Parenting Blog

Uneven shape of your baby’s Head

If you always dreamt about the perfect Gerber baby with round and rosy features and observe that your baby has a little uneven do not get disappointed. It is probably due to the hours your baby spent in the pelvis. Nature has designed the skull so that it fits into the birth canal and prevents it from injuries during delivery. Other features like squashed nostrils, and swollen eyes are due to the fluids accumulated under the skin. Your baby also might have bruise marks on the scalp and face if vacuum or forceps were used to deliver him. All these imperfections are temporary and will disappear revealing your baby’s perfect features.

Restlessness in the baby

The babies have been in the womb for quite long and now that they have come out of it and free to move their hands and limbs. By throwing their limbs they are trying to gain control over them. The brain tries to figure out and control its movements but it has still not become adept in doing it. When babies take birth for the first three months they have an intrinsic sense within them called as the startle, or Moro reflex. This makes the infant sense as if they are startled or falling. Due to this feeling they draw their head backwards open their hands and after a while bring in it back in. These are also temporary system which will go away after a couple of weeks.

Big size of testicles in the baby boy

You may be wondering about the big size of your son’s testicles and you husband may want to take all the credit. But, neither your genes nor your husband’s super power hormones have any role to play in the size of your baby’s testicles. It happens due to the swelling that occurs when the baby takes birth and undergoes a lot of pressure; it is also due to the fluids in the tissue. All new born babies have some of their mother’s hormones still circulating in their bodies and it results in enlarged testicles in boys and swelled labia in girls. It takes a couple of weeks for the swelling to fade away.

Baby’s tendency of being hungry

You may find yourself feeding you baby round the clock during the first few days of her birth. This is absolutely normal and nature’s trick that is played to improve the supply of milk. Also, babies that feed on breast eat more frequently because it is easily digestible for babies as well as completely absorbed by the body unlike formula.

Cold hands and feet of the baby

The blood circulation system of the body is not fully developed in the new born babies. Hence, blood is circulated to the more vital organs first and then to the hands and limbs. It may take a couple of months before the blood supply system is fully developed in the babies. Hands and feet are generally the last organs that get the supply of blood properly. When you baby starts playing and performing various activities the blood circulation in these organs will automatically increase.

It is a great feeling to become pregnant and women naturally become more careful and responsible after they come to know about their pregnancy. Generally women are good in taking care of the baby inside them but sometimes due to carelessness they might let themselves in to dangerous situations. Accidents are one of the leading causes of baby death in United States and to reduce the number of deaths due to this reason mothers should become more careful. This means that they should try to avoid some of the most common accidents they are prone to.

You can follow these suggestions to stay away from the most common accidents:

Do not forget to wear the seat belt: Seat belts are able to save around eleven thousand lives every year. You should not be worried about the seat belt hurting your baby if a car crash happens. What may be more dangerous to the baby is getting you injured. You should carefully wear the seatbelt by placing the lap-belt below the baby and not across the belly. The shoulder-belt should be worn over the shoulder and between the breasts. If you are not comfortable and the belt feels too tight adjust is appropriately.

Practice Safe Driving: If you are a rash driver then you should be especially careful. In general, everyone should obey the traffic rules, take care of the speed limits, pull your car off road when you feel sleepy, when your drive never use the cell phone and under any circumstances avoid an impaired driver.

Do not go to lonely Places: When you are pregnant just avoid going to places where somebody could ambush you especially dark stairs, isolated parking spaces or other deserted areas.

Take Precautions while walking on the Roads: You should remember what you were taught when you were child and follow the rules as a pedestrian. Use the crosswalk and look at both the ways before crossing the road.

Make your home safe from fire: Deaths due to fire are more common than the total deaths due to all the natural disasters together. Therefore, make your home safe by installing smoke detectors and if they are already installed make sure they are in working condition.

Take care in handling food items: Food should be carefully handled as well as stored. They should be washed well before cooking and avoid using stale and expired food items. Clean the knife and cutting board before and after using with soapy hot water.

Stop the germs from spreading by washing hands at regular intervals: Clean your hands from time to time using warm water and soap. Let the soap and lather remain on the hands for a minute or two before you wash it up with clean water.

