Tips for normal Delivery

Nowadays a big problem our ladies are facing is C-section instead of normal delivery. Especially the girls who are going to be mothers for the first time mostly go to the operation theater at the end. But no artificial way for delivery is as safe as the natural and normal delivery. So, never make your mind to go under the knife and try to prepare yourself for normal delivery. If you are going to be a mother for the first time, this article will be very helpful for you. If unfortunately, you have had a C-section before, you should also try these tips for a VBAC. Because after one C-section, there are still chances to come to the normal delivery.

Here are some tips that you should follow during your pregnancy for normal delivery.

Stay away from stress:

Stay away from any kind of stress and keep yourself happy. Don’t give importance to anything that makes you upset. Because taking tension can create issues like high blood pressure or diabetes for you that leads towards the C-section at the end. Remember only you, yes only you can keep yourself happy.

Don’t prefer bedrest:

There is a misconception among the new mothers  that they have to take bed rest during pregnancy. But remember an active life is more healthy during this period. It’s true that sometimes we are not feeling well and we need to take rest. But continuous sitting or lying on bed is not a good choice. Try to do your household chores by yourself to keep yourself in movement.

Watch your diet plan

It’s very necessary to watch your diet plan during pregnancy. You should not eat just for your  appetite but also for nutrition. Our older ladies used to say that you should eat for two in this condition. It doesn’t mean to eat more, but it means to eat healthy that can give nutrition to you and your baby as well. 

Yoga

Just as in normal life, yoga is also very healthy during pregnancy. Do simple, easy and relaxing yoga asanas during your first trimester. Avoid belly exercises. You can just sit by folding your legs and take long breaths. Close your eyes and think about your new little angel. Stretch your arms, legs, neck and shoulders. During the next trimesters you can increase your stretches and yoga timings. Habit to do yoga during the whole pregnancy period prepares your body for normal delivery.

Have some activities to keep yourself active

Don’t let yourself be dull and inactive. Plan any activity for this period that keeps you mentally or physically busy. You can start some short online courses, reading books, art work or any other activity according to your taste. But don’t let yourself sit idle and get bored.

Be careful about choosing your doctor

If you want to have a normal delivery, the most important thing for you is to choose the right doctor. There are some advices for you to keep in your mind while you are choosing a doctor or hospital for delivery:

1. Expensive doctors and expensive hospitals doesn’t mean that they are also sincere with your health. Try to go to the doctors who are sincere with you. It doesn’t matter if your doctor is expensive or not. 
2. Better to go to a doctor who is not a surgeon. A Surgeon always prefers surgery. 🙂
3. See the previous record of the doctor whether he is doing normal deliveries more than C-sections. 
4. If you have a midwife (hard to find nowadays), nothing is better than it. She will definitely take you towards normal delivery. It is observed that some lady doctors cannot do C-sections by themselves and they have to take help of surgeons for this matter. They always prefer normal delivery and avoid C-section. Find such doctors if you can. 
5. The hospital and the clinic must have first aid equipments for your newborn baby so they can assist him in case of emergency.  

Visit your doctor every week in the 9th month

It is very necessary to visit your doctor every week during your 9th month. Have a complete proper check up on every visit. Also have a check on your baby’s movement by yourself.  

Wait for natural pain

I advise you to wait until you feel natural pains. Although there are several methods of inductions and artificial pains that doctors use for those females who don’t feel delivery pains till their due date. But keep in mind that every induction method doesn’t suit every woman and finally results in C-section. 

Minimized the usage of medicines

During pregnancy avoid using medicine without any serious reason.  

Overcome your deficiencies through food

Although our doctors recommend supplements to overcome your vitamin and mineral deficiencies, I advise you to overcome your deficiencies through natural and organic foods. They are better than supplements. 

Food to eat and to avoid

Here are some diet suggestions for last trimester for normal delivery. 

