Parenting Blog

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.

The life of newborn babies is mostly all about feeding and sleeping. After all, he/she is in the inertia of the long cozy sleep inside the mother’s body. Parents do need to know how much a newborn baby normally sleeps in 24 hours. 

While newborn babies do not follow a set routine for sleep, for most babies, the sleeping time is up to 18 hours daily (in 24 hours). But the sleep is often intermittent and the baby wakes every 2 to 3 hours to be fed. Also, most babies will sleep for 3 to 5 hours maximum at a stretch. Following are some common sleep patterns for newborn babies of varying ages: 

Up to 3 Months

Newborn babies, ranging in age from their natal day up to 3 months, usually take 16 to 18 hours of sleep daily. The sleep is divided into 2-3 hours sessions. Their sleep does not have to do much with night or day and they will sleep almost equally at day as they do at night. The day-night awareness appears in the baby at an age of around 6 to 8 weeks. By the age of 2 to 3 months, a sleep pattern is developed by the child. The parent can then anticipate when the child is going to sleep and how long the sleep is going to continue at a particular time. 

3 to 6 Months

The total daily sleep of the baby at this age is about 14 to 16 hours. It is usually 8 hours of sleep at night and 6 hours at day (divided in three stretches of 2 hours each). The child gets asleep more readily and does not wake in the absence of much disturbance. Some babies at this age may not wake at all during the night. However, most would wake once to be fed. By the age of 6 months, the daytime sleep drops to 2 naps, each lasting about 2 hours. 

6 to 12 Months

During the 6 months to one year, the total daily sleep of a baby is 12 to 14 hours. Most babies take a daily nap of about 2 to 3 hours each. A 6 month sold baby is able to sleep well through the night, without waking at all. But many kids do wake once. Before the baby’s first birthday, a long stretch of sleep (about 11 hours or more) is less likely to occur.