Living and Loving – September 2019

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or simply place your hand on her

tummy. Speak and hum to her, too.

● Nursing will be much the same as the

first day; don’t restrict feeds, ensure

correct latching and simply enjoy.

● Handling your baby will be a little

easier but don’t worry if you still

feel more thumbs than fingers.

DAY 3

This is often the day reality hits home:

tiredness strikes, your milk comes in

and your baby wakes up and finds

her voice. The “third-day blues” is

well known and will usually pass as

soon as you’ve had a good sleep,

your hormones have stabilised and

you have given vent to your emotions.

If you had a good, natural, active

birth experience, you might feel

physically well today. Your breasts will

be tender, but if you follow all the tips

of the past days, they won’t become

engorged and excessively painful.

● Your baby might splutter and choke

as your milk comes in faster now.

Don’t let this worry you, and just let

her pull off the breast and relatch

as needed. Posseting a bit of milk

after a feed is quite normal and

usually looks like more than it is.

● You now need to wind your baby

after a feed. Hold her over your

shoulder and pat her back, carry

her in a baby sling after a feed,

hold her over your forearm facing

forward with slight pressure on the

tummy, lie her over your lap with

one leg raised so that her head is

higher than her buttocks and pat

her back, or sit her on your lap with

her chin resting between your index

finger and thumb and raise her left

arm while pushing upwards on her

back. If your baby has not broken

wind within five or 10 minutes, there

is no need to continue. Any burps

later are not related to that feed.

● If your breasts are too firm for

your baby to suck from, warm

them and express a little milk

until the area around the

nipples and areola is softer.

DAY 4, 5 AND 6

Keep pacing yourself through this

time and think about how much you

have already learnt about your baby.

It’s early days, so you might wonder

how you’ll ever cope, but you will.

Be gentle on yourself and your little

one, and do only what’s essential.

● Keep cleaning the navel and

stump of the cord. It will soon

fall off or hang by a thread

only, which you can snip.

● If your baby has gas, cries and

clenched her fists and pulls up her

legs, you may think she has colic.

Most colic is simply an expression

of a baby who needs to feed more

frequently or is a reaction to your

anxiety, tiredness and inexperience.

The very best you can do is to take

things slowly over the next few days.

See few visitors, and don’t allow your

baby to be handled by too many

people, as this often unsettles a

newborn. Know that very soon you’ll

understand your baby’s signals well.

● Breastfed babies often need to

feed with a few “courses” each

time: starters, main meal, dessert

and sometimes even an after-

dinner mint. Don’t think you have

insufficient milk. Between feeds, your

baby might need to nap for 10 or

15 minutes, have a nappy change

or simply lie in your arms until her

tummy is ready for the next course.

baby & toddler

L&L | SEPTEMBER 2019 | 29

DAY 7

Congratulations, your baby is a whole

week old. She may be making her

presence felt from now on. Babies

are extremely self-absorbed and self-

centred, because that’s all they know.

It seems 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 feel you need a

guiding hand yourself! It’s now time to

begin observing your baby for recurring

patterns of behaviour and expression

− these will help you understand

your baby’s unique personality.

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 your baby for two hours after

a feed; she won’t be hungry during

this time, and a walk in the garden or

around the neighbourhood while you

rest might just break the vicious cycle.

● Bath with your baby, playing soft

music in the background and nursing

her until she calms down. Hold her

cradled close to you and drape her

with a face cloth that will absorb the

warm bathwater; take care not to dunk

her ear under the water, but don’t

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.

● Walk while latching your baby and

keep moving until you notice the

tension in her body ease. You can

then sit and continue nursing.

● Dilute chamomilla D6 homeopathic

drops or pillules in a teaspoon of boiled,

cooled water and give three times

daily to calm your baby naturally. LL

WRODS

SISTER LILIAN

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