Birth Education Class Practice + Resources

-For more in-depth information than that in your Understanding Birth web app, explore:

– “Additional Resources” section of our Resources Page
–Evidence Based Birth
–Birth Monopoly

Books: 
–Childbirth Handbook: a Step by Step Guide to Creating Your Birth Plan by Stephanie Mitchell, CNM
–The Birth Partner by Penny Simkin

 At Open Circle:
–Group Infant Discovery Sessions at Open Circle
–Infant Developmental Movement Education
-Preparing for Caring Private Session
–4th Trimester Doula Care 

In the Community:
(including resources for physical healing, mental health, family care, etc.)
Please visit our resources page

Paid Leave Resources
-Rhode Island Temporary Caregiver Insurance  

Mental Health Support
-See our resources page for a list of local therapists and more supports
-Immediate Support: The Day Hospital at Women and Infants Hospital
–Butler Hospital Assessments and Emergency Admissions

Sexuality and Intimacy After Birth
–Mating in Captivity by Esther Perel
–Post Baby Hanky Panky
–Couples and Sexual Health Resources

Fathers Groups and Resources
-Open Circle Dad Group
please let us know of other valuable resources you’ve found for fathers in our area, or books for fathers that you have loved!

LGBTQ+ Community
-See our resources page 
-Rhode Island LGBTQ+ Parenting and Family-Building Group: Email to be added to the group/for more info

4th Trimester Book Resources:
Birth Parent
–The First 40 Days
–Nobody Told Me About That
–What No One Tells You – A Guide to Your Emotions
–Eating for Two 
–Natural Health After Birth

Newborn Development and Behaviors
-Understanding Newborn Cues** (highly recommended video)
–The Amazing Talents of the Newborn (video)
–Babies Project: Developmental Movement Education
–On The Way to Walking: The Essential Guide To Natural Movement Development
–Wonder Weeks App (following infant development)
–Fussy Evenings
–Understanding Developmental Milestones
–The 6 Needs of Every Child: Empowering Parents and Kids Through the Science of Connection* (book)
Please note that this book is written by a child psychologist and his wife from the perspective of their fields of expertise, life experience and references their Christian faith. I was initially unsure about including it because not every family (including my own) is Christian, and I thought it might not resonate for that reason. However, it is a really beautifully presented tool for parents on many levels, and I encourage you to let the parts that mention religion simply be placeholders for your own faith or value systems. The support, compassion and knowledge offered to parents throughout is superb.

Newborn Awareness States
Understanding Newborn Cues (linked above)
Amazing Talents of the Newborn (linked above)
Chart of Awareness States
Awareness States Applications for Caregiving

Holding Your Baby
-Preparing for Caring Private Session at Open Circle or Babies Project
-From Birth To Walking  (book; linked above)
–Video Demonstration 1
–Video Demonstration 2
–Video Demonstration 3

Infant Soothing
Happiest Baby 5 S’s Video
Swaddling Video
Understanding Newborn Cues 

Babywearing / Infant Carriers
Babywearing Guidelines
General Soft Carrier Instructional Video showing two newborn holds*
*best to refer to the video from your specific carrier brand
Because of how beneficial “wearing” your baby is for both you and baby, it’s worth pushing through the early learning curve to become comfortable at this skill. It will offer you more freedom and decrease baby fussiness. The following links are for soft carriers which are excellent for newborns – toddlers. There are many carriers out there so consulting with other parents and babywearing groups can be helpful.

Diapering and Elimination
How to diaper a Newborn (video)
Baby Poop Guide (video)
Baby Poop Photos 1 (helpful for recognizing normal or of concern)
Baby Poop Photos 2

Bathing Your Baby 
Bathing Video 1
Bathing Video 2

Bathing Temp: 68-72 degrees fahrenheit
Bathing Frequency: Avoid Bathing for first 24 hours. Sooner can make it difficult for a newborn to retain body temperature. After 24 hours, it depends on a family’s beliefs and traditions. Some bathe once a week, some daily. From HealthyChildren.org: Your infant doesn’t need much bathing if you wash the diaper area thoroughly during diaper changes. Three times a week during the first year may be enough. Bathing her more frequently may dry out her skin, particularly if soaps are regularly used. . . 

