Caring For Your Baby

SIDS

SIDS, or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, is the sudden or unexplained death of a baby under one year old. It typically occurs while the baby is asleep. While you can never fully reduce the risk of SIDS, here are some steps you can take to prevent SIDS for your baby.

  • Alone. Your baby should always sleep by themselves. Not in bed with others.
  • Back. Always lay your baby on their back when sleeping, not on their tummy or side.
  • Crib. Keep your baby's crib clear of any extra blankets, stuffed animals, or pillows.

Shaken Baby

Crying is the #1 reason parents shake and hurt their baby. Shaking a baby can cause blindness, seizures, learning disabilities, physical disabilities, and death.

It is okay to put your baby down in a safe place. It is okay to ask for help.

PURPLE Crying

The letters in PURPLE stand for:

  • Peak of Crying. Your baby may cry more each week, the most in month 2, then less in months 3-5.
  • Unexpected. Crying can come and go, and you don't know why.
  • Resists Soothing. Your baby may not stop crying no matter what you try.
  • Pain-Like Face. A crying baby may look like they are in pain, even when they are now.
  • Long Lasting. Crying can last as much as 5 hours a day or more.
  • Evening. Your baby may cry more in the late afternoon and evening.

Early increased crying is normal. Ways to comfort your baby include:

  • Check to see if your baby is hungry, tired, or needs a diaper change.
  • Walk and sing with your baby.
  • Give your baby a warm bath.
  • Take your baby for a ride in the car.
  • Hold your baby skin-to-skin.

You may be able to reduce crying, but soothing won't work all the time. This crying may frustrate you because your baby is crying more than expected, it is harder than you thought, your baby won't stop crying no matter what you try, you feel like a bad parent or you are doing something wrong, you are tired and feel guilty you can't take care of your baby, or you feel like a failure.

Just remember, feeling angry or upset is okay. It is what you do with your anger that is important.

Tell everyone who might care for your baby about the period of PURPLE crying to ensure they have a plan as well.

Car Seats

It is required that all newborns are discharged in a car seat. Here is some more information to ensure you are using your baby's car seat correctly.

Selecting the Right Car Seat

All children must use a car seat, booster seat, or seat belt depending on their age, height and weight. For help picking the right car seat, please visit the Ultimate Car Seat Guide.

When to Replace a Child Safety Seat

At Faith Health, we recommend after any car crash that you call the manufacturer of your child safety seat to get their recommendations for replacing a child safety seat. This is true even if the child was not in the seat at the time of the crash. If it your responsibility to let your insurance provider know if you need to replace a child seat as many will cover the replacement cost. If you need further assistance replacing your child safety seat, please contact Faith Health at (402) 644-7520.

The U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA) recommends parents and caregivers check with the child seat manufacturer with any concerns about needing to replace the child safety seat after a minor crash. The agency recognizes that minor crashes are unlikely to affect the child seat performance. It is the responsibility of the parent or caregiver to continue to use the child safety seat properly.

What is a Minor Crash?

A minor crash is defined by the NHTSA as one in which ALL of the following apply:

  • A visual inspection of the child safety seat, including inspection under any easily movable seat padding, does not reveal any cracks or deformation that might have been caused by the crash.
  • The vehicle in which the child safety seat was installed was capable of being driven from the scene of the crash.
  • The vehicle door nearest the child safety seat was undamaged.
  • There were no injuries to any of the vehicle occupants.
  • The airbags (if any) did not deploy.

Crashes that meet all of these criteria are much less severe than dynamic testing requirements for compliance with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 213 and are highly unlikely to affect future child safety seat performance. Therefore, caregivers can be confident that the child restraint involved in the minor crash will continue to provide a high level of protection for your child.

For situations where ANY of the criteria has not been met, or if there is any uncertainty whether damage to the seat has occurred, it is best to replace the seat. To see the NHTSA policy, visit www.nhtsa.dot.gov.

Car Seat Inspections

Did you know 4 out of 5 child safety seats are incorrectly installed? Get your car seat checked by trained child passenger safety experts at:

  • Norfolk GM Auto Center on the 1st Tuesday of every month from 5:30 - 7:30 PM
  • Norfolk Fire Division on the 3rd Tuesday of every month from 3:30 - 6:30 PM

Circumcision

A circumcision is the surgical removal of foreskin, the circular flap of skin that covers the head of the penis. This is a medically optional procedure, and parental consent must be given to be performed on your baby. Risks include infection, injury, bleeding and pain. However, if you decide to have this procedure done on your baby, we can offer pain management of a block, topical or oral medication. If you have any questions about this procedure, please talk with your provider. To care for your baby's circumcision area:

  • Apply Vaseline to the diaper area to avoid sticking. Clean with warm water and soap. It should heal in about a week.

Cord Care

After your baby's cord is cut, here are some tips to care for the cord left attached to their belly button:

  • Allow the cord stump to air dry and clean the skin around the base with soap and water daily.
  • Notify your doctor if you detect redness, pus-like drainage, or odor around the cord stump. 
  • It will usually fall off in 2-4 weeks.

Skin-to-Skin Health Benefits

Being skin-to-skin with your baby has many health benefits for both of you. These include:

  • keeps your baby warmer
  • regulates baby's breathing
  • keeps their blood sugar levels higher
  • enhances bonding
  • improves your sleep
  • reduces baby's cries
  • improves baby's gut health and immunity
  • reduces postpartum depression
  • increases your milk supply
  • keeps your baby warmer

We also encourage you to take advantage of the sacred hour as this is a special time for you and your baby. During this hour, we encourage:

  • no visitors
  • the mother to keep baby skin-to-skin
  • if breastfeeding, to initiate as soon as possible

Newborn Elimination

Once you start to feed your baby after birth, here is what you can expect for diaper frequency.

  • Breastfed babies should have a wet diaper for each day of age until your milk is in. Then, your baby should have six wet diapers and 3-4 yellow, seedy stools a day.
  • Bottle-fed babies should have at least 4-6 wet diapers each day and should stool at least every 2-3 days.
  • Stools will vary according to feedings, but should not be watery.
  • Changing your baby's diaper frequently and keeping the diaper area clean helps alleviate diaper rash. Girls and boys should be wiped from front to back.

Keeping Your Newborn Healthy

After birth, Faith Health is here to keep your baby healthy as well with local pediatric providers on staff. We also recommend following these tips to keep your baby healthy after birth:

  • Give your baby a sponge bath and shampoo with mild soap every 2-3 days. Their first bath will be given no sooner than 4-6 hours after delivery to promote your bonding & breastfeeding experience.
  • Avoid large crowds for a few weeks.
  • Wash hands or sanitize with alcohol-based sanitizer before handing or holding your baby.