It’s normal for your baby to sneeze often. Because the hair inside his nose hasn’t grown enough, he may sneeze up to 12 times a day to eliminate secretions that interfere with his breathing. It’s not because he has a cold.
Your baby may also get the hiccups, especially after feeding. This isn’t serious. It won’t hurt him and the hiccups stop by themselves in a few minutes. Putting him back on the breast may also end his hiccups.
Newborns need warmth but not too much. They shouldn’t perspire. If the room temperature is comfortable for you, it is for him too. A temperature between 20°C (68°F) and 22°C (72°F) is appropriate. Use light blankets; add and remove them according to the temperature. Don’t wrap him up too much.
A baby who is drinking enough will urinate regularly. His urine is pale yellow and has no detectable smell. During the first week of life, he will urinate more and more often. By day 5, he will be wetting at least 6 diapers a day.
During the first 2 or 3 days, your baby will eliminate the residue remaining in his intestines from before he was born. The stools will be very dark and sticky: this is meconium.
Afterwards, the stools will be yellowish, greenish or brownish.
Your baby starts “talking” to you from birth onward. She cries, moans, babbles, wriggles and sometimes sucks intensely. By paying attention to all this, you are communicating with your baby. You can also talk to her with loving words; tell her what you are doing as you take care of her.
Babies can’t communicate with words, so they use crying as one way of expressing themselves. All babies cry and it’s normal. Some cry more than others. Crying tends to increase starting in the second week of life. It reaches a peak around the sixth week and usually decreases by the third or fourth month.
All newborns have the reflex to suck. Sucking the breast is natural and ideal for your baby. It is more satisfying than any replacement.
Touch is the first sense a baby develops while in the uterus, from rubbing against the walls of the uterus or from feeling you stroke your belly to make contact. For newborns, feeding time is a comforting, reassuring, and special time you spend together.
Newborns already have a sense of taste and smell. Very early on, they are able to recognize their mother by her smell.
The scent of milk draws your baby to the nipple to satisfy her hunger. Sucking gives her an intense feeling of well-being. The taste of breast milk can vary depending on the mother’s diet.
Government of Quebec
Government of Quebec
