Baby Care

Thinking about giving your baby a massage? Well! There are a numerous reasons why you should do this.
The first sense to develop in the womb is the sense of touch and all babies respond positively to being held, stroked and cuddled by their parents. Naturally a massage from their parents is a touch that the baby recognises and is comfortable with. Let’s take you through a few benefits of a baby massage.
Close contact baby massage encourages strong bonds between the parents and the child.
Touch stimulates brain activity in the baby leading to increased attentiveness and stimulating intelligence.
Touch stimulates the other baby senses, speeding myelination of the brain and nervous system and promoting language development
It increases oxygen and nutrient flow to cells and thus increases the baby’s ability to learn.

1. It enhances neurological and muscle development.
2. It increases the body’s production of normal, beneficial hormones.
3. It reduces the production of cortisol.
4. It eases colic and gas problems.
5. It reduces the pain associated with constipation and teething.
6. A massage calms and soothes the baby.
7. A massage increases feel good hormones in parents as well.
So go ahead and give your baby a nice massage and enjoy yourself too. Don’t forget to read out article on “How to massage your baby”

If your reading this article your either a pregnant mom, a breastfeeding mom, have finished with the phase of breastfeeding your baby or there will be some of you who may not have been able to breastfeed inspite of best efforts. Whether you breastfeed or not or how long you breast feed does not make you a good or bad mother. The recommendation from the World Health Organisation is to breast feed exclusively for the first six months and then start weaning foods. However breastfeeding should continue for the first one year of life. If possible for the mother breastfeeding should be continued well into the second year as well. However again the choice of how long to continue is really yours. There should be no guilt attached to your breast feeding choices Having said that let’s look at some interesting tit bits about breastfeeding.

One of the most common questions that a new mom has is “Why am I not making enough milk?” 100% of moms will make just a little milk, which is really a few drops in the first 2-3 days. It is important to understand the baby’s needs and requirements here. For the first 8 weeks your baby will probably feed every 2-3 hours and this cycle will continue in the night as well. The new born stomach is very small, about the size of a marble and needs to be fed frequently. The key to making enough milk is frequent feeding – So remember the more you feed the more milk you will make. In the first few days the baby may cry a lot and then will calm down once he comes close to the mom. It is a natural assumption that because he has been put to the breast he has calmed down. But in reality he is calming down due to hearing the mother’s heart beat. The size of the breast has no relevance to the amount of breast milk you will make. However frequent feeding in the first few days will allow your milk glands to expand and hence increase the capacity for the long term. Remember the hormone that initiates breast milk is Oxytocin, which is really your love and happy hormone. So the more relaxed and stress free you are the more Oxytocin you will produce and the more Oxytocin rush there is, the greater the milk let down reflex.

As parents the well being and overall growth and development of our child is the most important factor in our lives. We discuss what’s right and wrong in the experiences they face with their the doctors, surf the internet for guidance on various topics, refer books, and discuss various child related topics with peers, family and friends. We want to make sure we understand what they are going through and want to always give them the best.

Here is a brief to help you understand your little one’s developmental milestones. What is important to note that the milestones happen in order. At times a child may skip one and move on to the next one which is just fine. The age mentioned is as per the Expected due date of your child and not the birth day.

0-3 months
In this phase between birth to 3 months of age the child learns to do a lot of things. He will begin lifting his head while on his stomach. Since the baby is exposed to so many new faces, his/her focus would be on new individuals around. Your baby will also begin smiling at people in this phase. In this phase, brightly colored objects will attract the child. You will also notice that your baby makes some babbling sounds with this mouth. They are not words, but just sounds
3-6 months
In this phase between 3 -6 months of age, the child is aware of how words and tones sound and will respond to happy, sad and familiar voices. He/she will begin playing with own hands and feet, Bring objects close to the mouth. He/she will really like grasping things around so they will reach out towards objects with both hands.
6-9 months
In this phase you will notice your child crawling around. She/he will be amused at reflections in the mirror. This is also the time when they enjoy games like Peek-a-boo. During this time you will also notice the child starting to get comfortable in a seated position without much assistance.
9-12 months
In this phase you will notice that your baby is able to pull itself to standing position with the help of furniture around or with the help of its parents and while doing so the baby will be able to take small steps as well. At this point in time they begin to understand conversations and start imitating you when you talk. They also really enjoy dropping and throwing objects around.
12-15 months
In this phase your baby will begin to walk without support. He/she would be able to say 4-5 words. They would make sounds with voice modulation which starts to sound like a conversation.They would start playing with blocks and start stacking them up. They would begin to walk without support. Its some great moments to cherish

