Baby Markson

Your plan is genuine mixed feeding — direct breastfeeding, expressed milk by bottle, and formula as needed. The aim is flexibility, so all three can be used interchangeably.

Reading the signs

• Feed responsively — that simply means feeding when baby shows they're hungry rather than watching the clock.
• Hunger cues to watch for, earliest first: rooting (turning the head and opening the mouth as if searching), bringing hands to mouth, smacking lips, stirring and fussing. Crying is a late cue — it's easier to feed before they get upset.
• Newborns feed roughly 8–12 times in 24 hours. Breastfed babies feed often (~every 2–3 hours); bottle-fed a little less often (~every 3–4 hours).
• Your best "is baby getting enough?" check is the other end: plenty of wet and dirty nappies and steady weight gain at health checks.

Making the three methods work together

• Where you can, establish breastfeeding in the early weeks first; once latch and supply are settled, add bottles of expressed milk so Mark (and others) can feed too.
• Use paced bottle feeding. This means holding the bottle nearly horizontal (teat just full), letting baby draw the milk in their own time, and pausing every so often. It keeps the bottle slow like the breast, so baby doesn't come to prefer the faster bottle flow. 🎞️ See the angle
• Pump to protect supply: milk works on supply-and-demand, so when a bottle replaces a breastfeed, Amelia expresses with the Imani i2 Plus Pro around that time to keep the body making enough.
• Cluster feeding — lots of short feeds bunched close together, usually in the evening — is normal and not a sign of low supply.
• Possetting (small, effortless milk spit-ups after a feed) is common and harmless; forceful or projectile vomiting is different — mention it to your team.
• Rough bottle amounts: after the first week, about 150–200 ml per kg of body weight across the day, split over the feeds (a 4 kg baby ≈ 600–800 ml/day in 6–8 feeds).
• These are only averages — follow baby's cues, let them stop rather than finishing the bottle, and trust the weight checks and wet nappies over any number.

If feeding is hard

Feeding shouldn't be painful. Cracked or very sore nipples, a shallow or clicking latch, baby slipping off, or feeds that never seem to satisfy usually mean the latch or positioning needs a tweak — easily fixed with the right help, and worth sorting early. Sometimes a tongue-tie (a tight band under the tongue that limits movement) is the cause — ask your midwife to check. Get support sooner rather than later from your midwife, the Well Baby clinic, a lactation consultant, or the NHS Start for Life breastfeeding pages. Asking early protects both feeding and your sanity.

• Thrush can cause sudden burning/itchy nipple pain that lingers after feeds (sometimes shiny or flaky nipple skin); in baby, creamy white patches inside the mouth that don't wipe off, fussiness at feeds, or a stubborn red nappy rash. See your team/pharmacist — you and baby usually need treating at the same time, and you can keep breastfeeding throughout.
• Blocked duct / mastitis (mum's red flag): a tender lump means a blocked duct — keep feeding/expressing from that side, with warmth and gentle massage toward the nipple. If it becomes a hot, red, painful wedge of breast plus flu-like aches or a fever, that's mastitis — keep the milk moving and contact your team the same day; it often needs treatment. The milk stays safe for baby.

Hygiene

• Wash then sterilise all bottles, teats and pump parts in the Momcozy KleanPal Pro after each use (keep sterilising for at least the first year).
• Handle expressed milk safely (fridge/freezer storage times matter); warm gently in the Tommee Tippee Multiwarm — never in a microwave (hot spots can scald). Test a drop on your wrist.

Making up a formula feed safely

Powdered formula is not sterile, so make each feed fresh with water hot enough to kill any bacteria:

