BABIES THE PRECIOUS GIFT OF GOD---CARE THEM

The journey of childhood—commencing from the birth of your ‘baby’ who has just begun cooing to an independent ‘preschooler’ who digs in his plate without your help to a less fussy ‘school going kid’ who hops in his school bus happily bidding adieu—is full of responsibilities and fun for you. You might want to be armed with knowledge and, as a parent, prepare yourself for the responsibilities ahead. In this endeavor of yours, please don’t find yourself alone. We are there to help you along your journey as a parent with any concern or question you may have.

Under this section, you will find helpful information on many aspects involved in the proper upbringing of your child. So read on to explore articles and tips reviewed by experts on the following: developmental aspects by age (Baby of different ages, Preschooler and School going child); health issues, such as neonatal jaundice, how to take care of premature and preterm babies; nutritional information such as when and how to introduce your baby to complementary feeding, what are the nutritional needs of a preschooler and a school-going kid, healthy food preparations. We also feature here information on the recommended routine Immunization schedule for Indian children.

My Baby's Development

After having happily treaded the challenges experienced during those 9 months, your happiness is doubled when you hold your newborn in your arms. But you seem to be pondering over these lines that goes in to say– “Every day would be a new challenge”. Isn’t it? With different changes taking place in your baby’s physical, emotional & cognitive development, you would be confronted with these very often:-

What to expect from your baby at every stage? Whether it is normal? What facts you need to be commonly aware of as a new parent? When you need to be a little cautious or its time now to head to the paediatrician?

Monthly Development of The Baby (4 to 6mths)

With every new dawn, the stage sets up newer and amazing challenges for the baby to explore and parent to dwell in delight. As the baby grows older, she becomes more responsive towards her surrounding and to what all is happening around. A wide array of developmental changes can be observed in her physical, social, emotional and intellectual growth. Variations exist in their normal patterns of development. Albeit, some babies acquire the skills much earlier as compared to others but most of them escalate at a normal rate achieving the milestones meant for their age. As a parent, all you need to do is observe, interpret, guard and embrace as you see your baby stepping in every month trying to ape newer changes that becomes part of her overall growth.

Baby's Development (7-12 Months)
Prepared to track down the journey of your little adventurer? If still, stifling with the urge to say ‘’yes’’! Then ain’t be! For, as your baby becomes more mobile, his emerging abilities will keep you guessing for more.

