Newborns – Page 3 – Baby Care Journals

Is Delaying Clamping of Umbilical Cord Beneficial for Baby?

May 16, 2014 admin

In most hospitals, a newborn’s umbilical cord is clamped within 15-20 seconds after birth. Doctors do this to lessen the possibility of hemorrhaging for the mother. But a review of studies has found that delaying clamping of the cord just a little longer is very beneficial for the baby, and does not appear to increase the risk of severe bleeding (or other complications) for the mother.

The review, published online recently in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, found that delaying cord-clamping for at least one minute after birth greatly improves iron and hemoglobin levels in newborns (hemoglobin is the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen to all the tissues and organs; more iron means more hemoglobin will be made). Delaying clamping of the cord allows more blood and its iron to pulsate from the placenta and umbilical cord into the baby.

Natural Remedies for Baby’s Ear Infections

March 19, 2014 admin

pediatric doctor examining a sick baby's ear

Ear infections are the most common condition why children see a doctor in their first years of life. The American Academy of Pediatrics recently revised its recommendations to pediatricians, asking doctors not to be so quick to prescribe antibiotics, the usual cure, because of the long-term harm that excessive antibiotic use can cause to a person’s immune system.

About 80 percent of ear infections will go away on their own after a few days. And because of what we know now about how harmful heavy antibiotic use can be, many parents are looking for natural ways to cure their babies’ ear infections when a cure is needed.

Breast Milk’s Composition Changes Throughout the Day:

February 27, 2014 admin

Day Milk vs. Night Milk

The composition of human milk has been understood in great detail only in the last few decades. And even today, scientists continue to discover new components in breast milk. It has many: a handful of proteins, a handful of fats, and hundreds of carbohydrates or sugars — most of which are not digested by the infant but serve to feed the hundreds of beneficial bacteria species in the mother’s milk that are colonizing the newborn’s gut.

Breast milk also has minerals, vitamins, hormones and enzymes; these nourish the baby and regulate thousands of metabolic processes, including digestion.

Is Baby Eating Enough?

December 23, 2013December 23, 2013 admin

How to Know if Your Newborn Is Eating Enough

As a new mom, it’s very natural to worry about all aspects of your newborn’s health, and feedings are no exception.

How can you tell if your baby is getting enough milk? There are a number of clues that can answer this question, beginning with the cues that your little one gives you.

Breastfeeding Reduces Risk of Stomach Blockage in Babies

November 7, 2013November 22, 2013 admin

A new study found that babies who were bottle-fed were more than twice as likely to develop hypertrophic pyloric stenosis than babies who were breastfed. This condition involves a narrowing (stenosis) of the place where the bottom part of the stomach ends and the first part of the small intestine, the duodenum, begins. It is caused by an enlargement (hypertrophy) of the smooth muscle that surrounds this passageway, the pylorus (from the Greek pyloros or gatekeeper).

As the pylorus gets thicker, food has increasing difficulty emptying from the stomach into the small intestine. This results in babies experiencing what is referred to as “projectile vomiting,” where vomit comes out forcefully and often, sometimes at an arch.

Why Is Skin-to-Skin Contact with Your Newborn Important?

September 26, 2013 admin

newborn baby girl in pink knitted bear hat

If you give birth at a conventional maternity ward, chances are when the baby is born, you will be surrounded by various hospital personnel who will quickly pick up the newborn once the umbilical cord is cut, then transport her a few steps to the small table where she will be cleaned. The baby will then be quickly wrapped, or swaddled, in a small bed sheet or a baby blanket.

The idea with swaddling is that it gives babies comfort by somewhat recreating the “cocooned” feeling the baby had while she was still inside your body. Swaddling also binds baby’s extremities close to the body, so that she won’t startle herself awake when she jerks her little limbs while she sleeps.

New Study Finds that Breastfeeding Longer Helps Protect Moms Against Breast Cancer

September 16, 2013September 16, 2013 admin

A study published online in August, 2013 in the Journal of Clinical Nursing found that breastfeeding for six months or longer could delay diagnosis of breast cancer by about 10 years. But the protective benefits were cancelled out if mom was a smoker.

The study, conducted at the University of Granada in Spain, examined medical records of more than 500 women aged 19 to 91, who were diagnosed and treated for breast cancer between 2004 and 2009 at a university hospital in the province of Granada.

Non-smokers who did not have children or who breastfed for less than three months were diagnosed with breast cancer at an average age of 57; non-smokers who breastfed between 3 and 6 months were diagnosed at a similar age of 56. Non-smokers who breastfed longer than six months, on the other hand, were diagnosed at an average age of 68 — more than 10 years later. However, women who breastfed longer than six months but were smokers were diagnosed at an average age of 47, or 21 years earlier. These results held steady, even when family history of breast cancer was factored in.

13 Natural Remedies for Newborn Baby Constipation

September 10, 2013April 26, 2023 admin 1 Comment

We adults can get constipated now and then, if we don’t eat enough fiber in our diet or drink plenty of water and other healthy fluids. The natural solution to our constipation is simply to eat more natural, fiber-rich foods like vegetables, fruits and whole grains, and to drink more fluids.

But what can be done when a newborn gets constipated? Young babies can’t rely on different foods to move their bowels, if they’re not yet old enough to eat solids. Yet, newborns do sometimes suffer from constipation.

Advantages of “Rooming In” with Your Newborn

September 6, 2013September 16, 2013 admin

Many moms-to-be who are planning to give birth in a conventional maternity hospital may not be aware that they have the option to keep their newborns by their side from birth, until mother and baby leave the hospital together a couple of days later.

Giving birth is no small feat, and every detail should be planned beforehand as much as possible. One of the choices a mom should give thought to before the big day arrives, is whether she will want her baby “rooming in” with her. Rooming in is the term used to describe when a baby is not kept in the nursery, but on mom’s bed or beside her bed, for the customary two days before they go home together. A new mom can also opt to have a partial rooming in: keeping her baby beside her during the day and asking the nurses to care for the newborn in the nursery at night.

Babies’ Cells Found in Mothers’ Brains!

June 17, 2013 admin

Scientists have known for years that during pregnancy, cells from the developing fetus can wind up in the mother’s bloodstream. But a newer study shows that fetal cells can also travel to specific organs, such as the heart, lungs, skin … and even the brain, where they can become integrated among the mother’s neuronal cells permanently.

This process is known as “microchimerism.” (The name comes from Greek mythology, in which Chimera was a creature that was part serpent, part lion and part goat.) Microchimeric cells were first noticed in humans when cells containing the male Y chromosome were found in the blood of mothers after a pregnancy (these foreign cells can live in the mother’s bloodstream for years after a pregnancy).