Читать книгу Sister Lilian’s Babycare Companion: Complimentary and traditional care - Lilian Paramor - Страница 39

If you make your life, and Baby’s, as easy as possible in the first ten days with these top tips, the chances are that the first three months, so feared by parents, will be smooth and carefree:

•Forget about spring cleaning and maintaining a perfectly spotless house for now. Many women want to prove from the outset that they can be the perfect housewife and mother at the same time. Remember, though, that it takes time to adapt, and it is far more important at this stage to settle down as a new family and get to know each other.

•Do not worry if you feel that you are not coping and that there is simply too much to do – this is quite normal, and only essentials require your attention now. In any case, this is the time to call in all the favours you’ve always shown others and get friends and family to go shopping and run the other errands.

•You do not have to bath your newborn in these first ten days – a lick and a promise, paying careful attention to certain areas such as the buttocks and behind the ears, is quite enough. Babies don’t really become dirty at this stage.

•Routine is something that will gradually emerge as the weeks pass, so do not try to force it in the early days. Relax and observe and you will discover which patterns are important.

•Newborns are prone to many facial rashes in the first ten days, most of which will pass of their own accord. You need only adjust diet or seek advice if they become very worrisome or do not let up soon.

•Do not worry if your baby’s umbilical stub starts looking like a piece of biltong or of it oozes a little blood. Simply keep it spotlessly clean at each nappy change. By two weeks the stub should fall off and by six weeks at the latest, the spotting should have stopped.

•Go on, do yourself the favour of investing in disposables for this stage – just make them the best there are! Towelling nappies can come later when you have settled into motherhood.

•Babies’ nails grow really fast at this stage but don’t panic about cutting them – simply use a small emery board to keep them short and smooth so that they are less likely to scratch their faces. If they do get in a scratch or two, relax, because their skin heals very quickly.

•Don’t worry if milk splotches come out with winding – they are usually small amounts and it doesn’t mean you must feed all over again. These splotches usually look greater in volume than they are.

•If Baby doesn’t burp within five minutes of a feed, leave things be. He probably hasn’t swallowed any air, or it will come up or go down later.

•Forget about bibs at this stage. There is not yet much drooling to be caught and milk splotches need a towelling nappy!

•Forget about fancy baby clothes and use easy-to-put-on, all-in-one baby suits as you get on with the business of dressing your live, wriggly doll.