Steps To Your EASY DELIVERY (Natural Vaginal Birth Preparation

Today i'm going to walk you through 15steps on how to have an easy delivery.This is especially helpful if you're hoping to have an unmedicated vaginal birth .However ,if you're going to have an epidural these tips are also helpful.

The first five steps are things that you can do it during pregnancy to prepare and the next 10 are things you're gonna do during labor.

Step number one, is we want to stop sitting in slouched or reclining positions, instead  use sort of a forward leaning position. So for example ,you could sit backwards over a kitchen chair leaning forward on hands and knees.  Spending lots of time here or sitting on a birthing ball ,is going to create space in your belly for your baby to get into the optimal fetal position which is going to have an easy delivery and create less pain. 

So if your baby is in a posterior position, sunny side up and it's coming through, this is going to make it more difficult increasing the pain and making a more difficult delivery.

Step number two. Is working on your strength and stamina during your pregnancy. One of the most difficult parts of labor is not the pain, it is how long labor is especially for first-time moms and how exhausting it can be. So we want to be strong we want to have stamina for that um for your birth. 

Number three .You want to release and relax through your pelvic floor, your pelvic floor is not gonna push your baby out your uterus is gonna push your baby out and so you don't need lots of kegels and strength for your birth. That's for your recovery after so still an important part of pregnancy but for an easy delivery we really want to learn to relax and open up. So this may look like doing lots of stretches like, yogi squat and butterfly pose ,you can also take a tennis ball and sit on it and help release through your pelvic floor. You may also want to do perineal massage. 

 Step number four . Is to practice, being in the now or being in the present duringy pregnancy. At any one point, there is not too much pain during your labor.

However, if you think you might have another 12 hours of this sensation that can get overwhelming. So you really want to be able to focus your mind and stay on focusing on your current contraction just like anything this can take practice .

One of the things that you can do is to practice breathing, at the same time as visualizing something .So for example you could practice a box breath,where you inhale as you go up one side exhale ,inhale, exhale and then you keep going around in your box. You could also take your hand and inhale as you go up one side.Exhale as you go down your thumb, inhale up your finger, exhale down your finger and so on. And this is going to keep you in the now, on your current contraction, not thinking about what is coming ahead.

Step number five.   Is really being confident around your capabilities,listening to lots of positive birth stories, talking to other mothers, learning about what they did to have a positive birth. Story can really increase your confidence. I think it's also really important to be really clear about why you want to have an unmedicated um or vaginal delivery .

step number one for during labor is to set up a calm safe and as uninterrupted as possible but the hormones we really need to let your body know that you are safe you are calm you're in a safe place to deliver your baby.

It is so common that things are going to be going well at home ,and then when someone gets to the hospital labor tends to slow down or stall so birthing.  At-home as long as possible is ideal but even when you get to the hospital, you can bring eye masks ,bring headphones or earplugs.

Let people know not to interrupt you,limit any unnecessary checks or interruptions. Limit who is coming in to your birth for example, you may want to put it in your birth preferences that you don't want students watching your birth.

 Number two. It is so helpful to use movement and relaxation ,listening to your body when you need both so you can be doing it.

-Slowly dancing 

-you can be walking the halls ,

-you can be sitting on the toilet

-you could be bouncing on the ball 

-you can be doing lunges stay at that asymmetrical movement but when your body is tired laying down and resting ,this is

actually when you move into transition your body knows that it needs to rest and it is progressing very quickly at that point.

Number three you want to have your positive birth affirmations and your confidence. You want to have your partner encouraging you and you also want to know that when you get to the part of labor where you are questioning whether you can keep going but that is actually a good thing. It probably means that you are reaching transition and you're getting so close to meeting your baby.

Number four, using pelvis biomechanics to help your baby move through your pelvis.So in early labor when you're waiting for your baby to drop down ,you want to have external rotation and open hips to help the top part come up and then as your baby is moving through . You may want to do some asymmetrical poses to help wiggle your baby through and then when you are in the pushing phase.

 When your baby is crowning, you want to open the outlet of your pelvis ,so you want to have your knees together and use internal rotation for the pushing phase.

Number five .Is to choose a birthing position that uses gravity ,as well as a position that allows you to have movement of your pelvis this is going to allow for a less painful birth. 

Ashorter birth and a birth that is less likely to have any interventions like forceps or vacuums or c-sections, it's really mind-blowing to me. Why so many women are still birthing on their backs,it is not using gravity and the pressure on the sacrum, is actually pushing the tailbone into where the baby is coming out and closing the outlet for the baby to come out.

Even if you have an epidural you can beon your sides supported by a person or a peanut ball,and then you still have movement of your pelvis as needed .

Number six .Is to use tools that are going to help you cope through your delivery. So forexample, you could use :

-Atens machine on your lower back 

-squeeze a comb

-use water in a shower or in a bath 

-use a rebozo 

Number seven. Is to visualize what is happening in your body and to not fight your contractions and sort of.  Just relaxin to the strong sensations rather than pushing them away . You have to go through that and meeting your baby is on the other side of that but it's helpful to know that the sensation that you're feeling isn't dangerous. It's's not pain scary ,it is simply your cervix opening up so that your baby can come out and through. And really your job is just to relax and to open and let your body do your work . 

Number eight.  Is to fully relax between a contraction,your uterus is working really hard during a contraction to help move your baby down and out.  When you get a break it is so important to fully relax.

Imagine you are lifting a weight and it's starting to burn. you can feel how hard your muscle is working and you don't take the opportunity to break. When you have the break and then you have to pick it u,p again it is just going to be that much more painful . But if you are fully relaxing between, it is going to be that much more bearable when you go for your next contraction.

 Number nine . Is to labor down and not just to push because you are 10 centimeters . So sometimes your provider will check you and say you're 10 centimeters ,it's time to push However, if you don't feel the urge to push you could be doing a whole lot of work and frustration and it taking too long thanif you relaxed and labored down until you felt the urge to push. so with my

first baby i didn't know about laboring

down and when i got to 10 centimeters i

was told to push .

The strategies that you can do try to stimulate the fetal ejection reflex.It's where your body will just eject the baby out of your body and you're not doing any work at all .

So for this you need to be in a very calm and safe space it is less likely that it's going to happen at the hospital it's usually happening at a home birth.

 Number 10 . Is to breathe your baby out and allow the pushing phase to go slow to allow your tissues to stretch very safely. We want to avoid closed glottis or purple pushing, where you're taking a big breath and then holding your breath and pushing for 10 seconds.  You want to have a slow exhale down and you're just supporting When your body is pushing 

I really believe that our bodies are designed to birth ,you are preparing your mind and body and i really believe that you can create your positive birth experience. 

Thank you so much I  know that you are going to do amazing in your upcoming birth if you have any questions feel free to leave them in the comments below

https://youtu.be/6m9Q27BrRj0

18 Important Things Babies Are Trying to Tell You

Every parent knows the first year with a baby is both challenging and exciting.

Your baby cries all the time, goes 'neh!', grabs their ears, and you have no idea what any of this means!

Luckily, some experts decoded this unique baby language, and I'm here to share the clues you’ll need to figure out what your little bundle is trying to say.

Let's start with the way your baby cries.During the first four months of life, crying is the main way babies express their needs.

Here are seven types of cries to listen for and what they mean:

A calling cry

 Ever heard your baby cry for about 5 or 6seconds, and then pause for the next 20 seconds?That's a calling cry!This means that your baby has been alone for a while and now desperately needs your attention.

If you don't respond right away, you'll hear this fascinating cycle of crying a couple more times.So pick your baby up and give them all the loving they need!

A hunger cry 

This type of cry is very similar to a calling cry with one little catch – if you don't get in there right away, the crying becomes hysterical quickly.Your baby may also start rotating their head and making smacking sounds with their mouth.This is a clear sign that it's time to feed.

A pain cry

 If you hear a pain cry once, you'll never confuse it with any of the others.This crying is flat and constant.But small hysterical outbursts mean the pain is increasing and you should call the doctor as soon as possible.This type of crying is also very loud, unless your baby isn't strong enough to make loud noises.

A physiological cry 

Babies deal with all kinds of bodily functions like us, from having gas to peeing and pooping.And these can cause them more discomfort than you think!Thankfully, babies usually let you know right away by whining and squeaking as they cry.

A sleep cry

 Sleep is another problem for babies – sometimes they just can't!In this case their crying sounds like an offended and smooth whining, followed by loads of yawning.Sleepy babies also tend to rub their eyes and ears, so you can look out for these redflags as well.

A discomfort cry 

This crying sounds very irritated and often comes together with fidgeting.Your baby can also flail their arms and legs and arch their backs.This usually means time to check their diaper or change their clothes.They may either be too hot or too cold.