• Boil fresh tap water and let it cool for no more than 30 minutes, so it's still at least 70°C (hot enough to kill bacteria in the powder) — but pour carefully, it's still very hot.
• Pour the water into a sterilised bottle first, then add the exact number of level scoops on the packet (never packed or heaped) — water first, powder second.
• Shake, then cool quickly under a cold running tap; test a drop on your wrist (lukewarm, not warm).
• Make feeds one at a time, as baby needs them — it's much safer not to make powdered feeds in advance. If you genuinely can't avoid it, cool the feed quickly and store it at the very back of the fridge (under 5°C), used within 24 hours, and never warm and re-cool a feed. Out and about, carry cooled boiled water and the powder separately and mix when needed.
• Use a made-up feed within 2 hours or throw it away. Once baby has started a bottle, use it within the hour and discard the rest — don't save it for later.
• Don't use water that's been standing, artificially softened water, or a microwave.
• Bottled water isn't recommended for making up formula (it isn't sterile and the mineral levels vary). In Malta, where bottled water is common, if you do use it check the label and pick one low in sodium (Na under 200 mg/L) and sulphate (SO₄ under 250 mg/L) — and still boil it just like tap water.

Vitamin D

NHS advice: breastfed babies (and any baby having less than ~500 ml of formula a day) should take a daily vitamin D supplement of 8.5–10 micrograms (340–400 IU) from birth. With mixed feeding this will usually apply — worth confirming with your health visitor and picking up infant vitamin D drops. (Formula is already fortified, so a baby taking ≥500 ml/day doesn't need extra.)

Solids

Wait until around 6 months (not before 4 months). Milk stays the main nutrition through the whole first 6 months. When solids start, include iron-rich first foods (well-cooked meat, lentils/beans, iron-fortified cereal) — a baby's iron stores run low by about 6 months. Choking safety: quarter round foods like grapes and cherry tomatoes lengthways, skip whole nuts and hard raw apple/carrot chunks, and always stay with baby while they eat. Gagging (noisy, baby recovers) is normal; silent or blue is choking — another reason to do the first-aid class.

Reflux & spit-up

Bringing up a little milk (possetting) after feeds is very common and usually settles by itself. Even with reflux, always sleep baby on the back and flat — never tilt the cot or use sleep positioners. Wind well and hold upright for a little while after feeds. Get it checked if there's poor weight gain, frequent forceful (projectile) vomiting, green or blood-stained vomit, distress or back-arching with feeds, or refusing feeds. Don't add thickeners or switch to an anti-reflux formula on your own — only on your team's advice.

The single most important section. The Lullaby Trust's ABC reduces the risk of SIDS:

• A — Alone: baby in their own clear sleep space (cot/crib), in your room for at least 6 months.
• B — Back: on the back for every sleep, day and night.
• C — Clear cot: firm, flat, waterproof mattress + lightweight bedding or a well-fitting sleeping bag. Nothing else.
• Feet to foot: place baby with their feet near the foot end of the cot, and tuck any blanket no higher than the shoulders, so they can't wriggle down under the covers.

• Room temperature 16–20°C; don't overheat; keep the head uncovered. In a hot Sliema summer that range is hard to hit — if so, use lighter/no bedding (just a nappy and vest), and check baby isn't too hot by feeling the chest or back of the neck (not hands or feet).
• A dummy offered at sleep can be protective; smoke-free environment always. If breastfeeding, it's usually best to wait until feeding is well established (~3–4 weeks) before introducing one, then offer it consistently for sleeps; aim to phase it out from 6–12 months. If it falls out once baby's asleep, no need to put it back.
• Not for sleep: car seat, bouncer, sling and pram seats are for awake, supervised time — move baby to a flat cot for proper sleep.

About bed-sharing

The safest place for baby to sleep is their own clear cot in your room. If baby ever ends up in your bed, the risk is much higher if either of you smokes (even if never in the bedroom), has drunk any alcohol or taken any drug or medicine that makes you drowsy, or if baby was born premature (before 37 weeks) or weighed under 2.5 kg — in those situations don't bed-share at all. Whenever baby is in your bed, keep adult pillows and duvet away from them, and never sleep with baby on a sofa or armchair — that's the highest-risk place of all.

When does the "clear cot" rule ease?

