Nine Months: Welcoming a newborn home - 3 vital things new parents should take care of
In this episode, author Meghna Pant is in conversation with Dr. Rahul Verma. They discuss how new parents can take care of their newborn from the time they bring their bundle of joy home till he turns 1.
When a child is born, everyone in the family feels the joy of the new arrival. However, this is also a crucial time to make sure that the preparations to welcome the new addition home are complete.
In this episode, we learn that the first three vital things new parents should do when they bring their newborn home is to provide the baby a clean, airy, well-lit room or environment.
The things within that environment should be clean to keep infection at bay.
Because of the new addition to the family, there will be an influx of visitors. How do you handle that part? The advice is to manage the visiting timings in such a way that the new mum and baby are able to get enough rest and privacy.
Milestones in first few months for babies
All babies are cute and they smile a lot, don’t they?
In fact, smiling back at mum or dad is one of the first things babies do. They do it by the end of one or one and half months. Usually, they hold their heads by three months. Around the same time, they start cooing too.
How fun is that!
Baby needs between the age of 3 to 9 months
What do babies need at this stage of their lives?
Till the age of six months, babies should be on breastmilk exclusively. After six months, weaning can start—supplementary feed can be introduced together with breastmilk.
And new mums and dads, another important thing to keep in mind is to keep your babies clean and make sure they are not exposed to infection as this is the time when their immunity starts to build up. To do so, parents need to keep the environment clean (not aseptic but clean). Another important thing is to provide social interaction to the babies.
Turning over from back to tummy and then back, crawling, standing up with support to cruising and then walking are major milestones in your baby’s developmental journey.
Things which parents shouldn't ignore
The following situations are a cause of concern and parents should look out for and consult their paediatrician immediately if:
- Your baby is not taking the feed and has missed out on two feeds;
- Your baby is usually active but suddenly she feels lethargic and not willing to wake up after 3-4 hours;
- Your baby is not consolable (your baby is crying excessively).
A visual how-to-survival guide, Nine Months brings expert advice, knowledge and perspective to make your pregnancy an easy and a memorable experience for you.