A bored cry 

This one is extremely common – your baby cries, you try doing everything you can but still can't figure out what's wrong.Easy, your baby is simply frustrated or bored!Take them for a walk outside or around the house.A simple environment change can stop the crying quickly.

Okay, so now that you got the different crying scenarios down, it's time to talk about the other sounds your baby makes.Yup, all these strange sounds have their own meaning!

Australian pediatrician Dr. Priscilla Dunstan has been studying early childhood sounds for more than 20 years.She examined 3 to 4-month old babies of different nationalities during her research.

According to Dunstan, your baby starts actively making communication sounds only after 4 months old.

Before that the sounds are just a primary reflex that needs to be figured out.So here's a little “sound” cheat sheet:

 • “Neh” means “Hey, I'm hungry here,feed me!”

This sound comes from your baby pushing their tongue up to the roof of their mouth, triggering the sucking reflex.

• “Eh” is “I think I'm gonna burp now!”

With that, the excess air starts leaving the baby's esophagus, and your baby tries to release it from their mouth.

• “Owh” means “I'm so sleepy and tired!”Your baby just folds their lips before yawning and this sound comes out!

• “Heh” is baby speak for “I'm not feeling it, I’m uncomfortable.”The main reason is probably an unpleasant feeling of some sort.The baby can give away their feelings by constantly moving and jerking their hands and feet as well.

• “Eairh” indicates “I have a sore tummy, help!”This strange sound can turn into a moan, as your baby stretches the belly and exhales.

Don't ignore these symptoms - take action right away.And that's basically all the baby sounds you need to know!Feel like a baby whisperer yet?

Wait, I have one more important lesson for you – baby movements.

Small babies have their own body language that can help you detect their needs and moods.

Let’s take a look:

Arching their backs, Parents know that babies under 2 months old arch their backs a lot. In most cases it's just a typical response to pain or colic but there are a couple of exceptions to this rule.

If your baby arches their back during eating, it's a sign of reflux, after eating it means they're full.And if your baby has passed the 2-month old mark but still does it, no need to worry – they're simply tired or in a bad mood.

Rotating their head This is your baby's way of calming down.You usually see it when they're about to fall asleep or hang out with people they don'tknow yet.Good news is that you can help your baby. Just gently rub their back and they'll instantly relax.

Grabbing their ears This may look pretty scary but it's completely natural – your baby is simply exploring their body!However, if ear rubbing is followed by intense crying, you should definitely visit the doctor to find the source of the problem.

Clenching their fists Fist or no fist shows how hungry your baby is.A perfectly relaxed hand means that they're full, while strong fist shows that they need baby food right this minute.Noticing this little detail in time can help you prevent the hungry crying and save you tons of time and stress!

Lifting their legs During the first months of your baby's life,colic and tummy pain are almost inevitable.Your baby tries to cope with it on their own by lifting their legs to ease those unpleasant sensations.But any additional help from you is totally welcome, tummy rubs are awesome!

Jerking their arms Loud sounds, bright lights, and sudden wake-ups provoke the startle reflex in little babies.As a result, they jerk their arms out of fear.

In this case, your job is to comfort your baby and make sure that they're alright.And that’s it!That's everything you need to know to read your baby's mind!

Pediatricians recommend parents talk to their babies as often as possible.Show them all the things around them, explain how they work, or tell cool stories, even if you feel like they don't understand you.

This type of constant communication will help them develop their own individual sounds and gestures to express their needs better.

Do you have any baby communication tricks of yourown?

Sound off in the comments below.

Don't forget to give this video a “like,” share it with your friends, and click “subscribe.”

https://youtu.be/a4WGVOzTR4A

How to Lose Belly Fat in a Single Night. Each of us has some belly fat,even people who have flat tummies.That is normal,but too much of it can affect your health stronger than other types of fat.

Being overweight does not always mean being unhealthy.There are many great examples of overweight people who have excellent health.

On the contrary, there is the same amount of examples of people who are skinny,but face some metabolic issues.

All that happens because the under-the-skin fat does not cause so many health problems.It causes only discomforts from the cosmetic point of view.

Doesn't it?The real monster is the fat in the abdominal cavity,also known as the belly fat.Not only does it bring you health problems,but also it one of the most difficult types of fat to get rid of.Hence,belly fat is more than just an irritant that makes your clothes feel tight.

How can it bring health problems?You might ask.Here is the answer:

Some fat is there right under your skin,on the other is deep inside, around your organs :Liver, heart and lungs.This type of fat is called visceral fat,and this is the very type which is bad,even for slim people.

Well,don't get disappointed so fast.We do need some of visceral fat though.Guess why?Yes, because it acts as cushions around your organs.But again, you should know the measure,because too much of it can cause high blood pressure,heart diseases,and even some types of cancers.

Now,how to know if you have too much of belly fat?There is a straightforward way to do it!Get a measuring tape and put it around your waist,

Did it?Now you can check your girth.Keep in mind that you should do it while you are in standing position,not sitting, okay?It will be easier if you start and finish at your belly button,that will give you measurements that are more precise.

Now, if you're a woman and your waist sizeis less than 35 inches,Relax! Everything is fine.However, if it is more than 35 inches,then you definitely should consider this diet.

Secret of which am going to reveal very soon.And if you are a man,then the waist size less than 40 inches sounds pretty okay.On more than 40 inches should alarm youand the diet would be a good way out.

Moreover,there are two types of shapes;a pear size when the hips and thighs are bigger than your waist line,and an apple size when your waist line is wider than your hips and thighs.

In fact,a pear size is considered safer than an apple size.Why?An apple size shows that you have too much of belly fat,which means that you have too much of visceral fat in your body.

So,if your measurements show that you have too much of extra fat around you waist line,even if you're not obese or heavy,then you should consider some ways to say goodbye to it.

Sounds like an uphill task, huh?Don't give up that fast!You'll be surprised to know that this task can be accomplished within one day.

In the video,you are going to see an outstandingly effective and quick way to lose belly fat.And not only it.Have you ever tried dieting before?Probably yes.

Therefore,you know how exhausting it might be.This diet will not only make your belly flat,but also it will help you to lose unnecessary weight and burn those nasty calories.

Moreover,you'll get a purified body as a result.Intrigued?The diet consists of smoothies, juices, and teas,an extra amazing thing for tea lovers.All this stuff acts as a drink detox that additionally cleanses your body very fast,that will give you a boost of energy,and the most important thing is that you'll know the way of getting a flat stomach and will be able to use it whenever it is required.

So, are you ready to hear the most amazing diet ever?Here's how you can do it:You should start right in the morning,

8 AM.

Drink a glass of warm water with some lemon juice in it.Good start!After a couple of hours,take another glass of warm water with apple or orange juice in it.Do you find it interesting?

Then at noon, get yourself a cup of green tea.Not bad!After an hour,you should drink a glass of cold water with carrot juice in it.

At 3 PM,take a cup of your favorite tea.Do you like it so far?

At 5 PM,have a glass of your favorite juice.That might be your favorite part of the diet.After another couple of hours,take one more cup of green tea.

At 9 PM,grab a glass of water with grapefruit juice in it.We are almost there. (hopefully)

Finally, after another hour at 10 PM,you should finish the diet the way you started it.Have a glass of warm water with some lemon juice in it.The important thing is that you are not supposed to add any artificial ingredients to your drinks.

It is probably hard to believe, but your tummy will become flat in just 24 hours.Moreover,your body will get rid of all the toxins.So,what are you waiting for?

Do you know any other amazing diets?Share them in the comment section below.Don't forget to share your results in the comments as well.Don't forget to hit the like button on the video

 https://youtu.be/JmcAqbqQpHQ

How to Introduce the First Foods

How to Introduce the First Foods

Have you been asking yourself, how do I start my baby on solid food? In this video I’m going to  walk you through an example of what the first week of starting solids could look like for your baby.  

I’m also going to talk about things you can do from the start to encourage your baby to become  an independent eater.  

 and I equip parents with knowledge, so they can care for their children   Once your baby is 6 months old and showing all the signs of readiness to  safely start solids, I recommend parents try to introduce a new vegetable one day of the week,  a new fruit another day, a new carbohydrate food another day, a new protein food another  day and spend the last three days giving the new allergenic food of the week. I’m sure your child’s  healthcare provider told you to wait anywhere from 2 to 5 days between introducing new foods.  

There is actually no research to support the need to wait several days between exposing a baby to a  new food. The concern with this approach is that it significantly limits the amount of flavors and  textures your baby can experience before entering into the pickier eating phase of toddlerhood.  

