Monday, May 28, 2012

Moms Share Ideas About Soothing a Fussy Baby

Ideas shared from Baby Center on Soothing a Fussy Baby

"If my baby's still crying after I've changed and fed him, I usually put him in his swing and let him be because it generally means he's overstimulated."

"Giving my baby a massage chills her right out."

"Having a crying baby can take a toll on you when you aren't sleeping much. Learn to be patient and know your breaking point."

"The more upset a mother is, the more upset her baby will get."

"If your newborn is crying a lot and you have no idea what the problem could be, try gas drops."


"I love the quote, 'The baby can't fall off the floor' ..I've been to that point. I just pull out the bottom of the play yard, toss it on the floor, put my son on it, and let him cry it out. He's usually out within five minutes."

"Remind yourself that you can't keep a baby happy all day long. When you don't know what to do, don't think any less of yourself for it. Nobody's perfect and not all babies are the same."

Click on the link above to see more...

The Postpartum Period: 6 weeks after birth (fourth trimester) for mom & baby

Excerpts from
Mothering the Mother: The Importance of Postpartum Careby Rev. Pilar (Ma’at) Grant Nov 02, 2011

What is the Postpartum Period?
As a midwife, I have worked with pregnant mothers and their families for over twenty years. I myself am a mother of seven amazing and beautiful human beings. During this time, I have witnessed as well as experienced how women are almost forgotten after the birth of their babies. 

Postpartum, also called the fourth trimester, puerperium and postnatal is recognized as the period just after birth and the subsequent six weeks that follow. Postpartum is as important as any other phase of the birthing process. During pregnancy, labor and birth of the baby, a mother’s overall health is depleted. The mother is constantly giving of her life force energy, therefore it is most important she is replenished and cared for after birth. Many elders have told me women who don’t take care of themselves in their childbearing years, especially after the birth of a baby, are sure to feel discomforts during menopause.
Postpartum is a significant time for the mother, baby and family. Many physiological, psychological and spiritual changes occur. During this time, the uterus contracts, breasts may enlarge and become tender in preparation for breastfeeding and hormones fluctuate. Internal organs that have moved to accommodate the baby are slowly shifting back to their original positions. As mothers, we need to desire and expect quality holistic postpartum care. As health practitioners, it is imperative that we are more attentive to the postpartum mothers we are serving. Caring for the mother in a loving way will help restore strength, vitality, muscle tone, mental clarity and an overall sense of well being. 

Major Areas of Concern for Mother Postpartum

There are five major physiological changes that postpartum mothers experience. 

Healing of the uterus and uterine wall
After the birth of the placenta, the top of the uterus is at the level of the navel. The uterus will remain this size for about two days and then it continually gets smaller. In about five to six weeks, it has regained its pre-pregnant size. The regeneration happens very quickly except at the placental site. Complete healing of the placental site takes up to six weeks or more.  Wise women have told me that it can take up to three months for the placental site of the uterus to heal. They suggest that mothers refrain from sexual intercourse and inserting anything into the vagina for three months. 

Vaginal restoration and healing of the pelvic floor muscles including the perineum
There are many changes in the vagina after birth. Vaginal discharge is experienced, whether it is a vaginal birth or caesarean. This is called lochia. It is much like a menstrual period and can be experienced for two to six weeks after birth. Lochia comes from blood and tissues that have built up in the uterus during pregnancy. In vaginal births where tearing has occurred, the mother usually experiences swelling and pain. The tearing may be repaired by the use of stitches depending on the severity. If this is the case they will dissolve over the course of a week. For a mother who has not experienced tearing, the vaginal lips can still appear slightly swollen. Although the vagina stretches significantly to accommodate the birth of the baby, immediately after birth, the vagina shrinks tremendously forming a smooth walled passage. The perineum, the area between the vagina and anus, may also be sore due to a tear during labor or an episiotomy.

Restoring strength and tone to the abdominal wall muscles
The abdominal wall will remain soft and flabby for a while after birth due to the rupture of the elastic fibers and the prolonged distention of the uterus. It usually takes several weeks for the abdomen to return to its pre-pregnancy appearance. For mothers of 3 or more children, the abdominal wall may have separated and will remain lax. 

Establishing a good milk supply and successful breastfeeding
The same hormones that initiate contractions in labor help to initiate breast milk.  Within 24 hours after birth, the breast produces colostrum, a golden yellow liquid that is full of antibodies that serve as the newborns first immunization to disease. Breast milk has the proper amount of sugar, fat, water and protein for the baby’s growth. Not only is breastfeeding good for the child, it is also great for the mother as well. Suckling on the breast creates a rush of oxytocin in the mother’s body. This hormone helps the body secrete milk. Suckling also helps in contracting the uterus and protects the mother from hemorrhaging. 

Endocrine system and hormonal shifts
After giving birth, estrogen and progesterone, which are released by the endocrine system, significantly lower. During pregnancy, the body produces these hormones in abundance. It takes around three days for hormonal levels to return to their pre-pregnancy state. The body experiences a shock with the sudden change in hormones, impacting the mother’s mood, body functions, digestion, and ability to sleep. 
Due to major shifts in hormones after birth, mothers may experience mood swings. In the first week, postpartum women usually start out happy and joyful because of the high of the birth. However, in a few days the joys of birth can turn into depression and or a sense of melancholy. This is due to the physical and mental stress of birth, a breakdown of tissue components and a withdrawal of estrogen and progesterone leading to an imbalance of electrolytes and hormones.  

