A newborn looks very delicate and tiny, which is why there is always some objection about how to hold the baby in arms.
It is very common among parents, especially among first-timers, the fear of harming the baby by taking it. It looks so fragile that it looks like it will slip into your arms. But even if you consider yourself unskilled you will see how that fear fades away right away. You will soon discover the wonderful feeling of sheltering your newborn child in your arms. Instinct can more than any instruction manual technique.
The most important thing to keep in mind is that you have to handle the baby with great care, making gentle but safe movements at the same time, something that sometimes seems to forget the hospital staff. A newborn baby is not yet able to hold the head on its own, so one hand should always hold his head when you take it, whether you lift it from the cradle, move from arm to arm or lie it down.
They are so small that with the same hand you can hold the upper back and head.
Until the child is able to hold his head on his own, there are basically three ways to hold the newborn in arms:
1) Leaning on your forearm upside down
It is a posture that babies love. He is lying on your forearm, your hand holding the culete and the face resting on the inside of your elbow facing outward. It is a very effective position to calm the colic of the infant since your arm provides a light massage in the tripita. Better yet if you swing or take a walk around the house taking the baby in this position. It helps relieve abdominal pain and relax the baby.
2) Leaning on your forearm face up
The posture is basically the same as the previous one but it is the baby's back that remains resting on your forearm, face up with the face facing you. This way of holding the baby allows more eye contact with the newborn, we can talk to him and use the other hand to caress him.
3) In an upright position resting on your chest
When holding the baby in this position we must always hold his head because he still does not have the necessary strength to keep it upright. If we do not hold it, any sudden movement could make you nod sharply. Unless you are in a lying or semi-shaded position you should always hold the upper back and head.
This position favors attachment by being in greater contact with the mother's / father's body heat.
Whichever posture you choose to hold the baby, also consider the following recommendations:
Remember to never take the baby with cold or dirty hands, or let others do it.
When you take it, say beautiful words and speak softly so that you feel safe and at ease.
Do not always take the baby with the same arm to prevent plagiocephaly (deformity in the head) to avoid resting the head always on the same point.
Be careful when lifting or lying in the crib to always hold your head.
What a newborn baby likes best is to fall asleep in the arms of his mother or father. It is very beneficial for both parties to do so, but when you go to bed in the crib, try not to wake up.
I hope these tips help you (those who have it) to lose that sense of fear of catching the newborn. And those who do not, may I help you to take it more times because the experience of having the baby in your arms is wonderful and emotionally very beneficial For both parties.