We find that children who are exposed to more flavors and textures tend to be less likely to  be picky eaters as they get older. Also research shows that early introduction of allergenic foods,  and repeated exposure decreases the baby’s risk for developing allergies to those foods.

 In the  first week of starting solids, to be cautious you can offer just the new food each day. But then in  the second or third week, there is no reason to put off reintroducing foods that your baby has  already had previous days, while continuing to introduce a new food.  

At 6 and 7 months, I recommend offering solids once or twice a day. Make sure you’re doing it  in the morning or afternoon when your baby is in a good mood, not hungry or tired. It’s best to  do it about an hour or two after a milk feed so your baby isn’t starving. 

At this age our focus is to teach babies how to eat solids safely and expose them to new flavors and textures, not to  replace milk feeds with solids. If parents wait to give the food when the baby is hungry, they create  an unpleasant feeding experience, because the baby is frustrated and not cooperative with the  feeding process. And if you do it right after a milk feed, and your baby gags, a lot of the  milk might come back up. 

There are many different ways one can go about starting a baby on solids.  You might need to do some trial and error and modify the feeding sessions as you figure out what  works best for your baby. Let’s say that on day 1 of solids you will be starting with a vegetable,  and let’s say that it’s going to be carrots. 

First you’ll need to cook the carrots to soften them up.  Steaming is one of the best cooking methods for preserving nutrients in the hard vegetables and  fruits that will need to be cooked. When pureeing the carrots, you can make a thinned out version,  like the consistency of a butternut squash soup and another version that is a little thicker,  like an applesauce consistency. Start off adding a little breastmilk or formula to the cooked carrots  as you’re mashing them. And add more as necessary to get it to the desired consistency.  

By trying two different consistencies, it allows you to see what works best for your baby.  And in case you were wondering, at this age we offer food warm or at room temperature.  Offer a few spoons of the thinner purée, and then offer a few spoons of the thicker purée.  

Your baby will probably only take a few bites. The majority of food will most likely end up on  the baby’s face, hands or bib. This is the process your baby needs to go through to become familiar  with solids, and it’s normal. 

You may have noticed that at six months your baby is able to grab things and bringing them to the  mouth. Therefore there’s no reason to doubt your baby’s ability to start self feeding at  this age. When offering your baby a puree, you can preload it onto a spoon like the  tiny spoon  or the  soft tipped spoon and hand it to your baby to self feed. You can help guide the spoon towards your baby’s mouth, but the baby should be the one putting it into the mouth.  

The spoons I just mentioned come as a two pack. So while your baby is eating the puree off of one  spoon, you can have the other one ready to go. There is also no reason to delay offering the  new food of the day in the version of strips for your baby to practice picking up and self feeding.  

Studies show that babies are no more likely to choke on strips of food than on pureed food as  long as the finger food is offered in a safe size for the baby. For babies 6 to about 8 or 9 months  of age, the size of the strips should be about the thickness of an adult pinky finger. And make  them about 2 to 3 inches long, so when the baby grabs the food, there is still some sticking out  for the baby to munch on. Most feeding sessions will probably go for about 15 to 20 minutes.  

So a way you could structure this is to spend a few minutes giving the thinner version of the  puree on a preloaded spoon that your baby self feeds, then a few minutes with the thicker puree.  

And for the final portion of the meal you can let your baby explore the strips of food. The mini mat makes it possible to offer the different versions of the food in different compartments.  The use of a crinkle cutter makes the strips less slippery for the baby to pick up. 

At first babies are  cautious and curious. If your baby doesn’t even put the strip of food into the mouth, that’s okay.  At least you’re giving your baby an opportunity to practice picking up food in this form.  

It’s only a matter of time before your baby will start bringing the strips of food to the mouth  and taking small bites using the gums. During the meal, you can pick up a strip of food and take  small bites of it and make exaggerated chewing motions to demonstrate to your baby how it should  be done. Giving your baby the opportunity to learn how to self feed from day one is the best approach  for raising an independent eater. That is one of the underlying principles behind baby-led weaning.  

If you’re nervous about your baby self feeding, and prefer to start with spoon  feeding your baby the puree, I recommend that you still set aside time during meals to give  your baby an opportunity to practice self feeding. 

 I notice that some parents continue to spoon feed their child well into toddlerhood, but this actually delays their ability to  master becoming an independent eater. The sooner babies start practicing, the sooner they master  the ability to self feed. If you’re finding this information helpful, hit the thumbs up button.  

Now let’s say that on day 2 you give the new fruit of the week. Avocado is a great one to start with.  Most of us think of avocado as a vegetable, but it’s technically a fruit. Avocados are full of healthy fats that our babies need for their rapidly developing brains. You can mash up fresh avocado with some breastmilk or formula.

 Here is an example of what it could look like. I have a thinner version of puree in one compartment, a thicker version in the other compartment  and strips of avocado cut using a crinkle cutter in the third compartment. The first 10 minutes or so you can let your baby experience the puree versions. And then the second 5 to 10 minutes,  you can offer strips of avocado for your baby to practice self feeding.  

Let's say that on day three you’re introducing the carbohydrate food of the week. Foods that fall  into this category include the starchy vegetables and whole grains. The starchy vegetables include  sweet potato, white potato, corn and different varieties of squash, just to name a few. This  group also includes the whole grains like oatmeal, barely, buckwheat, rice and whole wheat. 

Let’s say that the carbohydrate for week 1 is going to be baby oatmeal cereal.You can mix two different consistencies  using breast milk or formula, and offer it to your baby. For day 4, let’s say you will be giving the  new protein food of the week. The protein food group includes meat and plant protein foods. Eggs and fish also fall into the protein group, as well as the allergenic food category.  

Most babies are born with enough iron stores to last them for the first 4 to 6 months. But after  that to ensure healthy growth and development, it's very important for them to have an iron rich  diet. Since the iron that comes from meat sources is more readily absorbed by our bodies than iron from plant sources, meats are considered an important source of iron for the baby. 

That’s why we recommend including meat in the baby’s diet early on in the food introduction process.  Let’s say that chicken is the new meat of the week. It’s best to prepare a fattier part of the chicken, like the thighs. Especially if giving strips of meat, a baby is less likely to choke  on the fattier more tender strips of meat than the less fatty dry portions, like chicken breast meat.  

If you will be pureeing the chicken, you can mix it with breast milk or formula,  or with one of the foods that you already introduced in previous days, like carrots.  

In the first 10 minutes of the meal you can offer the puree version, then during the second portion  of the meal, you can offer strips of chicken that are about the thickness of an adult pinky finger and 2 to 3 inches long. As long as the meat is soft, your baby will be able to takes small bites using the gums. Or your baby might just suck on the strip of chicken.  

Even so, your baby will benefit from getting iron and other nutrients from the juices of the meat.  For day 5, 6 and 7, you can introduce the first allergenic food of the week. Since yoghurt already comes in the consistency of a puree, that might be the easy one to start with to expose your baby to  a milk product.

 I recommend giving full fat plain yogurt instead of the shelf stable baby yogurt,  which contains a lot of sugar. Since babies have a higher risk of reacting to the 8 common  allergenic foods which include milk, peanut, egg, fish, soy, tree nuts, wheat and shellfish,  out of an abundance of caution you can offer that same allergenic food three days  in a row and hold off on exposing your baby to any new foods during those days. 

So this is an  example of what week one of solids could look like. I hope that by walking you through this,  you’re able to have a better understanding of how to go about exposing your baby to a wide  variety of foods as you embark on the journey of starting solids. See you in the next video.

https://youtu.be/9uAG2EKya9o

DOs and DON'Ts of Tummy Time: Time Time For Babies and Tummy Time Newborns

 DOs and DON'Ts of Tummy Time: Time Time For Babies and Tummy Time Newborns

Do you have a newborn baby,

and you're not sure how to do tummy time or how often you should be doing it?

Or you have a one, two, three month old baby who absolutely hates tummy time?

Well, this video is for you!

Today I'm going to share tips on everything you need to know about tummy

time, including the do's and don'ts of tummy time,

which will ensure that tummy time in itself is a fun activity for your baby.

And most importantly, it is not stressful for you as was parents.ich will make your life as parents significantly easier and ensure your child

gets the best start to life. If that's something you're interested in,

Tummy time is when you lie your baby on their tummy.

And it's really important because it helps develop the muscles in their head,

their neck, their upper body,

which are all muscles that are required when they're learning to roll, sit up,

crawl and walk.

It's important to know that a lot of babies fuss and cry when they're put onto

their tummy. Particularly when you're just starting out, tummy time.

And that's because it's a really, really hard activity for them.

Their muscles are having to work really hard to lift their head.

And they also can't see a lot when they're in this position and they can't use

their hands.

So tummy time is really important for your baby's overall strength and

development. And I know you've been told that a lot.

