Parenting Blog

Breastfeeding is the bond between the mother and the baby. It is a very challenging part of pregnancy. Some mommy’s complaint ‘I did not have sufficient milk’, others say, ‘Breastfeeding hurts’. Breastfeeding and the birth experience that the mother faces are connected. It is a researched fact that the general obstetrical problems (technological, medical, surgical interventions) can give rise to a number of problems like the inability of the baby to suck, swallow, breathe. It can also lead to mothers discomfort while the baby is breastfeeding.

Even today, many of us consider breastfeeding and child birth as two unrelated and separate events. The connection between these two events can be visualized properly if you think of breastfeeding as the 4th stage of labor (after dilation and baby-birth).

The thumb rule says that you will have fewer problems in breastfeeding if you have less intervention at the birth time. So all you need to do is a little homework and make your parenting journey easy. Some tips for you include:

1. Educate yourself and your partner about the childbirth by taking a childbirth education class. The more knowledge you have regarding the birth, the better you will be able to nurse.

2. Study the details of epidurals, labor inductions, v-bacs and c-sections. Researches suggest that women who had C-section have less chances to room-in with their little baby and also have less chances of breastfeeding their babies. The less pain you have had while and after birth, the more problematic will be for you to concentrate on your baby’s needs.

3. Take enough information about how your provider can aid you labor easily without the use of drugs. The smoother your pregnancy is, more comfortable will be the post pregnancy period for you. Ask if you can labor in a tub, the support which you will have, whether you will be allowed to move around.

4. Find a Doula. Doulas help in providing various kinds of help before, during and after child birth. Researches show that doulas help mothers feel satisfied about the baby-birth.

5. Inquire about your hospitals post partum policies. Breastfeeding succeeds more by skin to skin contact with the mother. You can ask for waiting before the baby gets cleaned, measured, bathed until there is a nursing chance.

6. Tell the hospitals not to give any supplemental bottles of formula or glucose. This has increased a lot in the past few years and this is true that supplement feeding will derail nursing.

7. Be well aware as parents. Participate in the decisions for you and your little one. Ask the advantages, disadvantages and risks of various drugs. Meet with other nursing mothers and know their experiences.

Your baby needs to sleep well and should develop a pattern of sleeping and waking up. It is necessary for his good health as well as important for the parents. Some tips to develop good sleeping habits are mentioned below:

1. Fixed Bedtime

You should set a fixed bedtime and regular nap times for your baby during the day. When you had a newborn baby you knew the bedtime of the baby by noticing the drowsy eyes of your baby. As she grows a little older you will have to create a better timetable which should consist of a set bedtime and daytime naps, as well as their durations so that her sleep patterns and cycles can be regulated.

Your routine and the lifestyle of your family will play a major role in influencing her sleep schedule. Now you will have to choose a practical bedtime which suits you and your family and stick to it. If your baby shows energetic behavior at night, don’t be surprised. It is a sign showing that your child is tired.

2. Plan Daytime Naps

Start planning for daytime naps too. Keep in mind that sleeping is very crucial for your bay at this age. Choose specific time or you can choose definite hours for which your baby can stay awake between two naps.

3. Comfortable Clothing

Try to keep your baby calm, and make sure that whatever you make your baby wear should be comfortable and skin friendly. Uncomfortable clothes or diapers can sometimes be a cause of your baby’s irritability, if you find it difficult to make your baby sleep for longer time. Sing lullabies to your baby to make her doze off. Babies are very fond of soft music and rhythmic beats.

4. Bedtime Routine

A bedtime routine should be developed. You can include a warm bath, a bed time story or a lullaby before you kiss your baby goodnight. This will help the baby get a cozy feeling and the affection you offer will be enough to make everything comfortable for the baby.

You can choose any activity which suits you but make sure to repeat it every night and at around the same time. Consistency is the key to keeping a baby calm.

5. Wake your Baby after Adequate Sleep

Do not hesitate to wake your baby up in the morning if she sleeps more than usual. This will help her to adjust to a routine which she will have to follow later on. It is necessary to develop regular sleep-wake patterns. Your baby can make up for this in the daytime where you can allow her to take naps in frequent intervals.

Inculcating such healthy sleeping and waking habits in your will make her sleep schedule more predictable and you will find it more convenient to regulate it and plan things accordingly.

When the baby comes to the world, the parents have to make sure that they leave no stone unturned for their baby’s care. Recognizing and taking care of the basic needs of your baby is very essential for the proper growth and development of the baby. The baby should be healthy and energetic and you can help him to be so by fulfilling the primary needs properly before you proceed to take up any fun activities.

Immunization

With the increasing number of diseases, you must make sure that you take the baby for getting immunized at the proper time. Your baby is fragile and is susceptible to a number of health problems. Your prime concern should be to reduce the risk of your baby suffering from any of these problems. This can be done by vaccinating your baby at the proper time against all diseases that your doctor suggests. If you are concerned about his weight, take him for weight checks and keep the doctor informed if any problem is bugging you.

