How is my three week old baby growing and other FAQs

Your baby may have developed colic if he or she cries without reason for three or more hours on most days, generally in the evening.

Technically, a baby is called colic when he or she is otherwise healthy, dry and well-fed, but cries for three hours or more, for three or more days in the week, for at least three weeks.

It can be a tiring and tough condition for you. Colic usually resolves on its own by the time your baby is three months old. In the meantime, here are some things to can try:

• Set an evening routine like a gentle massage or bath to soothe your baby.
• Change your diet if you are breastfeeding and your baby is gassy.
• Avoid using gripe water as it can harm your baby. 

Read more: How to massage your baby

Most babies don’t like the feeling of cold air on their skin. You can make bath time more tolerable for your baby by following some of these steps:

• Prepare everything for your baby's bath before taking off his or her clothes. This includes setting up the bath things in a warm room (it doesn't have to be in the bathroom), heating up the water to 37 degrees Celsius, getting your baby's towel and fresh clothes out in advances.
• Fill the baby bathtub (or sink) with water that is no more than two inches deep. Test the water temperature by dipping your elbow in the baby bathtub (or sink) before placing the baby in the water - feet first.
• Support your baby's head, neck and back with one arm and gently scoop the water with the other hand.
• Keep bath time short and gentle. Don't splash your baby if it seems to startle him or her and don't turn on taps that make loud or sudden noises.
• Wrap your baby in a soft towel as soon as you take him or her out of the tub.
• Goes without saying, don't leave the baby alone even for a second during the bath.

Read more: Why does my baby hate baths and what to do about it

A three-week-old baby does not usually get dirty. Ideally, you should bathe him or her twice a week. Even once a week should be okay if you are prompt about changing dirty diapers and cleaning any spit-up after breastfeeding.

Read more: How to clean your baby's genitals

Letting your baby sleep in your bed, or even catching a nap together on the drawing-room sofa, is known as co-sleeping.

The biggest dangers with this practice are baby entrapment and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). So you are right to worry about this.

If you find that you can't keep your eyes open, especially while breastfeeding, don't judge yourself too harshly. Remember that your body has been through a lot. This week, you are also likely going through the baby blues (up to 80% of new moms do). Set the guilt aside and ask your spouse, partner or a family member or friend to help.

• Have them sit with you while you breastfeed: many moms and babies fall asleep during breastfeeding. This is potentially dangerous. Don't forget to burp the baby, even if he or she has fallen asleep while feeding.
• Acknowledge when you are bone-tired and need to rest. Try to hand over the responsibilities like bathing the baby to someone you trust to be careful, like a loving grandparent or your spouse.
• Make sure to set up your baby's cot or crib in your room, right next to you, so you can put the baby down to sleep there with greater ease - no matter how tired or sleepy you are.
• You could also try breastfeeding your baby while sitting in an upright chair - you may feel more sleepy if you are too comfortable.

Read more: Tips on getting more sleep when you have a newborn at home

While this tends to happen often with very young babies, it is a good practice to try and put the baby down in the crib as soon as he or she seems sleepy. This will help your baby to learn how to put himself or herself to sleep, even when he or she wakes up in the middle of the night. Experts recommend setting up a baby bedtime routine from the time your baby is two weeks old.

Read more: Baby sleep safety tips

You can introduce your baby to a pacifier once he or she is three to four weeks old. Doing this has its benefits and side-effects. On the positive side, a pacifier can help to soothe the baby. Studies show that pacifiers also reduce the risk of SIDS. The negatives are that it can reduce breastfeeding in some babies and increase the risk of ear infections in babies.

At this stage, you can also introduce your baby to the bottle if you plan to stop breastfeeding soon for any reason. It is a good idea to stop gradually, if possible. Remember that one of the benefits of breastfeeding is that it makes your baby feel safe and very close to you. So start by dropping one feed at a time.

If you are breastfeeding, feed your baby on demand. At this stage, your baby will start feeding for longer. Your breasts will now be producing hindmilk which is rich in fast and excellent to support growth spurts in your baby. Make sure your empties one breast before moving to the other one. If you are pumping breastmilk, store it properly in a cool place and never reuse it.

If you're giving your baby formula milk exclusively, give about 2.5 ounces per pound of body weight. Feed your baby up to 32 ounces a day, as often as he or she demands.

After every feed, remember to clean your baby's mouth.

Yes. Babies tend to poo thrice a day till they are six weeks old. This can vary from baby to baby. Generally, breastfed babies' poop is yellow and soft and bottle-fed babies have brownish poop.

Read more: Acid reflux in babies

Babies love movements. It is okay to rock them or swaddle them as both you and your baby enjoy it. But try to keep all the movements in the bed. So that it doesn't become problematic in future.

You don’t need to - experts don't recommend it. But if you still want to, then you can use a mild soap. You can also sprinkle some olive oil in the bathing water. This will moisten your baby's skin. You should never use adult bathing products.