The clear-cot advice applies to every sleep until 12 months (or 12 months after the due date if premature). After that, SIDS becomes very rare and it's a parent's judgement — but the items come in gradually, not all at once:

• Birth–12 months: firm flat mattress + a well-fitting sleeping bag or lightly tucked sheet/blanket (no higher than the shoulders). Nothing else.
• From ~12 months: a light blanket is generally considered ok.
• From ~18 months: a pillow and duvet are generally considered ok.
• Cot bumpers: not recommended at any age. Even past 12 months they're a hazard — once baby can pull up, they can be used as a step to climb out, or baby can get tangled in the ties. So the Nattou piece is best kept as nursery décor on a shelf, never in the cot. (Lullaby Trust / NHS guidance.)

What's normal

• Newborns sleep a lot — often around 14–17 hours (sometimes more) across 24 hours, but in short bursts of anywhere from ~45 minutes to a couple of hours, because they wake to feed.
• There's no day/night rhythm at first — a rough pattern usually starts emerging around 3 months. Keeping night feeds dark, quiet and boring helps the rhythm form.
• "Wake windows" = how long baby can comfortably stay awake between sleeps before getting over-tired. Rough guide: ~45–60 min (newborn) → ~60–90 min (6–12 weeks) → ~1.5–2 h (3–4 months) → ~2–2.5 h (5–6 months). These are guides, not rules — watch your baby's tired signs.
• The "4-month regression" (sleep briefly getting worse around 4 months) is your baby's sleep maturing — frustrating but temporary.

Newborns wake to feed 2–4 times a night, every ~2–3 hours, with no day/night sense at first. The goal isn't to stop the wakes — it's to make sure at least one of you gets a solid block of sleep each night. With both of you home and the pump + bottles ready, you can genuinely share this.

Your plan: protect Amelia's deep sleep

In the early weeks Amelia is recovering and building milk supply, so the priority is giving her one unbroken 4–5 hour stretch — the long first block of the night is the most restorative and the easiest to protect. A simple way to do it:

• Early block (≈21:00–02:00) — Mark on duty. Amelia feeds, then goes to bed early. Mark handles the next wake using a bottle of expressed milk (and all the settling/winding/nappy), so Amelia sleeps through it.
• Later block (≈02:00–07:00) — Amelia takes over, refreshed, often breastfeeding directly to make night feeds simpler.
• This way Amelia reliably banks one long stretch, and you can swap which half each of you owns night to night.

Keeping supply safe while she sleeps through a feed

Milk works on supply-and-demand, so a missed night feed needs the milk removed another way or supply can dip and engorgement/blocked ducts can develop:

• Amelia pumps a full feed's worth in the evening before bed (and/or earlier in the day) so there's a bottle ready for Mark's shift. The Imani i2 Plus Pro + a sterilised bottle from the Momcozy KleanPal Pro is your kit here.
• If Amelia's stretch runs long and she wakes uncomfortably full, a quick pump or hand-express for comfort keeps things moving — but try not to fully drain at 04:00 or the body "books" a feed at that time.
• Some couples instead do a "dream feed" — Amelia (or Mark with a bottle) feeds the baby around 22:00–23:00 without fully waking them, to push the first long stretch later into the night.

Shift patterns to choose from

• Split-night (your default): one person owns the first half, the other the second. Best for guaranteeing each of you a real block. ✔ recommended for you.
• Alternate nights: one fully "on call" tonight (in the nursery / closest to baby), the other tomorrow. Good once feeding is established and on weekends; lets the off-duty person sleep elsewhere and properly recover.
• Tag-team per wake: take turns wake-by-wake. Fairest in theory but fragments both of you — use it sparingly, e.g. a rough night.
• Divide the jobs, not the sleep: even when Amelia breastfeeds, Mark does the fetching, nappy, winding and resettling so her wake is as short as possible.

Make the wakes as short and dark as possible

• Keep it boring: dim/red light, minimal talking, no screens, change the nappy only if needed (a heavy wet or a poo) so baby barely rouses.
• Have a night station ready before bed: nappies, wipes, a muslin, a spare sleeping bag/vest, water and a snack for whoever's up, phone torch on low.
• Feed in the room, resettle in the cot, and the off-duty parent uses earplugs or moves to the spare room for their block so they truly rest. The CuboAi alert can wake only the on-duty parent's phone.
• Whoever's on duty does the full settle back to sleep — that's the tiring part, not just the feed.

