Tips for good nutrition during pregnancy
6 January, 2021
Insights about a baby’s life: The first month
Welcoming a lovely little angel to this world changes our lives. We get to experience magical and unique moments, and at the same time we know that we have difficult days ahead of us.
Life with one-month-olds is easier than you think. It is enough to breastfeed your baby every few hours, make sure they get enough sleep and that they have a proper and clean diaper. That’s all!
If you have recently become a mother, remember to just focus on the basic needs of your baby child, at least for some time, and if possible, leave the housework to others and get help from others.
A baby’s appearance
Your newborn baby may look very different from what you see in movies. You baby is beautiful, but his/her appearance will change rapidly in the coming weeks. If you have concerns about your baby’s appearance though, or if you have questions, it is best to consult a pediatrician.
A baby’s reflexes
God gave involuntary reflexes and actions to babies to make sure our little ones receive the care they need. Some of these reactions and actions are:
- Rooting reflex, which helps our little ones find the nipple or bottle.
- Sucking reflex, which helps the baby to suck.
- Grasp reflex, where our babies close their fingers around our fingers, thus putting us on cloud number nine!
- Moro or startle reflex, which is a sudden jolt that our little ones show when they hear loud noises or see sudden movements.
Five senses
From the moment our child comes into this world, he/she can make sense of everything!
Vision: A baby’s small, puffy eyes are often inflamed due to childbirth or antibiotic ointments. However, when they are in our arms, we are within a short range of 20 to 30 cm from them and they can see us, albeit blurred. Sometimes your baby’s eyes may seem crossed, which gradually goes away with the full growth of the muscles that control eye movement, and there is nothing to worry about here.
Hearing: Newborn babies do not have yet fully developed hearing, but they are familiar with our voices and the sounds they used to hear in the womb.
Taste: Babies have a very advanced sense of taste and can recognize bitter and sweet tastes. (Babies prefer sweet tastes such as powdered milk and breast milk).
Smell: Babies can recognize our scents from the moment they are born.
Touch: Touch is the most evolved sense of the baby and just how lovely it is the moment they caress our faces with their little hands.
The baby’s folded up body
Your baby has been in the small space of the uterus for a long time and has come into this world through a very narrow canal, so we have to get used to his/her small, clenched fists in his/her abdomen for a while. Remember that his/her muscles will return to normal within a few weeks.
Swollen genitals
Your baby’s genitals may seem a little swollen, which is perfectly normal and it is only temporary. This is due to the hormones that are still present in your baby’s body. These are exactly the same hormones that are responsible for secretion of milk from the nipples or for vaginal discharge. Like other swellings in the baby’s smaller organs, this will go away in a week or two.
Weight loss
Sometimes, a newborn baby loses some weight in the first few days, which is perfectly normal, and by the time he or she is 5 days old, the weight loss will stop. Your baby regains his or her previous weight after 10 to 14 days or even sooner and may as well surpasses it.
Sleep
Around 14 to 17 hours of sleep a day is quite normal for babies.
Breastfed babies usually wake up every two to three hours to fill their small tummies. On the other hand, babies that are formula-fed (or both breast-fed and formula-fed) feel hungry every three to four hours.
It is better to take a nap with your lovely baby to minimize the sleep deprivation that all young mothers suffer from.
Enough milk
Babies with their little bellies feed at least 8 to 12 times (or more) a day during their first few weeks.
Here are some tips to help you understand whether your baby receives the milk he or she needs:
- Weight gain in proportion to age
- Your baby is happy and cheerful
- Your baby soiled enough diapers (8-12 diapers a day)
However, if you cannot tell if your little one is drinking enough milk, be sure to consult a specialist.
Dirty diapers
Mothers are often confused when it comes to dirty diapers. You need to keep the following points in mind:
The first stool you see in your baby’s diaper is a black, sticky substance called meconium. It is actually the substance that filled the intestines of the baby when they were in the womb.
One or two days after birth, the stools turn greenish-yellow, and a few days later our baby’s stools should appear yellow, dark yellow or green and become pasty.
Remember that it is perfectly normal for breastfed babies in their first month to soil their diapers at least 5 times a day, and it is around the sixth week that the number of dirty diapers in our home decreases.
The last word
Your baby brings you and your family a lot of joy and happiness, but many new mothers might become so concerned and occupied with caring for their babies that they might not enjoy motherhood as properly as they should. In this blog, we try to help new mothers as much as possible with explanations about caring for babies in the first month after birth.