Can I still exclusively breastfeed my baby even though he had formula in the first month of life?
The simple answer is yes. It is never too late to start giving your baby the gift of exclusive breastfeeding. Exclusive breastfeeding by definition means giving only breastmilk to feed a baby in the first six months of life, no water, no formula- although baby can get multivitamins and necessary medications. However that doesn’t mean you can no longer decide to only breastfeed your baby because you had a rocky start or you didn’t fully realise the benefits of exclusive breastfeeding in the early days. Now that you know, and you are ready, we offer you a few tips for success.
You can start today as long as your baby is still under six months of age. After the age of six months it becomes important to introduce complementary or weaning foods, as breast milk alone is not sufficient to meet all of baby’s dietary requirements. However baby continues to need milk into the end of the second year of life and breast milk can comfortably provide this source of milk for your baby if you so desire.
To restimulate lactation and optimize breast milk production , you can follow a few simple steps
First you must resume feeding baby with breast milk on demand- and only with breast milk so you are able to signal your brain that baby needs milk. Remember that suckling sends. signal and frequent suckling sends frequent signals requesting more milk to be produced.
You should also be prepared to resume night feeds because the hormones that make for increased breast milk during the day are better stimulated by the night feeds.
Drink lots of water and galactogogues- which improve breast milk flow- pap, oatmeal, tiger nut, as well as almonds, moringa, carrots, ginger and garlic. There are also commercial breast milk stimulants such as cookies, a pounded meal that can be eaten with vegetable or okra soup or indeed any soup of your choice and milkshakes
If the reason you weren’t able to successfully continue exclusively breastfeeding in the early days was related to retreated nipples, be sure to continue to use a nipple shield and ask for support so you can fulfil your desire to breastfeed your baby exclusively after age on month.
Here’s to a happy resumption
My baby has a cough and catarrh, how do I manage it?
In the first year of life, most babies will have six to eight viral upper respiratory tract infections- aka “colds”
The critical management goals things include feeding, hydration and supportive care. To ensure the baby can continue to breastfeed, we encourage taking the baby into a steamed bathroom or even - if you can assure safety- the kitchen for a few minutes to help clear their airways.
Saline drops when they are very young are useful to help clear the airways, and you can follow this with gentle suction using the suction bulb.
Vitamin C drops given at 40 mg for under five months and 50 mg in older infants will help aid recovery
A humidifier is encouraged when the cough is dominant especially when the air is dry- harmattan is notorious for coming with dry dust. We also encourage environmental manipulation- wet wiping the rooms where the baby sleeps or stays during the day and removing dusty rugs, carpets and curtains to clean or wash. The humidifier is especially useful at night.
Do not use chlorpheniramine, oxymetazoline or xylometazoline or any cough syrup. We discourage these medications especially because some can cause unusual reactions in some babies, or cause them to have rebound symptoms and worsen their course during treatment. Eucalyptus oil is unsafe under the age of two years and should not be used.
Continue breastfeeding and keep the baby hydrated because they tend to breathe through their mouths and will lose more fluids that way. One useful tip- breastfeed the baby in the steamed bathroom to reduce the struggle while feeding.
How do I get rid of this recurrent rash in my baby’s bum bum?
This recurrent rash in the baby’s bum (perineal-front bum and perianal-back bum) is known as diaper dermatitis. In the most common form, it is an irritant contact dermatitis- a skin rash that develops in babies with prolonged skin contact with an occlusive diaper that has both urine and faeces. It is common, and newborns ar susceptible to it because their skin is immature, they feed, poop, and pee frequently, and mums are exhausted with the constant need for diaper changes. First-time mums can be susceptible for this reason. Older infants who don’t usually need frequent changes may be more susceptible due to dietary changes and changes in intestinal micro biodata and stool PH.
A fungal infection - most commonly from candida albicans causing candidal dermatitis is also common. It occurs in babies on antibiotics who stool frequently, and yeast overgrowth in the stools ends up causing an associated irritant dermatitis.
Bacterial infections are next in line to fungal infections for infectious causes of diaper dermatitis- staphylococcal in newborns from colonization of the umbilical cord.