Skin Care + Products
Soaps: Keep in mind that using soap too frequently on the skin strips important skin oils that maintain skin health and serve as a support in protecting the baby’s system from pathogens. Often warm water is all that’s needed and best for the skin. Gentle, unscented and limited chemical content soap can be used if needed after a particularly dirty diaper or if baby has extra “stank” or cradle cap. Avoid petroleum-based products

Lotions: in general, your baby does not need skin lotions and actually benefits from simply avoiding bathing too often and stripping natural skin oils. The health of their skin is supported best through adequate nutrition and hydration, and avoiding detergents or soaps with chemicals, scents and other allergens. If you do chose to use skin lotions, consult with your pediatrician and avoid petroleum products, scents and lotions or oils with added chemicals. Food-grade, non-nut organic oils can be a good option, such as sunflower oil.

Dressing Your Baby 
Putting clothing on and taking it off (Video)
Newborn clothing recommendations (Video)

Temperature + Humidity Regulation
-General Temp: 68-72; General Humidity: 40-60%

-Following the recommendations above may or may not be possible for all families, depending on the environment in which they live and comfortable living temperatures for parents. Because of this, it is also good to learn to recognize signals that your baby may be too cold or too warm, and to modify their dress to help them regulate temperature.

General considerations: babies in the early months cannot regulate or retain temperature as effectively as adults. It is commonly said to dress the baby in the same number of layers that keeps you comfortable, plus one additional layer.

Having said that, adults and babies may have constitutions that chill or overheat differently from their parents. Therefore, pay attention to signals of either too much cold or heat in your baby:
-Too cool: skin on hands, feet or face cool to the touch. Mottled skin. Fussiness or listlessness
–Too hot: flushed in face, sweating on hairline at forehead or nap of neck. Fussiness

Remember that the head, belly, hands and feet are areas that lose heat quickly, and can be used to help a baby regulate temperature without having to change all their clothing (ie: add socks and hat if cool, or take off if hot).

Supporting Temperature Regulation, Digestion and Weight Growth: keep your baby’s belly covered and warm. Using onesies under other layers (in cooler weather) or on their own (in warmer weather) supports this.

Newborn Feeding Resources: please see Class 7: Breastfeeding / Infant Feeding

Newborn Sleep Resources
-Family Sleep Strategies in your PDF workbook pgs 58-66
–American Academy of Pediatricians Recommendations
–Co-Sleeping Research and Information on Safety Practices – Notre Dame Sleep Lab
–No-Cry Sleep Solution (book)
*please note that many books and programs about newborn sleep (first three months) are NOT based on our best understanding of a baby’s physical and psycho-emotional needs or their developmental capacities. Babies in the first three months NEED to wake to feed multiple times throughout the night, and do not have the brain development to begin to learn modified patterns until at least 4 months of age. Avoid modalities that suggest the goal of getting a newborn to sleep through the night – this is not healthy for them.

Helping Pets Adjust to Baby + Keeping Baby Safe Around Animals
–Dogs
–Cats

Choosing your Baby’s Practitioner
(Pediatrician / Family Doctor / Nurse Practitioner)
Your relationship with your baby’s doctor will likely last throughout their infancy into young adulthood. Your doctor will be the one you call when you have concerns or frights about your child’s health. For this reason, it is a very important relationship and finding someone you trust matters hugely. Just as in choosing your maternity care doctor, the style of care from one pediatrician or family doctor to the next varies dramatically.  You can work and change as many practitioners as you need to find one that you feel confident with.  

Newborn Procedures
Talk with your healthcare providers and pediatricians about any questions you may have. Additional information can be found through research, including: 
–Vitamin K
–Eye Ointment
–Hepatitis B Vaccine
–Newborn Screening Tests

Circumcision
Circumcision is a controversial topic among medical practitioners, in different sectors of society, and from one governmental health organization to another. When the decision is made based on religious tradition, the questions and reasons are different from those of a more Western science / physiologic perspective.

