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Newborn Infant

While your baby is in the hospital, our doctor will do a complete physical on your baby and discuss with you any features of your child that may be of concern to you. The doctor will visit with you and the baby and check on the baby's progress. We urge you to use these visits to raise any questions or doubts you may have about your infant's health, habits, feeding, etc. Do not be shy — there are no “stupid questions”. You do not have to raise your child exactly as your friends, family, or neighbors did.

• Getting to Know Your Baby
  Sometimes new parents are a little unsure of themselves at first. As long your baby is well-fed, well-loved, warm and comfortable, he/she won't mind a bit that you are less than expert. The most valuable thing parents can do for their children is to enjoy them.

  Your baby is an individual from the day he/she is born. As the baby's parents, the persons most intimately involved with him/her, you will come to know him/her best. Trust yourselves and don't take too seriously the advice of well-meaning friends and relatives.

  Your baby will do some things all babies do, just because they are babies. All babies sneeze, yawn, belch, have hiccups, pass gas, cough and cry. They may occasionally look cross-eyed.

  Sneezing is the only way a baby can clear his/her nose. Hiccups may often be stopped by giving a few swallows of warm water. If you are breastfeeding, putting your baby to the breast for a few minutes will usually stop the hiccups. Coughing is a baby’s way of clearing his/her throat. Crying is his/her way of saying “I'm hungry, I'm wet, I'm thirsty, I want to turn over, I'm too hot, I'm too cold, I have a stomachache, or I'm bored.” Crying will not hurt your baby, and you will gradually learn to know what your baby means.

  The majority of babies do not sleep all the time when they are not eating. Some babies are awake for several hours. Usually a baby will have one or two fussy periods a day. If your child has such a period, use this time to play with him/her and entertain him/her. If he/she stays awake this period, he/she will usually give you very little trouble until the next fussy period. Usually by 4 to 6 weeks he/she may occasionally sleep all night.

• Discharge from Hospital
  Most babies are discharged to go home after just a few days in the hospital. (As Pediatricians, we insist that your baby leave the hospital in an approved, properly secured infant car seat.) Your doctor will discuss with you at that time, when we wish to see the baby for his/her first checkup. We would like to see all babies within the first two weeks of life. If you feel you need some advice about the baby before the first visit, please feel free to call our office.  We employ a full-time nurse who is well trained to offer advice, which has, of course, been approved by the doctor and may be followed with confidence. If you would like the doctor to examine your baby sooner or if you wish to speak with the doctor, you may schedule a visit at any time.

  The following sections include some information on some of the more common questions and problems new infants and their parents have. We hope you will find this information useful and you will refer to it as a first line reference for caring for your infant. Obviously, it is not intended to cover any problems in depth.

• Newborn Warning Signals

Newborn infants and babies in the first few months of life are somewhat more fragile than older children, and often give few warnings that they are not well.  You should be concerned and notify us quickly if your baby, under three months has:

1. Fever (with rectal thermometer) over 100.4° Fahrenheit. Before using a rectal thermometer, first shake it repeatedly with a snap of your wrist until the mercury falls to 97° or less. Then lay baby on his/her stomach across your knees so that he/she is held firmly to prevent wiggling. Hold the buttocks apart, and gently insert the thermometer (lubricated with petroleum jelly) for a distance of 1 inch.

Keep the thermometer in for one minute.

Fever in babies is often because of overdressing, so be sure that your child is not just wrapped in too many blankets. Please uncover your baby and leave him/her with a loose T-shirt for about 10 minutes before you take his/her temperature. This way you will get a more accurate reading.  In fact, many sick newborns have lower than normal temperatures, rather than fever.

2. Vomiting repeatedly (not just spitting up) or refusal of food several times in a row. Be particularly concerned with projectile vomiting.

3. Listlessness or unexplained inactivity.

4. Frequent loose, fluid bowel movements which contain mucus and have a foul odor.

5. Any other time you think your newborn is sick and you are unsure of what to do.

• Homecoming
  If there are other children in the family it is important to make them feel that the baby is “their baby”. If someone besides the mother can carry the baby when the other children first see this new family member, harmony may be better preserved. Gifts or letters from the new baby to the other children prior to coming home from the hospital may be helpful also in preventing future jealousy.

  There should be few visitors the first few days at home. Every new baby must adapt to a new home. Tell friends to wait a few days before dropping in.  Certainly exclude anyone who is ill from visiting the baby and since most diseases are transmitted by hand contact, encouraging visitors to wash their hands before touching the baby is a good idea. Also discourage visitors with infants, toddlers, and young children as they are frequently sick or incubating contagious diseases before their parents are aware of it.

  Although your infant will sleep 14-16 hours a day, leaving you plenty of time to rest too, it will not come as uninterrupted sleep at night. A steady stream of “well wishers” all day long will wear you out and it may be wise to restrict visitors to a few hours in the afternoon, so that you can get adequate rest and enjoy your new baby.

• Traveling
  Babies can go out at any age . When dressing your baby or going out, use the same judgment you would use for yourself. Do not over/under dress or take out your baby when it's raining, too cold or too hot unless you have to. When traveling in a car your baby must be in a Federally approved, properly secured, infant car seat. It is to be placed on the back seat with the baby in a semi-reclined position and facing backwards.

  Infants can fly at any age. Give your baby something to suck on (breast,bottle, or pacifier) during the take off and landing to minimize some of the discomfort they may experience. You will make your traveling easier by taking your car seat with you. If the flight is not full, they will allow you to use it on the plane.

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