Ir para o conteúdo
Logótipo do Serviço Nacional de Saúde 24
|
SNS 24
( Updated at 31/08/2023 )
13 minutes of reading

What is the best clothes for baby?

Protect your baby by taking care of the clothes you choose:

  • Wear cotton clothing close to your baby's body
  • Avoid woolen clothing with fur
  • Wash your baby's clothes before use with mild soap or unscented baby detergent
  • Remove the labels from the baby's clothes

How should I transport the baby safely?

Follow the safety rules:

  • Carry the baby in a proper seat from the moment you leave the maternity ward
  • In the car, use an approved seat, rearward-facing (up to 3-4 years old), correctly installed and secured with the seat belts or the ISOFIX system, preferably in the rear seats and never in a seat with an active front airbag.

How to protect your baby away from home?

In the first month the baby can leave the house, but you must protect him from the cold, intense heat, rain and wind. Avoid environments with a lot of people, too much noise and tobacco smoke. This last factor is largely responsible for the development of respiratory diseases, otitis, allergies and sudden infant death syndrome.

What are the safety precautions at home?

In the early stages of life, you should take extra care of your baby. For instance:

  • Always lay the baby on his back, in a proper bed, with protective rails, with a firm mattress adapted to the size of the bed, without pillow
  • Place the baby so that the feet touch the bottom of the bed, preventing the clothes from covering the head, leaving the arms over the clothes
  • Avoid placing toys, pillows, bows, ribbons or wires on the baby's bed, because of the risk of choking
  • the room should be at a mild temperature, around 20º C, not placing heat sources next to the baby's bed, to prevent excessive heating
  • Never leave your baby alone in the bath or on the bed, table or sofa without protection.

What should I do in case of choking?

In case of choking, you should place the baby on his stomach, with his head lower than the trunk and let him cough, and it is rarely necessary to hit him on the back. If you are unable to resolve the situation quickly, call 112, and you may need to start basic life support if your child becomes unconscious.

How should I contribute to my baby's development?

For the proper development of the baby, in addition to feeding and hygiene, it is also necessary to take care of the baby's emotional well-being. The baby needs not only affection, but a good relationship of bonding, protection and security, for the proper development of his personality. To ensure the baby's well-being, there are basic procedures that should be included in the relationship with the baby, such as:

  • Sing to the baby, sing melodious and simple songs
  • Look your baby in the eye and have lively conversations with him, respecting him in his moments of response
  • Give him pampering and rock him
  • Walk with the baby on the street and at home
  • Tickle the baby and laugh with him
  • Explore the colors and sounds
  • Use massage, as touch has the power to calm the baby and increase bonding with parents
  • Stimulate your child at times as important as bath time

Children have memory, and the more we invest in their early stimulation and the quality of attention we give them, the more we contribute to their healthy development.

How should I bathe the baby?

The baby's bath is always an important event. It provides comfort and exchange of affection between parents and baby and prevents infections.

Wash your hands before holding your baby and promote this practice to everyone around you to reduce the risk of infection.

You can give your baby daily or every other day baths at any time of the day, just trying to avoid doing it after breastfeeding, as there are references that you should avoid doing it after breastfeeding/feeding.

Some precautions to take with the bath:

  • Prepare the accessories and the clothes you are going to wear in advance (open the buttons or snaps beforehand), to make it easier to put on the clothes after bathing and shorten the contact time with the wet towel
  • make sure the place is at a pleasant temperature (22 to 25º C)
  • Pour cold water into the bathtub first and then hot water, up to about 10 cm high
  • check the water temperature with your elbow, the inside of your wrist or a thermometer (36.5 to 37°C)
  • use products with a neutral pH, preferably fragrance-free
  • Place your arm behind your baby's back and hold your arm farthest away from you with your hand, resting your baby's bottom in the tub
  • With your free hand, wash your face and head first, then your body, and finally your bottom
  • You can choose to use other utensils and ways to bathe your baby – the most important thing is to comply with the safety rules

After bathing:

  • Dry the baby without rubbing it, taking special care of the folds
  • Dry the umbilical stump with a compress, first close to the skin and finally near the spring that tightens the cord
  • Keep the umbilical stump out of the diaper at all times to keep it dry
  • If the umbilical stump has an odor, it should be cleaned with a sterile compress soaked in alcohol at 70º without adjuvants, followed by drying with a dry and sterile compress
  • You can file or cut your nails with a pair of scissors (toenails should be cut straight and fingernails should be curved)
  • Wipe your ears with a thin towel and don't use cotton swabs, as earwax is a natural protection

What health care should I take with the baby?

