Tips to New Mothers - Part two

There is often a vaginal discharge in the first days after birth. It appears as white mucus and may he ting with blood. Sometimes both baby boys and girls develop a swelling and fullness of their breast. They may actually secrete milk, which sometimes even exudes from the nipples. You should not squeeze this milk out deliberately; such squeez¬ing may result in an infection or an abscess. Both vaginal discharge and milk secretion are caused by maternal hormones which crossed the placenta: before birth.

The newborn usually passes urine in the first twelve hours, but delays up to 24 hours are not unusual. If the baby does not pass urine by then, inform your doctor. The baby's bowels usually start functioning in 24 hours. Initially, the child will pass a blackish motion, called meconium. The normal, yellow-colored motion appears only around the third or fourth day of life.

Tips to New Mothers - Part one

The newborn's genitals are usually disproportionately large, being swollen at birth. The swelling will gradually disappear .. In an uncircumcised baby boy, the foreskin normally adheres to his penis and should not be forcibly retracted. The foreskin naturally separates and becomes retractable as the child grows older.

The umbilical cord, which linked Baby to you, is cut and tied immediately after birth. It begins to dry and turn leathery soon afterwards and will fall off within 5-10 days. . A slight bulge around the umbilical cord may sometimes develop in the first month. This too is not uncommon and is not dangerous; it generally disappears by the end of the first year