Pregnancy Questions

Having a newborn can be tiring and overwhelming.

Try to get as much sleep as you can, limit visitors so that you don’t feel too overwhelmed. If you have friends and family offering to make food and do chores, take them up on the offer.

It is common that on day 3-5 new mothers may feel teary and overwhelmed and it is due to the hormone levels changing rapidly. These symptoms usually go away after a few days.

If these symptoms don’t go away then talk to your health care professional as they will be able to help and support you.

Before putting your baby to bed have some quiet, calm cuddles. Try to put her to bed whilst she is still awake, but sleepy so that she associates going to sleep with being in bed. It’s normal for babies to grizzle when they’re first put down so try to give them time to settle.

You could pat, stoke or talk quietly to them to help soothe them a little more. Some baby’s need to be rocked or fed to sleep, this is also fine but may mean that you will need to do this when they wake in the night as well.

When your baby wakes in the night try feeding quietly, changing their nappy and settling them back to sleep, avoid too much stimulation.

Following your baby’s cues is important so that she doesn’t get over tired or too hungry- this can make for a really upset and difficult to manage baby. A baby tends to get tired after any activity- feeding, nappy changing or after a bath. Signs that your newborn is tired include clenching their fists, tense or jerky movements, arching backwards, and yawning, becoming grizzly, having trouble focusing and starling easily.

A baby isn’t born with a circadian rhythm or body clock- meaning they don’t know when it is day and night. To help your baby get used to this you can keep the curtains open during the day whilst also continuing to keep your everyday noises normal- vacuuming, speaking and showering as you normally would. At night time keep the lights low and quiet, try not to play and talk to your baby while feeding them.

If your baby has reflux it can help to feed them in an upright position and to keep them upright after their feed. Many parents find that putting baby on their shoulder keeps them happier. It can be distressing for parents, but know that for the majority of cases reflux will resolve itself. Current evidence suggests that there is no benefit to propping up a baby’s cot or that using a wedge or a pillow will be helpful.

For more information visit www.reflux.org.au