Newborn Activities in the Hospital
[Originally published 4/8/2020 @ www.teachingtheladytobe.com.]
Last week, on 4/1/20, my husband, Kurt, and I welcomed our sweet baby girl, Naomi, into the world. As is nearly always the case, the hours leading up to her birth were a big adventure. The labor lasted seven hours, during which I *may* have lost my cool for a few (read: MANY!) minutes. Ha! With each of my daughters’ birth experiences, once the babe has safely arrived and my pain is under control, Kurt and I have enjoyed many shared laughs about my (LEGIT!!!!) dramatics during delivery.] To say I was ecstatic to finally meet Naomi and to have her on my chest is an understatement!
After each of our big girls, June and Rose, were born, we welcomed our families into the delivery room to meet the new babe. They (respectfully!) only stayed a few joyous moments and then returned home. Over the next 36-48 hours that we were at the hospital during each of those two prior stays, we would be visited again by our parents, siblings, and dear friends-- and treated by delicious meals and treats. It is so fun and exciting to introduce your loved ones to the tiniest new family treasure in those first few days. Obviously, those hospital visits are not allowed at this time.
This time around, because of COVID-19, things were a little different in the hospital. Thankfully, Kurt was allowed to join me in the delivery room. Out of necessity, we broke our "Safer at Home" mandate and sent the girls to the super loving, capable hands of Kurt's brother and our sister-in-law, Kyle and Allison. Of note, for over two days, these two rockstars juggled working from home and caring for four strong-willed children between the ages of 10 months and 3.5 years!
When Kurt and I arrived to the hospital, we were greeted at the door by staff in full PPE and were screened to make sure we did not have fevers or other symptoms of the virus. Every staff person we encountered, then, was also wearing a mask. As we learned before we delivered that the hospital would be trying to limit people going in and out of the building, Kurt had packed a cooler full of food for us. We were all set with leftover frozen pizza, PB & Js, cheese and crackers, fruit, and La Croix: Kurt for the win!! In an effort to reduce spreading germs, the water, ice, juice, and coffee stations in the hallway were shut down. That was a serious bummer, as I am oddly obsessed with chewing ice (Sorry, [dentist] Dr. Max!) while pregnant and just postpartum. Because of that, we were given bottled water after bottled water. Note: Don't do what I did. I'm afraid I became a bit dehydrated on Thursday night due to all-day nursing and trying to limit water bottle usage/waste. Stay hydrated and well-fed, yo! The energy you'll gain from good nourishment over the first few weeks is so vital!
After Naomi was born, a neonatologist from within the hospital checked her out, rather than our typical pediatrician, as outside pediatricians were not making visits due to the risk of the virus. Every little procedure/test (hearing, drawing blood, etc) was done in the nursery, rather than in our room, so as to minimize new providers entering our "safe" space. Our OB team gently encouraged us to try to leave the hospital just after the initial 24 hours of Naomi's life, so as to reduce our exposure to more people coming into the room. Because Naomi's bilirubin level was a bit high at the 24-hour assessment, we did end up staying an additional night for further testing in the morning. [All is well!]
During this time inside our luxurious (seriously!) Mom and Baby Suite, then, here is a little picture of how we spent our hours. There's nothing too novel here, but I am hoping this can be helpful for some new parents welcoming their new babe into the world!
Skin-to-skin with Naomi. This is SO GOOD for the babe, and it's great for both Mama and Daddy to do. We would put Naomi in a diaper, put her bare chest up on our bare chest, recline back, and wrap a blanket over the two of us. Naomi just loved it! For the dads, especially, this is a great way to bond with new babe.