Looking after each other

• Hand over honestly: a 30-second "she last fed at 01:10, took 90ml, right side" note (or a quick log) saves confusion and arguments at 4am.
• Nap in the day to top up — "sleep when the baby sleeps" is a cliché because it works; trade a daytime nap so the night-shift parent catches up.
• Watch each other for more than ordinary tiredness — persistent low mood, anxiety, tearfulness or feeling unable to cope beyond ~2 weeks can signal postnatal depression (in either of you) and is worth raising with your team. Baby blues around days 3–5 are common and pass. Some feelings need help straight away, not in two weeks: if either of you has thoughts of harming yourselves or the baby, feels unable to keep going, or has frightening or out-of-character thoughts, treat it as urgent — call your team, GP or emergency services. It's common, treatable, and not a judgement on you.
• Never feed on a sofa or armchair at night when you might doze off — far safer to feed sitting up in bed and put baby back in the cot, or hand over if you're too tired.
• Be kind to each other; resentment usually means the split needs rebalancing, not that anyone's failing. Revisit the plan every week or two as feeding settles.

• 8–12 changes/day for a newborn; change promptly when wet/soiled.
• Front-to-back wiping; air-dry a moment; a thin barrier cream if skin is red — no talcum powder.
• Cord stump (the small clamped remainder of the umbilical cord): fold the nappy down below it so it stays dry and exposed to air; it dries out and drops off by itself, usually within the first week or two (don't worry if a little longer). Clean only if it gets wee or poo on it — plain water then dry; you don't need antiseptic or surgical spirit. A little crustiness is normal; redness spreading onto the tummy, swelling, bad smell or pus is not — tell your team.
• Squishy changing mat on a safe, stable surface — never leave baby unattended, even before they roll.
• Twist & Click bin for odour control; the starter refills last roughly 4 months — reorder before they run out.

You don't need to bath a newborn every day — 2–3 baths a week is plenty, and over-bathing can dry their skin. On the in-between days you "top and tail" instead.

Cotton wool, cotton pads or wipes — which when?

• Newborn first weeks & any sore skin: cotton wool (or cotton pads) + warm water — gentlest while the skin builds its barrier. Use it for nappy changes and topping-and-tailing.
• Eyes: always cotton wool/pad + cooled boiled water (especially in the first few weeks), wiped once from the nose outward, a fresh piece for each eye (never reuse a swab — it can spread a sticky eye). Don't use wipes near the eyes. A little stickiness/watering from a blocked tear duct is common and usually clears by itself, but a very red, swollen or pus-filled eye should be checked the same day — and heavy pus or very swollen, red eyes in the first 1–2 days of life need to be seen urgently (sooner than a sticky eye that shows up later).
• Baby wipes: fine when out and about, and for everyday changes once the skin is settled (after the first few weeks) — choose fragrance- and alcohol-free. Go back to cotton wool & water if the skin reddens.
• On the nappy area always wipe front to back / top to bottom, a clean piece per stroke.

What "topping and tailing" means

It's a quick wash of just the parts that need it — the "top" (face, neck, ears and hands) and the "tail" (the nappy area) — using cotton wool and bowls of warm water, without putting baby in a bath. It keeps them clean and warm without a full undress-and-dunk.

How to do it:

• Warm room, everything to hand: a bowl of warm water, cotton wool, a towel, a clean nappy and clothes.
• Lay baby on the changing mat (or your knee). Take clothes off down to the vest and nappy and wrap them in the towel to stay warm.
• Eyes: dampen cotton wool, wipe gently from the nose outward — a fresh piece for each eye so you don't pass anything between them.
• Face, neck and ears: wipe with fresh cotton wool (never poke inside the ears). Check inside neck folds, where milk can collect.
• Hands, then pat everything dry.
• Tail: off with the nappy, clean the bottom and genital area front-to-back with fresh cotton wool and water, dry carefully (including skin creases), fresh nappy on.