• Take 11 almonds and 5 dates on a daily basis during the last 2 months. 
• Take warm milk before sleeping (better to add  one tablespoon of almond oil in it during the 8th and 9th month).
• Take as much fruits as you can.
• Take an apple with a glass of lukewarm milk daily after getting up early in the morning.
• Avoid rice during last trimester.
• Avoid chilled drinks and juices.
• Avoid fast food.
• Avoid tea and coffee

If you have decided to go for a normal delivery, you must try these tips. They will be very helpful for you in this regard. We wish you all the best.

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Convert Your Baby from Mother Feed to Bottle Feeder

No one can deny the importance of mother feed as it is the best feed for the baby for the first 6 months. Mother feed is highly advised and almost all mothers accept its importance. But as the time passes and your little one grows up; you feel that now your milk supply is not sufficient for your baby and you also have to give a milk bottle or feeder to your baby. The time of conversion from mother feed to bottle feeder depends on the situation of mother and baby. I have 2 kids and the time of conversion to bottle feeder was different for both. I had introduced my first baby to a bottle feeder when he was 9 months old and it was very hard to train him to take the feeder properly. But at the time of my second born, I had to go to my work, so besides mother feed, I started giving her a bottle feeder when she was just about 2.5 months old. I didn’t have to put any effort into it. She starts taking the feeder properly in the first attempt and I can’t share my happiness at that time. But every baby has a different nature and every mother has different experiences. I’ll advise you not to give your baby bottle feeder for the first 1.5 month. Let him be familiar with breast feeding properly and then start giving him a feeder once or twice in a day. (You can give him your pumped milk through the feeder). At this stage your baby will take the feeder easily. But if your baby is four to six months old or more, and now you want to convert him to the feeder, he will give you a very tough time. Let me share some tips in this article that I had followed to introduce my first baby with a bottle feeder and finally I became successful in my efforts.

Take a suitable bottle feeder

The first and most important thing is to choose a proper feeder with a soft nipple tip. Mother-fed babies usually don’t know how to suck the feeder. So, you have to choose an appropriate nipple for them.

Fix a time to give it to your baby

Fix a time to give the bottle to your baby and don’t change the timing. Evening time is the best for it. In the evening when the baby likes to play with you, give him the bottle. Let him play with it and help him to put it in the mouth. In the start, he will chew the nipple or roll it in his mouth because he doesn’t know that he has to suck it. Don’t worry and let him do it.

Stay constant

Stay constant with your routine. Your baby will resist. Maybe he starts crying and doesn’t like the bottle but you should not give up. Let me give you my example. I stayed constant for 4 months and then finally my baby started taking the feeder properly. If you want to convert your baby to bottle, you must stay constant.

Give him when he is hungry

Another tip is to give your baby a feeder when he is hungry. Don’t give him up when he is full. When he is hungry, while playing or chewing the feeder nipple some milk will go in his mouth and he will feel good and like to suck it. But hungry doesn’t mean too much hunger that he cannot bear. In this case he starts crying and will not compromise on anything other than mother feed. 

Ask someone else to give him bottle

Babies are too familiar with the smell of their mother. Usually they don’t take bottles from their mother. Because as the mother picks her baby in her lap, he starts expecting breast feed and doesn’t want to take a bottle. So, ask your partner or some other person at home to give him the bottle.

Don’t give milk before sleeping

When you are converting your baby to the bottle, don’t give him before sleeping. Your baby is habitual to take mother feed before sleeping. He will never accept the bottle at this time.

Give small quantity of milk at the start

 When you start giving a bottle to your baby just give him one ounce of milk. Don’t make your bottle full. Baby takes hardly half to one ounce of milk at the start. Gradually you can increase the quantity.

Engage him with some activity while giving feeder

While giving him the bottle, try to engage him with some activity. Ask someone to play with him or do some interesting activity in front of him which diverts his attention from the bottle. As per my experience, when I was trying to give my baby bottle feeder, my husband continued to open and shut the doors of the upper cupboards of the room. This practice diverted the attention of my baby and he started looking up. I put the bottle nipple in his mouth and he started sucking it unconsciously. At the start the baby sucks the bottle nipple unconsciously and after some time he starts taking it consciously. With the passage of time the baby makes friends with his bottle feeder and becomes excited at the bottle time. 

