It can be difficult for a new parent to know when a baby is sick. Sometimes a parent’s concerns can be treated as a casual inquiry by medical workers who are accustomed to soothing new-mother nervousness. Mothers can begin to doubt whether or not to trust their instincts.
Fortunately, even new parents can objectively measure their baby’s health.
THE FIRST SEVEN DAYS
During the first week of life a baby should nurse at least 8 times a day for more than 15 minutes at each feeding. Listen and you should hear the baby swallowing milk. Muconium, baby’s first black sticky stool, will pass. This will transition from a black-green color to a brown doughey consistency. The color will appear yellow by the 4th or 5th day. Within 48 hours after birth, the baby will have wet diapers. By the end of this week, the frequency of wet diapers will increase to 2 or 3 per day.
A baby that is not doing well will also give hints to his condition during the first week. If a baby has no desire to nurse, has a weak suck, feeds less than 8 times per day and can’t manage to feed for at least 15 minutes, these are reasons for concern. If a baby falls asleep before nursing for 15 minutes, makes a clicking sound when nursing, and has dimpled cheeks when sucking, these are also indications that there is some difficulty. It is outside of a healthy range if the baby’s stools haven’t changed and there is no urination two days after the birth. Such symptoms persisting for two days mean your child should be seen by a health care provider.
THE FIRST MONTH
A healthy baby will continue to have healthy signs for the next month. The second to fourth week, babies continue to have two to four yellow stools and nurse eight times per day. Urine should be clear, not yellow, 6-8 times per day. The baby’s suck will gain in strength; You should see some milk at feeding and hear your baby swallowing. The baby should increase in weight and alertness.
Take special note of anything out of the ordinary: infrequent feedings, small stools or missed stools, decreased urination or bright yellow urine. Your baby should gain weight and grow longer. A baby that has a weak suck, doesn’t make swallowing noises during nursing, becomes sluggish and lacks quick responses and doesn’t sleep between feedings, is a reason for concern. If you observe these behaviors for more than two days in a row, contact a health provider for assistance.
WEEKS FIVE THROUGH TEN
During this stage, the baby’s feedings may go down to seven per day. This is due to your growing baby’s ability to hold more food. Bowel movements will continue to change and will settle into a pattern of either several small stools in a day or a large bowel movement every 2 days. This is normal for a breastfed baby as the body is able to assimilate much of mama’s milk with little waste. The wet diapers (6-8 per day) will continue in frequency, but check to be sure the urine isn’t a yellow concentrate. Along with increasing alertness, you should continue to see a strong suck, milk dribbles, and hear an audible swallowing at feeding time.
During the 5 to 10 week mark a baby that doesn’t nurse at least seven times a day and produce the right amount of wet diapers (without dark yellow color) should be watched carefully. Make a note if your child stops gaining weight or doesn’t grow in length. Weak, tired sucking without an audible swallow indicates the baby is not getting proper nourishment. If your baby becomes slow to respond, sluggish and stops sleeping between feedings, contact a health care provider. Two consecutive days of these behaviors indicate something is wrong.
KEEPING TRACK
Knowing when your baby last ate and how often can be complicated enough if you were operating on a full night’s rest. Asking this of a post-natal mama can be daunting. Have note paper and a pencil near the baby’s bed. Write down the time of each feeding and changing along with your notes. For example, you might write: “4:00 p.m., b-fed 15 min., wet diaper - clear, no poop” For clarity, you may want to start a new page each day with the date written at the top.
Should you need to confer with your doctor, you’ll be able to reference your notes for detailed information. Your notes can also help you bond more effectively with your little one. By looking over her list, even a weary mama can tell at a glance if the crying is due to hunger (too long between feedings) or constipation (hasn’t moved his bowels). In turn, you begin to interpret your baby’s cries and what they mean. In turn, the new mother gains confidence in her ability to identify and meet her child’s needs.
The BEST advice for new mamas, however, comes from not-so-new mamas. The first few weeks are to be enjoyed to their fullest. Other things can wait while you take the time to get to know your baby. In a flash, they are no longer little.
Interested in more child training tips? No Greater Joy is a ministry dedicated to helping parents bring up children they enjoy. They have written a bestseller called To Train Up A Child that has helped thousands.
