Parenting Children

When the pediatrician came to check my newborn in the hospital, one of the first questions I asked him was if he thought my baby had jaundice. My twins had some jaundice after they were born, so I knew what to expect. The baby was slightly jaundice which is very common. But, what is jaundice and how can you combat it in your baby’s first few weeks of life?

The word “jaundice” comes from a French word meaning “yellow”. It describes the yellowish color of the whites of the eyes and skin of newborns. It usually appears in the second or third day of life of a newborn full term baby. It usually goes away after a week.
It occurs because the liver is not fully mature and not fully able to get rid of the bilirubin, which is the breakdown of old red blood cells that the baby needed in the womb.
Feeding the baby helps them have bowel movements which helps the body get rid of bilirubin. It doesn’t matter of you breastfeed or bottle feed any feeding is good for the baby although some doctors will recommend formula to help with jaundice, your milk will do just fine.

This is a common and temporary condition so don’t be too scared if you hear that your newborn has jaundice.
In some cases jaundice can become severe so call your doctor if you are concerned or if your infant’s eyes or skin looks more yellow then when they left the hospital.

infants, newborns, jaundice, bilirubin, babies, pregnancy, parenting parenting children

Did you know that regular generic prenatal vitamin you took when you were pregnant is now no longer the “in” vitamin. There is a new pre-natal on the block and it is not one, but two vitamins, one regular one and a oily type capsule that is filled with DHA (an omega-3 acid).
They vitamins I take are Vitafol and the only bad thing about them is the terrible packaging!

The current recommendations suggest that pregnant women get an average of 300 milligrams of DHA daily. These findings suggest that omega-3 consumption might be particularly important in the third trimester, when brain development is rapid. You can get DHA in food sources like fish, but large fisn and pregnant women do not go together because of the high levels of mercury in them.
What’s the harm in giving your baby a leg up in the brain development, ask your OB for these DHA prenatals.

prenatal vitamins, pregnancy, DHA, prenatal, infants, brain development, parenting

My mother delivered me by C-section because I was breech. I had a c-section with my twins because baby A, my son, was breech also. Now a new study, published in the March 28 edition of the British Medical Journal says that If one or both parents were born bottom first or feet first their children are twice as likely to be born the same way.

Most babies are born head first, but about one in 20 is born bottom first. The gene is as strong through the father as the mother. Finding out if the parents were born or presented in a breech presentation is important because a considerable number of breech presentations are not detected before labor. Breech delivery is dangerous because the largest parts of the baby, the head and shoulders should pass first so the rest of the baby can be born. If the head or shoulders cannot fit through the birth canal there is a high rate of mortality.

breech, breech deliveries, pregnancy, c-sections, giving birth

I realize I am still in the beginner phase of parenting with my kids only being five years old. On some days I don’t know how I will survive parenting teens never mind the five year olds I have that act like teens sometimes. Statistics like the ones that have come out this week just make me doubt my future parenting even more. A new study finds that one out of every four teen girls has a sexually transmitted disease.

Twenty five percent of teenage girls! Only half of the girls admitted to having sex that were questioned for this federal based study. Out of the girls who did admit to having intercourse forty percent had an STD. This is a shocking statistic. Of course some teens define sex as intercourse only but acts like oral sex can spread STDs as well.
Disease rates were significantly higher among black girls, nearly half had at least one STD, versus 20 percent among both whites and Mexican-Americans.

Obviously teaching abstinence and the health classes at schools are not working. Especially because in last year the government reported that the teen birth rate rose between 2005 and 2006, the first increase in 15 years. Talking to our children about the truths about sex at home seems the way to go. We don’t want our teens or “tween” to get misinformation about STDs and sex from their friends. Of course it is an uncomfortable subject, but one that has to be brought up for the sake of our children. Many STDs have no symptoms and can cause infertility, cancer and some are not curable at all.

What do you think of these startling new statistics?

teens, teens and sex, STDs, stds and teens, teenage girls, parenting, parenting children, abstinence, teaching abstinence

Making baby food may take a little more effort then just buying cans at the grocery store but more and more parents are doing it. Although it is not for everyone, making your own baby food can be simple and is great for your baby. You have control over the ingredients, it won’t have preservatives and the texture can be just what your baby likes.

Are you ready to make baby food? OK here it goes, remember when using fruits and vegetables, always wash and remove the skin. use organic whenever possible. Steam or boil food until it is soft and mushy, you do not need any seasonings or salt. If you are making this for the whole family, put aside and flavor some for the older members of your family.

