 Hello everybody. So, in this topic I will be discussing about newborn care and how to be the newborn. Of course, it is not part of MIYCF, but you know it is not part of nutrition or feeding practices, but I think it is important to kind of teach mothers basics of newborn care because that will prevent lot of complications, ok. So, one thing is first one, first tutorial is on how to take care of newborn, you know. Many even educated parents they have lot of questions when they come to a clinic, you know. So, it is important to just kind of guide them. You can always guide them, you know during pregnancy itself that, ok, if the baby is born once you go home, how often to change the nappy, how to take care of you know other things, how to massage the baby, like who can massage, you know all those what things can be put on baby, what things are not advisable to put on baby. So, all those are very kind of important points and you know we since we have created this tutorial in multiple languages, you can just kind of ask even father can watch it actually, you know anybody in the family can watch it and they will know basic care of newborns, ok. So, this is our two tutorials together, how to take care of newborn and how to bathe the newborn baby. Thank you. Welcome to the spoken tutorial on basics of newborn care. In this tutorial, we will learn how to handle a newborn, umbilical cord care, feeding and burping a newborn, diapering and diaper rash and sleeping pattern of a newborn. The entire family gets excited upon the birth of a newborn and everyone wants to see the baby and hold the baby. Therefore, it is necessary to set some key rules while handling a newborn baby. Newborns don't have a strong immune system. This makes them prone to infections. To protect the baby from infections, it is important to have clean hands before touching or holding the baby. To clean the hands, wash with soap and water and dry well using a clean dry cloth before holding the newborn. Now comes the first thing to learn which is how to hold a baby. Hold the baby by supporting her head and neck with one hand and bottom with the other hand. To lay a baby down, always support the baby's head and neck and hold her bottom as well. On the other hand, to wake a sleeping baby up, do the following. Tickle the baby's feet or lift and support the baby in a sitting position or gently touch the baby's ear. Always remember that a newborn baby is sensitive. Some precautions to be taken while handling a newborn are the newborn is not ready for rough play. Therefore, do not jiggle the baby on the knee or throw her in the air. Never shake the newborn whether in play or in frustration. Avoid sudden jerky moments of the baby's neck. All these may cause internal injuries to the baby. We will now learn about umbilical cord care at home. When the baby is in the mother's womb, the umbilical cord is the baby's lifeline. However, it is no longer needed once the baby is born. Within a few minutes after birth, as soon as the cord stops pulsating, it is clamped. By the time the baby goes home from the hospital, the cord begins to dry and shrivel. The cord falls off by itself in about one to two weeks. Please note that the umbilical cord may be a place for infection to enter the baby's body. Hence, it is essential to take care of it properly. For that, please remember, baby's cord should be kept dry and exposed to air. Only sponge baths should be given until the cord falls off. The cord should be kept on the outside of the baby's nappy or can also be folded down to the top edge of the nappy. Please consult the baby's doctor if there is bleeding from the end of the cord or the area near the skin. Plus, swelling or redness around the navel signs that the navel area is painful to the baby and if the cord has not fallen off by one month of age. Sometimes it might also happen that there may be a small amount of blood when the stump is about to fall off and also after the cord falls off but this should be stopped quickly. Remember, never pull the cord off. Also, do not apply any cream or powder or tie any bandage on the baby's umbilicus after the cord has fallen. For the nutritional aspects of the newborn care, we will discuss how to feed the baby. The newborn should be breastfed within one hour after delivery. Exclusive breastfeeding is recommended for the first six months. Additionally, the mother should provide adequate skin-to-skin contact to the baby and observe the hunger cues of the baby. All these points have been discussed in other tutorials of the same series. In some cases, newborns may need to be awakened frequently so that they are fed enough, especially the smaller premature babies. In case a baby, healthy or premature, does not seem to be interested in sucking, then the mother should consult the doctor or health worker. While breastfeeding, babies often swallow air which can make them fuzzy. To prevent this, make the baby sit and burp after every feed. It has been explained in another tutorial of the same series. Next is diapering. After each bowel movement or if the cloth nappy is wet, lay the baby on her back and remove the dirty nappy. Use water and soft wash cloth to gently clean and wipe the baby's genital area. Do not apply any soap on baby's genital area. Whenever wiping a girl, wipe her from front to back to avoid a urinary tract infection. The mother or caregiver should always thoroughly wash hands before and after changing the nappy. Sometimes it could happen that a baby may suffer from diaper rash. Diaper rash is a common concern. Typically the rash is red and bumpy and will go away in a few days with warm baths, some diaper cream and at times without any diaper or nappy on the genital area. Most rashes happen because the baby's skin is sensitive and becomes irritated by the wet nappy. To prevent or treat diaper rash, change the baby's nappy often, especially after bowel movements. Gently clean the area with a soft cloth and water. Avoid using wipes as sometimes this can be irritating. Apply a very thick layer of diaper rash or barrier cream. Creams with zinc oxide are preferred as they form a barrier against moisture. Wash the baby's nappy using dye and fragrance free detergents. Let the baby stay without a diaper or a nappy for part of the day. This gives the skin a chance to air out. In case the diaper rash continues for more than three