Newborn

votre nouveau-né

Your Newborn

Knowing what to expect when you have a newborn can ease the anxiety that every new parent feels and give you confidence as you bond with your new baby. Here you'll find advice and information on everything from bathing and feeding your baby to establishing good sleep habits, interpreting your baby's cries, and knowing when to call the doctor.

Newborns: The Early Weeks

Newborn Baby Health & Safety

Newborn Baby Care & Feeding

1. He looks a bit funny

Far from the pictures of chubby babies you’re used to seeing on every magazine cover, website and pamphlet you’ve read throughout your pregnancy, your newborn’s looks may come as a surprise.

He’ll be quite red and wrinkly and may even sport a fine covering of hair over his body called “lanugo” (this will go away over time). And if you had a vaginal birth, his face may look a little squashed. He’ll smooth out soon enough though.

2. The first poo will surprise you

For the first few days your baby’s stools consist of meconium, a sticky greenish black substance that lined your baby’s intestines during pregnancy. To clean it up, wipe your baby’s bottom with a ball of cotton wool dipped in water and coat your baby’s bottom in petroleum jelly so that it’s easier to remove the next time.

3. He will be hungry

Don’t be talked into giving your baby cereal in his bottle by well-meaning family “to help him feel full” – your baby is going to need a feed every two to three hours and starting him on solids early is very dangerous.

“After birth your baby will need sustenance to grow and develop and since his tummy is still very small, he will take in enough nutrition to see him through just a few hours before needing another feed,” says baby expert and coauthor of Sleep Sense Meg Faure.

4. He won't sleep through the night

Yes, your new baby will sleep a lot. But he’ll also wake up a lot. “Newborns will wake at night as much as they do during the day for nutritional reasons. The newborn baby has been used to having nutrition ‘on tap’,” says Meg. Expect your baby to wake up as often as every two to three hours in these early days to feed.

5. He can't see very far

For the first few weeks of his life, your baby can only focus on objects 20 to 30cm in front of him. This actually encourages your bonding as it’s just about the exact distance between his face and yours while you feed him.

Newborn Baby Sleep