Sleeping

Sleep is very crucial for your new born. It is the daily recharge for him which is very important for the growth of his external as well as internal body. During the ‘Rapid eye movement’ cycles the brain cells of the baby are developed and this is the time where the baby enhances his learning, movement and thinking abilities. This is the time when your child’s nervous system learns to understand the senses of vision, touch, hearing, taste and smell.

Feeding

Milk is the best food for the baby. You can either feed him breast milk or formula milk. Nothing else is needed for the first six months. Breast feeding is encouraged by the doctors, since not only it provides your baby with all necessary nutrients but also reduces risk of conditions like asthma, eczema, diarrhea , respiratory problems or any other kind of infection. Though formula milk is a good substitute for breast milk, it does not have these unique properties.

Other important things to care about

Make sure that your baby is comfortable. Change his diapers on time and never leave him in a wet nappy. Take care of the safety of baby and learn about the crib safety too. Keep your baby in a lively atmosphere so that he is not surrounded by dullness, but also make sure that you get enough time alone with him as well.

As a mother it is equally important that you take good care of yourself to nurture the baby as per her needs. You should take good rest from time to time, eat well, stay healthy and be patient if you want to feel the joy of parenting.

New parents come across a phase when they are bombarded with advices from all the directions. Grandparents, friends and society cannot help giving instructions every now and then. But to what extent are they correct? There is a lot of difference between a Myth and a Reality and parents should be able to distinguish between them to make intelligent decisions.

1. Toys + Baby = Smarter Baby

Myth: For maximum brain activity, baby needs sophisticated toys.
Reality: There’s no experimental evidence that a particular toy will make baby smarter.

Expert explains: A stimulating environment is favorable for a baby learning to explore the environment but sophisticated toys are not necessary. It’s true that babies seem to have a visual inclination for contrasting black and white images; still parents shouldn’t have false impression that flooding baby’s room with such images will result into increased intelligence levels.

2. Speech delays

Myth: Children overcome problems like speech and language delay with age; it’s nothing to be worried about.
Reality: Go to the doctor soon if your child is showing such delays.

Expert explains: Parents should know the difference between speech (quality of sound) and language (content of communication) and take delays seriously. Autism and other cognitive problems can be detected at an early age by observing carefully such delays.

3. Younger one lags

Myth: In a large family, the youngest child is a late talker.
Reality: Birth order is not a deciding factor; it affects baby’s speech and language patterns negligibly.

Expert explains: Every family has a different environment, so birth order might have a small impact. But it doesn’t mean that parents can ignore the delay problems assuming the family baby will be a late talker.

4. Reading habits

Myth: Child’s vision will be damaged if he holds book very close to his eyes.
Reality: It might indicate short-sightedness (myopia).

Expert explains: Consult a pediatrician if the child is uncomfortable with far placed objects. Otherwise, keeping a book close won’t hurt your child’s vision.

5. Height at birth

Myth: Adult height is decided by baby’s height at birth.
Reality: Measurement afterwards might predict adult height but not length at birth.

Expert explains: Height is decided primarily by genetic structure. You can often hear people saying if a child is short at birth, he will be short as an adult as well. This is completely vague. Doubling the child’s height at age 2 can give the approximate height of a child as an adult.

Thus, under any circumstances parents should not panic and avoid confusions. If they still have any doubts or questions in their mind they should always try to get the right advice from medical practitioners.

• The baby bicycle

Lay down the baby on his back and gently move his legs in a cyclic motion. You can repeat this several times a day. This relieves tummy discomforts for most of the babies and his also a good exercise for leg muscles.

• Go for a long drive

It has been observed by a lot of parents that a ride in the car is one of the best remedies for colic. Babies love three things the most when they are taken for a car ride – the motion, the vibrations and the noises. Take proper precautions before you get behind the steering wheel. Buckle your baby properly and see that the baby does not experience any discomfort during the journey.

• Changing the atmosphere

If you have been staying indoors for a long time then taking your baby out for a walk can be a good decision. You can use a stroller or a sling. A wide range of new sights, sounds and odors may be a good distraction for him. The fresh air is good for his lungs and the rhythmic motion of walking will make the colic pass away and lull the baby into a sound sleep. At the same time, if you have been out with the baby for a long time, your baby might be missing the silence and comfort of his home.

• Swaddle

Swaddling is an ancient method in which you wrap your baby in a blanket or cloth. Since the newborn has just stepped into a new world which is much bigger than his old world which was limited to the mother’s womb hence, snuggling him in a warm blanket makes the baby feel less out of place. If you have observed any crying pattern in your child then you can try swaddling your child before his crying period and see if this calms him down.

Swaddling not only make your baby go to sleep, but is also a good technique if you want your baby to remain sleeping for a longer time. It has been found that swaddled babies have a more sound sleep as compared to babies who are not swaddles. Researchers have found that babies who are swaddled sleep more soundly than those who aren’t. This is because of the fact that swaddling prevents any movements of body in the infant so that his own twitches might not break his sleep.

• Aromatherapy

Some babies are very responsive to smells. You can spray some pleasing smelling scents in the rooms to please the baby and to keep the atmosphere fresh.

Be creative with your baby and keep trying new things to get closer to him and to understand the needs of your baby so that you can fulfill them at the right time.