Mother She Knows

Caring for Your Baby

How to Know if You Have Postpartum Depression

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After giving birth, we picture ourselves happily going home together with our little baby. We are expected to know what to do and how to handle this new little life that is now dependent to us while we heal from all the pain and changes brought to us by giving birth. However, that is not always how it is. Studies shows that 1 in every 7 women experience postpartum depression in the year they gave birth. The intensity of the depression may vary from mild to severe symptoms though.

Types of Postpartum Depression

•Baby Blues

Baby blues may be experienced few days after giving birth. Symptoms include mood swings, irritability, feeling overwhelmed, crying, less appetite, trouble in sleeping, anxiety, sadness for no particular reason and feeling tired even when you just woke up.

•Postpartum Depression

Postpartum depression is more intense than baby blues. The symptoms may be the same but it is stronger and may last longer. It may even hinder your capabilities to handle daily tasks, even taking care of your own baby. Symptoms may include intense sadness, excessive crying, loss of appetite and having insomnia, inability to connect with your child, feeling withdrawn from family and friends, severe anxiety and panic attacks, feeling guilty and unworthy as a mother, feeling like you can’t handle being a mother, helplessness, and sometimes thoughts of harming yourself and your baby.

•Postpartum Psychosis

Postpartum Psychosis is a rare condition that develops to mothers few weeks after giving birth. Its symptoms are severe and threatening to both the lives of baby and mommy. Symptoms may include paranoia, sleep disturbances, severe agitation, excessive anger, hallucinations and delusions, disorientations, confusions, excessive and obsessive thoughts about your baby, and attempts to harm yourself and your baby. This case requires immediate treatment from experts. Only a very few mother and baby were able to get through it successfully.

When to See a Doctor or When to Seek Help

In today’s society, we are given the picture that motherhood is a very wonderful thing. Don’t get me wrong, it surely is. But not all mothers are feeling that way especially with those that are experiencing symptoms of Postpartum Depression. When you feel sad about your new life being a mom, when you think you are too overwhelmed by it and it is affecting your emotions and mental health, talk to someone you trust, talk to a friend or a family, or your husband about how you feel so your emotions can be heard too.

If it takes too long before the symptoms disappear, if it is already affecting your ability to take good care of yourself and your baby, if the symptoms are getting worse, if thoughts about harming yourself and your baby is already there, seek for a professional help. Save yourself and your baby from the monster that there is in Postpartum Depression and Postpartum Psychosis. You and your baby deserves to see this world in a much beautiful way and experience the true happiness in this life that no amount of depression could ever take away.

Do Strict Parents Raise Better Kids?

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When it comes to parenting styles, it is more important to look into the outcome rather than just considering what is convenient for you and your kids. Some say it is best to raise kids with discipline by being stict and rule-abiding rather than being in a calm and friendly manner. It was once said that in today’s generation, children are more stubborn and spoiled. So what can we do as parents to ensure that our growing kids will not turn into that path? Should we stick to being strict to produce well-mannered individuals for the future? Find out here.

Let us try to differentiate the outcomes of this 2 different parenting styles so we can decide which one should we consider in raising our kids.

Parents Who are Friendly and Easy Going

When parents stend to be permissive and friendly to their kids, the kids tend to think of you as nice and giving parent. Being friendly could be a good way to establish a good foundation to the relationship between a child and a parents. Your child could feel that they can be themselves in your presence and trusts you more because they feel secured with you. However, being too friendly and permissive to your child without limitations could affect him in a negative way too. There should always be a clear line drawn between parents and children to maintain healthy and harmonious relationship. By that, respect and love would be build in between parents and children.

Parents Who are Strict and Authoritative

This happens when children are raised through strict rules and enforcements of good behaviour through threats and punishments. I personally agree that those who has strict and authoritative parents are more likely to grow up knowing how to set limitations and grows more responsible since they are used into thinking about abiding the rules that were set for them. Although it has positive effect, using strict parenting without warmth is a dangerous thing too. It can affect a child psychologically. Too much of it may cause trauma to the growing kid and may cause him to become anti-social, defiant and aggressive towards his fellow children.

Correct parenting should really be up to parents on how they think they can handle their kids. For me, you don’t really have to choose sticking between being strict or being friendly. You can always draw the line in between too. Be friendly but set rules and limitations, be strict but know how to give warmth and show love to your kids too. Whatever works well for you, that will be the best parenting strategy for you in raising your child to become a better individual.

What to Do When Baby Bites While Breastfeeding?

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One of the struggles that mommy faces during breastfeeding is whenher baby reaches infancy and has discovered the comfort he could get when he bites mommy’s nipples. This could be really painful and would really cause mommy to hesitate continuing her breastfeeding journey. Trust me, i know a few moms who did stop, and it makes me sad because it could have been avoided and corrected if only they knew what they should do in times their baby would be triggered to bite. In this article, let me share to you few tips on how to make baby stop biting or what you should do when baby bites.

How to Make Baby Stop Biting Your Nipples When Breastfeeding

•Put your finger in between his upper and lower gums and try twisting your hand so it will create a bigger gap and he could then let go. Most babies start biting thei mommy’s nipple when they are teething. They find it soothing their discomfort when they bite on to something.

•Press your baby’s face a little gently into your breast. He will let go of your nipple as soon as you do that because he will then open his mouth or move his face away from your breast so he can breathe.

•Stop breastfeeding him for a moment because he will then observe and look for your reactions. For babies, when you react like laugh or flinch or make a face, he will assume that you like what he’s doing and he will repeat doing it as he gets wrong message.

