Posts Tagged having a new baby
Tips on Breastfeeding Your Baby
Posted by in Babies on November 9th, 2009
Congratulations you have a new baby! Having a new baby is hard enough but when you choose to breastfeed you sometimes feel that you made this experience even harder. Breastfeeding is not as difficult as it looks or as you may have heard from others. It is actually pretty easy and a very fulfilling way to nourish your newborn once you get the hang of it. Remember as with most things practice makes perfect! Breastfeeding is new to you and to your little one but with a little practice you two will become pros in no time!
During the first week of your baby’s life, your breasts will produce colostrum for your baby to drink. Colostrum is rich in antibodies and aids the baby’s immune system. It also helps him pass his first bowel movement, which is called meconium. Meconium is black and tarry looking and is in the first few diapers after birth. Then he begins to transition to a brown substance and after your milk comes in, it becomes a yellow, mustardy stool that is loose and watery. Bottle-fed babies pass firmer, tannish stools than breastfed babies.
After 24-48 hours after birth, your baby will start having wet diapers that will increase to two or three a day.
Your technique and positioning is a very important factor in ensuring that your breastfeeding experience is a great one. There are a few different positions that can be used to make the experience more comfortable for you and baby. Some of these positions include:
• Laying down – Lay down on you side with pillows behind you to support your back. Lay baby facing you with her head on a pillow your breast should be level with baby’s mouth. Bend your legs with a pillow between your knees and then have baby latch on.
• Sitting Up – Sit up either in bed or a comfortable chair or couch with pillows supporting your back and head. Place a pillow on your lap and put baby on top of the pillow in your arms, you can rest your arms on the pillow to make it easier to bring baby up to your breast. Bend your knees to make this even easier have baby latch on.
• The Clutch Hold – This is also known as the football hold. This position is also good when nursing twins as it allows mom to have a baby on each side. Sit down and tuck your baby under your arm almost like a handbag. Rest baby’s head on a firm pillow on your lap. Ensure that baby’s feet are behind your back. Your hand is at the back of baby’s neck, not on baby’s head. Your arm will extend down baby’s back , guide baby to latch on
These are just a few of the positions that you can use there is also the cradle hold, clutch hold, and the transition position. Do some research to learn these other positions to nurse your baby if you find the above positions uncomfortable.
While your baby drinks colostrum and then milk, you should listen for a pattern of “suck, suck, suck, swallow.” This pattern will be rhythmic and there should be no “clicking” noises. The “clicking” sound can indicate that your baby is not properly latched on and may not be getting enough milk from you. If you start to hear this, you need to unlatch him and then reattach him. If you continue to hear this sound after reattaching him several times, then you may want to consult a lactation consultant or your pediatrician.
After the first week of life, you should see 6-8 wet diapers each day and at least 3 bowel movements a day. His urine should be clear and he should become more alert with each passing day. Your baby should also be gaining weight and growing, as this is the surest way to tell that they are getting enough nutrition. If you have two days in a row that deviates from the above indicators, then you should call your pediatrician immediately.
Breastfeeding problems, such as milk production difficulties, are not as common when using the PDF feeding method, but they do occur. Even if you are well rested, eating healthy, have a pretty routine life, and your baby is growing and getting enough food, you still may experience a milk production issue. Many things can cause production problems. Here are just a few.
Some things that can affect your milk supply are:
• What mom eats
• How much mom rests and sleeps
• Her state of mind
• The age of the mom
• How many children you have
• Your desire to breastfeed
• Your nursing capabilities
• Your nursing techniques
• Baby’s latch on abilities
If you choose to breastfeed, it is very important that you take your baby for their check-ups as needed. If you don’t, how will you know if he is getting enough milk and growing at the correct rate? There is no way for you to tell that your child is getting enough nutrition for sure without your child being weighed.
