Temperature
A newborn baby's temperature should be between 36.5 °C and 37.5 °C. In the first 24 hours after the birth your baby can find that hard to manage, so take the temperature a few times on that first day.
If it is below 36.5 °C, put a hat and an extra layer on your baby, hold it skin to skin against you and take the temperature again an hour later. If it stays below 36.5 °C, or rises above 37.5 °C, call us.
Feeding
If you are breastfeeding, you can put your baby to the breast as soon as it makes smacking sounds. Feed often in the first few days, so that your milk supply gets going well. There should never be more than 6 hours between two feeds.
If you are bottle feeding, you can give the first bottle of 30 ml a few hours after the birth. There should be at most 4 hours between two feeds; your baby often lets you know sooner that it is ready for the next one.
The packaging of the formula tells you how to make it up. The maternity nurse can explain it to you as well.
In the first 24 hours newborn babies are often queasy and do not want to feed well. That is normal and no cause for worry. A baby has reserves and may lose up to 10% of its birth weight in the first days. If you are unsure, do call us.
Wet and dirty nappies
The first stool is called meconium: black-green and sticky. After a few days the stool becomes yellower and softer. Meanwhile the number of wet nappies goes up: one on the first day, three on the third day and five to six a day from the fifth day. If your baby wets or dirties clearly fewer nappies, call us.
Jaundice
From the third day many babies look slightly yellow, because the liver still has to get going. It usually passes by itself and frequent feeding helps; we keep an eye on it during the maternity week. Call us if your baby already looks yellow in the first 24 hours, if the yellow deepens or reaches the legs, or if your baby is drowsy and feeds poorly.
Grunting
Does your baby grunt with every breath, or look pale or grey? Then call us straight away. Short grunting noises in its sleep are part of the picture.