Giving your baby a massage has loads of benefits and you must follow the below process to ensure that it is a pleasant experience for your baby.
Usually a massage can be done at any time of the day but is best done before a baby’s bath and especially in the evening before she settles for the night
Make sure that the room you select for your baby’s massage is warm, app 25 degrees C and quiet. Try putting out on soothing background music. Lay the baby on a soft towel.
How to you determine the amount of pressure needed for the massage? Well, the amount of pressure needed to massage your eyelids is enough.
Small baby areas can be stroked using figer tips, large areas can be stroked using palms.

If you plan to give your baby a massage before her bath you can use oil. For oil application, coconut oil in the summers and olive oil in the winters is the best choice.
Start with the baby’s face and use your finger tips to massage the face. Do not use oil on the face.
Slowly move to massage the baby’s arms and use your finegr tips to massage the palms.
Now use your hands to massage the legs and gently bring the knees up to the tummy. Use your finger tips to massage the baby’s feet.
At the tummy use gentle circles in a clockwise direction. Use your palms to sweep slowly and gently along your baby’s back up to her shoulders. Do not massage the baby’s spine.
If your baby appears stressed and does not seem to enjoy the massage, stop and start again or try again another day.
Try this process and your baby would have a great massage experience

In your third trimester and wondering what all can you do best before your baby arrives? Here’s a very important aspect that you need to dwell into on a serious note and that’s baby home proofing your flat/apartment/house. Your baby will begin crawling post 6-8 months and its important for you to get some professional knowledge on the subject and find out how this can be a saviour to you and your baby’s safety needs. Let’s look at a few important aspects of baby home proofing below.

Why is Baby proofing so important?
Nothing in the world is more important than the safety of our children. Babyproofing (or childproofing) a room involves seeing the room from a child’s perspective and then identifying and removing all the dangerous items that may be present.

For example: electric sockets at floor level. Children may be tempted to stick their fingers or metallic objects in the electric socket. There is a danger of the child being electrocuted. This may result in a mild or serious injury including death.
Research has showed us the following-
66% of the injured children are infants, toddlers or pre-schoolers

Approximately 23% injuries happen at school/playground

36% of the injuries are falls, followed by poisoning 11% and foreign bodies 7%

How can Baby Proofing help a new parent?

Baby proofing the house can instantly take care of a lot of dangers. Extensive research on this subject has revealed that if we take some basic precautions and prepare for some emergencies, we can ensure the safety of our children and prevent them from getting hurt by following the step

Create awareness to reduce injuries

Keep coins, small items away from the reach of children
Improve the quality of supervision
At Awww we will be happy to make your home a safer place for your child.
Awww offers workshop on “Preventing Accidents and Basic First Aid” and our expert partners have trained more than 1000 participants.
At Awww we provide you with services in the form of not only products that can be used to ensure safety but also take you through workshop sessions to help create a safe environment for your baby at home.

Call us today to know more!

A new mum is always looking after her new born baby making sure he/ she is safe, comfortable and peaceful. Two of the most important baby related areas are feeding and sleeping. Let us now take you through the feeding and sleeping patterns in a baby.

Feeding
For the first 8 weeks your baby will probably feed every 2-3 hours and this cycle will continue in the night as well. The new born stomach is very small, about the size of a marble and needs to be fed frequently.

