Healthy Living gets the facts about concerns of new mothers
One of the most frequent asked questions by new mothers is about jaundice. It is a condition that affects a high percentage of newborns. New moms fret about a number of other issues since the responsibility of caring for a young child is overwhelming. Healthy Living looks at the common concerns mothers have over the new bundle of joy.
Marleni Cuellar, Reporting
Welcoming a baby into the world is described as one of life’s miracles. For most new mothers their support system guides them through the first couple months, but for some new moms there is a lot to understand about their babies. Paediatrician, Dr. Wendy Rios Navarette, discusses some of the common concerns new moms tend to have.
Dr. Wendy Rios Navarette, Pediatrician
“To be a new mom sometimes it’s very easy and sometimes it‘s very difficult because you don’t know what is normal or if it’s not normal what the baby is doing. Basically the first moms they always have questions about the jaundice, the people have to know that 90-95% of the babies have jaundice and the treatment is sun and breastfeed. The bilirubin, which is a substance that causes jaundice, is passed in the stool and the urine much of breastfeed that mothers give to the baby, the baby will stool and pass the bilirubin. Jaundice disappears in more or less two or three weeks after depending on the levels of jaundice.”
Dr. Rios advises that should the baby still appear yellow you then should consult with your doctor. Another main concern for new parents is deciding which of the gamut of baby products are best to be used on their baby.
Dr. Wendy Rios Navarette
dr. wendy rios navarette
“My recommendation is to not use nothing until two months because you don’t know if a baby is allergic to something and all the products have chemicals, colours and it’s important that you don’t put powder, don’t put lotion don’t put nothing on the baby. The skin on the baby is very, very important to take care of that sometimes we don’t have to use soap we only use water and after you bathe baby you clean the navel of the baby with alcohol. You don’t have to peroxide; nothing, nothing like that .”
As for feeding products and schedule, Dr Rios, explicitly explains why breast is best.
Dr. Wendy Rios Navarette
“I notice that a lot of young mothers don’t want to breastfeed the baby cause they think a lot of things will happen with their body and its very important that they breastfeed the baby because that help the baby and the mother to lose weight; helps to lose weight, help the uterus go back to the normal size and that’s why you have milk you have to breastfeed the baby. The milk have 70-80% of water that means that the baby no need extra water. Breastfeed as much as possible. The first three days the name of the milk is collustrum and it have antibodies, minerals, vitamins, no matter if it’s a little amount you have to give to the baby. The collustrum have a lot of minerals to protect the baby the first six months of a lot of disease. It’s difficult to tell you to give the baby milk every two hours because most of the time the babies want to breastfeed every half hour or every forty-five minutes and that is normal in the first month. You have to give to the baby whenever they want. The other thing that is very important and the mother always asks is the stool of the baby. The first two the days the stool is black its meconium, its normal. The next three days its green very green and after is yellow, bright yellow for the breastfeed. Sometimes the baby stools between five to eight times per day depending on if you give formula or if you give breast milk.”
Sleep is another concern for some parents. She advises that it is normal for the baby to sleep more during the day than the night. As for atypical behaviour that new parents should be concerned about:
Dr. Wendy Rios Navarette
“It’s not normal when the baby have fever, no matter if it’s a little amount of fever it’s not normal. Diarrhoea is not normal, vomiting usually the baby after you burp the baby they have a little bit of vomit but it’s a little amount. Sometimes it exists that the baby keep vomiting and vomiting everything that you give them. That’s not normal. Rash is not normal, rash on the newborn baby is very common, when there’s like a heat rash, that is normal but when exists like the baby get very red and have like different kind of rashes, it’s important that you consult with the doctor because there are different diseases in the babies that you have to pay attention and give antibiotics.”
Lastly, it is advisable to look out for signs of post partum depression in new moms. While a mild depression after delivery is normal; this should desist after one or two months; if it doesn’t, then the doctor should be consulted.
