Pregnancy and Health Care

Posts Tagged ‘Baby’

Most newborns cry a lot.
Why do it? What to do when they cry? How to distinguish normal crying to indicate discomfort or other health problem? Knowing the answers to these questions can help you avoid anxiety.

Coming home with the baby: the reality
The dream of parents around the maternity: your baby sleep through the night, gurgling happy when awake and just complain a bit when you are hungry.

The reality: one infant cries an average of two hours a day, most of them during the night and the crying of a baby is inevitable most of the time. However, with a little help, parents can learn to identify the cause or causes of crying.

Causes of infant crying
- I have hunger: Most newborns need to eat every little and throughout the day. Some show hunger so eagerly that, when they start to suck, swallow air with the milk. That is the cause of many vomiting, gas … and more tears. To avoid these problems, it should meet as soon as the baby’s hunger signals. If you notice that swallow air during feedings, stop breastfeeding or bottle for a few seconds and then continues. Read the rest of this entry »

Eating a healthy balanced diet is one of the pillars to carry your pregnancy to fruition. Not only is healthy for you, but it is also essential for the proper development of the fetus. Note that at least forty nutrients are working on the formation, development and growth of the baby, so make sure to have a good supply of these energy elements, you will need your child during pregnancy.

A balanced diet is to provide enough calories, protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals to the body. This does not mean you have to eat for two, as they said our grandmothers, but you have to eat well and so varied.

For example, it was found that lack of folic acid (B vitamin), compromises the neural tube development and, therefore, the baby’s nervous system. Or that vitamins B6 and B12 and zinc are good for the prevention of cleft lip and heart defects and skeletal.

Also, in a study by the University of California Berkeley, has found that consumption of fruits, vegetables and protein foods before pregnancy reduces the risk of developing leukemia in children.

If you are overweight is very important that you make a reduced calorie diet to achieve your ideal weight before falling to state, and avoid being overweight during pregnancy, which not only affect your aesthetics, but also to your health (varicose veins, hypertension, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia …) Read the rest of this entry »

The ultrasound is undoubtedly the fundamental review to monitor pregnancies, detect defects, knowing the baby steps, check the position of the placenta and the sex of the fetus.
Ultrasound is an important moment of pregnancy because it is along this test for prospective parents to discover if your baby is well within the womb of its mother, that your heart is right …
But ultrasound also represents many anxieties for parents who fear that a malformation can be discovered in the course of this review.

Ultrasound is performed with the help of an ultrasound probe is placed over the belly of the expectant mother. Gel is applied over the surface of the belly in order to facilitate the transmission of ultrasound.
Ultrasound exposure are reflected differently depending on the density of tissue
And then are transformed into signals by a computer system and broadcast a video screen in the form of images.

Read the rest of this entry »

From 4 or 5 months to 1 year old and a half, baby can enjoy the wonders of the park. In this protected and safe, extremely convenient beginning of his life, he is then free to explore and play alone. Follow our tips on how to better use, but also how best to choose.

Choose a park for baby’s cot or net?

Whatever your choice, baby should be able to play safely. To do this, verify that the park has well indicates compliance with safety requirements. It certifies that the product meets the standards NF S 54-010 (French GAAP) and EN 12227 (European norms) on childcare articles. These standards ensure its strength and lack of games are harmful to children (small parts or sharp edges).

Choose between two types of Park:

- Park in bars often made of wood, it is heavy, stable, and provides good support for a baby who learns to stand up. It costs between 50 and 100 euros;
- Park thread: with foam bottom, it is comfortable and pliable but does not allow baby to recover. It costs between 50 and 80 euros.

NB: Both parks can offer wheels and a washable rugs, and shapes (square, round, or other).
Details to know

Some things to remember:

- Bar spacing should be less than or equal to 7 cm, so that baby can not get caught its head;
- The height of the park must be greater than 55 cm (so that baby can not tip over, bending);
- The park must be stable;
- For net pens, you should know that when baby looks through the mesh, it hard to distinguish what he observes.
If you buy a used playpen

Be vigilant! The park must conform to standards and be in good condition. If folding systems are damaged (rusted, stuck, twisted …), go your way. Also verify that the park is clean, especially if mesh and canvas. Note that it is anyway necessary to disinfect. And finally, test the stability of the item before buying it.
How to install the baby in the park?

The ideal age to put baby in the park is around 8-9 months. That’s when baby starts to move and play alone.
You can install the park in all parts of your home. Preferably close to your living room. Baby is so safe while you go about your day. Continue talking to him from time to time, even if you do not mind him baby will receive the care they need.

If baby does not turn around again, raise his head and block, possibly with a pillow. Place a blanket at the bottom if you find it a bit hard. You can also protect the bars with a padded playpen.