You can mash the food in a blender, food processor or baby food mill and play with the texture to see what your baby likes and dislikes. Start with pureed food when you introduce your baby to solid foods (after 4 months or when your pediatrician tells you) and slowly move towards mashed or small pieces of food when baby learns to chew food. You can make these ahead of time and freeze them!
Make as much as you would like, then place into sanitized ice-cube trays to freeze. Once the food is frozen, pop them out and store in freezer containers and label. These will last for up to three months frozen!

Tell me, do you make your own baby food? If you buy jarred baby food which brand do you prefer?

baby food, make your own baby food, pureed baby food, infants, toddlers, parenting, parenting children, kids

There are so many things to think about and discuss with your spouse when you are pregant and once the baby comes home. One of the easiest things for E and I to agree on was the twin’s eating. We knew we would offer the best foods possible to the babies and plenty of variety! We didn’t want chicken nugget and french fry kids, you know they type, that is their only order no matter where they are eating.
I read that food preferences are established early and that eating is a learning process, if kids are given mainly sweets that will be their taste preference instead of trying new things. It seems to be true in this house my kids will want fruit over french fries any day and they prefer guacamole and hummus to chicken nuggets and hamburgers.

The stats are scary too, 25-30 percent of kids 9 too 24 months did not eat any fruit and 20-25 percent did not eat any vegetables. The most common vegetable eaten by toddlers? French fries.
That shouldn’t be so shocking considering the childhood obesity epidemic.
What can you do to build your child’s healthy eating habits? Here are some tips:

Give the baby grains at six months. Sure he may be weirded out by the texture at first, but I bet he will grow to like it.
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They say the most accurate way to take a baby’s temperature is rectally. I could never get up the nerve to do it with my twins and the one time I did, I did it wrong. I didn’t put it in far enough or for enough time. From then on, I always used a temperal thermometer. Now I know how to do it and have instructions for the new parents who are as lost as I was.

-Clean the end of the thermometer with rubbing alcohol or soap and water

-Put a small amount of lubricant like vaseline on the end of the thermometer

-Place your baby on his stomach on a hard surface like a changing table and hold her steady by placing your hand on her lower back.

-With your other hand, gently slide the thermometer 1/2 to 1 inch into his bottom. Never force it in!

-Hold it in place for one minute or until the thermometer beeps.

-Clean the thermometer
(Normal rectal temperature is 100.2 degrees Fahrenheit or less)

You should take your baby’s temperature if:
-baby is especially irritable
-baby’s skin is hot
-baby’s complexion is either very pale or flushed
-baby’s breathing is unusually fast, slow or especially noisy
-baby has a runny nose, is sneezing or coughing
-baby rubs his/her ear or rolls head and screams sharply

Also, remember that overdressing, or too hot of an environment can cause a high temperature. If the baby is overdressed, remove some clothing and retake the temperature in 30 minutes.

At least New Jersey is doing something right! New Jersey is leading the way in postpartum depression (PPD) care and prevention. As of October 2006 a new law states that hospitals have to screen new mothers for postpartum depression before they leave the hospital.

Postpartum depression has risen significantly over the past few years, probably because of better diagnosing. Symptoms include, feeling angry, irritable, depressed, sad, guilty and inadequate.
I know it is hard to decipher what could be PPD when your hormones are going crazy also and you have a brand new human depending on you. You can always talk to your doctors, nurses or family about what you are feeling. Getting help is very important.
If you need more information or to find help in your area visit www.postpartum.net.

While I was in the hospital they monitored the baby for signs of distress. They did various non stress tests and one sonogram to make sure the baby was handling the stress of my illness and developing appropriately. During one of these tests the nurse told me I had had two contractions and asked if I had felt them. I had not. Honestly, I have no idea what a contraction feels like since I didn’t have any with my first pregnancy, that I knew of. It got me wondering what they really felt like and have me asking any and every mom I come in contact with for their experience. I want to know in case I do go into early labor, something I hope not to do.

Premature births are babies delivered before 37 weeks and they are on the rise in the Untied States. Being born too early puts the baby at risk for life long health problems. There are signs for early labor and ways to reduce your risk:

-Get prenatal care as soon as you think you are pregnant

-Reduce any stress you can

-Do not smoke, drink or do drugs.