And I promise as your baby gets stronger in this position,

they're going to be less fussy when they're in tummy time.

But what they need to do is have continual exposure to practicing tummy time,

because that's the only way we get strong.

Our muscles get strong as if we practice that activity quite regularly.

Now I know you're probably thinking I have a newborn baby and they just hate it.

Or I've got a one, two, three month old baby and they hate tummy time.

So today I'm going to share with you my dos and don'ts of tummy time,

which will, I promise, will actually make tummy time,

a lot easier for your baby. So they're going to start to enjoy it.

And then they'll be more willing to practice this activity.

And it will be less stressful for you as parents. So what am I dos and don'ts?

Firstly, do start tummy time straight away.

So you can start tummy time as soon as you get home from the hospital,

if you have a baby who was born full term and they have no medical conditions.

What you're aiming for as a newborn,

is that your baby will only be in the tummy time position or one to two minutes,

and then you'll flip them onto their back.

And you'll do this multiple times throughout the day.

So key word there is 'day'. We don't do tummy time at night.

So you do it multiple times throughout the day.

You would generally do every wake period that your baby goes through.

So they would wake up from their nap. You do one to two minutes of tummy time,

and then they'll go have another nap and then they'll have another wake period.

And you do tummy time again. So by three months of age,

your baby should be able to do an hour total of tummy time in the day.

So again, remember, that's broken up into parts.

I'm not expecting a baby at three months of age to stay in the tummy time

position for an hour.

What you are expecting is that maybe they'll do tummy time six times a day.

So that's for 10 minute blocks throughout the day.

So starting tummy time early makes it so that the baby knows that this is just

part of their routine.

So that they'll go onto their tummy for a short period of time and then you flip

them onto their back and they'll be happy.

Doing it straight away means that it will be routine for your baby,

but also for you. And if you haven't done tummy time from the beginning,

that's fine. You just start now.

Do tummy time when your baby is alert and awake.

So we do tummy time in the day.

We don't do it at night and we make sure that we're always supervising our baby

when you place them on their tummy.

And that's just to ensure that if they get really tired and they can't clear

their head, you're going to be there to roll them quickly onto their back.

So you do it when they're alert and awake.

The other thing is I would generally do it after a breastfeed.

So your baby will wake up, then you'll feed them and change their nappy.

Then they're happy for a short period of time.

So that's when I would recommend doing tummy time.

When your baby is happy and they're not hungry or grizzly. Just a heads up,

usually around two weeks of age,

your baby will start to get a bit fussy and clingy in the afternoons and

evenings.

And at this time they actually won't like being on the ground to do tummy time.

So I would generally do the chest to chest tummy time.

So this leads me into my next do,

which is make sure you do use the different tummy time positions.

So there's actually four different tummy time positions.

The first tummy time position that you can do is that traditional tummy time

where your baby's lying on the floor and their arms are resting under their

body. This is quite a difficult tummy time position.

The second tummy time position is the chest to chest tummy time position.

So that is where you're lying on a surface and then your baby's chest is on top

of your chest and they're able to look up at you during tummy time.

The third position is when your baby is lying across your lap.

And then the fourth position is called the football hold.

So where you're holding your baby in your arms.

So it's where your baby is lying in your arms.

And their head is resting in your elbow cease, near your elbow,

and you provide support at their hips and they will lift their head up.

You can also do this position with your baby facing outwards,

where you provide support under their arm and then your other arm is providing

support along their length of their body. And they will lift their head up.

I find it easier to do it the other way.

And I think the baby's able to lift their head easier,

particularly in the first few months,

when your baby's developing that neck strength. I would generally use the other,

the first football hold position.

The next thing I would recommend is that you do try and make tummy time easier

for your baby. So when your baby's first, during tummy time,

they tend to be top heavy. And by that,

I mean that a lot of their weight is towards their head and their shoulders,

their body. So they aren't actually able to lift their head very easily.

So we can make tummy time, all those four positions that I showed you before,

a lot easier.

And that's by providing support to them and trying to shift the weight to

their hips and their legs so that they can lift their head easier.

So I'm going to explain how you can do that in the four positions.

So in the traditional tummy time position where your baby's lying on the ground

flat,

you can make that significantly easier for your baby by putting your,

um, hand on their hip. And that will shift the weight to their legs.

So they'll be able to find it easier to lift their head.

The other thing you can do is place a rolled up towel under their arms,

and that will prop their body up the front part of their body up, which again,

will make it easier to lift their head because it shifts all the weight to their

legs. In the chest to chest position. So where your baby's lying on your chest,

you can do it a few ways.

So first thing is if obviously if you're lying flat on a bed and your baby's

lying on the chest,

they're having to lift their head up against a significant amount of gravity.

So it's a lot harder than if you were reclined in a chair.

So I would generally do the chest to chest firstly, reclined in a chair.

So your back is propped up so that your baby is already kind of propped up

and it makes it easier for them to lift their head because they're not having to

lift against so much gravity. The other thing you can do in this position,

is that you provide support at their hips.

Again by putting your hand on their hips or their bottom.

And that will help shift the weight to the back of their legs.

And the other thing you can do is provide support at their forearms.

So you hold their forearms in place. And again,

that ensures that they're able to put weight through their arms,

which makes it easier for them to lift their head.

The other position is the football hold.

So you can make that significantly easier for your bub by putting your hand on

their hip or their bottom. So it again,

shifts the weight back to the back of their legs,

so that it's easier for them to lift their head.

The other thing you can do is obviously when your arm is straight like this,

they're having to lift their head against significant amount of gravity.

So if you recline your arm, so tilt your arm a bit, then there's less gravity.

So they're able to lift their head easier.

Now we're not expecting them to prop on their arms in this position,

but we are wanting them to kind of work on lifting their head.

So the last position we talked about was lying your baby across your leg.

You can make this significantly easier for your baby.

So if you can imagine if both your legs are level,

then your baby's having to lift their head against a lot of gravity,

But if you raise the leg, that's underneath their chest.

So that it is higher than the other leg.

Then it means that your baby needs to use less

effort, I guess,

to lift their head because there's not a much as much gravity pushing against

them. So they find it easier in this position. Also,

I would provide more support to your baby by putting your hand on their bottom.

And again, that helps shift the weight to their legs,

which means it's easier to lift their head in this position.

So we know tummy time is a really, really hard activity for our babies.

So what we need to do as parents is try and make it fun for them.

So that instead of focusing on the activity itself has been really hard.

Our Bubs are distracted by watching toys or listening to us, sing to them.

And they're actually thinking, oh maybe yes, it's a bit hard,

but this is funny or this is enjoyable for me.

So there's lots of different ways that we can make tummy time more enjoyable for

our baby.

The first really simple thing is to do when your baby's doing traditional tummy

time, you can lie directly opposite them and sing them a song. Um,

I generally seeing if you're happy to know raise your head. Do it really,

really quickly when your baby's newborn,

because they've only got a short period of time where they're happy in this

position. And then I quickly flipped the one to their back.

And then as they get stronger in this position,

I sing it for a longer period of time and then flip them onto their back.

The other thing you can do is place a non breakable mirror in front of their

face so that when they lift their head, they can see their face.

We know babies really, really like seeing faces.

So this is another fun way to entertain your bub.

The other thing you can do is put a toy in front of them. Now,

remember babies can see in colour.

What they like best at this age is high contrast toys,

and they can see best from eight inches. So it's 20 centimeters. They see best.

So you place the toy 20 centimeters to eight inches away.

So they'll look at it when they raise their head.

The other thing you can do is you could place a colourful book,

or you could read a book to them when they're in this position. Again,

make it a really quick activity initially so that they enjoy it.

And then the last thing you can do to make it more enjoyable is you can try

tummy time in different places in the house.

So instead of doing it in the same place all the time with the same toys,

you can do it so that your baby's doing tummy time, looking out the window,

which is when they can see the trees and the birds and any pets.

So it makes tummy time, a bit more enjoyable for our Bubs.

So I only have two don'ts.

My first one is don't stop tummy time because your baby doesn't like it.

Remember all babies, don't like tummy time.

So they will cry and fuss when they're placed in tummy time,

because it is so hard.

But the only way it gets easier for our bubs is if we do it frequently

throughout the day, and you do it for short burst.

So I would only do it for a really short burst.

If your baby absolutely hates it and then make sure they're happy and then flip

them onto their back. As they get stronger,

you'd increase that length of time that they're in tummy time. Now,

remember those four different positions for tummy time.

Your baby might hate that traditional tummy time,

but there's those three other positions you can do and you can grade them.

So that they're easier.

So remember you could provide support at their bottom to kind of shift the body

weight to their legs. So it's easier to raise their head.

