Most first-time mothers are always aghast at the thought of the myriads of changes that motherhood presents. And for the bulk of these people, the simple reason for their state of reasoning is the lack of preparation before the arrival of their newborns.

Your newborns are tenderer than eggs, and you have to treat them accordingly. But how do you go about this when you don’t have firsthand information about the things you should and should not be doing.

You don’t have to break a sweat. The purpose of this article is to shed some light on the things to expect of your newborn. Fortunately, they are the simplest things to do if you pay close attention to them.

A common example of things you may ignore about newborns is their ability to produce milk. Oh yes! While you were pregnant, a fraction of your hormonal fluctuations was transferred to the child.

After a few weeks of birth, you may notice some form of discharge from the nipples of your newborn – boy or girl – which is completely normal. There may be a need to alert your doctor if you cannot handle a panic but you must know that the phase is bound to pass.

As a guide, we will prioritize the list from birth and progress into the indicators of growth and development of your dear one.

Let’s go!

What You Didn’t Know About Your Newborn

When babies are born, they look wrinkled and old.

Do not consider it a myth when people say that a newborn and the olds one have quite a lot of similarities. And one of these pointers is wrinkles. 

Perhaps you have made a wealth of research in your pregnancy and seen a healthy gallery full of happy moms clutching their newborns tightly to their chests – the baby with tiny fingers, angelic eyes, and a cute smile that you almost wished you would poop your baby immediately.

Sorry to burst your bubble but you must be as fully prepared for the arrival of your baby as you should be for its appearance.

At birth, a newborn child has a wrinkled skin that is masked with a white film. More so, this white film covers the entire face and the eyes. If you were ever told that your baby will gaze into your eyeballs at birth, this isn’t so.

While the face will be shut and swollen, you may only fully communicate with your baby after a length of time.

Another important feature of a newborn baby is the layer of hair on the skin. Nevertheless, it is too early to pronounce your baby as hairy. Scientifically, the layer of hair is called ‘lanugo’ and it is protective of the baby before birth.

Additionally, the head of your baby may take a particular shape because of its journey through the birth canal. But there is no cause for alarm as a simple head massage can fix the head immediately.

Expect your newborn to spit and poop in the early weeks.

If you dread vomits and puke, you may start to jettison your folly as your newborn will do even worse. Surprisingly, the amount of fluid that comes out of your newborns’ mouth may outwit the total size of the baby – and it only occurs in the earliest weeks.

Matter such as pee, puke, spit, and poop are characteristics of the first few weeks to a few months. So, do not be confused or baffled. Also, this may necessitate that you change your baby’s diapers every hour or less than an hour.

In the same vein, the great frequency at which you will change your clothes and that of the newborn when it spits and pukes is absolutely normal. You better get a washing machine before your baby arrives!

Apart from the fact that newborns poop at unimaginable rates, there may be a weird explosion gradient to this. For instance, you may have changed your baby’s napkin or diapers in a few minutes and witness a ‘poop explosion’ in the next minute.

Truly, this is a frustrating phase but you will become better for it if you are well-equipped for the journey.

In the first six weeks, your newborn will be reactive to many things.

Yes, you are happy about the arrival of your best friend and cannot wait to share moments of reckless laughter, smiles, and total abandon. But guess what? Newborns are also great in the ‘mood swing’ department. They will throw a series of tantrums and frustrate you out of your skin when you least expect it.

For these reasons, brace up for disappointments in the first few months of your child’s birth.

The only roles assigned to a baby after birth is feeding, peeing, pooping, and sleeping. This cycle continues to linger until you get a hang of it. And this ‘baby drama’ will occur during the day and at nights.

Hence, do not stop or reduce the rate at which you feed your baby for reasons that it may help you curb your baby’s tantrums. Rather, be the best mom you can be for your newborn and watch him or her blossom into the lotus flower you so desire.

Once the umbilical cord drops, ensure that you refute the idea of bathing your newborn.

The joy of holding your newborn in your hands makes you get into the fit of doing everything you’ve ever wanted such as tendering to his or her needs. It is fine. However, did you know that cleaning and feeding the baby in the home have time specifics?

After childbirth, the umbilical cord remains intact on the newborn. This stump defines the complexity of childbirth. Nonetheless, you have to understand that the stump makes the area as sensitive as it is raw.

Unless the newborn is rid of the umbilical cord, do not bath your newborn with water – as the water may be infected or unclean. But there is a great option. Dampen a sponge and clean your newborn within these weeks while making sure that you are wary of the stump.

For more help, make sure you talk to your doctor for alternatives. If you think you are running out of time and cannot wait to get your hands on the baby, do not attempt to pull out the stump. Allow it a good time to fall off the newborn – and trust me, it doesn’t take so long for this to happen.

The soft spot of newborns takes a long time to mature.