My Baby's Health

MY BABY’S HEALTH

An expecting mother would strictly keep up to the routine visits to her obstetrician and adhere to the best nutritional advice, to ensure that she sails through her pregnancy smoothly with a healthy baby. No sooner the baby is born she would be confronted with these:- What is the importance of breast milk? How can I build up my baby’s immunity? Is that dose of vaccine really essential for my baby’s health? What if my baby is born with a medical problem? Should the baby be rushed to her doctor now? Stay well informed and well learned about the different aspects that play a pivotal role in your baby’s health. This will aid you to get acquainted with the facts in a better way. Infant Immunity Babies do possess some innate immunity, as their mothers’ infection preventing antibodies are passed on to them through their Umbilical Cord. But this immunity needs to be further strengthened so that it can shield the baby from various infections and illnesses in later life. Importance of mother’s milk:- Breast milk has all the essential nutrients required by the baby during the first four to six months of life as compared to commercial infant formulae. It contains immunoglobulin, lysozymes and bifidus factor which help fight infections. Thus, breast-fed babies as opposed to artificially fed infants have fewer incidences of diarrhoea and respiratory tract infections. So newborn babies should be exclusively breastfed for at least six months and refrained from being fed on any kind of infant formula and complementary feeds. Immunization:- It also becomes important to ensure a timely shot of vaccinations to your baby as per the recommended Immunization schedule. In sync with the baby’s healthcare personnel, make sure that she receives the necessary immunizations before her second birthday thereby guarding her against all the major childhood illnesses. Baby with a Medical Problem It is imperative to understand that the possibility of your baby being born with a medical problem cannot be completely overlooked. A first examination of the baby at the hospital would certainly involve the following:- Assessing the growth parameters like length, head circumference and weight since birth. Physical examination of the baby to check for any abnormalities of the organ function. Checking for the normal functioning of the baby’s reflexes, hearing and vision. A close discussion getting in to knowing of how your baby is taken to breastfeeding, her sleep patterns and bowel movements. The doctor would also recommend the necessary screening tests to detect the presence of any major inborn illnesses or medical problem, if he suspects through the observed symptoms. If the screening tests reveal that your baby is suffering from a medical problem, she would be required to be transferred to a neonatal unit for additional care and detailed investigation. By talking to the nurse or your doctor, you could find out ways to store the breast milk. A breast pump would be ideally suitable for this purpose. The breast milk would then be defreezed and given to the baby when her condition improves. By speaking to the baby’s health care provider, take a closer insight in to knowing more about the birth defects and accompanying medical problems. Comprehend them, as this would ease in dealing and taking care of such babies with lesser anxiety. Visit to your Baby’s Doctor Babies cry to communicate their needs. It could be that a soiled diaper is adding to her discomfort or she has not been fed since a long time. However a peculiar distinct cry that usually lasts for an unusual period of time indicates a medical problem, necessitating immediate help from the baby’s doctor. A major amount of an infant time is spent in sleeping through the day. You would normally find them to be awake, while being nursed. But noticing them to be excessively drowsy and disinterested during their feeds should not be ignored. An infection of the Umbilical Cord where in the stump becomes red or gets filled with pus could also lengthen the incessant spells of your baby’s cry. Report to your baby’s doctor immediately. It is usually observed that the tear ducts of an infant’s eye open on their own, but in some cases they remain clogged shedding the mucous membrane surrounding the eyes. With the white discharge crusting up on the baby’s eyes, keeping the eyelids open can also become a difficult task for them. Since there is a danger of the baby contracting a severe eye infection, a detailed examination by the doctor is needed.

