SAGE ADVICE DURING PREGNANCY
By Lianne Castelino  www.whereparentstalk.com

There seems to be a little baby boom going on among my friends and acquaintances – and
the proud parents-to-be couldn’t be more ecstatic, as they should be!

The whole magic of pregnancy complete with the morning sickness, cravings, anxiety and incessant planning is a wondrous time in a couple’s life!  And so it should be.

I loved that period — all 3 times — even though I felt like throwing up more often than not!
There is one observation though that is increasingly becoming a worrisome trend.  How prepared are expectant parents for the upcoming miracle of birth and the care of a new human being thereafter?

With families living further away from each other, a lack of access to specialized physicians or pre-natal classes, socio-economic factors that prevent proper pregnancy instruction and other obstacles, the education of a pregnant couple seems to be taking a back seat.   And that is really too bad considering “parenting doesn’t come with a manual”.

There appears to be more time spent analyzing the latest nifty baby gadget or the adorable wardrobe options than what counts – preparing to take care of a newborn.  There seems to be this false belief that learning to care for a newborn comes naturally – after giving birth.  WRONG.

Anyone who asks will always get the same answer from me:  Pregnancy is the best time to get prepared.  That time will never come back so use it wisely.  There is so much to learn and precious little time to learn it AFTER the baby arrives.

Goodness knows, despite our best intentions, giving birth is a physical and emotional event
for which no one can predict the outcome.  How will you feel, how long will the recovery take?  Will the breastfeeding work or will the bottle have to enter the mix?

NOT TO MENTION the dramatic changes that occur in the couple relationship – good and bad.   Anyone who asks will also get the same answer from me:  “you will never learn more about your spouse or partner, than after you have a baby.”  It stands to reason, doesn’t it?  Hormonal changes, sleep deprivation, added stress, crying baby, diaper-changing, visitors..the list of changes and things to cope with is endless once a baby enters your life.

What doctors should be telling pregnant women and expectant couples is to GET PREPARED.  Save yourself some of that upcoming anxiety.  Knowledge is power so empower yourself.  Try to learn as much about newborn care BEFORE the baby arrives so you and your spouse can cope together.

Sure the room, the gear, the clothes are important.   However, the single most critical thing is
to learn how to take care of that new little life.  PREpare during PREgnancy.   It’s sage advice that expectant couples should listen to – so they can navigate rather than resent the steep learning curve that comes with the arrival of a new bundle of joy.

Watch excerpts from our award-winning baby-care DVD ‘Bringing Baby Home’ Coming Soon

Teething babies are hard to comfort and it’s difficult to know what might help to alleviate their pain. Fortunately there are some methods that are effective in relieving the pain felt by teething babies.

Anything cold can help with the pain.  There are commercial teething rings available on the market that you can fill with water and freeze.  These have the same effect as the teething ring with the added benefit of soothing a teething babies pain.

If the pain is too much for the cold to handle, the teething baby may need a mild pain reliever.  Children’s Tylenol or an ibuprofen product designed for babies are usually the choices recommended by doctors.  Be sure that your pediatrician approves of giving the baby medication and NEVER give your baby aspirin.

Another pain reliever is a topical gel applied to the gums.  The effects of these types of pain relievers usually don’t last as long as ingested forms, but can help get a teething baby to sleep.

Something as simple as lightly massaging the baby’s gums with your fingers will often be enough to temporarily alleviate the pain.  What you are doing is providing counter pressure to the pressure the emerging teeth are putting on the baby’s gums.  This technique can be made more effective if you dip your fingers in cold water or juice first.

The pains of teething are a part of life and there is nothing you can do to totally alleviate the pain of your teething baby.  But with a little care and a few simple techniques, you can at least help to ease the pain enough so that the baby can get some rest.

Try one of the methods above to see if it helps your baby, and if you have a rocking chair now would be a good time to rock baby to sleep in your arms.

There are several reasons why babies cry.  They cry when they are hungry, they cry when they are tired, they cry when they are hot or cold, they cry when they are sick and sometimes they just cry for the sake of crying.  Babies can’t talk so they do the best they can to get our attention.  Crying also helps the baby to develop their lungs.  To know what to do to comfort a crying baby, you first must identify what it is that’s making them cry, if anything.  Then you can do what’s necessary to alleviate the problem and get baby calmed down.
One of the most common causes of a crying baby is hunger.  Crying is the quickest way to get your attention and get a little milk.  If the baby hasn’t eaten for a while, this should be your first guess and can be tested by offering baby a little milk.  If the crying stops, you have identified the problem.

