If you gave birth either vaginally or through a C-section, your body has been through a tremendous physical feat. It needs time to rest and recover, and it’s important to provide it with good nutrition and deep rest with meditations.

How to become a good parent?

Parents aren't born — they're made on the job: one dirty diaper, one marathon feeding session, one bath, one outing, one sleepless night at a time.

Luckily, babies are forgiving as you learn. And what might help most — besides the passing of time and the accumulation of experience — is to know that you're in good company.More than coaching the baby, a parent can learn a lot from the baby. The baby is a blank white board and the first writings on the board may leave some marks behind.  

Take it one step at a time. You have a whole lifetime to handle this parenting thing.Focus on what is most important. Right now, the most important thing that both you and your baby need is rest and recovery.

There is no other time in your life like the first week with your baby, so try to enjoy every single moment of those newborn snuggles and smells—except maybe those meconium (eeeeww!) diapers.

The newborn’s vision.

During the first months of life, the eyes start working together and vision rapidly improves. The following are some examples of appropriate activities that can assist an infant's visual development.

• Use a nightlight or other dim lamp in the baby's room.
• Change the crib's position frequently and change the child's position in it.
• Keep reach-and-touch toys within the baby's focus, about eight to twelve inches.
• Talk to the baby while walking around the room.
• Alternate right and left sides with each feeding.

The newborn’s states of mind.

Watch carefully, and over time you’ll be able to respond to your baby’s different states of mind.  The primary developmental task for an infant is learning to trust. It sets the stage for all that lies ahead. The baby needs only one answer now “Is this a friendly universe?” Infancy is when we answer that question.

Almost a hundred years ago, research originated the idea that infants pick up anxiety (which is a form of fear, or lack of trust) from their parents. Research confirms that a parent’s touch, voice, and movements can either soothe a child or stimulate anxiety. Babies’ stress hormones shoot up in response to angry voices—including those on TV—even while they’re asleep. Your calm voice, loving eye contact, and secure hold with skin-to-skin contact  gives the baby the message that the world is a safe place where he/she can relax and trust. Every parent who has ever bathed an infant knows this.” Which means spend time with your little one as much as possible, do away those gadgets and dip into the IMumz Mediations. 

It’s perfectly natural for newborns to give thumb-sucking a big thumbs-up — for now. Here’s why:

Babies are born to suck. Sucking is a normal reflex for babies. So it’s definitely a good thing that your baby has figured it out. Babies develop their spine by sucking on the their thumbs. In Yoga there are mudras to strengthen the spine, and all are performed with the thumb.

How to handle the newborn’s diaper changes!

‍While the frequent (sometimes hourly) diaper changes may not be your favorite part of the parent job, they're still part of the baby care package. And it's important for baby, too, since changing a diaper whenever it's wet or messy helps prevent irritation and diaper rash. The few steps for diaper change are :-

‍With a newborn, the basic moves of changing diapers remain the same whether you're using cloth or disposable diapers. The important steps for diaper change are :- 

Step 1:

• Place your baby on a clean, soft, safe surface. A changing table, a dresser equipped with a changing pad, a crib or a bed (preferably protected with a towel or waterproof pad) all work.
• Spread a protective cloth on the surface if you're anywhere but your own changing table. No matter where you're changing diapers, make sure to keep one hand softly on the baby at all times.

Step 2:

• Open up the diaper and clean your baby. Unfasten the diaper and survey the scene, then follow the same basic rules for both boys and girls
• For a wet diaper: Fold the dirty diaper underneath the baby (so the clean, outer side is now under his or her bottom) and wipe the area.
• For a poopy diaper: Wipe as much as possible with the diaper itself, then fold it underneath, as above. Lift the legs and clean baby's front well with warm water or wipes, being sure to get into all the creases. Then lift both legs and clean baby's bottom thoroughly. Once baby's diaper area is clean, slip the soiled diaper out and put a fresh one under baby before releasing baby's legs. Pat baby dry before putting on the clean diaper or any diaper rash creams.

A few more tips to follow when changing baby's diaper: Girls need to be wiped from front to back, to avoid getting poop in the vaginal area. There is no need to open the labia and clean inside (even if you see a white discharge). Boys may offer an unwanted surprise in the form of a fountain of pee, so keep his penis covered with a clean diaper or cloth whenever he's undressed. Expect erections sometimes (they're perfectly normal), and don't be afraid of gently cleaning around the penis and scrotum. When you do put his new diaper on, point his penis down to minimize leaks (and soaked shirts).

Step 3:

• Throw out the dirty diaper. Dispose the used one in a trash can (but never flush down the toilet). When you're away from home, carry a stash of plastic bags.
• Place the dirty diaper inside and tie the bag before tossing it into the trash. Put cloth diapers into a bucket with a tight-fitting lid ,or a vinyl bag if you're out, until laundry day.

How to handle the newborn’s diaper changes!

‍While the frequent (sometimes hourly) diaper changes may not be your favorite part of the parent job, they're still part of the baby care package. And it's important for baby, too, since changing a diaper whenever it's wet or messy helps prevent irritation and diaper rash. The few steps for diaper change are :-

‍With a newborn, the basic moves of changing diapers remain the same whether you're using cloth or disposable diapers. The important steps for diaper change are :- 

Step 1:

• Place your baby on a clean, soft, safe surface. A changing table, a dresser equipped with a changing pad, a crib or a bed (preferably protected with a towel or waterproof pad) all work.
• Spread a protective cloth on the surface if you're anywhere but your own changing table. No matter where you're changing diapers, make sure to keep one hand softly on the baby at all times.

