Courage to Care for Me
A Health Campaign of Uniformed Services University, www.usuhs.edu, and theCenter for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Bethesda, Maryland, www.CSTSonline.org

Tips for Caring for Your Newborn and Yourself
Military Children are our nation’s children.
Congratulations on the birth of your MilitaryChild who enters a special community ofcaring and courage. These are traditionsand values that belong to every memberof our military family. Raising children in
today’s world is not always easy, especiallyas a military parent faced with the combat
deployments of loved ones.
Courage to Care for Me is a campaign that recognizes
the strength and courage involved in being a military
parent during times of war often balancing the demands ofchildcare, employment, social, and community activities.
What to Expect
Newborns see and learn about the world through youreyes. They are fragile and require patience and gentleness.
Caring for a baby is a 24/7 job and, when an extra pair ofhands isn’t around to help, even the calmest parent canbecome frazzled.
Newborns usually spend a lot of time sleeping during
the first couple of months.
Your baby will naturally develop eating skills, either
by bottle or breast feeding. Infants should suck andswallow well, reflexes that improve as they grow.
Keep your baby nice and dry. Newborns need to bechanged frequently, usually following a feeding.
Infants need to be comforted, so hold them and gently
soothe them. Don’t be afraid of spoiling your newbornby picking them up when they cry. Your baby needs
to trust that you are there to care for and love thembecause this helps them feel safe.
Your baby will make cooing sounds and will respondto the mother’s voice, even as early as hours afterbirth, able to recognize the special voice among others
others, so sing to them and coo back.
Your newborn also has the ability to follow objects
with their eyes and is only able to see certain colors.
Babies prefer human faces to anything else and theyespecially like sharp contrast like black and white andred in different shapes and patterns.

You may ask, ‘Why courage’? Courage is apart of our military tradition even beyond thebattlefield. Courage is also important when
you may have to care for your newborn (andpossibly other children) without the help of
your spouse/partner or your relatives who
may live far away.
This Courage to Care for Me fact sheet
presents common issues that all new parents
experience in caring for their newborn. It also has pointersto help you take care of yourself! Your health and relaxation
are vital to the growth, health, and safety of your precious
new child!

Your newborn will likely smile even when sleeping as
early as the first month of life. That smile will be special
for you, so enjoy and smile back (sometimes newmothers suffer from depression after the birth of a baby
that makes it hard to smile; see the section on postpartum depression, a treatable condition, on the backpage).
Just like adults, infants have different personalities.
Some will settle into their new lives with ease. Others
may have more difficulty adjusting. They may cry
more, have feeding problems, or be more sensitive to or
distressed by their environments.
Your Needs are Important, too!
Take care of yourself. Eat a well-balanced diet, exercise, getregular medical checkups, and, most importantly, try to getenough sleep! Accept offers from those you trust to babysit and take an occasional break. When your child goes tobed, take time for yourself to relax, nap, read a book, listen
to music, take a bath, or call a friend. The stress of having
a new baby and having the additional worry of a spouse incombat can cause some people to start or increase unhealthy
behaviors such as alcohol use or cigarette smoking. Spousesof deployed may seek the company of other adults. But
remember not to expose yourself or your child to individuals
or environments that compromise your family’s health andsafety.
Continued

Tips to Help You and Your Baby Settle in Together
Be prepared for crying. It is normal for infants tocry, and they may do so for three hours a day ormore. Sometimes your baby may not stop crying,even if you have met all of their needs. If you haveconcerns about your baby’s crying or if you feellike you are losing your patience or becoming
frustrated, don’t blame yourself, and don’t go italone. Ask for help from family members, friends,members of your military unit or health careprovider. Infants can easily be injured if handledroughly (a sad and often avoidable condition iscalled Shaken Baby Syndrome or SBS. Please readabout this below).
Help your baby develop a sleep routine. Createa sleep time ritual that includes special songs orroutines. Keep naptime and bedtime the same, asmuch as possible, each day. Your baby’s naptime
should be your naptime.
Learn as much about your baby as you can. Findout which skills your baby will develop and when.
Spend time observing the way they look at theworld and how they respond. Are they shy? curious?
able to let you know when they are tired or have
had enough? Your baby’s personality will unfold
from the moment of birth.
Remember, every child is unique. Be sure tofollow your baby’s lead to figure out the best way to
comfort, play, and communicate with them. While
you may have had experiences with other children,
refrain from thinking that your baby will respond in
the same way as another. Even brothers and sisters
in the same family are different from each other, andthese differences can be seen as early as birth.

Important Health Conditions to Know About
Shaken Baby Syndrome
Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS) is the name of injury
to an infant’s brain caused when someone shakes a baby.
An infant’s neck muscles are not strong enough to besupportive of the head. During shaking, the brain can
hit the inside of the head, causing swelling, bleeding, andpressure in the brain. Babies should NEVER be shaken.
Postpartum Depression
About one in 10 new mothers experience postpartum
depression that can occur within days after delivery, even ayear later. Postpartum depression is different from the baby
blues. It lasts longer and can cause feelings of doubt in themother about herself and her children.

Make family time a priority. Play with and readto your baby every day. If you have other children,plan time each day to spend with them and let themknow that you love them equally. With a newborn,
don’t expect too much from yourself. Housework
may need to wait while you take care of your family.
Keep your baby’s deployed parent involved.
Even though your baby’s other parent may not bephysically present, help them to stay involved in
the progress of your infant. Newborns grow andchange quickly. Take and send lots of pictures orkeep a journal with pictures so that your baby’s
parent gets to know them as well as you do. Whenthey return home from combat they may need somehelp feeling comfortable around the newborn. Help
make that connection a special one.
Maintain your baby’s health. Your family
pediatrician needs to get to know your baby too.
Well baby checks are an important way for yourfamily doctor to check your baby’s health, monitor
developmental milestones, screen for common
health conditions, and provide vaccinations ontime. Even though schedules can be tight, especiallyduring deployment, never miss time with yourfamily pediatrician. Well baby checks keep yourbaby healthy!
When you have questions, ask. Even when you
know your child well, you may still have questions
and concerns. Ask your pediatrician when you need
advice. Seek a friend or relative to give you help
when you are tired, frustrated, or just need someone
to talk to. It helps to share those special moments,or those difficult days, with another adult.
The symptoms of postpartum depression include:
1. Sluggishness
2. Fatigue
3. Exhaustion
4. Feelings of hopelessness or depression
5. Disturbances with appetite and sleep
6. Confusion
7. Uncontrollable crying
8. Lack of interest in the baby
9. Fear of harming the baby or oneself
10. Mood swings – highs and lows
Postpartum depression is treatable and nothing to feelashamed of. Call or visit your doctor if you have thesesymptoms.

Visit https://www.cstsonline.org/education-and-training/health-campaigns/courage-to-care-health-campaign for more information.