Baby's First Year: A Survival Guide for New & Experienced Parents

By Dr. Eduardo Sanchez

A new baby brings joy, questions, and-as the coronavirus pandemic continues-even more anxiety than ever.

Now caregivers can "Ask Dr. Ed" how to nurture and protect a baby from birth to 12 months in

• Language: English
• Publisher: Two Sisters Writing and Publishing LLC
• Release date: Dec 4, 2020
• ISBN: 9781945875823

Dr. Eduardo Sanchez

Dr. Eduardo M. Sanchez founded Clinica del Norte Pediatrics PLLC in the same diverse community in San Antonio, Texas where he grew up. There, he has cared for thousands of babies, children, and teenagers, including his own five children. Dr. Sanchez inherited his family-oriented, entrepreneurial spirit from his Mexican-born parents, who owned and operated businesses. His mother opened a beauty salon after completing her licensing program, and his father owned and operated a grocery store. Dr. Sanchez began working at age nine-delivering newspapers, and cleaning at a barber shop and beauty parlor (as they were called). When he was 11, he started working in the family construction business. His many tasks ranged from framing for concrete driveways, to using a jack-hammer to break up old concrete structures, and doing everything in-between. After high school, he became a teen parent and supported his family by joining the U.S. Army. After Basic Training and Specialized Training, he was stationed in Heidelberg, Germany. A Green to Gold Active Duty Scholarship enabled him to attend Prairie View A&M University in Houston. After commissioning as a second lieutenant, he pursued a graduate degree from Texas Woman's University, and a doctorate degree from Maryville University as a Jonas Veteran Scholar. In 2002, after eight years in the Army Reserve, Dr. Sanchez returned to San Antonio and founded Clinica del Norte Pediatrics PLLC. There he provides quality care for babies, children, and teenagers in his very diverse and predominantly Hispanic community. He has worked diligently to provide the best care to families who call his pediatric center their "medical home." At the same time, Dr. Sanchez have been instrumental in multiple start-up companies as a consultant, director, or as venture capitalist involved in acquiring and developing commercial real estate properties. Deeply committed to serving the community, he is dedicated to serving on numerous boards-including managed care organizations and non-profit organizations-that promote community health and quality healthcare for everyone, including the indigent. He serves as board chairman for TYME to Empower, an organization helping teen parents excel with education and career success. All the while, Dr. Sanchez worked hard all of his life to provide the best care and love for his children, who include Eduardo III, who is 30 and has served in the U.S. Army for 11 years. His three daughters are: Mariel, 22, who graduated from college with a bachelor's degree in education; Sophia, 21, a sophomore undergraduate college student majoring in biology; and Adriana, 18, who will soon start attending college. The newest addition to our family, Greyson, is 18 months old and growing fast. "I'm honored to offer this book," Dr. Sanchez says, "to help other mothers and fathers do the best we can in our most important mission, job, and career of all... being a parent!"

Book preview

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What People Are Saying About

Dr. Eduardo Sanchez and Baby’s First Year

Jam-packed with useful information that every new parent needs. The most comprehensive, easy to read guide for your baby’s first year!

— Dr. Ken and Sherry Scott

Cute Smiles & Orthodontics 4 Kids

Dr. Sanchez is a devoted, patient, and kind practitioner. He always goes the extra mile to educate his patients. He has cared for patients from a wide variety of backgrounds and cultures and relates well to each of them.

— Dr. Elise Kibler, MD

Pediatrician

Copyrighted Material

Baby’s First Year: A Survival Guide for New & Experienced Parents

Dr. Eduardo M. Sanchez, DNP, RN, CPNP

Copyright © 2020 Eduardo Sanchez PhD

All Rights Reserved.


DISCLAIMER: The opinions and advice contained within the

book are those of the author. They are not intended as medical advice for any particular case, matter, or baby/child. If you, the reader, have concerns about your baby/child, then you should take that baby/child to their doctor for a consultation. 

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without prior written permission from the publisher,

except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review.