Without proper care, many women develop postpartum mood disorder. Postpartum mood disorder is a mental health disorder striking within the first year of giving birth. It can occur in any woman after birth whether she is a first time mom or not .The postpartum mood disorders can range from Baby Blues to Psychosis. 

Baby Blues is a condition that affects 80 percent of new mothers, with the onset between 3-14 days postpartum. Twenty percent of women with baby blues will go on to develop Postpartum Depression. Postpartum Depression affects up to 25 percent of new mothers. Symptoms can be exhibited right away or several months after delivery. Prior incidents of postpartum depression sometimes may put a woman at a 50 to 80 percent higher risk of recurrence. Postpartum Psychosis is the most severe postpartum mood disorder. PPP is rare, believed to affect only one to two new mothers in one thousand. Treatments of these illnesses may require medication, psychotherapy and, in extreme cases such as Postpartum Psychosis, hospitalization. 

Calcium Magnesium help after birth pains and Insomnia

Excerpts from Mothering the Mother: The Importance of Postpartum Careby Rev. Pilar (Ma’at) Grant, Nov 02, 2011
After birth pains
I did some extensive research and discovered the benefits of calcium and magnesium.  
I took 1000mg of calcium and 500mcg of magnesium as soon as the baby was born and I didn't feel the afterbirth pains. I was aware of the afterbirth uterine contractions yet experienced no pain. I took one to two tablets a day for 1 week. 

Insomnia
Calcium magnesium taken one hour before bed helps you to sleep soundly. A nice cup of raspberry and chamomile tea will help the mother to rest well.

Adjusting to Mothering Two

These excerpts are from Baby Number Two By Christina Schmidt via mothering.com

When we had our second baby, I secretly feared we'd made a terrible mistake. My older son had just entered the notorious Twos. The new baby demanded constant attention and required maddeningly little sleep. I'd wanted my children close in age so they would be friends, but I often doubted we would survive to see that day.
As the months passed, I anxiously awaited any sign of sibling bonding, but for the most part my older son regarded his baby brother with nothing more than curiosity, boredom, some jealousy, and occasional disdain. I'd envisioned the second baby bringing us into balance as a family, and imagined all the wonderful things my two sons would experience together. What I got was extreme sleep deprivation, resentment, and excessive guilt, as I struggled to meet everyones needs and to remember why this had once seemed like such a good idea.

But I've learned to appreciate life as a mother of two and the chaos that naturally follows. You have to be more observant -- the joyful moments are usually brief, unexpected, and tucked obscurely within everyday life, but invariably they are off-the-charts adorable. One minute I'll be thinking that my children are aliens bent on the destruction of mankind and all I want is to beam them back to their mother ship. Then suddenly they'll trot down the hall with their arms around each other, singing and laughing together, and I marvel at the magic of their interactions.

Dr. Harvey Karp's 5's to sooth a crying infant with the calming reflex

According to Dr. Harvey Karp, to sooth a crying infant, recreating the womb environment helps the baby feel more secure and calm. Dr. Karp recommends:
  • Swaddling: Tight swaddling provides the continuous touching and support your baby is used to experiencing within the womb.
  • Side/stomach position: The infant is placed on their left side to assist in digestion, or on their stomach to provide reassuring support. “But never use the stomach position for putting your baby to sleep,” cautions Karp. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is linked to stomach-down sleep positions. When a new baby is in a stomach down position do not leave them even for a moment. 
  • Shushing sounds: These imitate the continual whooshing sound made by the blood flowing through arteries near the womb.
  • Swinging: Newborns are used to the swinging motions within their mother’s womb, so entering the gravity driven world of the outside is like a sailor adapting to land after nine months at sea. “It’s disorienting and unnatural,” says Karp. Rocking, car rides, and other swinging movements all can help.
  • Sucking: “Sucking has its effects deep within the nervous system,” notes Karp, “and triggers the calming reflex and releases natural chemicals within the brain.”
Karp’s system initiates and maximizes a babies natural calming reflex through swaddling, placing the baby on its side or stomach, using “shushing” sounds, swinging and sucking.

Colic occurs in approximately 1 out of 10 babies. It usually begins a few weeks after birth and is defined as crying on and off for more than three hours a day, three or more days a week. The crying is characterized as screaming, complete with a purple face and flailing arms. The fits typically happen in the late afternoon or evening. Colic generally peaks at about six weeks and improves around three to five months.

These tips offered by Dr. Harvey Karp is a nationally renowned pediatrician, child development specialist for over 30 years, award winning author of Happiest Baby and Toddler on the Block as well as Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the USC School of Medicine. 

Saturday, May 12, 2012

Happy Mother's Day... to EVERY mother I've ever known...


Schedule a time to capture the sweet, intimate, unscripted moments that seem to go by SO fast just by including StephVillaDavis-Photography in whatever YOU choose to do.... and yes you can afford it... it's like a month worth of Starbucks... simply give her a call... she has Mother's Day specials or time customized for you thereafter.

How does Mom share joy in YOUR family?  Why not give her the BEST you have to GIVE...
a little bit of quality time to just BE together.   Don't like getting your picture taken?  Not sure it's for you?  
Learn more about my own mothering journey and first hand experience in the midst of lifestyle photo sessions... here on my personal blog: http://www.sabaroos.blogspot.com/




Happy Mother's Day... to EVERY mother I've ever known...
I admire YOU for WHO you are and ALL you do.