Priceless information for your first week as a new parent

Everything is ready: cradle or cot, changing table, playpen and pram. But how are you going to do it? There is really no right or wrong, as long as your baby is nice and warm. That can also just be on your chest or in the arms of your partner. In the beginning, a baby can have difficulties sleeping in their cradle or cot, especially during nighttime. It is recommended to practice sleeping in the cradle or cot during daytime, so your baby can get used to it. For you is laying in your bed during the first couple of days very much recommended as well! Even though you may still be hyper with emotions and adrenaline when you just come home with your baby it is good to give your body a lot of rest. You and the baby need rest to recover from childbirth.

After birth, all babies receive an umbilical clamp. This is to ensure that the remainder of the umbilical cord falls off. The umbilical stump, part of the neavel cord, dries out after a few days. It becomes increasingly harder and black in color and eventually it falls off by itself. The umbilical tube dries fastest when air is added. You can simply wash the stump with water. After that, dry it gently, making sure the diaper doesn't cover the belly button. Some babies have a piece of repair tissue behind. At the clinic they can mark this with silver nitrate so that it disappears. Babies can also suffer from a bleeding navel at first, but that is not harmful. If the wound remains open for too long, the clinic will refer you to the doctor.

Half of all newborn babies will see a little yellow in the first week after birth. This is because the liver is not fully ripe yet. Babies with jaundice often first see yellow on the face, then discolor also the abdomen, back and limbs. If it takes longer, the whites of the eyes can also turn yellow. They are often 'yellowest' between day three and day five after birth. After that, the yellowish color usually disappears on its own. Daylight is the best remedy. In breastfed babies jaundice can last a little longer, sometimes as long as a few weeks. This is also called breast milk jaundice. This is at its peak between the tenth and twentieth day after birth, but can also last for two to three months. As long as your child is drinking well, gaining enough weight, is alert and has enough diapers, nothing is wrong, you can continue breastfeeding and you will see that the jaundice will go away on its own.

*the use of the word “her” also refers to “him” in the text of the entire website. This choice is made for readability