If you have any of these signs of premature labor call your doctor right away:

Contractions every 10 minutes
leaking fluid
pelvic pressure
low and dull backache

Of course if you have any concerns or questions call your doctor and if you need more information on premature births, visit the march of dimes web site.

What do you do when you have a sick kid at home? You take care of them, that is what. I took care of my son with his low fever and cough and gave him his honey and his vitamins and made sure he was drinking enough. I tried not to expose myself too much to his coughing, but what else is a mother to do? I willed myself not to get sick especially since I am pregnant. I couldn’t get sick.

I got sick. It started as feeling my asthma kick in, like it usually does. I had a doctor’s appointment already so I got some meds and expected to be fine with some TLC. I was wrong. I was in the emergency room 24 hours later, and then again 24 hours after that. That stay lasted five days. I had to take more precautions and stay to make sure the baby was getting enough oxygen. I am finally home now although I have to wear oxygen all day every day. hopefully I can get off of it when I go for my check up appointment on Friday.

I wished for a break from my kids, but I didn’t realize which form it would come in. I missed them so very much. I hade never been away from them for more then twelve hours in their entire five years of life. Now I had been away for five days! This sickness had me bond with my unborn baby even more. It was just me and him/her. I felt guilty for all the drugs I was on, I prayed for the baby’s health. It made me have a greater appreciation of all of our health in this house. And, really in the end, nothing else matters.

pregnancy, kids, moms, sahm, children, colds, cold and flu season, keeping kids healthy, healthy kids, illness

I am sick. Actually my son is also sick, and he gave it to me, so we are down two family members this week. Moms don’t get sick days and when you have a sick kid on top of it, well it is trouble. My son has a cough and a low fever so we have been using tylenol for his fever at night and honey for his cough which has worked better then over the counter cough syrup!
Being pregnant and sick is the most helpless feeling. Since I am pregnant I can’t take many medications but when my asthma kicked in I had to go on steroids to kick this infection and make sure the baby is getting enough oxygen. If I can’t breathe, neither can the baby.

My husband has been a big help, without his help around here, I don’t know what I would do. We are trying to keep he and my daughter healthy and unaffected by these colds!
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Onto bigger and better things lets get to the winners of my personalized fruit rollup contest! Thank you for all who participated, it was so much fun to read all of the amazing valentines sent and received! I hope your Valentine’s Day this year is as sweet!

The winners numbers were chosen by random.org.
Commenter #7 Mama Zen, #12 stacey moore and #18 Julie Mead! I will email each of you with your code later today, so you can order your own fruit rollup!

contest, sickness, sickness and pregnancy, pregnancy, kids sick kids, keeping kids healthy

Once again caffeine intake is being linked to miscarriage. A new study says that caffeine drinking can increase the risk of miscarriage. Caffeine is any form is what is dangerous it doesn’t matter if it comes from tea, soda chocolate or coffee.

According to the January issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology woman who ingest greater than 200 milligrams of caffeine a day, have double the risk of miscarriage than women that don’t have any caffeine. The study looked at 1,063 women from San Francisco; they were interviewed at an average of 10 weeks’ gestation. During the study period, 16 percent of the women, 172, had miscarriages and 60% of the woman said they had up to 200 milligrams of caffeine a day.
“Caffeine, the most frequently consumed drug in the world, crosses the placental barrier and reaches the developing fetus, according to the study. While previous studies have found an association between caffeine intake and miscarriage, it hadn’t been clear whether the problem was due to the caffeine or another substance in coffee, or if it had something to do with non-coffee drinkers’ lifestyles — perhaps people who didn’t drink coffee ate more fruits and vegetables, for example.”

Other known risks of miscarriage smoking, a history of previous miscarriage, drug use, alcohol use and more. Although they have stats saying that 60-80% of miscarriages are because of genetic defect doctors still say to stay away from or at least limit the amount of caffeine pregnant woman intake, at least for the first three months.

pregnancy, pregnant woman, miscarriage, miscarriage risks, healthy pregnancy, pregnancy safety, caffeine and pregnancy, women’s health

When I found out I was having boy/girl twins I was so excited. Not only did I get to buy baseball mitts, overalls and cars but I got to buy pretty hair bows, dolls and jewelry. My daughter has jewelry, but no earrings yet because I was too chicken to get her ears pierced as a baby.
There are many reasons parents decide to have their daughter’s ears pierced. There are family traditions, cultural traditions, or for gender identity.
Ear piercing a baby has always been the subject of a controversy. Should you pierce their ears when they are young so they don’t remember the pain? Or should your child make their own decision when they get older?

