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Info Centre - Life with your newborn

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All About Your Baby's Sleep
Your baby's sleep is essential to understand and can have a big impact on your own ways of sleeping.
Baby massage
Baby massage is a great way of strengthening your bond with your baby and can help you become more confident with handling your baby and better at recognising their needs, as this page explains.
Bath-time tips for new parents
Bathtime Tips suggests different ways a parent can clean their baby - whether topping and tailing, in the sink, in the bath or in a small baby bath.
Blood loss after birth
This sheet draws on recent surveys to provide you with information about what is normal for the amount and colour of your blood loss for the first six weeks after the birth.
Bottle feeding for breastfed babies?
If you want your breastfed baby to use a bottle at some stage then there are several things you will need to consider. This NCT Information Sheet outlines the various things you will need to bear in mind about giving your baby a bottle.
Breastfeeding - a good start
The text on this page is taken from the NCT booklet 'Breastfeeding - a good start'.
Breastfeeding and your nipples
This NCT Information Sheet is for women who are breastfeeding or who are planning to breastfeed and who wish to avoid problems.
Breastfeeding step-by-step
Until a baby is six months, breastmilk provides all your baby needs to grow and develop. This sheet describes key pointers for effective attachment at the breast, when you are in a sitting or side-lying position.
Car travel/car seats
There are a number of safety, and legal, requirements which pregnant women travelling in cars, and parents taking babies or small children on car journeys, should be aware of, as this page explains.
Changes in your relationships
The arrival of a baby changes your life in many, many ways – and this page looks at how a new baby can affect your relationships with your partner, family and friends.
Communicating with babies and toddlers
Babies arrive ready to communicate. Newborn babies communicate with crying, bodily movements and facial expressions. This non-verbal communication may be basic but your baby is already 'talking' to you, as this page explains.
Crying baby
Listening to your inconsolable baby can be very stressful. But does how you care for a baby make any difference to how much they cry? This page looks at a study into different styles of parenting and their effect on babies' crying.
Cup-drinking
Babies and children need to drink regularly - but what should they be drinking? And how should they drink it? This page looks at the options.
Expressing and storing your milk when away from your baby or returning to work
This booklet gives you the practical information you need to feed your baby with your own expressed breastmilk.
Fathers and Breastfeeding
This NCT Information Sheet takes looks at breastfeeding from a father's viewpoint, addressing any concerns men may have about their partner breastfeeding and gives suggestions as to how men can support their partner to breastfeed.
Feeling down? Feelings after the birth of your baby
Feeling low after you have had a baby is not unusual. This page looks at the different feelings women may feel, such as the baby blues and postnatal depression, and why it's important to get help if you feel that you may have postnatal depression.
First days: life with a new baby
This information here is taken from NCT's booklet 'First days'. It explains what it's like during the first few days and weeks, and offers some suggestions that might help during this time.
Having a premature baby
This page looks at parents' feelings when their baby is born prematurely, and what services are available to help parents cope at this difficult and demanding time.
How can I tell if my baby's thriving?
This sheet describes various useful signs for checking whether a baby seems to be growing well, and what can be done if she is not, as well as providing information about weight gain and weight charts.
Looking after your pelvic floor
Tips on how to look after your pelvic floor muscles before and after birth.
Making a decision
Making a decision
Maternity leave and returning to work
This is a page taken from the Returning to Work Guide published by the NCT and working families. Sponsored by DHL, Russell Jones and Walker and Pregnacare.
Nappy choices
Tackling the issue of nappies, while going green, is a question of both preference and parental responsibility, as this page explores.
NCT fact sheet on Bisphenol A
NCT fact sheet on Bisphenol A
Reasons to be proud
This sheet lists just some of the ways that breastfeeding makes a difference to both mothers and babies.
Records of your maternity care
This NCT Information Sheet explains how to get a copy of your own and your baby's medical records.
Secure and insecure attachment
This page gives an overview of 'attachment theory' and shows how rather than being overwhelmed or unnerved by research into the effects of early babycare, it can help parents to feel more confident about their parenting.
Sex after pregnancy
The information on this page is taken from 'Get Closer', an NCT booklet guide to the effect pregnancy, childbirth, and early parenthood may have on your sex-life.
Supporting breastfeeding
This page contains information on how fathers, friends, family and employers can help to support breastfeeding women.
Supporting labour and birth
Having someone they know and trust with them during labour can really enhance a woman’s confidence in her ability to give birth. This page looks at the role of a birth supporter and who a birth supporter can be.
The role of a midwife
This page provides information on the role of a midwife, how they work, and what you can expect from them.
Using infant formula: your questions answered
The information gives factual information about formula. There is also a step-by-step guide to making up a formula bottle according to up-to-date safety guidance.
Vitamin K
The NCT Information Sheet looks at the evidence around giving your baby Vitamin K after birth.
What's in a nappy?
This sheet contains information about how to tell whether your baby is feeding well or not from the contents of their nappy.
Worried that someone close to you may have postnatal depression?
Many new mothers feel low after the birth of their baby. This page describes the range of feelings they may experience and looks at different ways of supporting them and getting help.