parenting tips

[music playing] i wasn't exactly sure what to expect inthose first few weeks at home with my newborn. overwhelming unconditional love,the intensity of emotion, was more than i expected. but as intimidating as the whole journeyseemed, instinct kicked in, and being a parent quickly became themost natural thing in the world. of course, i was tired fromlabor and delivery, but somehow it didn't matter.

as new parents, we were 100% focusedon taking care of our new baby. obviously, i tried to rest whenmy son rested, to eat well and be smart about visitors. i got some great advice from moreexperienced moms, and i learned a ton every day as our baby startedgrowing, changing, and discovering his new world. i thought i'd pass along some of thetips that were most helpful to me. i hadn't held a newborn in a while, andi was surprised how unsteady he was at first.

i had to fully support his head and neckuntil he developed the strength to hold it up by himself. i found that just cradling his head inthe bend of my arm or with my hand worked as a comfortable position. now, whether you choose to breastfeedor bottle feed, just remember that this will be a big part of thetime you spend together in the first few months. i found i was feeding every coupleof hours around the clock. using a support pillow and trying totake time to mentally relax when

feeding really helped. now, i mainly breastfed, and althoughit was harder than i thought, we got the hang of it pretty quickly. getting the position right and findinga comfortable latch was tough, but after just a few feeds, we seemedto figure things out. but we also bottle fed. and bottle feeding gave me a chance toshare this special time with dad and with his grandparents as they wereable to take over a feeding from time to time.

the first poop was also a surprise. it was thick, dark greenish,almost tar-like. well, it's called meconium, and it fillsthe intestines before birth and usually expels in the first 24 to48 hours after the baby arrives. it was sticky and tough to clean. but gentle baby wipesdefinitely helped. once it cleared his system,things were more normal. his poo slowly became softer,lighter in color, and more watery, so don't be alarmed.

this is all quite normal. now as a rule of thumb, plan on changingdiapers after every time he sleeps and after every feedin addition to when they are wet or have pooped. i found if i kept a wet diaper on himfor too long, his skin was likely to get irritated. changing him regularly, and high qualitydiapers like these, kept him dry and protected his delicate skin. they even have this blue line whichappears when he's wet, letting us both

know that he might need to be changed. now, the umbilical cord just fell offby itself after a couple weeks. but before it did, we kept it dry mainlyby keeping the diaper from covering it. our doctor recommended we swab it withalcohol every few days to clean it. be sure to check with your doctorto get their recommendation. now, if the cord becomes smelly, oozing,or mushy, you should see your doctor right away. there was the one other bigsurprise those first few

weeks, how much he slept. he slept a lot, but it was more like twoto four hour naps and then wake up to eat, which i learnedis perfectly normal. and my other childrendid the same thing. as babies sleep, their minds work on thethings they've done that day, and there's so much brain andphysical development happening while they sleep. i looked forward to our morningstogether and realized how important it was to get an uninterruptednight's sleep.

this is just a bit of what i've learnedabout these incredible first weeks with a newborn. it can seem like a lot,but don't worry.

the love and care you give themis just what they need. you'll find your own rhythmand routine in no time. on behalf of pampers, this is kathleenfisher with howdini. visit pampers youtube channelfor more parenting tips.