Johnson Center
for Pregnancy
and Newborn
Services
Newborn Discharge Instructions
Gardner Packard Clinic
Redwood City
(650) 362-2500
Ravenswood Family Health
East Palo Alto
(650) 330-7400
Feeding: For the first few days, your baby should feed as often as possible, with 8 or more
feedings in 24 hours. By the fourth day, feedings should become more regular, usually every
2-3 hours during the day and every 3-4 hours at night. Your baby will probably wake when
hungry, but if more than 4 hours pass between feedings you should wake the baby to eat. You
can know that you baby is getting enough milk if by the fourth day your baby is full after a
feeding, if the stool is bright yellow, and if there are 4 or more wet diapers each day.
Diapers: By the fourth day of life your baby should have a 4-8 wet diapers in a 24 hour
Belle Haven Clinic
Menlo Park
(650) 321-0980
Fair Oaks Clinic
Redwood City
(650) 364-6010
San Mateo Children’s Clinic
San Mateo
(650) 573-3602
MayView Clinic
Palo Alto
(650) 327-8717, ext 1012
MayView Clinic
Mountain View
(650) 965-3323, ext 1041
MayView Clinic
Sunnyvale
(408) 746-0455
period. If your baby has fewer than 4 wet diapers, he or she may not be getting enough to eat
or may be getting ill. If this happens, call your doctor for advice. Over the first few days,
your baby will have dark black or green stool, called meconium. Later the stool will become
green, and later yellow and runny with some clumps of solid material. Stool patterns are
variable: Some babies go after every feeding while others may go every other day. All are
considered normal if the stool is nice and soft.
Infections: Newborn babies don’t have the same symptoms as grown-ups when they are
sick. They may act more fussy, sleep more or less, refuse to eat, or have fevers. The rectal
thermometer is the best way to take your baby’s temperature. A fever is 38 Celsius (100.4
Fahrenheit) degrees or higher. If your baby has a fever or is acting differently, call your
doctor immediately.
To prevent infections, limit your baby’s exposure to crowded environments and to other sick
people, and always practice good hand washing.
Jaundice: Some babies will get yellow colored skin in the first few days of life. This is
called jaundice, and it usually begins in the face and progresses downward to the legs. A
small amount of yellow color in the face is normal at 3-4 days of life. If your baby appears
yellow colored down to the chest, stomach, or legs, you should notify your doctor. Also if
your baby seems lethargic or is feeding poorly, call your doctor immediately.
Sleep: Babies should be placed on their backs to sleep. This is the safest position for the
baby and decreases the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
Planned Parenthood
Mountain View
(650) 948-0807
Cord Care: The umbilical cord requires no special care and will dry and fall of in 1-2
LiveWell Clinic
San Bruno
(650) 873-3338
Bathing: Babies really don’t get all that dirty. Bathing your baby 2-3 times per week is all
South San Francisco Clinic
South San Francisco
(650) 877-7027
Circumcision Care: If your son had a circumcision, you should watch for bleeding and
Daly City Clinic
Daly City
(650) 301-8600
Coastside Clinic
Half Moon
Bay
6/10
(650) 573-3941
weeks. If you wish, you may clean the stump with alcohol or saline. If the area around the
cord looks red, begins to bleed, smell, or drain pus, call your doctor immediately.
that is needed. In between baths, spot clean your baby’s face, hands, and diaper area. Until
the cord falls off, the baby should only receive sponge baths.
apply petroleum jelly and sterile gauze for 24 to 48 hours after the circumcision. The area of
the circumcision may swell slightly, as the skin heals. The healing skin may also have a
whitish coating and the rim may appear slightly yellow. After the first few days the child can
be bathed normally, but you should not “scrub” the penis, nor should the skin be pulled back
for 10 to 14 days. Call your doctor immediately if your son’s urine comes out in dribbles, if
the head of the penis begins to turn blue, if the incision line bleeds more than a few drops, or
if the circumcision looks infected.
04/14