It has been 3 months since Baby See's arrival. I would be lying if I said its a walk in the park. Each day is a new learning experience for me - from discovering breastfeeding hacks, gathering tips and tricks for sleep training, how to soothe a crying baby, how to make diaper changing a breeze or finding brain development toys and books. During those times, I wished someone gave me a detailed list of what to expect from your 1-3 months old newborn baby from health to development and things to do with baby. So, I decided to put together this article to help new Moms.
**Do note that these are based on my own experiences and that I am not a professional in this field.**
1st month
Diapering
DiaperingTotal 9-10 times/day
Pee7-8 times/day
Poo2-3 times/day
During the 1st 2 weeks, Baby See's poop was greenish. We checked with his PD and she assured us that its normal so as long as its greenish or yellowish due to the contents of the formula milk that he is drinking. After the 1st 2 weeks, his stools were yellowish.
Milk intake
AgeMilk volume per feedFrequencyFeeding
Week 1-230mlEvery 2 hours9 times
Week 3-445mlEvery 2 hours9 times
Sometimes he doesn't burp after drinking milk and vomits after feeding from the sides of his mouth at times and forcefully at other times like a Merlion. I learnt that this is baby regurgitation, a symptom of baby reflux.
How to minimize baby reflux:
1) Feed baby in an upright position and hold baby in a sitting position for at least 20 minutes after feeding.
2) Feed baby with smaller milk volume and more frequently.
3) Burp baby halfway through feeding and after feeding.
How to burp a newborn that won't burp:
1) Put baby on your lap with his/her tummy facing down, pat his/her back with your palm OR
2) Let baby sit upright with his/her butt on your lap, support baby's head with your thumb and index finger with one hand and use the other hand to support baby's underarm and rotate his/her body in circles.
Tip:
Just get a tin of formula milk first instead of buying in bulk to see if it is suitable for your baby as some babies have certain allergy and would have to switch to a different formula.
Sleep
Baby See has a fondness of sleeping on his right side. He takes 3-6 naps a day, each 10 minutes to 3 hours and usually fusses at night.
PD follow-up @ 5 days old
We went to Baby See's PD for a follow-up checkup when he's 5 days old. She noted that he has slight jaundice and we were told to monitor it for another 3 days to see if it goes away. She advised that we feed him formula to flush out the jaundice as well as sun him for 5-10 minutes in his diapers while using a cloth to cover his eyes to protect them. Since Baby See has stuffy nose, we were given iliadin nasal decongestant solution.
Jaundice
Time periodJaundice level
Week 2,
Day 3137
Week 2,
Day 745
On the following Monday, when we saw that Baby See's jaundice didn't go away, we brought him to the polyclinic as advised by our PD to check his jaundice level. It was 137, slightly above the ideal level of 100. We were advised to monitor it and go back for another follow up before he turn 3 weeks old. The doctor at the polyclinic advised me not to consume ginger and Chinese tonic wine for the time being as I am breastfeeding but I don't think there's any evidence to support that basis.
When we went for his follow up at the polyclinic 4 days after, his jaundice level dropped to 45. Thank God for that, otherwise he will require phototherapy.
Umbilical cord
Before we were discharged from the hospital, the nurse advised us to keep his umbilical cord dry at all times. We would pat dry it gently after showering Baby See and fold the front part of his diaper down to expose his umbilical cord.
His umbilical cord came off when he's 2 weeks old.
Skin color
We realized that there's redness on Baby See's face on Week 1 but when we checked with our PD, she told us that its normal and that it would go away in time to come.
Full month
On the actual day that Baby See turned a month old, my Mom made ang ku kuehs and ang yees which symbolizes longevity. Apparently, if you have a boy, it will be ang yees (the pointed ones) instead of ang ku kuehs. My Aunt helped to prepare red eggs which symbolizes birth and a new beginning. We also bought glutinous rice and cakes for our relatives.
According to Chinese traditions, you will have to cut or shave the baby's hair when he/she is a month old. As Baby See has very thick and fluffy hair, I couldn't bear to do that so I just asked my Aunt to help to trim a bit and let it grow out.
Milestone
One of Baby See's milestone within a month old was that he smiled at me when he turned 3 weeks old and that made me so happy! Happy baby = happy Mom!
2nd month
Diapering
DiaperingTotal 8-10 times/day
Pee6-8 times/day
Poo2-4 times/day
Milk intake
AgeMilk volume per feedFrequencyFeeding
Week 5-790mlEvery 2 hours9 times
Week 8120mlEvery 3 hours8 times
Sleep
From the 2nd month onwards, Baby See takes 3-4 naps a day, each 30 mins to 3 hours.