For the first six months it is advisable to give the baby only breast milk. If breast milk is not an option then formula but this must be done only on the advice of the baby’s doctor. Post six months you can follow a weaning plan. Again do consult your doctor or a certified counsellor as this is the time of developing tastes, habits and also slowly acclimatising the gut which will help prevent allergies.

Feeding pattern
In the first few months the baby may take about 8-12 feeds every day. By about 6 months the baby would be taking 6-8 breast feeds every day. As you introduce solids, this will drop further. Ideally by the time your baby is about a year old he would take 4 solids and 2 milk feeds per day. If the baby is still on breast milk he may take an additional comfort feed as well.

Your baby thrives on routines and it is important that you set routines for the baby and follow them. Routines for feeding is what you can try and set in the first few months. Of course we do not mean that you need not feed your baby on demand but try and give importance to the baby’s schedule and routine above everything. A baby will generally be happy and playful if well rested and well fed and if the baby is tired, sleepy and hungry then he will tend to be more cranky and difficult to manage.

Sleeping
Your new bundle of joy has made its way from your uterus into the world and you can now hold your baby in your arms, cuddle it and be amazed at the fact that your baby is finally here in front of your eyes in flesh and blood.
In the first 24 hours your baby will sleep a lot. Will be difficult to rouse and even if the baby awakens and you feed the baby she will fall asleep in a few minutes. This phase is also called a recovery phase. The baby has made the transition from the womb to the outside world and is over whelmed by all she sees. This tires and exhausts her and hence the baby goes through a recovery phase. Most new parents will be pleasantly surprised to find their new born sleeping so well.

In the first few weeks the baby will be used to being awake at night and will sleep during the day as this is the cycle that the baby followed in the womb. It will take a while to change this around and for the baby to adapt to life outside the womb.
After 8 weeks your baby should be able to sleep for 4-5 hours at a stretch in the night. By 6 months this can extend to about 6 hours and maybe more. 2-6 months your infant will need 3 naps during the day as well and post six months this will reduce to about 2 naps. By the time the baby is one year old the baby will be able to sleep for 8-10 hours in the night at a stretch and will be comfortable with one nap during the day.
Crying
Once the baby has completed his recovery sleep after the first 24 hours, he begins noticing a whole new world. He feels over whelmed and anxious and hence can tend to cry much more. The only thing that seems to comfort him is being in his mother’s arms because he can hear her voice and her heart beat.
Slowly the baby settles into a routine. In the first two weeks you can expect that your new born will cry for about 2 hours every day. This is intermittent and spread over the whole day.

Between two to six weeks crying peaks and your baby may cry for almost six hours every day. This is fairly normal. This is also the time that colic peaks and most babies will cry more during the evening hours or in the second half of the day.
Your baby thrives on routines and it is important that you set routines for the baby and follow them. A good sleeping is what you can try and set in the first few months. A baby will generally be happy and playful if well rested and well fed and if the baby is tired, sleepy then will tend to be more cranky and difficult to manage.

When mums begin to breastfeed their baby there are several concerns that arise like – Am I eating the right food? Will the intake of certain food items increase my breast milk, etc? There is also a lot of myth that surrounds these topics too. Let’s look at a few things that a new mom can do while breastfeeding her baby.

Moms do not need to eat a whole lot more while nursing. They do need about 500 extra calories just the same like the third trimester of pregnancy. Make sure you have healthy snacks and water at your bedside since you will be hungry as well as thirsty and since you may be feeding at all hours and for long hours getting up to get your meals may not be possible.

Avoid eating a lot of junk food. Contrary to popular belief, eating a lot of ghee and sugar does not lead to more production of milk and it also does not make you stronger. So just eat a healthy balanced diet.

Make sure all food groups are consumed in moderation. Eating cold foods does not mean you would produce cold breast milk or eating foods which are deemed gassy will not cause the baby to have colic. However, if you eat too much of any one food or do not balance your meals then digestion may be a concern. There are no magic foods which produce more milk but there are some traditional foods which have been known to have galactagogue properties. These include fenugreek leaves and seeds, cumin seeds, papaya, oats and edible gum. Do not go overboard but you can include some of these in moderation in your diet. The most important thing to remember is that the more you feed the more milk you will make.

