A Guide to Your New Baby

One of the many wonders of a newborn baby is that a whole person can come in such a tiny package. Because newborns are so small, new fathers in particular are sometimes afraid of handling them. Don’t worry. Babies require so much care, you’ll both have plenty of opportunities to practice, practice, practice. As your baby grows bigger and stronger every day, so will your confidence in caring for her.

In the beginning, newborns spend most of their time sleeping and eating. As she grows older, your baby will spend more time playing, exploring and interacting with the world around her. In the meantime, there is a persistent — and false — theory that holding a baby a great deal will “spoil” her. It is not possible to spoil a newborn. She needs and enjoys an abundance of loving attention and cuddling, especially these first few months. Newborns find cuddling very reassuring, and it is one of the best ways to soothe a fussy baby. By meeting your baby’s needs for love and attention, you help her learn to trust this new world around her.

Pediatric care

Should your child ever need specialized care, Swedish offers one of the region’s most comprehensive pediatric programs. For the thousands of children who come from across the region to undergo medical procedures, Swedish is a very special place.

Our Pediatric Specialties program is committed to making sure children have access to the care they need to achieve the best medical outcomes. That’s why our care teams include some of the area’s foremost pediatric nurses, physicians and therapists. That’s why we have 24-hour coverage from in-house pediatric hospitalists and neonatologists.