If your baby knows to turn, let the bottom of the park emerged that the baby is up to his movements.

Note: do not forget the toys: an arch of awakening, rattles … and of course the baby blanket. It may play well but also sleep.

Nothing alarming about that but this passion is something really annoying. No need to go to war, it would only increase anxiety and exacerbate the phenomenon. But if he feels ready to stop, you can give him a little push.
Biting nails: a custom safe

Rest assured, the Nail biting (the swallowing nails) poses no risk. The occasional ingestion of keratin, the main component of the nail, is safe. And children who bite their nails have more bacterial infections than others. This habit altogether rather banal shall in no case for alarm. Only the most extreme behaviors are a concern when a child bites his nails until they hurt, bleed to force fire on the small dead skin and will tear up the toenails. This is called gestures of self-wounding. They cover a very small minority, but may be indicative of true suffering a visiting child psychiatrist will be identified.
A new course to pass

Many children start biting their nails about 6-7 years to school entry. In kindergarten, the pleasure principle predominates in the activities. But the high school they are confronted with new requirements. Autonomy becoming greater than we give them, the notion of responsibility that instills the fear of failure creates anxiety among them quite legitimate. Nail biting is a way so as to appease another stress. Installed at a peak of anxiety, this can occasionally reappear in each new little anxiety. But it can also become a true automation. While no longer the shadow of stress, children simply keep the pleasure of this particular gesture.
Helping your child

Buy a special varnish sold in pharmacies: bitterness motivates children who feel ready. For others, useless to the forcing.

With his consent, tell him when he wears his fingers in his mouth, as he often does not realize it.

Ask him to take a gesture of replacing strumming with his fingers or playing with a pen for example.

Talk with him. To allay his fears, explain that they are quite normal, so that you are experiencing these things when you were her age, as surely most of his buddies. Anyway, the anxiety is included in the normal development of a child. What matters is that he can express it and it does not paralyze.

Try homeopathy. To treat anxiety already installed, consult a homeopath that refine the requirement. But a recent anxiety and well identified, you can give these specialties:

- He is afraid of school or day control: Argentum Nit
- He is afraid of not knowing his lessons: Silica
- It is a very symbiotic relationship with you and you’re missing: Pulsatilla
- He is afraid that there is a monster or a thief in her room: Phosphorus

Baby do not speak yet so it’s up to you to ensure that it is nice and warm all winter. At home, outside or walk in the mountains, here are our tips to protect baby from the cold.

Why baby may suffer from cold?

Baby can suffer cold much more than adults.

On the one hand his immobility prevents it from warming and secondly, babies do not yet have an effective system to regulate their body temperature. In other words, they are extremely sensitive to temperature.
Dressing baby when it’s cold?

Before 1 year, children do not work and therefore face the cold by their immobility. So much better cover. It is imperative to dress up an outfit suited to the outdoor temperature.

For example, it is very cold, he must:
- A body;
- Under a long-sleeved sweater;
- A fleece pullover;
- Tights;
- A combination of warm, waterproof and vented allowing perspiration;
- A hood (a more opaque cap);
- A scarf;
- Mittens attached to each other by an elastic band passing through the sleeves;
- Warm boots, neither too small nor too tight if the combination does not cover the feet.
Protect baby from the cold output

When temperatures are very low, do not use baby carrier: baby might have legs pressed and could be cool. It will be free to move in a pram or stroller covered with an overcoat and a blanket.

Do not leave a baby if there is fog, especially if it is freezing.

Walk the hottest hours, between 11h and 15h, and no more than an hour.
The feeding baby when it’s cold

Think about how much drinking baby to prevent it from becoming dehydrated.

When you return, give your child a warm drink or a hot meal.

Give your baby purees soups or rich in starch and iron.
The baby’s skin and the cold

Baby’s skin is extremely sensitive and fragile. Between changes in temperature, friction and hard water, some areas may be vulnerable: facial flushing, herpes, early frostbite on his hands and feet, chapped lips are common.

To soothe itching and gnawing baby, apply on his face and body moisturizer.

On his lips chapped and dry because baby does not know the wet, apply a lip balm suitable for babies. You can use this stick on places other than the lips, like the chin for example.

Namely
- Variations in temperature weakens baby’s skin and the friction of his clothes irritate. To reduce this discomfort, choose soft materials like cotton or fleece;
- When you come out, immediately change clothes baby if they are damp or wet;
- The temperature of baby’s room should be around 19 ° C. Make sure it is not too warm inside, because we tend wrongly to put too much heat.
If hypothermia

How to tell if baby is cold? First, by taking its temperature.

If it drops to around 35 ° C, baby is hypothermic. Then it seems softer, is calm and loses his appetite, even if his skin is colored.

In children the symptoms are different: the skin is pale, cold, shivering child, he breathes more slowly and his heartbeat slows.

