If you’re new to this whole being a mum or dad business and you’re losing your head over a ton of things to think about and figure out, don’t worry, we’ve all been there before! We’ve got to figure out feeding, car seats, sleeping areas, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS, and that’s a big wrecker of nerves), having people visit, and all those are just a few things that concern baby! We haven’t even gotten to mum’s needs yet.
Your first week with baby will definitely be tough, but you’re in this together with your spouse and you’ll pull through. Just imagine what they’ll be like when they’re teenagers! Here are 8 things that new parents usually do wrong with baby:
1. Keeping to a Feeding Schedule
It’s only the first week! Don’t come up with a feeding schedule for them yet. Baby’s first job is to eat a lot and grow a lot; although they may lose some weight in their first week due to shedding of ‘water weight’, they’ll quickly pile on the baby fats soon enough!
It’s better to feed baby on demand rather than keep to a schedule – this will ensure that baby is well-fed and helps in establishing your milk supply. Make sure that baby doesn’t go more than 4 or 5 hours between feeds. They’ll usually tell you when they’re hungry, so keep an eye and ear out for their cues!
2. Trying to Remove the Umbilical Cord’s Stub
Okay, no. Just… no. Don’t fiddle with or poke the stub of the umbilical cord because you think that it looks weird on baby. You might cause undue discomfort to baby or, even worse, cause it to get infected! The stub will dry up and fall off on its own, so don’t khe kiang and pull it out!
What you should be doing is looking for signs of infection – pus, inflammation or swelling – and cleaning around the stub. Use a damp cloth or scentless baby wipe to clean around the area and then dry it off before putting the diaper on them. Make sure that you fold down the top of the diaper so it won’t rub against the stub too.
Continue reading on the next page...
3. Following Breastfeeding Positions 100%
Mums of newborns follow almost everything to the letter, and breastfeeding is one of them. You don’t need to suffer in an awkward position to breastfeed baby; all that does is make you ache a lot more than you already are aching, and might even cause you stress while you’re feeding.
What you can do is to adjust those breastfeeding positions and holds to make them as comfortable for you while still being safe for baby. Use pillows to lift baby up and cushions to increase the comfort factor for yourself.
4. Having a Whole Lot of Visitors
When you’re back from the hospital, your family and friends will definitely want to visit baby and you, but that’s actually not what you should do (at least not for the moment)! Baby’s immune system is still developing, and they’re prone to falling sick because of germs – and the more people that visit you, the more germs they’ll bring with them.
Mums will also need to recover from the birth and both parents will be getting used to the routine of having baby at home, so any visitors around might place undue stress on the household! Make sure that anyone who’s sick is kept far away from you and baby, and should only visit after they’ve fully recovered – they’ll have to deal with videocalls or facetime in the meantime.
Continue reading on the next page...
5. Turning Into a Hermit
This sounds contradictory and at odds with the previous point, but heading out to enjoy a bit of sunshine is great for both baby and mum! If baby still has a bit of jaundice, be extra careful about letting the sun shine on them – their skin will be more sensitive to the effects of sunlight.
Heading out for a short while with baby (morning sunlight is the best!) helps mum feel like she’s part of the world too, and not just resting at home. It’ll also help her keep postpartum depression at bay – being active is one of the best ways to fight depression.
6. Shouldering The Burden By Yourself
One of the biggest mistakes that a new mum does wrong is assuming that she can handle everything by herself. If you’re struggling or have any questions about caring for baby, check with your family and friends on how they took care of their own babies.
An alternative would be to join Facebook groups specifically for mummies, such as 2018 SG Mummys, a closed group where Singaporean mums are able to share tips and tricks, as well as having an open space for discussion and support. If you have a surplus of breastmilk or require more of it, you can either donate or ask the mummies there for donations!
Continue reading on the next page...
7. Not Keeping to a Schedule
The last point that we have slightly contradicts our first point! However, the only thing that you shouldn’t keep on a schedule is feeding – feeding should be on demand whenever baby wants it, especially when they’re going through a growth spurt.
The schedule is for creating a routine that you and your partner can get used to. For example, change their diaper when they wake up, start feeding them, burp them, play with them, and give them tummy time (after their umbilical cord stub has fallen off).
Having a routine is important for us as it actually gives us more free time! It allows us to think and plan less, and a carefully designed routine/schedule will help us prioritise important things to work on first.
However, we need to account for things that will break our baby schedules, at least in the first few months. You’ll have to be patient and understanding if baby poops more than usual or if they’ve fallen sick!
8. Comparing Yourself to Other Parents on Social Media
One thing to remember for all Facebook and Instagram posts – they only show the good moments! Don’t compare yourself to them, and especially not celebrity parents who’re able to get all those cute outfits and have perfect photoshoots.
No one is perfect, and that definitely extends to parenting. The less than pretty moments like when you both look like half-eaten, day-old cai png after the baby wrecking ball visited you the last few nights; those moments are definitely not Insta worthy and won’t get posted!
Instead, all you see are happy, smiling, make-up laden mummies with their equally cheerful babies! Rest easy, because behind all those perfect photos are parents who are going through the exact same thing that you’re going through too.
For more pregnancy and childcare tips, subscribe to our mailing list and like us on Facebook, to receive new articles for mummies like you every week!
Copyrighted Pregnancy & Baby by Mummys Market 2019