When to take your baby Outdoors and for Play

Recently, I overheard the mother of an overprotected 2 month old, priding in telling a host of women, “It’s the first time I have exposed him to the world outside our cosy room”. That is a wrong attitude. You should begin to take your baby, once he is a week old, outdoors for an hour or two everyday provided that the weather is conducive. Dress him adequately – neither too much nor too little. Just that he is going to stay out for his daytime nap(s) is not a good reason to wrap him with too many clothes. In order that he gets used to the sun, do expose him to sunlight. Avoid the glare of the sun falling on his eyes, however. Fresh air and sunlight is good for your baby. Once the baby is a week or two old, he should be put in pram after his morning feed or thereafter and taken out. This will not only do good to your baby but will also be an exercise for you The mother should find time to play with him. Even newborns enjoy playing. If you are going to keep him in the pram in the greenery of your lawn, make sure you have him protected from mosquitoes and other insects. A mosquito net may be required.

Care of the Nose, Eyes, Ears and the fingernails

It is important to keep the new born baby clean. It is still more important to keep the eyes, nose and ears clean as any these organs are more prone to infection. Nose must be kept clean. Else, a blocked nose may cause undue crying and breathing difficulty. Avoid poking cotton wool plugs into the nose. Not infrequently I have seen little babies brought for “crying to death” and a peep into the nostrils reveals a tiny cotton piece plugging the air passage. So, remember, good “mothering” also includes attention to such small things. The ears and eyes should be cleaned at every bath. Do not get into the habit of pouring warm oil into his ear canals. You will only be boosting accumulation of more wax rather than getting rid of it. Also when you can clean his eyes, see that you move the cotton swab or the edge of the towel from the corner, close to the nose towards the outer side. Do not put kajal, surma or eye liner in the baby’s eyes. You need to attend to your baby’s fingernails as carefully as yours. Keep them short; they may require cutting every 3 or 4 days. Else he may have ulcers in his mouth and sores over the skin.

Paediatric check up and Skin Care

It is advisable that you do not wait for a medical problem to knock but to have your baby examined by a specialist regularly. Look up the doctor for his first paediatric check-up when he is one month old. During the first year of life, it is advisable to have him regularly checked every month or so. Put your difficulties and queries over to the doctor. The most important thing is that you follow all the instructions the doctor gives. Regarding the care to be taken for the skin, there are a lot of skin care tips about which I would like to mention here, but let me be a little choosy. I would insist on the need for a daily bath. On hot days, it may become necessary to have an additional bath in the afternoon. After giving the bath, see that you do not rub his delicate skin with a towel. Rather, pat it with a soft, dry towel. Do not leave the baby for any length of time, “cooling his heels”, with a soiled or wet nappy. Else he may develop what is known as nappy rash. Also, do not rub the stool off his buttocks while changing the nappies. Instead, use cotton wool dipped in olive oil or wash his bottom with warm water.

Sleep Pattern in babies

A good sleep is necessary for everyone. In the case of the newborn baby it sleeps nearly all through the day and night and wakes up only for the feeding. It is estimated that the baby sleeps for almost 22 hours a day. There is nothing wrong in this sleep pattern. In fact the time honoured belief that children grow up in their sleep is well founded. When the ligaments are relaxed during sleep, the chance for growth in length increases. Mothers and elders in the family often feel disturbed when the baby gets into the habit of sleeping prone. Remember it is normal for a new borne baby and a little older infant to sleep on their abdomen. In fact, it is safer and more comfortable for the baby to sleep this way. You may well encourage him to do so. It is always better that you should let your new borne sleep in a baby cot or crib by your bed side rather than to have him share your bed. There are several types of cradles available in the market. You may buy a collapsible one. It would keep serving your baby for some 2 or 3 years.

Care of the umbilical stump

The umbilical stump after the birth of the baby is usually touched with an antibacterial agent and sometimes dressed by the attending doctor in the labour room itself. As a rule the stump will fall off in a week’s time provided it is left as such and neither made wet by a bath nor pulled out. If, on shriveling, the stump leaves behind a little scabby area, apply a baby cream to it every-day. At times, pus or a watery discharge may ooze out from the umbilicus. Sometimes, you may find when the baby is 2 or 3 week old, a pea-size mass buried in it. This is called polyp or granulation. A doctor’s opinion should be sought in such a situation. Remember, a septic umbilicus can spread infection to the rest of the body. The disease thus produced is known as septicaemia. This is very serious and can prove fatal. Bad hygiene and neglect of the umbilicus can lead to another killing disease, tetanus. It is almost always seen in babies delivered and cared for in traditional ways and means. Mind you, one cause of tetanus in the newborn is the application of dust. Cow dung or traditional pastes.