For information about this title or to order other books

and/or electronic media, contact the publisher:


Atkins & Greenspan Writing

TwoSistersWriting.com


18530 Mack Avenue, Suite 166

Grosse Pointe Farms, MI 48236

ISBN

978-1-945875-80-9 (Hardcover)

978-1-945875-81-6 (Paperback)

978-1-945875-82-3 (eBook)

Printed in the United States of America

Cover and Interior design: Van-garde Imagery, Inc.

All photographs used with permission. All uncredited photographs

courtesy of the Sanchez Family Collection.

Printed in the United States of America

Interior design: Van-garde Imagery

Ask Dr. Ed

Baby’s First Year:

A Survival Guide

for New & Experienced Parents

Dr. Eduardo M. Sanchez

DNP, RN, CPNP

Dedication

This book is dedicated to my children: Eduardo, Mariel, Sophia, Adriana, and Greyson.

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank Dr. Ray Cortez for his mentorship and for his clinical expertise, which he generously and graciously shares.

I would also like to thank my amazing children, Eduardo, Mariel, Sophia, and Adriana. I appreciate their encouragement and love as I worked on their time to complete this book. I am also grateful for my youngest child, Greyson, who gave me the added fire and final push to want to share what I have learned over the past 30 years regarding raising children. All of my wonderful children provided the impetus I needed to keep fighting and working on this book when fatigue, or life’s events, seemed to get in the way, and when I felt as though I would not finish the book.

I would like to also acknowledge Sylvia, my rock, for her love and encouragement as well, and for being the most amazing partner and mother anyone could ever ask for.

Lastly, I would like to thank my amazing mother. Much of my strength, perseverance in the face of adversity, and grit comes from her example. Thank you for your strength, wisdom, and love that you never cease to demonstrate to my sister, myself, or our children. Mother, you made our home life seem flawless, no matter how tragic or chaotic it was at times.

Contents

Dedication

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Birth to Three Months

Chapter 1 Taking Care of Your Newborn Baby

Chapter 2 Monitoring Your Newborn Baby’s Progress

Chapter 3 Caring for Your Baby’s Ailments

Four to Six Months

Chapter 4 Taking Care of Your Baby Between Four and Six Months

Chapter 5 Monitoring Your Baby’s Progress Between Four and Six Months

Chapter 6 Caring for Your Baby’s Ailments Between Four and Six Months

Seven to Nine Months

Chapter 7 Taking Care of Your Baby Between Seven and Nine Months

Chapter 8 Monitoring Your Baby’s Progress Between Seven and Nine Months

Chapter 9 Caring for Your Baby’s Ailments Between Seven and Nine Months

10 to 12 Months

Chapter 10 Taking Care of Your Baby Between 10 and 12 Months

Chapter 11 Monitoring Your Baby’s Progress Between 10 and 12 Months

Chapter 12 Caring for Your Baby’s Ailments Between 10 and 12 Months

Protecting Baby’s Health During the Coronavirus Pandemic and Beyond

What’s Next: The Toddler Years

About the Author

For Further Reading

Contact Dr. Eduardo Ed Sanchez

Introduction

Dear Reader,

Congratulations! You’re holding a book that will give you peace of mind during the exhilarating, exhausting, and joyous journey of nurturing a newborn baby through the first year of life.

Since babies don’t come with an owner’s manual or a set of instructions, and parents ask me so many questions, I decided to simplify and demystify the newborn baby experience by creating The Dr. Eduardo Ed Sanchez Books on Raising Healthy Children. Each book will tell you everything you need to know during every stage of a child’s development, from birth to adulthood at age 18.

Right now, you’re reading Baby’s First Year: A Survival Guide For New & Experienced Parents. You can carry this small book with you everywhere—in the diaper bag, in your purse, in your backpack—to reference wherever you go with Baby. On the following pages, I’m sharing the most crucial and helpful information about Baby’s first 12 months in a way that’s easy to understand.

Take it from me. I’m a father of five who was once a single dad of four children. Since earning a doctorate in Nursing and opening Clinica del Norte Pediatrics PLLC in the San Antonio, Texas community where I grew up, I have cared for thousands of babies, children, and teenagers. Now I’m sharing my 25-plus years of personal and professional insights with you, to equip you with information and confidence.