It is very important to protect your baby's health. Note that there are some procedures to take into account right after birth:

  • If your baby has not had the "heel prick test" in the maternity ward, take him to the health centre between the 3rd and 6th day
  • It may be necessary to monitor the weight weekly until the 1st month or more
  • The first appointment should be scheduled, preferably by the 10th day
  • the following appointments are scheduled according to the National Child Health Program in the 1st year of life (1st, 2nd, 4th, 6th, 9th and 12th months)
  • vaccinate your baby to protect him from serious infection (in the maternity ward you have probably already had the first dose of hepatitis B)
  • at 2 months will continue the remaining vaccines of the National Vaccination Program (PNV)

What is the role of the father?

After childbirth, a woman is so involved in the care of her baby and in her role as a mother that it is sometimes natural for her partner to feel excluded.

At this stage it is important for the father to provide support and tranquility to the mother, and should share the household chores, getting involved in the care of the child, not only to relieve the mother's workload, but also because father-child interactions have a direct impact on the child's social and psychomotor development. The greater your participation, the better the quality of the relationship that is established between you.

The role of the father will continue to be very important in the future, because of the example he sets for his children, the way he treats the mother and the availability to the family.

What advice can be given to the mother?

In the first few weeks after the baby is born, it is normal for you to feel a little tired. You may also feel confused, feeling like you can't take care of the baby, dejected and feeling sad at a time when all the family members are feeling euphoric. You shouldn't feel guilty, as these feelings can be caused by the hormonal changes that occur after childbirth. Talk about what you're feeling with your doctor or nurse.

Follow these tips:

  • Ask for help with household chores so you can devote more time to your baby
  • Get as much rest as you can, coinciding your sleep with your baby's
  • Eat a varied diet
  • Enhance your image, this will help you to be in a better mood
  • Try to go out regularly for a walk
  • Should avoid impactful activities (jumping, running) for the first 2 months

Contact your doctor/emergency department or call SNS 24 – 808242424 if it occurs:

    • fever
    • marked increase in blood loss
  • severe breast pain or breasts with inflammatory signs
  • sudden-onset severe abdominal pain
  • progressive worsening of pain at the level of the perineum

What are the warning signs related to your baby's health?

Talk to your doctor or emergency department if your baby has:

  • temperature higher than 38º C
  • prostration, groaning, or irritability
  • refusal to feed
  • vomiting or watery or bloody stools
  • Seizures
  • pin-like patches on the skin that do not disappear when you press with your finger, or bruising that appears suddenly and progressively worsens
  • Accentuated pallor and grayish tone

If the baby doesn't look good to you, don't hesitate. Consult your doctor or emergency department.

What kind of changes are normal at this stage?

There is a set of situations that can be mistaken for disease, but they are usually just normal changes:

  • It is normal for the baby to lose weight in the first few days, regaining birth weight at approximately the 10th day of life
  • Hiccups are frequent in most babies. They can appear at the end of breastfeeding due to the dilation of the stomach and give way spontaneously
  • Breast enlargement is common in newborns and disappears spontaneously in the first months of life without any treatment
  • Girls may have a white or even bloody vaginal discharge, which is normal and disappears in a few days
  • Boys have physiological phimosis (foreskin completely covers the glans), which is normal and can continue until 6-8 years of age. You should not retract the foreskin as it is an aggressive and harmful maneuver
  • Jaundice or yellow discoloration of the newborn's skin is usually not serious, but if after discharge the baby becomes very yellow reaching the lower limbs, you should contact the doctor
  • Infant 1st trimester colic, or intermittent and inconsolable vigorous crying with no apparent cause, is a common situation that appears after the 3rd week of life and can continue until the 3rd or 4th month. Help your baby by placing him on your lap, on his stomach, putting light pressure on his abdomen. Massaging the abdomen in a clockwise direction and bending the legs over the abdomen are manoeuvres that also relieve the baby
  • Regurgitation, i.e. cupping, is common in most babies

What should the mother know before hospital discharge?

In the first days after birth, the mother is hospitalized in the obstetrics service, where she is given some essential teachings for the return home. At the time of discharge, you should make an appointment with the attending physician up to the 6th week after delivery.

Some important precautions:

  • Keep your shower daily
  • Wash the outside of the perineum when changing the dressing and after having a bowel movement, while you are bleeding
  • Do not use tampons or perform vaginal irrigations
  • Keep your nipples dry
  • Avoid applying ointments, just massage the nipples with your own milk after breastfeeding
  • In breast hygiene, daily washing in the shower is enough
  • Maintain Iron Supplement
  • You can start the pill for breastfeeding mums, but usually only after the 2nd week after delivery and with medical advice
  • Sexual activity can usually be resumed after the 5th week and always with medical advice on the best method of contraception

I'm breastfeeding. What precautions should I take with food?

