Tips for New Moms - Taking Care of Your Newborn Baby

The other day I read a question on a message from a new mother-to-be.  She was only 17, about to give birth, and had no one to give her advice or help her with the baby.  She was scared to death.  As a seasoned mother of two and a grandmother of four, I felt compelled to  I write back with a few things I learned a long time ago when I had my first child. . . 

I remember when I was pregnant with my first child.  I knew nothing about babies (I did have a mother and a large network of helpful friends and relatives to call on if needed, but I was determined to show them I knew what to do and could do it myself).  I had been reading Dr. Spock's book on baby and child care for months.  I felt I had the 'book knowledge' I needed and hoped the 'practical' knowledge would just be there.

A few hours after giving birth, I walked to the newborn nursery and looked in the window at all the tiny babies and the nurses who were caring for them.  I was fascinated by the activity, and over the next few days of my hospital stay I spent hours at the window,  just watching.  I took in everything that was happening behind the scenes - diapering, bathing, feeding, burping, dressing.  I noticed how relaxed the nurses were while handling the screaming, wiggly, tiny babies.  They handled them like they wouldn't break. I was amazed at how they did everything so casually.   It gave me confidence that I could care for my baby just as well as they were.

Here are a few of the things I remember thinking:

• THEY WON'T BREAK.   You can handle them, bathe and clothe them, feed nd burp them and you really won't hurt the tiny beings.  Just keep a firm but gentle hold on them at all times as they are slippery when wet and very wiggly most of the time.  You can carefully bend tiny arms and legs to get them into their clothing and they really won't break.  Just be gentle.