MOTHER AND CHILD CARE
(MAMTA KA AANGAN)

                        Episode No. 5 : CARE OF THE NEWBORN

The moment for which you have been waiting arrives; God’s tender gift is now in your arms. You already know a few facts about your little one; let’s see how to handle him especially when you are discharged from the hospital and back home.

As your baby is born, ideally the baby is placed near your breast. Babies are awake for about 40 minutes after birth. Experience your first moments of handling her/him, which will probably make her/him feel more secure, even later in life. When it is time for you to take the baby home, your responsibilities don’t end with taking him/her home on the ‘right muhurat’ but the just the beginning.  You are fortunate if you are a part of a caring nuclear family but in an atmosphere when there is hesitancy on mother’s part and obstinacy on grandparent’s part about the baby’s, one should follow the rule, ‘not who’s right, but what’s right’. Take for instance the practice of giving a newborn some honey to taste. This is a wrong practice; the newborn should be given nothing except mother’s milk.

Here are some few guidelines about caring for your newborn:

Crying:

Normally a newborn baby cries vigorously. 

Question: Is it true that you spoil your baby if you pick up the baby every time he/she cries?
Answer:  No, it’s not true. After birth, it is most important for a baby to have a feeling of security. Crying is often a signal for this need to be fulfilled, so don’t bother about the baby’s discipline at this stage.

Answer: If the baby is getting only mother’s milk, and sleeps properly after each feed at least for 2-3 hours, puts on weight normally, one can assume that mother’s milk is sufficient for the baby.

Bathing, Massage, and cleanliness:

Question: Is it okay to massage you baby with oil as done traditionally in India?
Answer:  In most Indian families it is customary to give massage with oil or ghee. This helps in stimulation of the baby’s circulation, provides exercise and extra body contact to the baby. Hence this is a good practice if done gently. But this is not essential if you don’t have extra help.

Question: When can we start bathing the baby?
Answer:  Bathing may be started after the seventh day of birth. There is no need to bathe the baby for the first seven days after birth, especially if the baby weighs less than 2.5 kg. For the first seven days you may sponge you baby clean first with a damp cloth and wipe him/her dry with a dry cloth afterwards.

Question: Are there any other guidelines about bathing a baby?
Answer: Laying the baby on extended legs for massage or bath is practical, simple and a time-honored method. If you want to give the baby a tub bath, attend to the face and head first as the rest of the body (anal region) is likely to be dirtier. Use a mild baby’s soap.

Question: Can oil be used to clean my baby’s ears and nose ?
Answer: Do not put oil into your baby’s ears and nose. Do not use cotton buds etc. To clean ears; a towel will do. Do not apply “kajal” or kohl available in the market for your baby’s eyes, the lead contained in them can cause damage to your baby’s eyes.

Do not clean the baby’s mouth with glycerine or cloth, it is not necessary and may damage the mucus membrane and lead to infection. Babies usually sleep after bath so use this time to clip your baby’s nails with a baby’s nail scissors.

Question: What care should be taken of the baby’s navel / umbilical cord?
Answer: The umbilical cord should be dried properly after bath and kept clean at all times. There is not need to apply anything on it.

Sleep:

Question: My baby sleeps all day and keeps me awake at night for feeding, which is tiring to me. Could I put him to sleep in the cradle? Answer:  Your little one is still not aware of the difference between day and night. Within a couple of weeks, your baby shall form a routine convenient to you. Until tell try and dose off while the baby sleeps during the day. Don’t habituate him to the cradle or he’ll find it difficult to go to sleep without one. It will be wonderful if you or the baby’s grandmother could sing a lullaby or play soft music while he’s for him to sleep.

Question: Is it essential to keep babies wrapped up all the time?
Answer: You can keep the baby wrapped especially during the first month. But don’t be too rigid about this. Those babies who sweat profusely when wrapped up may even suffer from dehydration and fever due to wrapping up too warmly. If this happens, let the mother drink plenty of water and breast feed the child frequently.

Checkups:

Questions: How often should the baby taken for checkups?
Answer: First see your doctor, two weeks after discharge from the hospital, then at 1 ½ months, 2 ½ months, and 3 ½ months so that the doctor can monitor the baby’s growth.

Outings:

Question: How soon can I take my baby out?
Answer: It is better not to take the baby out (except to the doctors) till the baby is at least three months old so that unnecessary infections can be prevented. Also remember the less number people handle your baby, the better.   

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