Congratulations to your new baby. I am sure that your excitement is coupled with mixed feelings. You want your baby to have the best of everything: health, nutrition, clothes, a home and a future- a good education, life, surroundings, friends, the list can go on and on. Of course, with the excitement comes the feeling of anxiety; that fear that every parent has, to accomplish this big task.

On the other hand, the anxiety is mixed with a definite change of life-style and a new life. Accept these as healthy, normal feelings. The beginning of each learning experience is ever changing because life is ever changing. These changes can be summed up in a three words: growth and development.

Parent tips:

 1. Post partum blues are normal. It is not exclusive to the female. It is also found in males. It is especially felt on the day othe baby is born and as soon as the parent steps out of the hospital.

2. Your new born child is not a small adult. Though he does have the same structures as you, their physiology in many ways are different. Their structures are smaller, immature and weaker. However as the baby goes through development, they will attain an adult physiology.

The differences are:

A. their heart rate and breathing are faster,

B. they normally are slightly yellow- "neonatal or physiologic jaundice" (look up the latter part of this booklet on its proper care or when it is abnormal),

C. they normally spit up part of their food (look up the latter part of this booklet on its proper care or when it is abnormal),

D. being developmentally immature, your babies needs has to met by the parent- nutrition, clothing, cleaning and bathing, care, etc.