There are three available types of baby bottles; the glass made, plastic made and the plastic with disposable plastic liners. The glass bottles pretty much durable comparatively, but they are a bit heavier to use plus they are breakable. The plastic bottles too are robust but are relatively light weighted. The bottles with plastic liners are the most convenient ones since the liners don't need to be sterilized; but these types of the bottles can also be expensive to use. Some of the plastic bottles are shaped at an angle to minimize the amount of air the baby takes in the stomach when feeding.
You can choose amongst the several styles of nipples; either rubber or silicone, and should buy new nipples every three months. As your baby grows, buy nipples with relatively larger holes.
Most babies are happier in taking the formula that is stored at room temperature. If your baby prefers warmed-up formula, heat the bottle (with the formula in it) by running it under hot water from the faucet. This way you can ensure the average temperature of the liquid, that is neither too hot nor too cold; plus you can frequently check the temperature by checking some formula on your wrist. Don't use the microwave to heat the formula because the liquid heats unevenly. Even though the bottle may be cool to your touch, the liquid inside could be burning hot and scald your baby’s throat.
The time to feed the baby is pretty much enjoyable for both; the baby and the person who feeds. Cuddling with the baby is important and feeding time is the perfect opportunity to get in some skin-to-skin contact. When the baby is about a halfway finished drinking the formula in the bottle, take a break and let her burp to release any gas that may be accumulating in the tummy. A general rule of thumb is to burp your baby after every 2 ounces eaten. If you forget to do this, your baby will wake up from her restful sleep crying, due to the need to burp.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Formula
Being a new mother, you must be aware of the fact that the breastfeeding is best for your baby, but another fact is that everyone can’t successfully breastfeed. What is considered important and feasible is that your baby gets the perfect nourishment he needs to develop and thrive. If you see that the baby isn’t thriving on breast milk, then you need to switch to the baby formula. And pertinent to this, there are many different options to choose from.
You should not be brand conscious when it comes to choose the baby formula as all the formulas are prepared according to FDA regulations which specify minimum and, in some cases, maximum nutrient level requirements for infant formulas, based on recommendations by the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Nutrition. These regulations and the Infant Formula Act help to make sure that all infant formulas are nutritionally complete and safe for your baby. Moreover, the American Academy of Pediatrics does not endorse, recommend, or testify that your infant should drink any specific brand of formula if you choose not to breastfeed. The exception is that they do say that low iron formula should not be used.
The baby formulas differ mostly in the type of sugar and protein which they are composed of. The regular iron fortified infant formulas, e.g. Similac Advance, Enfamil Lipil, and Nestle Good Start Supreme are made with lactose and cow's milk based proteins formula. Soy formulas are made with soy protein and are lactose free and are considered good for children who don't tolerate lactose or milk proteins. Elemental formulas are also lactose free and are made with hydrolysate proteins, which are easy to digest for infants with protein allergies. If you have a family history of food allergies or formula intolerances, you might choose to start your baby off with a soy or elemental formula; if you do not want to breastfeed. Similarly some infants, who are not on breastfeeding, should be exclusively given a cow's milk based iron fortified formula.
You should not be brand conscious when it comes to choose the baby formula as all the formulas are prepared according to FDA regulations which specify minimum and, in some cases, maximum nutrient level requirements for infant formulas, based on recommendations by the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Nutrition. These regulations and the Infant Formula Act help to make sure that all infant formulas are nutritionally complete and safe for your baby. Moreover, the American Academy of Pediatrics does not endorse, recommend, or testify that your infant should drink any specific brand of formula if you choose not to breastfeed. The exception is that they do say that low iron formula should not be used.
The baby formulas differ mostly in the type of sugar and protein which they are composed of. The regular iron fortified infant formulas, e.g. Similac Advance, Enfamil Lipil, and Nestle Good Start Supreme are made with lactose and cow's milk based proteins formula. Soy formulas are made with soy protein and are lactose free and are considered good for children who don't tolerate lactose or milk proteins. Elemental formulas are also lactose free and are made with hydrolysate proteins, which are easy to digest for infants with protein allergies. If you have a family history of food allergies or formula intolerances, you might choose to start your baby off with a soy or elemental formula; if you do not want to breastfeed. Similarly some infants, who are not on breastfeeding, should be exclusively given a cow's milk based iron fortified formula.
