You may think that you have everything figured out when it comes to your baby. You may feel as though you don’t have a clue. No matter where you are at, you can always learn more about a newborn baby.
They are fragile but you shouldn’t be afraid to hold or move them. Many parents are afraid to move their baby about and the concept of bathing can be downright overwhelming. What’s important to remember is that while your baby is fragile, they aren’t going to break if you handle them. So be careful of course but don’t be afraid to handle them.
They are completely dependent on you for everything. Though you may have moments of frustration with your baby’s crying, you have to remember that they rely on you for absolutely everything. So while you may feel overwhelmed by their need for constant care, you do have to keep perspective of the fact that they must rely on you for everything.
They get a lot of gas and may cry as a result of this. Parents are amazed at how much gas builds up in their tiny little babies. This may come out in burping and may unfortunately get stuck in the tummy sometimes. Oftentimes when a baby is crying it is because they have a build up of gas and therefore you need to do whatever you can to help them get rid of it.
They may seem to eat constantly at times. You may feel as though your baby is a bottomless pit. You may feel as though you are feeding them constantly and that you can’t keep up. This is normal and it will even out in time, but they are doing their part to grow and thrive as they are meant to.
They take up a lot of your time. Many new parents are simply amazed at how much time is consumed with their new little darling. They assume that they will sleep all the time and are stunned at how much of their day is spent caring for their baby.
They are alert of their surroundings, though it may take time to recognize this. Even though your baby may seem like a sort of blob, they are slowly becoming aware of their surroundings. They can’t see color at birth but can see black and white. They can make out shapes and can even start to see the outline of your face.
They have no concept of night or day or of a schedule at all. You may hope that your baby comes out knowing the difference between day and night, but this is highly unlikely. It will be sometime before your baby is on any sort of schedule, and therefore you must remember this and be patient as you both adapt.
They recognize the sound of their mother’s voice. It may seem impossible, but your baby can often recognize the sound of their mother’s voice. They may even recognize the sound of their father’s voice if they talked to them a lot while in the womb. The voices and sounds that they heard while in the uterus are often recognizable to them at birth.
They must have their necks held at the beginning. Your baby may feel like a little “bobble head” at birth and that’s because they have no muscle development in their neck. As they grow and their neck muscles strengthen, they will be able to support themselves in this manner. However at the beginning it’s quite important to hold and support a baby’s neck.
There is no such thing as spoiling a newborn. Though you may be concerned as a parent about the notion of giving into your baby’s every whim. You may fear that if you pick them up every time that they cry that it will spoil them or somehow get them used to this reaction. The truth is that there is no such thing as spoiling a newborn, that behavior is picked up much later. So pick them up, cuddle them, and love them as often as you’d like.
There’s so much to learn about newborn babies, and many parents are just amazed at how true that is. Fortunately with a little bit of insight and help, you can be in tune to what’s going on with your newborn baby.
Mary Fred blogs on ways to look for Ultrasound Technician Schools.