The most magical part in any parents life is observing how the baby observes you and responds to you, as you teach them about their new world and as you two discover it together for them

This is so special … when your baby and you learn to communicate with each other, you develop a bond…. as you respond to your baby and re-enforce what they do … this is the basis of developing their self esteem.

Babies develop at their own pace and most often we ought to let them be. But there are certain things that can be done to help that growth and development from an early stage. Their first steps or their first words are an exciting phase in every parent’s life.

Babies develop physically and mentally. For moms who want the edge in Baby development here are a few tips.

Communicate with your Baby – It is important to communicate with your baby. Talk to your baby, smile at your baby, hold and cuddle your baby. This makes them feel secure, reassures their self esteem.

Play with your Baby – A new born can see only 10 to 14 inches away and also cannot see full color. Hold your baby close and also use toys with vibrant bright colours and exciting sounds. Babies love reacting to different sounds. Providing the right kind of stimuli for your new born is very important. Using these toys correctly can help eye muscle development, improve eye-hand co-ordination and over all aid in developing the fine motor skills which are used for all our daily activities from writing to tying a shoe lace.

Exercise with your Baby – Yes, believe it or not, research has shown that babies who are exposed to exercise early in life tend to lead a healthier life style. Play gyms are a good place to help the baby stretch their arms and legs which would help development of these muscles and in turn will aid in developing the gross motor skills which are important for sitting up, crawling and finally walking and Babies are also encouraged to turn their head in different directions which in turn helps develop their neck muscles.

Do bear in mind that in the first year the infant’s brain grows rapidly and it is essential that parents select the right kind of stimuli to ensure optimum brain development. As the brain develops with the multiple connection of neurons, the more unstructured and variety of stimuli that is provided in the early years, the more neuron connections are made. The right kind of Toys and products must be selected as per the age and developmental stage of the baby.

It is the only one of its kind in the market which provides stimulation to the various senses as early as day one of birth and can be used beyond two years of age as well with a little innovation.

The human brain starts as a single cell in utero and then these cells multiply into trillions of cells. However these are still very random cells and very few connections have been made. When these cells start wiring with each other the process is called synaptogenesis and about 83% of synaptogenesis will continue after birth. The more connections each cell makes the more developed the brain is. With sensory input the neurons get wired to other neurons and by the time the baby is about 3 years old there are 100 trillion connections. Different stimuli help establish different neural networks and hence the more repeated stimulation (sensory stimulation) the baby gets the circuits get strengthened.

We have five different senses – Sight, Hearing, Smell, Taste and Touch. With our sensory stimulation kit we are helping you stimulate these senses at the appropriate ages. Flash cards for visual stimulation, starting with black and white, then adding a color, and moving to pictures, alphabets, numbers and even counting skills. For developing the sense of smell special containers have been provided which our counselor will guide you on what to place in these containers. We also have touch cards which can be used to stimulate the sense of touch. As your baby grows you can seek guidance on how to stimulate the sense of taste.

Remember that the more the stimulation, and the more consistent and repetitive the stimulation the stronger the pathway. This pathway is then later utilised for various activities that humans need to do in terms of day to day life as well as achievement oriented activities.

For a complete session you may also want to take up the Brain Stimulation session which will guide you on various activities that you as parents can do to help stimulate the five senses.

Sonali Shivlani

Every new parent faces this dilemma: how to get my baby to stop crying? While it seems impossible, it is not really as difficult and frustrating as you think.

The golden rule to remember: crying is your baby’s only means of communicating. He cannot speak like you or me or even attend to his own needs independently. If he is hungry he cannot ask for food or serve himself. So he cries or if he is cold he cannot ask for a blanket or cover himself.

New parents must understand that even the world’s best pediatrician has faced the question “Why is my baby crying?” and hence it is not parental inability which is causing these bouts of tears.

Why Do Babies Cry?