Facts about Abortion

Abortion means termination of pregnancy before the little life in the womb is capable of viability which, as a rule reaches 28 weeks. Not all pregnancies, for one reason or the other, reach the full term successfully. It is estimated that in around 12 percent cases abortion occurs. If a pregnant woman has a slight abdominal pain, slight bleeding from the birth passage, back ache etc it is an indication that she is heading for threatened abortion. She should immediately report to the doctor for medical support. Complete bed rest is normally advised. Threatened abortion if not properly taken care of will lead to inevitable abortion, a condition where pain becomes severe and bleeding more profuse. In some cases a part of products of conception may protrude through the birth passage and may be expelled spontaneously. In others, interference of a doctor in indicated. Missed abortion refers to the condition in which manifestation of abortion do appear but disappear soon. The products of consumption are retained in the uterus. The blood in the uterus clots around the dead ovum and the doctor will have to evacuate the womb. This procedure is done in a hospital. Therapeutic abortion means induction of planned abortion in the interest of the mother.

Varicose veins

A common observation during later months of pregnancy is the development of prominent, enlarged and tortuous veins which protrude out of the skin. The so-called varicose veins are usually seen over the legs. It is also seen in vulva, rectum, anus and vagina areas. Heredity is said to play a significant role in the development of varicosity. What seems a striking observation is that most of the women who develop it are the ones who stand or sit for long spans of time. Among various causes of varicosity, are rise in total amount of blood and greater intra-abdominal pressure in pregnancy. To safeguard against varicosity, you are well advised to avoid standing for long hours during pregnancy. Try to sit with feet propped up every now and then. Lying down with feet raised also helps. Once varicosity develops, it helps to wear elastic stockings. In order to safeguard against varicosity in the rectum (the so-called piles or haemorrhoids) see that you do not have constipation. Take good deal of leafy vegetables and fruits. The general view is that men are affected to a lesser extent by this condition than the women. However, the recent Edinburgh Vein Study shows that 40 per cent of the men examined had varicose veins compared with 32 per cent of the women.

Effects of Heart disease in Pregnancy

About one in a hundred pregnant woman may suffer from heart disease. Most of such diseases have rheumatic origin, monopoly being that of mitral stenosis. The next group is congenital heart disease. The next group is congenital heart disease. Every woman with a known heart disease must consult her doctor before rushing into pregnancy. Later, she should remain under strict antenatal care. What causes worst difficulties in such cases is development of heart failure. A major objective of antenatal checkup is to prevent it and, if that does not work, at least to diagnose it early so that prompt treatment can be given. All pregnant women with heart disease should be hospitalized after 34th week in mild cases and 39th week in moderate to advanced cases. When failure is present, immediate hospitalisation, irrespective of the stage of pregnancy is recommended. It is practice on the part of the obstetricians to manage such cases in consultation with a physician, preferably a cardiologist. It is a common experience that complete bed rest, a few weeks before the expected the date of delivery, goes a long way in ensuring relatively safe delivery at the time of labour. In most cases normal delivery is considered the best.

Parasitic infections of the intestine and Pregnancy

Intestinal parasites are very common in developing countries and a leading cause of ill-health. When one or more of such parasites complicate a pregnancy, it becomes worse. Common parasites infesting Indian women are Senatorial histolytica, Hook worm, Round worm etc. The worst enemy of a pregnant woman is hook worm. A large number of hook worms attach themselves firmly to the upper intestinal mucosa and suck blood. This causes anemia. Stool examination by your doctor will confirm the presence of hook worm. Blood and sometimes bone marrow may also be tested. Hookworm disease makes prognosis for the child as well as the mother unfavourable. The mother may develop pre-eclamptic toxaemia and superimposed bacterial infections. If neglected this can lead to abortion, premature birth and even still birth. Fortunately it is easy to cure this disease. Effective drugs are available now. Most doctors give anti hook worm treatment as a routine in early months of pregnancy. Management of hook worm disease does not end with the administration of an anti hookworm drug. You must follow the doctor’s advice and instructions regarding treatment of accompanying anemia. If anemia is mild or moderate, oral iron tablets will do. If it is serious, intravenous or intramuscular iron injection is necessary. At times blood transfusion may also be required.

Toxaemias of Pregnancy

Pre-eclampsia is by far the commonest manifestation of toxaemias of pregnancy. Its earliest sign are high blood pressure and puffiness of the eyes, gain in weight and swelling of the ankles. The swelling also known as oedema which may initially be found in the legs may spread to other parts of the body also. Examination of the urine will show the presence of albumin, a protein substance in the urine. Such woman may complain of malaise, headache, visual disturbance, vomiting etc. In case of pregnant women it occurs in the second half of pregnancy period and so it is better to check during antenatal check up. The management of this disorder is to reduce the intake of salt, total bed rest, using of diuretic to get rid of the water logging and to bring down the blood pressure. If you are overweight at the outset of pregnancy, you must reduce it. Also do not let anemia develop and also see that your blood pressure is within normal range. Eclampsia includes all the manifestations of pre-eclampsia but in addition there are convulsions and coma also. It may occur during pregnancy, labour or after childbirth. This disease could prove fatal and so hospitalisation is a must.