Your baby is finally with you, but no matter how happy you are, there is certainly a great deal of fear in you. Here are a few things you should know…

You went to courses, read books, searched the internet… So you have an idea of what to expect when your baby finally gets home. However, no matter how much you prepare, you can expect surprises.

The reality is that, although they know which car seat is the safest or how to replace diapers, many new parents are still very uninformed about important health topics concerning their newborn.

Don't be afraid. Here's what to expect in your baby's early days!

Your baby will be more active after 48 hours

Immediately after birth, babies usually just sleep, or more precisely, they are very sleepy while they are still in the hospital. After the vaginal birth, you will probably leave the hospital after 48 hours, and then your baby will become aware that it has left the uterus and will be very hungry.

It’s mostly a big shock for new parents who thought their baby was calm, and then suddenly she’s often awake and crying, and of course, there’s no help from the hospital anymore.

You may not feed your baby every three hours

You have probably read or heard that your baby will eat about eight times in 24 hours. What many parents do not know is that these feedings are not equally distributed night and day. Your baby may eat several times in a row, so there will be no need to feed her again after a while.

It is still very early to worry about the feeding schedule, but relax and feed your baby whenever she is hungry. If you are breastfeeding, try to make your baby eat eight times a day, no matter when it happens, that way you will also be encouraged to lactate.

Mild jaundice is just fine

Jaundice may not be the best thing when you want to photograph your newborn baby, but that is not a big reason why you should worry. "All newborn babies can get jaundice in the first days of life. This is due to increased bilirubin production. Namely, the baby's red blood cells "live" shorter, which means that they break down more, releasing bilirubin.

In addition, the baby still does not have enough useful bacteria that help digestion, which is why food stays in the intestines longer, so more bilirubin returns to the circulation than normal. However, you can have cause for concern if your baby suddenly turns yellow, is born prematurely, or gets yellow only on certain parts of the body, especially the legs and feet. In that case, you should contact a pediatrician immediately.

Babies are nocturnal birds

Unfair, but true. Babies usually sleep during the day, waiting for the night to party, just when you are already dead tired. Babies do not produce melatonin during the first four weeks of life, so they do not have a circadian rhythm, so they are often awake at night.

Fortunately, in time it will be sorted out.

You can help by lighting your home during the day and being lively during the day, while creating a calm and dark atmosphere at night. When your baby wakes up during the night, try to leave the room as dark as possible, as long as you are able to change diapers and feed the baby.

Your baby will sneeze and hiccup a lot

When a baby sneezes, it can be very irresistible, but it can also lead to parental concerns about allergies. However, rest assured that in most cases this is the most normal occurrence. Babies do not know how to wipe their noses, and in most cases it still contains the fruits of water that passes through the airways.

You have probably also felt your baby hiccup while he was in the womb, which will probably continue to work even when he is born. Babies are sensitive, so any stimulation leads to a spasm in the diaphragm, which is manifested by hiccups, but keep in mind that for babies, the effort, ie stimulation, can also be the transition from sleeping to eating.

Your obsession with how to start on the first day

You will probably quickly become one of those parents who thinks, dreams, reads, searches the Internet all about baby khaki all day long. Many breastfeeding mothers think that the baby has diarrhea, but the stool in the first days is of a liquid composition.

You can also expect your baby to change color during the first few days. It will be black first, then brown, then green, and then yellow.