To read about ankle pain, puffy ankles, ankle problems, eyelid pain, red eyelids , eyelid irritation and other information, visit the Health And Nutrition Tips site.
Article Source: Tips on Breastfeeding Your Baby
Do You Think You’re Ready to Have a Baby?
Posted by in Pregnancy on October 7th, 2009
Parents often begin asking when you are planning on getting married, just as soon as you have moved into your own place. Once you are married, they then begin questioning when you and your spouse are going to get pregnant. They cannot wait to have grandchildren that they can spoil, pamper and show off to their friends. You should take care to stop that train of thought as soon as possible. Grandchildren are wonderful, but you will be the one to caring for the baby and you need to be sure that you are prepared for that.
If it is important to you to climb your way to the top to reach your career goals, you should carefully consider starting your family now or waiting until you’ve gotten closer to your goals. Many careers can take many long hours of very hard work to get to where you want to be. Whether you will be able to juggle work and having a new baby is entirely up to you. This is something you should definitely weigh when determining if the time is right.
Your spouse will play a major role in deciding on having children at this point. They have their own preferences and goals, although many will be the same as yours. Does your spouse want to wait a little before having children or are they ready now? Do they even want children at all? It is important to discuss the possibilities of children before getting married. You want to make sure you are on the same page with your future partner. Many times, one partner will want children right away and the other partner will want to wait. This is ok, but just make sure you both communicate to one another what you want. Getting pregnant without the other’s knowledge could ruin your relationship.
Your financial status will play a big part in your decisions. Many young married couples do not have that much money in the beginning of their marriage so it may be a good idea to wait it out a little time until your finances are better before making the choice to start a family. If your financial situation plays a role, you and your partner should both agree on your strategy to get your finances where you want them before building your family. You will also need to determine what you both think is a solid financial situation for rearing children.
All parents want to give their children everything in their power, but it’s almost an impossible thing to do and could cause problems in the long run. If you decide you want to wait for a family until you have the perfect financial situation, you may be waiting forever, and never have children. It’s perfectly fine to wait though, until you and your spouse are ready. You want a child to bring love and joy to your life, rather than a feeling of feeling stuck and regretting that you had children too soon, or that you were not ready. Whatever you decide, the decision is yours, not your parents, family or friends. They will have to wait until you are ready.
When you are ready to have a baby and start your new family, find names for your new baby, their name meanings and name origins. A good listing of baby free stuff, special offers and baby coupons are here too!
Article Source: Do You Think You’re Ready to Have a Baby?
Free Baby Product Samples – How Having A New Baby Can Lead You To Free Stuff For Babies! Let Me Tell You How To Get Them
Posted by in Babies on August 12th, 2009
Having children are a blessing, when it come time to raise them, it can become quite expensive for a new parent. Additionally, when it come time to shop for baby stuff, that’s when it get really expensive! Though there’s nothing more rewarding to a new parent when shopping for baby items, especially if you hold in your hand a free gift card worth $50 or more to a name brand baby store like “Babies R Us”. There are a number of online store outlets that offer affordable and easy shopping experience for expectant mothers.
But listen up, there a few companies that are eager and willing to hand our free baby products especially to expecting mothers! They offer baby freebies because they feel it is the most easiest way to allow for their products to be sampled. And with that, typically people tend to become loyal customer because of the free offer once given to them by the company.
Familiar with the online term “freebies”? It simply means that some type of physical item can be aquired and delivered to your doorstep for free and at no cost to you. Or it can be a service that you would normally have to pay for, but instead it is offered to you for free. When you see words like freebies, these are generally samples of well known products or a freebie can also be described as a product you receive after purchase by mailing back a UPC code of some sort. But in most cases, shipping and handling charges are not free and you will have to cover that small cost.
This is why receiving free baby stuff is so attractive in itself. If you are a struggling mom, then honestly, this is what I call a guilt free hand out when receiving a mailbox full of free baby goodies, especially knowing you didn’t have to pay a nickel for none of it! Given the unfavorable economic hardship at this time, you might be trying to curb your spending habbits and find other ways in saving money on baby diapers, milk, etc. I can attest that I watch every dime I spend!
