A New Mom's Guide To Baby Care

After nine months of endless waiting and reading up on all the information regarding baby care you could possibly get your hands on, you finally have your baby in your arms and realize that you still feel inadequate - you find the responsibility difficult to cope with. After the birth of your baby, your hormones are still all haywire, with your body recuperating from labor and adjusting to the changes, both emotional and physical. To add to that, you probably don't get adequate sleep with the newborn waking up at odd hours, demanding a feed. Your partner has his own emotional stress to cope with and there is practically too much to handle at the same time.

Almost all new moms experience high levels of stress and depression. It might help you know that this is absolutely normal. In fact all experienced moms will tell you that they have gone through the same phase and it is just a matter of time before everything is sailing smoothly again. Take the following tips to help you through the tough bit: 

• Try and keep it natural: Nature has ensured that babies survive and thrive through millions of years. Trust her. When baby is hungry, she demands food. When she is full, she refuses it. If she is uncomfortable, she cries. When all is well, she sleeps (or plays when she's a bit older). Simple routine for baby care! For the first few months, just keep the baby comfortable and well fed, and grab as much sleep as you can between these two jobs.
• Take the help of your partner, friends and family: Take turns in looking after baby. Child care is not rocket science - your mom has done it for you, some of your friends have too and will be probably eager to help out a few days a week. If hired help is too expensive, take the support of these people.
• Know the signs to look out for: If you are a new mom - pay attention to the signs to look out for. Trust your instincts. It will never harm to clarify all your doubts with a healthcare provider. Normally, your pediatrician will monitor the child's growth (height, weight and head circumference) during the monthly visits and also give her the shots during these. Kids usually lose about 10 per cent of their birth weight in the first few days, and then start gaining at a steady rate. Don't focus too much on average growth; your child will develop its own pace of growth.
• Take care of immunization shots: Keep a track of the due shots over a period of time and maintain them. Follow the chart given by your pediatrician.
• Look after and love yourself, too: While as a mom your focus of life may change completely, you owe it to yourself and baby to look after yourself and love yourself, too. Exercise regularly, take a break from baby care and pamper yourself occasionally to thoroughly enjoy this marvelous phase of your life.