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Your Baby at 1 Week

Parenting

There are many different ways to parent your child. Your ideas about parenting come from your culture, background and how your parents raised you, along with your temperament and attitudes. You and your partner may have different approaches to parenting, which is completely normal. Therefore, it is a good idea to begin talking about your different styles early on in order to ensure that you both feel comfortable caring for your baby.

Behavior

Babies will begin to spend more time awake during the day as the first week progresses. This is the time to talk and sing to your baby. He or she will enjoy looking at your face and seeing bright colors. Some babies easily become overwhelmed by all the new things they are seeing and hearing. After a very busy day, some babies will be irritable or fussy, so make sure to plan some quiet time for you and your baby.

Many babies grunt and groan before they have a bowel movement or before they pass gas. They also may draw their legs up tightly, turn bright red in the face and/or cry. Some babies act as if they are in pain. Although we do not know why babies behave this way, we do know that for most babies this is normal. Some parents think this means their baby has gas. If you would like to try giving your baby Mylicon drops, it is safe to do so. But please check with your baby's doctor before using any herbal teas.

Sleeping

Newborn babies sleep a lot. They can breathe very irregularly when asleep and can sound congested. This is normal because babies must breathe through their noses until they are 4 months old. Babies make a lot of noises and move around when they sleep. Parents often have different ideas about where the baby should sleep. Some feel strongly that babies should always be close to their parents. Others believe that babies should sleep in a separate crib. Wherever your baby sleeps, please make sure that your baby is safe.

Always place your infant on his or her back to sleep.

If your baby is sleeping in a crib or bassinet:

• The mattress should fit very tightly next to the sides
• You should not use pillows or heavy blankets
• The crib should not have decorations or toys that could strangle or trap the baby

If your baby sleeps with you:

• Do not sleep on a water mattress
• Do not use heavy blankets
• Take all side rails and headboards off the bed so that your baby will not become trapped
• Move your bed away from the wall to avoid trapping your baby
• Never sleep with your baby if you smoke, use drugs or alcohol
• Never sleep with your baby on a couch or chair with soft pillows -- not even just for a quick nap

Feeding

Babies normally spit up a few teaspoons of milk after every feeding. They can sometimes throw up what appears to be their entire feeding. If your baby throws up once a day, do not be concerned. If he or she throws up more than once a day, call the doctor.

Babies often swallow air while feeding, so burping them can be helpful. But if your baby does not burp for several minutes, you do not need to keep trying. Also, breastfed babies often need less burping.

Babies hiccup frequently. You might have noticed that your baby hiccupped before he or she was born. Sometimes feeding your baby will help stop the hiccups, but if this does not help, don't worry. Fortunately, babies do not seem to be bothered by hiccups and they often can eat and sleep undisturbed.

Babies have frequent bowel movements, usually after every feeding. Breastfed infants have watery yellow stools that look like mustard paste or scrambled eggs -- this is normal and is not diarrhea.

Clothing

Babies' hands and feet can look blue or feel cold. This is because their circulation is still immature and does not necessarily mean that they are cold. If you are concerned that your baby may be cold, feel the neck or take his or her temperature.

When you are not holding your baby, keep a hat on his or her head. In general, your baby needs as many layers of clothes as you have on, plus a blanket. When you are holding your baby, he or she will not need the blanket or hat because of the added warmth of your body. Be careful not to bundle your baby too much. Making your baby too warm is just as dangerous as letting him or her become cold.

If you use disposable diapers, you may notice tiny beads of gel on your baby's skin. This is just the absorbent material from the diaper and is not dangerous.

This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace the advice of your doctor or health care provider. We encourage you to discuss with your doctor any questions or concerns you may have.