The First Week (Birth - 7 Days)

Sleep

One time to dos:

🔲 ✨Prep baby's sleep space: Many parents will spend their first 1-2 days in the hospital or another birthing center. When you are home, ensure baby's sleep space is setup. To do this, follow safe sleep guidelines including a separate crib or bassinet with a firm sleep surface and no extra bedding (full list linked below), use the infant side of dual sided mattresses, and setup the crib/bassinet per the instruction manual.

💡 Learn More: AAP: How to Keep Your Sleeping Baby Safe: AAP Policy Explained | Graco Instruction Manuals | SNOO Instruction Manual | Halo Instruction Manual

🔲 ✨Master Swaddling & prep: Swaddling can be an effective sleep aid calming your baby and reducing waking from the Moro (startle) reflux. Some swaddles are thin blankets you wrap around you baby while others use velcro or zippers.

⚪️ If using a swaddle blanket, learn a proper swaddle technique to promote healthy hip development.

⚪️ If using an easy swaddle, check weight/size requirements to ensure a proper fit.

⚪️ For all swaddles, read the manufacturer's instructions and choose the proper TOG to ensure baby is not too hot or cold when sleeping.

💡 Learn More: AAP: Swaddling: Is it Safe for Your Baby? | AAP: Newborn Reflexes | AAP: ...harmful weighted sleep products | aden + anais: How To Swaddle | Love To Dream: A Step-By-Step Guide | Halo: Swaddle Velcro Instructions (scroll to bottom)

🔲 ✨Prep the pacifiers: Pacifiers can be a helpful sleep aid and a comfort tool for when baby is upset. It should not replace feeding when a baby is hungry. Before introducing a pacifier, select a new age appropriate pacifier (packaging should list 0-3 months) and wash it.

💡 Learn More: AAP: Pacifiers and Thumb Sucking | American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD): FAQ (Search Pacifier)

Recurring to dos:

🔲 ✨Get to know your newborn’s daily sleep patterns: Your little one is probably going to snooze even more than average on day one! After that, expect around 16-17 hours of sleep a day. It may be in little bursts of 1 to 2 hours at a time.

💡 Learn More: AAP: Getting Your Baby to Sleep | AAP: Waking Up Is (Sometimes) Hard to Do (How to wake a sleeping baby)

🔲 ✨Follow safe sleep guidelines: Your baby's safety is top priority and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) can be a scary topic for new parents. The AAP has guidelines for safe sleep to help reduce the occurrence of SIDS and other sleep-related infant deaths. Take a moment to review AAP's website in safe sleep.

💡 Learn More: AAP: How to Keep Your Sleeping Baby Safe: AAP Policy Explained

🔲 ✨Optional sleep helpers: Swaddles, sound machines, and pacifiers can be helpful sleep aids. Try these out to find what works for your family.

💡 Learn More: AAP: Sleep

Feeding

One time to dos:

🔲 ✨Learn about feeding options: While breastfeeding and formula are often the main topics of discussion, your options have more nuanced. Familiarizing yourself with the types of milk available and how your baby can receive milk will enhance your conversations with your pediatrician and IBCLC.

• Milk sources for your baby include: your own breastmilk, donor milk (from another mother), formula, or a combination of any two of these.

• Your baby can consume milk directly from your breast, from a bottle, or via a supplemental feeding tube (nursing system), which allows you to breastfeed while supplementing simultaneously.

Always remember, a well-fed baby and a rested, balanced parent are essential. Discovering what works best for you and your baby is crucial.

💡 Learn More: Human Milk Banking Association of NA: About FAQ | TLN: Breastfeeding vs pumping | AAP: Formula Feeding | Medela: Supplemental Nursing System

🔲 ✨Define feeding goals: Now that you have an idea of what options are available, take a moment to think of your goals or desires. Here are a few examples:

• It is important to me that I try to give my baby breastmilk. 

  • I am open to donor breastmilk as a bridge while my breast milk comes in.

  • I am open to trying exclusive pumping, power pumping, or diet changes to meet this goal. 

  • Sleep is important to me, if power pumping or exclusive pumping intervenes with sleep, I need to plan a point of stopping (an off-ramp). 

• It is important to me that my partner can help with a bottle. 

• I want to see how I can sleep while they feed

🔲 ✨Select Formula (Formula parents): Choosing a formula can feel a bit daunting with all the different products and their various marketing claims out there. The key is to find a formula that’s FDA approved, has no active recalls, and is readily available. You really don’t want to be in a bind when you’re exhausted and running low on supplies! You may also decide that there are ingredient or nutritional factors that are important to you. Reminder, always check in with your pediatrician when starting a new formula.

💡 Learn More: Baby Formula Expert: Shopping for Baby Formula

🔲 ✨Select the Right Bottle for Your Baby: When it comes to bottle-feeding your baby, whether with formula or breast milk, there are a variety of options available. You can choose from different bottle materials, including glass, silicone, and plastic. Additionally, consider features such as anti-colic designs and nipple shapes.