Co-sleeping
The relative studies have show that co-sleeping with a breastfeeding infant results in to strengthening the vital bond between the mother and the infant; though the western culture discourages it. Co-sleeping has got many advantages such as it regulates the mother and baby's sleep patterns, plays a role in helping the mother to become more responsive to her baby's cues, and gives both; the mother and baby the needed rest. The co-sleeping environment also expedites the mother to continue breastfeeding on demand, which is an important step in maintaining the mother's milk supply.
There are several known ways of co-sleeping with the infant. Some mothers tend to keep their babies with them in the bed all the time. Some of the mothers set up a bassinet in the room; and the babies are brought to their bed when they awake. Where as some mothers sleep with their babies on a mattress in the baby's room. This is entirely on the discretion of the mother to decide that how to co-sleep with the infant. But there are some guidelines for doing it effectively and safely.
The parents, if smokers or have ingested alcohol or drugs should abstain from sleeping with the baby. Do not even co-sleep if you drink alcohol or medications that make you sleepy. In addition, you must co-sleep only on beds, rather than on couches or recliners. Bedding should be tight fitting to the mattress and the mattress should be tight fitting to the headboard of the bed. Avoid loose pillows, fluffy bedding or soft blankets near the baby's face. Make sure that there should not be any space between the bed and adjoining wall, where there is a chance that the baby could roll and become trapped. And of course, the baby should not be placed on its stomach or face down (to mitigate the risk of SIDS).
There are numerous options and guidelines, just like there are number of parents and babies. As babies grow and change their sleep patterns, families often respond by changing the sleeping places. The only right choice is what works the best for you and the entirely family gets the complete needed rest.
There are several known ways of co-sleeping with the infant. Some mothers tend to keep their babies with them in the bed all the time. Some of the mothers set up a bassinet in the room; and the babies are brought to their bed when they awake. Where as some mothers sleep with their babies on a mattress in the baby's room. This is entirely on the discretion of the mother to decide that how to co-sleep with the infant. But there are some guidelines for doing it effectively and safely.
The parents, if smokers or have ingested alcohol or drugs should abstain from sleeping with the baby. Do not even co-sleep if you drink alcohol or medications that make you sleepy. In addition, you must co-sleep only on beds, rather than on couches or recliners. Bedding should be tight fitting to the mattress and the mattress should be tight fitting to the headboard of the bed. Avoid loose pillows, fluffy bedding or soft blankets near the baby's face. Make sure that there should not be any space between the bed and adjoining wall, where there is a chance that the baby could roll and become trapped. And of course, the baby should not be placed on its stomach or face down (to mitigate the risk of SIDS).
There are numerous options and guidelines, just like there are number of parents and babies. As babies grow and change their sleep patterns, families often respond by changing the sleeping places. The only right choice is what works the best for you and the entirely family gets the complete needed rest.
Breastfeeding sleep
Breast-feeding is good for both; the new mothers and their babies. Breastfeeding, besides being the optimal source of nutrition for your baby in the very first year, nursing has obvious psychological benefits for both mother and the baby. At birth, infants see only 12 to 15 inches, which is the distance between a nursing baby and its mother's face. Studies have found that infants as young as 1 week start preferring the smell of their own mother's milk.
Many psychologists firmly believe that the nursing baby enjoys the sense of security from the warmth and presence of the mother, especially when there's skin-to-skin contact during feeding. Parents who bottle-feed their babies may tempt to prop bottles in the baby's mouth i.e. no human contact during feeding; but a nursing mother ought to cuddle her infant closely several times during the day. Nursing becomes a source of warmth and comfort; more than just a way to feed the baby.
It is quite intrinsic and natural that a baby quickly falls asleep if, is fed this way. When you know pretty well that how much your infant can consume in one feeding, try to gently nudge her awake if she falls asleep too soon or else she’ll get hungry sooner and you’ll be feeding more often. You can easily awake your baby with a little tickle of the feet.
