The time has come and your baby has arrived, your bundle of joy is in your hands now and as a mother, you can go through mixed feelings of joy, excitement and sometimes anxiety. Both Yourself and the baby may be exhausted from the events of labor and delivery. This is quite normal. It’s a good idea to keep visitors away for the first day at least and concentrate completely on your baby’s needs.
Congratulations to the new mother. You have delivered a beautiful baby. You are happy and so is the entire family. The first few days are going to be tough taking care of your baby. Your baby is new and does not have any prefixed pattern in terms of food or sleep habits and you can be lost figuring out what his/her cry means - Is he/she hungry? Is she/he sleepy? Is she/he in pain? Is it the diaper? Is it the temperature?
The day has arrived and you have given birth to a beautiful baby. Congratulations! Anjali, the protagonist of our Series was a little concerned if everything was normal with her baby. She wanted to find out form the Doctor about any tests which are advised to check for any newborn diseases.
You just don’t carry your baby when you are going out or traveling a long distance but a lot of stuff too which your baby may need at any time. Yes, being a parent is being prepared. All you need is a diaper bag which fits all your baby necessities and you are an all set go.
You have heard from doctors or friends about different milestones of a baby - When he/she first sat without support or walked or talked. Similar to these the babies learn to see over a period of time similar to learning to sit, walk or talk. The ability of the baby to move both eyes together, focus on objects close and far and understand what they are seeing are all skills learned over a period of time.
Priya noticed that her newborn would spit up a lot after every feed. She also observed that her weeks old baby would not feed for more than 5 minutes and would get uncomfortable. She was worried if the baby was getting enough of her milk.
I tell you what, babies are not so easy to handle. They ask for love, sounds, songs, toys, attention and food/feeding… yes, they ask for diapers too to catch up all the mess they can create and to be healthy and hygiene. Thus, diapers do become an important thing for your baby.
It is always a challenge and a period of anxiety for a new mother to know what is it that she can give her baby as a complementary food apart from breastfeeding. Complementary foods made Many of my subscribers ask me this question as to when is a good time to start the baby on solid foods and what is a good solid food to start?
You must have heard from your Doctor, Nurses and form your elders about the first milk after delivery. This is the thin yellowy substance which is produced soon after delivery. You may be producing not more than a couple of tablespoons of it but it is very nutritious milk and provides lifelong nutrition for the baby. Some women report producing milk before delivery in the later months of pregnancy.
Choosing to breastfeed or formula feed for your baby can be the biggest decision you may have to take. Some mothers may not be fortunate to have this choice and may be forced to formula feed their baby if they are not able to produce breast milk.
A few facts about MMR vaccination
MMR stands for Mumps, Measles, and Rubella. Measles, mumps, and rubella are viral diseases and before the vaccines for these diseases were invented they occurred in children commonly. These diseases can have serious consequences.
A baby monitor, also known as a baby alarm, is a radio system used to remotely listen to sounds made by an infant. An audio monitor consists of a transmitter unit, equipped with a microphone, placed near to the child. It transmits the sounds by radio waves to a receiver unit with a speaker carried by, or near to, the person caring for the infant. Some baby monitors provide two-way communication which allows the parent to speak back to the baby (parent talk-back). Some allow music to be played to the child. A monitor with a video camera and receiver is often called a baby cam.
I had written a blog about the importance of immunization for babies. The BCG vaccine is normally given to children as it has been shown to provide very good protection against the disseminated forms of TB in children, including TB meningitis.
People tend to have their own reservations about vaccinations. One of my patients had asked me - Doctor, why should I get my child injections in the name of vaccinations. She is healthy and does not have any disease. I tend to tell my patients - Vaccinations are like an insurance policy. You buy insurance, to protect yourself from any unforeseen accidents or illness that may happen.