Diaper dermatitis continues to be seen in all ages of infancy; breastfeeding is a protective factor against diaper dermatitis
While other organisms and conditions can lead to diaper dermatitis, the above two are most common and easily prevented with good diaper hygiene- frequent changes, and what we call an A,B,C,D,E- Air, Barrier, Cleansing, Diaper and Education approach
The most important predisposing factor is increased moisture, so Airing the bum is a good way of preventing and treating diaper dermatitis.
For good diaper area skincare, we further advocate topical Barrier creams and emollients both to prevent and treat diaper dermatitis. Favoured options among mothers include petroleum jelly, zinc and castor oil-containing creams, and olive oil among others
Good diaper area hygiene requires regular Cleansing which involves Frequent diaper changes, rinsing urine and faeces off well with water, and dabbing, not rubbing tender skin especially if there is already some skin breakdown.
Diapers should be highly absorbent, and hypo-allergenic
Mothers should be Educated on how to prevent diaper dermatitis and how to anticipate it - e.g, if babies are placed on broad-spectrum antibiotics- frequent diaper changes and good diaper hygiene including skin care should be ramped up.
Sometimes seborrheic dermatitis and psoriasis or an infectious condition may contribute to or exacerbate diaper dermatitis. These babies may require referral to paediatricians, dermatologists and sometimes infectious disease specialists.
My newborn has swollen breasts- what should I do?
Nothing. You need to do nothing out of the ordinary. Simple observation. No squeezing, no pressing. Just wait for it to go away.
Up to 70% of newborns can have breast swelling of different degrees. It is known by different names including gynecomastia of the newborn, or mastauxe. The swelling may be soft or hard and is usually apparent by the third day of life, and can last up to two weeks, and for some, it persists even six months after delivery. it is due to the presence of the mother’s hormone- estrogen, the level of which falls after delivery, that stimulates another level in the brain - called prolactin to increase- this is what happens in normal women as well- and it causes the breast buds to swell- and in some instances, to produce milk.
The breasts may be tender and occasionally, in about five to twenty percent of newborns, breast milk is also secreted for a few weeks. This used to be called witches’ milk- it is indistinguishable from ordinary human breast milk. Again, there is no need to do anything about this, the discharge disappears without treatment,
The normal course is for the breast swelling to go down, although some have been known to last as six months.
This swelling is a cause of great concern to parents, It goes away as the hormones leave the baby’s body. Mothers are particularly advised NEVER TO SQUEEZE OR MASSAGE THE BREAST OR NIPPLE as this can result in an infection under the skin. Just as importantly, when the breasts are squeezed to remove the milk, it increases the expression of milk by about a hundredfold!
If a breast abscess forms because the tissue was manipulated, the baby will need to be cared for in the hospital, with a procedure and antibiotics.
Tummy (not sitting up) time for Babies
It all begins with an idea.
Tummy time involves placing the baby on his belly or tummy while being supervised to help him strengthen his arms chest and trunk muscles.
It is also a great way to help him develop neck control and monitor his development.
We encourage this instead of placing babies to sit. While sitting is an important milestone, we encourage you instead to give the baby the gift of pulling to sit on their own from a lying position when they have gone through all the milestones- this way you also get to celebrate them!
You can start tummy time as early as when you get home when the baby is just a few days old.
You only need to do it for one to five minutes at a time several times a day- this allows their senses to develop and their brain to engage with their environment. When babies’ brains interact with the environment, the brain develops, fostering advanced learning and development.
Tummy time is best done before a meal
It must always be supervised.
If your baby falls asleep during tummy time, roll her onto her back: back to sleep is safest and best for the baby.
By the age of three months, a baby should usually be raising their head when lying on their tummy.
Managing Colic in babies
Colic can be defined as predictable periods of significant distress in an otherwise healthy well fed baby
Colic can be described as predictable periods of significant distress in an otherwise well-fed, healthy baby. What we experience is a baby who for a few hours at the same time every night for a few weeks cries inconsolably. The babies cry or are fussy for several hours a day, for no obvious reason. Colicky babies often cry between 6 pm and midnight. When babies with colic cry, the cry is louder, more urgent-sounding and more high-pitched than regular crying
To manage colic- we offer several options to parents
Turn on white noise- a fridge, a fan- not focused on baby, so that baby can hear the noise
Gently rock the baby in your arms or a swing- place baby face down on your outstretched arm with baby’s face in the same direction as your palm, but with your fingers under baby’s chin to lift the chin slightly, baby’s belly on your arm, legs dangling down. Some parents will place their baby’s face near their elbow, as they feel they have better control.