While breastfeeding, take the following precautions with feeding:

  • Eat a varied diet, with little fat, lots of fruit and vegetables
  • Drink 2 to 3 glasses of semi-skimmed or full-fat milk a day (this is preferable to skimmed milk) or dairy products (yogurt or cheese)
  • Drink about 2 liters of water a day
  • Do not drink alcoholic beverages
  • Avoid coffee, tea, and other stimulating beverages
  • The medicines most often prescribed to breastfeeding mothers are compatible with lactation, but if you need to take medication consult your doctor

What is the importance of breastfeeding?

The baby should be exclusively breastfed until 6 months, as the mother's milk is the most suitable for feeding her child. At the same feeding and over time, its composition changes according to the baby's needs, protecting him from diseases such as diarrhoea, otitis, pneumonia, asthma, allergies and obesity, and favouring intellectual development.

The mother's recovery after childbirth is also faster (there is a lower risk of postpartum bleeding, regain of prepartum weight) and decreases the risk of breast, ovarian and osteoporosis cancer.

After 6 months of age, it is necessary to introduce other foods, such as cereals, fruit and vegetables, usually offered in the form of soups and porridge, gradually. However, it is recommended whenever possible to continue breastfeeding until 2 years of age.

Will my milk be enough?

In the first 2-4 days after delivery, breast milk is called colostrum and is very rich, covering the baby's needs. This is followed by a sudden increase in milk production, called a "milk rise". Gradually, the balance is established between production and what the baby needs.

Note that:

  • The main stimulus for milk production is breastfeeding itself. The more the baby empties the breast, the more milk is produced
  • Your baby is certainly getting all the milk they need if:
    • spontaneously wide the breast
    • Increases in weight
    • urinates more than 6 times in the 24 hours
    • The initially full breast becomes soft at the end of breastfeeding
  • Breast milk has enough water for the baby's needs. If he is thirsty, he will ask to breastfeed. If you breastfeed, do not give her water until other foods have been introduced, except in very special situations of excessive heat, fever or diarrhoea
  • If you need to be away from your baby, you can express the milk with a pump so that the caregiver can give your milk in a bottle. Breast milk can be expressed and stored for up to 4 hours at room temperature, up to 48-72 hours in the refrigerator or frozen for weeks to months, depending on the type of freezer

How should I breastfeed the baby?

Breastfeeding is natural, but it requires learning. Sometimes obstacles arise that can be overcome with the support of professionals with specific training (for example, in the "Breastfeeding Corners").

Stay with good practices used in breastfeeding:

  • Choose a quiet environment and a comfortable position, lying down or sitting with your back supported (you can use a nursing pillow)
  • Breastfeed your baby when they show early signs of hunger:
    • Still asleep, he begins to move in his crib
    • He begins to salivate, looking as if he is chewing, and brings his hands to his mouth
    • Crying is already a late sign and sometimes you need to calm the baby first before he can breastfeed
  • Bring the baby to the breast and not the other way around
  • Place the baby in front of the breast (belly to belly), keeping the baby's head aligned with the rest of the body, with the nose at the level of the nipple and stimulate the opening of the mouth
  • When the baby latches on well, he will have his mouth wide open, his chin close to the breast, his lower lip turned outwards and the areola will be more visible above the upper lip than the lower one
  • If you feel pain when breastfeeding, seek support, as the reason for the discomfort can be detected, which is usually related to the position of the mother and baby and/or the latch
  • Breastfeed whenever your baby asks you to (in the first few days babies breastfeed about 10-12 times a day)
  • Breastfeeding at night favors milk production
  • The composition of breast milk is different from the beginning to the end of breastfeeding, so you should only offer the second breast after emptying the first breast well
  • At the next feeding, start with the breast you gave last
  • To remove the baby from the breast, insert your pinky finger into the corner of your baby's mouth to stop sucking and push back your nipple, thus avoiding stretching and pain
  • If your baby is well adapted to the breast, you don't always need to burp

In the rare cases where breastfeeding is not possible or insufficient, the doctor should advise appropriate formula milk and care in its preparation.

What is the Family Open Window program?

The Open Window to the Family program is a public and completely free project under the joint responsibility of the Directorate-General for Health. It aims to help parents with antenatal care and care after the baby is born.

How do I sign up for the Family Open Window program?

You can enroll in the Family Open Window program by filling in the form for this purpose and handing it in to the service where you are followed.

Parents who already have children or who, for some reason, did not have access to this brochure, can sign up through the program Family Open Window.

By subscribing you will receive periodically and free of charge, information adapted to the stage of growth of your future baby. You can also access the Parent's Guide.

 

Source: Directorate-General for Health - RISCAR (DGS/RISCAR)

Save:
Was this information helpful?
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Related subjects