You and your baby

In the first few days, you and your baby will be getting to know each other. It may take time for both of you to get the hang of breastfeeding.

This happens more quickly for some women than others. But nearly all women produce enough milk for their baby.

It’s good to find out as much as you can about breastfeeding before you have your baby. It will help you feel more confident when you start breastfeeding your baby. Read more about breastfeeding here.

You are able to bottle feed your baby with expressed breast milk or infant formula.

Expressing milk means squeezing milk out of your breast so you can store it and feed it to your baby later.

You can express milk by hand or with a breast pump. How often you express your milk, and how much you express, will depend on why you are doing it.

If you’re expressing breast milk because your baby is premature or sick, ask the hospital staff caring for your baby for advice.

Learn more about expressing breast milk.

Formula milk, also known as baby formula or infant formula, is usually made from cows’ milk that has been treated to make it more suitable for babies.

There’s a wide range of different formula brands and types in the shops. Always check labels carefully to make sure you’re buying a suitable milk for your baby.

Formula milk provides babies with the nutrients they need to grow and develop. However, it doesn’t have the same health benefits as breast milk for you and your baby, for example, it can’t protect your baby from infections.

It is normal for babies to cry. Crying begins to gradually increase from two weeks. In the first month, periods of crying will become longer, reaching a peak when your baby is around two months old. Persistent crying in babies can be very stressful for new parents. Remember you can cope!

There are several methods of comforting your baby that can help, but if the crying is getting to you and the baby is safe, it is ok to walk away. Never, ever shake a baby. It can cause lasting brain damage or death.

Speak to someone if you need support, such as your family, friends, midwife, GP or Health Visitor. Visit www.iconcope.org for more information. You can download and edit a support resource download and edit a support resource here.

Shortly after birth, the midwife will clamp your baby’s umbilical cord with a plastic clip, close to the belly button. The midwife or your birth partner will then cut the cord – leaving a small part, with the clamp attached.

The cord takes about a week to dry out and drop off. Keep it clean and dry until it does. If you notice any bleeding or discharge, tell your midwife, health visitor or GP.

On the top of your baby’s head, near the front, is a diamond-shaped patch where the skull bones haven’t fused together yet. There is another, smaller, soft spot towards the back of their head. These are called the fontanelles.

It will probably be a year or more before the bones close over. There’s no need to worry about touching or washing the fontanelles because they are covered by a tough protective membrane.

Quite often, a newborn baby’s breasts are a little swollen and ooze some milk, whether they are a boy or a girl.

Both boys’ and girls’ genitals often appear swollen initially but will look normal within a few weeks. Baby girls also sometimes bleed a bit or have a white, cloudy discharge from the vagina.

All this is caused by hormones passing from you to your baby before birth. There’s no need to be concerned.

Boys’ testicles develop inside their body and sometimes take a while to descend into the scrotum. A health professional will check whether they have descended as part of the newborn physical examination.

At birth, the top layer of your baby’s skin is very thin and easily damaged. Over the first month, or longer for premature babies, your baby’s skin matures and develops its own natural protective barrier.

Vernix , the white sticky substance that covers your baby’s skin while in the womb, should always be left to absorb naturally. It’s a natural moisturiser that also protects your baby against infection in the first few days. If your baby is overdue, their skin may be dry and cracked. This is because all the protective vernix has been absorbed before they were born.

It’s best to bath your baby with plain water only for at least the first month. If you need to, you can also use some mild, non-perfumed soap. Avoid skin lotions, medicated wipes or adding cleansers to your baby’s bath water.

Don’t use any creams or lotions, as they may do more harm than good. The top layer of your baby’s skin will peel off over the next few days, leaving perfect skin underneath.

If your baby has been cared for in the neonatal unit, staff will advise you on skincare.

When they’re about 3 days old, some babies develop mild jaundice. This will make their skin and the whites of their eyes look a bit yellow. It’s caused by pigments released during the breakdown of old red blood cells.

It’s more common in babies delivered by forceps or ventouse. It usually fades on its own within about 10 days, but more severe jaundice may need treatment. If you are worried, please contact your midwife. Find out more about newborn jaundice here. 

If your baby develops jaundice in their first 24 hours, they should be checked by a health professional straight away.

The most common birthmarks in newborns are the little pink or red V-shaped marks on the forehead, upper eyelids or neck that some people call “stork marks” or “salmon patches”. They gradually fade, but it may be a few months before they disappear completely.

Dark red and slightly raised “strawberry marks” (infantile haemangioma) are quite common. They sometimes appear a few days after birth and gradually get bigger. They may take a while to go away, but they usually disappear gradually. You can read more about birthmarks here.

Spots and rashes are very common in newborn babies. They may come and go, but if you also notice a change in your baby’s behaviour – for example, if your baby isn’t feeding well, or is very sleepy or very irritable – tell your midwife or GP immediately.

It’s common for a newborn baby to have some swelling and bruises on their head, and perhaps bloodshot eyes.

This is caused by squeezing and pushing during birth, and is particularly common in babies who have been delivered by forceps or ventouse. It will soon disappear but, if you’re worried, you can ask your midwife about it.

Your newborn’s eyes will be checked shortly after birth as part of their newborn physical examination. New babies can see, but their vision isn’t very focused. Their eyesight develops gradually over the first few months.

By the time your baby is 2 weeks old, you’ll probably notice their eyes following your face or a colourful object held about 20cm away. If they don’t seem to be doing this, mention it to your health visitor or GP.

Recovering from giving birth vaginally can take anything from a few days up to a few months. Many women feel back to normal around 6-8 weeks after the birth. You can find advice about stitches, piles, bleeding and other physical changes after birth, plus tips to help you make a healthy recovery.

Recovering from a caesarean birth may take longer. You may be in hospital for a few days after a caesarean section, and may need to take things easy for several weeks. Read more about recovering from a caesarean section.

Very occasionally, women can develop signs and symptoms of more serious problems following baby’s birth. If you experience any of the following you should seek help immediately:

• Sudden and heavy blood loss or persistent increasing blood loss
• Fever, raised temperature, shivering, abdominal pain and/or offensive vaginal loss.
• Headaches accompanied by one or more of the following symptoms within the first 72 hours of birth:
  • Visual disturbance
  • Nausea, vomiting
• Calf pain, redness or swelling
• Shortness of breath or chest pain

Gentle exercises to support your back and pelvic floor are important after birth.

There are no rules about when to start having sex again after you have given birth. It might be some time before you want to have sex and this is perfectly normal. If you or your partner have any worries, talk about them together. You can talk with your health visitor or GP if you need some more help.

It is important to be aware that you can get pregnant as little as 3 weeks after the birth of a baby, even if you’re breastfeeding and your periods haven’t started again. It is therefore important to use some kind of contraception every time you have sex after giving birth. Many methods of contraception can be started straight after the birth of your baby so that you’re prepared. Don’t wait for your periods to return or until you have your postnatal check before you use contraception as you could get pregnant again before then.

You’ll usually have a chance to discuss contraception before you leave hospital after your baby is born, and again at your postnatal check. Read more about sex and contraception after birth.

If you are under 25 you can access routine contraception from Hope House, for further information please visit the Hope House website. Alternatively, you can make an appointment at your GP surgery if you would prefer.

If you are over 25 then you will need to make an appointment at your GP surgery.