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Now Your Baby is Here

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Bringing baby home means many changes in the family. Taking care of yourself is an important part of being able to care for and enjoy your newborn.

On this page:

When to see a health care provider 

It is important that your baby is seen by a health care provider within 48 hours of leaving the hospital, at one week of age or as directed by your baby’s health care provider.

Contact your health care provider if:

  • Baby is not feeding well or is refusing to feed 
  • Baby is sleepy all the time and is hard to wake up
  • Baby's skin and/or whites of the eyes appear yellow or becoming more yellow
  • Baby has fewer wet diapers or bowel movements than expected
  • Shows signs of dehydration

Dehydration

Babies can quickly become dehydrated. They can either not get enough fluid or lose too much fluid.

Signs your baby is dehydrated include:

  • Decreased urination
  • Difficult to wake and sleepy
  • Dark and strong-smelling urine
  • Weak cry
  • Increased thirst
  • Absence of tears
  • Dry skin, mouth and tongue
  • Faster heart beat
  • Sunken eyes
  • Greyish skin
  • Sunken soft spot (fontanelle) on your baby's head

If your baby is showing signs of dehydration, call your health care provider, visit the emergency department or find local care options in Waterloo Region.

Newborn screening and follow-up

After birth, the Newborn Screening Ontario program tests your baby for early detection of disease. Your baby will also have a hearing screen and a jaundice screen.

Your body after childbirth 

Your body goes through physical changes during pregnancy and it will take some time for your body to recover after childbirth.

You will also experience emotional changes in your new role as a mother and hormonal changes that happen after childbirth.

See your health care provider within six weeks after birth to make sure your body is healing well. It is important to take time for yourself and your own health needs.

Call your health care provider or go to the hospital emergency department or an urgent care clinic if: 

  • You have new or increased pain, redness, or swelling,
  • You have foul-smelling and/or yellow or green discharge from your vagina or stitches,
  • Your incision starts to open,
  • Your bleeding fills one sanitary pad in an hour, twice in a row, or you experience blood clots larger than a plum or an egg,
  • You experience a red, hot, painful area on your breast,
  • You have fever or flu-like symptoms,
  • You have chest or leg pain, or
  • You are experiencing symptoms of a perinatal/postpartum mood disorder.

Self care and mental health

It is important to take care of yourself when you are planning a pregnancy, are pregnant, have had a baby or are a new parent. All caregivers and family members (including fathers) can experience emotional difficulty during this transition. The following are some things you can do for self care: 
  • Ask for help when you need it
  • Take time to relax and laugh
  • Spend time with loved ones and friends
  • Get enough sleep
  • Enjoy a healthy diet
  • Make time to be active

A parent's mental health and wellness is important to the family's well being. Talking with someone you trust about the way you are feeling can help you get the care you need.

If you are experiencing stress or mental health concerns, you can find help from:

  • Your health care provider (family doctor, midwife, nurse, obstetrician/gynecologist)
  • Your counsellor, social worker or clergy
  • Here 24/7: 1-844-437-3247 (toll-free)
  • Mental Health Services: 1-866-531-2600 (toll-free)
  • Public Health: 519-575-4400
  • Local care options in Waterloo Region 

Just a few days after giving birth, you may feel moody, weepy and irritable. This is called the baby blues. The baby blues are so common that they are considered to be normal. Baby blues usually start a few days after your baby's birth and last up to 14 days. Up to four in five new mothers experience baby blues in the first weeks after the birth of a baby or adoption.

These feelings often go away on their own. If these feelings last longer than two weeks or get in the way of your activities, contact your health care provider.

Perinatal mood disorders, also known as postpartum mood disorders, are more serious emotional ups and downs and affect one in five new mothers. You may feel:

  • Sad and tearful
  • Exhausted but unable to sleep
  • Overwhelmed and can't concentrate
  • Uninterested in activities you use to enjoy
  • Hopeless or frustrated
  • Restless, irritable or angry
  • Extremely "high" and full of energy
  • Feeling anxious - you may feel this as aches, chest pains, shortness of breath, numbness, tingling or a lump in your throat
  • Guilt and shame, thinking you are not a good parent
  • Not bonding or feeling connected to your baby
  • Afraid to be alone with your baby

If you feel like hurting yourself or your baby - get help right away:

This is not your fault. You are not alone. Help is available.

Soothing your crying child

Crying is normal for babies. It is your baby's way of telling you something is wrong. Learn to recognize and respond to the early signs that your baby needs you. 