Moreover it is much easier for a nursing mother to lose the pounds of pregnancy as well, since nursing uses up extra calories. Lactation also stimulates the uterus to contract back to its original size. A nursing mother is forced to get needed rest and she must do it so. She must sit down, put her feet up, and relax every few hours to nurse. Nursing during the night is easy as well as if she is lying down; a mother can doze while she nurses.
Many psychologists firmly believe that the nursing baby enjoys the sense of security from the warmth and presence of the mother, especially when there's skin-to-skin contact during feeding. Parents who bottle-feed their babies may tempt to prop bottles in the baby's mouth i.e. no human contact during feeding; but a nursing mother ought to cuddle her infant closely several times during the day. Nursing becomes a source of warmth and comfort; more than just a way to feed the baby.
It is quite intrinsic and natural that a baby quickly falls asleep if, is fed this way. When you know pretty well that how much your infant can consume in one feeding, try to gently nudge her awake if she falls asleep too soon or else she’ll get hungry sooner and you’ll be feeding more often. You can easily awake your baby with a little tickle of the feet.
Moreover it is much easier for a nursing mother to lose the pounds of pregnancy as well, since nursing uses up extra calories. Lactation also stimulates the uterus to contract back to its original size. A nursing mother is forced to get needed rest and she must do it so. She must sit down, put her feet up, and relax every few hours to nurse. Nursing during the night is easy as well as if she is lying down; a mother can doze while she nurses.
Breastfeeding
It is quite natural that the parents wish to give out the best to their baby. When it comes to nutrition of the infant, the first and the best food for the infant is breast milk. According to the recommendations of the experts, the babies can be breast-fed for six to twelve months. The one and only acceptable alternative to breast milk is the infant formula. Upon turning 4-6 months, the baby can be introduced to solid foods. But the baby should continue taking the breast milk or formula, not cow's milk for a full year as cow's milk contains a different type of protein than breast milk. This cow milk may be proving good for calves, but human infants can have difficulty digesting it. Bottle-fed infants tend to be fatter than breast-fed infants, but not essential that they are healthier too.
The breast milk contains at least 100 ingredients which are not found in the formula. None of the babies are/become allergic to their mother's milk nor it has happened, although they may have a reaction to something the mother eats and if she eliminates it from her diet, the problem resolves itself.
One of the pros of breastfeeding a baby is that by sucking the breast, the infant’s jaw development is promoted. It is relatively harder to get milk out of a breast than a bottle, and this exercise strengthens the infant’s jaws and encourages the growth of straight and much healthier teeth. The baby who is breast fed becomes enabled to control the flow of milk by sucking and stopping unlike a bottle in which the baby must constantly suck or react to the pressure of the nipple placed in the mouth.
Initially the infant required to be fed at least 8 – 12 times in a 24 hours period, since both baby and mother are getting used to the process. Breast milk is more quickly digested than the formula, which is another reason why more frequent feeding is necessary. Adding to it, the constant suckling at the breast stimulates the mammary glands to produce more milk for the baby’s growing appetite. The extra time which is spent in feeding the baby for the first year is of well worth, as the breast milk passes along the mother’s immunities and delivers the highest-quality nutrition for a developing baby.
The breast milk contains at least 100 ingredients which are not found in the formula. None of the babies are/become allergic to their mother's milk nor it has happened, although they may have a reaction to something the mother eats and if she eliminates it from her diet, the problem resolves itself.
One of the pros of breastfeeding a baby is that by sucking the breast, the infant’s jaw development is promoted. It is relatively harder to get milk out of a breast than a bottle, and this exercise strengthens the infant’s jaws and encourages the growth of straight and much healthier teeth. The baby who is breast fed becomes enabled to control the flow of milk by sucking and stopping unlike a bottle in which the baby must constantly suck or react to the pressure of the nipple placed in the mouth.
Initially the infant required to be fed at least 8 – 12 times in a 24 hours period, since both baby and mother are getting used to the process. Breast milk is more quickly digested than the formula, which is another reason why more frequent feeding is necessary. Adding to it, the constant suckling at the breast stimulates the mammary glands to produce more milk for the baby’s growing appetite. The extra time which is spent in feeding the baby for the first year is of well worth, as the breast milk passes along the mother’s immunities and delivers the highest-quality nutrition for a developing baby.
