Parenting Advise – Tips for New Parents (baby upto 6 months) Part 2
My Motherhood journey taught me quite a few things which I am sharing here. I hope my personal experiences will help some new mother out there and let them know that it’s okay to be worried but know that they will eventually figure things out. This post is about those essential facts about babies which all new parents must know.
Don’t Worry, It’s Normal!
I think every mother / parent feels this at some point or another – I don’t know how to be a mother, I can’t even do this, or that. I’ll tell you this – don’t worry, it’s normal. However many books you read or videos you watch in preparation, you can actually never be prepared for the reality. So just take each step as it comes. And always, keep learning.
Being a New Mommy
As I approached the date of delivery, I started to get nervous. Till now, all I had to do was to take care of myself and the baby was doing all the growing inside the womb. Now, he would be out in the world, a vulnerable, helpless human being who would be totally dependent on me/us for every single thing. How would I do it? I knew nothing!!! Furthermore, I hadn’t even read any parenting books. I started to buy one when I realized that the reviews were mixed and said that books don’t really help.
The First Few Days...
That first night, I was even afraid to take him in my arms…what if I did it wrong? But as I learnt, it was instinctive to be extremely careful, to handle my precious one as if he was breakable. The first night in the hospital, the nurse offered to let him keep me overnight and I refused; I didn’t think I could handle it yet.
Apart from feeding him at the hospital, I had not handled him until the time he was handed to me at the time of leaving the hospital. That first time of handling him gave me the confidence, and gradually I started to believe I could and would be able to take care of him.
The Challenges of a Newborn's Parent
The challenges of being a parent are innumerable however those initial days are the hardest. There were many bad days when we just didn’t know what to do. The tension in those moments was so high that arguments were galore but we got over them by putting our heads together.
Now, we know that we can work out the reason and solution logically. For example, there was the day he just wouldn’t stop crying. We did various things – feeding, rocking, stomach-ache meds, humming, etc. and ultimately we could calm him down. Another day he wasn’t sleeping the whole day; again we talked to the doctor and adults and could figure out the issue. Then, one day went by without him pooping at all (vs. pooping 3-4 times). A phone call to the doctor helped ease our minds.
Advise: Never be afraid to ask for help! Parents and doctors play a big role in sorting out the problems.
7 Essential Facts About Babies New Parents must Know
Here are a few common things you will worry about at some point but are actually normal baby behaviour – because babies are unpredictable, as said correctly by Dr. Abhijit Misra.
He sleeps too much! Don’t worry, babies can sleep upto 23 hours! It’s also normal to sleep during the day and stay awake at night.
He is okay on my lap but wakes up as soon as I put him down! All babies do that, they crave the warmth and softness of a mother’s lap.
He is peeing a lot! He can pee as many times as he feeds or more. The thumb rule is: he should pee atleast 6-8 times a day.
Is he eating enough? He should take a feed 6-8 times a day, more if required.
If he feeds 6-8 times, pees 6-8 times and doubles his weight in 4-5 months, the baby is fine. Relax!
He hasn’t pooped today! Well, if your baby is breastfeeding, then he can go without pooping for 7-10 days !! For formula fed-babies, he should poop everyday.
I think he’s cold or is he hot? Why is he fussing? Well, he feels whatever temperature you feel. So don’t over-wrap or over-expose.
For other pointers, check out this page: https://drabhijitmisra.com/?s=Newborn+
Coming up in the next part, parenting advise straight from my personal experiences. Keep an eye on this space. Subscribe to my blog to receive emails as soon as the new article is posted.
