Literally Baby

[Prisc Chandola]

MaybeI could have let them do that, and maybe they would have learned to soothe themselves somehow, but every instinct in my body told me that if my baby was crying, he needed to be picked up. And I went with those instincts, despite the fact that I sometimes received dirty looks and judgment.

A study recently came out in Pediatrics that looked at the effects of skin-to-skin contact on premature infants. It took the long view, looking not just at the immediate effects of holding preemies against your skin in their early weeks, but also how it affected these babies 20 years down the road.

The preemies who experienced skin-to-skin had higher IQs, significantly larger areas of gray matter in the brain, and even earned higher wages at their jobs than those who did not experience skin-to-skin care. The skin-to-skin cohort also showed less propensity toward hyperactivity and aggression in school and were less likely to experience school absences.

Whew! That was a whole lot, right? And I could go on and on with this stuff, too, because it turns out there is basically a treasure trove of scientifically backed-up data out there to prove that there is absolutely no way you can spoil a baby. Zero. Zilch.

And those lovely sub-dermal chompers are making it hurt for him to drink be it from a bottle, a sippy cup, a straw, a stream etc. He seemed perfectly happy to drink pool water at his baby swim class last weekend, but I draw the line at water that has a measurable urine content in it. Literally though, he looked like one of those whales inhaling water. Not okay!

Most babies will be rolling over by 4- 6 months. This is very normal as babies grow & become stronger.

Many babies then prefer to sleep on their tummy.

This is not something that needs to be stopped. It is important to make her new environment as safe as possible.

If she is in a bassinet, it is important to move her to a cot.

Also ensure that the mattress is firm & flat & there is nothing soft or loose in her cot, especially as she is face planting at times.

You can try to turn her face if you see her with face down, but often, like rolling to tummy, babies will just go back to the position of comfort.

Always place baby on back to sleep.

Increasing tummy time when awake is also helpful.

If you are still wrapping her, this need to be ceased - she needs her arms free.

As babies grow and develop they become very active and learn to roll around the cot.

At this time, continue to put them on the back at the start of sleep time, but let them find their own position of comfort.

By this stage it is not necessary to wake during the night to turn baby over to the back position

6 month old is rolling really well from back to belly and has only rolled from belly to back on a few occasions. Loves to sleep on her side or stomach, is it safe to leave her in this position or does she need to be rolled onto her back until she rolling more consistently from belly to back?

**As babies grow and develop they become very active and learn to roll around the cot.

At this time, continue to put them on the back at the start of sleep time, but let them find their own position of comfort.

By this stage it is not necessary to wake during the night to turn baby over to the back position

As was stated above, rolling is very normal.

Most babies will be rolling by 4-5mths & most prefer to sleep on their side or tummy. Some will all face plant at times.

It is important that the mattress firm & that there is nothing loose or soft in the cot.

The firmness of the mattress is particularly important when baby is face planting.

**Still always place her on her back for sleep.

How does she go with tummy time when awake?

**Your baby needs to be in a cot now & unwrapped (if not already)

She needs her arms free & space of the cot to roll safely.

-do-we-do-now-that-a-baby-has-started-to-roll-over

It is important that baby is moved to a cot & that she is no longer swaddled once showing signs of rolling.

Baby needs the space of a cot & arms free to roll well & safely.

-do-we-do-now-that-a-baby-has-started-to-roll-over

Room sharing is recommended by Red Nose for the first 6 mths & is important for easy checking of baby when sleeping.

Have a look at the information on Red Nose web site here: -sharing-with-baby

Red Nose Australia acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the land in which our families, volunteers, staff, Board and committee members work, live and visit. We pay our respects to the Elders of those many nations from past and present, recognising their continuing connection to land, waters and community.

Red Nose respects the knowledge and expertise of First Nation people with their strong culture and traditions whose hands have touched many babies birthed and children reared on this land, and acknowledges their experience of loss in many forms.

Mastering the swaddle is difficult. I never mastered it myself, and frankly found it never worked. My babies would push their little hands out so fast that I was left exasperated and defeated late into the night. Instead, I used sleep sacks. These were essential.

