NEWBORN BABY: FIRST MONTHS OF LIFE

Spitting up

Many babies spit up either as they are being burped or a little while after a feeding. This is normal. Check with your doctor if the baby is spitting up large amounts, is having projectile vomiting (forceful, explosive vomiting), or does not appear to be gaining weight. Consult your doctor if the baby is spitting up and also seems hungry all the time, or becomes limp and not alert.

To reduce spitting up, try burping the baby more often during a feeding, or changing the feeding position slightly so that the baby is more upright. It may help to have the baby rest quietly in an infant seat for a few minutes after feeding, rather than laying the baby down or encouraging active playing.

The pacifier (dummy)

Babies need to suck a certain amount each day. If your baby is hungry but only takes a small amount of food, he or she probably only needed to suck. If this happens consistently, a pacifier is a great help. It meets the baby’s need to suck but spares you the inconvenience of trying to feed a baby who really isn’t hungry. After about six months (remember, all babies are different and this may vary), the baby will no longer need extra sucking. Then you can take away the pacifier.

Breast-feeding

Many doctors today recommend breastfeeding, if it is possible, for a number of reasons. First, breast milk passes on to the baby some of the mother’s own resistance to infections. Second, many babies develop allergies to infant formulas, but it is rare for a baby to be allergic to the mother’s milk. Third, breast-feeding is much more convenient than bottle-feeding, because it is always available and needs no sterilizing, mixing, or refrigeration. Fourth, the experience of breast-feeding is emotionally satisfying for both mother and baby.

Even if you breast-feed, you can give the baby an occasional bottle or give one feeding a day by bottle. This can give you a chance to be away from the baby sometimes or to sleep through the night while the baby’s father gives a feeding. The breasts can be emptied with a breast pump if they become uncomfortably full.

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