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One of the more annoying little common postpartum complaints is hemorrhoids. Hemorrhoids occur when the blood vessels around your rectal area have become unusually swollen. They can range in size from small raisins to large grapes. Hemorrhoids are often itchy and can be very painful, especially in the first few days postpartum. You may find some bleeding in the rectal area especially after a bowel movement, this is normal. Postpartum hemorrhoids are annoying, but thankfully temporary.
Some women get hemorrhoids during pregnancy, they are especially common during the third trimester when there is added pressure on the blood vessels in the lower part of your body. If you had hemorrhoids during pregnancy you are probably an old pro at dealing with them already. If your first experience is postpartum, you’ll quickly learn how to deal with them and make yourself feel better until they go away.
Postpartum hemorrhoids are caused as a result of all the pushing during the delivery. Also, the added progesterone in your body causes the walls of your veins to relax, making them more susceptible to swelling. Often the harder and longer you have to push the worse your hemorrhoids will be. Luckily the nursing staff with be well equipped with tips and tricks to make dealing with your hemorrhoids much easier.
A few of the things that I was told while I was in the hospital after my delivery were to use Tucks pads to sooth the hemorrhoids, avoid straining when having my first bowel movement postpartum, and to avoid sitting or standing for long periods of time. The Tucks pads worked well (they are also used to ease the pain and swelling of your perinium as well). The nurses provided me with stool softeners while I was in the hospital and directed me to continue taking them when I got home (again, a lot of help).
Luckily this annoying postpartum complaint will go away fairly quickly. Usually within a couple of weeks you will find your hemorrhoids have disappeared. Talk to your doctor if you are concerned about your hemorrhoids or if you have questions about how to deal with them.
We are now in the midst of cold and flu season, and every parent knows how hard it is to console and comfort a sick baby. Often we have no idea what to do for our poor little ones, how to make it all better. We know that for us medicine often does the trick, pop a few aspirin or a cold medicine and you good to go. But since your baby can’t really tell you exactly what is hurting or doesn’t feel good giving medicine can be the wrong thing to do.
When it comes to medicine and babies the best thing to do is to talk to your pediatrician. Find out what he recommends for babies, what dosage to give at what age, and when he thinks it is appropriate to administer medicine. A good rule of thumb is to make a call to the pediatrician’s office anytime you are in doubt about giving your baby medicine. By making a quick call and talking to the nurses in the office you can find out if a little infant’s Tylenol will do the trick or if you should really make a trip into the office to have the baby examined.
There are a few medicines that should be strictly avoided and never given to a baby (unless directed to by your pediatrician). They include:
- Aspirin (aka salicylate or acetylsalicylic acid) as it makes your baby more susceptible to Reyes syndrome (which could be fatal). If in doubt if something contains aspirin ask your doctor or pharmacist.
- Over the counter cough or cold medicines (even infant varieties). In 2007 the FDA recommended that these medications not be given to children under the age of 6 due to a risk of overdosing.
- Anti-nausea medication unless directed to by your pediatrician.
- Any adult medication. Infant and children’s forms of medication are designed and dosed for their bodies.
- Any medication prescribed to another person. The only prescription medication your child or baby should be taking are those prescribed to her by her pediatrician.
- Any medication that has expired. Read the labels carefully and throw away any expired medications you may have in your home.
- Extra acetaminophen. If you have given your baby Tylenol be sure to read the labels of any other medication you may give him to ensure that it does not also contain acetaminophen to avoid the risk of overdose.
- Herbal remedies. Be sure to check with your pediatrician prior to giving your baby any herbal remedies. Just because something is natural does not mean it is safe.
A lot of this may seem like common sense but unfortunately an alarming number of babies are seen in emergency rooms every year because of overdoses on medication. Always consult your pediatrician prior to administering any new medication, or if you are in doubt about something. It is always better to be safe than sorry, especially when it comes to your children.
An invite to a baby shower often means a trip to the local baby store or the baby department at your favorite department store to pick out a cute outfit, a blanket, maybe a bag of diapers. Some will shop off the parent’s registry while others will just simply pick out something cute. But what if you want to give something a little different, something that no one else will think of. Well, you’ve come to the right place. Here is a list of a few fun, unique, and very helpful baby shower gift ideas.
- Gift certificates for the parent’s favorite take out restaurant. In the first weeks after the baby arrives it is difficult to find time to brush your teeth, let alone make dinner, so the gift certificates will come in very handy.
- Make your own gift certificates for things like making a meal for the parents, cleaning their house, doing a load of laundry, or babysitting services so they can spend some time alone together.
- A gift certificate for a postpartum massage. Mom will be tired and worn out after the baby arrives and a massage will do wonders to make her feel a little better. Throw in babysitting services so she doesn’t have to worry about who will look after the baby if dad isn’t available.