Gently rub baby’s back
Hold and cuddle baby, walk with baby, and whisper into baby's ears- also serves as white noise: sway back and forth while you hold your baby or find other ways to rock her gently
Use a warm -NOT HOT- cloth on the baby’s belly or massage the belly
Swaddle your baby in a soft blanket
Sit or hold baby upright during feeding to stop them from swallowing air
Carefully burp your baby during and after meals
Gently rock your baby over your shoulder after each meal.
Some will advocate offering babies pacifiers after the age of six weeks- we worry about nipple confusion before then.
Simethicone which has NO OTHER CONTENT has been reported to help in some babies - beware of diarrhoea, and beware it does not contain anything else such as alcohol or a drug that will make them drowsy -It is given as one dropper full before each feed of the 40mg/ml formulation - 0.5 ml (20mg)- up to 4 times a day.
DO NOT SHAKE BABY TO STARTLE OR SHOCK them- it can lead to brain damage
If the situation becomes frustrating, let someone else take over, or place the baby in a crib, ensure the baby is safe and walk away for a short time to clear your head; call another adult for help
So you are about to have a baby….welcome to your coach and community
So you are about to have a baby…
Image by Sincerely Media on Unsplash
This is such an exciting time, isn’t it? Ah yes! Of course, you are a little nervous- okay, maybe a lot nervous, but that’s okay! I have never met someone who is about to meet a really important person for the first time not be nervous, anxious, or even giddy with excitement! “Will we hit it off?” “Will we get into step in no time?” “Will I fall in love immediately?” “Will it take some time to get used to one another?”
All very natural questions.
This is exactly why we are here: we want to help you gently take the speed bumps as they come along- they will! We will prepare you for the journey every step of the way- that’s called Anticipatory Guidance- and help you recognize and follow your instinct when you think something might be wrong- those are Red Flags- the sign that something is not quite right.
We are here to help you become confident about the journey even when it is rough - for some mums and some babies it can be. The beauty is that it is your journey with your precious little one, and every day is an opportunity to improve. For now, what we want to do is encourage you to trust us to accompany you on this journey and to be a source of knowledge, guidance, support, strength, and most importantly, we want you to join the community as an equal partner, fully contributing to another mum’s journey, even if it is with a smile from time to time- ‘cos the best smiles are traded between people who have been on a journey together. Focus on now, and tomorrow will take care of itself.
Feel free to visit this page regularly to see some of the frequently asked questions mums like you have concerning care in the early days and weeks. Hit the subscribe button above or below or contact us in one of several ways for more information. We will empower you to parent your newborn and young infant with confidence!
Baby’s skin routine
Less is more when you have a newborn!
The best thing you can do for your newborn is to have a skin routine that doesn’t introduce perfumes, colours, fragrances, or drying agents.
A bath with a non-drying, hypoallergenic soap once a day is sufficient to clean the baby. You can choose to do this in the morning or evening. Many mums prefer evenings because it gives them time to bond and put the baby to bed without the rush of the morning.
In the morning, especially if you have an early morning pooper, a “top-and-tail” - is usually adequate: using a wet washcloth, wipe the face clean - remove traces of milk that may have come from night feeding, and then wet wipe the poopy bum. plain water rinses remove all traces of poop, and most babies love the feeling of water on their bodies
Wipe gently- dab- baby’s skin dry and while the skin is still nice and moist, apply your favourite non-allergenic moisturizer- we are big on Vaseline or any similar pure petroleum jelly because it helps lock in the moisture without
Barrier creams are important for the diaper area because they protect the baby’s skin from diaper dermatitis which occurs as a result of prolonged contact with stool and urine mixed in an occlusive diaper
Giving a baby two baths a day is unnecessary and a prolonged bath routine can expose the baby to hypothermia which means the baby’s body temperature drops drastically due to exposure.