What to pack in the hospital bag?

Mommy and Daddy need to BOTH be prepared with an overnight hospital bag. But also remember that you aren't typically staying longer than 2-3 days. But remember the essentials to make sure that you are comfortable and prepared. Here is a short essentials list for the parents-to-be:

1. insurance card

2. birthing plan

3. iPod with 3 playlists (meditation, motivation, push-it)

4. water bottle with straw

5. baby arrival call list

6. personal pj/robe/warm socks/house shoes

7. going home clothes

8. hygiene personals

9. baby's first coming home outfit

10. car seat

"Natural" Child Birthing

Well, some opt for the meds and others don't. Whatever your choice, please ensure that you are educated. Many do not know that an epidural is a "cocktail" of drugs. Any concoction of drugs on hand is used to create the ultimate pain reliever. Whereas, experiencing childbirth without meds is a short-lived rewarding experience. There is a bond and connection with your child that is inexplicable. The mother is also able to "feel" the baby to aid in pushing out the baby quicker. The "labor pains" are over before you know it and you are having another child all over again.

I would highly recommend a Bradley Natural Birthing Class and teacher. For recommendations in the Washington, DC area, comment on this post.

Share your natural birthing experience!

The "mini" pill

Well, if you think that nursing will "preserve" you from conceiving again... please check with your doctor. And I'm positive that they will recommend that you start the "mini" pill at the beginning of your baby's 6th month. Beware of the SMALL side effect of weight gain that the doctor doesn't really emphasize. I say that it's a SMALL side effect, knowing first hand that it will make you BIG. The mini pill only contains progesterone which drastically increases your appetite. So although you are burning calories by nursing, you are gaining them back quicker with the mini pill appetite enhancer! So just be aware of this and try to eat in moderation.

Just a little bit of first hand knowledge!

Parent Daycare Seeker Checklist

• Do only same sex workers take children to the restroom (men take boys/women take girls)?
• Have all workers received adequate and ongoing training? Are there more adults than teenage workers?
• Is there a sick policy (children not allowed with runny noses, fever, diarrhea or cough in the last 48 hours)
• Are choking hazard snacks eliminated from toddlers’ snack menu?
• Are healthy snacks given to children?
• Are children dismissed only to parents or authorized (in writing) persons?
• How is the progress of students assessed?
• How are students disciplined?
• Is there a solid curriculum for the class and the entire program?
• Is there a daily or weekly schedule for the duration of the time the children are in your care?
• Are emergency procedures in place?
• Have ALL workers been given state and federal background checks?
• Do the toys and equipment look new? How often are they sanitized?
• What is the teacher/student ratio?
• Are parental forms on file for each child?
• Is there a bathroom in the classroom? Are there child-sized commodes?
• Is the outdoor play area gated? Is the equipment safe?
• What is the diversity of the students?
• Is there a handbook and/or guidelines available for parents to view?
• Is the building capacity in effect or are too many children in the facility?
• Do all staff members have CPR training?
• Are there first-aid kits in all of the classrooms?
• Does the front door (and other entrances) remain locked or can strangers just walk in the building?

(Adopted from a fellow mom: L.H.)

Newborn Must Haves Checklist

What do I really need?

Sleeping

*Crib, co-sleeper, or play yard

*Bedding

* 2 blankets

Diapering

Be sure to choose the appropriate size based on the baby's weight.

www.diapers.com delivers to your door the next day. Use code xxxx for discount.

*Diapers

*Wipes

*Diaper Pail (I recommend Diaper Dekor)

Feeding

*High chair or compact booster seat (I recommend the Bumbo)

*2 feeding bowls

*4 feeding spoons

*4 bottles with appropriate flow nipples

*Bottle Sterilizer

*2 sippy cups

If nursing:

*Breastpump (I recommend Medela Free Style)

*Manual Hand pump (It's a must!)

*Nursing cover

Clothing

*6 white onesies

*6 t-shirt type onesies

*4 shorts and pants

*8 sleep and play with ZIPPERs not snaps

*4 pairs of socks

Safety and Bathing

*Car seat

*Stroller

*2 washcloths

*2 hooded towels

Pediatrician Considerations

Everyone wants to choose the perfect pediatrician for their child, right? Well here are some things to consider:

*Distance from home or child care provider

*Sole proprietor practice or are there multiple doctors

*Well and sick waiting room

*Lactation nurse

*After hours nurse or hotline

*Pediatrician's education and time in field

What other things are important to you? Post your response. Share knowledge.

Choosing a pediatrician

Are you the only physician in this practice? If you share a practice, will I always see you?

