Giving birth is a
beautiful experience as well
as the beginning of a new
era in a mother's life.
Motherhood certainly has
it's rewards but often
first-time mothers need a
bit of advice regarding the
proper care of their newborn
baby.
Sleep
Newborn babies sleep on
average, sixteen hours in a
day. The newborn sleeps in
blocks of time of about two
hours at a time. The
newborn's nervous system is
developing after birth and
you can rest assured that by
the age of three months or
so, he or she will begin to
sleep for longer periods at
a time and will by that age,
be sleeping a good six hours
straight at night. Be sure
to allow your newborn to
sleep when he or she wants
to sleep.
Exercise
Your newborn baby can
benefit from you doing some
'baby exercises' with him or
her as well as gently
massaging the baby's
muscles. Exercising a
newborn baby can help the
development of muscle
coordination and control and
can assist in developing
muscle strength. Lay your
baby on his back and simply
move his limbs gently. You
can bend his legs at the
knees and gently bend his
arms at the elbows. This
provides a wonderful bonding
experience for you both in
addition to the benefits to
the baby's muscular
development.
Feeding
It is vital that your
newborn receive the proper
diet during the first few
months of life and beyond.
Newborn babies can either be
breast fed or fed a baby
formula from a bottle. The
choice is up to each new
mother. A newborn baby
should be fed every few
hours throughout the day.
Your baby will certainly let
you know when he or she is
hungry by being fussy or
crying.
Bathing
Newborn babies should not
be bathed every day as it
can dry their tender skin. A
sponge bath is really the
best option in the very
beginning as it is more
gentle and is less likely to
upset your baby. Be sure to
clean the creases in the
baby's skin and the diaper
area well. Keep your baby
wrapped in a soft towel and
clean one part of the baby's
body at a time so that the
baby does not get chilled.
Caring for your newborn
should be a pleasure. Do not
hesitate to ask other
mothers for advice. An
experienced mother is a
great resource for new
parents. Also, if you are a
new mother and could use
some tips of how to care for
your new child there is much
information through your
family doctor.