The next most common reason for a crying baby is a dirty diaper.  Soiled diapers are as unpleasant for the baby as they are for us.  If you sometimes want to cry when changing the baby, imagine what she is thinking and feeling.
When a baby gets tired, he often becomes grumpy and needs a little help to get to sleep.  Think how grumpy you are when it gets late and you just can’t get to sleep.  By singing a little song or rocking the baby, you can usually quickly put an end to this type of crying.

Often, babies just need to know they are not alone.  Often when a baby awakes from a nap and doesn’t detect anyone’s presence, he begins to cry.  If this is the problem, a few simple words or picking the baby up will calm the crying.

The type of crying we all fear the most is that which is caused by an illness.  If you’ve tried to solve the other common causes of crying and are unsuccessful, you should look for signs of a problem.  It could be something as simple as an upset stomach or something more serious like a fever.  If nothing else seems to help a crying baby, it may indicate that the baby is sick and a visit to the doctor is in order.

When you get your newborn baby home, you’ll find that in their first few weeks of life that they are interested in two things, sleeping and eating. Well, three things actually, but you’ll learn about the third one soon enough. Though this sounds simple enough, and for them it is, it can be a twenty hour a day job for you.

Newborn babies know exactly how humans should eat and that’s small portions often. Newborn babies take this to the extreme, sometimes eating as frequently as every hour. In order to meet the needs of the baby, it is important that you get the baby used to a structured routine as soon as possible.

A structured routine in terms of eating and sleeping will be good for your baby, but it will be even better for you. Once the baby gets a routine established, they will be more predictable and you will finally be able to plan your day and hopefully allow yourself some time to relax.

Babies seem to always be hungry, but they don’t always need to eat. Often a baby will cry and then when fed, only take the bottle for a few moments. By getting the newborn on a regular feeding schedule, you can encourage them to eat full meals at each feeding and thereby give you some peace, if even for only a couple of hours. It’s sometimes hard for new moms to deny their baby when they are crying, but it’s necessary.

Once a good feeding routine is established, the sleep routine of your newborn should improve. Bedtime also needs to be an established routine. After their night’s final feeding, don’t let the baby fall right to sleep. Instead go though the routine of bathing and then a little reading, before finally putting them down to rest.

This will often buy you an extra hour or two before the early morning feeding. As baby gets used to the routine, they should sleep longer in between meals.

Newborn babies are not the same so don’t expect that the routine you developed with your first baby will work out perfectly with your second. The trick is to find the one that will work best for you and your baby and then to stick with it.

Babies can’t talk so they make a fuss. Here’s a checklist for handling a fussy baby.

Feed them
A basic human need is food and babies will not let you forget. If your baby is fussy, this should be your first suspicion.

Change their diaper
If the baby is well fed and is still fussy, the next thought should be a messy diaper. No one wants to be uncomfortable.

Talk to them
If baby is full, clean and warm, this will often do the trick. The soothing voice of a mommy can calm even the most fussy of babies.

Hold them
You’ve fed and changed the baby but still they are grumpy. Often a baby is just looking for attention and security. The warm touch or embrace of a mother or father is often sufficient to sooth a fussy baby.

Sing to them
If after picking them up they are still not happy, sing them a comforting tune.

Play music
Some people have the voice of fighting lions. If you are one of them, put on some gentle, comforting music. Most fussy babies can’t resist the slumbering effects of a good lullaby.

Put them in a rocker
If you want to add fire to the musical influence, put baby in a rocker so he or she can feel the beat.

Add/Remove covering
Sometimes we can’t see the forest for the trees. Babies have yet to learn the nuances of communications. They are very straight forward in their demand. When they cry, it is usually a matter of needs or comfort. A baby who is too hot or too cold will let you know.

Let them explore
Sometimes babies want to explore. After 18 hours in a crib they want their freedom and a change of venue.

Distract them
Babies get bored just like adults. A fussy baby is often simply looking for something new to liven up the day. An interesting mobile will usually suffice.

If after all this you still have a fussy baby, you have my sympathy. It looks like you have a diva on your hands. Good luck.

For years, diets in the western world have given up health in place of convenience. This convenience carries over into the pre packaged and processed foods that so many people have come to depend on to feed their babies. Unfortunately, these foods often are lacking in nutrients and are packed with sugars and other fillers, making them anything but healthy. A better idea, and one that will greatly benefit your baby’s health, is a return to homemade baby food.

Making homemade baby food does not have to be a difficult, time consuming task. Most of the food you buy in the market is simply pureed vegetables and fruit. To maintain the food’s freshness, chemicals are often added. This is the main thing we want to avoid. A couple of hours a week is all it takes to prepare a full menu for your baby. Not only will the baby be getting fresher, healthier food, you will also be saving a lot of money.

