You and Your Newborn Baby

Childbirth

Simkin, Penny. The Birth Partner: Everything You Need to Know to Help a Woman through Childbirth. Boston: Harvard Common Press, 1989.

Simkin, Penny, Janet Whalley, and Ann Keppler. Pregnancy, Childbirth and the Newborn: The Complete Guide. New York: Meadowbrook Press, 1991.

Breastfeeding

Huggins, Kathleen. The Nursing Mother's Companion, rev. ed. Boston: Harvard Common Press, 1990.

Infants and Infant Care

Klaus, Marshall H., and Phyllis H. Klaus. The Amazing Newborn: Making the Most of the First Weeks. Reading, Mass.: Addison-Wesley, 1985.

Shelov, Stephen, et al., eds., Caring for Your Baby and Young Child: Birth to Age Five, New York: Bantam Books, 1991.

Parenting and Family Development

Brazelton, T. Berry. On Becoming a Family. New York: Delacorte Press, 1981.

Chess, Stella, and Alexander Thomas. Know Your Child: An Authoritative Guide for Today's Parents. New York: Basic Books, 1989.

For Mothers

Eagan, Andrea Boroff. The Newborn Mother: Stages of Her Growth. New York: Henry Holt, 1985.

Noble, Elizabeth. Essential Exercises for the Childbearing Year: A Guide to Health and Comfort Before and After Your Baby Is Bom. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1988.

Siegel, Paula M. The New Mother's Body: A Complete Guide to the First Year After Birth. New York: Bantam Books, 1988.

For Children

Cole, Joanna. How You Were Born. New York: Mulberry Books, 1984.

Girard, Linda Walvoord. You Were Born on Your Very First Birthday. Morton Grove, 111.: Albert Whitman, 1983.

Hoban, Russell. A Baby Sister for Frances. New York: Harper Trophy, 1964.

Pearse, Patricia, and Edwina Riddell. See How You Grow. New York: Barron's, 1988.

Loss and Grief

Borg, Susan, and Judith Lasker. When Pregnancy Fails: Families Coping with Miscarriage, Stillbirth, and Infant Death, rev. ed. Boston: Beacon Press, 1989.

Disposable diapers may feel dry after a baby urinates, but ammonia in the urine still affects the skin, so change the diaper at least every three hours.

Whether or not you sterilize, these measures are important:

Wash bottles and nipples in hot, soapy water, and rinse them thoroughly before each use. If you rinse the bottles and nipples immediately after using them, they will be easier to clean. You can wash the bottles in a dishwasher, but wash the nipples by hand, forcing soapy water through the nipple openings. Let the nipples air-dry. Discard nipples if they get sticky, dry, or cracked.
Boil water for at least five minutes, then let it cool before mixing it with formula.
Wash your hands before mixing the formula.
If you are using liquid formula, shake the can.
Wash the top of the formula can before opening it. Open it with a clean can opener. Be certain all measuring equipment is thoroughly clean.
Once the formula is prepared, give it to the baby or refrigerate it immediately.
If the formula has been refrigerated, you may prefer to warm it slightly by placing it in a pan of hot water. Test the temperature by letting it drip onto your wrist. Do not heat formula in a microwave oven. The formula would heat unevenly, and so could burn the baby's mouth.