Mother's tips for newborn care

Strapping our newborn daughter into her car seat for the first time was our wakeup call that we were indeed amateurs. After 10 minutes of struggling with the seat belt, we realized the infant carrier she was nestled in was facing the wrong direction. Fortunately, we came to this conclusion prior to driving off with our tiny, precious package. Four children later, we look back and laugh at that scenario. The first newborn many come in contact with is their own. Most have very little practice with newborn care. Babies actually are pretty resilient creatures. They have to be to put up with their new students. We learned more from trial and error than from anything else, simply due to the nature of children. Each little bundle has its own set of rules. Unbeknown to us, she would have needs that weren't in any of the baby books we had read. As far as diapering, umbilical cord care, circumcision care and feeding basics go, you'll find all of it in "How to care for your Newborn" or "Baby's first year" books. The lessons we were taught by our children and not by our pediatrician are the topics for this discussion.

Poop that goes from black, to green, to yellow - What? Yeah, the first time I saw black poop was in the hospital, when the nurse explained that our daughters "first few bowel movements" would be black due to the meconium in her intestines. That was her attempt to get a blank look from a new mother. Moving along to the green poop, this is when the meconium is mostly gone and your baby is beginning to digest breast milk. Watch out for the yellow poop, that stuff is like liquid missiles. Open the diaper at the wrong time and you'll decorate the nearest object, which could be yourself. This leads me to address your position while diapering. Always stand at baby's side, thus preventing the possibility of becoming a poop target. However, standing at the side poses its own risks, if you are diapering a baby boy. We learned this with the second, third and fourth. It is wise to have the new diaper open and placed over your sons fire hose, prior to opening the soiled diaper, complete the standard procedure for diaper changing, then slip the diaper under his bottom and secure without ever exposing him to cool air. In the event he get's diaper rash, going diaper less for 15 minutes after each diaper change will allow his skin to dry completely. However, always lay him on his front, unless of course you'd enjoy cleaning the ceiling. Baby poop will remain mustard yellow