You can use rolled up towels. You could lift your leg.

So you can make tummy time easier for your baby in the beginning.

And as they get stronger,

you can start to fade those additional kind of supports that you're giving away

because they don't need it anymore.

But you just need to persist with tummy time, make it short,

enjoyable bursts, and then your baby will get stronger.

And then they'll be in that position for longer, which is a success.

Lastly, don't stress if you don't get your tummy time quota done that day.

It is totally fine. There are going to be days that are complete ride off,

and that is fine.

Your baby might be clingy and fussy one day and you can't get to tummy time.

Totally fine. Tomorrow is a new day.

Tummy time will get easier if your baby practices frequently and as they get

stronger and they're going to be less fussy in this position and they'll start

to prefer it.

So just remember those four different tummy time positions and tummy time will

get significantly easier for you and your Bub most importantly.

So that is it Moms and Dads, that's my do's and don'ts for tummy time.

I really hope tummy time becomes an easier activity for you and your Bub.

But remember just those four different tummy time positions.

You don't have to do that traditional tummy time.

So remember those four and try them out throughout the day.

You'll find one that your baby prefers,

and you can just keep doing that until your baby gets strength in that position.

And then they give me more tolerant of the other tummy time positions,

which is that traditional tummy time on the floor. If you've liked this video,

make sure you hit that like button and subscribe to my channel.

Also hit that bell button to be notified every week when I release a new video.

And don't forget, there's that free PDF document,

which is in the description box below. So check that out and it will help,

you know, what you should be expecting in your baby's first year of life.

Thanks again. And tune in next week. As I share more parenting tips and tricks,

which will make your life as parents easier and give your baby the best start to

life.

https://youtu.be/eR0i5kEXXEk

7 sleeps tips for newborns

Today I'm going to share with you seven tips,which will help your newborn baby sleep during the night and the day so that you don't have to hold them all the time.

Which you can print out and refer to it at any stage during your Bub's first

year of life. The other thing is,

if you're interested in getting some parenting tips and tricks to make your life

as parents easier and give your baby the best, start to life,

So you've got a newborn baby who won't fall asleep at night or will only sleep in your arms. So when you're thinking about bedtime for a newborn baby at night, it's around 10, 11, 12 o'clock at night,and it's a long nap at this stage,.But we want them to be out of our arms essentially so that we can all have some sleep.

So these 7 tips are going to make it easy to be a baby when they're put into their cot to stay asleep and to ensure they don't get too tired.

 First , is to make sure your baby is truly awake and not in light sleep. Which can be really, really confusing as a new parent.So basically newborn babies,they enter all sleep by going into light sleep,which looks like they're awake. So they're fussing around a lot.

They're moving their arms. They're making lots of noises,but their eyes are closed.And you'll see that their eyeballs are moving underneath their eyelids. Um,but they look like they're awake at this stage,but they're actually in light sleep.

Newborn babies spend the majority of their time in light sleep.They only go to deep sleep for a short period in each sleep cycle.So deep sleep looks like your baby's truly asleep.So their body's completely resting. They're not moving.And their breath is really, really deep.

So often at this stage you'll creep over and you try and make sure that your baby is still breathing.So you put your hand on their chest to see it's still going up and down.

So when they're in deep sleep, we know they're asleep, but in light sleep,it makes us think that they're actually awake. When babies are in light sleep,they're actually more likely to be accidentally woken up too.. 

And the other thing is newborn babies when they sleep,they go through sleep cycles.So each sleep cycle is around 40 minutes and between sleep cycles your baby will kind of wake up for a short period of time.

So we want to make sure that they're truly awake when we're picking them up.So make sure that they are genuinely crying and they're only going to wake from sleep for three reasons. And that's because they're hungry. So if you know, it's about two to three hours since their last feed,then they are going to be hungry and they will be genuinely awake.

The other reason they might wake the baby is if they've soiled their nappy or they've had an explosion or they're hot/cold,or they've been woken up by a noise.And the last reason they'd wake up is if they're no longer tired.So first thing is really make sure that your baby is awake at this time. 

 Second , is to make sure the room is cool.So babies sleep best in rooms that are around 19 to 22 degrees.They sleep best in that room temperature. If you can't get that,then just make sure you dress them appropriately for the temperature of the room. So a room thermometer is really,really handy because you don't need to guess whether or not baby's too hot or cold, you can just check the temperature.

And then I would refer to the sleeping bags.They often come with a little checklist on the temperature of the room,and then it tells you what the baby should be wearing based on the tog of the sleeping bag and the temperature. So that's really, really handy to refer to.

And it just takes the guessing game out of it because parenting a newborn baby is hard enough. That's something you don't need to guess about.So room thermometer and referring to those sleeping bag,temperature gauges for clothing and sleeping bags is fantastic.

Third ,make sure the room is dark.So it needs to be dark enough that you can't actually read a book.And that's not with anything to do with this circadian rhythms babies at this age don't have that yet. They don't have that.

They're not producing that hormone. So,and that doesn't happen until around three to five months.Why we want the room dark at this age is to ensure that when your baby comes into light wake, so between sleep cycles,they aren't going to be kind of stimulated by what's in the room.

Because if it's dark,they're not going to notice that there's a shiny toy over there or there's a window with lights and trees and birds outside.What they're going to see is a dark room and they'll go back to sleep,if they're not hungry, if they're not uncomfortable and if they're still tired.

 Fourth  is to keep the bedroom quiet, where your baby's sleeping.

Now I cannot tell you how many times I've been told that a baby needs to learn how to sleep in a noisy environment.That is completely false and extremely irritating. And that's because who sleeps in a noisy room? No one,no one ever sleeps in a noisy room. When you think about babies, they're really,really easily stimulated. 

The other thing is they've got a startle reflex.So when there's a loud noise, you'll actually see your baby jump.And that is a reflex, but because they're in light sleep,most of the time when they're sleeping,they're going to be woken up by that reflex.

So we want to keep the noise consistent in their room and not really,really loud.So if you can't do that because you've got a really noisy household,then that's completely fine.I'm not expecting everyone to tip toe around the house while your baby's napping. Cause they're going to be napping all the time.

 Using a white noise machine.So the white noise machine should be continuous when you're using it.So it plays for throughout their whole nap. And when they're older,it's throughout the whole nighttime and that's noise should be continuous and it should be consistent. So it should be like rainfall,not with thunder in it. Just rainfall or radio static or a waterfall. It shouldn't be the like nature with the bird noises or a whale breaching or crashing waves. You want it continuous and consistent,so we don't activate that startle reflex.

Fifth thing that I would think about is swaddling your baby,or using a sleeping bag.The swaddle is fantastic because it actually mimics the womb.Keeps your baby nice and secure and ensures they're warm.But don't make sure we don't overheat because that's associated with, um, SIDS,but it keeps them nice and warm.

I prefer to use a sleeping bag that swaddles the baby with their arms down.And that's purely because it dampens that startle reflex that your babywill have. So often babies at this age, they need our help to fall asleep.So they might fall asleep in our arms and then we'll transfer them into the cot.

When I would use the other,

like the Love to Dream one sleeping bags where their arms or out,you'd put them into the cot and then as soon as you put them into the cot,the movement of putting them down onto the cot would mean that they'd startle.So they'd actually wake up again, which is really irritating.

So you can use the Halo Sleeping Bag where you can wrap with your baby's arms down so that when I'd placed them in the cot, their arms would stay down . And you wouldn't activate that startle reflex and then they'd stay asleep,which will be amazing.  

Just if you are swaddling or using a sleeping bag where their arms are included,just make sure you remember to stop swaddling or using that sleeping bag,so transition with their arms out when they're close to rolling.

Because we don't want them to accidentally roll and then not be able to get out of that position while sleeping.

Sixth tip is to when you're doing,when your baby's waking in the night for a feed,you try and keep the environment really not stimulating for your baby.So keep the lights dim. So I'd only use a nightlight. Um,if you need to, and I'd stay in the room if possible,where your baby's sleeping, cause that white noise machine hopefully is going.And also I know really hard, cause I know that you kind of want to watch TV to keep yourself awake,but just know that if you put the TV on, it's going to stimulate the baby, um,when you're feeding them. So it might be harder to get them to go back to sleep.

So really keep the nighttime routine kind of not fun.So you just feed, you change, you feed and put them down.

Last tip is to avoid an overtired baby.

Now that's going to happen for a number of reasons.Newborn babies need to sleep after about 45 minutes or 120 minutes.

So you just look for your cues that your baby's giving you that they're tired. These includes :

*wiping their eyes or rubbing their eyes.  *yawning.

