At one month of age your baby is still taking in the wonders around him and getting used to this new and amazing world. If your baby was born prematurely, please keep in mind these milestones may be advanced for your child at this point so do not be alarmed. Measure your child’s milestones against the original due date.
Your Baby’s Growth: If you notice that your baby loses a bit of weight during the first two weeks of his life, don’t sound the alarm…it is perfectly normal. Babies drop fluid weight, and by the one-month mark will start gaining between a half-ounce and an ounce each and every day.
Your Baby’s Feeding: At one month old, breastfed babies are eating every two to three hours (8-12x/day) while bottle fed babies will eat 6-8x/day. Some parents may try to put the baby on a feeding schedule while others feed on demand. You will know when your child is hungry by his crying, fussing and rooting at you (turning his head toward the breast.) If your baby has SIX to TEN wet diapers per day, you will know that he is getting plenty to eat.
Your Baby’s Sleep: After the journey of delivery your baby has a lot of sleep to catch up. Most babies will sleep 15-16 hours each day. You can help your child to develop a sleep routine by limiting activity to the daytime and keeping things dark, quiet and basically boring at night. They need to be taught the difference between night and day.
Your Baby’s Communication: At one-month old, your baby basically has one mode of communication…crying. Most babies cry up to three hours per day. You will quickly start to learn the meaning of your child’s cry. While the “feed me” cry sounds one way, the “my diaper’s wet” cry may sound another. If you feel your baby has excessive problems being consoled, he may be experiencing colic. Please call your doctor to discuss this matter further before it becomes overly frustrating to you.
YOUR BABY’S SAFETY:
- Put your baby to sleep on his back in a crib with a firm mattress. Do not put the baby in the crib with soft toys or blankets. Instead, dress your baby warmly in a onesie for bedtime.
- In the car, always use a rear-facing car seat and place the seat in the back seat of the car.
- Never shake your baby. While you may be exhausted and frustrated at times, make sure your baby is in a safe place, well fed with a clean diaper and then take a break for a minute by leaving the room. This is a common feeling but make sure your child is not unattended. If you feel unable to control the frustration or anger, call someone for help.
- Do not allow your baby to be near smoke. Second-hand smoke also has been proven to be very dangerous and can lead to childhood illnesses such as asthma, colds, ear infections and sudden infant death syndrome.
- Make sure when you wash your baby the water is not too hot. Always check the water temperature with your elbow.
- While it is uncommon for a newborn to have a fever, check your baby’s temperature rectally if he feels warm and call us immediately if the temperature reads 100.4 degrees or higher.
TIPS FOR YOUR NEWBORN:
Babies can recognize your voice. They heard it the entire time they were in the womb so talk, talk, talk to him and it will comfort him.
Move your baby’s legs in a bicycle motion. It will strengthen his leg muscles and prepare him for the walking and crawling that will happen very soon.
Touch and massage your baby. He cannot have enough contact with you and it shows him love and comfort.
Most of all enjoy this wonderful experience and the wonder of getting to know your baby. Call us with any questions you may have and we will see you at your two-month checkup.