–Evidence Based Birth Evidence + Ethics on Circumcision

Newborn First Aid Kit Supplies
What to have on hand in baby first aid kit:  First, we highly recommend taking an infant first aid and CPR class. Next, there’s comfort in buying a pre-packaged infant first aid kit, but it’s possible to create one on your own. Whether you build your own kit or buy one a pre-made first aid kits, it’s a good idea to prepare ahead with one before baby needs it. Here are things to include:
 
• Nasal aspirator (nosefrida is an effective brand)
• Saline nasal drops
• Baby thermometer
• Medicine dropper
• Baby nail clippers
• Emery boards (nail file)
• Baby brush or comb
• Cradle cap brush
• Sterile gauze
• Infant Acetaminophen (consult your doctor for dosage recommendations)
• Antibiotic cream (consult your doctor for dosage recommendations)
• Alcohol swabs
• Antibiotic ointment (consult your doctor for dosage recommendations)
• Age-appropriate Band-Aids
• Emergency contact card (with pediatrician and other important info for caregivers

When to call the Doctor
First things first: 
Get accustomed to your newborns general patterns. For example, around how often does your baby feed, eat and sleep, play, fuss. . . ? how many times do you usually need to change their diapers each day? How does your baby usually respond to you?
Noticing significant changes in your personal baby’s normal behaviors and patterns will help you know when to reach out to your infant’s healthcare provider. If you feel worried, trust your gut/intuition and call your baby’s provider. Know, too, that as we are getting to know our baby, it is quite common in the early weeks and months to call our provider frequently as we learn what is normal and how to read our children.

Be prepared:
You will feel more in control if you have the following information readily accessible:
• The name of your newborn’s doctor and the phone number
• The doctor’s office hours and call hours
• Instructions that detail what to do when the office is closed
• The location of the hospital that the doctor is affiliated with
• The name, phone number, and location of the pharmacy that you use

Be prepared to answer questions such as: 
• What are your newborn’s symptoms?
• What is your newborn’s temperature? (Note: Rectal thermometers are typically used with newborns.)
• How many bowel movements, loose stools, or wet diapers has your newborn had?
• Does your newborn have any allergies or conditions? • Does your newborn take any medication? If so, what kind of medication and what is the dose?

Write down any instructions that you’re given to help you keep track

MEDICAL CONCERNS

Call the Doctor’s Office if your newborn:
• Has a cough
• Has any eye problems, such as mucus or redness
• Has a runny nose making it difficult to breath, even after using nasal saline
• Yellowish skin or eyes, without any other concerning symptoms
• Is vomiting
• Is eating less than usual or is having problems with breastfeeding, such as difficulty latching onto the nipple (call lactation support, first or in addition)
• Is not having regular bowel movements
• Has stools that are much looser than normal
• Is crying more than usual and is unable to be consoled
• Has problems sleeping
• Has blood or pus around the navel, or if circumcised, around the penis
• Has a rash that is not responding to treatment
• Has ear drainage
• Is not responding to sounds

IMMEDIATELY CALL YOUR DOCTOR IF YOUR BABY HAS
• Rectal temperature above 100.4°F (38°C)
• Rectal temperature below 97.8°F (36.5°C)
• Any breathing problems, like difficulty breathing or fast breathing
• Other signs of not getting enough oxygen, like blue lips, nose, or fingernails
• Extreme tiredness or drowsiness, difficulty waking
• Is limp
• Signs of dehydration, such as wetting less than 6 diapers in 24 hours, sunken eyes, sunken soft spot, no tears when crying
• Soft spot on the top of the head looks bulging
• Seizure
• Bloody urine, stool, or vomit • Injury to any part of the body, especially the head

Parent + Baby Groups:
See our Local Resources Page for additional local offerings

At Open Circle:
–Group Infant Discovery Sessions at Open Circle
-Parent + Baby Yoga
–Infant Developmental Movement Education
-Preparing for Caring Private Session
–4th Trimester Doula Care 

RI Community Offerings: 
-Agroterra Birth 4th Trimester Group (coming soon)
–Providence Postpartum Support Group
–Southern RI Parent’s Circle

Learn, learn, learn