Constipation in baby- Home remedies

Motherhood is a great joy and to have a smooth transition you need to know few essentials of baby care. One common problem observed with new moms is constipation in babies. You cannot see your little one writhing with pain and you certainly need help. I’ve collated a few points to make it an easy experience for you.

Symptoms:

• You can understand the baby has constipation when baby cries and keeps the legs upwards. Baby’s face turns red crying in pain.
• The stomach becomes larger due to no passage of stools and will vomit if fed in addition.
• The baby will be gasing too. At times the baby will pass hard stools , and will be restless due to no relief.
  

Why does constipation happen

• For the first few days the baby will pass meconium, which is a dark green or black substance. Only by the third day, regular bowel movements will begin. If your baby’s stools don’t get regular, or if he or she is still passing meconium, this could be a sign that your baby may not be getting enough to eat. You need to increase supplement for feeding the baby.
• Insufficient water intake when you switch over to new supplements vs breast milk
• Change in formula or weaning. Diets low in fiber

 Home remedies suggested

• If your baby is on external milk feeds then increase water consumption for the baby. Give water that is pre-boiled and brought to room temperature after cooling. Increase baby’s water consumption to increase fluid in bowels.
• When you plan to change the baby’s food, consult the doctor .
• If baby is struggling with pain you can feed prune juice. Best recommended is prune juice. Prunes should be soaked overnight and the water can be given in a bottle. The baby will by natural reflex start sucking the liquid.
• You can add ¼ tspn of castor oil in breast milk or supplement and feed the baby , it will act as a laxative.
• If baby has not passed stool give a warm bath. In a wide tub, take warm water such that baby can be placed into it. Massage the tummy gently downwards and the crying baby become silent due to the effect of warm water and massage.
• Try cycling method that is gently shift the baby’s feet towards the stomach and back down just like pedalling a cycle in sleeping position. The posture will enable the baby pass stool after few attempts.
• You can apply Vaseline to the baby at that area to ensure smoothness and skin does not cut when hard stools are passed.
• You get medicines like Milk of Magnesia that is taken orally. Give ¼ tspn of Milk of Magnesia with 2 spoons of milk. You need to wait for some time and alas … baby has cleared his tummy. Remember to keep lot of cleaning material close by and a room freshener to clear the air.
• Glycerin suppositories are sold over the counter in medical shops. Affix one suppository when the baby indicates signs for the need to pass stools. Laxatives and Suppositories are not recommended in the long run as the natural bowel movement is not going to work. Baby will find this convenient. Basically a problem of mind set when the baby grows.
• If the problem is to do medically then the doctor will prescribe medicines for short term relief.

 General tips:

• Take the crying baby into the arms and carry him around. Keep rocking the baby in your arms. This will be soothing for the baby. If the baby is breastfed, the mother can continue to feed the baby for more times.
• Consult the pediatrician and update the concerns and your observations . Keep a count of the diapers consumption per day and the frequency of stools passed. This data will help the doctor assess the situation and diagnose accordingly.

How To Avoid Older Children Feel Jealous

Older children may feel jealous when a new child arrives in the family until they are 4 to 5 years of age. This happens as the child was receiving all attention of his parents , friends, grandparents and all of a sudden the focus has shifted onto the new babe. There will be lot many visiting home and bringing gifts, new clothes for the baby  and the older child feels left out. This is known as sibling rivalry.

If the older child is three years and below, he will try to grab the attention of parents by doing similar activities like the younger one. He will become fussy and will become more dependent for all activities which he had been doing himself with minimum guidance. Further irritation will be expressed by wetting the bed, soiling the clothes, being adamant and crying etc. This will keep the mother diverted towards him. These are few examples of the older child’s behavior .

If the child is between three to five years he’ll resort to thumb sucking, avoiding potty, spilling things, refusing to eat etc. He may retaliate by trying to hurt the baby, make big noise with the toys , and so on.

The parents on the other hand should recognize the child’s pranks and be patient and gradually make him accept his little sibling. Never scold or beat the kid, situation will deteriorate as the older kid will become even more difficult to manage the kid. He may get back at the child by pinching, making loud noises etc. Handle the older child with affection and apply the below mentioned tips tactfully.

A few tips on how to prevent the older child feeling jealous.

