it really be like after you bring your little one home?

To help you prepare yourself, here are 5 things you need to know about those first three months with the newborn.

1. Newborn baby’s first poo will surprise you: Being a parent for the first time, you will be surprised with the amount of waste matter your newborn can create. During the first few weeks, your newborn will poop and spit alot, you will have to change diapers/nappies for every time you feed them. For cleaning up, use a ball of cotton dipped in water, and apply petroleum jelly to avoid rashes.

2. Your Newborn’s tummy is never full: Your newborn’s tummy at birth is small. Your newborn has a tummy of the size of a cherry. It can hold 5-10ml of milk at a time. This gradually increases to hold 30ml of milk by the time they are a couple of weeks old. New mothers also lactate similar amounts of milk to suit the needs of the baby.

3. Newborns don’t have a sleep routine: Newborn babies sleep a lot, as well as wake up too many times. They don’t follow any fixed routine to sleep, and as the time passes they start to adjust to a sleep pattern. Newborns will not be able to close their eyes fully as they sleep, making you wonder whether the baby is asleep or not. They may sleep the entire day and stay awake the whole night or vice versa. 

4. Your newborn will cry a lot: The only way they can communicate with you is by crying. At first, all these things seem to be overwhelming but after a while, you will be able to figure out how to respond and the reason when your baby starts crying. Usually babies  cry when they are hungry, feeling uncomfortable, some sort of irritation, or diaper change. 

5. Newborn’s skin peels off: Do not get worried when you see your newborn’s skin peeling off as it is a natural consequence after birth. After being 9 months in the womb covered by amniotic fluid, your little one’s skin does not exfoliate as adults’ skin does and is too sensitive to dry air so the skin might start to peel off. Use a baby moisturizer to keep your little one’s skin soft.

Every new parent may need some help, there are numerous things you will get to know about your newborn as they grow and develop. So instead of getting worried and anxious, enjoy your new motherhood/ parenthood period. You may also read the 5 important stages of child growth and development.