Babies cry when they are hungry, experiencing discomfort of some sort, pain or illness, boredom or just to hear their own voice. As you start handling your baby you will understand that the pitch and intensity of the cries vary with different needs. By recognising your baby’s needs and individual way of expressing himself, the job of managing his crying becomes much easier.

What to Do When Babies Cry?

The first step is to distinguish between the medical and non-medical causes for crying. Significant medical problems that cause crying are usually accompanied by other symptoms. But occasionally crying may be the first sign of trouble.

Check if her diaper needs to be changed, adjust the room temperature, check if any article of clothing is bothering the baby and make an attempt at feeding her. If she does not calm down, do not hesitate to contact your baby’s pediatrician and have the baby checked.

There is no magic formula to stop a baby from crying and there is no such thing as an easy baby. If you meet a parent who claims that her baby is an angel and does not cry at all, rest assured that this is not the case.

However, there are some tricks which have proven themselves time and again in calming an agitated baby and a smart parent will ensure that it is a part of their arsenal.

Following are top ten calming baby tricks for non-medical crying bouts. Trick 1: Rooting Reflex

This is a newborn reflex in which a baby turns her face towards the side on which her cheek is stroked. The baby perceives that food is being offered and calms down, but be prepared to feed her.

Trick 2: Warm Wipes

Most babies cry while their nappies are being changed. Moisten cotton in warm water before cleaning your baby’s bottom. The baby will prefer it to the damp, cold cotton swab.
Trick 3: A Good Burp
While feeding, the baby also takes in air. A stomach filled with air is very uncomfortable. This is especially true when baby is agitated soon after a feeding session. Give the baby a good burp. Burping a baby means simply holding the baby upright and well supported for 3 to 4 minutes. Hearing a burp sound is not important. What you do with your hands is also not relevant. Whether you pat the baby, stroke downwards or upwards or simply do nothing is your choice.
Trick 4: Change of Surroundings
Infants do not like to be handled or surrounded by unfamiliar faces. This invariably results in a crying spree because the baby feels insecure. The trick is to immediately move to a quieter surrounding. Even if you are at a party, moving to the corridor will help.

Trick 5: Tired Baby
Never over tire a baby. Keeping the baby awake in the hope that he will sleep through the night can back fire miserably. The baby will be over tired and will not be able to fall asleep and be excessively cranky.
Trick 6: Cuddling
Your baby craves your love and attention the maximum. Leave all chores and hug and cuddle your baby. Try to make eye contact and talk to the baby. This will help to calm the baby.

Trick 7: The Washing Machine
The washing machine has always been a time tested favorite ride for infants. If you have a front loading model place the baby on the top and run a wash cycle. The vibration calms the baby and you get the clothes washed. But remember NEVER leave the baby unattended.
Trick 8: Picture Books
How can infants have books? I have heard this question from many new moms. But babies love to look at big colorful pictures and it is great way to spend quality time with your infant as you browse through the pictures and talk to your baby. It will also inculcate a reading habit from a very young age.
Trick 9: Massage
Handed down through generations in our country is the tradition of baby massage. Everyone relaxes during a massage and so does baby. All new parents should practice baby massage so that they learn the strokes that the baby enjoys and they can use them when the baby is agitated and irritable. It works wonders in calming the baby and can be used many times during the day.
Trick 10: Blowing
And last but not the least, is blowing. Blowing gently on your baby’s face, especially around the forehead will cause your baby to blink and look at you in surprise. This can aid in calming her.
Always remember never shake a crying baby because this can cause irreparable damage and even death.

As new parents, we have innumerable panic attacks especially since we are inexperienced. Having a pediatrician who is able to help keep you calm and answer your queries is a blessing. Whenever you have the urge to make that panic phone call do take a moment, pause and understand if your concern requires immediate attention or can wait for a visit to the clinic. Most doctor’s would prefer to answer routine questions like which soaps to use, pros and cons of vaccinations, travel concerns etc at the clinic. We should not disturb them with routine questions over the phone. Instead maintain a diary and note down all your questions as they come up. When you go for your next visit, carry the diary with you and have all your doubts cleared.
With a new baby, there will be some moments when you feel you need immediate attention. Discuss this in advance with your doctor and ask for a contact number in case of emergency. It is best that this is not a hospital emergency room number but a line where you can reach someone competent to answer a few immediate questions.

