Having a baby is an exciting time in your life. From the moment you first find out that you are expecting, through to your child’s birth, it is a rollercoaster of emotions in more ways than one. We feel confident in saying that during this emotional time, you would be preparing yourself for life as a parent, reading up on ways to best care for your baby, and asking for advice from others.
While nothing stops you from doing this, there are other tips out there for caring for your newborn, of which you can find some more below.
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Trust Your Instinct
This might seem like a bit of a farfetched suggestion for some people reading this, but it is something that you will learn to trust as you move into the coming weeks and months. Particularly when first taking your baby home from the hospital, you might be wary about knowing when they need to be fed or put down for a nap. This worrying feeling is an entirely normal thing to experience, and you are not alone when doing so.
While this is the case, you should trust yourself should you feel like your baby is hungry or tired. As time goes on, you will learn their little habits and noises, differentiating what each one means. On the back of this, you would be able to tell if there is anything wrong with your baby, which requires a doctor’s appointment. This takes us to the following section.
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Seek Medical Attention
You are going to be protective over your newborn; there is no doubt about it. Should you feel like there is something wrong with your newborn in any way, seek out a doctor’s appointment for them. Particularly if it is out of surgery hours and you are concerned, seeing a private paediatrician will provide you with the comfort and reassurance that you need.
You should not worry about wasting a doctor’s time too. While you might feel this way – and let’s be honest, we all have at some time or another – it is better to be safe than sorry! What’s more, the doctor will understand how you are feeling and will want to put you at ease too.
Getting medical attention for your baby is important should there be anything wrong, but you should do the same for yourself should you feel under the weather. This leads us to our final point.
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Look After Yourself
When reading this, your first thoughts might go to looking after your physical health. While that is a big part of looking after a newborn, it extends beyond this. You should be making a conscious effort to look after your mental health, too, for that could have adverse reactions on your physical health should it get bad.
Taking time for yourself is important and will allow you to maintain your identity as a person, not just a parent. Remember to make time for your favourite hobbies and self-care rituals, for they will soothe you both in the short and long term.
Useful Tips When Caring For A Newborn is a feature post