Contact a doctor because if the baby’s temperature down to 30 ° C, it can be fatal. Meanwhile, place yourself in a heated room, baby in your arms wrapped in a blanket with a cap.

It was about 6 months on average the first tooth appears to baby before 3 years that will present all the milk teeth of your child. How is this teething? And especially how to help your baby does not suffer too much when its teeth pierce? Our advice and simple actions to relieve the pain of baby.
When pushing the baby teeth?

Generally, shows his first baby tooth between 6 and 12 months: this is usually a midline incision in the lower jaw. Follow:
- The upper incisors (about 10 months down, 12 months and above);
- Lateral incisors (between 7 and 16 months);
- The first molars (around 12 months);
- The dog (between 16 months and 2 years);
- The second molars (between 20 and 33 months);

On average, a 1 year old baby has 4 teeth. About 3 years old, a child has all his teeth. And they begin to fall between 5 and 8 years.

Namely:
Some children are born with a tooth, as was the case of Napoleon. Among others, the first tooth appears until about 15 months!
Incisors and canines are used to cut and catch food. The molars are essential for chewing.
The first signs of teething

Generally, the teeth do not appear without warning. Here are some hints to help you recognize when your baby “because his teeth:
- Gums usually pink and smooth becomes bright red and double in volume. This is called the doubling of the gums;
- His cheeks are red;
- Baby drools a lot and tries to chew everything with his gums;
- Baby is grumpy because it hurts! The acute pain may hinder baby several weeks before the cutting of the tooth;
- Stools are soft;
- Buttocks are red;
- Baby has a mild fever (38 ° C maximum);
- So baby does not appetite;
- Sometimes the cutting teeth is accompanied by a cold or an ear infection.
How to relieve pain when her baby teeth grow?

First, know the pain that precedes the growth of the tooth, and ceases when the tooth has erupted through the gum.

Here are some tips to ease the pain Baby, you find among them the most appropriate remedy.

- Baby wants to chew? Offer him a teething ring previously cooled in the refrigerator (and never in the freezer). This ring has a cold numbing effect on the painful gum;

- If you do not have a teething ring, and from 6 months, give baby a cold carrot washed and peeled or a crust of bread;

- Massage the gums of baby with a gel anesthetic Special (ask your pharmacist). The massage and the effect of freezing him great good will;

- There is always the homeopathic solution: a baby grumpy: CHAMOMILLA 15 CH, cons pain: CAMILIA, and if the breakthrough dental accompanied diarrhea, try Kreosotum or podophyllum;

- Why not try the amber necklace? Amber in contact with skin liberate essential oils for soothing baby;

- In case of severe pain, you can give your baby a dose of paracetamol. Ask your pediatrician;

- Remember to treat your baby’s bottom if they are red with a special cream.

You are at the end of your pregnancy, you lose water or you experience painful contractions and close it’s time to leave for maternity. From your arrival at the facility in your room with your baby, this is what happens.

The arrival at the maternity

Upon your arrival, a midwife is your constant (voltage, temperature) and considers the cervical dilation. She puts on your arm a catheter to be used in cases of infusion and install two sensors in your stomach that monitoring records uterine contractions and the baby’s heart.
The early work

You are then installed in work room. You can get up and do exercises with a ball.

Every hour, a midwife measure cervical dilation and takes your constants. Of regular monitoring can estimate a healthy baby.

Gradually the contractions become more frequent and painful.

Namely: if the expansion is too slow, your baby may suffer. The wise woman you are given a product to accelerate the frequency and intensity of contractions. The contractions can cause vomiting.
Epidurals

The cervix is dilated to 3 cm: it offers the epidural you will give birth without pain. An anesthetist practice then a sting in your back, place a catheter into the spine and injects the anesthetic: your pain fade in 10 minutes.

Once the epidural placed, you can not move, eat or drink. You are under continuous monitoring.

Namely: You can request the epidural until 7 or 8 cm dilated. Make up your time!
Expulsion

When the cervix is fully open, it fades away undertakes baby and you feel an urge to push. This expulsion.

The midwife then install the brackets at the end of the bed to elevate your legs.

You should push strongly to the rhythm of contractions. This stage lasts about half an hour. The portion of the head is the hardest, then the body comes alone. Sometimes you make an incision of the perineum (episiotomy) to prevent tearing.

Namely: the gynecologist obstetrician is called in case of complications, if any need to use forceps or suction cups to help your baby out.

The issue
Your baby is born but it is not finished: it is the placenta. This phenomenon usually occurs without effort 20 to 30 minutes later.

Baby First Aid
Immediately after birth, your spouse can cut the cord.

A medical team takes care of your baby and unclog his airway by suctioning the mucus in his nose and mouth. Your baby is weighed and examined from every angle! Hips, genitals, shoulders, abdomen. The midwife then took his temperature and it takes a few drops of blood.

