There’s nothing like holding your baby against your skin and nursing or feeding them those first hours. The World Health Organization (WHO) agrees as it’s their official recommendation for all new mothers [1].
What else is recommended for the baby’s first hours and days? Here’s the rundown.
How to dress your newborn
Newborns cannot regulate their body temperature. Think about it. For nine months, they were in your warm, comfortable belly where the environment was predictable. Now, they have to regulate their body temperature by themselves. The WHO recommends that during the first days, you should dress your baby in one or two layers more than you would wear yourself for the current weather. That applies whether you are outdoors or indoors. You should also put a hat on them to retain warmth [1].
How to bathe your newborn
Don’t bathe your baby earlier than 24 hours after birth [1]. You have to avoid getting the umbilical cord wet for a few days [2], so it’s easier to gently wipe your baby’s skin with a sponge, washcloth, or baby wipes.
How to care for the umbilical cord and navel
In the hospital or birthing center, the umbilical cord is cut with sterile scissors and cared for by nurses or health professionals who wear sterile gloves. Once you are home, your job is to keep what’s left of the cord clean and dry until it falls off.
The umbilical stump can be the entryway to harmful bacteria, so it needs to be protected. Make sure your baby’s diaper is clean and dry and does not cover their belly button. If their belly gets wet or dirty, wash it with soap and water and blot it dry with a clean cloth. You can then apply an antiseptic like chlorhexidine [2].
Note that with a home birth or a delivery that occurs in a non-sterile environment, there is a higher risk of infection. In those cases, you may need to treat the umbilical cord with chlorhexidine or another antimicrobial agent. Call your doctor if the area becomes red or swollen or if you notice pus or discharge [2].
How to change their first diaper
During the first two days, your baby will only pass meconium, which is the first feces that were in their intestines before birth. Meconium is very dark almost black — and viscous. Newborns will pass these stools once or twice a day.
On the third day, their bowel movements will become more frequent and have a green color, signaling that your baby is digesting breast milk for the first time. By day five, you can expect your baby to poop three times a day, and it will have a yellowish color.
When changing a diaper, you can wipe your baby’s skin with baby wipes or wash their bottom with warm water.
If you see red marks (and sometimes fine granules) in your baby’s diaper, it’s likely the result of a concentration of uric acid, which means their urine is too concentrated. It happens most often in fully breastfed babies and can appear once or twice during the first days after birth [3]. As you breastfeed your baby more often, their urine will be less concentrated, and the red bits or granules will disappear.
