Sara Gelser - Sarison Communications + Design

6
A pediatrician’s
advice for
new moms
by Dr. James M. Nusrala
Preparing for the arrival of your baby is an
exciting time, whether it’s your first
delivery, or your third. It’s important to be
ready to meet the demands and emotions
of caring for your newborn.
New moms should try to minimize stress in
the first few weeks after baby arrives. That
means keeping a low-key schedule,
including limiting visitors. If friends and
family want to help, suggest taking an older
sibling to the park or bringing a meal. Take
time to cherish these first weeks.
All new moms and babies need adequate
rest. Ask any mom and she’ll tell you that
simple tasks are exponentially more
difficult when you’re sleep deprived. In the
first few weeks, take advantage of your
baby sleeping to catch up on sleep you’ll
lose during night feedings.
Most babies sleep, yawn, root when they’re
hungry, nurse every three to four hours and
need frequent diaper changes. Most babies
are very healthy, but don’t hesitate to
contact your pediatrician with questions or
concerns, including a temperature
over 99.3°F.
To learn more about newborn care,
consider attending The Corvallis Clinic’s free
Healthy Baby talks. Here our pediatricians
cover the most important topics for new
moms and dads in a 90-minute talk.
A book I recommend for every new parent
is “Caring for Your Baby and Young Child:
Birth to Age 5,” edited by Steven. P. Shelov,
M.D., and available from Bantam Books and
the American Academy of Pediatrics. You’ll
find a month-to-month guide to your
baby’s first year, practical advice for dealing
with issues such as sleeping, toilet training
and tantrums, “Health Watch” with alerts of
potential medical problems, safety check
reminders for home, outdoor and car travel,
and a discussion of family issues, from
grandparents and siblings to working
mothers and single parenting.
Dr. James M. Nusrala (pictured below) is a
pediatrician at The Corvallis Clinic. He can be
reached at 541-754-1278.