This is nipple cream. You can instead use coconut oil (which I already buy in bulk in lieu of lotion), Coconut oil is anti-bacterial and anti-fungal. It actually prevents against thrush for the mom and baby, which proved to be helpful with my 2nd baby.

I agree about everything except for the mobile! My kiddo is obsessed with his and it lets me put him down in his crib for a moment (like when I need to wash my hands after changing a diaper, grab a drink of water, etc.) without him screaming his head off. But every baby is different!

My useless product is a fabric wrap to wear my kiddo. Trying to wrap that thing up on the go and get his squirmy self into it does NOT work for me! We got one of those easy-to-use padded carriers instead. Much better.

We live in New Braunfels with all these fun water activities, but maybe not all of them feel baby-friendly and not all of them are free. But for some free fun that you can do with your baby, you can try the wading pool at Landa Park (right across from Panther Canyon, but it does tend to feel cold!) or the river at Cypress Bend (right by the library). Sit in the shallow water with your little and let them splash around! (Also see the splash pads I mentioned in the park section above.)

Carissa Norris: Your baby is only three weeks old. Enjoy the newness while you can. Enlist some friends to come over for baby cuddles so you can get some rest. Find a good baby carrier. Practice transferring baby to crib or safe place after they are asleep. I know you need a break. I also know, one day, maybe way down the road you will long for these days. Please, please, please call on your friends and family for help. The idea that new mothers should be able to do it all is insane.

Megan Griffith: It is totally normal. That being said, if you need to put her down because you are losing it, please place her in (a safe place), if needed. Call someone. Take a breather. While it is completely normal, it is overwhelming.

When I got home I found I had some very light spotting, again not being concerned as it was barely off white I went to bed. I was up a couple of times in the night and this time found more spotting and a tiny little bit of what looked like clear jelly, so the next morning with the light spotting continuing I decided to call the hospital. To my surprise they asked me to come in for some monitoring. I went in and within a couple of minutes we could see that everything was fine, and our baby was happy and well.

I went home just in time to pick my husband Alex up from the airport, he had been away with work for a couple of weeks and was luckily coming home until the Sunday morning. I told him what had happened and we both agreed I had probably been overdoing it and should try and start slowing down a bit.

We asked the paramedics not to cut her cord until it went white, which they were happy to do and so they did a few other checks on her while I was having skin on skin. Alex then cut the cord and we made our way to the hospital.

Zoe was taken to the neonatal ward where she had to stay for 3 days. She was perfectly healthy and like a bright red tomato thanks to having the delayed cord clamping. She only needed to be treated for a little bit of jaundice and low blood sugar then had to sleep on a heated blanket for a couple of days to help maintain her temperature.

My name is Vicki Hobbs, and I am a Childbirth Educator (Back to Basics Birthing), Hypnobirthing Practitioner, Certified VBAC Educator, Remedial Massage Therapist specialising in Pregnancy & Postpartum Massage, Birth & Postpartum Doula, Certified Placenta Encapsulator, Hypnotherapist, Aromatherapist, Reiki Practitioner and Life Coach. I am a serial workshopper and learner, so that I keep up to date with new research and information so that I can provide you with up-to-date resources. My focus has always been on the mind, the body and the emotions and how they all need to be in balance for harmony. You can subscribe to my newsletter by adding your details in the box on the right-hand side and when you do, I will send you a free relaxation meditation to help you feel calm and relaxed. I am based in the northern suburbs of Perth and can be contacted by email at [email protected] or go back to my Blog Page for more great articles and information.

My name is Vicki Hobbs and I am a Childbirth Educator (Back to Basics Birthing), Hypnobirthing Practitioner, Certified VBAC Educator, Remedial Massage Therapist specialising in Pregnancy & Postpartum Massage, Birth & Postpartum Doula, Certified Placenta Encapsulator, Hypnotherapist, Aromatherapist, Reiki Practitioner and Life Coach.

I apologize in advance for how personal this is going to get, but I am not a sociologist, or a political scientist, or an economist, and so the only way I know to discuss this topic is in the context of my own experience, my own situation, my own life.

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