I know how anxious and even afraid you might feel as you bring a newborn home from the hospital or adoption agency, or when you begin serving as a caregiver for an infant. You want to keep Baby safe, healthy, nurtured, and happy. You may feel overwhelmed, worried, and exhausted.

And suddenly the world seems so dangerous! It’s normal for a new parent to imagine all the bad things that could threaten Baby’s health and wellness. And now that the coronavirus pandemic has forced everyone—especially new parents—to become extra vigilant about protecting our families, I’m including a special section called, Protecting Baby’s Health During the Coronavirus Pandemic and Beyond.

Even if the pandemic has ended when you read this, it’s important to remember the safeguards that it taught us about protecting our health and boosting immunity for everyone in our families.

In my practice and in this book, I rely on the most trustworthy sources of information about what’s best for your child. Everything I’m advising you to do is based on the latest guidelines from highly respected organizations and sources, including: the American Academy of Pediatrics; the American Academy of Family Physicians; and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. I also include information from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

As you read this book, know that I have recently shared your experiences as new parents. Because sometimes life delivers big surprises. While writing this book, I learned—quite unexpectedly—that I would experience fatherhood for the fifth time. Greyson’s birth was a shocking surprise, because I had undergone a vasectomy. Turns out, pregnancy can result in one in 1,000 men who have this procedure, and I’m that one in a thousand. As a result, the miracle of our healthy son’s birth has filled me with immeasurable joy. Now the photo on the cover of this book features me with Greyson at Clinica del Norte, the pediatric center where I have helped thousands of families with babies, children, and teenagers.

In addition to sharing my decades of expertise in pediatric health care, I’m sharing my personal insights as a new father once again. Extreme fatigue after sleepless nights, and worry when he’s sick, have renewed my empathy for new parents who are fearful and exhausted when they bring their infants for check-ups in my clinic. So when I tell them, I know how you feel, I’m speaking from recent experience!

Ironically, my new baby’s growth and development enabled me to re-live every phase that I describe in this book. I never imagined this could happen, and now I am so grateful that it has. This beautiful gift of fate provided an opportunity to enhance my knowledge and ability to help guide you through Baby’s first year. Most importantly, my intention is to help you relax and enjoy the magic moments of Baby’s firsts, along with the daily joy as your infant grows.

This book will also help you as many questions arise from the discovery that what worked with your first child, may not work for your second or third, because every baby is unique. Our young son reminds me that every baby has a distinct personality, and he or she develops at varying rates in different ways.

I know this from experience. I was a teenager when my first son was born, and I did so many things wrong. So if you’re a young, first-time parent, trust that I’ve been there. I know the difficulties first-hand. When my second child, Mariel Elena, came into the world, Eduardo was nine, and I was older, wiser, and more confident. But I still had a newborn on my hands! A year later, my wife and I welcomed Sophia Marie—meaning we had a newborn, a toddler, and a 10-year-old.

Three years after that, when my youngest, Adriana Elizabeth, came along, I was an old pro! Not only did I have more than a decade of being a dad under my belt, but I had also earned a Master of Science in Nursing, and was working in pediatrics as a Registered Nurse. In addition, I had many years of experience as an ER Nurse in the U.S. Army and in civilian hospitals. During those 10 years, life poured on a lot of challenges that I balanced while staying committed to raising healthy, smart children. This commitment remained strong a little later, when I became a single, divorced dad.

Now let’s fast-forward. Today, I have a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP). I have three daughters who are either entering, attending, or celebrating recent graduation from college, and a son who is mid-way to his retirement in the U.S. Army. And of course, a son who will soon celebrate his second birthday party.

Now, consider me your go-to source for safe, reliable information. You can trust me as the doctor in your pocket because this book makes me literally on call with you 24/7. Everything you need to know is on the pages of Baby’s First Year: A Survival Guide For New & Experienced Parents. You can also benefit from my Ask Dr. Ed posts on social media, where I answer questions from parents and caregivers.

Since I started Clinica del Norte Pediatrics in 2002, I’ve seen thousands of patients, and I’ve always been struck by the similarity between new parents today