The Newborn Baby

Your baby will smile deliberately, especially for his parents. He can hold his head up momentarily, and focus on and follow moving objects.

By 2 months, he can lift his head when on his tummy and hold his head up when held at his shoulder.

Your baby lifts his head up when lying on his tummy. His hands can grasp a small rattle, and he has started laughing.

Your baby is discovering their emotions from birth.

Baby is growing and getting excited about, well, just about everything. Especially playtime and all the things hands can touch. Hands are so fascinating! He reaches out for things, although he often overshoots the mark.

He starts to roll over from his tummy onto his back.

Many parents are surprised or even alarmed at the sight of their newborn. It is important to understand that the effects of birth are usually temporary and the baby’s looks improve rapidly. Common characteristics include:

Physiological jaundice

Many babies develop ‘physiological jaundice’ on the second or third day after birth. The liver normally breaks down the red blood cells, producing pigment called bilirubin. Immature livers in some babies, take a few days to cope with the breakdown and excretion of bilirubin, which causes an excessive build-up in the blood and makes the skin and eyes yellow. A minority of newborns require testing, and even fewer need phototherapy.

Thrush is a fungal infection and can be found in your baby’s mouth, nappy area or under the chin. The fungus lives on the skin and usually causes no harm, but when conditions are favourable, it thrives and causes havoc.

Your feelings about the birth

Your feelings about the birth can range vastly, from euphoria to depression, from fulfilment to a sense of loss or indifference, from disappointment to extreme gratitude. You will relive the birth many times and may feel disappointment if, in your eyes, any factors were a failure.

The normal temperature of a healthy infant varies between 36–37°C. A slight rise in temperature may be due to a cold or a mild digestive upset. The baby’s general appearance and behaviour is your guide.

If you are ever concerned about your baby’s health, behaviour or development, consult your doctor or clinic sister. It is better to be safe than sorry. Rather obtain treatment earlier than later.

Taking care of a newborn baby is a full time job which requires dedication from you and your family. So when you’re planning to go back to work, you can only imagine how much that’s going to test your organisational skills!

Becoming a parent is full of Excitement

The first six to eight weeks after your baby’s birth is known as the post-partum period, a time of physical and emotional readjustment. Your reproductive organs need to return to their pre-pregnant state, and the family has to adjust to a new baby and the demands that this brings.

A baby’s bowels usually work within the first 24 hours after birth. The first stool, meconium, is blackish-green and sticky, with no smell. The colour changes to yellowish-brown over the next few days. Green stools are not a problem unless the baby loses his appetite and develops a temperature with diarrhoea, or starts to vomit.

Birth weight depends on several factors, including the mother’s nutritional status and genetic disposition. The average weight for a newborn is around 3,3 kg.

you have decided to bottle feed your baby

An action plan for your family and friends.

A young baby’s skin passes through many phases, from clear to spotty (rash), to peach-like. This may be due to the transition from a protected environment in the womb to the outside world. Rashes are common and will go away in time.