Hacks for New Moms
HOW TO AVOID CLOGGED TEAR DUCTS:
Everyday take an organic cotton ball, dip it in a bowl of water and squeeze out the excess water. Massage the inner corner of the baby’s eye with your pinky finger in a small circular motion. Repeat with a new cotton ball on the other eye. I like to do this as part of their nightly routine, this way your baby will become accustomed to it.
DOUBLE BEDDING ON THE MATTRESS:
I place a wool puddle pad (a non-toxic waterproof pad that does not have any DWR) on the mattress and crib sheet on top. Then I layer with a second wool puddle pad and another crib sheet on top of the wool puddle pad. The reason for layering these is because when your baby has the inevitable blow out or pee accident you will not need to strip the bedding and put on new bedding.
VITAMIN D3/K2:
Hopefully your pediatrician will have told you to start a vitamin D supplement but it is best to take vitamin D and pair it with vitamin K, as vitamin K makes the Vitamin D more bioavailable. And yes, you can get Vitamin D from sun exposure, but unfortunately it is not enough to achieve the proper vitamin D levels, so supplementation is necessary.
NO BATHING FOR THE FIRST MONTH:
Most likely hospital nurses will suggest that you bathe your baby before being discharged. Unfortunately most hospitals use products that contain fragrances that are very irritating for your baby. Babies don't need to be bathed with soap and it can actually be harmful to them because soap strips good bacteria from our skin.
When your baby enters the world, either through the vaginal canal or via c section, their skin is very fragile so you want to take special care to avoid irritants. In fact, after a vaginal birth the baby's skin is coated in beneficial bacteria, which you don't want to remove. When bathing the baby, you don't need to use soap. You can use soap on their hair (if they have any) and on their bottom. Soap should not be used every day, only one to two times per week. Water is amazing at hydrating the skin. Make sure to never use soap on the baby's vulva/vagina. I like bathing with just water in order to provide a relaxing environment to transition and cue the baby for bedtime. It is also good to keep their skin wet when applying cream and/or oil so that it will be absorbed better. Don't forget to take a washcloth and clean the creases in the baby's skin even on days when the baby is not having a bath.
DISTINGUISHING NIGHTS AND DAYS:
Some babies will come home and be up all night and sleep all day. So it's best to prepare for this. Blackout curtains or blinds are a great investment as they do not let any light through and thus will help to establish your baby's natural circadian rhythm. During the day I like to put the baby down for naps with the blinds and curtains open, to aid in establishing their circadian rhythm. If having blackout curtains or blinds is not within your budget, you can help prevent light from coming in by taking a black trash bag and taping it on outside of the of the window so the child is not breathing in the plastic fumes. Once your baby has reached his/her birth weight and your doctor has cleared the baby, he/she should not be woken up at night for a feeding. Instead, you can wake the baby up every two hours during the day to feed, but let he/she sleep longer at night. That way you are ensuring that the baby is getting adequate nutrition during the day.
PACED FEEDING (BOTTLE FEEDING):
When bottle feeding, make sure you always do paced feeding with both a Dr. Brown’s preemie nipple and Dr. Brown’s newborn nipple. For example, when replacing a nursing session with a bottle feeding, you want it to take the same amount of time to give a bottle as it would take to nurse. Once you get to the size 1 nipple, it typically takes 20-25 minutes to complete a nursing session. When the baby is breastfeeding he/she is naturally getting built in breaks. It is important to mimic the breastfeeding process and give your baby lots of breaks with the bottle.
EMERGENCY DIAPER STASH:
I like to have an emergency stash of diapers because you are going to inevitably be without a diaper bag, especially if you are as ADD as I am. Ideally I have a few Kudos diapers (use code DRORGANICMOMMY) and some cotton squares. I also keep a peri bottle (the one you get from the hospital) and use it to wet the cotton squares. I use wet cotton squares instead of wipes. To make sure I am covered, I also like to keep a spare diaper in the stroller and in my purse.
WHY YOU DON’T CLIP BABY'S NAILS IN THE BEGINNING:
For the first month I do not clip the baby’s nails because the nails are attached to their skin. Instead, I file them or cover their hands when they are asleep so they don't hurt themselves. Make sure to allow enough time for their fingers to be exposed so that they can explore during awake times. Then, when they are ready to be clipped I love the Tweezerman nail clipper. I prefer clipping their nails when they are sleeping or breast/bottle feeding.
TEMPERATURE:
It is important to keep the baby’s bedroom at 68-72 degrees Fahrenheit. The important thing to remember is to keep their core warm even though the room is cooler. You don’t want your baby to get too hot. If your baby is sweating or too hot, it means you have put too many layers on them. My ideal outfit for a baby is a kimono onesie, footed pants and a sleep gown. I sometimes add either a swaddle or a sleep sack. Depending on the thickness, temperature in your area, etc you may forgo the onesie. The reason this is my ideal outfit is that I am not struggling with buttons or zippers. I can easily pull up the gown and push down pants when changing the baby's diaper.
BASKET:I love using this basket as a diaper caddy. I keep the diapers well stocked and I can easily tote it around with me. I also keep diaper cream (Weleda White Mallow) , vitamin D3 K2, peri bottle, cotton squares, nail file, burp cloth, and a water bottle for me. I always keep Waxelene and a digital thermometer on hand in case of a fever. Waxelene is a better alternative to Vaseline.
SWADDLING:
Swaddling is not always necessary. Some babies love it and some do not like it. You need to follow your child's lead. When swaddling, you never want to swaddle their legs tightly. You really just want to swaddle their hands and chest. The legs should be very loose where the baby should be able to move their legs up and down.
CARSEAT:
If you can pinch the car seat strap your baby is not buckled in properly. Chest clip should always be at armpit level. See my car seat highlight on Instagram for more tips.
FEEDING:
When your newborn has their hand in a fist that means they are still hungry. When they open up their hand, it means they are satiated. When breastfeeding or bottle feeding, you do not have to give them the full amount in one sitting (nor can most newborns do this). Change their diaper in the middle of a feeding then give them the last piece of it. You don’t want to swaddle during nursing because it creates a poor latch due to positioning. Also when feeding your baby, try to not shine the light from your phone on baby as the blue light impacts your and baby’s circadian rhythm. And if possible keep on airplane mode to avoid emitting EMF, but of course sometimes we just want to scroll the internet so no worries. Remember that it takes 45 minutes to one hour for a newborn to breastfeed or bottle feed. Also, when your baby sleeps do not use your phone. The blue light on your phone affects your ability to sleep. When transferring the baby to the crib, make it a more relaxing transition by making sure you do it as gently as possible. Check out my Newborn highlight on Instagram.
GO OUTSIDE:
Staying indoors can be overwhelming at times. After you have been cleared to do so, taking the baby for a walk can have a positive impact on your day. You can even take a picnic blanket and sit outside for a little while.
NOISE:
Babies make a lot of noise. It does not mean that they need you. Grunts do not equal cries. Sometimes they are just talking to themselves. Pause for a bit to determine if the baby is truly in distress before going to get them.
SOCKS:
Be mindful of baby socks, threads can get undone and wrap around their toes and cut off circulation.
EMOTIONAL HEALTH:
Remember that you will have a postpartum emotional release or first breakdown within the first 12 days because your hormones are flooded. Let your partner/ family/ friends know it is coming and what you will need from them. You've got this mama!
COMPARING YOURSELF:
Do not compare yourself to other moms. Reframe “They are doing it better” to “ I can learn something from them”. You’ve got this mama!