Giving a bath

• The Shnuggle Baby Bath works from birth to ~12 months. Its "bum bump" stops baby sliding; in the early weeks still support the head and neck with one hand and wash with the other.
• Water temperature: warm, about body temperature (~37°C). Run cold water first, then add hot, swirl to remove hot spots, and test with your elbow or wrist (or a bath thermometer) — it should feel neither hot nor cold.
• For the first few weeks, plain water is all you need — skip soap, bath liquid and lotions while the skin builds its own barrier (a guide, not a hard rule). From around 4–6 weeks you can add a little unperfumed baby wash if you like.
• Keep baths short; keep baby's head clear of the water; pat dry afterwards, especially in the skin creases.
• Never leave baby alone in the water, not even for a second. Empty the bath as soon as you lift them out. Raising the bath onto a sturdy surface saves your back.

Skin: talc, cradle cap & dry patches

• Skip the talcum powder. It's best avoided on babies — the fine powder can irritate skin and be breathed into their lungs, and it doesn't keep skin any drier than drying well. For the neck, armpit, groin and thigh folds, just pat thoroughly dry and let the skin air a moment. If a nappy area is red or sore, use a thin layer of plain barrier cream (zinc/petrolatum), not powder.
• Cradle cap (greasy yellow scales on the scalp) is very common, harmless and not itchy. Don't pick it — gently massage in a little emollient or coconut oil, leave a short while, loosen with a soft brush and wash off with baby shampoo. Avoid olive oil (it can dry the skin barrier). See your team if it spreads, looks inflamed or weepy.
• Dry skin / peeling in the first weeks is normal; a plain fragrance-free emollient is fine. Avoid perfumed lotions on newborns.

Both your Ergobaby Omni Deluxe and Little Frog ring sling are suitable from birth. Carry safely with TICKS:

• Tight — snug carrier hugs baby close.
• In view at all times — you can see baby's face.
• Close enough to kiss — baby's head near your chin.
• Keep chin off chest — at least a finger's width under the chin so the airway stays open.
• Supported back — baby's back supported in its natural position.

Aim for the "M-shape": baby's knees higher than the bottom with the thighs supported. This is also the hip-healthy position — good for developing hips, not just comfort.

The Omni Deluxe needs no infant insert (from 3.2 kg) — start in front-inward. See Your gear for when outward/hip/back carry unlock.

• Tummy time = short spells lying on their front while awake and supervised. It builds the neck, shoulder and back strength they'll need to roll, sit and crawl, and helps prevent a flat spot on the head. Start from day one with just a minute or two (on your chest counts), a few times a day, building up as they get stronger. Always on the back for sleep, though.
• Newborns love faces and high contrast; talking, singing and skin-to-skin are the best "toys".
• The Little Dutch playmat, baby gym, activity triangle, spiral and fox rattle come into their own from ~6–12 weeks as baby starts to bat at things, then grasp them.
• Everything goes in the mouth from ~3–4 months — that's normal exploring; keep small objects well out of reach.

The early weeks are about your healing too, not just the baby. A few things that help — and when to get checked (see also When to get help → For mum).

• Bleeding (lochia): heavy and red at first, tapering to brown then yellowish over a few weeks. It should lessen over time — a sudden increase, large clots, or a bad smell means contact your team.
• Perineum / C-section wound: keep it clean and dry; warm-water rinses and frequent pad changes help. Increasing pain, redness, swelling or smell can mean infection — get it checked.
• Pain relief: paracetamol is safe while breastfeeding and is your mainstay with an NSAID allergy. A dose is 1 g (two 500 mg tablets), at least 4 hours apart, max 4 doses (8 tablets) in 24 hours. Watch for hidden paracetamol in cold/flu or combination painkillers so you don't double up. Use the For mum dose timer on Home so you don't lose track at 3am; if pain needs more than paracetamol, ask your team for a breastfeeding-safe option.
• Pelvic floor: gentle pelvic-floor exercises can start within days once comfortable — little and often. Ask your team before any heavier activity.
• Rest, fluids & food: sleep when you can, keep water and easy snacks within reach (especially while feeding), and accept help. You can't pour from an empty cup.
• Your 6-week postnatal check is for you — mood, bleeding, healing, contraception, any ongoing pain. Bring up anything that doesn't feel right; it's not "making a fuss".
• Mind: baby blues (days 3–10) are common and pass. Low mood, anxiety or intrusive thoughts that linger beyond ~2 weeks deserve support — tell your team. (More in Night shifts.)