SIDS
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS); can be the worst heart rendering dilemma that a newborn can experience – it is defined as when a baby dies in the first year of life from no apparent cause. The actual causes of SIDS are still unknown till the date today, but in SIDS death, the baby’s recovery mechanism isn’t developed (if deprived of oxygen) and thus the baby is unable to rouse himself if his breathing becomes obstructed; especially when the infant is sleeping with face down.
The risk of being victimized by SIDS can not be proactively predicted or diagnosed although the occurrence of SIDS deaths has decreased in the last 10 years. Creating a safe sleep environment for the baby is the best recommendation that helps in preventing SIDS.
As per the baby’s first year, mothers ought to put their babies to sleep on their backs. Else if you are positioning them to sleep on their sides, make sure that they should be positioned with one arm forward to keep them from rolling over on their stomachs. Soft foam wedges can be purchased for this purpose.
Make sure your baby’s face isn’t blocked – avoid loose, soft and fluffy bedding. Be cautious to not to overheat your baby by over-wrapping or dressing him in too many layers.
Make sure that you do not smoke nor let any one smoke around the baby.
Some of the monitoring systems that can alert you if the baby stops breathing are stated below: You need to be conscious if you observe any one of them:-
1. If the baby has had any life-threatening episodes, such as turning blue, or an episode requiring mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
2. If the baby had elder sibling/s who died of SIDS.
3. If the baby’s birth was premature
Make sure to keep get your baby routine checked up to make sure his lungs are fully developed and to maintain all immunizations.
The risk of being victimized by SIDS can not be proactively predicted or diagnosed although the occurrence of SIDS deaths has decreased in the last 10 years. Creating a safe sleep environment for the baby is the best recommendation that helps in preventing SIDS.
As per the baby’s first year, mothers ought to put their babies to sleep on their backs. Else if you are positioning them to sleep on their sides, make sure that they should be positioned with one arm forward to keep them from rolling over on their stomachs. Soft foam wedges can be purchased for this purpose.
Make sure your baby’s face isn’t blocked – avoid loose, soft and fluffy bedding. Be cautious to not to overheat your baby by over-wrapping or dressing him in too many layers.
Make sure that you do not smoke nor let any one smoke around the baby.
Some of the monitoring systems that can alert you if the baby stops breathing are stated below: You need to be conscious if you observe any one of them:-
1. If the baby has had any life-threatening episodes, such as turning blue, or an episode requiring mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
2. If the baby had elder sibling/s who died of SIDS.
3. If the baby’s birth was premature
Make sure to keep get your baby routine checked up to make sure his lungs are fully developed and to maintain all immunizations.
Cope with new schedule
You might be thinking that you lost your freedom to rest, upon bringing home the new born-and this is right to some extent if you lack proper planning. The basic advice to a mother of new baby is to try taking some rest and sleep whenever she can. The baby won’t be sleeping through out the night for several weeks, or even months. The baby’s adjustments with the schedule of night and day wont let you sleep through the night until the baby does so.
The recommended time for this period for a mom is to try to sleep when the baby sleeps during the night. Many new mothers try to do everything at once, and start cleaning or doing the laundry once the baby goes down for a nap. And by doing this, you would end up with a dead tiring hour and you can not help that out as this thing would reoccur again; so plan and synchronize things accordingly.
If you are offered for any help in those first weeks with the cleaning and laundry, do not be uncertain to it and accept it happily. If you can have a friend or relative in to watch the baby for an afternoon while you catch some much-needed sleep, try to take advantage to the maximum; if you can.
When you’ve been so busy all day with the baby’s activities and as well as other things to maintain a household, it can be hard to rest through out the day. Try to develop a routine that helps you to unwind yourself at nights. Take a warm bath – with Luke warm water – listening to some relaxing music. Even if you do not breast feed, avoid taking caffeine throughout the day and especially at night; instead drink water or decaffeinated herbal tea. If foods that have a lot of preservatives or sodium can make you jumpy, try to avoid those as much as possible. Try eating natural foods, such as salads, green vegetables, fruits, and warm healthy soups.
