Pregnancy Questions

Bath your baby when she is calm and relaxed. The evening can be a great time as babies tend to sleep well afterwards, so you can also make the most out of getting some sleep. Make sure the room is warm and you are prepared with everything that you need for the bath and to get baby washed, dried and dressed.

Your baby will have a stump where the umbilical cord has been cut. The cord clamp will be removed at around day 3. This cord will then begin to dry out and shrivel up and it will fall off around day 10. There may be a few drops of blood when this happens. It may also be a little smelly. Clean with warm water on a cloth or in a bath and dry well afterwards to help with healing. The nappy can sit high over the cord.

After birth, mothers can resume back to their normal diet. It’s important to eat a varied and healthy diet whilst breastfeeding, including getting a balanced source of protein, calcium, iron and folate. It is important to drink plenty of water in order to keep hydrated as breastfeeding mothers need more fluid during this time. There is no evidence that certain foods need to be avoided, however caffeine does cross into the breastmilk, so large amount of tea, coffee and other caffeinated drinks should be avoided.