*Looking away from you,which is a signal that they're too tired. They're tired now. So,or just kind of zone out. Um, so if they're kind of giving you those signals,put them to bed. 

If your baby has had a really long nap,so about three hours,then they're probably going to stay out for that 120 minute mark after waking for that, from that nap. But if they've only had a really short nap,so like 40 minutes, 20 minutes,they'd be wanting to go back to bed after about 45 minutes.

So do put them back to bed after that period of time. Remember 45 minutes,isn't long, it's generally enough time for you to feed your baby,maybe change their nappy and feed them again and then put them down.A bit of playing there. It might depend, it might be too rushed at that point.

The other thing is which I really want to stress is that when you're holding your baby or they're being passed around to multiple people,when they're sleeping, they're not actually sleeping well at all.That's called habituating and it's basically your baby's trying really hard to block out any other kind of noises that are happening around theroom. Also movements. They're trying to filter that out so that they can sleep.

So you'll notice when your baby wakes up from this time when they're being held,throughout the day and people are talking around them,they're actually going to be really fussy and not that happy.

So generally placing them in a room which is quiet and dark,where they're not going to be woken up accidentally by people is a better way for them to have their sleeps.And it means that they'll be happier when they wake up.

Now I'm not saying you need to not let anyone hold your baby when they're sleeping,just be aware that your baby's going to be fussy after that period of time.So maybe the next nap that they have, they should have in a room,in a cot or in a dark quiet room if you're needing to hold them.

Dummies and pacifier or pacifiers might be something you want to consider do remember that they don't really recommend it if you're breastfeeding until about six weeks after breastfeeding or when breastfeeding is fully established.

So the six week mark is just generally,they think it's assume that breastfeeding would have been fully established by then. If you're concerned about introducing the dummy,because you don't want your baby to become reliant on it,that's not necessarily true.

You just need to make sure you remove the dummy at six months or when you're going to start sleep training.And that just ensures that your baby doesn't learn that the dummy's kind of asleep aid,which means that they'll wake up continually throughout the night when they're coming to those sleep cycles when they're older.

Because until about eight months,they're not actually able to put the dummy back into their mouth.But you can totally use a dummy now for your newborn baby.

Sucking is really a calming thing for your baby to do.It's one of the most calming things that they can do. So if they accept it,tIthen I would say, there's no trouble.Like don't be concerned about using the dummy at all.It's probably just a bit of a lifesaver at this point.

So that's it Mums and Dads. Those are the seven tips,which I hope will help your baby learn to sleep in their cot and not in your arms for the whole nap.Do remember to be consistent and keep going with it.

check out the video, which will be in the description box below.

https://youtu.be/SfCxUG1nE84

Bathing a Newborn Baby (with Umbilical Cord): Step-by-step Video

Hello, good people today we are going to discuss on how to bathe a newborn baby after delivery.

Congratulations mommy and daddy on your new arrival.  Hygiene is an important aspect of baby care and a daily bath is essential to keep your baby clean and fresh.  You can make a baby anytime but it is advisable to do so before our feet.

Bathing your baby too soon after feet can cause your baby to be uncomfortable and spit out milk if it is your first time bathing your little one . You will probably feel anxious but with constant practice you will gain confidence and your baby will get used to bath time ande enjoy it.

Most babies find warm water soothing and embark, may help a fussy baby to relax and calm down. If you are still new to baby bathing, you may want your spouse to help you. You will need the following items to bathe your baby :

- Abathtub

 -Jug of water 

-Cool boil water

- Cotton wool

-Balls bin or a plastic bag to contain

soil cotton wool balls ,a face cloth

towel ,bath soap, baby clothes, a diaper

and a baby wrap.

 If necessary before you start do remember to wash your hands with soapa water and ensure that you have all the necessary items *Remember, never your baby unattended during bath time.

 Preparing the bath fill the basin with cold water first ,then warm water up the one-third level of the tub. Mix the water well and use the inner part of your forearm to test the temperature of the water make sure it is comfortably warm and not too hot.

Squeeze two drops of baby soap into thew and mix well . Place your baby on to the bath towel and gently remove the best talk to your baby so that he/she feels reassured.

Leaf has diapers on and wrap them up with the towel, keeping his head and feet wrapped within the towel ,cleaning your baby's eyes. Dip the cotton ball into the cool boiled water and squeeze out the excess water. 

Clean your baby's eye by starting from the inner corner of the eye and move outwards. Use a new piece of cotton ball for each eye and him in one stroke .Do not use the same piece to clean back and forth, observe for any sticky or yellowish discharge on your baby's eyes and bring him to the doctor if the discharge persists. Cleaning your baby's face ,wash your baby's face using cool boil water. You can either use a face cloth or cotton balls dipped in the water clean your baby's face from center outwards making sure you wipe the forehead the nose the cheeks and the mouth area.

Washing your baby's hair, carry her baby using a football fold with the palm of your hand supporting his head and neck and tucking him between your arm and the side of your body. Tilt his head slightly backwards over the bath basin and wash his hair then dry his head gently with the corner of the towel wrap. please your baby on the table to unwrap him and remove his diapers.

If your baby is soil,clear his buttocks area with wet wipes .Wash your hands after cleaning ,if your baby has passed motion you are now ready to place baby into the tub of water for his bath.

Washing the baby's body position your left hand on the baby's shoulder to support it and hook your fingers under the baby's armpit to have a good grasp slide your right hand under the buttocks and grip the baby's tie and lick the baby into the bathtub.

Allow your baby to sit in the tub with your left hand still supporting a baby shoulders while keeping your baby's head above the water level release your right hand grip and bathe the babies front and private area with the help of a face cloth once done use your right hand to take over the grip under the baby. Stamped it and allow him to lean forwards over your right arm while you clean his back and buttocks with your left hand. Talk and sing to your baby as you bathe himt make bath time enjoyable.

 When you are done lift him out of the water the same the same way you brought him in. Place your baby gently onto the towel and pat him dry.Pay attention to the skin force and be sure to dry behind the ears in between his fingers and toes under his armpit  and private area.

Before dressing your baby, be sure to clean the umbilical area.The UH glycol cod will drop off in about five to seven days .If you notice any bleeding or foul-smelling discharges you should relieve the cord and consult a doctor .If symptoms persist cleaning your baby's umbilical cord wash your hands before cleaning them like a cod ,use cotton balls dipped in cool boil water and squeeze dry to clean the base of the cord with one circular motion discard then swap after use, then with a clean swab clean the sides of the card from the base upwards each time using a new piece of swamp.Clean the core clamp and the tip of the cord. 

Dressing your baby do not move a dress ,your baby wear clothes that are comfortable for the environment you may apply baby lotion on your baby before dressing him up, but baby powder is not encouraged. 

Cuddle your baby often to reassure him to encourage your spouse to take part in bathing your baby. As it is a wonderful opportunity for bonding with your baby feeling clean fresh and comfortable .It is time, for a good feed babies usually sleep better after one.

bath - congratulations on successfully

bathing your baby practice makes perfect

and all mommies and daddies can do it. 

https://youtu.be/0GfOv7XvKYM

How To Ensure a Round Head Shape - Prevent & Improve Flat Head Syndrome

If you want to know how you can give your baby the greatest chance at having a niceo round head shape.

I equip parents with knowledge so they can care for their baby with confidence.

When a baby stays in one position for too long, he can start to develop a flat spot from the pressure to that part of the head.And if this continues on a daily basis, then it will continue to get worse.

This can happen quickly within the first 2 months and more slowly at 3 to 6 months. At this age, the baby's skull is made of several bones and they are more soft and flexible.This is to allow the rapid brain growth that occurs in the first year of life.

The major causes of a baby developing a flat spot on the head include prematurity, limited exposure to tummy time, and not changing up the baby’s head position.

There are also some babies who either because of their position in the womb or after a difficult delivery, will have their neck muscle shorten on one side. This medical condition is called Torticollis.

The baby's head will tilt to one side, while the chin tilts to the other side.There will also be a limit in the baby's ability to turn the neck and head.

Babies with torticollis, have higher chance of getting a flat spot on their head because the baby’s head tends to always be turned to the same side. If you think that your baby might have torticollis, then talk to your doctor about it.

To prevent a flat spot from developing, it is very important to change up your babies head position throughout the day.

During feeding time, especially if your baby is bottle fed, be sure to alternate the arm with which you hold your baby so that it limits the pressure that you apply against the back of one side of the head more than the other side. Asimple way to remember this, is to change the babies position after each burp.

Alternating your baby's environment by changing the position of interesting items like toys,will encourage your baby to change his head position as well.

When your baby is awake and laying on his back, if he has not turned his head from one side to the other on his own in 10-15 minutes, go ahead and reposition by turning it to the other side.