The skin of babies is very soft and delicate. Hence it is more susceptible to become dry if exposed to cold air. Dry, cold air outside or indoor heating can cause baby’s skin to dry when the skin loses its natural moisture in the winter season. If your baby’s skin is dry this might also show in summers as the skin breaks into dry patches in the sun. Here are some tips to fix our baby’s dry skin:

Reduce the bath timing

Bathing a baby for too long can make the skin to lose its natural oils. Make sure that you are using a mild soap and if possible avoid using any soap. Using only warm water will minimize any side effects. Take necessary precautions while bathing your baby. Bathing dries a baby’s skin because it removes the skin’s natural oils along with the dirt. The bath time should not exceed 10 mutes. Also be careful that the water is not too hot for your baby’s skin. Luke warm water will do for her.

Avoid Soapy Water

Do not let your baby sit in soapy water for too long and never leave the cleansing bar in the water. The contact of your baby with soap should be minimized as much as possible. Limit the bubble baths to some special occasions. Apply some oils or baby lotion which is mild on your baby’s skin after the bath. Giving your baby a daily massage will prevent her from having any dry patches on the body.

Dry the baby as soon as possible after the bath

Immediately as you take your baby out of the tub, dry him with the help of a clean towel. Apply moisturizer suitable for your child’s skin and as recommended by dermatologists. You also need to make sure that your child is not exposed to any skin infections.

Do not expose your baby to chlorine or salty water

Both these ingredients are very harmful on your baby’s skin. Rinse your baby thoroughly in tap water after a swim in the pool and apply thick moisturizer while the skin is damp and wet.

Use a humidifier

Using a cool mist humidifier can be a good idea to prevent your baby’s skin from drying up.

Apply moisturizers

As far as moisturizers go, the general rule is the thicker the better. If your baby’s skin is still dry even with daily moisturizing, try switching from a lotion to a thicker cream or ointment. You might also want to consider moisturizing twice a day — once after bathing and once during the day.

Apart from these measures, protect your baby by making her wear warm clothes. Make your baby wear mittens in cold weather, so her hands won’t become dry in the winds.

Things have started changing as soon as you got the news of becoming a dad. This phase will require much effort from your side too. Discussions will be there always but at this crucial phase when your wife is already worried and curious about her pregnancy, it is the would-be dad who should handle the situation in a smart way.

1. You will find your wife bombarding you with questions like, “Does my jeans look very small?” or “Have my butts become very heavy?” and other such weight related depressing discussions. Do not comment. This question if tackled without care, they may make blunders and you may make your wife upset. This is the time to pamper her and make her feel good.

2. You need to understand that at certain times, your wife may not feel like cooking and doing the regular work. Never argue with her. Buy a cookbook and look for some easy to prepare meals that would be nutritious for her and the baby as well as it will make you both much closer. When you will cook, actually this food will be consumed by your baby too. Include enough of minerals and vitamins in her diet.

3. Do not complaint that after she has got pregnant, there is nothing you can both do together. Take out some time and go for a walk. This walk will help her as well as you will get some quality time with her.

4. Never say to her that she exercised before and now what has happened. The pregnant women may need some kind of emotional support and motivation for exercising regularly. You make your routine such that you both exercise together. Take her to the doctor and ask about what kind of exercises will be good for her pregnancy and health.

5. Pregnancy may have caused some mental stress on her. She needs your emotional support, your gentle touch and some words of love. Never say any negative things about her and the baby. Tell her how special she has been, say that she looks beautiful as a mother and fill the environment around her with positive vibes.

6. She expects that you will be actively interested not only in getting her pregnant but throughout during pregnancy and baby birth. This is the magical and most incredible phase of your life. Enjoy these special moments and cherish them. Make some plans for taking her out on a date. Watch some movies and read some parenting stuff sitting together. Make plans for the baby. Avoid arguments and discussions on small things.

7. Mostly men are not able to show their inner feelings out. Never remain quiet. Your silence can make her more tensed. This is the time to open up and show her that she is not alone; you are there to protect her.