6 months old baby food

As your baby completes its 6 months, it comes with big changes in baby’s and mom’s life. You will observe that your baby has become more active to respond. The 6 months old baby starts responding and makes sounds when you talk to him. You can also observe the following changes in your baby:

• He starts rolling over and can be fall down from his bed. 
• He likes to stand up on his feet and stretches his legs for this purpose.
• He likes to see in the mirror and play.
• He puts everything in his mouth.
• Wants to eat the things you are eating in front of him.
• He becomes attentive to voices and sees towards the voice direction.

 A big change and pleasure in baby’s and mom’s life at this stage is to come on solid food. Mommies are very excited for it and also worried about what to give and what to avoid. In this article, we are going to discuss baby’s food at this stage.

Baby’s Food:

Keep in mind that you are taking your baby from liquid to solid. Sudden change in baby food can cause any kind of complication. So, it is advised to be careful about these things:

• Give your baby thick liquids or semi-solids at this stage.
• When you start solids, just give 3 to 4 spoons to your baby. 
• Choose the food which is easy to digest for your baby.
• Avoid foods which are hard to digest and can cause colic pain.
• In the start, use the same milk in the food which you are already giving to your baby. 

Food Suggestions

It is highly recommended from my side to give your baby homemade food. There are so many things you can make instantly even if you are too busy. Here are some suggestions for you in this regard:

1. Take some soft fruit like banana, peach, mango etc. Peel its skin and blend it in the form of paste. You also can use boiled water or milk (that baby takes) if you want to make it more dilute. (It’s better not to give banana seeds present in it to a 6-month-old baby. You can use it in 7^th month)
2. Take grinded barley or wheat cereal and roast it. Grind it in more powder form after roasting. Now store it in a container. When you have to prepare food, take one spoon of this powder and boil it in water until it is cooked to soft paste. Make it like a semi-solid by using milk in it.
3. Tapioca pearls (sabudana) is also one of the best foods for babies. Take a spoon of it and boil it in water until it becomes transparent. Now add some milk and blend it to a paste.
4. Take some rice. Wash them and dip in water for 2 to 3 hours. Now let them dry and roast them. Then grind them in the form of powder. When you have to prepare food, boil this powder in water and make a soft paste. (Now you can also add milk in it.)
5. Apple puree is very popular among 6-month-old babies. Take an apple and peel it off. Cut it into pieces and boil it in water or steam. Now blend it to a paste. (Adding milk is optional)
6. You can also give Boiled Potato puree to your baby. Boil a potato in water. Peel it off and blend it by adding water in it. Give your baby 2 to 3 spoons of it.
7.  Vegetable soup is very healthy for babies. Boil some vegetables of your choice and give their soup to your baby.
8. Mutton or chicken soup is also very healthy for babies and it can be given in the same way as vegetable soup.
9. Take 1 tablespoon yogurt and 1 tablespoon milk. Mix it well and give it to your baby.  

Must be careful about anything you are giving to your 6-month-old baby. Give him boiled water. Sterilize the plate, spoon and cup properly that you are using for your baby. Stay clean, stay healthy and stay happy… 🙂

How to manage your baby’s day night sleeping times

It is a common thing among newborns that they have wrong sleep times. They love to sleep during the day and keep waking the whole night. If you are a new parent, this is the most difficult thing for you to manage. I’ve two kids and I still remember my horrible nights at the time of my first born. When I didn’t know how to manage his sleeping times. During the whole day, he refused to wake up and during the whole night he refused to sleep until he became 6 months old. Ooooohh! Very tough days. But for my second born, by the Grace of Allah, I’ve learnt that a mother can manage everything. Yes, understand the power of a mother. So, I would like to share my tips and experience about how I made a habit of my child to sleep the whole night.

Important Tips

• First of all, you have to plan when you want your child to get sleep. This should be according to your sleeping time table. The best is to sleep at night and wake up in the morning.