Once dressed and his ID bracelet in place, your puppy may find your arm.

Namely: we often measure the baby the next day.
And the mother?

Meanwhile, you are not forgotten! The most important thing is to check that all the placenta was expelled. The stitches are made in cases of episiotomy. After two hours of monitoring, you regain your room with your baby.

These are: the average labor lasts 12 hours for women giving birth to their first child and 8 hours for others.

Barely out of your belly, your baby must learn to feed himself. But his digestive system, not mature, needs a little time to get started properly. Crying, discomfort, discharge, constipation here … digestive disorders that can meet your baby, and most importantly, how to fix it.
Infant Colic

Baby twists, stretches out his legs and crying while emitting gas. This is probably colic, bloating, abdominal pain.

These symptoms usually disappear into the 4-month baby.

Colic is not a disease but a sign of immaturity of the baby’s digestive system (ie digestion is not very mature).

How about it?
There is nothing to do against colic, besides creating a calm and serene around baby to help get this painful time. A soft light, soft music, rocking the baby by stretching the stomach in your arms.

If you are breastfeeding, avoid eating onions, cabbage or peas.
ConstipéBébé baby is constipated

We talk about constipation if baby is less than 3 stools per week, hard balls and it’s hard to issue them. A baby who has only one stool every day or two days is not constipated!

How about it?
- Enough to give baby to drink;
- Do not over-Measure out his bottle of milk powder;
- As a remedy for constipation baby, replace the water bottles of Vittel by or Hépar;
- If she is larger and has a varied diet, give him some orange juice, foods high in fiber such as vegetables or wholemeal bread;
- Never use a laxative without medical advice;
- Of course, if constipation persists, consult a doctor.
Baby has diarrhea

It speaks of diarrhea if baby makes frequent watery stools, jet. It should not be confused with a soft stool.

Do not worry if your baby has one or two loose stools, but be careful because a baby is dehydrated quickly in case of diarrhea.

If diarrhea persists, consult a doctor.

How about it?
- Among the largest, 90% of diarrhea due to diet too rich. Give them mashed carrots, rice, ham, mashed banana and cooked fruit. Avoid dairy products, green vegetables, raw fruits and juices, except bananas. Everything should be arranged within days;

- Always drink your child to prevent dehydration;

- Consult a doctor if diarrhea persists and the child loses weight and suffering.
Beware if your child is under 3 months

As a result of diarrhea (due to gastroenteritis for example), a baby can become dehydrated very quickly, it must be hospitalized.

Your physician may advise to remove the milk. You then give your baby a special milk.

If the stomach or chest attest to this change, hormones, blood flow or organs are also in full swing.

During pregnancy, hormones are at work

During pregnancy, your hormones are working. And this hormonal change has an impact on your body. It may cause some inconvenience of premenstrual syndrome (fatigue, irritability, mood swings …). But also, in some women:

- Of acne;
- Shiny skin;
- Excessive hair growth, etc..
The blood volume increases during pregnancy

During your pregnancy, your body produces more blood. Double Your blood volume and blood flow is directed mostly toward the uterus. This makes the heart work harder and therefore cause a slight increase in heart rate (20 beats / min on average).

In some women, it also causes:

- Bleeding nose or gums,
- Varicose veins or hemorrhoids,
- Dizziness.

Finally, anemia, frequent during pregnancy, is also due to the increased volume of blood.
The uterus starts up

To make room for your baby, the uterus stretches and soften the ligaments. This can cause pain and cramping. The uterus, stretching, will gradually push some of your organs:

- The bladder, which increases your need to urinate;
- On the stomach, causing heartburn or gastric reflux;
- The diaphragm, causing shortness of breath (accentuated by the fact that your oxygen requirements increase 10 to 15% during pregnancy).
The belly swells

Your stomach will gradually grow round. A brown line appears generally. Called the “birth line”, it diminishes or disappears after childbirth.

Your center of gravity changes as your belly grows. And during the 3rd quarter, your abdominal muscles separate to make room for the baby. You can observe a small bulge on your tummy.
Chest prepares lactation

The breast undergoes major changes. Early in pregnancy, she begins to grow and grow. Then you might experience some inconvenience following:

- Your areolas darken;
- The veins become more visible;
- Small protrusions appear ( “Montgomery tubercles).

A yellowish fluid, called colostrum, may even take your breasts during the 2nd quarter. Rest assured, there is nothing abnormal in any way. Instead, prepare your breasts for lactation.

Finally, the nipples can sometimes crack before the end of pregnancy. Apply at the earliest suitable cream and massage your breasts for desensitization. To all intents and purposes, you can consult our dossier on the cosmetic use during pregnancy.