My friend who has a one year old daughter decided to pierce her baby’s ears when she was just five months old. “I wanted to make sure everyone knew she was a girl, so I really did it for gender recognition” she said. Her pediatrician was fully on board with piercing anytime after the baby reached three months old and she did it safely in his office.
Of course there are health and safety concerns that you should consider with ear piercing:

Infection: This is the most common problem with any piercing. Make sure that the equipment being used is sterile, that the posts are clean and new, that the posts are 14K gold or hypo-allergenic stainless steel, and that the earrings are not too tight onto the earlobe. It is important to clean the ear with rubbing alcohol daily to prevent infection.

Choking: Of course earrings are not permanent so they can become loose and even fall out. Anything this small can pose a choking hazard to a baby. Make sure the earrings you get have a special baby proof backing that is very hard to remove easily.

Injury: You don’t want your baby pulling on the earring or ear and hurting herself. Make sure you only use stud earring until your child is much older, hoops are too easily entangled in clothing or hair and easy to pull on.

This is a decision that is one that should be made by both parents. Many feel that doing it early in life is easier for the child. We are going to let our daughter decide when she is ready to get her ears pierced. We will all go and celebrate with her as a family, like I did with my parents. I am excited to share this developmental milestone with her and to add to her jewelry collection for her “big girl ears”!

ear piercing, when to get baby’s ear pierced, baby ear piercing, ear piercing little girls, parenting, babies, infants, girls

My kids are very lucky and have no known food allergies. My husband’s father is allergic to seafood so we waited until our kids were three to introduce fish and they have never had a reaction. Since I have been pregnant I have eaten a ton of candy, which is what happens when you gestate through Halloween. Most of that candy had nuts in them which I never thought about until one day when it realized to me that maybe me eating all of those nuts may give my unborn baby a nut allergy. It wasn’t something my doctor told me to stay away from, but I remember that advice from other moms.

According to a new guidance report for pediatricians, in the January issue of the journal Pediatrics, I have nothing to be scared of. The only sure fire way to prevent allergies, food allergies and wheezing is to breastfeed your children. The report says:
-There is no convincing evidence that women who avoid peanuts or other foods during pregnancy or breast-feeding lower their child’s risk of allergies.
-For infants with a family history of allergies, breast-feeding for at least four months can lessen the risk of rashes and allergy to cow’s milk.
-There is some evidence for feeding hypoallergenic formulas to susceptible babies if they are not solely breast-fed.

Surprisingly to me, they say there is no convincing evidence that delaying the introduction of foods such as eggs, fish or peanut butter to children prevents allergies. They also state that infants should not get solid food before 4 to 6 months of age, just like pediatricians tell us.

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It seems like everyone I know is sick. If my friends are not sick then their kids are. Colds and viruses are so common this time of year, but it is hard to know what is just a cold and what is more and needs medical attention. Today we will talk about everything you need to know about colds and sniffles.

About 100 different viruses cause infections that lead to the common cold. Colds usually come on gradually, starting with a runny nose or a scratchy throat. Most kids do fine with a common cold but require a little more TLC. Remind them to wash their hands often, keep them hydrated (if they don’t want to drink, try ice pops, juice or soup) and use the nasal aspirator if necessary. Having a humidifier and/or a vaporizer in a child’s room is great for winter too.
If your child has a fever, Call the doctor.

The Flu season is usually from October to April. The main difference between the flu and a cold is a high fever. Babies and kids with the flu are very irritable can have diarrhea and usually don’t want anything to eat. I would treat the flu the same as if your child has a cold but call the pediatrician if your has has a high fever, has asthma or they have any problems breathing.

Croup usually appears in winter and spring. It usually comes on suddenly and the croup’s signature barking cough (like a seal’s bark) is very scary for new parents. Use a humidifier in your child’s room every day and night. Steam will help the cough and sitting with the child while the shower runs very hot will help her cough. Also bundling the baby and going outside in the cold is been known to help. if the cough seems to last for more then a couple of days or your child has a fever call the doctor.

colds, cold and flu season, flu, children’s colds, keeping kids healthy, healthy kids, croup, babies, infants, kids, parenting, parenting children