Here are some situations when you must call the Doctor :
1. Bleeding that does not stop with direct pressure over the wound.
2. Poisining.
3. Seizures.
4. Head injury with loss of consciousness and vomiting.
5. Fever above 100.4 F.
6. Vomiting and diarrhea that last for more than a few hours.
7. Cuts that need stitches.
8. Blood in the urine.
9. No fluid intake for 12 hours.
10. Any other symptom that is making the child appear uncomfortable and out of the ordinary and does not appear to diminish.
Before you make that all important phone call, keep the following information ready :
• Be sure to have a pen and paper ready to note down instructions.
• Take and record your child’s temperature before making the phone call.
• Make a mention of your child’s medical history.
• Make a mention of any medications or supplements that the child is currently taking.
• Keep your immunization card handy.
Children do fall ill frequently and then bounce back. We just need to take care of them and help to make the phase less stressful for them as well as ourselves.

Your baby by now has begun crawling and recognising you and loved ones around. Babies at this time also start understanding their environment around. Your baby is used to be cushioned by you at all times and knows that his mom and dad are always around him. The baby has created a safe and secure space for himself and is happy in it.
At about 9 months separation anxiety reaches a peak. This is when the baby starts realising that he is a different entity and that mom and dad are important and have to be present at all times and if they are not visible, then its anxiety time. Your baby will be fussier around strangers, will refuse to go to new people, and will tend to be clingier to you. Do not force the baby to go to strangers if the baby is fussy about it. Also this has nothing to do with the baby being anti social so don’t worry about that.
This is all very normal and part of the developmental process.
Separation anxiety generally settles down by about 14 months which is when the baby understands that people who leave do come back. Hence right from the beginning it is important to leave in front of the baby and not create too much of a fuss. Do not hide and leave. The baby may cry but that’s ok and will soon settle down. The baby would understand that when mom leaves she does return after a while too.

The thought of your bathing your baby can be both exciting and a little confusing cause you are not sure if your doing the right things while bathing her. Ideally a baby bath begins once the umbilical stump has fallen. Till then the baby should be given a sponge bath.
To give the baby a sponge bath – keep all items ready before you undress the baby. soft sponge cloths, soap, shampoo, warm water, dry towel and fresh clothes.
Always clean the baby from cleanest to dirty which means face first and diaper area last.
Take a wet wash cloth and gently wipe the baby’s face. Clean the eyes, ears and nose with gentle strokes. For the rest of the body you can use a little liquid soap and then wipe with a wet cloth. Remember to clean well between all the folds and also the webs of the fingers and the toes.
Pat the baby dry and put on a fresh set of clothes and a diaper.

When giving a tub bath, check the temperature on your elbow. It should be tepid. Again ensure that you keep all items ready as you do not want to leave the baby alone in the bathroom even for a second.
Pour water in small quantity on the baby.
Always bathe the body first and shampoo the hair last. A baby will loose a lot of heat from the top of his head and hence will start feeling cold. Also a baby tends to feel over whelmed when water is flowing down his face and they will cry. The bath then becomes very uncomfortable for both the mother and the child.
Choose how you would like to bathe the baby. Traditionally in India we bathe babies on the legs. However you may not be very comfortable with this method and may prefer a bath chair. Pick a plastic or a mesh one as a sponge chair is very difficult to dry.
Once the bath is done wrap the baby is a towel and pat dry and dress the baby in a fresh set of clothes and a diaper / nappy.
Baby bath is a fun time and should not be stressful.
Babies do not get dirty and it’s ok if they do not take a bath everyday. You can also just sponge on certain days. At times its also ok to give the baby a couple of baths each day. It all depends on your comfort.

