newborns

[Piglet]

Originally posted by dudette
Squeaky, your plight sounds so familiar... she is only 2 weeks old; not so long since she was in that warm, safe, secure environment in the womb, and she probably misses it. Give her the cuddles when you can. She'll thrive on it.

Squeaky this is an important point. Your little button up until two weeks ago was all snug and warm in the womb. All her nutrients where nicely dilivered via the umbilical cord. Now the rules have changed it is a whole different world out there. She needs to drink ( which can be hard work) . She needs to breath for herself. There is alot of different noises that sound different now without it being filtered through the amiotic fluid that surrounded her for nine months. The comforting sound of the constant heartbeat is no longer there. In short it is a whole new world and she is trying in her own little way to get to know it.
Crying is the only form of communication she has. It either means she is hungry , uncomfortable or in pain. Sometimes it just means that she is finding things overwhelming and needs some comforting reassurance. As a parent we don't instintively know what the baby wants or needs. It is often just a case of deduction. i.e change nappy feed , wind & cuddle.
As for routine while routine is important it is a case of always working towards a routine . It causes far more stress for you and the baby if a preconceived routine is inforced. Babies don't come with manuals for a very good reason. They are all different . This is the time to get to know your baby and your little bundle to get to know you. It is a precious time although very exhausting for both.
Best of luck and remember take everything in stide. But above all enjoy this get 'to know period' it comes around only once. Pretty soon they will start mastering the world around them and slowly but surely be less and less dependant on you