Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Mommy Wisdom's Favorite Questions

I received a new question recently from a reader about her baby.  I thought I would post it here in addition to some of the top questions I have received in the past.

Please feel free to email me any question and if I don't have an answer based on personal experience, I'll research answers for you.

And remember, send me the funny things your kids say, I am compiling a blog of all-kid quotes!

NEW Q: My 4-month old daughter is already (somehow) ending up on her tummy in her crib at night which worries me!  My pediatrician scared me so badly when he said to always have her sleep on her back.

A: This happens to almost every baby at some point.  They realize that tummy sleep ROCKS and is what nature intended!  Four months is early, but it is definitely not uncommon.  My pediatrician said that if a baby does it all on her own, then not to worry, let her be.  BUT, the golden rule still applies.  Make sure not to have anything in the crib - blankets, swaddle, hat, pillow, stuffed animal, etc.  This is always important, but DOUBLY so when a baby begins to sleep on her tummy.  And if it were happening to me, I would check on her a couple of extra times in the night.  :-)

Q: My newborn daughter screams and cries when I nurse her. Is she not hungry?

A: There are a variety of reasons why your baby might cry during nursing. She could be milk/soy intolerant. This can be tested by your doctor through a dirty diaper. If she is, then you can either change your diet to continue nursing, or you can purchase special milk and soy free formula. Baby also might cry if your let down is too slow or if she can't latch on due to engorgement or a weak latch. And then, there is always the chance that there is no reason. Newborns are allowed to cry just because.

Q: I know that newborns can't regulate their temperature. How do I know what to dress my baby in?

A: The general rule of thumb is to dress your baby in one layer more than what you are wearing. And this only applies to newborns. So around 6-8 weeks in summer and maybe closer to 12 weeks in winter, you can stop layering and dress baby in the same amount of layers as you are wearing.

Q: My baby has a lumpy head. Is this dangerous or should I worry about it?

A: This is very common now that babies sleep on their backs. They have very soft heads as newborns so the hard mattress causes the lump. It's in no way dangerous to your baby's brain. Ask your pediatrician to look at it BEFORE six months. If it is very noticeable, you can helmet your baby. This is very costly and is only suggested if it is cosmetically noticeable.

Q: My baby has a terrible diaper rash. How do I know what to do about it?

A: There are a lot of different diaper rashes. I suggest you look in What to Expect the First Year because they have a descriptive list of the various diaper rashes. I can tell you that when my son was a newborn he got one that was a red ring around his b-hole and my doctor said this was very common in breast fed babies. He prescribed a compound cream and it worked. My son then got a rash while we had thrush and I had to use foot cream on his butt. I asked my doctor what I should do to prevent the diaper rashes and he had a great tip. He said that the heavy-duty white creams are great, but when you try to get it off, it irritates the skin. So, he suggested that after you use wipes, dry it completely with a tissue and then apply Vaseline. This keeps the moisture out. It worked GREAT!

Q: You talk about the best diapers to buy. What about swim diapers?

A: One of my friends suggested Pamper Splashers, although they all seem to do just fine. She did tell me a little trick. She washes them out after she gets home from the pool and uses them a few more times - until they get scruffy. And, I accidentally bought Dora decorated diapers for my son. So, get gender appropriate, if you care.

Q: Is the whole "nursing calorie burn" true?

A: It definitely is true that you burn about 500 extra calories a day nursing. BUT, you are super hungry because of nursing, so you are taking in more food. And, it depends what food you eat! I gained exactly 30 pounds during my pregnancy. And within about 4 months of having my baby, I had lost all of it. BUT, when he turned 6 months and I was only nursing 4 times per day, I gained about 4 pounds back. And, before I got pregnant, I needed to lose 10-12 pounds. And that was really hard to get off even with the 4X per day nursing. So, my advice - be your ideal weight when you get pregnant. And one more thing - I have heard that your body keeps on an extra 5 or 10 pounds while nursing. I hope that is true!

Q: My baby was born with steel blue eyes. Will they stay that color?

A: From what I have read, babies are born with steel blue or brown eyes. If he is born with brown, they will stay brown. But, if they are steel blue, they can turn green, brown, hazel or they can stay blue. And they will generally stick around 8 months - but of course, it could be earlier or later.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Getting Ready for Baby - Names!

Whether you have had your baby's name picked out for months, or you don't plan on deciding until you actually give birth, it is so much fun to research baby names.


Here are my two favorite sites to surf for baby name options and information!

www.socialsecurity.gov - you can type in any year all the way back to 1885 or so and see the top names of that year. Mary was #1 for something like 50 years!

www.babynamewizard.com - click on Name Voyager - this is great fun. See the peaks and valleys of a name's popularity over the decades.

You might notice that some of the most popular names of today did not even exist 50 years ago!

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

New Baby Advice - Wake a Sleeping Baby?

I had a really hard time with this because my friends and doctor told me to wake him if he was going over schedule. Basically, your goal is to get your baby to sleep through the night. This is gradual, so you are trying to eliminate feedings slowly. But during the day, it is suggested that you feed your baby every 3 to 4 hours AND that you get 6 feedings in during the day. Well, my son always slept past this mark. So, I had to wake him A LOT. I would go in and stare at him, chicken out and run out and call my husband. I usually forced myself at the 4.5 hour mark after I would envision being up in the night an extra time.

So, I say, definitely wake a sleeping baby but only until about 4 months. This is advice I got from the book Baby Whisperer. I noticed that I didn't generally have to wake him as much around 3 months or 3.5 months. And by 4 months, he was on a pretty decent routine. But, there were maybe 2 times where I woke him after 4 months, and it was very hard for him to get up and he was fussy. When they are newborns, babies can sleep anywhere, eat anytime, etc. But as their internal clocks start to form, it gets harder to break up their routine.

And you'll notice that baby won't be able to sleep on the run anymore. You will be stuck at home while he sleeps in his cozy crib. But it is worth it to have a happy, rested baby!