After the birth of a child, so many different questions arise, the answers to which, so obvious after the first child, are completely unknown to the parents of the first-born. How often to feed the baby? Do I need to swaddle? How to wash a newborn girl correctly? At what age do wean from diapers?
How to wash a newborn girl properly. Physiology
In order for young parents to clearly understand why they must follow certain pediatrician recommendations, a little about the physiology of children. For some time after birth, a primordial lubricant remains in the vagina in girls. By itself, it does not cause any inconvenience. But this is only with proper care. Standing out from the vagina, it usually remains between the small, and sometimes large, labia. If you do not remove it when performing hygienic procedures, then the likelihood of fusion of the labia and subsequently overgrowing of the gap increases significantly. As a result, operational correction cannot be dispensed with. This time. Secondly, the microflora of the vagina is populated for about two weeks. Thus, if you do not know how to properly wash the newborn girl, then you can enter the intestinal microflora into the vagina. Therefore, the practice, when a baby is washed in a bathtub or in a basin, can bring irreparable harm instead of the expected benefit. Newborn babies need to be washed either using a bowl of warm water and a cotton pad, or under the tap.
How to wash a newborn girl properly. Everything you need
In order that the washing procedure does not turn into a real battle with the baby, all the essentials should be prepared in advance. If you plan to wash your baby on a changing table, then lay a medical oilcloth on it and cover it with a thin diaper on top. Having removed the diapers, we assess the scale of the disaster. If the baby has just roasted, then everything will be quite easy. Using a cotton pad, gently remove feces from the labia to the anus. Prepare some discs. After the main dirty work is done, we proceed to the more critical part. Having parted the labia thoroughly and carefully, with a cotton pad moistened in warm water, we clean the vaginal gap. Then we wash the crotch to the anus. The final step is to check the buttocks for contamination. Then apply ointment or cream under the diaper for dry skin or powder in the presence of diaper rash. That's it, baby is clean!
How to wash a newborn girl properly. Running water
Until two weeks of age, only warm boiled water should be used. Then you can proceed to the procedures under the tap. The process is similar to the above. However, the child should be laid on the arm so that the head is on your elbow and the baby is lying on its back or side. Water should flow to the labia in front and drain to the anus. Some parents practice bathing the baby with their mother. Such procedures can lead to infection of the girl from the mother. Now you know how to wash newborns properly!