Parenting is more important within the first 30 days. New parents need to be particularly watchful in today’s parenting world. Although these are undoubtedly the finest days of your life, they also present fresh difficulties. Given their small size and fragility, your infant will put a lot of demands on you. You could be uncertain about how often to feed them, how to comfort them when they cry, or how much sleep they require. This can make you crazy because you aren’t used to their schedules.
Several issues that you might experience in the first thirty days after your child returns home are outlined below, along with advice on how to deal with them:
- Ways To Nurse Them
While it seems easy, breastfeeding can be tricky with no prior experience. You’ll have to feed your baby quite frequently than you imagine. You could suffer from sore nipples, ineffective latch-on, and hence, difficulty in gauging whether they are sufficiently fed.
What To Do: If you have friends or acquaintances who’ve had nursing experience before, speak to them. Or take the help of a lactation consultant to learn the proper ways of breastfeeding. Breastfeeding can be time-consuming. So, make sure you’ve urinated, get yourself a glass of water, or a task that keeps you entertained while your baby gets their milk supply.
- Difficulty In Breastfeeding
Your breasts may be engorged, or you could be suffering from sore or cracked nipples that sabotage your nursing efforts. It could impact your milk production and the ability of the baby to suckle on your nipples.
What To Do: Take a heating pad or a warm compress to soothe your breasts. Heat can stimulate milk flow and a cold pack and relieve you. If you experience sore breasts or discomfort after nursing, try cold compresses. For this, you may also use a wet washcloth or a flax pillow.
- Whether Or Not To Introduce Formula Milk
You might want to opt for formula milk if you aren’t producing sufficient milk for the baby or having difficulty feeding them your breast milk.
What To Do: Speak to your doctor about it and only introduce formula milk if advised. Otherwise, stick to breastfeeding for at least three months or between six to eight weeks.
- If Your Baby Is Getting Sufficient Sleep
When your infant is satisfied, they will sleep. Newborns can get up to 16 hours of sleep every day. These may involve naps in the day and a long sleep duration at night. However, this may interfere with your regular sleep schedule and cause sleep deprivation.
What To Do: It’s best to think about your baby and care for them. You won’t get uninterrupted sleep until your baby is old enough. So, you’ll have to make some room to take care of your baby and make minor adjustments to deal with your tiredness. Also, you can take shifts with your partner or caregiver so that you can catch some sleep in between. Sleeping whenever your baby sleeps is perhaps the best option right now. Slowly rock them and remember that skin-to-skin contact with the mother is crucial during this time.
- The Best Way To Soothe Your Baby
This is a common issue new parents have as babies are really fussy. Each baby has different needs. So, it’s only by trial and error that you’ll learn what best suits yours.
What To Do: Swaddle your baby, make some cooing sounds and speak to them. This trick can calm them down. You could also play a tune that’s designed to put babies to sleep or soothe them. Or, just give them a warm bath. It’s relaxing and sleep-inducing.
- Getting Help From Your Partner
If you have a two-parent household, getting your partner involved can be a pain if they aren’t willing to share the load. It’s a good practice to share the mental load and allow time for bonding with the baby so both parents understand what helps their baby thrive.
What To Do: Encourage your partner to help you with the baby or with household chores by being patient and avoiding the urge to criticize. The most important thing is to have fun with them, so they are excited to divvy up the chores, run errands, or take turns to put the baby off to sleep. They can also use some days off for caregiving or parental leave if that’s an option.
Constantly taking care of your baby can leave you feeling frustrated, tired, and hopeless. It’s a good idea to keep your expectations low, take breaks whenever you can, and be your own cheerleader. These moments will soon be a thing of the past, and you’ll make unforgettable memories with your little one. So, enjoy this time while it lasts.
