Babies Are Blessings, Get Started Right

GET STARTED RIGHT

Minimize medications during labor and delivery
Nurse within the first hour of birth if possible
Keep your baby skin to skin
Avoid pacifiers and bottles until breastfeeding is well established usually 3-4 weeks
Give your baby no food or drink other than breast milk

BREASTFEEDING IS GOING WELL IF…

Your baby is nursing 8-12 times in 24 hours
Your baby is having the following wet/dirty diapers:

1st Day 1-2 wet 1 dirty-meconium
2nd Day 2-3 wet 2 dirty-meconium
3rd Day 3-4 wet 3 dirty-green .
4th Day 4-5 wet 3+ green/yellow .
5th Day 5-6+ wet 3-4+ yellow .

Your baby should be back to birth weight by 2 weeks and gaining 4-8 oz per
week for the first few months

WHAT ABOUT SCHEDULING THE BABY’S FEEDING OR SLEEPING?

Don’t even try to get the baby on a schedule in the first few weeks. Instead, discover
the baby’s own schedule, and pattern your life around that. Focus on meeting the baby’
s needs; try to figure out how he tells you he is hungry, curious, interested, bored,
uncomfortable, or over-stimulated. Let the baby call the shots. It is much easier for the
household to adjust to the baby at first than to make the baby adjust to the household.
Make it your goal to meet the baby’s needs, as expressed by the baby-you’ll be happier
if you do. Read the book, “Your Amazing Newborn,” to help you understand the baby.