• Prepare your older kid about the baby’s arrival. Hint him about your tummy growing and there is a baby coming to give him company. You can also make him feel the baby’s movements.
• Involve the older child during purchase of articles for the baby’s room. Appreciate him for the activities he is doing independently. Make him believe that he is big and can sleep on his own in another bed / room. Slowly shift him to another room prior to the baby’s arrival.
• In case he is of age to be put up in a nursery , admit him such that he is in the company of other kids too. Help him pick his own clothes.  Keep your child informed with whom he’ll have to stay when you are in hospital.

• When you are in hospital, call your older child on a regular basis. If hospital permits children to visit, make him visit you. Talk to him such that he does not miss you. Enquire about his food friends and school.
• Ensure your baby get a special outing and refreshments to celebrate baby’s arrival. Inform him that the baby is a present for the older child and he needs to take good care.
• When the baby comes home ensure he is not left out. Ensure all visitors and family members address him also along with the kid. Make him realize that this is his little babe and he is the Big Brother. Involve him for baby decisions.
• Make sure you spend quality time when he is back from school. Talk to him about his day and the events that occurred. Guide him with the home work.
• If you ask him to speak slowly , he’ll do just th the opposite, therefore handle him tactfully by mentioning that good children will obey and be good. He’ll immediately lower his voice and not be troublesome.
• Allow the older child to sit close and observe the baby. Permit him to talk to the baby. Keep a constant eye on the children when they are together.

Best of luck…do take care…enjoy motherhood !!

Your Baby’s First Hours of Life

The moment you’ve awaited for nine months has finally arrived, when you hold your baby in your arms. You can’t help but ask, “Is she all right?” The obstetrician says that she looks just fine, and then a nurse or attendant whisks her away…

But the doctor’s quick assessment is only the beginning of the detailed evaluation your new son or daughter undergoes immediately after delivery. Here’s a look at the typical medical procedures that take place just after a child is born.

Medical Procedures

As soon as your baby’s head emerges, the obstetrician uses a bulb syringe to clean out any fluid in his or her mouth and nostrils, explains Ulana Sanocka, MD, assistant professor of pediatrics at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in New York City. Clearing the airways enables the baby to breathe more easily.

Once the rest of the body has been delivered, the umbilical cord is clamped in two places, and a doctor, nurse, or parent cuts between the clamps. A sample of the baby’s blood is taken from the cord to be analyzed later.

Not Like the Movies

If this is your first child, you may be surprised at how she looks. She won’t resemble the pink, perfectly shaped cherubs you’ve seen in commercials! But, then again, you will probably think she is the most beautiful child you’ve ever seen.

If you had a vaginal delivery, your baby’s head is molded from passing through the tight confines of the birth canal. (It will take on a more normal shape within a few days.) Her hands and feet may be slightly blue because her circulation isn’t efficient yet. Upon the first breath after your newborn cries spontaneously, or with a little physical encouragement (by rubbing his back or tapping his feet), the infant will “pink up.” “When the child actively cries, there’s usually a simultaneous increase in chest and limb movements,” says Dr. Ian Laing, MD, fellow in Newborn Medicine at Children’s Hospital in Boston. “Gradually, over the early minutes of life, a baby goes from a rather gray-blue color to an attractive pink.” Even then, the toes and fingers may retain a slight blueness, which may last for a few hours.

Baby’s Breathing

Don’t be alarmed at your child’s strange breathing. The baby coughs, sputters, and wheezes to get rid of all the fluid she’s inhaled and begin the new experience of breathing air.

“When a baby is born vaginally, the infant has been squeezed in the birth canal,” says Dr. Sanocka. “About fifty cubic centimeters {one and 2/3 ounces} of fluid is actually squeezed out of the baby’s lungs this way.” “The big squeeze,” as she calls it, facilitates easier breathing. Infants born by cesarean section will take shallower and quicker breaths until the fluid is cleared from the airways.

Even after an infant gets the hang of breathing, the respiration is different from an adult’s. “A baby’s normal breathing is irregular or periodic,” says Dr. Kim Harvey, MD, a pediatrician in private practice in Palo Alto, California. “A newborn will take some big sighs and a few pants, hold her breath, and then breathe very quickly.” A newborn’s respiratory rate is much faster than an adult’s too—about 40 to 60 times a minute contrasted to an adult’s rate of 20 times per minute. The heartbeat is quicker as well: 120 beats a minute, compared with 70 for an adult.

Why do babies get diaper rash?

