Baby’s first days – what’s worth knowing?

The first days of a baby’s life can be stressful both for the newborn, as well as for the parents. The preparation for the birth of little offspring is starting way before the actual birth – it starts during pregnancy, however the parents will never be fully ready for a new experience, mostly if that’s their first baby.

The first days with a newborn

Naturally, the earliest days are spent in a hospital to ensure that the childbirth went well, without any complications and a mother has enough time for regeneration. We cannot forget that it’s a huge effort for a woman. Nine months of pregnancy is already a significant physical and mental pressure. 

In the first days, it is normal to perceive the stress associated with the whole situation. There are cases that some women can’t bear with the upcoming challenges associated with maternity, this is why it is so crucial to have support from family and friends in such a unique but challenging period.

The first few weeks of a baby’s life

However, it’s worth focusing on different aspects of maternity and a baby. In the first weeks, it feels like it was still a part of its mother’s body. Only after six months, it starts to be aware of the fact that it’s a different person who’s able to function independently.

The first weeks of a baby’s life are also important due to a different reason. Namely, the closeness of a parent, especially a mother is so necessary because her voice, heartbeat, and smell are known the best. Another crucial fact to know is that within the first month a regulation of some mechanisms takes place, eg. a baby’s body gets cold much faster, it can’t see clearly, and it communicates only by crying. 

Behaviour of little children

From the youngest years, most children love to mimic – especially their parents who are their major authority. Children often mimic others’ facial expressions. In this way, they try to show what they need. Even though the first month can be difficult and it’s based on getting to know each other, it can be clearly seen that a baby cries in a different way when it wants to eat and in a different way when it is too cold or too hot.

For freshly baked parents, an important piece of information can be that babies don’t like sudden movements however, they do like stroking, swaying, and massaging. Also, necessary to remember is to not allow them to hear any noises and sharp sounds, both during the first week and later in their babyhood.

Check our Misioo floor mats for the youngest:

Feeding a newborn

Especially in their early years, children have to be fed appropriately. On the shop shelves, it’s easy to find many types of baby foods. However, in the first months, the most important is the mother’s food which is necessary for healthy growth. Many mothers are wondering how often an infant should eat? Is bottled milk required besides breastfeeding? Is it appropriate to wake up a baby during feeding time?

How much a baby should eat?

The daily amount of food eaten by a baby can be calculated with a simple equation. According to the specialists, a baby should eat about 95 kcal per kilogram of its body mass. In the first days after birth, a newborn doesn’t eat much. Usually, it’s around 20 ml of milk. Each day the amount rises. After about two weeks, the value hits 100 ml. Obviously, it is caused by rapid growth.

How often to feed a baby?

It is fine to feed a baby both with breast and bottle. A fundamental thing is to know how often to do so. Unfortunately, a baby can’t say when it’s hungry, so when such a situation occurs, they indicate it by crying. The answer to the question above is only one – as often as it asks for it. In the first days, it may seem like a baby is constantly being fed. This is caused by the amount of fat in the milk, in the first days, the milk isn’t that high in calories and other nutrients. As a consequence, a baby has to eat more to cover the daily requirements. It is advised to remember that breastfeeding satiates the closeness need. 

In the case of bottle-feeding, it is not required that often, as the modified milk is digested much slower than the mother’s milk. The daily recommendation is about seven times but its only approximated value, as every baby has different needs. Modified milk is served when required, although the portions on a package must be taken into account.

Is it appropriate to wake up a baby during feeding time?

Infants sleep through most of the day, even the feeding times. Is it fine to wake a baby up for feeding? First of all, it is essential to speak to the paediatrician who evaluated the condition of a newborn at the time of signing out of a hospital. In most cases, a baby will wake up and show it’s hungry. It is important to feed regularly, especially by a breast, which allows keeping the lactation on a stable level. In addition, the risk of adverse weight loss is smaller and often meals help to remove an excess of bilirubin from the body.

Bed for a baby

Many parents are wondering what type of bed to choose for the new family member. Sometimes a newborn sleeps with parents, although it is worth to make a baby comfortable in its own bed – especially that letting baby sleep on its own minimizes the risk of sudden infant death syndrome.

The change of a place to sleep can be stressful for a baby and it takes time to get used to it. The choice of bed isn’t the easiest but you can take a look at some aspects to make a decision more facile

How to choose a bed for a baby?

The choice of a bed can be challenging, because a baby can’t say what it wants and if the parents’ suggestion has met its requirements. The choice then should be based on the parents’ intuition and the baby’s behaviour. It’s also important not to look at a price, as some of the cheaper models may have a harmful impact on posture shaping.

While choosing a bed it is fundamental to check:

• Materials that the bed is made of,
• Size of the bed,
• Possibility to extend the bed by adding extra elements,
• The type of mattress and its hardness,
• Protections available in the bed

Where to buy the bed accessories?

Appropriate accessories will help the infant to have a nap and sleep all night well and calmly. Of course, a comfortable mattress that is well-selected will let a baby sleep fine and won’t allow deforming bone structure.

Additionally, the purchase of a humming teddy bear can be helpful, as children from the youngest years love the sound that allows them to calm down. In the first months, sleeping bags/blankets are going to be necessary because they are irreplaceable in heat loss protection. It is important to remember that all the accessories and beddings should be made from natural materials. Also, in a bed, there should be only a sleeping bag and a mattress that has an appropriate hardness. The purchase of additional accessories must be put away until the risk of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) isn’t as high as in the first months after birth.