You can respond to the basic needs of your baby by:

If these needs are met and your baby is still crying try the following:

  • Hold your baby in a different way
  • Burp your baby
  • Play soft music or "white noise" as background sound
  • Gently rock your baby
  • Snuggle your baby skin-to-skin
  • Go for a walk with your baby
  • Make sure you are in a quiet room with low light

All babies go through a period early in life when they cry more than at any other time, but each baby is different and may be harder to soothe.

Babies cry for many reasons, but never to make you angry.

Never shake a baby, not even for a moment! 

Shaking your baby can injure their brain. If you are feeling frustrated or angry by your baby's crying, put the baby down in a safe place and ask someone to help you. 

Feeding your baby 

The World Health Organization, Health Canada and the Canadian Pediatric Society recommend exclusively breastfeeding for the first six months after your baby’s birth. 

Find more information visit our Feeding Your Baby page.

Connecting with your baby

Your baby’s relationship with their caregivers is important. Babies learn and form attachments by taking in information through their five senses. What they experience affects their brain development. When you interact with your baby in a nurturing and responsive way it improves their lifelong physical and emotional health.

Your bare chest is the best place for your baby to be. When you and your baby are skin-to-skin, they can hear you, smell you and see you. Skin-to-skin releases hormones in both the baby and parent that improve mood and bonding.

Here’s how to do it: Place your baby wearing only a diaper, with their tummy on your (or your partner’s) bare chest. If you wish, you can then place a light blanket over you and your baby. If you are feeling tired while holding your baby, place them in a safe sleep environment.

Healthy babies should be placed skin-to-skin as soon as possible after birth for at least an hour. This will help them adjust to their new environment. As your baby grows, continue to cuddle your baby skin-to-skin. 

Watch our skin-to-skin video for more information. 

Benefits for baby

  • cries less and is calmer
  • stays the right temperature
  • stabilizes blood sugar, heart rate and breathing
  • protects baby with your good bacteria
  • breastfeeds better

Benefits for parents

  • reduces stress
  • increases bonding and attachment
  • helps parents know when the baby is getting hungry
  • helps parents gain confidence in caring for their baby
  • helps mothers with breastfeeding
  • improves mother's milk supply

Sleep

Sleep is very important to your child's healthy growth, development, learning and well-being. A lack of sleep affects a child's behaviour, attention, learning and memory. Good sleep habits start early, right from birth. Every child is different and needs different amounts of sleep. 

Get to know more about your baby's sleep patterns and how to respond at a free Sleep and Your New Baby session for parents of newborns to 12 weeks of age. 

Learn more about healthy sleep habits, how much sleep your baby or child needs, common sleep problems and tips to help your child fall asleep. 

Make sure your baby sleeps safely every time, whether at home, in childcare or while travelling. 

Creating a safe sleep environment helps reduce the risk of injury and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). 

Learn more about safe sleep for babies from Caring for Kids and the Public Health Agency of Canada.  

Room sharing, by placing your baby's crib in your room for the first six months of life, helps your baby sleep safely and lowers the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). 

Bed sharing or co-sleeping is when your baby shares the same sleeping surface with an adult or another child. Bed sharing or co-sleeping is not recommended. Sharing the same sleep surface increases a baby's risk of SIDS and suffocation. This risk is even higher for babies less than four months old. 

Tummy time

Start 'tummy time' with your baby from birth. Place your baby on their stomach when they are awake and alert.  

Tummy time builds the muscles that helps your baby grow, move and get ready to crawl. It also prevents flat head.

For newborns to three months: 

  • Place your baby's chest on a rolled towel for a few minutes while they are awake to play
  • Place toys on both sides of your baby's head so your baby can see them 

When your baby can lift their head: 

  • Use mirrors and toys around your baby to encourage reaching
  • Play peek-a-boo

Little by little, increase the amount of tummy time you spend with your baby. When your baby starts to fuss, pick them up. Aim for at least 30 minutes of tummy time spread throughout the day.  

When placed on their back, babies usually turn their head to the same side and the skull can flatten. A little bit of flattening goes away on its own. More serious flattening may last, but will not affect a baby's brain. 

To help prevent a flat head: 

  • Switch your baby's head position from one end of the crib to the other end
  • Limit the time your baby's head lies against a flat surface
  • Play daily with your baby during tummy time 

Parenting resources and support 

If you have questions about your child’s health, contact your health care provider or Health 811. 

Visit Parenting Programs and Support for information on local parenting services, like Healthy Babies Healthy Children.   

New parent resources 

Contact Us

Region of Waterloo
150 Frederick St.
Kitchener, Ontario N2G 4J3
Telephone: 519-575-4400
Fax: 519-575-4481

For general inquiries:
Regionalinquiries@regionofwaterloo.ca

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