Also frequently alternate the way you put your baby down to sleep. One night you can have him sleep with his head toward one end of the crib, the next night have him sleep with his head toward the other end of the crib.

Alternating the baby's body position nightly will help keep your baby from always sleeping on one side and developing a flat spot there.

Having your baby do tummy time while awake and under your supervision, is a great activity that also helps reduce the risk of a flat spot developing.

Tummy time also lets your baby exercise her neck, back, shoulders, and arms. It’s important to do it as part of your baby’s daily routine.

If you are getting value out of this content, go ahead and click the like button below.

Hit the subscribe button and ring the bell so you get notified when the next video is

released.

Your baby learns to hold her head steady as she is held or carried. Be sure to pick your baby up from different sides and consistently alternate the arm with which you hold her, so she can turn and look to each side.

Avoid keeping your baby in a car seat, baby swing, or carrier for long periods of time. These positions put pressure on the back of her head and can contribute to the formation of a flat spot.

I think that prevention is the best approach, however when it is found early, making simple changes to the baby's position will improve a flat spot.

So what should you do if your baby's head already has a flat spot?

For example. If the baby has a mild flat spot on the left back part of his head. All the techniques mentioned above, if done consistently will not only help with prevention,but will also help correct a flat spot that has already formed.

So It would be intentional about doing all the things to change the head position throughout the day and during sleep.Work on increasing tummy time as well.

In the case of the baby who has a flat spot on the left side of his head, I would recommend that the parents do activities that make him lay more on the right side of his head or straight on the back of his head for longer periods of time than his left side.

We don’t want the spot that is already flat getting more pressure placed on it, because that will just make it worse.

By putting toys on the right side or having the parents position themselves on the baby's right side will have him turning his head to the right to look at them.

When laying him into the crib, having the room wall on his left side will have him turning his head to the right, because he is more interested in what is going on in his room,rather than staring at the wall.

If your baby has a flat spot, continue to pay attention to it and have your baby's doctor

take a look at it at every check up visit.

https://youtu.be/BJj7xCtp5W4

 Hey parents if your baby is struggling with colic first of all, i want you to know that you're not doing anything wrong but there are things that you'regoing to learn  that can help tremendously to reduce colic

 I know you're desperate for solutions parents for your colicky baby

so watch to the end of this video

because not only are you going to get a

game plan for now but you're going to

get a long-term action plan to help you

and your baby navigate through this

season . So let's dive into the most basic

thing you can do and it's burp your baby

and i know it sounds so simple but if

your baby is having constant tummy

issues it's crucial to be burping them

before a feed during the feed and then

after you shouldn't be waiting until

baby cries to feed them otherwise

they're going to be too stressed out to

burp you want to feed your baby at at

least that two to three hour mark so

even if they're still asleep if it's

around that two to three hour mark bring

your baby up to your shoulder to burp

them and then you can start feeding them

as they start showing hunger cues like

sucking on their hands or buffing their

head around or nuzzling their face into

you in the middle of the feed burp them

again and then obviously after the feed

burp them one more time i have a video

about burping that i've linked right up

here colic is often thought to be rooted

in abdominal discomfort so naturally it

would make sense that routinely burping

baby can help a lot next step in your

game plan is infant massage this is one

you absolutely do not want to skip

research shows that infant massage

significantly improves colic symptoms in

terms of how many hours per day baby

cries and the severity of the crying so

first you're gonna start with some

non-toxic lotion that i have linked down

below or just some coconut oil in your

hands rub your hands together to warm it

up and then gently put one hand over

your baby's belly if baby's belly feels

firm it might mean that they need to

pass gas and this massage will help with

that the first rule when doing infant

massage is to always wait 30 to 45

minutes after a feed and then rule

number two is to always move downward so

with your hand on baby's belly start

with strokes with your palm going down

their belly you'll do this about 10

times next take your hand and start on

the left side of baby's belly and do a

little half circle to the other side

moving from left to right which is the

direction that baby's bowels move in

again you'll do this about 10 times and

then to finish off place your thumbs on

the bottoms of baby's feet in the middle

and gently but firmly massage in a

circular motion for about a minute while

you're doing this you can also fold

baby's knees into their belly as this

can help provide gentle pressure to work

out gas or poop and then lastly gently

tug on baby's legs to straighten them

out then elevate them both slightly and

repeat that first massage we did with

your palm on your baby's belly and

gently massage down and you'll do that

about 10 times like i said you don't

want to miss doing this one because it

can help out tremendously next wear your

baby there have been many studies that

show a link between baby wearing and

decreased crying in infants but one

randomized controlled study showed that

baby wearing reduced the duration and

altered the pattern of crying and

fussiness and it speculated that the

relative lack of infant caring in our

society today may actually predispose to

crying and colic in normal infants and

that study is linked down below if you

want to check it out my favorite carrier

for newborns is the wrap and i've linked

down below two options the solly that

has a really nice and thin breathable

fabric and the mobi which is a cheaper

option and the fabric is a little bit

thicker but they both work the same and

i've used and love both of them babywear

often let baby nap in there do chores

with them in there it seriously is a

game changer baby wearing will often

work on its own but if not you want to

further mimic life in the womb being

close to you is part of that but go into

a dark room with the sound machine my

favorite is the hatch which is linked

down below and i think every parent

should have it um the next thing you

want to do is to give your baby a

pacifier if you feel breastfeeding has

been well established babies practice

sucking in the womb and the act of

sucking actually helps babies relax and

i have a video all about pacifiers if

you're not sure about them and you can

check that out up here having that

steady noise that dark non-stimulating

environment movement like swaying with

your baby closeness with you and sucking

is how you can mimic that safe familiar

womb space that your baby was in for

nine months that they loved being in the

next thing is to assess your baby's

breast or bottle feeding habits if

breastfeeding is your baby's bottom lip

tucked into their mouth do you hear

clicking sounds do they have milk

dribbling out of their mouth these are

all signs that tell us that the latch

isn't sealed and baby might be sucking

in air that is creating discomfort in

their belly and maybe giving them an

adequate milk intake as well i have a

video about proper lash that i've linked

up here to watch if you think latch

might be the culprit to baby's excessive

crying and discomfort colic is a major

cause of stopping breastfeeding early so

get counsel from a lactation specialist

who can assess latch and offer

personalized guidance colic also peaks

at six weeks which is also when mama's

milk regulates so a lot of times moms

stress out that baby is crying because

they're not getting enough milk but

that's rarely the case especially if

your breast milk has been sufficient for

them for the last several weeks now if

you're bottle feeding make sure you're

elevating baby to feed them basically

sit them up or lean them on your chest

or your knees and only fill the tip of

the nipple so that they are the ones

controlling the speed and the flow of

milk a lot of times the tendency is to

lay baby down and keep the bottle

basically facing down the whole time so

that they have a steady stream of milk

but this doesn't allow them to control

the speed or the amount of milk that

they even want this upright feeding

actually mimics breastfeeding the most

because they have the most control over

the flow also the bottles i recommend

are dr brown's anti-colic glass bottles

plastics even if they're bpa-free can

leach harmful chemicals into the body

that can disrupt baby's immature gut

next thing is to introduce a probiotic

the probiotic lactobacillus rotary or

lack of it in baby's gut may be one of

the contributing factors to colic the

one that i like is the biogaia and it's

linked down below but it's always a good

idea to run it past your pediatrician

first mama can also be taking a

probiotic and i recommend mary ruth and

22 nutrition which are linked down below

they're the ones that i take and when

you finish one you get the other one and

you just keep alternating between the

two because there are different strains

and so it's going to help build your gut

bacteria more holistically eating foods

like sauerkraut kimchi yogurt and kefir

all have probiotics that help build

mama's gut and therefore help babies get

if mama is breastfeeding so at this

point in your game plan it's important

to rule out organic causes like a cow's

milk protein allergy reflux disease

lactose intolerance or overload or some

kind of infection or sickness that is

causing this some of those things can be

treated by mom's diet changes if she's

breastfeeding or changing formula if

you're worried it might be diet related

check out my video linked up here about

reflux and what can be done in mama's

diet to help and lastly but so

importantly see a chiropractor any labor

and birth puts a lot of stress on baby's

body so seeing a chiropractor early on

in baby's life is so instrumental in

their transition from womb to world one

study showed that excessive crying was

reduced by half an hour in favor of the

group receiving chiropractic care

compared with the control group but many

parents notice an even more significant

transformation in their baby who is

suffering from colic when they take take

them to a pediatric chiropractor a

chiropractor is going to be able to

address their nervous system and how

it's affecting everything else from

stomach issues to tummy time issues to

breastfeeding issues and all the rest so

parents you are not alone in this season

it will end and implementing some or all

of these things can help tremendously if

you need support as you navigate through

this really challenging season i've

linked a facebook group called the fussy

baby site that will be able to support

and give you information and if you know

a parent who needs to watch this video

make sure you send it their way thanks

for being with 

Healthy babies who are born full term and who do not have other special medical conditions  

Premature babies often need special formula for their nutritional needs. And babies with other diseases or other conditions may need extra calories to help them grow if your baby falls into one of these categories or if you' ve got concerns that your baby isn't growing please be sure to talk to their medical provider.

