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The early weeks: your baby WHAT YOU CAN DO • 126 You can contact your midwife or health visitor for advice. Keep their phone numbers where they can be reached easily. • You can phone your GP. Your GP may be able to advise you over the phone or may suggest you bring your baby along to the next surgery. Most GPs will try to fit a young baby in without an appointment, although it may mean a wait in the surgery. If you’re really worried about your baby, you should always phone your GP for help immediately, whatever the time of day or night. There will always be a doctor on duty even if it is not your own GP. THE ‘GLASS TEST’ Press the side or bottom of a glass firmly against the rash – you will be able to see if the rash fades and loses colour under the pressure (see photo). If it doesn’t change colour, contact your GP immediately. I LLNESS It’s sometimes difficult to tell at first when a baby is ill, but you may have a funny feeling that things aren’t quite right. If you’re at all worried, ask for help. You are not fussing. It’s far better to be on the safe side, particularly with a very small baby. Trust your own judgement. You know your baby best. VERY URGENT PROBLEMS Sometimes there are more obvious signs that your baby is not well. Contact your doctor at once if your baby: • makes jerky movements – this is a fit or convulsion; • turns blue or very pale; • has quick, difficult or grunting breathing, or unusual periods of breathing, for example, if your baby breathes with pauses of over 20 seconds between breaths; • is very hard to wake, or unusually drowsy, or doesn’t seem to know you; • develops a rash of red spots which do not fade and lose colour (blanch) when they are pressed. (See the ‘Glass Test’.) This may be the rash of meningococcal septicaemia – an infection in the blood. There may not be any other symptoms. Your baby may need treatment very quickly. If you can’t get hold of your GP at once, dial 999 for an ambulance or take your baby to the Accident and Emergency Department of your nearest hospital as quickly as possible. PROBLEMS THAT COULD BE SERIOUS • If your baby has a hoarse cough with noisy breathing, is wheezing, or cannot breathe through the nose. • If your baby is unusually hot, cold or floppy. • If your baby cries in an unusual way or for an unusually long time or seems to be in pain. • If you notice any bleeding from the stump of the cord or from the nose, or any bruising. • If your baby keeps refusing feeds. • If your baby keeps vomiting a substantial part of feeds or has frequent watery diarrhoea. Vomiting and diarrhoea together may mean your baby is losing too much fluid, and this may need prompt treatment. • If your baby develops jaundice (looks yellow) when he or she is over a week old, or has jaundice which continues for over two weeks after birth (see page 113). If you have seen your GP and your baby is not getting better or seems to be getting worse, tell your GP again the same day. If you become very worried and can’t get hold of your GP, or your GP can’t get to you quickly enough, dial 999 for an ambulance or take your baby to the Accident and Emergency Department of the nearest hospital.
The early weeks: your baby W HERE TO GET SUPPORT SUNSHINE Everyone needs advice or reassurance at some time or other when they are caring for a young baby, even if it’s just to make sure that they are doing the right thing. Some problems just need talking over with someone. It’s always better to ask for help than worry on your own. Do talk to your midwife or health visitor. As you grow more confident, you’ll begin to trust your own judgement more. You will be able to decide which advice makes most sense for you and your baby and which suggestions you can safely ignore. You will also want to talk to friends, relations or other mothers in a similar situation. You’ll meet other mothers when you start taking your baby to the Child Health Clinic or Sure Start Children’s Centre. Your health visitor will explain where this is and when you should go. The health visitor can also tell you about any mother and baby groups in the area. Or your local branch of the National Childbirth Trust (see page 147) or MAMA (Meet-a-Mum Association) (see page 148) may be able to put you in touch with other mothers nearby. In warm, sunny weather, always protect your baby from direct sunlight with a sunhat or sunshade. Never leave your baby in a place where he or she could become overheated. Remember too that a baby’s skin burns easily, even in sun that would not affect your own.Use a high protection sunblock (at least protection factor 15+) to help protect your baby’s skin from the sun. E NJOYING YOUR BABY So far we have only talked about the things that have to be done to keep your baby warm, fed and safe. In the first weeks those things can grow to fill all the available time, but of course they’re only a tiny part of what it means to be a parent. Every second that your baby is awake, he or she is learning from you. Learning about what it feels like to be touched gently, about the sound of your voice and your very special smell, about what the world is like and whether it is a safe place to be, and, above all, what it feels like to love and be loved. 127
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Pre the nancy gbook Your complete g
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Pre the nancy gbook Your complete g
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11 LABOUR AND BIRTH Getting ready f
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Your pregnancy at a glance 16-20 we
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Introduction Every parent is differ
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Your health in pregnancy • Eat pl
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Your health in pregnancy VEGETARIAN
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Your health in pregnancy S MOKING W
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Your health in pregnancy P HYSICAL
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Your health in pregnancy Foot exerc
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obstetrician. If you do catch toxop
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2 Conception To understand about co
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Conception T HE WOMAN’ S MONTHLY
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Conception T HE BEST TIME TO GET PR
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Conception K NOWING THAT YOU’ RE
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How the baby develops WEEKS 4-5 Wee
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How the baby develops WEEKS 15-22 T
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4 Deciding where to have your baby
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Deciding where to have your baby HO
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Deciding where to have your baby B
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5 Feelings and relationships From t
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Feelings and relationships WORRYING
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Feelings and relationships FAMILIES
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Feelings and relationships C OPING
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6 Mainly for men Some pregnancies h
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Mainly for men PRACTICAL SUPPORT Yo
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Antenatal care and antenatal classe
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The feeding question B REASTFEEDING
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The feeding question Support contac
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The feeding question HOW OFTEN AND
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The feeding question B OTTLE FEEDIN
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Page 81 and 82: Problems FEELING HOT IN PREGNANCY D
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Page 85 and 86: Problems VAGINAL DISCHARGE Almost a
Page 87 and 88: 10 What you need for the baby This
Page 89 and 90: What you need for the baby O UT AND
Page 91 and 92: 11 Labour and birth This chapter de
Page 93 and 94: Labour and birth PAIN RELIEF IN LAB
Page 95 and 96: Labour and birth • your contracti
Page 97 and 98: Labour and birth AT THE HOSPITAL Go
Page 99 and 100: Labour and birth • The heartbeat
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Page 109 and 110: 13 The first days with your new bab
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Page 119 and 120: The early weeks: you T HE ‘ BABY
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Page 125 and 126: The early weeks: your baby CHANGING
Page 127: The early weeks: your baby WASHING
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Page 133 and 134: Rights and benefits How much is it?
Page 135 and 136: Who gets it? Pregnant women and new
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Page 149 and 150: USEFUL ORGANISATIONS Some of these
Page 151 and 152: In Northern Ireland: Northern Irela
Page 153 and 154: INDEX A abnormalities tests to dete
Page 155: The Pregnancy Book “It contains e
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