his tummy is ready for the next course.
Tips for Mom
•Have one close, non-judgemental woman friend or relative stand by you and also accept help and support from your partner.
•Take Rescue Emotion homeopathic tablets at least 3 times a day.
•If your nipples are tender or you are very fair-skinned, sun your nipples twice a day for five to ten minutes, taking care not to burn.
•If nipple pain increases rather than improves, or you still struggle to latch Baby, call in a lactation consultant. It will be well worth your while and change the rest of your breastfeeding experience to a very positive one.
•Rest assured that you will not suffocate your baby if she sleeps with you in your bed. Dress her less warmly as she will be exposed to your body heat. Resting together may be just what you both need to see you through the next few days.
DAYS SEVEN, EIGHT AND NINE
Congratulations! Baby is a whole week old! He might well be making his presence felt in the home from now on. Babies are extremely self-absorbed and self-centred because that is all they know. They expect their parents to take the lead and guide them in the dos and don’ts of family life – quite a tall order when you, too, feel you need a guiding hand! It is time now to begin observing your baby for recurring patterns of behaviour and ways of self-expression – these will give you the clues on how best to handle each unique little individual.
About Baby
If your baby is fussy, constantly niggly, fretful and difficult to settle for any length of time, a number of time-tested tips may help:
•Ask your partner or close friend to take care of Baby for two hours after a feed. He will not be very hungry in so short a time, and a walk in the garden or around the neighbourhood while you rest might just break the vicious cycle.
•Bath with your baby. Play music in the background and nurse her until she calms, holding her cradled closely to you. and draping her with a facecloth that will absorb the warm bath water. Take care not to dunk her lower ear under the water, but do not worry about her sliding out of your arms – your instincts will prevent this.
•If she pushes away from the breast or turns her head rapidly from side to side, gently cradle her head in your hand and keep it in position at the breast.
•Break the tension in her arm if she pushes her body away by allowing her to grip onto your finger.
•Walk while latching Baby and keep moving until you notice the tension in her body ease and then you can sit and continue nursing.
•Give the homeopathic remedy Sister Lilian Chamomilla Tablets. Crush to a powder, add to a little milk or give directly with a clean finger 3 times daily to calm Baby naturally.
Tips for Mom
•Keep up your fluid intake, the best being water, rooibos tea or weak chamomile tea. Make a flask at a time and keep it handy when you nurse, as you will be thirstier then.
•Be aware of any pelvic pain, especially accompanied by a malodorous vaginal discharge and fever. This might signal retained placenta in the womb or an infection. Contact your midwife or doctor if these symptoms are present.
•Conserve your energy by using pre-frozen meals or gratefully accepting all help in this regard – this is one area where friends and family can be of great help to you.
•Spruce yourself up with a home pedicure while someone looks after Baby – you will feel all the better for it and it’s great being able to reach your toes again!
DAY TEN
This is a magical milestone on the parenting calendar and even though you may be tired and Baby still quite demanding, you somehow feel that you’re not quite such a novice anymore. Often women will want to venture out into the world again, show off their babies and revel in the fact that walking and sitting is easier, as the perineum is likely to have healed nicely if you have followed all the advice.
About Baby
•Routine will be important for both you and Baby but make it baby-led. Your close observation of the past days will mean that you might now know how frequently your baby likes to nurse – quite likely this will be a pattern of two-hourly [previously numerals] intervals with one or two longer stretches each 24 hours. A few babies drink like clockwork throughout the day and night. Be guided by this flexible pattern and build your routine around it.
•Bath Baby at any time of the day but try and make it the same time each day. Before a feed and a longish sleep are good times as babies will then be at their most relaxed.
•Notice if there is a particularly fussy time to the day and make sure that this time is as free of chores as you can make it. Rather feed frequently, go for a walk with Baby or let Dad take over for a while until you feel rested.
•If Baby feeds with difficulty, examine the tongue, gums and inside of the cheeks for signs of oral thrush: raised thick white patches. This will require treatment with an antifungal oral gel, the Sister Lilian homeopathic remedy Calendula Tablets or the tissue salt Kali mur. You will also need to treat your nipples with antifungal cream as cross-infection is likely.
•Read your baby’s body language, which incorporates physical gestures and ways of crying. If Baby cries stridently, usually after feeds, and goes quite red in the face, this might be his way of saying, ‘I’m frustrated and quite cross, Mom! I need to feed a bit more before this session is complete. Don’t expect me to have it all in one or two courses. And don’t then call it colic when I cry!’ This baby will appear strong-willed and intense but will often be quite happy between feeds. If they are very windy and posit a lot, they may well respond well to treatment with homeopathic remedies like NausiCare or ColicCare.
Tips for Mom
•Despite your increased energy, take care not to overdo things. Continue to pace yourself through the day and night and rest every now and then through the day. Go easy on chores too.
•You might pass blood clots and suddenly bleed more today. If bleeding passes within a few hours and you have no pain or fever, there is no cause for concern. If you do not feel well or bleeding remains profuse, see your midwife or doctor as soon as possible.
•Ask your partner to take you out for tea at a baby-friendly restaurant and enjoy the admiring glances your baby is sure to attract.
•If you still feel weepy and as if you are not coping, call a private midwife, log onto the Sister Lilian Centre website for available services or call the Postnatal Depression Support Association. Sharing your feelings will help put things in perspective.
DAYS ELEVEN TO FOURTEEN
You’re not trying to be Superwoman yet, are you? In reality, you have probably never worked as hard as this in all your life. What you are doing might not always seem so impressive; rather humdrum chores like feeding, nappy changing, bathing your baby, winding . . . Remind yourself that those tasks are the framework for the very important work of caring for, moulding and raising the next generation. You can rightly be proud of that. Every single thing you do is preparing Baby for her future, and there can be no more important task than that.
About Baby
•Now that you are less anxious about handling Baby, it is time to reap some benefits. Lie down when breastfeeding so that you too can sleep, just as baby does. Once you have mastered this art, you will sleep more than you ever have, albeit not in one stretch. Check the milk-feeding section for details of this wonderful way to ease nursing.
Tips for Mom
•Take a slow stroll around the block today. Walking with your baby can be an enjoyable and very effective form of exercise to help regain your shape while providing Baby with comfort and entertainment. Build this into your routine