💡 Learn More: Dr.Brown's Baby Bottles | Comotomo Silicone Baby Bottles

🔲 ✨Prepare the bottles: After choosing your desired bottle, be sure to wash and sanitize it according to the manufacturer's guidelines before using it for the first time.

🔲 ✨Learn bottle feeding basics: While bottle feeding may seem straightforward at first glance, you might have questions during your initial preparations and when feeding your baby. Here are some important safe feeding practices to keep in mind:

• Adhere to the manufacturer's instructions for preparing formula.

• Do not heat formula or breast milk in the microwave.

• Follow safe storage guidelines:

  • Use prepared infant formula within 2 hours of making it and within one hour once feeding begins. If you don’t start using the formula within 2 hours, store the bottle in the fridge and consume it within 24 hours.

  • For freshly expressed milk: Use or refrigerate within 4 hours, and you can store it in the fridge for up to 4 days. Ideally, use frozen breast milk within 6 months.

  • For previously frozen breast milk: Use within 1-2 hours if at room temperature, and it can be kept in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Never refreeze breast milk.

• Enhance your bottle feeding skills with responsive/pace bottle feeding techniques.

  
  

💡 Learn More: CDC: Storage and Preparation of Breastmilk | CDC: Infant formula Preparation and Storage | Happiest Baby: Paced Bottle Feeding

🔲 ✨Learn about hunger cues: At the beginning of your feeding journey, whether bottle or breast, it's essential to pay attention to your baby's hunger signals to determine when to feed them. Often, you can recognize these cues before your baby starts crying. Look for signs such as licking their lips, sticking out their tongue, rooting, repeatedly bringing their hand to their mouth, or opening their mouth.

💡 Learn More: AAP: How often and how much should you baby eat?

🔲 ✨Check in with your pediatrician: 

While you are in the hospital, the nursing staff or a pediatrician will help you with feeding your baby. They can offer advice on aspects such as how often to feed, the appropriate quantity for your newborn, recommended formulas, and whether supplementation is necessary. Use your personal feeding preferences as a reference during these conversations to advocate for what you desire for your family.

After returning home, you'll have your first wellness visit with your selected pediatrician. Be sure to discuss your current feeding schedule and amounts, the formula you have chosen, and your feeding goals and preferences.

🔲 ✨Get In-Hospital Lactation Support (Breastmilk Parents): If you choose to provide your baby with breast milk—whether through breastfeeding or pumping—it's crucial to seek lactation support right from the start. Many hospitals offer lactation consultants to help with initial discussions following birth. You might cover topics such as: breastfeeding positions, latching techniques, nipple guards, nipple care, pumping methods, pumping schedules, flange size (which is very important if you're planning to pump), feeding schedules, and evaluations for tongue or lip ties.

💡 Learn More: The Lactation Network: 10 common breastfeeding questions

🔲 ✨Schedule a follow-up with your lactation consultant (IBCLC) around days 3–5 (Breastmilk Parents): Continue the momentum you created shortly after birth by arranging a follow-up with your IBCLC as you leave the hospital.

💡 Learn More: The Lactation Network: How to book a lactation consultation through insurance

🔲 ✨Meet with your IBCLC to discuss progress, challenges & adjustments (Breastmilk Parents): Now that your baby is a few days old, it’s time for a check-in. Here are some topics you might want to discuss:

• How is your feeding journey progressing?  

• In what ways can the IBCLC assist you in reaching your feeding goals?  

• Are you experiencing any discomfort while pumping or breastfeeding?  

• Is your baby gaining weight appropriately?  

• Do you have any questions or concerns?  

Recurring to dos:

🔲  ✨Get to know your newborn’s daily feeding patterns: Feeding your baby on-demand, responding to their hunger cues, is key. Here is what you may see (from the AAP):

• For breastfed babies: Newborns usually nurse every 2 hours from the start of one feeding to the next, leading to about 10-12 sessions in a 24-hour period. As time passes, these feedings will naturally space out, but be patient as this takes a little while. In the first few weeks, most breastfed babies consume around 1 ounce, and this amount will gradually increase as they grow.

• For formula-fed babies: If your little one is bottle-fed, they typically eat every 2 to 3 hours, and it's good to aim for at least 8 feedings as a minimum in a 24-hour period. Initially, they may take in just half an ounce per feeding for the first 1 - 2 days, but soon they will usually drink 1 to 2 ounces at each feeding.

💡 Learn More: AAP: How often and how much should your baby eat

🔲 ✨Wash & sanitize baby bottles: After each use, baby bottles and nipples should be washed per the manufacturer’s instructions.

🔲 ✨Wash & sanitize pump parts: After each use, pump parts should be washed per the manufacturer’s guidelines. 

💡 Learn More: Spectra: Cleaning your Spectra Breast Pump and Accessories | Mendela: Cleaning your breast pump equipment | CDC: How to clean and sanitize breast pumps