4. How do can I tell if my baby is hungry? How do I know if she is getting enough to eat?

During the first two weeks of life breastfed babies should feed 8-12 times a day, about 10 to 15 minutes on each breast. Formula fed babies should feed 6-10 times a day. Don't wait until your baby is crying and upset to feed. This is actually a late sign of hunger and it may be harder to feed the baby if both of you are frustrated. Look for earlier, more subtle clues such as stirring from sleep, putting the fist in the mouth, turning the head if the cheek is stroked lightly, or sucking movements with the mouth. During the first few days it is best to feed your baby every 2 to 4 hours, even if you have to wake them up.

To tell if your baby is getting enough in, take a look (literally) at what comes out. The first two days your baby may only have a couple of wet and dirty diapers. The next few days he should have at least three of each. For the next few weeks, your baby should have at least 6 wet and 3 dirty diapers a day (although often they will have a dirty diaper after every feed). If your baby is having less, please call your pediatrician. Don't forget that many times a diaper has both urine and stool mixed together.

5. How do I know if my baby's spit up is normal or worrisome?

All babies spit up—sometimes after every feed. There are two common causes: overfeeding and reflux. Reflux happens because the valve at the bottom of the esophagus (feeding tube) where it connects to the stomach is weak or relaxed. This allows the food to easily come back up. The valve tightens as the baby grows and the reflux usually resolves by about 1 year of age. As long as your baby is gaining weight and the spit up doesn't bother him we usually don't treat it medically. Things that do help are giving smaller, more frequent feeds as well as holding your baby upright for 15 to 20 minutes after a feed. Call your pediatrician if you notice blood in the spit up, greenish color, increase in frequency and intensity of the spit up, projectile or forceful spit up or if the baby's belly looks swollen or feels hard.

6. My baby is yellow. My mom says it is jaundice. What does that mean?

Your mom is right. Jaundice occurs when babies have extra bilirubin in their system. Bilirubin is produced by the breakdown of red blood cells. This is often normal in newborns. The more your baby feeds and poops, the more bilirubin he will get rid off and the yellow in the skin will begin to resolve. You should let your pediatrician know if your baby begins to look yellow so the bilirubin level can be checked (a simple blood test). Depending on the results your pediatrician will advise on treatment.

7. What color should his poop be?

You may think that poop should be brown, but babies produce a wide variety of colors! During the first 24 hours of life, it is thick, sticky, and brownish-black in color (meconium). After the first few days of life, the stools of breastfed babies lighten in color from black to brown to green to yellow and change consistency from sticky to seedy to cottage cheese like to looser. Formula fed babies usually have firmer stools that are light brown in color.