Your baby is unique. As parents, you will come to know your baby best. Trust yourself. Most new parents are unsure of their parenting skills or what to actually expect in their new little bundle of joy. These worries will soon disappear with experience.
Answers to Your Questions About Your Newborn Baby
As your child’s pediatric care providers, we are here to answer your questions and address your concerns as you build your confidence. In the interim, here is a list of some of our frequently asked questions (and the answers) from new parents. With equal parts of love, warmth, proper nutrition and attention, your baby will grow and thrive!
1. How will I know what to do?
Some practices are clear-cut, such as having babies sleep on their backs. In many instances, however, such as swaddling or not, how often to bathe, and so on, there are many ways to raise a baby properly. Most of the time, if something feels right to do, go for it!
2. How much time will my newborn spend sleeping?
Newborns spend two-thirds of their time sleeping, and the remaining third is divided between feeding, watchful wakefulness, and, yes, crying (2 to 3 hours per day)!
3. Is spit-up normal?
All babies spit up, have gas, give little body jerks when falling asleep, open 1 eye at a time, sneeze, sounds a little congested off and on (especially if born in winter) and hiccup. These are normal. However, projectile (forceful) vomiting with every feeding/every other feeding, continuous coughing over several hours or fever (Temp > 38 degrees C or 100.4 degrees F) should prompt an immediate visit to the doctor.
4. When should we allow people to visit the baby?
You can have visitors over, as long as they promise (and are trustworthy) that they are not ill and wash their hands very well. However, if you prefer not to have visitors, tell them no and say it is doctor’s orders.
5. Where should we not take our baby?
The worst place to take a newborn is to work, church or other crowded places. People often go to work while ill, and they also feel, because they know you, that they should be allowed to hold the baby.
6. What is the best way to feed my baby?
We are strong proponents of breastfeeding. That having been said … if you cannot breastfeed, formula and water supplies in this country are such that you should not feel guilty about this. We usually recommend either Similac or Enfamil formula.
7. What should I do if my baby has colic?
For slightly older babies with colic, I will give parents advice and help them to cope, but I tell them up front that nothing may work, and they may have to ride it out for a few months. They will remember the colic when older, but the baby will not.
8. Where can I get answers to my questions?
If you have a question, you can go to a reliable source such as healthychildren.org or the app Pediatric SymptomMD. If you still do not have answers, call us. That’s why we are here. After hours you may call or office number and speak with CHOA RN advice line – but a provider is always on back-up call in case further advice is needed. We recommend that if your child needs to be seen when our office is closed that you use CHOA Urgent Care or go to CHOA – Scottish Rite Hospital.
9. How should I interact with my baby?
It is so important to talk and sing to your baby. If a parent comes home from work and the spouse is too tired to hear how the day went, tell your baby instead. They love to listen to language. Let the words wash over them.
10. Will I spoil my newborn baby?
It is impossible to spoil a new baby. If you create a bad habit, you can always break it when the child is older. If babies want to be held, hold them. If they want to be fed, feed them. They’re the boss.
11. What are your vaccine recommendations?
We are a practice that believes in vaccinations. We follow the AAP, ACIP and CDC recommendations on scheduling these. If you do not want to vaccinate or are interested in some alternative vaccination schedule – this is not the practice for you.
Contact Us for Your Newborn Baby Questions
Vickery Pediatrics is a leading provider of newborn care. Our team works with families in Cumming, Buford, Dawsonville, Gainesville, Johns Creek, Sugar Hill, Suwanee and Forsyth County. To contact us, call (678) 990-2501 or request an appointment today.
