Your baby has finally arrived, and it is time to take your bundle of joy home from the hospital. From that time and then your entire life will change and most likely you’ll change along with it. It’s inevitable you won’t do everything right. New rules break the old ones. This means new mistakes for you to make.
Here are some common mistakes many parents make with newborns:
1-Letting a newborn sleep through the night
Babies should be fed every 2 to 3 hour, at least for the first two weeks. With a few rare exceptions, newborns should not sleep through the night for the first two weeks of life. And as a rule no two babies will have the exact same sleep patterns.
Babies who go too long without eating might become dehydrated. Parents need to make sure they are getting hydrated and fed. It is essential for Parents to understand the baby’s biorhythm; sleeping eight hours at a stretch might be a sign of severe jaundice.
Babies can sleep through the night if after the two weeks they are gaining weight and sleeping through the night.
2-Not feeding on demand
Dr. Robin Madden (a pediatrician), said “A baby is smarter than any grown-up…they know when they’re hungry and they know when they’re full.” follow their demand; they’re going to eat better.” Forget about strict adherence to a feeding schedule keep to their schedule. As long as a newborn is eating at least every four hours, they should keep whatever schedule they want.
3- Not putting babies to sleep on their backs
Recent research has shown that there is a connection between the sleeping positions of babies and cot death. Parent used to put their babies to sleep on their sides or stomachs which is a common mistake. Babies sleep more safety on their Backs, which helps them to reduce the risk of cot death (Reduce the Risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). The American Academy of Pediatrics says the back is best to avoid Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.
4- Not vaccinating their baby
There are few parent don’t vaccinate their babies, Vaccine-preventable diseases are a very real threat to children who are not properly protected, though the pediatric academy, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Each year children do get sick, and some of them die, from illnesses such as influenza (flu), pertussis and meningitis. Every scientific organization recommends vaccination.
5- Not evaluating by a doctor
Few parents don’t bring a baby with a fever to see the pediatrician. A normal temperature is about 98.6°F (37°C) when taken orally (in your child’s mouth) and 99.6°F (37.5°C) when taken rectally (in your child’s bottom). Fever might be a sigh of a dangerous disease. Do not give any medicine to babies who are younger than 2 months of age without talking to your doctor first. Any newborn with a fever needs to be evaluated by a doctor.
6-Taking a newborn to crowded places
When people take their newborns to a crowded place, they are very susceptible to everything and can catch all kind of germs, or could get a life-threatening bacterial infection, or gets a fever from a virus (which is less dangerous) theses are of a great problem, doctors will have to hospitalize the baby any cases of these to make sure it’s not something serious. It is advisable to avoid crowds for awhile.
Says Dr.Brown. “A fever in a baby less than six weeks old is an automatic ticket for a two-day hospital stay, and going to get a spinal tap, blood drawn, and catheterized for urine.”
7- Keeping a newborn cooped up at home
Going out to crowded places is a bad idea; and to stay home and at the same time is difficult to stay 24-7 for six weeks with your newborn at home. It is advisable to let the baby get used to the normal household and street noises. So try to find a balance! Walking around the neighborhood with your baby or even going to the grocery store when it’s less crowded and busy.
8-Not trusting your instincts
Many new parents don’t trust their inner voice. If you don’t trust yourself, you could be putting your baby in danger, Pediatricians recommend parents, especially the mother, to trust their instincts .You know more than you think, when something’s wrong and there’s no reason to take a chance with the life of your child Block out the white noise – listen to your instinct and trust yourself . It’s all about listening and trusting yourself.
