Busting Newborn Myths
Bringing home a newborn can feel terrifying. Especially when you have had a number of well-meaning friends and family offering their unsolicited advice and expertise. Being unable to measure up to societal expectation may leave you feeling like a failure.
With this in mind let’s go ahead and debunk some common misconceptions about early parenthood.
1. “You will fall in love with your baby instantly.” This comment can be particularly damaging to parents. Whilst some may feel an instant connection others may not. It is perfectly normal if you don’t feel a ‘wave of love’ and it may take a period of time for the bond to develop. In the mean time with lots of skin-to-skin contact and connection with your baby you can begin building a healthy parent-infant relationship.
2. “Don’t hold her too much, you’ll spoil her.’” Wrong. Our babies don’t have the capacity to manipulate us. Babies are biologically programmed to seek out the touch of their caregiver. It is not only soothing but assists in the imprinting process. Thus, developing a healthy bond between infant and caregiver.
3. “Your baby should be sleeping through the night.’” An unsettling comment that is heard often. Again, this is inaccurate. Frequent waking may be a protective factor inherent to infants to protect against SIDs. Newborn babies can only hold a few millilitres of milk in their stomach at a time , so they will therefore need frequent feedings in the first few months. An infant is often still requiring feedings overnight until 6+ months. Whilst they may not need to be fed, there are a number of other reasons which can contribute to night time waking’s Your baby may be feeling disconnected and is ‘checking in’, your baby may need comfort, your baby might be too hot/cold, your baby might be experiencing pain.
4. “Give her formula/ rice cereal and she will sleep better.’” As mentioned above there are a number of factors resulting in night time waking’s. Although your baby may be genuinely hungry, adding formula to diet doesn’t guarantee a better sleep.
5. “Breastfeeding will hurt initially.’” Whilst this may be the case for some mothers, many mothers report experiencing nipple pain for the first few weeks. However, breastfeeding should be painless. If you are experiencing pain with feeding seek help from your midwife, MCHN, or a lactation consultant as soon as possible. Early intervention will increase the probability of successful breastfeeding outcomes. You may experience a tingling/ painful sensation during the let down of milk. Following that you may feel a sucking/ drawing sensation. Feeding should not be painful or cause your nipples to be misshapen when your baby delatches.
6. “It’s just colic.’” There is nothing worse that seeing your baby in pain and not being able to sooth them. Unfortunately, the term colic is extremely common and whilst colic is real, colic is a symptom rather than a diagnosis. Colicky behavior can be a symptom of a number of issues such as being overtired/over stimulated, allergy/intolerance, reflux, constipation, oral ties, along with more. If your baby is demonstrating colicky behavior, you might like to make contact at The CPH&P and we can assist in troubleshooting the issue.
There is a lot of misinformation relating to how your baby should be behaving and how to manage any deviations. I urge you to follow your instincts. Seek help when you feel something is not right. After all no one knows your baby better than you.