Night feeding Night Time Feeding As a dutiful mother, you constantly find yourself spending more time with nursing, burping, changing nappy. Managing domestic chores takes a backseat for a while and at certain times it’s even drifting away from catching up your wonder sleep. Well, this is how your daily schedule would look like initially. But you would soon seek solace in switching back to your normal routine after you have successfully weathered the many challenges of parenthood. Needs of a Newborn It’s true like adults, babies too need their share of good sleep but they also need to curb their frequent hunger pangs at regular intervals. So initially, you would observe your baby waking up quite often for several feeds i.e. around 6-8 times every 24 hours. This is also well supported by the fact that frequent feeding your newborn would also help stimulate an adequate milk supply. She might wake up two to three times during the night but this would gradually reduce as she starts feeding more during the daytime.This could then be indicative that your baby is storing up enough reserves of energy so that she can sleep well in the night. General feeding patterns of a baby:- By around four months, most babies would sleep comfortably through the night. But this would be possible only if they have had been sufficiently breastfed during the day. Demand feeding begins when your baby grows a little older by few more weeks. You now need not be strict in following the 2-3 hour gap for every feed, the way you did in the initial days of your baby’s birth. You could let your baby set the pace for feedings, once you observe that your baby is gaining weight well and has normal urine and stool output. Babies of around three to six months usually require a feeding during the night. So make sure, you nurse her well apart from showering the much needed attention during the same. This is equally important as it would help you interpret your baby’s anxiety, to know if she is crying or uncomfortable for any reason other than hunger. Encourage nursing in a Sleepy Baby Babies usually tend to be in an active sleep state. You can easily sense that they have yet not entered a deep sleep stage by checking for the following:- Your baby’s eyelids would be partially closed along with some rapid eye movements. You could also observe involuntary movements of arms, legs and notice a sucking reflex. Gently massage his hands and feet using your thumb. Support her back while you hold her in the feeding position. Communicate to your baby that she now needs to be fed, maintaining an eye contact while you initiate the process. You could also make use of a small amount of expressed milk. With the help of a dropper, just dribble some amount into her mouth to help swallowing while feeding. Weaning from Night Feeding Weaning your baby from night feeds should be gradually followed after six months of exclusive breastfeeding. Discuss your baby’s sleep patterns with her paediatrician and then opt for reducing the number of feeds during the night. You could let your baby nurse only one breast to slowly reduce the amount of milk she would take during nighttime feeds. If your baby is on a bottle feed during nightime then consider giving her some ajwain water instead of formula milk. This is because during continuous suckling if your baby dozes off while feeding, prolonged contact with milk would result in tooth decay. However also keep observing that she doesn’t sleep with the milk bottle in her mouth as it can be dangerous. Some babies may take up easily to the process and sleep peacefully when they are about five to six months old. But for some toddlers, it won’t work in the similar way. They woke up during the night because they were used to having night feeds. So an abrupt change in their schedule would make them more anxious resulting in heightened crying spells. Be patient. See how it works for your baby and then try to let her adapt to this change smoothly. Before taking your baby to sleep, always ensure to have a desired atmosphere favourable for good sleep. Have dim lights in your baby’s room. Sing a calming lullaby, affectionately cuddle her before you place your baby in her crib. The one she may be used to hearing before sleep would actually make her sense that it’s time to sleep.  COMMON COMPLAINTS :- Bedwetting Wetting the bed at night (nocturnal enuresis) is commonly observed in many three to eight year old children. With respect to the gender, 60% of all the bed-wetters are males and a major percentage of them wet the bed almost every night. There can be many underlying reasons behind the problem of Bed wetting. Some of them are described as follows: Heredity can play an integral role in some cases. It’s been observed that if one parent or both parents seem to have been faced with this problem in their childhood, then there are around 50% chances that their child will also be a bed wetter. However, in these cases, the child may usually get over with the problem at the same age as did his parents. Children with a small bladder than normal are more likely to suffer from this problem. Besides this, problems in the valve that controls the flow of urine from the Bladder could also be contributing factors. Urinary tract infections, problems of Constipation that may cause a full bowel to exert pressure on the Bladder may be few other reasons. Due to poor and delayed functioning of the brain in some children, voluntary control over certain bodily functions such as being able to exercise control over the Bladder may yet not be achieved. Bedwetting may also result due to insufficient production of anti-diuretic Hormone (ADH) that plays an important role in preventing water loss from the body. This Hormone is usually produced in large amounts during night time but since its production is deficient in some children, it could result in bedwetting. Inadequate production of ADH also influences sleep, making it difficult for the person to wake up. Thus, it’s been observed that children who have this problem are usually the ones who also have deep sleep. Stressful events in a child’s life such as moving to a new school, sudden shift in the residential place, quarrelling parents, arrival of a sibling, abuse of any kind and so on can also be amongst some of the triggering factors. In these cases, a child, who did not wet the bed at night, may have started doing so due to stress. Helping Your Child Overcome the Problem As a parent you need to be considerate and understand that your