Diaper rash is something that parents hate to see on their child, however common it may be, and even for parents who remember having it themselves (less common now, but in the not-too-distant past variations of diaper rash could occur even into late infancy) it is something that no-one wants to see on their newborn child. The reasons for it are quite simple and entirely commonplace, but it is preventable and treatable. If your child does develop a diaper rash, quick treatment is advisable. And prevention is a matter of following some simple rules and showing diligence at key points which might lead to infection.

The major cause of diaper rash is wetness. This is no big surprise. The reason that it does not occur with any regularity in adults, after all, is that we are able to perform our bathroom rituals ourselves and know what needs to be done – essentially, what feels right and what we have learned. Babies, however, urinate quite often and will sometimes be in a dirty diaper for a while before changing. In addition to this, their stools are generally quite loose and their bowel movements are more frequent than those of adults. Unless they are changed with a regularity bordering on the obsessive, there is a chance of infection. Even then a baby with sensitive skin can become infected.

In an older baby, a time of sickness which is treated with antibiotics can be a risky time, as they are prone to diarrhea and the higher risk of diaper rash that that can bring. In short, even the best parents can have a case to deal with, and it is how they respond that is important.

Diaper Rash – how to recognize it

New parents have a lot of cause to be concerned about their baby’s health. Visiting any page with even just the regular things that can – and do – happen to most babies is enough to drive someone to distraction. Even non-parents would be hard pressed not to shudder in sympathy. Something as common as diaper rash, which affects most babies at some point in some measure, is still too much for any parent to bear with real composure. Knowing how to recognize diaper rash, and prevent it getting worse, is something that all parents will be well served by in the early life of their baby.

The diaper area of a baby will, unavoidably, come into contact with some bacteria on a regular basis. Even regular changes and cleaning can sometimes fail to pick it up. You will know when your baby has diaper rash, as it is characterized by skin in the diaper area appearing red and inflamed, and in some cases coming up in pimples. It will irritate the child and if left unchecked can develop into something worse, including a number of infections. As well as this, it will be obvious to any parent that the child is in quite some discomfort. They will cry more and louder, and show general displeasure. Keeping your baby clean will, however, keep diaper rash from occurring in a severe manner or too often, and swift corrective action including treatment with a gentle, pH neutral moisturizer will make a real difference, quickly.

Scares And Their Credibility

There are no small amount of health scares that persist in this day and age – as adults we see them ourselves in cases of epidemics and “epidemics”, some of which are credible and some which are, to be charitable, less than helpful. In the case of babies’ health there is no less controversy, and there have been more than a few scares that have been shown to be unfounded. This has the highly unfortunate and undesirable effect of making people naturally skeptical, which can cause harmful indecision in times of genuine illness. Pediatricians are understanding and well-trained, so if you have a cause for concern it is worth taking it up with them.

One example of scare mongering having a negative effect is one that happened in Britain, when a medical paper written collaboratively by several doctors included a single line that raised the possibility that the MMR vaccination that had been in circulation for quite some time may be linked to autism in children. Although this line was written by one doctor, who had not even definitively claimed that the link was real and provable, the national press picked up on it and made it into a huge story. Although the other doctors involved in the study distanced themselves from the claim and it emerged that no evidence existed for any such link, the press had their story, and many parents were understandably reluctant to have their child immunized with the vaccine. When it comes down to it, getting medical advice from the media is not advisable.

Feeding a premature baby

When it comes to dealing with a premature baby, the rules change somewhat from the typical ones for dealing with a baby where everything has happened more or less on schedule. Sometimes you will find that, due to their reduced size and strength, your baby has less of an appetite if it has been born prematurely. In order to mitigate against this you may need to pay more attention and encourage him or her to feed. Even though their natural desire to feed may be reduced as compared with a stronger baby, they will still need to feed in order to gain some of the strength that they lack.

A newborn, fully healthy baby will want to feed between eight and twelve times a day. They will automatically wake up in order to do this. A premature baby may prefer naturally to sleep, as they will tire easier due to their lack of strength. This may mean that you need to wake your baby and persuade him or her to feed. After a time this will become a more natural process as they gain in strength and consequently in appetite. While you are waiting for this to happen, it may be necessary to wake without “fully waking” – an alarm clock set to a gentle chime will mean that you can wake, feed, and go back to sleep, which is much better for your own health. By keeping your baby in the same room as you, you can simplify this matter a great deal.

Read: The importance of Setting a Baby’s routine

 

 

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