Stuffy nose
On Week 5, Baby See's stuffy nose worsened and it caused noisy breathing. We were worried so we brought him to the PD and was told to use the iliadin nasal decongestant solution given to us previously and his stuffy nose would persist till he's 3-4 months old. Apart from iliadin nasal decongestant solution, we also use Tonimer Baby Nasal Spray to help to clear his stuffy nose.Colic pain
We told the PD that Baby See usually fusses at night and when we checked, there's no wet diaper nor was he hungry as we fed him on time. She told us that it could be due to colic pain and we were given Dentinox colic drops.Face flaking
When Baby See was 5 weeks old, his face started flaking. I applied Chicco face moisturizer for him on a daily basis and it went away.
Hepatitis B vaccination
He had his Hepatitis B vaccination when he was 6 weeks old at the polyclinic. There was a checkup prior to the jab where they took his height, weight and head measurements as well as note down his stools color and his milk intake.
I was asked to put Baby See on my lap in an upright sitting position and talk or sing to him while the jab was administered on his upper left thigh. He only let out 2 cries and stopped immediately when I stood up. Apparently, I was told by the staff there that you have to stand up immediately after the jab is administered so that there is a change in movement which allows the baby to process that there's no more jabs after that.
Influenza A
It was rather unfortunate that Baby See got Influenza A when he's 7 weeks old. I wrote a detailed post on it previously, you can read more about it here.
Tummy time
We started tummy time for Baby See when he's 6 weeks old.
Koala hold
When Baby See turned 8 weeks old, he was super clingy and wanted to be carried most of the time and his favorite carrying position was koala hold.
Soother/pacifier
We introduced Baby See to a pacifier when he was 5 weeks old but he grew out of it when he was 8 weeks old.
Milestone
One of Baby See's milestone was that he could hold his own milk bottle when he's 5 weeks old and was able to hold items such as a ball and toy shark when he's 6 weeks old.
3rd month
Diapering
DiaperingTotal 7-9 times/day
Pee5-7 times/day
Poo2-5 times/day
Baby See started having watery poo when he was 10 weeks old. Initially I thought he was having diarrhea but after checking with a fellow Mummy friend, I realized that it was because he was drinking more breastmilk which resulted in him having watery poo.
He transited to S size diapers when he turned 11 weeks old.
Tip:
Do not order or stock up diapers in newborn size. Just get a carton first and see if baby requires to upgrade to the next size.
Milk intake
AgeMilk volume per feedFrequencyFeeding
Week 9-10120mlEvery 3 hours8 times
Week 11-13120mlEvery 3 hours7 times
Sleep
When Baby See turned 11 weeks old, he could sleep longer about 3-5 hours through the night.
6-in-1 vaccination and rotavirus oral vaccine
We opt to take the 6-in-1 vaccination [Diphtheria, Tetanus, acellular Pertussis, Polio, H. influenzae, Hepatitis B Infanrix Hexa (GSK)] and rotavirus oral vaccine and topped up for that when Baby See is 15 weeks old.
We were given paracetamol in case he develops a fever.
Motoring skills
He started exploring sensory toys and putting them in his mouth when he turned 9 weeks old. He could also play interactive games with me such as kicking the balls to me when i rolled them over to him.
Diaper rash
Baby See developed bad rashes on his upper thigh below the groin area when he's 10 weeks old. The regular Mustela Vitamin Barrier Cream that I use on him on a daily basis and Desitin Maximum Strength didn't work so I tried applying Young Living Lavender Essential Oil diluted with coconut oil in the ratio of 1:8 and it was gone after a day.
Communication and interaction
By the time when Baby See is 10 weeks old, he knows how to call out to us and get our attention by tapping or kicking our hands or legs. He also started enjoying his bath time so much, loves playing with his Munchkin Squirtin Farmyard Friends Bath Toys that his Grandma got for him and would cry when we bring him out of the tub. Looking back, he hated bath time so much that he would start crying immediately when we removed his clothing.
Milestone
When he was 11 weeks old, we had to use a bigger bathtub (the one that we bought) instead of the smaller one given by the hospital upon discharge because he couldn't fit into it anymore. He also started licking and sucking his fingers, hand and even started babbling.
When he turned 13 weeks old, he became very responsive to bedtime stories and displayed signs of interest like holding the edges of the book's pages and would react by babbling and giggling each time I finish reading a page,
At his last vaccination 2 days ago, we found out that he now weighs a whooping 6.495kg! He has grown so much these 3 months for he was only 2.52kg at birth!
I hope you find this post useful. If you have any questions, just send me a direct message on Instagram @yongwei318 or email me.
You might also like these:
We spent Chinese New Year in hospital battling Influenza A
Have a peace of mind with babySWIPE
Baby See's Birth Story (Part 1)
My breastfeeding journey (Part 1)
Preparing for baby's 👶 arrival
Baby See: 3 months update
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