days or seems to be getting worse, please consult the doctor. It may be caused by a fungal infection that requires a prescription. In the end, let's discuss about baby's sleeping pattern. Babies sleep for around 14 to 16 hours or more in the day. Newborns typically sleep for a period of two to four hours. Many newborns have their days and nights mixed up. They tend to be awake and alert at night and sleepy during the day. One way to help them sleep more at night is to keep minimum stimulation at night. Example, keep the light slow by using a night lamp and during the daytime try to keep her awake a little longer by talking and playing with her. The mother or caregiver should remember that a baby should always be on her back while sleeping. This reduces the risk of sudden infant death syndrome. For other safe sleeping practices, avoid using the following items in their crib. Blankets, quilts, sheepskins, stuffed toys and pillows. All these can suffocate the baby. Also, be sure to alternate the position of the baby's head each night. First right then left and so on. This will prevent the development of flat spot on one side of the baby's head. This brings us to the end of this tutorial. Welcome to this spoken tutorial on how to bathe a newborn. In this tutorial, we will learn about safety tips for a mother or a caregiver before and during the bath. When to give a baby its first bath, sponge bath, regular bath, traditional bath, bath to babies in hilly areas or cold regions and cradle cap. All new parents are anxious about how to bathe a newborn. A lot of care must be taken while bathing the baby. One wrong step can harm the newborn a lot. Before we begin, it is important to know the safety tips to be followed before bathing a baby. The mother or the family member should always have clipped fingernails before touching the baby and should not wear any rings, bangles or watches. This will reduce the chances of injury to the baby. So, when to give a baby its first bath? Mother can start giving a sponge bath to the baby after 48 hours of delivery. Remember that only sponge bath should be given until the umbilical cord falls off. Once the cord falls off, the mother or any other family member can start giving regular bath to the baby. However, in case a baby has low birth weight then such baby should be given sponge baths until it gains weight up to 2 kilograms. Let us see how sponge bath is given. Before starting, ensure that the room should be warm enough with closed windows. Keep a very soft clean small cloth ready before giving a sponge bath. The baby should be placed on a safe flat surface. The floor would be the safest one. Do not keep the baby on a high platform. The temperature of the water for bathing should not be more than 37 degrees Celsius. Mother should check the temperature of the water using her elbow or wrist. During bathing, first use soapy water for cleaning. To make soapy water, always use any mild colourless and odourless soap or baby soap. Then use clean water to remove the soap. Dip the small soft cloth in water and squeeze out excess water. Now, wipe the baby's eye from the inner corner to the outer edge. Do not use same cloth for wiping other body parts. Always use a fresh and soft cloth to clean other body parts. Also, do not forget to clean creases under arms, behind the ears, around the neck, between fingers and toes and in the genital area. Now that we have discussed what is sponge bath, let us learn about regular bath. Please remember, regular bath should be given to all healthy babies after the umbilical cord falls off. During a regular bath, if you are using a bathtub, first fill the bathtub up to 2 inches with soapy water. To make soapy water, always use any mild colourless and odourless soap or baby soap, as explained earlier. Keep another tub ready which contains fresh water. Then check the temperature of the water with your elbow in both the tubs. After you are satisfied with the temperature of the water, very carefully place the baby in the tub which contains soapy water, ensuring that the head is supported always. Do not add extra water when the baby is already in the tub. To begin with, first wash the baby's head using odourless and colourless baby shampoo or soap. Then gently wash away the soap with fresh water. Next, clean the rest of the body along with the creases and nappy area which is the most contaminated. In the end, gently wash the rest of the body with fresh water. On the other hand, if the mother or caregiver wants to give bath to the baby, in the traditional Indian method, then sit on the floor by spreading your legs parallel to each other. Then place the baby on your leg. Baby's head should be near the mother or caregiver's feet. Baby's feet should be near the mother or caregiver's abdomen. Now, the baby is in the correct position to be bathed. After bathing, dry the baby immediately using soft and clean towels. Remember to dry the creases as explained earlier. Also, avoid using talcum powder or baby powder. Baby powder may cause freezing difficulties in newborns. Never use surma or casual in the eyes. Use of surma or casual may lead to lead poisoning and infection in newborns. Interestingly, special care must be taken for the babies living in hilly areas or cold regions. For babies in such places, a quick daily sponge bath can be given before the cord falls off. However, immediately after drying the baby, mother or caregiver must provide skin-to-skin contact to the baby. This will reduce the risk of low body temperature in babies. Please note that shampooing should be done twice a week. Do not shampoo every day as it will cause dryness of the scalp. It might also happen that a newborn may have crusty patches or scales on the scalp. This is known as cradle cap. There can be some redness around these patches or the scales. Note that there is nothing to worry about cradle cap. It will go away on its own and does not need to be treated. Baby oil may help soften the scales. When applying the oil, rub only small amount into the scales. Too much oil may worsen the condition. Then, wash the baby's hair with a mild tear-free baby shampoo within an hour or two. After that, gently brush out the scales an hour later to avoid more build-up. Never pull the scales as it leads to the sore scalp and further infection. This brings us to the end of this tutorial. Thanks for joining.