This morning at 7, after a quick wash, I headed to the postpartum care center. It was the day my wife and our baby, Osam-i, were coming home, so with a mix of excitement and nervousness (and worry as a bonus?), I made my way to the 6th floor of the Suji Mirae Postpartum Care Center. They were both there because it was visiting hours. My wife had already packed most of her things, so we quickly finished up and loaded the car. Before checking out, we received 30 minutes of education from the director of the care center. It was all about newborn care (e.g., how to bathe, how to feed formula, etc.).
Putting Osam-i into the car seat took some effort. I had watched videos and practiced in my head, but it was tricky to figure out how tightly to fasten the seatbelt. After some struggles, we managed to get Osam-i in the car and headed home.
The first thing we did at home was feed Osam-i. I watched my wife breastfeed, giving occasional back rubs. About 30 minutes to an hour later, I gave him some formula. But feeding him formula was harder than I thought. Initially, I wondered if he just wasn't hungry. Despite moving the bottle around and holding his ears, he barely ate. Only 50ml in 30 minutes. 😭😭😭
So we decided to breastfeed twice and then try the formula once around 9 o'clock (Formula time!! 🔥🔥). I revisited numerous channels and blogs on formula feeding. I hope to get better at it over time!! 💪 One thing I learned from my wife today was how to swaddle.
Reasons for Swaddling
- Minimize Moro Reflex: Most actions a newborn does are reflexive and unconscious, known as "reflexes" like the sucking and grasping reflex. The Moro reflex is also a typical unconscious behavior. It's a reflex where the baby suddenly stretches out its arms and legs, then quickly brings them back in, resembling a hug.
- Recreate the Womb Environment: Infants younger than 100 days feel more comfortable when they experience the sensation of being in the womb. Swaddling restricts their movement, offering a psychological sense of protection and comfort.
- Temperature Regulation: Newborns lack the ability to regulate their body temperature. Swaddling helps maintain their body warmth. Today, while changing Osam-i's diaper and removing his swaddle, his temperature dropped, causing him to hiccup. This underlines the importance of temperature management through swaddling.
- Prevent Injuries: Newborns can scratch their face with their own hands due to reflexes like the Moro reflex. Especially since Osam-i's nails were longer than I expected. We must trim his nails tomorrow.
How to Swaddle:
There are various methods of swaddling. I saw a method different from what I knew. Decided to learn the method familiar to my wife.
While swaddling, the baby's arms should be straight. And when swaddling, if it's too close to the face, the baby might think it's feeding time. The end of the swaddle might irritate the neck, so it's better to place it a bit lower. The remaining part of the swaddle was wrapped around so that the legs have some room to move. Though I created a GIF for easier viewing, you can refer to the video below for a more detailed view.
Studies of April 22, 2023