How long have you been practicing?

What would you say influences your medical advice and views that most?

Does a pediatric nurse practitioner (PNP) work in your office?

Do you have evening or Saturday hours?

How do you (practice) respond to emergency calls?

Do you charge for after hours phone calls or pages?

Do you return every call personally?

Is there a lactation nurse affiliated with your office?

Which hospital are you affiliated with?

What is the scheduled length of your appointments? And how far apart are they scheduled?

How often do you want to see the baby in the first year?

Do you have a "Sick-child" waiting room?

Please add to this list if you have some helpful questions for other moms to ask when choosing a pediatrician.

Share knowledge.

Diaper Bag Packing - LITE

So here's my short list of diaper bag essentials:

1. changing pad
2. wipes
3. 6 diapers
4. thin blanket/swaddler
5. burping cloth cloth
6. 2 bibs
7. nursing cover or slender thermos with cooled boiled water and formula dispenser
8. change of clothes (onsie, romper, socks)
9. round barrel pencil case beg with:

nasal aspirator/suction bulb

10 qtips

diaper rash ointment

finger nail clipper and/or file

baby oragel

saline drops

Happy packing and remember to pack lite! (After all, you have to leave room for your stuff!)

Constipation

Babies of all ages experience some some degree of constipation within the first 3 months of life; these degrees include infrequent stools, hard stools, difficulty passing stool, or a sense of incomplete emptying after a bowel movement. If baby has not passed a stool in more than 3 days, parent should aid them by:

* rubbing baby's tummy and doing bicycle exercises with their legs

* rectal stimulation-insert the tip of a thermometer in the anus and hod there for about 30 seconds to initiate movement

* mix 1-2 ounce of apple juice with equal part water (fiber enhancer)

* mix 1-2 ounce of prune juice with equal part water (high fiber fruit)

*NOTE: the last option is BabyLax enema or PediaLax suppository, both by Fleet

Please DO NOT give baby castor oil or any other lubricant; parent may cause more damage to baby's intestines than good.

To crawl or not to crawl

Well, my little one is now month and has no interest in crawling. He prefers to pull up and take walking steps. He has plenty of tummy time and upper body strength. I started to question his physical development but studies have shown that boys tend to skip the crawling stages and move toward walking sooner than girls because of their focus on gross motor skill development; girls tend to hone in on their fine motor skills thus crawling sooner and longer than boys.

So no worries if your little decides to skip a stage, just continue to encourage them by playing on the floor with them and reinforcing the small moves they make.

Activities for the little one

Summer is here and who wants to stay indoors?!?! If you are tired of taking walks, here are some suggestions for summertime fun:

* DC Ducks tour

* Baltimore Aquarium

* Playseum

* Pick your own strawberries

* Crayola Factory

* Sesame Place

Stay out of the sweltering heat!

Teethers

Teething is a tough stage to endure. Teeth mean more sleepless nights, temperatures, fussiness, clinging, gas from crying...did I miss anything?!?!? Well, there is hope! Teeth do break thru and allow for some parental relief. Here are a few tips for baby:

* put ice cube or frozen food cube in the mesh fresh food popsicle looking gadget to allow baby to suck on

* give gripe water at night to ease fussiness

* use the thimble infant toothbrush to rub gums

* freeze a washcloth and rub on gums

* use q-tip swab to rub oragel on gums

And when all else fails, aid the baby in taking a nap to forget about the pain.

Share knowledge!

1st Foods

If your baby has been fussy, you probably have already tried to give them rice cereal in their bottles at night or perhaps even during the day! But rice cereal, not oatmeal cereal, should be reserved for infants 4 1/2 months of age. We often tend to rush the food process but think: it took 9 months for your baby to develop inside the womb and then we want to think that they are insta-ready for food. Their digestive systems cannot handle anything more then milk too soon.

Tips for introducing food:

* Start slow - start with spoon feeding rice cereal mixed with breastmilk or formula

* One a week - introduce one new food per week to ensure that if allergies are present, you are able to easily identify the allergy

* Easily digested foods - star with foods that are easily digestible such as bananas, apples, avocado, peas, carrots, frozen mixed veggies

NOTE: Avoid citrus fruits at all costs

Lastly, take the time to invest in a food processor or blender to make your child's food. It fast and easy to boil down the food and blend to know exactly what's going in your baby's mouth. Liquid vitamin C is sold in stores to add to fruits. Freeze food for longer use.

