Friday, April 25, 2008

Baby Sleeping Through the Night

Last night was truly a mini miracle for me. Patty at the age 4 months and 2 weeks old has finally slept through the night. On a normal night she wakes up around 3:00AM-5:00AM for a sip of milk. Well when I heard her moving about I picked her up and put her to her breast and she turned her head away and grunted. I put her back down and I didn't hear a peep until 7AM this morning. This is the beginning of a beautiful life. LOL.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Is Warming your Baby's Bottle Necessary?

If you ask the average person why a baby bottle needs to be warmed you will most likely get a blank stare. A warm drink does help when someone is trying to sleep but is there a major health benefit that makes this task necessary? The answer is no. My family is appalled when they see my little girl guzzle down a bottle of cool breast milk on a warm day. They frown their faces and say "you can't give babies cold milk." When I ask why (especially since it is usually sweltering where we are) they reply "you just can't." My daughter has a preference for cool milk in the daytime and her 3:30AM nightly "sip." However she only wants it warm when she is extremely sleepy and preparing for a long nap. For those who are unsure about this concept I have posted a little bit of information below.


Articles
Source: http://www.storknet.com/cubbies/bottlefeeding/faq.htm#warm
"Many new parents believe the common misconception that a baby's bottle should always be heated. In actuality, there is no medical reason to heat bottles before serving them. Some infants may prefer warm bottles, but most will happily accept a lukewarm or cold bottle. Try starting your baby off with a cold bottle, straight from the refrigerator; if he takes it, you have saved yourself a lot of time! You will appreciate this for those late night feedings!..."

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=511158&in_page_id=1766&ito=1490
"Parents who warm up baby bottles could be putting their child at risk of "gender-bending" chemicals, scientists warn."

Source: http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/320/7229/235
"...The perceived need to warm milk for young children seems to vary from culture to culture. It has been reported that the temperature of milk feeds has no effect on gastric emptying,1 and many paediatric and special care baby units in this country do not routinely warm milk... "

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Treating Cradle Cap (Baby Dandruff)

Like other babies, Patty has a case of cradle cap. Each morning I massage her hair with oil, wait 15 minutes, brush the loose flakes and wash her hair. After discussing it with my neighbor, she told me that her son's pediatrician recommended Selsun blue. She said it cleared his condition in a week and she hasn't noticed it since. She also lays him on a satin blanket. I'll let you know if it works for my little girl.

Facts on Cradle Cap
(source: http://pediatrics.about.com/od/dermatologytopics/a/0307_cradle_cap.htm)

Cradle cap is usually easy to recognize, with symptoms that can include a scalp rash that:
  • is dry and flaky
  • has thick, greasy, yellow or brown scales
  • has red patches with crust
  • is sometimes itchy

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Are you too "Particular" about your child?

Since the dawn of mankind parents have taken great pride in the fruit of their loins. However some of us enter into an elitist bourgeois mindset when it comes to our children. There is no child smarter than ours. Not one person is capable of giving our child the proper care. We are the best Mom and Dad ever. Parents with the preceding views often spend their money on children's designer clothing, purchase all the Baby Einstein products and consider every sound from their child's mouth as proof that their child is exceptional. I have found that the best thing to do is humor them. Smile and say "Oooo, Awww." It gives them a sense of self worth and importance. Continue to be friends with such parents because more likely than not, they do not have many left. If you are a proud mother and father remember that your baby is doing exactly what he/she is supposed to do. Junior may seemed advanced but more likely than not, he is just being a BABY :=)

Sunday, April 6, 2008

Period While Breastfeeding :-(

Despite making 30 ounces of milk a day, my period returned. All the internet articles assured me that unless a lactating mother reduced the amount of breastfeedings and/or production of milk, the menstrual cycle would continue to be in an arrested state. At first I thought I was having a temporary response to the hormone adjustment in my body, but when I continued to get a big hello every 2 weeks, I called my OBGYN. I was given 3 choices. Take birth control pills to regulate my cycle, schedule a Mirena IUD implantation or deal with it. Although I'm still deciding, I will probably take the "wait and see" approach. My husband and I want to conceive at the end of 2008 and do not need any unnecessary obstacles. I say all of this to say, take every thing you read and learn with a philosophical "grain of salt." You may be one of the chosen few who experience the exception to the rule.

P.S. Your milk supply is going to drop dramatically during your period. Keeping pumping and/or breastfeeding, but you may also want to give your baby a bottle (breast milk or formula) to make sure they are getting enough nourishment. About 3 days after my period has stopped, my milk supply is back to normal.