•Put him down whenever he does that. You need to make him realize that what he did is not right and it comes along with a consequence (stop feeding). If you have done that for a few times already, it will occur to him that whenever he bites you, you will not continue breastfeeding him. Thus, he will try to avoid doing that.

•Use nipple shield if your baby is really stubborn and persistent in biting your nipples. Even though you failed in making him stop, at least it will not be as painful as it was when there is no nipple shield.

•Give him something to bite on before breastfeeding. Cold teether or even homemade fruit popsicles could help your baby soothe his gums. This lessens the possibility that he will bite your nipples again when you breastfeed him after he plays with his teether or ate his popsicle.

When babies reach indancy and toddler life, most breastfeeding mommies will introduce mix feeding with formula already to avoid instances when babies bite during teething periods. However, since breastfeeding is still the best kind of feeding for up to 2 years of age, i suggest that you try to work it out first. Look for other ways to make your baby stop biting. Never use it as a reason for you to stop breastfeeding him.

Why breastfeeding is best until 2 years?

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/infant-and-toddler-health/in-depth/extended-breastfeeding/art-20046962

Here is an article too that could give you motivation to continue breastfeeding beyond infancy.

How to Avoid Raising a Spoiled Child

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In every generation, behaviors and attitudes of every individual could change. Let’s admit it, kid right now are more powerful than how we were during our times. They seem to show off attitude of entitlement and spoiled. It is even said that “Generation Alpha” or the children born of 21st Century are the most spoiled generation yet. Now, I’m not generalizing because there are still kids who are raised by their parents in traditional ways. The said behaviors and traits may have something to do with today’s technological advancement and social media influences.

In this article’s goal is to give guidance to parents as to how to raise children that are less spoiled and well-mannered.

Tips on Children with Good Manners and Right Conduct

•Don’t let them have everything they want. Of course, we would want our children to be happy. But being happy all the time and always getting what they want will develop into a problem when they grow up. They will not be able to handle disappointments and failures in life.

•Admitting and accepting their shortcomings. Children should be able to understand that they aren’t born into this world to be perfect individuals. Its okay not having perfect scores in exams, its okay not to know to ride bicycle, its ok not to be perfect and have flaws. They shouldn’t be pressured and they should feel that they are loved for what and who they are.

•Set rules and be consistent with it. A “No” right now should not be a “Yes” a minute later. When you set rules, be firm in implementing it. If you are inconsistent with your rules, your child will tend to look for ways in bending the rules and having their ways out of it.

•Teach and show to them the example of how to be thankful and grateful of whatever may come along. This will encourage more positivity in dealing matters and the children will have positive attitude towards others especially the elders. Start young, so it will be planted their roots.

•Don’t cover up for their mistakes. It might just be out of love from you, but it could have a negative impact to a growing and developing child. He will set in his mind that no matter what he does, you will be ready to pull him out from the shit hole. Make them understand that facing consequences when you do something wrong is a noble and right thing to do.

Raising kids could be very difficult thing to do especially for those who are first time parents. Also, we don’t have an overall control of our children’s mind and heart. As parents and adults, what we can do is guide them and be a role model. You should understand too that it is not just about growing a well-loved individual, but a responsible and well-mannered one.

What’s the Best Bedtime Routine for Newborns?

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It is said that newborns have difficulty in differentiating day time and night time. They could get it all mixed up, so they also have messed up sleeping routine and often can’t sleep through the night. This is the reason why it is important to establish a good bedtime routine as early as newborn stage, so that it will be easier for them to adjust and effectively get the routine to their system. In this article, let us discuss the parts of betime routine and how it helps the baby to easily retire to bed during night time.

Sample Bedtime Routine

•Since you will be included in this routine as the parent of the child, i suggest you have a good dinner first so you can attend to the little one without getting interupted by hunger and you can focus on your goal.

•Now with your little one, let’s start by giving him a good bath. When he is clean and fresh, it’s more likely for him to get a better sleep.

•After putting on his clean diaper, might as well give him a good massage. It will help him to relax and gets him ready to retire.

•Put on comfortable jammies and might as well pud him in swaddles too. Swaddles helps baby to feel secured and since he was living inside your womb all curled up and warm, being is swaddles will make him feel as though he’s back in there.

•Play gentle music, lullaby, or maybe an ambient noise which also helps stimulating calmness and makes baby feel sleepy. You can put dim light instead of being in full bright light. This helps baby’s brain stimulate hormones to make baby feel sleepy too.

•Feeding time time. By now, after doing the first few steps, your baby will be ready to retire to bed, but he needs help to feel comfort too. Making him full through feeding, or simply nursing, can be a great help so he will stay focused and little by little, feel drowsy and sleepy.

•Almost there. After feeding, burp your baby so he will not have a gassy tummy or feel any discomfort in his tummy. While you burp him, you can also rock him gently along with the sound you turned on. Or simply patting his back would work too.

•If he is still awake but drowsy, put him to bed. This is a great way so he can practice going to sleep on his own. It will be much easier for both of you once he mastered that skill.

Just a Reminder

Since you are handling a newborn, it is never really advised to use any blanket or pillow in his crib. Bare bed is the best so his airways will not be blocked and nothing can trigger for him to wake up even when he moves around for a better position.

Check your baby a few times even when he isn’t crying. I’m quite sure though that he will cry and ask for feeding in the middle of the night. Just provide what he needs, and by establishing this bedtime routine, he will eventually learn to sleep better at night like how he’s supposed to.

Reference:

https://www.nestedbean.com/blogs/zen-blog/bedtime-routine