NEWBORN HYGIENE

After a wonderful journey of carrying a baby for nine months, every time I hold my newborn I always look forward to pampering and taking care of the new bundle of joy. I recall when I was a new mom I would become so nervous and sometimes I kept on seeking advice on what to do and what to avoid. Let’s focus on analyzing the basic newborn hygiene practices a mom must know and practice so that the baby can grow well and be healthy.

• Cradle Cap

Cradle cap is a common skin condition in newborns and babies that causes rough patches on their scalp. Babies are known for their soft, smooth skin, but a cradle cap is common in newborns. This condition isn’t painful or itchy. But it can cause thick white or yellow scales that aren’t easy to remove. The cradle cap usually clears up on its own in weeks or a few months. Home care measures include washing your baby’s scalp daily with mild shampoo. This can help you loosen and remove the scales. Don’t scratch cradle cap .”It is often recommended to use baby-safe oil, like coconut oil, on their scalp before the bath and, “Gently massage the oil into the area that has the flakey, scaly skin of cradle cap.” It’s then recommended to gently brush and wash the scaly patches

• Cutting Finger Nails

Cutting my baby’s fingernails for the first time I felt incredibly intimidated. I decided to wait two weeks before cutting them. I had to keep those newborn mittens on my baby’s hands so that baby doesn’t scratch their face in case my baby had long nails to protect him from scratching his face. You should be mindful to take off the mittens daily and remove any lint build-up between fingers. When I decided to cut the nails for the first time, I kept in mind that the pads of their finger are closely connected to the nail so I made sure that I was cutting only nails and no skin.

• Diapering

Ensure that the baby has a fresh diaper always. If you know your baby has soiled it, change it as soon as you can. The baby shouldn’t sit in poop,  this makes a baby have a terrible baby rash. Wipe their diaper region thoroughly. For girl babies especially, make sure you are wiping front to back always apply petroleum baby jelly that is well compatible with the baby on the baby’s bottom.

• Infant Feeding Hygiene

You should ensure that baby feeding equipment that is clean so as to keep the baby healthy. Babies grow quickly in the first year of life by drinking breast milk or infant formula. Careful cleaning, sanitizing, and storage of your baby’s bottles and your breast pump parts can prevent germs from contaminating the milk you feed your baby. keep your breast pump clean and remember to clean, sanitize and store baby bottles to help keep your baby healthy.

• Care of the Umbilicus

During the first week, until the umbilical cord remnants have been shed, the area should be cleansed at least once a day, often twice to prevent it from becoming sore and infected and to encourage it to come off without problem Using clean warm water and some pieces of cotton wool or gauze, gently wipe the area once and discard the cotton, repeated this until any hard scabbed areas are softened, or have been removed. Using dry cotton and single use, repeat until the area is dry. In case of bleeding, excessive redness and pus should be reported to your health consultant or midwife as it may have become infected.

• Bathtime Routine

Often times the nurses in the hospital will offer to give your baby their first bath while you watch. You should be keen on how they do it so that it’s easy for you to do it, especially if you are a first-time mom. Mainly because in the beginning, you need to be cautious of their umbilical cord as it heals.

The nurses and pediatrician will instruct you on how to care for your baby’s umbilical cord. Essentially, you want to sensitively avoid that area and keep it clean and dry while it heals and you wait for the excess umbilical cord skin to fall off. You do not want to try to pull it off, it will fall off when it’s ready. You will want to wait to give your baby their first bath at home until their umbilical cord has fallen off and healed.
  In conclusion, it’s my wish that every mom gets to enjoy the motherhood journey as it is the most magical experience. I would also encourage every woman to carry out basic hygiene practices because a healthy and clean baby equals happy a mom. All the best and congratulations to all new moms in town.