As soon as you find yourself able, try to get out and walk for a little bit each day. The fresh air and moderate exercise will make you and your baby relaxed and can help you both in getting a relaxing nap at night.
The recommended time for this period for a mom is to try to sleep when the baby sleeps during the night. Many new mothers try to do everything at once, and start cleaning or doing the laundry once the baby goes down for a nap. And by doing this, you would end up with a dead tiring hour and you can not help that out as this thing would reoccur again; so plan and synchronize things accordingly.
If you are offered for any help in those first weeks with the cleaning and laundry, do not be uncertain to it and accept it happily. If you can have a friend or relative in to watch the baby for an afternoon while you catch some much-needed sleep, try to take advantage to the maximum; if you can.
When you’ve been so busy all day with the baby’s activities and as well as other things to maintain a household, it can be hard to rest through out the day. Try to develop a routine that helps you to unwind yourself at nights. Take a warm bath – with Luke warm water – listening to some relaxing music. Even if you do not breast feed, avoid taking caffeine throughout the day and especially at night; instead drink water or decaffeinated herbal tea. If foods that have a lot of preservatives or sodium can make you jumpy, try to avoid those as much as possible. Try eating natural foods, such as salads, green vegetables, fruits, and warm healthy soups.
As soon as you find yourself able, try to get out and walk for a little bit each day. The fresh air and moderate exercise will make you and your baby relaxed and can help you both in getting a relaxing nap at night.
Typical day and night
When you bring home your new baby, a certain set of duties and responsibilities come along. The typical days, nights and evenings which the parents used to spend; won’t be the same, and the reason behind it is that you have to keep in regard the transitional change which the baby has passed through. The ultimate evolution of the baby when he/she was in the womb and now is in the realistic world; demands a little attention of yours. Even if you are breastfeeding, that too will be a bit time taking for both of you to adjust.
Your baby will require feed after every 3 – 5 hours if he/she has been formula fed. If you’re breastfeeding, the infant needs to be fed more frequently. Being a mother sometimes, would often let you think that you have nothing to except for breast feeding your baby. Moreover, you have got a lot of diapers to change, especially until you get familiar with the baby’s schedule. Majority of the times, the diapers need to be changed shortly after feeding, about once an hour in the very beginning. Be sure to check for it on frequent basis.
Until or unless the umbilical cord does not falls off, you’ll have to keep to sponge baths every few days. But you will have to wash the baby’s bottom every day, thus you can wipe the baby’s hands, face, neck and bottom every day with a soft washcloth with warm water. Within a few weeks when your baby is ready for full baths, bathing the infant every day is a good idea to prevent diaper rashes. But keep in mind that too much bathing can dry the sensitive skin of the baby; so see what works for your baby.
To prevent the baby from scratching himself, regularly trim the quickly growing fingers and toenails of the baby. The baby’s nails can be long, even at birth and attached high on the nail bed. You should gently press the finger pad away from the nail and clip it with a baby nail clipper. Make sure to start off with the nail trimming process when the baby is sleeping, to ensure that he doesn’t jerk those little fingers and toes away!
Concluding; just think of remaining busy 24/7 during the first month, at least – being a new mother of an infant. You ought to feed, and change the diapers around the clock so get as much used to it. Moreover do not hesitate to take help of any of your close friend or relatives, so you can have some peace too.
Your baby will require feed after every 3 – 5 hours if he/she has been formula fed. If you’re breastfeeding, the infant needs to be fed more frequently. Being a mother sometimes, would often let you think that you have nothing to except for breast feeding your baby. Moreover, you have got a lot of diapers to change, especially until you get familiar with the baby’s schedule. Majority of the times, the diapers need to be changed shortly after feeding, about once an hour in the very beginning. Be sure to check for it on frequent basis.
