A few weeks after birth, your baby may begin to become more
active, but we know that the effect on parents can be completely opposite.
So, here are our tips for moms with newborns, out of the
mouth of true moms!
Calm down your newborn
When my baby cries, I comfort her, hitting her back in a
rhythm similar to heartbeat. This helps her deal with it faster and also helps
her relax if she complains of insecurity. If that doesn't work, I try one or
all of the five soothing movements of Dr. Harvey Karp: swimming, jerking,
holding her, swinging, or letting her suck. Sometimes it takes all six!
Help your baby to smile
If you have trouble locking while breastfeeding, you can use
shields to help the process. This was a wonderful advice I learned from my
lactation consultant. I had to use the shields for a whole month before my baby
caught my nipple without them. If it wasn't for the breast shields, I wouldn't
have been able to continue breastfeeding my baby.
Don't make Hush-A-Bye-Baby
You don't have to
be quiet while the baby is sleeping. The womb is loud and the newborns are used
to the noise. When she first came home, we were watching TV and vacuuming,
washing dishes and talking on the phone around her while she was sleeping. She
used to sleep soundly and I could finish things. I am still able to vacuum in
her room while she sleeps (she is 14 months old) and is quiet and well rested
when she wakes up.
Prepare yourself
At 3 weeks, baby days and nights become more predictable and
you can focus on the newborn. One way to do this is by reducing the stress
level - and having everything ready for your hungry child and yourself is a way
to do it. Start preparing for the next feeding as soon as it has finished. For
example, after 11 p.m. feed yourself, get ready for 2 a.m., preparing
everything you need for nutrition and take out fresh drinking water for you so
you have nothing to think about at night. During the day, take advantage of the
baby's goals to workout, shower or take the email, or even take a nap.
Maintaining the baby during feeding
When our baby was eating slowly and sleepily, I and my
husband massaged her cheek to stimulate her to eat faster. A gentle blow, with
the tip of his finger on his cheek, was all that was needed, and in those long
sleepless nights, this simple trick was a god! Our friends have found that they
work great with their babies. When babies eat effectively until they are full
before bed, they sleep longer between feedings. And that means you're calmer,
both of you!
Help your baby bond dad.
Make sure your baby has plenty of time with Daddy alone. His
touch and voice are different than yours, and this will start a bonding process
and give you a break. In addition, the child is accustomed to being with
someone other than you. The first few times can be heavy. Make sure your baby
is well fed and well rested, as this will give you at least an hour or two
before you need it again. Then leave the father and the child alone. If you
stay nearby, make sure the baby cannot see or hear you, and resist the urge to
go into the room and "fix" things if he starts to cry. Your child is
crying with you and experimenting to find out what is wrong. Dads also need
time to do this - in their own way. By allowing this time, your child will
learn that there are many ways to get comfort, which will greatly help when you
leave the baby with a seating chair or other family member for the first time.
You could make your partner bathe, sleep or read or talk.
The comfort of the bed
When my daughter was 3 weeks old, she liked to just sleep on
me. Every time I put her in the bathtub after she falls asleep on me, she wakes
up. I realized he probably likes the heat. So I started packing a blanket
around a heating pad and letting her warm her bed while I was feeding her.
After he finished and fell asleep, I removed the heating pad and slipped the
baby between the folds of the warm blanket. She would have slipped right in.
Previously, a blanket in the dryer also works.
Sleep trick
When our baby was about 3 weeks old, he would cry and shake
because he had difficulty sleeping. One day, I started rubbing his nose and it
worked. In fact, it worked every time. We start from the top and pull it
straight down to the top. Her eyes would grow heavy and eventually close. It is
now 4 months old and still working.
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