What a change when you leave mom's belly! It goes from a warm place, where there is hardly any noise or light, to the stressful outside world. And although the calm in which the baby was wrapped in the womb will not return, but we can try to approach. Today we are going to see how to make the transition to the outside world not so traumatic and have the baby wonder if he's really out of mom's belly.
Because nobody really likes sudden changes, and what a more radical change that occurs when leaving an environment in which you have developed for nine months to go to a totally unknown and different one. Because it is possible to achieve with small steps that the baby feels better, more clothed, more protected, more warm. These are our tips to make the newborn calm.
And it is that the moment of birth is already a great stress for the baby, but it is shown that the more humanized the birth, the less traumatic the birth will be. That is why more and more hospitals choose to offer a welcoming environment: a quiet dilation room, with dim light, in which the mother feels comfortable and has freedom of movement ...
The room is also tempered for the expulsive or it is tried that there is not too much noise or light and, of course, the ideal is that the delivery is as little instrumentalized as possible while the health of the mother and the baby is guaranteed. That is ideal in the hospital (or at home, in a much friendlier environment to reproduce the appropriate warm conditions) before the baby is born.
And once outside, how to make him feel at home? Something like those babies who do not realize they were born ... Of course, out of the amniotic bag they will be noticed and we will see how to make them as calm as possible.
How to calm the newborn
Skin with skin. It is one of the steps for happy breastfeeding and also for the happy baby. As soon as you are born, it is recommended to leave the baby on the mother's bare chest, so that it is hot, so that she smells her skin, the colostrum and approaches the breast instinctively until she begins to breastfeed thanks to the sucking reflex. Of course, the father can also do skin to skin with the baby at any time and offer that warmth, that calm, that beat of the nearby heart.
Breastfeeding. Breastfeeding is not only the best food for the baby, and therefore recommended by the WHO exclusively up to two years, with countless benefits for him and the mother. It provides you with much more than defenses, health and food when you come into close contact with the mother, while still feeling her heat and smell closely.
No mother-baby separation, not recommended after childbirth, since it interrupts the bond at a crucial moment of perception for the baby and hormonal preparation of the mother for breastfeeding. Psychologically, early uninterrupted contact encourages the mother and child to get used to each other. Therefore, medical interventions that are not essential in these first moments of life should be delayed as much as possible.
Warm baby. When they are born, it is important to maintain the body temperature of the newborn; Babies born in rooms with low temperatures may experience marked drops in body temperature and consequently metabolic problems. As we have said, decreases in the body temperature of the newborn can be avoided by ensuring direct skin-to-skin contact. Once at home, it is convenient to keep the home at a warm temperature.
Low light. Especially in the first moments of life the baby will be disturbed by the light. Although not seeing well, the impact of the exterior light, accustomed to the gloom of the uterus, is very large. Therefore, it is advisable to keep soft lights as much as possible and to protect it from the sun very well outdoors. At home you have to try to differentiate day and night (do not sleep during the day completely in the dark) but that does not mean that you have to receive direct or intense light.
Without noises. In the same way that light barely passed through the uterus, the sounds come very muffled. Therefore, birth is a strong impact of new, raucous, unknown and released sounds. We will try not to have big noises around them, talk to them in a leisurely voice, do not play loud music ...
About mom or dad, in arms, in the baby carrier, next to them to sleep ... The closeness of mom and dad will continue to strengthen the bond with the baby and he will feel safer, calmer. They are the clearest reference he will recognize, their voices and little by little their faces are already familiar to him.
Take care of the baby as soon as he cries. The baby is communicating through crying, specifically asking us for help and how we act will depend on his future. Sometimes it will cost us more to calm him down, others will be easier, but it has been proven: you have to take care of the baby because his first life experiences determine his brain development.
Wrap it gently to sleep face up, leaving the head well uncovered and providing support and warmth (but not excessive heat), respecting the recommendations to prevent sudden death.
Move the baby slowly, gently, since he is very sensitive to sudden changes in position and he cannot stand on his own but depends on others. The baby must be held so that he does not startle, with gentle movements, warning them that we are going to move him, with the head always well held ...
Notify of your presence. In relation to the previous point, the baby can be scared if we suddenly move him or he hears us next to him without noticing that we were arriving. Therefore, there is nothing better than talking to them softly when we approach and thus prepare them not to take a start.
Sing nannies, the songs in the mouth of mom and dad are the most relaxing and will help them calm down and sleep better, these melodies from time immemorial have helped many babies fall asleep and all people feel better. In addition to babies it provides many benefits in terms of brain development.
Play music. There are babies who relax with any type of music, but in general classical, melodic, soft-paced music and of course not at too much volume is a great stimulus for the baby and helps you to be calmer. And although it is likely that fetuses do not get sounds from outside, we do not lose hope and if we start playing music during pregnancy, will it calm them more if, once born, they already recognize it when they were in mom?
We hope that with love and much patience you make the newborn calmer, the main thing is to keep calm ourselves, since otherwise we will be transmitting our nervousness to the baby and it will be more difficult for us to react adequately to unforeseen events or simple tiredness. Calm Dads, Calm Babies.
Photos | iStock
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