TEACHING PATIENCE (1 of 3)

TEACHING PATIENCE (1 of 3)

How to cope when nothing seems to be working!

Something I get asked often by new parents is how to cope with  a new baby when everyone is exhausted and crying. This is a normal situation for most new parents at some stage. 

 The good news is it doesn’t last long and soon you will have things down pat.

Take comfort in the knowledge that it is almost a rite of passage as a new parent.  You are not the only one to have felt like this. 

 It’s a fact- most new parents feel overwhelmed and lost when going home for the first time with their new baby.

And to make matters worse, they feel an overwhelming pressure to be perfect parents and get it “right”. This pressure will more than likely come up for you a number of times at different times as your baby grows. Remember it is all normal and working out what works for you is the key. Here is our first tips to help you stay calm and cope with those really difficult times. The next ones will follow over the next few weeks.

Here is the first tip to help you when things just don’t seem to be going your way.

1. Remember your self care- have time out just for you.

This is my number one rule – not even a tip, for new parents particularly but important no matter who you are.

Remember that you are a person too. Before you became a parent you had interests and hobbies. You did things just for yourself. It is healthy for everyone if you continue to do something for just yourself regularly. A baby is a 24 hour a day job. Imagine if you had to perform in your job 24 hours a day , 7 days a week, year in , year out. You would be exhausted and probably not very effective at your job. 

You will be a better parent if you take time out for yourself regularly. It may not be the same activities or the same amount of time that you spend on your activities  as before you became a parent.  

It is still important however that you do it. Even if it is only 5 mins a day, half an hour a week or once a month. It may be going for a walk around the block, going window shopping, having a coffee with a friend, reading a book from the library for 15 mins or just having a relaxing bath.

You will be a better more effective parent if you have time out from your baby and get some me time. You will probably enjoy your baby even more too and be able to think more clearly about what your baby needs from you and respond more calmly and appropriately. 

For more tips visit our website here insyncwithinfants.com.

Soothing a crying baby

I am not trying to be misleading with the title of soothing a crying baby, however I am going to talk about latch and breastfeeding. 

[caption id="attachment_2346" align="alignleft" width="150"] better latch helps to soothe a crying baby[/caption]

It does make a difference to a crying baby who is trying their best to do the feeding but getting no joy and ultimately staying hungry, hence crying. It can be confusing when you start and your baby is feeding for lengthy period of time regularly but you are getting nowhere.

I was helping another cousin with breastfeeding yesterday and it prompted me to write this so that you can pass it on. Just a little about basics.

I am noticing a trend where mothers are being told to hold their breast away from their baby's nose when feeding. In her case it has caused her baby to suck only the nipple leading to bleeding nipples which has then led to low supply and early mastitis.

Baby's noses are designed to be flat and flanged so that they can get up close to the breast so the nipple can get drawn to the back of their mouth. If your baby can’t breathe he or she will detach from the breast.

This is important in the beginning , not so much  later on.

 My cousin said that she had mentioned while she was still in hospital that it was hurting.  The response was that it looks ok, yes, keep going you are doing great.

  She was doing great from the outside but when it still hurts and it looks ok , there is something else going on. Often I see the baby doing funky things with his or her tongue that is not easy to see from the outside. Sometimes it is more indepth but often it is reasonably simple.

  Usually all you need to do  when it looks good but still hurts, is to make sure the baby is better attached to the breast. This means that the baby has a mouthful of breast tissue not just nipple.  From the side their mouth would like the special K symbol with their lips flanged back.

 This means their tongue can extend forward, the nipple can get right to the back of their mouth where it I protected from being squashed and is more efficient and comfortable for both mother and baby.

  Your baby’s chin should be right into the breast  so it can also massage the breast and help get the milk out more efficiently.

If something is preventing all  or any of the  above to occur, latch may well be painful and damaging.  Once early interruption to milk supply occurs, it is harder to re-establish it again.  It is not impossible by any means  it just takes a little longer and with more effort.

 If you can get any tenderness or discomfort sorted early, your outcomes will be much better and often only takes a little tweak with attachment, or latch and positioning.  Your baby will be much more settled when feeding is more satisfying for him or her and soothing your crying baby will be easier.