If You Remember Nothing Else
- Feed 8 to 12 times in 24 hours, including at night. Breast milk only: no water, glucose water, herbs or gripe water.
- Count wet nappies. From day 5, at least 6 heavy wet nappies a day means your baby is getting enough milk.
- Check the colour in daylight every day. Yellow in the first 24 hours, or yellow on the palms or soles, means come in now. Yellow spreading to the tummy or legs needs a doctor the same day.
- 38 °C or more is an emergency in a newborn, even if the baby seems well.
- Back to sleep, in their own clear space, in your room, under a treated mosquito net.
- Keep the cord clean and dry. Put nothing on it unless a health worker has given you chlorhexidine for it.
Before You Leave Hospital
Checks Your Baby Should Have Had
Papers to Take Home
Feeding and You
Getting Home Ready
A Safe Place to Sleep
Things to Have Ready
A Safe House
Cord Care
Visitors
The Daily Check for the First Two Weeks
Do this once a day, at the same time, ideally in daylight. Tick each item that is true. If one cannot be ticked, read the reason underneath it. Tap Clear ticks to start again the next day.
Today My Baby…
Feeding
Nappies
Colour, Cord and Warmth
Breathing, Waking and Sleep
And Me
Nappies, Day by Day
Nappies are the easiest way to know your baby is getting enough milk. The numbers rise over the first week as your milk comes in. A heavy wet nappy feels like 2 to 4 tablespoons of water poured into a clean one.
| Baby's age | Wet nappies in 24 hours | Poo in 24 hours |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 to 2 | 1 to 2 or more | 1 or more, black and sticky (meconium) |
| Day 3 to 4 | 3 or more, getting heavier | 2 or more, changing to green or brown and softer |
| Day 5 to 6 | 6 or more, heavy | 2 or more, yellow and runny, may look seedy |
| Day 7 to 28 | 6 or more, heavy, pale urine | At least 2, yellow, the size of a coin or more |
Pink or orange crystals in the nappy (urates) can be normal in the first two days. After day 3 they mean the baby may need more milk: feed more often and ask a midwife or doctor to check a feed the same day.
When to Come In
Most newborn worries are normal. These are the ones that are not. If your baby has any of the signs in the first column, come to Limi Children's Hospital now, day or night. If you cannot get here quickly, go to the nearest emergency department. Have someone else drive if you can, so you can watch your baby, and call 0813 408 5400 on the way so the team can prepare. Limi assesses newborn emergencies day and night and runs a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
Come In Now
Emergency department, straight away
- Not feeding, or too weak or sleepy to suck
- Temperature 38 °C or more, or below 35.5 °C
- 60 or more breaths a minute, grunting, or skin sucking in below the ribs
- A fit, or floppy, or hard to wake
- Blue or grey lips or tongue
- Green vomit
- Yellow skin in the first 24 hours, or yellow palms or soles
See a Doctor Today
Same day, not tomorrow
- Yellow spreading to the tummy or legs
- Fewer wet nappies than the table above
- Pale, white or clay-coloured poo
- A red, smelly or oozing cord
- Sticky, swollen eyes
- You feel something is not right
Usually Normal
Mention it at the next check
- Sneezing, hiccups, snuffly nose
- Bringing up a little milk
- Irregular breathing while asleep that settles
- Milk spots and a blotchy rash that comes and goes
- Losing some weight in the first days
The full list, with what each sign means, is in our guide to newborn warning signs. For yellow skin, read newborn jaundice.
Looking After Yourself
The first weeks after birth carry risks for mothers too. See a doctor the same day for a fever, bleeding that is getting heavier, pain or swelling in one leg, a wound that is red or leaking, or pain when passing urine. Bleeding that soaks a pad in an hour or less, large clots, a bad headache or blurred vision, breathlessness, chest pain or a fit are an emergency: come to The Limi Hospital now, or go to the nearest emergency department if you cannot get there quickly. Feeling tearful in the first two weeks is common; feeling hopeless, unable to sleep even when the baby sleeps, or having thoughts of harming yourself or the baby needs help now, not later. Read your health after the birth.
Check-Ups and Vaccines
- Around day 3: a check of feeding, weight, jaundice and the cord, and your own recovery.
- Between day 7 and 14: your baby should be back to birth weight by about two weeks.
- At 6 weeks: a full check of your baby (heart, hips, eyes, growth) and of you, and the first of the routine vaccines given at 6 weeks.
Our vaccine schedule tool shows every vaccine in Nigeria's schedule with the date it is due for your baby. Book a well-baby check at Limi Children's Hospital for any of these visits: the paediatric team checks feeding, weight, jaundice and growth, and gives the routine vaccines.
Questions Parents Ask
How do I know my baby is getting enough milk?
Enough wet and dirty nappies for their age (see the table), a baby who wakes for feeds and seems satisfied after most of them, and weight back to birth weight by about two weeks. Your breasts may feel softer after a feed. See our breastfeeding guide.
When can I bath my baby?
WHO advises waiting at least 24 hours after birth. After that, a quick wash with warm water every day or two is enough, in a warm room, keeping the cord dry. Use mild, unperfumed soap and no powder.
Can we go out or have a naming ceremony in the first week?
Yes, with care. Keep the baby out of crowds and away from anyone who is unwell, make sure everyone who holds the baby washes their hands first, keep the baby out of direct sun, and keep feeding on time.
My baby has lost weight. Is that normal?
Yes, most babies lose some weight in the first days and are back to their birth weight by about two weeks. A loss of more than a tenth of birth weight, or a baby who is not gaining after day 5, needs feeding support the same day.
The cord has fallen off and there is a drop of blood. What do I do?
A small spot of blood when the cord comes off is normal. Clean it with cooled boiled water and keep it dry. Redness spreading onto the tummy, pus or a bad smell needs a doctor today. Bleeding that does not stop after 10 minutes of gentle pressure means come in now.
How do I register my baby's birth?
Births in Nigeria are registered with the National Population Commission (NPC), which has registration points in hospitals and local government offices. Ask your maternity unit how they notify births and where the nearest registration point is. A birth certificate will be asked for later for school, a passport and more.
Sources
- World Health Organization. WHO recommendations on maternal and newborn care for a positive postnatal experience. 2022.
- World Health Organization. Integrated Management of Childhood Illness: chart booklet (young infant danger signs). 2014.
- National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Nigeria. National routine immunisation schedule.
- UNICEF UK Baby Friendly Initiative. Breastfeeding assessment tool (wet and dirty nappies by day).
- American Academy of Pediatrics. Sleep-related infant deaths: updated 2022 recommendations for reducing infant deaths in the sleep environment. Pediatrics, 2022.
- National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Postnatal care (NG194). 2021.
- National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Jaundice in newborn babies under 28 days (CG98). Updated 2023.
Written for parents and carers in NigeriaClinically reviewed by Limi Children’s Hospital cliniciansLast updated September 2026Next review due September 2027