- Gift basket of essentials for mom and baby. Include things like bath supplies for both mom and baby or matching t-shirts for the whole family.
- Get a few friends together and each take a few days or a week during the first month after the baby is born during which you will cook meals, clean the house, etc. Purchase a nice calendar and write down your names on the days or week you will handle and what day you will take care of what chores.
- A box of thank you cards with labels ready to go along with an offer to address all the envelopes for mom.
Remember that everyone at the shower will be giving mom gifts for the baby. Try to get something for mom or offer to do something for mom. I promise mom will be eternally grateful.
What unique shower gifts did you get or have you given?
It is a question that every new parent asks, how do I know if my baby is getting enough to eat? If you are breastfeeding you never know exactly how much the baby is getting and this can lead a mom to wonder if enough milk is getting to the baby. This can just add to the stress of early breastfeeding, especially if the baby is fussy and others around you are telling you it is because you are not producing enough milk. Most women will produce enough milk to feed their baby, it very uncommon for a woman to have a milk production problem.
So how do you tell if the baby is getting enough to eat? Well, luckily there are a few things you can look for that are sure signs the baby is getting plenty to eat.
- The baby is gaining weight. If the baby is gaining weight she is getting enough to eat. If you are concerned about weight gain you should talk to your doctor. Most pediatricians will allow you to stop by the office for a quick weight check if you are worried.
- Plenty of wet and soiled diapers during the day. A baby who is getting enough to eat will have on average 6-8 wet diapers and 3-4 soiled diapers in a 24 hour period. If your baby doesn’t seem to be wetting or soiling her diaper very often you should contact your pediatrician. The number of soiled diapers will decrease as your baby gets older.
- He is satisfied after he has finished a feeding. There will be times that your baby will go through growth spurts and will seems to need to eat all the time, but generally your baby will give you cues that he is satisfied.
Talk to your pediatrician if you are concerned about whether your baby is getting enough to eat. Your pediatrician will be able to weigh the baby, will talk to you about how many wet/soiled diapers you see a day, and how often/how long you are feeding for. Generally most babies get enough to eat, whether breastfed or bottle fed. It is always important to keep an eye on things, what goes in must come out, and if there is any sign of a problem seek medical attention.
Sleep deprivation is one of the leading causes of postpartum depression, not to mention cause for more frustration, problems with your marriage, and making you more susceptible to illness. Having a new baby in your life will inevitably lead to sleep deprivation. Babies need to eat frequently since their little tummies don’t hold all that much at one time. Most babies will eat every 2-3 hours, some more frequently than others. It is hard to get an adequate amount of sleep when you have to be up to feed the baby so often, especially if you try to stick with the old pattern of only sleeping at night. With a new baby in your life you’ll quickly learn the golden rule, sleep when the baby sleeps.
Here are a few tricks you can try to help you get more sleep even if the baby is up all the time to eat.
- Pump so feedings can be shared with your partner. Having some expressed breast milk available for one of the night time feedings means that your partner can get up to feed the baby and you can sleep for a longer stretch. Or you can do the one night on one night off routine where you take one night of getting up with the baby and your partner takes the next, so you can get a full nights sleep. Eventually the baby will start sleeping longer stretches at night anyway (hopefully) and believe it or not will eventually sleep through the night!
- If the baby needs to rock in order to stay asleep consider purchasing a rocking cradle and placing it next to the bed so you can just reach out with your hand and rock the baby. This way you can avoid actually getting out of bed every time to rock the baby. This won’t work all the time but it will help. You may not be able to sleep fully during this time but at least you will be resting.
- Put the baby in his own room. Babies are noisy when they sleep and can often disrupt your sleep when you share the same room. If you find you can’t really sleep with the baby in the room with you consider putting her in her own room and using a monitor. This does mean you have to get up and go into her room when she is wakes up to eat but it also means you will have a little better sleep in between feedings.
- The opposite of course is sleeping in the same room. By co-sleeping you can avoid getting all the way up when the baby wakes up at night to eat. You can simply sit up in bed change his diaper, feed him, and then go back to sleep.
- Go to bed when the baby goes to bed. If you know she eats at 9pm and then usually sleeps for 4 hours or so, go to bed when she does. If you stay up you are wasting valuable sleep time.
- Nap when the baby naps during the day. Instead of worrying about the chores that need to be done worry about getting enough sleep instead. At least once during the day take a nap when the baby does. You’ll find this works wonders for giving you a little energy boost.
There are many ways you can ensure at least some semblance of adequate sleep while your baby is little (or anytime your child isn’t sleeping through the night). Above are just a few of the ways you can get more sleep. Every woman is different and what works for one may not work for the next. Try out a few things until you find something that works for you and your family. If you are feeling extremely tired, frustrated or depressed talk to your caregiver as these may be signs of postpartum depression.