One of the sensitive areas on your newborn is located on the head. This soft spot requires a great deal of time to harden. So, you better be careful when handling your baby.(1)

Frankly, the soft spot is one of the few reasons why first-time parents will hire nannies to tend to their newborns as they will rather prevent a mishap. On the average, the soft spot hardens in 32 weeks except that the variation depends on the newborn.

When tending to your newborn – massaging, bathing, or combing – always watch out for this spot.

Newborns aren’t gluttons; they will signal an ‘I am full’ sign during feeding.

As a newborn, understand that feeding your newborn may be tasking and time-consuming. During the feeding session, your newborn will be in your grasp and may be responsive to you or not. Although it may be quite difficult to comprehend when your newborn reaches its limits, pay attention to slight cues from your pumpkin during the session.

A familiar signal of rejection is turning away from the direction of feeding. Your newborn cries when it is hungry. On the contrary, it will turn away from suckling either the breasts or the bottle when it is full. And when you try to force-feed him or her, it may cause rancor. Thus, watch out.

The nails of newborns grow at an incredible rate.

Pay no mind to the size of your newborn; their tiny fingers house nails that grow at the speed of light. Even though the nails may appear to be thin and fragile, it grows rapidly and surreptitiously. 

A familiar scare is cutting the skin of the newborn when you try to get rid of the nails in the first few weeks of birth. But you must know that their nails are so sharp that they may be prone to scratches and tearing of skin by accident. The best time to trim your baby’s nails is during a peaceful nap with the aid of a tender nail clipper.

Newborns do not have a sleeping routine.

Your newborn isn’t a teenager, do not be full of expectations that he or she may ease into a linear routine. Routines differ from one child to another. Generally, babies may either stay awake at nights or sleep throughout the day and vice versa. Do not be surprised if their routines do not align with yours.

Regardless of the situation, your newborn experiences an independent streak in routines especially naps times. Unless your child is about a year old or more, only a miracle will probably grant your newborn a defined routine.

You sleep with your eyes closed but your newborn will do the opposite.

This is a subtle way of saying that your baby will confuse you about the aperture of his or her eyes. The hyperbole of ‘sleeping with both eyes open’ makes it difficult to know if they are sleeping or awake.

Most newborns, maybe yours too, finds it uneasy to fully close the eyes which make them appear open.

Newborns are notorious for the way they spit from their nose.

Now that you are an expert in cleaning up your newborn’s poop, you may stay a rookie in dealing with his spits. Worst still, the spit may lose sight of its destination and come out through the newborn’s nostrils.

Now, don’t jump out of your skin. Nose spitting is neither dangerous nor abnormal. But if you need some time to adjust to the occurrence, you may enlist the help of experienced mothers or your doctor. A preventive measure for spits is to ensure that the newborn burps after feeding.

Newborns lack a defined focus.

Think your newborn has an eyesight anomaly? This may not be the case. Allow a few weeks for an adjustment. Most new parents conclude that their newborn suffers a problem with his or her vision because of their inability to focus on objects.

Unless your doctor confirms a serious eye problem, your newborn may only be trying to adjust to the new environment with glistening lights and sparks. Your newborn may need up to 8 weeks to focus on objects and people – you, inclusive.

The skin of newborns peel off.

At certain stages of life, we all shed some dead cells from our skin. This process is the same for newborns. Skin changes are absolutely typical of newborns and it is only normal for you to have a scare. When you spot whitish patches on the baby’s bed or nursery, it means his or her skin is peeling off and paving way for tougher skin to develop. Subsequently, the newborn’s hair will reduce.

Word From Us

Basic things that you must know about your newborns are mostly ignored because most mothers believe they hardly matter. The sooner you realize that your newborn deserves your total attention, the better you can spot thee signals when they occur.

On several occasions, mothers complain about the consistent wailing of their newborns. Yes, newborns are fond of crying wolf at the slightest chance they get. Yet, it doesn’t mean your newborn is unhealthy or abnormal. Guess what? Most newborns will yell the roof down simply because they screech the loudest. Yes!

How do I know? You checked his or her temperature and diapers after a lengthy feeding and nothing seems to be wrong and he or she doesn’t seize to cry. Don’t fret; your newborn is fine and probably wants your undivided attention.

An important ritual that you must fulfill after birthing your child is to give him prescribed vaccinations. You will get a definite number of vaccinations when you meet with your doctor. To keep diseases and infections at the barest minimum possible, vaccinations are important in the first weeks of birth. (2) If you cannot stand the wailing of your baby, seek help from his or her dad when the doctor administers the shots.

Newborns are undeniably sweet and cute. That said, you should be willing to invest energy and time in getting him or her ready for maturation. Enjoy your new status of motherhood by planning your time around your newborns without necessarily losing quality sleep. Remember that you have to be healthy for your baby too.

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