Until or unless the umbilical cord does not falls off, you’ll have to keep to sponge baths every few days. But you will have to wash the baby’s bottom every day, thus you can wipe the baby’s hands, face, neck and bottom every day with a soft washcloth with warm water. Within a few weeks when your baby is ready for full baths, bathing the infant every day is a good idea to prevent diaper rashes. But keep in mind that too much bathing can dry the sensitive skin of the baby; so see what works for your baby.
To prevent the baby from scratching himself, regularly trim the quickly growing fingers and toenails of the baby. The baby’s nails can be long, even at birth and attached high on the nail bed. You should gently press the finger pad away from the nail and clip it with a baby nail clipper. Make sure to start off with the nail trimming process when the baby is sleeping, to ensure that he doesn’t jerk those little fingers and toes away!
Concluding; just think of remaining busy 24/7 during the first month, at least – being a new mother of an infant. You ought to feed, and change the diapers around the clock so get as much used to it. Moreover do not hesitate to take help of any of your close friend or relatives, so you can have some peace too.
Stress
Hey! You might be pregnant and expecting a good news within a few months/days or may be you are having a baby. What can be better than this news? You should make this moment of your life now the best of all, as being mother is the moment to feel blessed.
Being blessed with a baby is really very exciting but you may experience some tensions with it. You may experience a bulk of fatigues from the very moment of the delivery of your baby. If you’re having first baby, you can not afford to rely on the hospitals completely, as they don’t give you very much help or advice. Instead, the hospitals send you home along with the infant and hand over a list of demands to you which you got to interpret. The new babies don’t sleep much-at least not that long that you may take the needed rest and refresh yourself. Sometimes you tend to think that you won’t be able to get a full night’s sleep again; at least till the baby settles into a routine. Adding to it, the experiencing of hormonal changes in your own body, and you are having a formula that’s guaranteed to be stressful. But don’t worry!
There are some useful tips and practical advises that you can work on; to surpass the fatigues of the few initial weeks – being a mother.
Firstly, do not think that you might change or handle the things being a super mom. Remember to take a snooze too, when your baby sleeps. The laundry can wait for you until you get fresh a little and so do the dishes in the kitchen. Do not think to maintain or revitalize the perfect house of yours and give yourself a break whenever you get the opportunity to sleep and refresh yourself, as your baby naps.
Don’t hesitate to request for a help to any of your close friends or relatives for a day, and by all means take advantage of that for an afternoon. Grandma would probably jump at the chance to have the baby all to herself for a few hours.
When putting the baby on bed for the night, take some time to relax, so that you could have a better chance of falling asleep. Get fresh by taking a lavender scented bath; put on some soft music and pat yourself a little. Sometimes it gets really hard even without a new baby to fall asleep right away. There are a lot of things to get used to!
Being blessed with a baby is really very exciting but you may experience some tensions with it. You may experience a bulk of fatigues from the very moment of the delivery of your baby. If you’re having first baby, you can not afford to rely on the hospitals completely, as they don’t give you very much help or advice. Instead, the hospitals send you home along with the infant and hand over a list of demands to you which you got to interpret. The new babies don’t sleep much-at least not that long that you may take the needed rest and refresh yourself. Sometimes you tend to think that you won’t be able to get a full night’s sleep again; at least till the baby settles into a routine. Adding to it, the experiencing of hormonal changes in your own body, and you are having a formula that’s guaranteed to be stressful. But don’t worry!
There are some useful tips and practical advises that you can work on; to surpass the fatigues of the few initial weeks – being a mother.
Firstly, do not think that you might change or handle the things being a super mom. Remember to take a snooze too, when your baby sleeps. The laundry can wait for you until you get fresh a little and so do the dishes in the kitchen. Do not think to maintain or revitalize the perfect house of yours and give yourself a break whenever you get the opportunity to sleep and refresh yourself, as your baby naps.
Don’t hesitate to request for a help to any of your close friends or relatives for a day, and by all means take advantage of that for an afternoon. Grandma would probably jump at the chance to have the baby all to herself for a few hours.
When putting the baby on bed for the night, take some time to relax, so that you could have a better chance of falling asleep. Get fresh by taking a lavender scented bath; put on some soft music and pat yourself a little. Sometimes it gets really hard even without a new baby to fall asleep right away. There are a lot of things to get used to!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
