baby care class...

We had our last class, Baby Care, last night at the hospital.  It went from 7:30-8:45pm and Jackie crammed just as much information as she could into it.  :)  The gave us a booklet that I thought was pretty organized and contained lots of good information for us to reference back to.

We talked about procedures in the hospital directly after the baby is born -- like always moving the baby in the bassinet (not carrying them down the hall in your arms).  Jackie mentioned that we didn't need to bring our car seat into the hospital but that we did need to take our car to a local fire department so they could ensure that we've installed the car seat properly into the car.  She also mentioned the 2 routine medicines that almost all newborns get -- the PKU (a blood test done to test for rare metabolic disorders) and the Hepatitis B vaccine.  The hospital also does a hearing screen on all newborns.

We talked a tiny bit about breastfeeding but most in the class, like us, had already taken or were planning to take the breastfeeding class so we didn't dwell on that too much.

We talked about using the suction bulb (aka aspirator) which the hospital will give us to take home.  I've heard from friends (and also from Jackie last night) that the one they give you in the hospital is the BEST -- that they work 100 times better than any you can buy in the store.  Got it.

We talked about diaper changing and even how to clean off little bums before putting on a new diaper.  Very informative.  Jackie passed around photos of normal (and not-so-normal) poops based on whether the baby is breastfed or formula fed.  Nice.

We talked about circumcision care for those of us (over half the class, I'd say) who are having boys -- we covered that pretty extensively in the prepared childbirth class, too, but it was nice to hear Jackie reiterate.  Along those same lines, we talked about umbilical cord care (until the stump falls off).

We talked about how to bathe our babies, and Jackie brought up a really good point in describing how SHE personally used to bathe her babies right after they were born.  I didn't think about this but Jackie described how she would wash "sections" of her baby (head, then face, arms, then chest, etc.) and dry them off before she moved on to the next section.  She said she did that so they would stay as warm as possible while still being completely naked.  Huh.  Just not something I really thought about but I've seen babies just shiver while being bathed and I guess that's a good way to keep them from getting too cold.

We talked briefly about skin care -- using detergents like Dreft or ALL free & clear to wash all the baby's clothes and/or blankets, etc.  Jackie said she actually switched to using ALL for all of their clothes, too, because if you think about it, as you hold your baby, he's up against YOUR clothes, too.  Good point.

We talked a little bit about jaundice -- what that looks like and how to treat.  She said it's normal for all babies to have a little bit but that unusually high levels of bilirubin would require some extra watch and care until the levels drop to normal.

We talked about how to take your baby's temperature and what a "high" temperature for them is (100.4 +).  We discussed different types of thermometers and rectal thermometers were discouraged.  The general consensus was to use a regular thermometer under the armpit of your baby to get the most accurate reading.

A lot of information, right?  It was a great class and, once again, I'm glad we took it.  We had about 28 folks in the class, our largest class by far, and I was pleased to see that ALL the dads were there with their spouses.  Way to represent, dads!  :)