Step 2:

• Open up the diaper and clean your baby. Unfasten the diaper and survey the scene, then follow the same basic rules for both boys and girls
• For a wet diaper: Fold the dirty diaper underneath the baby (so the clean, outer side is now under his or her bottom) and wipe the area.
• For a poopy diaper: Wipe as much as possible with the diaper itself, then fold it underneath, as above. Lift the legs and clean baby's front well with warm water or wipes, being sure to get into all the creases. Then lift both legs and clean baby's bottom thoroughly. Once baby's diaper area is clean, slip the soiled diaper out and put a fresh one under baby before releasing baby's legs. Pat baby dry before putting on the clean diaper or any diaper rash creams.

A few more tips to follow when changing baby's diaper: Girls need to be wiped from front to back, to avoid getting poop in the vaginal area. There is no need to open the labia and clean inside (even if you see a white discharge). Boys may offer an unwanted surprise in the form of a fountain of pee, so keep his penis covered with a clean diaper or cloth whenever he's undressed. Expect erections sometimes (they're perfectly normal), and don't be afraid of gently cleaning around the penis and scrotum. When you do put his new diaper on, point his penis down to minimize leaks (and soaked shirts).

Step 3:

• Throw out the dirty diaper. Dispose the used one in a trash can (but never flush down the toilet). When you're away from home, carry a stash of plastic bags.
• Place the dirty diaper inside and tie the bag before tossing it into the trash. Put cloth diapers into a bucket with a tight-fitting lid ,or a vinyl bag if you're out, until laundry day.

How to dress your newborn?

Now that you're done, change baby's clothes and/or sheets as needed (and it will probably be needed, quite often!) or re-dress him.

As a husband it is important that you give time to your wife to rest as nights may be longer with the baby crying and also helping her do do the baby chores. It not just eases a lot of work but also establishes a wonderful bond of working together. Chances are the wife is  often exhausted these days, so noshing on nuts and iMumz diet section can give your that much required energy. Bask in the joy of your baby and know that the sore muscles will soon go away.

How to make sure your newborn is getting stronger!

Your cutie is also surely packing on the kilos and grams. But when taking note of your little one’s weight, stop yourself from comparing it to  your sister’s, or ... or....(ummmm)  you get the idea. 

That’s because the most important measure of your baby’s growth isn’t how she stacks up to other babies, but rather how she stacks up to her own weight and height curve.

Your little one is also getting stronger every day — and you can encourage her to flex her muscles by giving her ample supervised tummy time during the day so she can practice lifting her head.

Some 3-weekers will be able to lift their heads 45 degrees when on the tummy, and the more practice baby gets, the better. 

Tummy time will also help prevent head flattening, something more common in babies who spend all day and night lying on their backs

Massaging your baby can be a wonderfully relaxing ritual for both of you and a great way to soothe your little one's cries.

You can experiment with lotion or special baby massage oils, though neither is necessary. Use a gentle touch, but firm enough not to be ticklish. Stroke the baby's chest from the center outward and make small circles on baby's stomach, around the belly button.

Gently roll your baby's arms and legs between your hands, taking turns with each limb, or try alternating your hands in a ""milking"" motion as you stroke each limb from his core to his extremities.

Then unfurl those little fists and rub his palms and fingers. Massage the soles of baby's feet and uncurl his toes too.

Turn baby on his tummy and stroke your little one back from side to side, then up and down.

How to begin building a confident personality in your newborn?

Our job as parents to provide our little one with the reassurance, as constantly as possible, that he’s safe. Let’s consider the profound shaping of the brain when your baby is flooded with panic chemicals, such as adrenaline and cortisol, two of the fight-or-flight hormones. 

Whether he’s feeling hunger, indigestion, or the terror of having been put down alone (where his stone-age instincts tell him that tigers might eat him), he panics. 

Luckily, your baby’s crying makes you crazy, so of course you pick him up to soothe him. Every time he cries and you respond, you’re helping his brain wire itself for self-soothing when he’s a little older. What you see is that he calms down when you comfort him. What’s happening biologically is that his body responds to feeling safe in your arms by sending out soothing biochemicals, which in turn create more neural pathways and receptors for these self-soothing hormones. Psychologically, he learns that his hunger and other feelings can be alleviated, that help is forthcoming, that someone is protecting him, helping him regulate himself. No need to panic. He can trust in this friendly universe to meet “his needs. And he begins to develop a positive working model of human relationships, one that feels warm and safe and loving.”

Its time for baby to sing, make sounds like coooo, aahhhh. It would love appreciation from you for these sounds. Reply back with these sounds and dont care about anyone watching or feeling awkward. A baby is here to make you natural and you are here to make a baby also natural yet grow. Be as crazy with your baby, drop all resistances and act silly, crazy, happy. 

Men also need this time with the babies and mothers need to learn to hand over the babies to the fathers. This simple different sound game stimulates your baby's social, visual and emotional development — not to mention his listening skills. Plus, the intimacy between the two of you promotes bonding and teaches him social cues for seeking (and receiving!) affection.  The sounds and gestures that babies make might not always seem like much, but it’s their only form of communication. 

Early childhood development scientists say we should stimulate baby talk and treat it as real conversation. Parents should respond to baby’s sounds, cues and actions and engage with them throughout the day. The number of words a baby is exposed to will determine the amount of words in a child’s vocabulary at age 2 and a child’s reading levels later. Take baby babble seriously and encourage it.