Inexperienced love with Sleeping Beauty

 

During the early stages of parenting a baby, relying solely on the guide information provided by the 

Gynecology, can be quite challenging due to the many practical variables involved. 

Because everything is new, it can be challenging to distinguish what tasks should and shouldn't be done for a newborn. 

While following the basics of feeding, sleeping, and changing is good, sometimes things go differently. 

The efforts of moms and dads who skillfully navigate these new situations are admirable.

We aim to address one of the questions posed by a young couple. The feeding guide provided by the hospital mentions the basic amount of food a baby should consume within the first 7 days of life. It suggests gradually increasing the amounts of water and formula, using a ratio of 20 ml per spoon. Since breast milk often comes in more abundantly around the third or fourth day, at this point, the amount of breast milk can be increased while reducing the formula amount.

 Failing to properly express breast milk during this time can lead to inflammation, discomfort, and breast pain. 

 If breast milk production exceeds the baby's consumption, you can use a breast pump to extract the excess milk, store it in 20ml ziplock bags with the date and time labelled, freeze it, and then thaw until it becomes warm enough and feed it to the baby as needed. It's generally recommended to consume frozen breast milk within one week.

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Newborns don't yet have a consistent day-night rhythm, so babies naturally wake up to eat and sleep. This cycle typically occurs every 3 hours. If a newborn sleeps for 5 hours without waking up to eat, how should you handle it?

Newborns should be sleeping at most 3-5 hours. It's important to wake them up and feed them in between.

Here are some techniques you can apply to wake sleeping beauty. 

 

Gentle stimulation

Gently cradle the baby in your arms, offer breast milk, or gently stroke their back.

Dressing down

Babies usually dislike having their clothes removed. Slowly undress them and try waking them up in the process.

Using diapers

Even if you don't need to change the diaper, changing it can wake the baby. This action serves two purposes: waking the baby and indicating feeding time. Babies naturally become accustomed to this pattern.

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It is crucial to remember that the aforementioned measures are only applicable if the baby is healthy. If the baby still has trouble waking up, it may suggest a requirement for medical attention. Therefore, consulting a pediatric specialist is imperative to determine the underlying causes.

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  Please get in touch with our English coordinator if you have any further questions.

010 9608 3985 

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