• Stay constant with your time table.
• Newborn has to feed 3 to 4 times during the night, so don’t expect that he will sleep the whole night and wake up in the morning. But try that he would not wake up properly and as he feels hunger and starts moving, give him feed so that he remains asleep.
• Don’t pick him up in your lap to feed him during the night, it will make him active. Give him feed while lying down on your elbow. Put the baby’s head on your arm and have a support under your neck. In this position your baby will take feed easily while sleeping. 
• Change the diaper of your baby before sleep. But still if your baby wakes up during night and you need to change his diaper, change it before giving him feed. If you feed him first and then change his diaper, you are going to make him active.   

• Keep the lights off during the whole night and try not to make noises near your baby. On the other hand, turn on the lights during the day time and keep the windows open. In this way your baby will be able to make a difference between day and night. 
• When your baby is taking a nap during the day, have a dim light in your room so he doesn’t think that it’s night.
• One thing which I have experienced with my second born baby was that my toddler made noises during the whole day which didn’t let my newborn to have a long nap. So, at night when there was a deep silence, my newborn also liked to sleep for long. So, it means if your baby has short naps during the day, he will sleep for a long time during the night.

•  During the night, sleep with your newborn and don’t make him sleep alone in his cradle. If he will sleep with you on your side, he will have a long sleep. 
• Swaddling your baby during night is also a useful tip but I didn’t do it for my baby. You can also try it for your baby if you want. 

Early 10 days of a newborn are the toughest because he feels hungry every hour and it doesn’t matter whether it’s day or night. But after that you should start to make a habit of sleeping at night. Consistency is necessary in following these tips if you want your baby to sleep the whole night. But don’t expect that your baby will start sleeping during the night in 3 or 4 days. Some babies adopt a habit early while others take some time. You should stay constant and have patience. If you follow these tips, your baby shall adopt a habit of sleeping at night in 15 to 30 days. It depends on your baby’s nature and at the end you are going to say thanks to me for sharing these tips. 😊

Newborn care

Before reading this article, let’s welcome your cute little one to this new world. It’s a very precious and happy as well as hard time for the parents to take care of their new member. Taking care of a newborn is a very detailed topic but in this article, we are going to share some important things that you should keep in mind while taking care of your newborn.    

Newborn essentials

There are some things that you must have with you before your little one comes to this world. The list of that things is as under:

i.    Some newborn dresses

ii.   Diapers

iii.  Feeder bottle+formula milk

iv.   Bibs

v.    1 big and1 small towel

vi.   Baby wipes

vii.  A soap for baby (don’t use antibacterial soaps, beauty bars are best soaps for babies)

viii. Baby lotion, baby oil(or any organic oil)

ix.   Baby handkerchief 

x.    Baby mittens 

xi.   Swaddle

xii.  Baby sheets or diaper changing table

xiii. For winter fleece and heavy blanket, sweater, cap, shoes 

Feed and it’s timings

For early 3 to 4 days you may have to give formula milk to your new born till he starts taking mother feed. We recommend you not use a feeder bottle at this time. Give formula to your baby with the help of a spoon or dropper. Because it is observed that some babies don’t like to take mother feed after taking a feeding bottle for 3 to 4 days.  If we talk about the feeding times of a newborn, normally he takes 1 ounce after every 2 hours but it can be varied according to your baby’s demand. Some babies take more, some take less. So, don’t worry about this variation. Besides the formula must try to give him mother feed because it is necessary for your baby’s health and immunity power. When he starts taking mother feed, skip the formula and just give him mother feed for at least early 3 months. And if you can, expand it to six months. There is no timing for mother feed, it is always on demand. So, don’t worry if your baby takes long or short pauses in his feed.

Burp after feed

Always burp after feeding your baby. It is very necessary for your baby to digest the milk. If you don’t burp, it can result in colic pain and it is a horrible thing for newborn parents. There are two ways to burp your baby

1. make your baby sit in your lap, hold his chin with one hand and gently massage or tap his back with the other hand. 
2. Hold him in your arms and put his head on your shoulder. Now gently massage or tap his back.

New parents often get worried when their little one doesn’t burp. Keep in mind that the baby who takes feeder milk burps almost every time but the baby who is on mother feed doesn’t always burp. But you must try for it.  

