It’s not easy for a new parent to be certain when an infant is ill. Sometimes a parent’s concerns can be treated as a casual inquiry by medical workers who are accustomed to soothing new-mother nervousness. It’s enough to make a mama doubt her own instincts.

Fortunately, even new parents can objectively measure their baby’s health.

WEEK ONE
From the start, newborns will need to nurse for no less than 15 minutes, 8 times per day during the first week of life. A mama can hear her baby swallow milk during feeding. Baby’s first bowel movement will be a black paste called muconium. The texture and color will change from a blackish green to a brownie batter consistency. By the fourth or fifth day, this will appear yellow. During the first two days of life, a child should begin to have wet diapers. By the end of this week, the frequency of wet diapers will increase to 2 or 3 per day.

That first week will also give you clues if a baby isn’t doing well. If a baby has no desire to nurse, has a weak suck, feeds less than 8 times per day and can’t manage to feed for at least 15 minutes, these are reasons for concern. If a baby falls asleep before nursing for 15 minutes, makes a clicking sound when nursing, and has dimpled cheeks when sucking, these are also indications that there is some difficulty. When the baby’s diapers don’t show stools progressing as they should and you don’t see wet diapers within 48 hours after birth, there is something out of the ordinary. Two days of these symptoms indicate that you should seek medical help.

THE INITIAL 30 DAYS
Signs of a healthy baby will be similar for the first month. For weeks 2 through 4, the baby will continue to nurse at least eight times a day and have 2 to 4 yellow bowel movements per day. Urine should be clear, not yellow, 6-8 times per day. The baby’s suck will gain in strength; You should see some milk at feeding and hear your baby swallowing. The baby should increase in weight and alertness.

Take special note of anything out of the ordinary: infrequent feedings, small stools or missed stools, decreased urination or bright yellow urine. Measure your baby’s length and weight; these should increase. You’ll know something is not right if your baby’s sucking becomes weak, you can’t hear swallowing at feedings, the baby becomes lethargic and slow to respond or stops sleeping between feedings. These behaviors for two consecutive days mean you should seek medical assistance.

WEEKS FIVE THROUGH TEN
During this stage, the baby’s feedings may go down to seven per day. This is because he is growing and can take in more milk. Again, you will notice a change in bowel movements to either several small stools per day or a large one as infrequently as every couple of days. This isn’t unusual in breastfed babies as they assimilate much of the milk. Six to eight wet diapers will continue daily, but check to be sure there isn’t a concentrated yellow color. You should notice that your baby is increasing in his awareness, has a stronger suck, audible swallowing and a little milk dripping at feeding time.

During this 5th to 10th week you may have reason for concern if your baby doesn’t nurse at least seven times per day or produce the right amount of wet (not bright yellow) diapers each day. Length and weight should increase for baby. A baby that isn’t getting enough nourishment may have a weak sucking reflex and may nurse without an audible swallow. If your baby becomes slow to respond, sluggish and stops sleeping between feedings, contact a health care provider. A couple of days in a row of these indicators mean that something is not well with your baby.

MONITORING YOUR BABY
Knowing when your baby last ate and how often can be complicated enough if you were operating on a full night’s rest. It can be overwhelming to expect a new mother to know this with reduced sleep. Have note paper and a pencil near the baby’s bed. Write down the time of each feeding and changing along with your notes. An example might be: “2:00 a.m., Nursed 20 minutes, wet diaper/clear, bm – greenish yellow.” Start with a clean sheet each day. Write the date at the top of the page.

This way, should anything seem out of the ordinary, you can refer to your notes and present them to a doctor if needed. This is also a good way for a new mama to bond with her baby. Your weariness may make it difficult for your to identify the cause of your baby’s crying, but your list will provide you with the information you need to know if it’s been too long between feedings or bowel movements – identifying the cry as hunger or constipation. In turn, you begin to interpret your baby’s cries and what they mean. In turn, the new mother gains confidence in her ability to identify and meet her child’s needs.

The BEST advice for new mamas, however, comes from not-so-new mamas. Don’t take for granted any of those first weeks. There’s nothing more important than getting acquainted with your new baby. In a flash, they are no longer little.

If you’re a new parent, you might like more tips on child training. No Greater Joy has written a best a bestseller called To Train Up A Child that has helped thousands as well as publishing many articles on their website dedicated to helping parents bring up children they enjoy.