• Crying normally peaks around 6–8 weeks and then eases. There's often a daily "witching hour" — a predictable unsettled, fussy stretch, usually late afternoon/evening, when nothing seems wrong but baby just cries. When it's intense and regular in an otherwise healthy, well-fed baby it's sometimes called colic; it typically eases by 3–4 months. It can feel relentless — and crying that won't stop is exactly the moment never to shake a baby (see below). This is a normal phase, not something you're doing wrong.
• Soothing toolkit: offer a feed, check the nappy, swaddle or hold close, motion (the sling, the Stokke bouncer, gentle rocking in the Serena chair, a walk in the pram), white noise, a dummy, dimmed lights, fresh air, or skin-to-skin. Work through them calmly — one usually lands.
• Teething can start any time from around 4–6 months: drooling, gnawing on hands/toys, red gums, a bit unsettled. A clean chilled (not frozen) teether or a gentle gum rub helps. Teething does not cause a high fever, diarrhoea or a genuinely unwell baby — if those appear, treat it as illness (see When to get help), don't put it down to teeth. Skip teething gels with sugar/anaesthetic, and never use amber necklaces (strangulation/choking risk).
• Never shake a baby — it can cause serious harm. If you ever feel overwhelmed or angry, that's normal and human: put baby down safely on their back in the cot, close the door, step away for a few minutes to breathe, and call your partner, family or your health team. Walking away to calm down is the right, responsible thing to do.

• Vaccinations (Malta): the national schedule starts at around 8 weeks (2 months), with further doses over the next few months — the exact antigens and dates differ by vaccine (for example MenB is given at 2 and 4 months), all free at your local health centre. If you're travelling to Singapore, aim to have the primary course well underway first. Confirm the current schedule/dates with your health centre and bring the immunisation record.
• What's normal after the jabs: mild fever, a bit of fussiness and a red/firm spot at the injection site are common in the day or two after and usually settle. Fever is common enough with the MenB vaccine that giving infant paracetamol around the time of the jab (not waiting for a fever) is specifically recommended — ask your health centre/pharmacist for the right dose and timing. Treat it as illness (see When to get help) if baby is also very unwell, the fever is high or lasts beyond ~48 hours, or baby is under 3 months.
• Vitamin K (offered at birth): all babies are offered vitamin K just after birth to prevent a rare but serious bleeding problem (their own stores are low at birth). It's usually a single small injection; an oral course over the first weeks is an alternative your team can discuss. It needs your consent, so it's worth deciding before the day — ask your midwife antenatally.
• Newborn checks (first days): baby will usually have a newborn examination (head-to-toe check of heart, hips — looking for developmental hip dysplasia, DDH — eyes and, in boys, testes), a hearing screen, and a heel-prick blood-spot test (a few drops from the heel around day 5) that screens for several rare but treatable conditions. There's also a 6–8 week check for baby (and a postnatal check for mum). Exact arrangements differ in Malta — your midwife and Well Baby clinic will guide you; keep the records they give you. If you're ever told about a hip click or asymmetry, follow it up — it's very treatable when caught early. Some babies are offered a hip ultrasound at around 6 weeks even if the exam is normal — for example if baby was breech in late pregnancy or at birth, or there's a family history of hip problems; mention either of these to your team.
• Well Baby Clinic checks — Malta's free child-health service at your local government health centre (growth, development and immunisation reviews; the equivalent of a UK health visitor). Routine visits are scheduled at 8–12 weeks, 8 months and 18 months, with a midwife-led clinic supporting the first weeks after birth.
• Vitamin D: NHS advises a daily supplement of 8.5–10 micrograms (340–400 IU) for breastfed babies (and any baby having under ~500 ml formula a day) from birth to age 1 — likely relevant with mixed feeding. Confirm with your health visitor.
• The CuboAi Monitor 3 + sleep sensor pad is a helpful aid — it does not replace safe-sleep practice or your own checks. The iOS app suits your iPhone household.
• Medicine kit (baby): infant paracetamol is the usual first option for pain or fever from 2 months (term babies over ~4 kg); ibuprofen only from 3 months and over ~5 kg; never give aspirin to a baby. Always check the dose for your baby's weight with your pharmacist or paediatrician — this guide deliberately gives no doses. (And a fever under 3 months is never just treated at home — see When to get help.)
• For Amelia's own pain relief, use paracetamol-based products — her NSAID allergy rules out ibuprofen, aspirin, naproxen and similar.