Changing diapers

It’s also a new experience for new parents to change the diaper of their little one. Don’t worry it’s not rocket science 😊  Just let your baby lay down on a baby sheet(you can also use a changing table) First put the new diaper under the baby and then remove the last one. You can also wash him with water (better to use lukewarm water) If you are using baby wipes, gently clean your baby and make sure to clean his skin. If you have a baby girl, clean her up to down. Never down to up as it can cause any infection. If you have a baby boy, you can clean him in any direction. 

While changing diapers take care of the baby cord because it’s a very sensitive part of the newborn. Try not to touch your hand or wipes to the cord. Apply some lotion or oil on baby’s skin before closing the new diaper to prevent him from any kind of rashes. While changing the diaper, talk to your baby in a happy mood or sing some sweet poems and don’t let him cry. 

Dress up the newborn:

Always take the newborn dresses and sweaters with buttons on front. They are more comfortable to wear for a little angle. Do a little massage on the baby’s body before clothing to avoid any kind of rash.

How to make him sleep:

It’s hard to make your baby sleep according to your plan. I’ve had horrible experiences with my first baby’s sleep. But by the time of the second one, I’ve learnt how to manage it. Mother feeding babies often fell asleep in their mother’s lap. If your baby is on a feeder bottle, give him the feeder in your lap, turn off the lights, no noise, no disturbance and you can let your baby sleep just by a gentle tap on his forehead or thighs. If you are facing more difficulties in your baby’s sleep or he has a habit of waking up the whole night, read How to manage a baby’s day night sleep times.

Talking with little one

Although your little one cannot talk to you, he can listen to you. So, if you talk to him, sing poems before him, it will be helpful for his physical and emotional growth. The babies who have more people to talk with them, are physically more active.

Do’s and don’ts

Here is a list of do’s and don’ts for your baby:

1. Don’t let his head down from his legs
2. Don’t play with him throw and pick. He is so little for it.
3. Always give him boiled water for formula or any other purpose.
4. Don’t scare him from anything or horrible noises.
5. Don’t use powder, kajal, surma and fragrance spray on your newborn.

How to calm down a crying baby

Keep in mind that the only language a baby uses to talk with you is ‘crying’. He shares his needs, moods and problems with you by crying. Babies seldom cry for no reason. So, without getting upset, just try to understand what your baby is asking you. Check if he is not hungry then check his diaper, his body, change his position, pick him up and gently massage his back and belly. If he continues crying, maybe he wants to sleep. So, help him to have a peaceful sleep. As the problem of your baby is resolved, he will calm down and stop crying. Sometimes the baby just cries to seek your attention, pick him in your lap and gently massage his forehead. Singing or some unusual voice also helps to calm down your baby. 

Crying hungry newborn baby lying on the bed. Love baby. Newborn baby and mother.

Giving bath

Giving a bath to your newborn is also complicated for the new parents. According to my experience, I’ll advise you not to give him a complete water bath in the bathtub before the cord get off. You can just wash the baby’s head, legs and arms. The reason is that usually water makes the cord soft and watery and it takes more days to dry up. You can also keep your little one clean by giving him a cotton bath. For this purpose, dip cotton pieces in warm water and rub his body with it. After the cord get off and you finally decide to give a complete bath to your little one, take lukewarm water in a tub. If you have a tiny bath tub suitable for your baby, let him sit in it and hold him with your hands. But if you are using big tub, don’t dip your baby in it. In this case, you should sit on a small seater. Now hold your baby carefully and let him sit down on your feet. Pour water on him slowly and gently massage his body with a baby friendly soap. Firstly wash his body and then wash his head. You have to clean your baby’s hair properly in his first bath. Keep his eyes safe from the soap. Pour clean water on him to remove soap from the body and head and all done. Now cover your baby with a towel and instantly pack him with diaper. Give him mother feed to make him calm. You can also give him an oil massage after bath.

Taking care of newborn cord

This is the most sensitive part of a newborn after birth. Methylated spirit is best for the healing of baby cord. Apply the spirit on the pointing area of the cord with the help of cotton. Apply it at least twice in a week. You don’t need to use any other gel or medicine for it. Be careful about it while changing baby clothes and diapers.

