How to bond with your baby

Here are some of the ways of ensuring that bonding with your baby is as possible - for both you and your baby. 

Know what your baby is feeling

Your baby will likely spend the majority of these first 48 hours asleep, but that doesn't mean that he or she is unaware of what's happening. “Babies are not blank slates at birth. They come into the world with all kinds of mental abilities and predispositions,” writes Dr Lise Eliot in her book, ‘What's Going On In There?: How the Brain and Mind Develop in the First Five Years of Life’. Your baby already has a surprisingly sophisticated set of senses that developed long before he or she left the womb, including the ability to differentiate between sweet, bitter and sour tastes.

Your baby's eyesight will also be fairly well developed, though a little blurry if objects or faces are too close or too far away. If you want your baby to see a particular object, hold it roughly 10 inches away from his or her eyes. Hearing and smell are also well developed senses, meaning your baby will be sensitive to unpleasant odours and loud or unexpected sounds, such as dog barks.
 
Learn how to comfort your baby effectively

Once you are aware of the sensations and feelings that your baby is experiencing, it will be easier to make him or her comfortable. The most obvious comfort is you - touching and cradling your baby will help soothe them, as will providing soft touches, such as silky blankets. By cradling your baby close to your chest, you will also allow them to hear the familiar sound of your heartbeat, which they will recognise from their months inside your womb.

Gentle and repeated sounds, such as the whoosh of a tumble dryer or the whirr and vibrations of a vacuum cleaner can actually be reassuring to a baby too, as can any sound that rhymes with 'hush,' or, 'shush'. That's because the sound mimics what your baby hears in the womb. Try saying it into your baby's ear, or playing a recording of waves, which also sound similar. Swaddling, or wrapping up your baby tightly in a snug blanket, will also comfort him or her. “The vast majority of new babies stay calmer and sleep longer when they are swaddled,” adds paediatrician Harvey Karp in his book, ‘The Happiest Baby on the Block’.

Know what to expect from your baby

For the first few days, your baby will likely spend a great deal of time asleep - this is perfectly normal. Newborns sleep an average of 16 hours for the first day, often in three to four hour stretches. It is also a good thing if your baby wants to eat regularly, in other words more than eight times in the first 24 hours, according to ‘Fit Pregnancy’ magazine.

It is likely that the colour of your baby's poop will change from green-black to yellow during these first 48 hours. The consistency may also alter and become less sticky and more watery. Rest assured this is all part of the adjustment process.

Try to avoid giving your baby a bath for the first week. Instead, dampen a cotton wool ball or pad with cooled boiled water and gently dab their ears, eyes, neck, face, nappy area as well as the base of the umbilical cord.

Remember also that it is likely your newborn will increase in weight by one ounce each day for the first three months. However, don't be surprised if your baby loses weight in these first 48 hours. Astonishingly, this can be as much as 10 per cent of his or her birth weight, according to experts.  

Remember to look after yourself too. If your baby sleeps a lot during these first two days at home, make sure you catch up on your sleep too, so that you are as well rested as possible for the exhausting but exciting days ahead.