So we are going to start by talking about how much breast milk or formula your baby should eat each day .First off babies need to eat a lot in the first month of life, an average baby  needs about 100 kcals per kilo per day which would be like 150 pound or 70 kilo like 28 per person.Eating hamburgers in one day those tiny little babies also have tiny little  stomachs which means it's okay when they don't eat a lot all at once but it does mean that they need to eat often  I really like this graphic that shows how small a baby's stomach is um that first  

week of life it's about the size of a grape and then it grows to be about one and a half or two  

ounces the size of a strawberry um by the end of the first week and then it's about two and a half  

to five ounces or the size of a lime by one month so the best advice we can give you for the first  

month of life is to feed your baby when they're hungry yeah now i realize it sounds super simple  

but honestly during that first month especially babies just need to eat and they need to eat often  

you don't need to worry about forcing big volumes but offering feeds every two to three  

hours can help make sure that they're getting the nutrition they need during those first few weeks  

um and honestly there are going to be periods during those first few weeks where your baby is  

gonna want to eat every hour you're gonna have cluster feedings so don't be surprised by that  

that it's natural and normal okay yeah yeah so um babies also don't have the stores in their little  

livers to keep their blood sugars stable like an older infant might and so it's really important  

not to go significant amounts of time between feeds and your pediatrician is probably going to  

recommend not letting them go more than four hours between feeds in that first month yeah so for  

those of you who are breastfeeding there is this extra complicating factor of getting your milk in  

and actually learning how to breastfeed and i know from personal experience it can add a ton  

of stress to the equation we had a lot of issues with latch and a tongue tie and our first couple  

weeks were tough um so from one first-time mom to another if you are struggling with breastfeeding  

get help go see a lactation consultant talk to your pediatrician talk to other moms around you  

to get the support you need for breastfeeding for those of you looking for some more concrete  

numbers about how much to feed your baby most newborns during that first week two weeks of life  

are eating every two to three hours or eight to 12 times a day at least um and they are going to  

start out only taking about a half ounce per feeding or 15 cc's for the first couple days  

and then by the time they're a week old it's about one to two ounces or 30 to 60 cc's per feed by the  

time they're two weeks of age maybe they're able to take two to three ounces per feeding again 60  

to 90 cc's per feed so by two months of age babies are usually taking about four to five ounces per  

feed every three to four hours and then four to six ounces per feed by four ish months of age now  

special notes for breastfed babies so in those those first weeks if you are direct breastfeeding  

you don't actually know numbers of how many ounces babies are getting unless you're doing  

weighted feeds with your lactation consultant but it can be frustrating because you don't know hey  

how many ounces this baby getting at the breast if you're direct breastfeeding you want to put  

the baby off for one breast let them eat keep them awake good 10 to 15 minutes always offer  

the other side kind of as dessert and know that if if baby is growing and having wet diapers they  

are eating enough yep and we're gonna go into some of those later in this episode too yes um the rule  

kind of a general rule that really helped me if i was going to be away from the baby  

fed babies need about 1 to 1.25 ounces per hour for every hour they're gone from mom so if i was  

going to be gone from sees for three hours i would know she was gonna need about 3.75 ish ounces  

of breast milk for that three hour period and it's really important with breastfed babies to not  

over feed them or give them lots and lots of milk um because then when they're away from monitoring  

right because then it is just really hard if baby gets used to eating these bigger volumes  

it's really hard for breastfeeding moms to keep up with their pump so really focusing on those  

1 to 1.25 ounces per hour um away from mom is breast milk is magic and that is what  

breastfed babies need yeah and for those of you not in the u.s that's about 30 to 40 cc's  

per hour away from mom other things that we think it's important to remember is that feeding goals  

for baby are measured over the course of a full 24 hours and so don't be bothered if one feed isn't  

quite as much as another um it's also don't be surprised as we mentioned if baby wants to have  

cluster feeds feeding back to back um during certain parts of the day yeah i will say you  

know we said in those first weeks eight to 12 times a day is you know kind of average but i  

will say thinking back and looking at my tracking app that was tracking breastfeeding it was 16 20  

times a day she just was constantly on the boob and that is very very normal for breastfed babies  

yeah those first two weeks can you can expect baby to be eating about 15 to 20 ounces a day and  

then that becomes 20 to 25 ounces per day by one month and 24 to 30 ounces per day by two months  

in general babies are going to continue to eat about that 24 to 32 ounces of milk per day  

through six months of age and then they continue to keep eating about that same amount even after  

that because then they're starting to get extra calories from the real food  

that they're introducing at that four to six eight months so we'll be sure to cover  

initiation of solids and baby lead weaning in some upcoming episodes in the next month or so

how do you know that your baby is getting enough to eat um the best way is to actually weigh them  

if the baby is gaining weight week by week then that means they're getting enough calories  

regardless of the other factors this is one of the key things your pediatrician is gonna look  

at during those routine scheduled checkups over the first few months of life yeah most babies will  

actually double their birth weight by about five months of age and then triple that birth weight  

by their first birthday but if you want more some day-to-day measures and other good things that you  

can look at are that your new baby yeah by the end of that first week they should be having six or  

more wet diapers per day and with nearly colorless or pale yellow urine yeah they seem satisfied and  

happy for an average of you know one to maybe two or three hours after a feed and then they should  

also be nursing as we mentioned at least eight to 12 times in a 24-hour period yep maybe more  

after the newborn period following the number of wet diapers in a day can be a good way  

to follow that baby is likely getting enough milk or formula to stay hydrated  

and with that likely enough to grow um they should be at a minimum of four wet diapers a day  

but for most babies it's probably more like six or more like wet diapers per day

for your early newborn it is especially important to be on the lookout for  

feeding cues or special signs that your baby wants to eat most babies are going to get into a regular  

routine of eating about every three hours but it's very normal for there to be periods especially in  

those first couple weeks that we've talked about where they want to eat even more frequently a baby  

who is hungry is often going to cry like they will let you know they are hungry um but if you look  

for these cues ahead of time you may be able to catch those signs of hunger even before they are  

to the point of crying um and hopefully that makes kind of the feeding a bit more of an enjoyable  

bonding experience for you and baby yeah and so some of these classic feeding cues are things like  

licking their lips yep sticking their little tongue out yeah or maybe they're rooting which  

is just kind of like moving their jar mouth and hair in search of their breasts yep um they might  

put their hands in their mouth more frequently and over and over again or they're just like opening  

their mouth kind of over and over again too and generalized fussiness a hangry baby yep and then  

sucking on everything around them including maybe even sometimes dad yes it is important to realize  

of course that every time your baby cries or sucks it's not necessarily because he or she is  

hungry babies suck not only for hunger but it's also for comfort that sucking releases hormones  

in their brain that are comforting it can be very hard for parents to tell the difference  

but sometimes your baby just needs to be cuddled or changed or given a pacifier

and finally what should you do if you're struggling with feeds sure so the first thing  

we have to say here is that you are not alone um our first month with baby cease was really rough  

um and our number one piece of advice here is to get help tell your pediatrician see  

a lactation consultant have someone who knows all about baby feeding watch you feed your baby  

and try to keep a record of how much baby is eating or for how long  

and how often so i loved and used the huckleberry app it's a free app um and  

so that i could keep track of left breast for you start a timer and then you stop it and then you  

right breath the other start a timer um so you know how long um because um  

and then also how often and how many feeds you've done during the day right so with bottle fed  

babies you are keeping track of how many ounces they are eating in a day breastfed babies you are  

keeping track of how long they are eating um and on each breast in a day and so huckleberry app was  

my favorite yeah and just to say it again if you are struggling with feeds or weight gain ask  

for help yes um our little girl ended up having a mild tongue tie and some issues that made direct  

breastfeeding very very difficult for her and it was also kind of a setup for supply issues so we  

had to seek medical help yeah it's also important for us to mention that there could be a medical  

reason your baby's struggling with feeds and or weight gain the most common cause for poor  

weight gain in babies is that they just aren't getting the needed volume of feedings in a day  

but there can absolutely be issues with absorption of nutrients  

or that your baby could just be burning extra calories due to something like a lung condition  

a heart condition or something else that could be a setup for poor growth.