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July 22 - August 20, 2020
Aim for at least 8 to 12 feedings a day, even if the demand isn’t up to that level yet. Not only will this keep your baby happy, but it will also stimulate your breasts to increase your milk supply so it can meet the demand as it grows. Going longer than 2 to 3 hours between feeds, on the other hand, can increase engorgement for you and decrease supply for baby.
Feeding frequency
Don’t be surprised if early feeds end up being marathon sessions—though the average time to complete a feeding is about 20 to 30 minutes, some newborns take up to 45 minutes.
you’ll know to end the feeding when the rhythmic suck-swallow pattern slows down to four sucks per one swallow.
(For most women, 6 thorough breastfeeds in a 24-hour period is enough to maintain adequate milk production for a newborn.)
Waking a sleeping baby to change a diaper is hardly ever necessary, and unless baby’s very wet and uncomfortable or has had a poop, you don’t need to change diapers at nighttime feedings, when activity and light can interfere with baby’s getting back to sleep.
On your shoulder. Hold baby firmly against your shoulder, supporting the buttocks with one hand and patting or rubbing the back (focusing on the left side of baby’s body—which is where the stomach is) with the other.
Burping
As long as adequate spot cleaning is done during diaper changes and after feedings, a bath two or three times a week in the premobile months will keep baby smelling sweet and looking fresh—
Until the umbilical cord and circumcision site (if any) are healed—a couple of weeks, more or less—tub baths will be taboo, and a washcloth will be your baby’s only route to clean.
A baby is ready for a tub bath as soon as both umbilical cord stump and circumcision, if any, are healed.
Baby ears are pretty much care-free. Not only don’t they need to be cleaned, but they shouldn’t be—not with your fingers, not with a cotton swab, not even with a washcloth. When you wash your baby’s face, you can wipe around the outer ears, but don’t venture anywhere near the inside.
Umbilical Stump Care Think of it as a last souvenir of baby’s uterine stay: the umbilical stump. It turns black a few days after birth and can be expected to drop off anywhere between 1 and 4 weeks later. Since healing will happen faster if you keep the area dry and exposed to air, fold diapers down so they don’t brush against the scab, and use wrap-style undershirts for now instead of onesies (or use a onesie designed with a special cutout for the stump). Don’t swab the stump with alcohol (that might irritate tender skin, and it isn’t necessary for healing), but do stick to sponge baths until
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So how do you swaddle like a pro? First, spread out a receiving blanket, with one corner pointing up so the blanket is in the shape of a diamond. Fold down the top corner about 6 inches. Your baby’s head goes here, with his or her neck on the straight part of the folded-over corner and his or her body extending straight down toward the bottom corner. Take the corner near baby’s right arm and pull it over the arm and across baby’s body. Lift the left arm, and tuck the blanket corner under baby’s back on the left side. Next, fold the bottom corner of the blanket up over baby’s body and tuck it
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Swaddle
Because being wrapped up can interfere with development as baby gets older, and because a blanket that a swaddled baby kicks off can pose a safety hazard in the crib, stop swaddling once baby becomes more active (by 3 or 4 months).
Baby Basics at a Glance: First Month
Lots of important points about first month of care
baby can see objects 8 to 12 inches away (the distance to your face as you hold that bundle), a mobile or play gym is a good option for stimulating baby when your arms aren’t free.
Wash up. Wash your hands and make sure that all your pumping equipment is clean. Washing the pump parts immediately after each use in hot, soapy water will make the job of keeping it clean easier.
Baby Getting Enough Breast Milk “How can I be sure my breastfed son is getting enough to eat?”
He’s having at least 5 large, seedy, mustardy bowel movements a day.
His diaper is wet when he’s changed before each feeding. A baby who pees more than 8 to 10 times a day is getting adequate fluid.
For the first 6 months or so, one or the other (or a combo of the two) will provide your baby with all the food and fluids he needs, no water necessary.
No water
Don’t, however, put a hat on baby when you put him to sleep indoors, since it could lead to overheating.
after the first 6 to 8 weeks, plan to loosen up a little and let the germs fall where they may.
Ready to offer that first bottle?
Tips for bottle feeding breastmilk + Store up on milk by pumping one breast while baby feeds on other.
Remember—there are no absolutes when it comes to how much formula or breast milk to feed your little one at each meal. The average 9-pounder may take as much as 6 ounces at a feeding, or less than 2. Looking for a little more guidance? A very rough general rule of thumb is to take your baby’s weight and multiply it by 2.5—that’s the total number of ounces to feed your baby over the course of a 24-hour period.
A minute or two (or whatever his limit seems to be) is plenty to start, with the goal of gradually stretching each tummy time session by a few seconds until you’ve worked up to a solid 5 minutes.
Tummy time- can start after birth
Waking Up for Nighttime Feeds
giving solids usually isn’t recommended until 6 months.
To decide if your baby is ready for the big step into the world of solid foods
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Tooth Eruption Chart
Though the typical baby in the fifth month takes 3 or 4 pretty regular naps of an hour or so each during the day, some babies thrive on 5 or 6 naps of about 20 minutes each, and others on two longer ones of 1½ or 2 hours. The number and length of naps your baby takes, however, are less important than the total amount of shut-eye he gets (about 14½ to 15 hours a day on average during the fifth month, with wide variations from baby to baby),
Increase baby’s awake time. By 4 or 5 months, you can expect your baby to be able to stay up for 2 to 3 hours at a stretch. And the longer your baby is awake between naps, the longer he’s likely to sleep once he goes down.
most doctors recommend well-baby visits at 1, 2, 4, 6, 9, and 12 months of age.
Immunization chart
