Caring for Your Newborn the First Weeks After Birth

It’s an unforgettable moment — hearing your baby cry as he or she enters the world. The first people to hold and embrace the newcomer is mom and dad. Also present is the hospital care team, and they have a long list of things to check and do to ensure baby is healthy.

“One thing I would tell families is that you’re going to make it,” said Douglas Meyer, DO, pediatrician of Access Health & Avera Medical Group in Worthington, MN. “The first month is the hardest, getting into a new routine, but you have people who want to help you succeed. Ask questions, follow directions, listen to your intuition and keep your chin up.”

Meyer helps unpack what you can expect in your baby’s health care in the first hours of life in the hospital, at home and at the first appointment.

Your Newborn’s Care in the Hospital

If the delivery process produced no emergencies and baby came out appearing healthy, some things that often happen are:

• Baby is given to mom for skin-to-skin snuggling
• Baby is cleaned, and extra boogers, saliva and fluid will be removed from the mouth, nose and lungs
• Baby’s heart is checked to ensure a regular, fast heart rate
• Baby’s hearing is checked at day one or two of life
• Baby’s oxygen levels are tested using a special sticker that wraps around the finger or foot; this can catch serious heart conditions right at day one or two of life
• A little jaundice is normal, but a bilirubin test helps determine if levels require light therapy
• A safe eye antibiotic, erythromycin, is given to prevent eye infections
• Your baby should receive a vitamin K shot soon after birth which promotes blood clotting (a newborn’s liver doesn’t make enough vitamin K right away)
• A hepatitis B vaccine is highly encouraged, especially if mom had hepatitis B as this vaccine would prevent your baby from developing this condition
• A state-mandated test, your baby’s blood is checked for any rare conditions that can be treated right away
• If elected, your baby boy will get circumcised in the hospital
• If you choose breastfeeding, your baby will feed every two to three hours

“Nurses or lactation consultants, depending on your facility, are nearby to teach you how to express milk should you have trouble,” said Meyer. “Also, there’s nothing wrong if you or your baby prefers to use formula.” Lactose-free formula and hypoallergenic formula are available in stores, if needed.

Bringing Your Baby Home

As a dad, Meyer understands the nerves associated with bringing a newborn home. Here are some of the basics you’ll encounter at home to give your baby a good start:

• Embrace help from trusted people. If possible, set up these responsibilities before your baby is born so people know exactly how to help.
• Eat, eat, eat! It’s important to feed often to keep their weight up. Offer breast or bottle every two to three hours around the clock, but no more than 1 ounce at a time as stomach is only size of a cherry the first month of life.
• Keep baby safe while sleeping. No other items should be in the crib or bassinet with your baby, except a swaddling blanket that doesn’t cover the face. No blankets or stuffed animals should accompany baby — especially for the first year.
• Keep up with diaper activity. Day one, baby will have one poop and one pee typically. Day two, this will typically about double. This will max out at about six to 10 diapers in the newborn stage. Also, the first diapers will be blackish, kind of like tar, then changing to yellow or green.
• Determine if skin care is necessary. Newborn skin becomes dry and peely because they shed their in-utero skin. Their skin cares for itself, but you can use a non-scented, baby-specific lotion. Don’t put it on their hands or mouth.
• Know belly button care. The umbilical cord will dry up, scab and fall off within one to two weeks. A little bleeding is normal. It’s also normal for the scab to be yellow or green. Just gently clean this area with regular soap and water, if it becomes messy from poop or pee.

When to Contact or Go to the Doctor

If you have any concerns, especially if your baby isn’t feeding well or has a fever greater than 100°F, call your doctor’s office or designated nurse to find answers. Also, go to the emergency department immediately if the belly button is red and tender to the touch; this means there’s a possible infection.

Baby’s First Appointment

You’ll bring your baby to his or her first appointment within a week or two of birth. This will be with a pediatrician or family medicine provider. You and the physician will talk over what’s been happening, including:

• How baby has been acting and how much movement
• How often baby is feeding
• How is breastfeeding coming along
• Your baby’s weight
• If your baby has jaundice and if it needs to be treated
• What does the poop and pee look like and how often
• The health of the belly button; health of circumcision in boys

Immunizations for Your Newborn

Babies often receive other immunizations within the first months of life. These include:

• Hepatitis B booster
• Pneumonia shot
• Tetanus shot, with a formula designed for children
• Pertussis vaccine for whooping cough (“One of the scariest diseases I’ve ever seen,” said Meyer.)
• HFlu vaccine
• Rotavirus vaccine, a swallowable drop by mouth, for this potentially deadly diarrhea disease
• Polio shot, for this crippling disease caused by a virus

Your Newborn Needs Health Insurance

• A baby is a qualifying life event.
• Make sure to add your newborn to your health insurance plan if you have coverage.