Unsure if your baby’s poop is the right colour? Or if it’s normal for her to poop 3-4 times a day or not poop at all? Relax! Being a new mom and handling a new born baby can be quite overwhelming sometimes. Everything your newborn goes through is new for first time mums as well and there could be a big question mark on what’s normal and what’s not. Here we explain the process of a newborns poop cycle. This will help a new mom understand the stages and will keep you more relaxed with regard to your baby’s well being.
At birth the stool has a blackish colour and this is called meconium. As the baby starts taking the colostrums the stools become greenish in colour by day two and three and as the milk transitions the stools will become a mustard yellow in colour. New born babies who are exclusively breast fed will have loose runny stools with a granular consistency. The baby may pass multiple stools a day or may not pass stools for multiple days. The first couple of weeks stools will also be erratic and your baby may pass a stool after every feed or after urinating, but this settles down by the time the baby is a month old and will eventually pass stools 3-4 times a day only.
If the baby is exclusively breast fed then this is normal. Additionally you must ensure that the baby is feeding well, and seems comfortable and relaxed.

New born patterns:
Congratulations!! Your new bundle of joy has finally made its way from your uterus into the world and you can now hold your baby in your arms, cuddle it and be amazed at the fact that your baby is finally here.
In the first 24 hours your baby will sleep a lot. Will be difficult to rouse and even if the baby awakens and you feed the baby the baby will fall asleep in a few minutes. This phase is also called a recovery phase. The baby has made the transition from the womb to the outside world and is over whelmed by all he sees. This tires and exhausts him and hence the baby goes thru a recovery phase. . The only thing that seems to comfort him is being in his mother’s arms because he can hear her voice and her heart beat. Most new parents will be pleasantly surprised to find their new born sleeping so well.
It is advisable to start breastfeeding your baby with the first feed within the first hour of birth if both mum and baby are comfortable and ready. It is important for the baby to have skin to skin contact with the mum right after birth so the baby feels protected and comforted and it also helps in the development of a bond between the mother and baby.
Let the thought sink in, that the day is finally here. Admire your baby, that’s part of your own flesh and blood and enjoy this day!

Your new bundle of joy has made its way from your uterus into the world and you can now hold your baby in your arms, cuddle it and be amazed at the fact that your baby is finally here.
In the first 24 hours your baby will sleep a lot. Will be difficult to rouse and even if the baby awakens and you feed the baby the baby will fall asleep in a few minutes. This phase is also called a recovery phase. The baby has made the transition from the womb to the outside world and is over whelmed by all he sees. This tires and exhausts him and hence the baby goes thru a recovery phase. Most new parents will be pleasantly surprised to find their new born sleeping so well.
Day two the baby will be more wakeful. He has completed recovery sleep and now is getting accustomed to his new world. He feels over whelmed and anxious hence can tend to cry much more. The only thing that seems to comfort him is being in his mother’s arms because he can hear her voice and her heart beat.

Slowly the baby settles into a routine. In the first two weeks you can expect that your new born will cry for about 2 hours every day. This is intermittent and spread over the whole day.
Between two to six weeks crying peaks and your baby may cry for almost six hours every day. This is fairly normal. This is also the time that colic peaks and most babies will cry more during the evening hours or in the second half of the day.
The first couple of weeks stools will also be erratic and your baby may pass a stool after every feed or after urinating, but this settles down by the time the baby is a month old and will eventually pass stools 3-4 times a day only.
At birth the stool has a blackish colour and this is called meconium. As the baby starts taking the colostrum the stools become greenish by day two and three and as the milk transitions the stools will become a mustard yellow. New born babies who are exclusively breast fed will have loose runny stools with a granular consistency. The baby may pass multiple stools a day or may not pass stools for multiple days. If the baby is exclusively breast fed then this is normal. Additionally you must ensure that the baby is feeding well, and seems comfortable and relaxed.
For the first 8 weeks your baby will probably feed every 2-3 hours and this cycle will continue in the night as well. The new born stomach is very small and needs to eat frequently. Also the baby would be used to being more awake at night and would sleep during the day as this is the cycle that the baby followed in the womb.
It will take a while to change this around and for the baby to adapt to life outside the womb.