Little Fingers, Little Toes

Last night, Dean and I completed another maternity course at Central Baptist Hospital. This one was all about how to care for a newborn. We brought our sweet little pink baby doll, complete with pacifier, to practice giving her a bath, diapering and swaddling a newborn.

The class started with a presentation about newborns. We covered what the baby will look like at birth, such as the color of baby's skin (blue at first, but turning pink with baby's first breaths) and the shape of baby's head. We also learned about how to care for the umbilical cord (don't do anything to it, it falls off on its own after 10-14 days).

There was also a pediatrician there who spoke about baby's immediate care while in the hospital. He also advised of how often baby would be going to the doctor for well visits and such. We talked about vaccinations and other pediatric concerns. One of the things Dean and I were surprised to learn is that a fever blister can really harm the baby and start an infection in baby's brain. Therefore, we will enforce our rule of no one but mommy and daddy kissing baby. Sorry, family, but hugs and cuddles is all you get for awhile!

We also talked about some of the hospital rules. There are no children allowed on the mother-baby unit unless it is a sibling to the newborn. They also refuse entry to anyone who may be ill. Both of these rules are to prevent the spread of germs, as it is still flu season. Security is also really strict at the hospital. Only hospital employees with a particular id tag are allowed to take your baby to the nursery or wherever she needs to go. The baby has a matching id bracelet to mom and dad. Also, the baby has an ankle monitor! Should the baby be carried into a restricted area, the elevators and doors shut down and people come running. It is nice to know that we wont have to worry about anything while we are at the hospital.

At the end of the class, we learned how to change a newborn's diaper, bath her and swaddle her in a blanket. We took turns swaddling our doll, and I must say, Dean did an excellent job! I am so excited that it wont be long before we can try our techniques out on our own little one.