child does not deliberately wet the bed. It’s just that his body is unequipped to control the flow of urine while he is asleep due to some or the other reason. Majority of children get over this problem by the age of ten or twelve because their bodies learn to gain control over their bladders. Follow these steps to reduce the chances of your child’s bedwetting problem: Refrain from rebuking your child for wetting the bed as it may affect his self-esteem to a great extent. A child already going through mental distress due to this problem should be rather comforted and reassured from your end that he is perfectly normal and that you both jointly will find a better way to deal with it. Make sure you limit your child’s fluid intake two to three hours before bedtime. Get him to religiously follow a routine of visiting the washroom just before he gets ready to bid you good night. Your child’s frequency of bedwetting may also increase with a sudden drop in temperature. So make sure your child is properly dressed and warm. Cover him with a blanket, if required. Protect the bed with plastic cover placed between the sheets and mattress. You can make your child wear diapers to help him prevent a messy situation, if needed. You may even try practicing an awakening schedule with the help of an alarm clock. Prod your child gently to wake up amidst his sleep two to three hours after he goes to bed and help him visit the washroom. Although some of the above mentioned guidelines may prove effective in managing the condition, in severe cases of bedwetting, it is wise to seek medical help. If there is any underlying medical problem, your doctor will be able to detect it and suggest suitable treatment. A hormonal supplement may be prescribed to compensate for the low levels of anti-diuretic Hormone (ADH). Bladder strengthening exercises may also be recommended. You must remember that the problem of bed-wetting is just a temporary one and it is not a disease. The problem will resolve on its own, though that may take some time; you only need to be patient. Give your child lots of love and treat him/her with respect; remember, they are not doing so intentionally. Whooping Cough What is whooping cough? Pertussis is an infection of the respiratory system caused by the bacterium Bordetella Pertussis. It is commonly known as whooping cough. A child with whooping cough would have severe coughing spells that may often end up in a “whooping” sound, experienced while breathing. These coughing spells in young children, especially infants, can progress to dangerous symptoms like vomiting, choking and even unconsciousness. What are the signs and symptoms of whooping cough? Whooping cough may present itself in a characteristic manner, with the first symptoms being similar to those of common cold. This would include sneezing, runny nose, mild cough, low grade fever (102 degrees celsius or below) and diarrhea. Your child may exhibit the common cold symptoms for about 1 to 2 weeks, with episodes of severe coughing for about two to four weeks. At times, these coughing spells may last for long durations. Recovery from this infection may vary in children, with gradual resolution in a few weeks of the symptoms in some; while in others, the symptoms may wane completely after months. Seek medical help if you suspect your child has whooping cough even if your child has received all his scheduled vaccines. If your child experiences prolonged spells of coughing followed by vomiting, turns red or blue, has difficulty in breathing or showing signs of dehydration, immediately inform his doctor and seek medical care. How does Pertussis or whooping cough spread? An infected person transmits the germs containing droplets in to the surrounding air while coughing or sneezing. These germs gain entry into the lungs of the person nearby during breathing. Thereby, the bacteria multiplies in the airways, interferes with respiratory tract’s ability to ward off the germs producing thick mucus that leads to bouts of uncontrollable coughing. The bacteria may also be responsible for the inflammation and narrowing of the breathing tubes in the lungs. This may result in difficulty in breathing (gasping for air) accompanied with a high-pitched whoop after a spell of coughing. Whooping cough, a highly contagious respiratory infection is considered to be a common cause of childhood illnesses. Infants aged 6 months and younger are more vulnerable to the infection because there Immune System is underdeveloped and because they may not have received all the doses of Pertussis vaccine by this age. What are the complications of whooping cough? Infants aged less than 6 months of age present severe and serious complications from whooping cough and are more likely to receive treatment at hospitals. At times, these complications may even prove fatal. Pneumonia, dehydration, ear infections, seizures, delayed or stopped breathing and brain damage can occur in very young infants and toddlers. How is whooping cough treated? A child suffering from whooping cough will be treated with antibiotics for a period of about two weeks. It is believed that a course of antibiotics started prior to the coughing spells may actually help in lessening the duration of the infection. Even when introduced later, these medications may be of help in further averting the infection from spreading to others. As a result of coughing, your child may be reluctant to eat or drink and may even vomit while being prodded to do so. From your end, make sure you encourage him/ her have few morsels of food at frequent intervals than being forced a big chunk. Also, prod your child to drink lots of fluids (water), preferably sipping more frequently to help prevent signs of dehydration. Be watchful of the following signs of dehydration in young children: thirst, irritability, sunken eyes, dry mouth and tongue, crying without tears, lethargy, less frequent peeing and in infants – fewer wet nappies. While receiving treatment at hospital, the doctor may decide for whether your child may need suctioning of the thick respiratory secretions (mucus). In such cases, his breathing will be monitored and oxygen would be provided, if needed. Intravenous fluids might be introduced if your child has been showing signs of dehydration or experiencing difficulties in eating. Disclaimer: The information included in this section should not be treated as a substitute for medical treatment. Please see your doctor if you have serious medical conditions and need treatment.