What you need to get started are a few ice cube trays. Select the foods that your baby is used to eating such as green beans, carrots, apples, etc and prepare them by either steaming or cooking in a microwave. Do not boil the food since many nutrients are removed this way. Once the food is cooked, place it in the food processor or blender and puree it. Now simply put the food into the ice trays and place the trays in the freezer. Once frozen, the individual portions can be popped out and placed in freezer bags. Now you have an entire week’s worth of meals for only a few dollars. You see, homemade baby food is a piece of cake.

When it’s time to feed the baby, simply place the freezer bag in warm water to thaw and pop the food in a microwave for a few seconds to reheat if desired. Any uneaten portions should be discarded. This is not a problem since each meal represents less than a dollar.

Homemade baby food is so simple and so beneficial to your baby, that it just doesn’t make sense to use any other kind if you have the time. Putting aside an hour or two a week for baby food preparation will become a routine and certainly an important part of raising a healthy baby.

The type of food you first introduce is of the utmost importance. A good rule of thumb is to start with a hypoallergenic cereal such as rice or barley cereal with added breast milk, formula or water. Give your baby one to two teaspoons on a rubber tipped spoon to start. Begin with just a small amount on the spoon itself. Follow the cereal with some formula or breast milk to aid in digestion. Remember, this will be a very foreign feeling for your baby, so do not be surprised if s/he spits it out and does not eat that much. Like any other newly learned skill, babies need practice with eating foods. Keep on feeding your child once a day at a time that is convenient for you and when you feel your baby is hungriest, increasing the amount of food every week or so.

As your baby successfully eats more and more cereal (more than 2x per day), you can then move on to introducing other solid food choices. As a general rule, it is best to introduce fruits and/or vegetables on a one by one basis with a three day interval between each food to ensure your child has no reaction. While some experts believe it is best to introduce green vegetables first, the choice is up to the individual parent. We recommend introducing our single ingredient recipes first (i.e. Sweet Potato or Broccoli) and then moving on to our fruit recipe (Banana Blueberry). In other words, after cereal, the recipes we recommend for first introduction are:

    Sweet Potato or Broccoli
     Banana Blueberry

The above recipes are rich in Vitamins A and C and are perfect “starters” for your little one.

After 8 months or so, your growing little tot will be able to move his jaw in a chewing motion and will want to put everything into his mouth! Your baby will likely be able to pick up small food objects with his thumb and forefinger and can transfer objects from hand to hand. At this stage, an infant’s energy and nutritional demands also change with an increasing need for protein and iron. The recipes we recommend as a second introduction are:

Veggies & Chicken
Lentils & Root Veggies
Veggies, Beef & Barley

When you first introduce food, do not be alarmed if your baby’s stool changes color and has a different smell; this is completely normal. Remember, your baby has only been on formula or breast milk up until this point. If your baby’s stool becomes hard and firm, try switching from rice cereal to barley cereal.

Reprinted with permission from Sweetpea Baby Food http://www.sweetpeababyfood.com/

1. Faster heart rate indicates a girl

2. You should not exercise during the pregnancy

3. Ultrasound makes your baby left handed

4. Ball-shaped belly means a boy

5. Standing upside down after conception increases your chance of getting pregnant

6. Craving for spicy food means you are having a boy

7. Craving for sweet means you are having a girl

8. Heartburn means your baby has lots of hair

9. Girls take mom’s beauty away

]]> http://www.uc-baby.com/blog/2009/11/16/9-most-common-pregnancy-myths/feed/ 2 http://www.uc-baby.com/blog/2009/11/09/tips-for-hot-mamas/ http://www.uc-baby.com/blog/2009/11/09/tips-for-hot-mamas/#comments Mon, 09 Nov 2009 19:59:42 +0000 admin http://www.uc-baby.com/blog/?p=73

Tips for Hot Mamas:

1. Take Yoga / Fitness classes
2. Join parent groups & clubs
3. Find a reliable babysitter or care-giver
4. Use baby carrier for hectic times
5. Use organic & eco-friendly products
6. Keep a pre-packed diaper bag
7. Spoil yourself & your baby often
8. Massage your baby for good sleep
9. Schedule your & baby’s activities in advance
10. Let your baby to be noisy & messy
11. Follow new fashion/makeup trends & tricks
12. Get 8 hours of sleep.
13. Keep your cool. Breathe & think before reacting
14. Plan quality time with your partner
15. Arrange family activity nights at your home
16. Don’t be afraid to ask for help