You will be amazed at how much free and fabulous baby products you’ll receive in the mail including things like:
- Free baby food
- Free diapers
- Free baby bibs
- Free baby wipes
- Free discount coupons and more
It’s not secret that our babies are our pride and joy, and it is always nice to receive free baby stuff like product samples from time to time as well! Receiving baby freebies can really help when your money is tight too!
Now that I provided you some general info, all that is left for you to do is simply sign up to some of these freebie sites that offer free baby products and when presented with an offer, just check it out. Happy free shopping!
It’s time to get your hands on free baby product samples at: www.WinFree-Stuff.com where new parents can sign up for terrific baby freebies and free baby coupons all for FREE!
Article Source: Free Baby Product Samples – How Having A New Baby Can Lead You To Free Stuff For Babies! Let Me Tell You How To Get Them
Looking for a Baby Shower Gift? How About a Baby Play Gym Or Baby Car Seat?
Posted by in Babies on August 11th, 2009
Baby showers are the best way to show joy, hope, and excitement to any expectant mother. With all of her family and friends around her, she begins to feel a little less overwhelmed at the prospect of having a new baby. Even better is when the mom-to-be is gifted with many of the supplies that she needs to arrange the nursery so she’s completely ready for the special occasion. A baby shower is also a great chance to get the girls together for a fun time of laughing and goofing around.
How to Decorate for the Big Event
Decorations are wonderful, because they set the happy mood for the entire celebration. If you don’t know the gender of the baby, choose yellows, greens, and white. It creates a light and happy color theme! The cake can even serve as a decoration; add small plastic baby figurines and pacifiers, etc. that can be acquired from a discount party supplier. They add novelty to the dessert as well as to the topic of the occasion.
Great Baby Shower Gifts to Get Mom Ready
If you are the one throwing the party, be sure your soon-to-be-mom has either enlisted at a nearby store or online vendor to give the guests ideas as to what she would like as gifts. Another option to this would be for her to make a list of what she would like to have, perhaps baby crib set, a Graco baby swing, or even a Baby Trend car seat. Specify the themes and colors she wants in the invitations and let the guests take it from there! If she needs a infant car seat, describe kinds that will change as the baby grows, from newborn through booster seat, for example. If she needs a baby buggy, suggest to the guests a few types that will allow for Baby Trend car seat to be set on it for simple transfer from the car to the stroller. A baby bouncer is an especially useful gift because it permits mom to do things while the little one is being soothed. The best kinds are the ones that have a pull-off baby carrier so mom can bring baby into another room without disturbing them.
Baby Shower Fun With Popular Games
Baby showers are known for their quirkiness and silly games. A game that is especially fun is “You Can’t Say That” such as “baby” or “girl” or “boy”. Another favorite is a baby food game where the guests either smell or taste various flavors of pureed food and try to guess what fruit or vegetable it is. A game that’s really entertaining as well is where a diaper is passed around, musical-chairs style, and on the inside of the diaper is a scoop of warm chocolate frosting. This one is sure to get tons of laughs from the party guests! Don’t forget prizes for the winning players; choose girly gifts like bath and body gels or lotions, fresh containers of plants or flowers, gift cards, or a gift bag full of something themed such as “girl’s night out in a bag”.
The best showers offer the new mom everything she will need for her new baby. The shower is also a perfect opportunity for loved ones to support her and laugh and have fun. There’s nothing better than everyone leaving the party feeling that they had the best time!
The articles written by Fran Swift in her blog provide ideas on baby products along with baby car seats and baby strollers that gives the parent with a right choice for their baby.
Article Source: Looking for a Baby Shower Gift? How About a Baby Play Gym Or Baby Car Seat?