The Working Nursing Mom

The transition back to work is not only an adjustment for mom, but for baby as well. It is important to have a regular pumping schedule while at work in order to maintain a consistent milk flow. As stress becomes more prevalent at home and at work, you may find a reduction in your milk supply. If you begin to experience this, here are a few tips:

*nurse baby as often as possible when home and/or present with baby

*take fenugreek herbal pills

*drink as close to 100 oz of water daily

*drink a cup of hot tea before nursing or pumping

*eat a high fiber diet

I hope these tips help you maintain steady in an unsteady state! :)

Bath, Boob, Bed

In the words of Lisa, "Bath, bottle, bed" but in my case, I have re-coined the phrase to "Bath, Boob, Bed." How early is it to start your baby on a schedule? Many moms swear by No Cry Sleep Solution to train their infants to go to sleep on their own. But are routines important? Yes! If you train your child early, they will not depart! I need to take my own advice. I'm trying and so far it's worked for me these past couple of days but my own schedule is unpredictable. Nonetheless, I realize the importance of expecting the expecting, from my children. So the process begins at 8:30pm...bath, boob, bed!

What's your strategy?

Share!

Cloth Diapering

More and more moms are looking towards cloth diapering options to save money and our earth. Cloth diapers have become more accessible and easier to use. They have been redesigned from folded squares and safety pins to trendy patterns and snaps. There are several options on the market currently: g diaper, bumgenius, fuzzibunz, and many more... The cost savings is worth looking into; an average $0.35 disposable diaper could yield $2500 in diapers from birth to potty training whereas, cloth diaper approximately $480 including the water to wash them. By using cloth diapers, you also save the landfills from the lifetimes waiting for decomposition.

If total cloth diapering is a leap for you, I would suggest cloth diapering at home and using disposable diapers on the go. But do your research to find out which diaper works best for you and your lifestyle. If you are in the DC area, there is a free resource for moms interested in learning about cloth diapers and baby wearing (email me directly for more information).

Encourage other moms by posting your experience with cloth or transition diapers.

1->2 Transition

You may have heard that you don't become a real family until you have 2 children. When we just had 1 child, I felt somehow belittled by the comment, but now I understand. With 1 child, you can just drop them off at a sitter and almost live life as usual prior to having a child...but when you have 2 children, it becomes a little more difficult to juggle multiples schedules, especially a sleep schedule! Although children require a lot of your time and energy, they are well worth the investment and before you know it they will be all grown up.

What is your perspective about the 1->2 child transition?

Postpartum Emotions-Are they real?

Well, you would think that after the first child, a mommy would start approaching pro status....but, with every child brings new experience. Mommies are often cautioned to be mindful of signs of postpartum depression, often referred to as "baby blues"-I personally have coined the phrase "postpartum emotions." They are very much real and mothers should be cognizant of them. These emotions often include feelings of loneliness, neglect, anxiety, irritability. Mommies sometimes have appetite changes and crying episodes. These significant changes are due to drastic "hormone re-calibration" after pregnancy. Getting out of the cabin, mommy support groups and outings or counseling often aid in mommy's recovery.

Have you experienced any postpartum emotions? If so, share...

Nursing Part 1

Last week we chatted about soothing your newborn...if you're nursing, we know that mommy can also be a soother. If you are experiencing sore nipples, may I suggest using a nipple shield to feed or at least until milk let down/flow occurs. If your baby is not opening their mouth as wide as possible to latch on, it could leave mommy in pain. I have tried nipple cream/ointment but did not experience any relief. The cream/ointment does protect your nipples while in the shower from what seems like rocks flowing from the shower head.

Nursing is highly recommended because it has all the nutrients that your baby needs. The same principal applies to curing mommy's sore nipples. After nursing, massage any excess milk on the affected area.

I've also found that cooling gel pads called Soothies provide temporary relief.

I hope this tip helped!

Ask MaMa Ke

Techniques to quiet your newborn

When swaddling, singing, and swinging fail...try baby carrying. I have 3 different carriers, all of which serve different purposes: Baby Bjorn, Ergo Baby, and New Native. To get things done in my home, I prefer New Native. It's one piece of cloth that is easy to just throw on and it quickly frees up my hands. You can pack it in your purse or diaper bag with ease. Daddy prefers the Baby Bjorn from 0-~6 months. Once the baby begins to approach 20 lbs, we use the Ergo Baby-hands down. The Ergo can hold a child up to about 35-40 lbs...so needless to say we used it a lot from 1-2 years old. It makes the baby seem weightless. So when all else fails, try strapping your child on to you to soothe them.

I hope this tip helped!

Ask MaMa Ke