Talking face-to-face with Naomi. Newborn babies are still working on their vision. They LOVE to look at faces, and they see best about 12 inches in front of their face. Babies are especially enthralled if you make big expressions with your face. These facial expressions, combined with soft, gentle speaking, are Naomi's favorite activities to date. :)
Soft, slow massage. Here is a nice Youtube video I found that shows a few common infant massage strokes. https://www.parents.com/baby/care/newborn/how-to-massage-baby/ . Doing the "I, L, U" ("I love you") has been my go-to with my baby girls. I quietly whisper "I love you" as I do these tummy strokes.
Tummy Time! As a pediatric physical therapist, I am quite the Tummy Time fan. An expert in my field often shares that Tummy Time, in her opinion, is the "Academics of Infancy." Truly, it is THAT important for a baby to spend time on his/her tummy every day. Starting right away is key to the baby enjoying Tummy Time. Here are some good ways to start with Tummy Time on Day 1 of life:
Tummy Time on your chest: recline back in a chair/couch/bed, and have baby prone ("prone" means laying on his/her tummy) on your chest. In all of these Tummy Time positions, bring baby's arms out to the side-- but still bent at the elbow-- a bit.
Tummy Time across your lap: I like to fold one ankle over the other, and in "long sit" (knees straight) position, place your baby prone across your thighs. Have the baby's head on the "higher" side to make it a bit more enjoyable/tolerable.
Tummy Time in your arms: Practice this in seated first, so that you feel more comfortable. This is a great way to do Tummy Time, though, and baby often likes it more because you will be able to rock, sway, and walk with her like this.
A big note about Tummy Time in the newborn days: Your baby will very likely not be able to lift her head at all yet. At best, from a flat surface, she can maybe lift her head enough to turn her head to the other side. Tummy Time at this stage is not so much about the exercise for the babe as it is for getting the baby accustomed to the position. In fact, as babies are often very comfortable in this position, she may even fall asleep. If you are closely supervising your snoozing babe, this can be a lovely way for her to rest. [As you very likely know, though, when unsupervised (ie while you are also asleep), the current guideline is that baby should sleep alone, on her back, and in a crib or bassinet.]
Changing the babe's diaper. After each birth, my hospital gives me a tracking sheet that also explains approximately how many feeding sessions, poopy diapers, and wet diapers I should expect each day; that is super helpful for me! In the first 24 hours of life, for example, you are hoping babe has a minimum of only 4 feeds, 1 wet diaper, and 1 poopy diaper. Over the next 24 hours, then, you are expecting babe to have at least 8 feeding sessions, 2 wets, and 2 poopy diapers.
For first time parents, it may be helpful for you to know that the baby's poop will be dark, thick, and tarry for the first 2 days or so. This poop, called meconium, is totally normal. It is a mean joke, though, as I feel these poopy diapers are the most challenging to change, and it is a tricky way for new parents to get acclimated to changing diapers. It will get easier!! Also, at this age, baby tends to bend his/her knees a lot when you go to change the diaper, so beware of little heels jumping toward that tarry poop!
Feeding. You will certainly also start a lot of practicing with feeding through either breastfeeding or using a bottle and formula while in the hospital. As I have returned to nursing a tiny baby again this week, I have had to recall many tips and tricks for those early days. I hope to share a post about nursing tips soon, as I have been meaning to do so for my many girlfriends who are expecting their first babes any day! Hooray for new life!!
One little tip is that the babe's tummy is SO SMALL in these early days, so she needs surprisingly little amounts of milk at each feed. This is why, though, she may also feed often in the first few weeks! [Naomi is our first babe to really have her days and nights mixed up. She is feeding every 90-120 minutes overnight, so my overnight sleep is taking a big hit!]
Other things Kurt and I did in the hospital include:
SLEEP (obviously!! Lots of napping was accomplished!)
Rest/daydream
Take long, hot, peaceful (read: uninterrupted by toddlers!) showers
Crochet (me!)
Color (Kurt!)
Read
Stare at Naomi :)
Take all the photos of our newest little bundle!
Eat!
Most of all, just soak up all the newborn snuggles, smells, and noises! Love that baby!!
YOU DID IT!!!!
