newborn-skill

name	newborn-skill
description	Newborn stage intelligence (0-3 months). Cry decoder, feed-sleep-wake cycle tracker, night shift intelligence, diaper patterns, bonding & comfort mapping. Learns your newborn's specific patterns when you're too exhausted to think. Extends baby.skill. Not medical advice.

newborn.skill 🍼

The first 90 days. Survival mode.

Extends baby.skill for the 0-3 month stage.

⚠️ Safety First

This skill does NOT provide medical advice. Newborns are fragile — if ANYTHING concerns you, call your pediatrician. Don't wait. Don't Google. Call. This skill tracks patterns and preferences, not health conditions.

What Makes Newborns Unique

Newborns can't do anything except eat, sleep, cry, and poop. But the PATTERNS of when and how they do these four things are unique to every baby. newborn.skill's job is to find those patterns when sleep-deprived parents can't see them.

Newborn-Specific Features

1. Cry Decoder

Log what was happening before each cry, what fixed it, how long it lasted. Over time, build a cry dictionary for YOUR baby:

📖 Emma's Cry Dictionary (updated week 6)

Short sharp cries at feeding time    → Hungry (90% of the time)
Long wailing after feeding           → Gas (try burping positions)
Fussy evening crying 5-8pm          → Witching hour (nothing fixes it, ride it out)
Sudden high-pitched shriek           → Pain/discomfort (check diaper, position, temperature)
Whimpering with eye rubbing          → Tired (start sleep routine NOW)
Rhythmic fussing, easily distracted  → Bored/wants attention

Parent reports the cry → skill suggests most likely cause based on history → parent confirms or corrects → skill gets smarter.

2. Feed-Sleep-Wake Cycle Tracker

Newborns live in 2-3 hour cycles. Track the exact rhythm of YOUR newborn:

🔄 Emma's Current Cycle (week 8)

Average feed interval:    2h 15min (was 1h 45min at week 2)
Average wake window:      45-60 min (was 30-40 min at week 2)
Average nap duration:     1h 30min (highly variable)
Longest night stretch:    4h 15min (improving!)

Next predicted feed:      ~2:30pm (based on last feed at 12:15pm)
Next predicted nap:       ~2:00pm (she's been awake since 1:15pm)

3. Night Shift Intelligence

Track which parent did which night shift. Log what happened during each wake-up:

🌙 Last Night: April 9-10

12:30am — Fed 4oz, back to sleep by 1:15am (Dad shift)
3:45am  — Diaper + feed 3oz, fought sleep until 4:30am (Mom shift)
6:00am  — Up for the day

Total night feeds: 2
Longest stretch: 3h 15min (12:30-3:45)
Night shift balance this week: Mom 60% / Dad 40%

4. Diaper Intelligence

Track frequency, patterns, and changes. Not for diagnosis — for pattern detection.

🧷 Diaper Tracker

Today: 4 wet, 2 dirty (normal range)
This week avg: 6 wet, 3 dirty per day
Last poop: 8 hours ago
Note: She hasn't pooped in 18 hours — last time this gap happened (day 12),
      she was fine and had a big one the next morning. Monitor but don't panic.

5. Bonding & Comfort Mapping

What specific comfort methods work for YOUR newborn:

🤱 Emma's Comfort Map

Preferred hold:     Football hold (left side) — 70% effective
                    Chest-to-chest — 85% when skin-to-skin
Swaddle:           Arms out, legs snug — she HATES arms pinned
Pacifier:          Takes it 60% of the time, spits it out when truly hungry
Preferred side:    Nurses better on left side
Room temperature:  Sleeps best at 70°F
White noise:       Hair dryer sound > ocean waves > heartbeat

Newborn Profile Fields

The following fields extend the base baby.skill profile:

• Birth weight/length and current weight
• Feeding method (breast/bottle/combo)
• Feed amounts + times
• Preferred hold positions
• Swaddle preference (arms in/out, type)
• Cry types identified (with accuracy scores)
• Average wake window (tracked weekly)
• Longest sleep stretch (tracked daily)
• Witching hour pattern
• Diaper frequency and patterns
• Umbilical cord status (first weeks)
• Jaundice notes (if applicable, for tracking — NOT treatment)

First Weeks Checklist

newborn.skill tracks these common first-weeks milestones:

• First successful latch / first bottle feed
• Regained birth weight
• Umbilical cord fell off
• First real smile (not gas!)
• First night stretch over 3 hours
• First night stretch over 4 hours
• Parents' first night of 5+ hours sleep (the holy grail)
• First time soothing worked on first try
• First outing
• First bath (after cord falls off)

Survival Mode Features

Quick Status

At any time, ask "how's she doing today?" and get:

📊 Emma — April 10, 2026 (Week 8, Day 3)

Last feed: 45 min ago (4oz bottle)
Last sleep: woke 45 min ago from 1.5hr nap
Last diaper: 2 hours ago (wet)
Mood today: Generally content, fussy around 10am (resolved with feeding)
Next predicted: Nap in ~15 min (watch for tired cues)

Shift Handoff

When one parent hands off to another:

📋 Handoff Summary — 8:00pm

Since 2:00pm:
- Fed at 2:15pm (4oz), 5:00pm (3.5oz), 7:30pm (4oz)
- Napped 3:00-4:15pm (good nap), 6:00-6:30pm (short)
- 3 wet diapers, 1 dirty
- Fussy from 5:30-6:00pm, bouncing on yoga ball worked
- She seems tired, probably ready for bed routine by 8:30pm

Emotional Support

The first 90 days are brutal. newborn.skill knows this.

• You're doing great. Even when it doesn't feel like it.
• It's okay to put the baby down and take a breath. Safety first, then your sanity.
• This phase ends. It doesn't feel like it at 3am on day 47, but it does.
• There is no "right way." If it works and it's safe, it's the right way for YOUR baby.
• Ask for help. From partner, family, friends, professionals. This isn't meant to be done alone.

Inherits From

All features of baby.skill plus the newborn-specific features above. When baby turns 3 months, transition to infant.skill — all data carries forward.