Parenting Blog

The little one inside you is now taking rest besides you. Isn’t this feeling the most magical of all the experiences during pregnancy? Looking at the little angel taking rest has now become your favorite task. But as a mother you must be well aware of the sleeping habits of your little baby.

Most of the babies sleep for at least 14 hours in a day. This includes daytime naps. The babies by this age will develop a predictable pattern of sleeping and waking up. You might be relaxed, as you won’t have to feed your baby in the night any more. But you cannot expect our little baby to follow a strict, regular sleep program. Try some sleep training for your child if you want his sleep time to be more regular and should fit in your family lifestyle.

Observe how your baby responds to a regular sleeping pattern. You might have to make some adjustments in your sleep time according to what is suitable for our baby.

Most of he babies develop habit of sleeping for longer stretches in the night. Though not 8 hours, still they can sleep for around five to six hours in the night. You cannot hope for a long eight to nine hours of sleep for yourself if you are a parent of a 3 month old. But that does not mean you will feel deprived of rest. This will allow you to get through few sleep cycles which will make you feel more relaxed when you get up in the morning. This is an important stage for not only your baby but also for you.

Don’t be depressed if your baby is still waking up in the night for night feeding even if he is 3-6 months old. A lot of babies in this age keep their mothers waking in the night. By the time your baby gets 6 months old, if given proper training will definitely start sleeping for more hours in the night and stop troubling you.

You might have started to enjoy after your baby learns to sleep for long periods at night but to your shock a lot of babies may start to wake up in the night again. You might have to break your sleep after every few hours. This is natural, so don’t get upset. It might annoy you and make you wonder, what happened suddenly. The baby is now learning new skills like sitting and rolling. His body might try some rolling in the sleep and the little twitches made by him will wake him up. Some babies might feel insecure during night and might wake up crying just to find themselves in the arms of their mother

Childbirth classes are a great way on interacting with other couples going through the same experience like you. It lets you clear all your queries related to labor, delivery and newborn care. Let us see the importance of childbirth classes and the different types of classes you can choose to take.

Importance of a childbirth class

Childbirth classes are conducted by most of the hospitals and birthing centers and equip the expecting parents with a lot of information which include symptoms of labor and various delivery options like normal vaginal delivery and c-section etc. These classes are especially useful if you are a first time parent. If you know about things you should expect during this period it will certainly help you in taking informed decisions. They help you get all our doubts cleared and parents are better prepared by overcoming the fear of the unknown. These classes also help you in preparing a birth plan by teaching you about various medication options. However, delivery is something which cannot be planned and involves factors that we cannot control. Therefore, the best we can do is, prepare ourselves mentally for all possible situations.

Bradley Method

The Bradley method classes lasts for around 12 weeks where an emphasis is given to have a baby naturally. It prepares the moms for delivery by teaching them about nutrition, relaxation and prenatal exercises. You also learn about how you can manage pain with the help of breathing, massages and relaxation techniques.

Lamaze Classes

Lamaze philosophy is about having a flexible on the ways of delivery. You will learn about ways of having normal delivery but at the same time it also teaches you about the medical interventions that you may have to opt for during pregnancy. Natural Techniques that will help you in having a normal delivery include practicing deep breathing, comfort measures and distractions techniques. In Lamaze classes you will also learn about other medical interventions like c-sections, epidurals and more.

Classes on Newborn Care

Infant care is a totally new experience for the first time parents. In classes designed specifically for newborns you may learn about basics like bathing, diapering, taking the baby’s temperature, feeding the baby, car safety and more. Again, for first timers there is a lot to learn but some parents also join these classes for fun.

Classes for the Expecting Dads

The classes designed specifically for the Moms, and Dads accompany them generally for support. But there is a program that is designed just for the Dads and it is called the Boot camp for New Dads. No Moms are allowed here and seasoned dads teach the expecting dads about how can they contribute and help the mother in taking care of their children.

All of these classes definitely provide you a lot of information help you in becoming a more responsible parent.

You may not be aware but there are a lot of diseases which you may unknowingly transfer to your baby. These are genetic diseases that some families are prone to and pass from one generation to other. You can prevent your baby from these genetic disorders by taking the help of genetic counseling. It determines the risks and chances that you may pass on some inheritable diseases to the baby. A genetic counselor may help you in identifying the risks, investigating the problems, interpreting the disorder and related issues, analyzing the risk recurrence patterns and may guide you through the available options.

According to the CDC around three percent of the babies are born with birth defects in United States. Although in most of the cases Genetic Counseling is not mandatory but couples should consider if they encounter one or more of the below mentioned risks:

• Prenatal Tests Reveal Certain Abnormalities
• The results of an Amniocentesis indicate chromosomal disorders
• If a close family member is observed to have a genetic disorder
• Already have had a child with inherited
• If the mother is 35 years or more

Apart from these there are also some ethnic groups that are more susceptible to certain genetic disorders. Sickle Cell Anemia is more common in African Americans, Tay – Sachs disease is mostly found in Central or Eastern Jews and similarly percentage of cases with Thalassemia are more with Italian, Greek and Middle Eastern people.

When you indulge yourself in genetic counseling the most important way of assessing genetic risk is to look around and comprehensively study the blood relatives of both mother and father for genetic disorders. You should notice the how close is the person who suffered a disorder and the reason behind the occurrence of the disease. Some of the common questions the doctors ask to avoid the chances of a genetic disease are:

• Do you observe diseases like hypertension, diabetes and cancer in your family
• Do you have a history of twins in your family or other disorders like muscular dystrophy, hemophilia or cystic fibrosis
• Do you have mentally challenged people in your family
• Does any of your cousins, brothers and sisters have encountered any complications during their pregnancies
• Which ethnic background you belong to
• Do you suspect your baby to born with any birth defects and if yes what are the reasons behind your thinking

With little precaution and knowledge you can prevent your baby from lifetime sufferings from incurable diseases. Make it a point that you do not ignore even the slightest possibilities of a mishap and take this matter very seriously.

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.