How to manage your work and home as a mother

If you are a mother and also a working woman, it’s quite difficult to manage your work and home side by side. Especially if you are a new mother, you will worry about your little angel because it will be hard for him to stay away from you. But as you have to manage this situation in every case, we have some suggestions for you that can be helpful for you in this situation.

Early to bed Early to rise:

Must try to make a time table for your bedtime routine. Early to bed and early to rise will make your life easier. Also make a habit of your kids to go to bed early so you can wake up early in the morning. This routine will make it easy for you to wind up your households early in the morning and reach your workplace timely. Always keep some margin of time in the morning because with kids there can be any unpredictable issue like vomit, needing to change diapers or any kind of mess etc. Although it doesn’t happen daily, whenever you face such a situation, if you have some margin of time, you can handle the issue without getting late from your work.

Arrange a caretaker

If you leave your kids at home, you must arrange a caretaker for your kids. It can be some of your close relatives or a paid assistant. School or day care center is the other option as per the age of your child.
Make a list of your child needs, do’s and don’ts, meal times and other activities and give it to the caretaker. It will be very helpful for the caretaker to take care of your child. Moreover, his routine will not disturb in your absence. It is very necessary for your kids because you can’t leave them at home alone. Do you?

Stop worrying about kids when you are at work

When you are at your workplace, stop worrying about your kids and accept the situation. It is true that wherever a mother is, she always keeps her kids in her mind but when you are at your work, try to forget about anything else and just focus on your work. So that you can do your work properly and timely and when you go back to your home, you can give time to your kids without worrying about your work.

Finish your tasks timely

Try to finish your households and other tasks timely. When we leave some tasks undone for the next day, they multiply and become a bundle. Then it is very difficult to wind them up. 

There are some tips to finish your households timely. 

1. Try to wash the pots and plates immediately after the meal. It just takes some of your minutes.
2. Don’t let your house messy and try to keep the things in their places to maintain it. 
3. Most working women do their laundry on weekends because during working days they can’t find time for it.
4. Try to store some eatable things in the refrigerator during the weekend. It will be very helpful for you to prepare meals during working days. They can be some vegetables, meat, snakes or fruits for juice.

On the other hand when you are in office, finish your work timely and don’t let it go to the other day. 

Minimized the household tasks

As we have already said, don’t get over the burden with your household tasks because with your work, you also have to give time to your kids. Try the tips mentioned above to minimize your households.

Time for kids

Usually when mothers get back to their homes, they have plenty of tasks to do. In this situation your kids get frustrated that why even you are not giving them time when you are at home. To manage this situation, try to make it a habit to involve your kids with you while doing household chores. It’s up to their age. If they are so little to help you then keep them with you in your kitchen, laundry or where you have to do your work. You can let them sit on a chair or cot. Talk or sing with them while doing your work so they don’t feel alone.

Fun activities with kids

When you are giving your whole day to your work, it is very necessary that when you are with your kids, give your full time to them. Your kids need your attention. Have some fun activities with them, play with them, teach them good things and manners and let them feel that now you are with them.

Outing with kids

Going out is a refreshing activity with your family that demolishes all the fatigue of your whole week. Plan some outdoor entertainment or activity with your partner and kids on the weekend. It will boost up your energy level and make you refresh for the next week.

Reduce your Cell phone usage:

As you spend most of your time at your work, so when you come to your home, avoid using your cell phone. It will help you to wind up your households timely and to spend time with your kids and family.

 Take care of your diet:

You are doing a double duty in the form of your work and your home. So, it’s necessary for you to take care of your diet. Don’t miss any meal. Stay healthy, stay active. Keep in mind that your good health is not only important for you but also for your work and your kids.

 Give time to your partner:

During your busy routine of the whole day, don’t forget your partner. He knows that you are very busy in your daily life but the little time that you spend together is the happiest moment for both of you. Take a cup of tea and share your experiences with each other in a peaceful environment (although it’s hard with kids but try to manage when they are sleeping 😊 . You can avail this opportunity early in the morning before your kids wake up.)