What to Expect After Your Baby Is Born

Bringing home a newborn baby can be one of the most exhilarating, emotional, exhausting and terrifying moments of your life. You arrive from the hospital, the realization sinking in that you must now take care of a baby that relies on you for everything. No pressure, right? Take a deep breath and realize two things. First, most parents do just fine. Second, caring for a newborn is not simple, but it does become manageable.

Loyola Medicine general pediatrician, Blanca Gutierrez, MD, has clinical experience with newborns and childcare. "What's really important in those first few days of life after the hospital discharge is to establish care with a pediatrician who will be your main source of information," she says.

Understand your newborn's developmental stages

There are developmental stages that a child will go through during their life. Children are considered newborns until they are one month old. After, infancy begins which lasts until they are one year old when they become toddlers.

It's important to understand that the newborn developmental stage is markedly different from infancy. Parents will be bringing their child to a pediatrician more often, the baby will eat and sleep more and be more susceptible to certain conditions, such as jaundice.

"In the first few weeks of life, parents can expect to establish general feeding, monitor their weight gain and keep an eye out for yellow discoloration of their skin," says Dr. Gutierrez. "Those are the key things you and your pediatrician will monitor."

While every child is different, expect to see a pediatrician 24 to 72 hours after discharge to follow up on these key expectations. After the initial appointment, the pediatrician will schedule one every few days to a week, depending on how the baby's weight gain, feeding and jaundice are looking.

Loyola pediatricians are available 24/7

Your pediatrician will be your main source of information, with many offering after-hours availability with someone on call to answer questions parents may have in the middle of the night. At Loyola, the pediatric department has someone available 24/7 where parents can receive a response back from a pediatrician, no matter the time. Parents can call 888-584-7888 to reach any service, department or doctor at Loyola.

And that may be the most important thing; don't worry about asking too many questions!

"All of the parents' concerns and worries are valid. They're the ones that see their child every day and are there to witness anything that may be changing," she says. "While children are definitely pretty resilient, I take all parents' concerns very seriously. Pediatricians are happy to answer any and all questions."

Monitor your baby's weight gain

During the first few days of life, babies will often lose weight, around 10% in general. However, after this initial weight loss you can expect your child to start consistently gaining weight over the next few months, typically an ounce or 28 grams per day.

A newborn's weight is measured often; multiple times throughout the hospital stay, sometimes 48-72 hours after discharge at the first pediatric appointment, then one to two weeks after birth. Health concerns, like more weight loss than expected, difficulty feeding or jaundice, can lead to weight checks being scheduled more frequently.

"Newborns need to be gaining an appropriate amount of weight every day," says Dr. Gutierrez. "One of the ways you can do this is by checking how hydrated they are. Count the number of wet diapers or stools they are producing. Also, your baby should appear satisfied after feeding, at least for a little while."

After the first week of life, newborns should be having at least 5 to 7 wet diapers and 3 to 4 dirty diapers every day, although this can change since formula-fed children tend to have fewer bowel movements.

Feed your newborn often

Many parents don't realize how often their newborn will be hungry, especially in the first month of life, regardless of whether the mother is breastfeeding or not.

"Parents can expect to feed their babies roughly every three hours, sometimes even every hour or two," says Dr. Gutierrez. "After a child returns to birth weight, they can expect to feed every five hours. In general, parents should expect 8 to 12 feedings a day, depending on the baby's weight gain."

In terms of nutrition, there isn't much of a difference between breastfeeding and providing formula. It's truly up to the mother's preference and what works best for the family.

Breastmilk has proven to be incredibly beneficial. It's the most natural source, containing all the necessary vitamins, minerals, calories and fats that babies need. In addition, breastmilk has many immunoglobulins that improve a newborn's immunity. If mothers choose to breastfeed, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends doing so for six months.

However, if mothers don't want to, or can't, breastfeed, formula is a suitable option. It mirrors the nutritional value of breastmilk, providing an easy replacement for breastmilk that will keep the child healthy.

"Breastfeeding is the preferred option," she says. "However, it's certainly not the only option. Formula is a great choice for moms who are not able or simply don't want to breastfeed. And that's perfectly fine because formula still provides a lot of the same benefits."

Whether you choose to breastfeed or provide formula, the amount of feedings will stay the same.

Sleep now, establish your baby's sleep schedule later

When you bring home your newborn, you will quickly realize that they have three jobs; eating, making dirty diapers and sleeping. At first, newborns will sleep a lot – usually around 16 to 17 hours a day. Of course, they won't sleep all at once nor do they stay awake for long. Babies usually wake up for an hour or two – long enough to be fed and changed – then go right back to sleep.

However, don't expect to create a normal schedule for your child for the first few months. A newborn's sleep schedule is usually irregular and it won't be until four months old that they will start sleeping a little longer during the night.

"Within the first few months, parents can expect a chaotic sleep schedule. You can probably start creating a sleep schedule once your baby is eating solid foods that will keep them full for longer during the night, probably close to six months of age," says Dr. Gutierrez.

If your child is sleeping more during the day than night, you can wake them up whenever a daytime nap goes longer than two hours. However, understand that a real sleep schedule won't happen for the first few months. The best way to ensure you get enough sleep? Head to bed when your baby sleeps.

And if you hear your child fussing for a few minutes, but you know they aren't hungry or soiled, you can let them be to see if they will fall back asleep on their own. Rocking or holding them constantly isn't necessary.

Finally, always have your child sleep on their back, never on their stomach or side. The risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) increases dramatically when babies sleep on their stomach or side. For more tips about how to reduce a baby's risk for SIDS, refer to the ABCs of safe sleep for infants.

Loyola primary and specialty care offices are conveniently located throughout Chicago’s western and southwestern suburbs. The pediatric department at Loyola Medicine has experienced doctors that provide comprehensive primary care beginning at birth and continuing through the childhood and teenage years.

To make an appointment, call 888-584-7888 or schedule an appointment online.

Blanca Gutierrez, MD is a general pediatrician at Loyola Medicine. Dr. Gutierrez received her medical degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine before completing her residency and at Loyola University Medical Center.

Dr. Gutierrez specializes in general pediatrics, helping children and teenagers of all ages – from newborns to 21-years-old. She also performs sport physicals and other family needs.

Book an appointment today to see Dr. Gutierrez or another Loyola pediatrician by self-scheduling an in-person or virtual appointment using myLoyola.