Jaundice (very common)

• Around 6 in 10 babies develop newborn jaundice — a yellow tint to the skin and the whites of the eyes, caused by bilirubin while the liver gets up to speed.
• It usually appears day 2–3, peaks, then fades by about 2 weeks, and is normally harmless. On brown or black skin it can be easier to see on the palms, soles and the whites of the eyes.
• Baby will be checked for it within 72 hours of birth. Keep feeding well (frequent feeds help clear it) and keep an eye on the colour.
• Ring your midwife/team the same day if: the yellow appears in the first 24 hours, deepens or spreads down to the tummy/legs, baby becomes very sleepy or hard to wake, feeds poorly, has fewer wet nappies, or jaundice is still there after 2 weeks. A high-pitched cry or arched/stiff body is a 999/112 sign.

Normal things that can surprise new parents

• Weight: babies usually lose a little weight in the first 3–4 days, then regain to birth weight by ~2–3 weeks. Loss over ~10% gets checked.
• Nappies as a gauge: stools change from dark sticky meconium → greenish → soft yellow "seedy" by day 5; wet nappies build to at least 6 heavy ones a day from day 5.
• How often is normal: once feeding is established a breastfed baby may happily go a few days — even a week — between poos, and that's fine as long as it's soft when it comes; formula-fed babies tend to go more often. It's the consistency that matters — hard, dry, pellet-like poos, a firm tummy or real straining suggest constipation (worth a chat with your team; always check in if a baby under ~8 weeks hasn't pooed for 2–3 days).
• Newborn reflexes & looks: startle (Moro) reflex, occasional squints, sneezes, hiccups, "milk spots", peeling skin, swollen genitals/breast tissue, and irregular breathing with brief pauses while asleep are all usually normal.
• A snuffly, noisy nose is normal — babies breathe through the nose and have tiny passages. Saline (salt-water) drops before feeds can help if congestion bothers feeding; don't use decongestant medicines or sprays. Seek help if breathing is fast or laboured, baby goes blue around the lips, or can't feed.
• Keep baby's air smoke-free — second-hand smoke raises the risk of SIDS and chest infections; ask others not to smoke near baby or hold baby in smoke-smelling clothes.
• The soft spot (fontanelle) on the head is normal; a sunken one can signal dehydration and a bulging/tense one is a red flag (see "When to get help").

• Topping & tailing — a quick wash of just the face/neck/hands ("top") and nappy area ("tail") with cotton wool and warm water, instead of a full bath.
• Responsive feeding — feeding when baby signals hunger rather than on a fixed timetable.
• Rooting — baby turning their head and opening their mouth, searching for a feed (an early hunger cue).
• Paced bottle feeding — bottle held nearly level with frequent pauses, so baby feeds slowly and in control, like at the breast.
• Cluster feeding — several short feeds bunched close together, often in the evening. Normal.
• Possetting — small, effortless milk spit-ups after a feed. Harmless.
• Witching hour — a predictable fussy, unsettled stretch (usually evening) where baby cries for no clear reason.
• Wake window — how long baby can happily stay awake between sleeps before getting over-tired.
• Tummy time — supervised, awake time on the front to build strength.
• Cord stump — the small clamped end of the umbilical cord that dries and drops off in the first week or two.
• Cluster of safe-sleep terms — ABC — Alone (own clear space), Back (on the back), Clear cot (nothing but a firm flat mattress + light bedding).
• SIDS — Sudden Infant Death Syndrome; the safe-sleep ABC reduces the risk.
• Fontanelle — the soft spot on top of baby's head; a bulging one is a red flag (see "When to get help").