Around 3.6 million babies are born each year, according to psychologist John Gottman. While the birth of a baby is generally a happy time, it also brings many changes and, often, a lot of stress. For some couples, the extra stress can lead to increased fighting.

It is well established that breastfeeding is the superior method of feeding an infant. Companies that make infant formula have attempted to imitate the composition of human breast milk, but no substitute exists.

Contrary to your dreams of what your baby will look like, a newborn is not always pretty. Skin discolorations and eruptions, including bruising, are common in newborns and most of the time, are nothing to worry about. Discuss concerns about your newborn's bruising with your pediatrician.

The American Pregnancy Association advocates feeding your baby breast milk instead of formula, if possible. Your breast milk gives your baby the essential nutrients he needs and is safely digestible.

Any mother who has breastfed will tell you about a certain food that she ate that made her baby fussy or gassy. If something as innocuous as eating a green pepper has an adverse effect on your baby, you may think taking a pain killer is out of the question.

Anemia from iron deficiency is common in lactating women, especially following anemia in pregnancy, explains the MOBI Motherhood International website. Blood loss during labor and insufficient diet are just two possible causes of anemia.

In some ways, bottle-feeding is easier on new parents than breast-feeding; you can tell how much formula the baby is taking. Still, you may worry that the amount your baby takes in too little or too much. Babies, like adults, vary in the intake from day to day and even meal to meal. A little variation is no problem.

Newborns frequently strain while having bowel movements, particularly in the first few weeks of life. It often takes babies several months to learn how to properly push out bowel movements while relaxing their sphincter muscles, according to Parkside Pediatrics.

A breastfeeding mother often keeps a close eye on her baby’s bowel movements to help keep track of the baby’s milk intake. While most bowel movements from breastfed babies do not have a strong smell, an acidic smell from your baby’s stool could indicate a dietary sensitivity, or a more serious medical condition.

Keeping track of the contents of a breast-fed baby’s diapers helps breast-feeding mothers ensure baby is getting enough to eat. Mucus in your baby’s diaper is not unusual, even in a breast-fed baby, and most of the time, it is not a cause for medical concern.

Silent reflux is similar to acid reflux in that it’s caused by a reflux of acid from the stomach. Silent reflux, however, gets its name because the acid reaches its way only to the lower esophagus without being spit up, as often happens in infants with acid reflux.

Bottle feeding is the alternative to breast-feeding. Although formula provides all of the nutrients a baby needs to grow and thrive, there are advantages and disadvantages to choosing to feed a baby with formula. These considerations extend not only to the baby but to the mother as well.