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Exercise is important throughout pregnancy, as long as your doctor advises you it is ok, and an important aspect to any exercise program is weight training. Weight training helps you to build up and tone your muscles and helps to build stamina. When paired with quality cardio exercise you can really prepare yourself well for labor.
Weight training can be done using equipment at a gym, or resistance bands or free weights at home. You should take extra care when using free weights to avoid injury from dropping the weights. Also, remember that during pregnancy your ligaments are looser so don’t over extend your joints.
Always discuss any exercise program with your doctor prior to beginning, even if you were weight training before you got pregnant be sure to discuss it with your doctor to make sure it is ok to continue with your regular routine.
As with any exercise routine be sure you know your limits. Now is not the time to bulk up. The idea of weight training during pregnancy is to tone and build stamina. During your first and third trimesters especially you will find your energy levels are not what you are used to. If your body is telling you it has had enough, listen to it and stop.
If you are a member of a gym it isn’t a bad idea to work with a trainer the first few times to get some ideas on exercises. Most gyms will have someone who specializes in prenatal exercises, if your gym does not be sure to tell your trainer that you are pregnant and talk about what types of exercises you should avoid. Your doctor should be able to advise you on what exercises are ok at the various stages of your pregnancy. You can also do some research on your own to ensure that you aren’t overdo it.
Here are a few helpful websites.
Breastfed babies often have a hard time transitioning from breast to bottle. You can’t really blame them for wanting the warmth and comfort of being fed directly from mom’s breast as opposed to a bottle. However, for most families it is necessary to introduce a bottle at some point as mom will return to work, or at the very least need to be away from the home for short periods of time.
Whether your baby will be taking a from a bottle after you return to work or you simply want them to be able to take a bottle occasionally when you are away from the home it is important to make sure that breastfeeding is firmly established prior to introducing the bottle. Most lactation consultants recommend waiting 3-4 weeks before introducing a bottle to make sure that breastfeeding is well established and the baby is less likely to suffer from nipple confusion. Since it is important to have the baby comfortable with the bottle well before you return to work you should begin to introduce the bottle 2 weeks prior to returning to work so that all the wrinkles can be ironed out well before you need her to take the bottle.
Here are a few tips for successfully introducing your breastfed baby to a bottle.
- When you first begin to offer the bottle do so a little earlier than the baby’s regular feeding time. The baby will be hungry and interested in eating but not so hungry that he will get easily frustrated.
- Let someone else give her the first couple of bottles. If you attempt to give her the bottle she will wonder why she is being given a cold bottle nipple instead of the warm (and familiar) breast nipple. If possible consider having the person that will care for your baby while you are away from the home give her the bottle.
- If your baby is having trouble taking to the bottle consider being away from the home when she is given her first few bottles. A baby can smell her mother from up to 20 feet away which can cause confusion when you are trying to get her to take a bottle.
- If you have been using a pacifier purchase a bottle nipple with a similar shape and feel to help him feel comfortable with the nipple and less likely to refuse it.
- Hold your baby in a different position than you do for breastfeeding. If someone else is giving him the bottle they may be able to hold him like you do for breastfeeding, but you may find you have to use a different hold so he doesn’t get confused.
- Let your baby play with and become familiar with the bottle nipple prior to introducing the actual bottle so it isn’t so foreign to her.
The introduction of a bottle to a breastfed baby can be a challenge. Take it slow. Give yourself and the baby plenty of time to get familiar with the new process prior to it being necessary. If the baby gets overly frustrated return to breastfeeding for that feeding and try again at the next feeding. It won’t help anyone if the baby (and you) are frustrated.
Talk to your pediatrician about any questions or concerns you have. Also, talk to other moms for tips and suggestions of things that worked for them.
One mother asks this very question on a thread over at Babycenter and the answer seems to be a resounding NO. The expert, a certified family life educator, advises the readers that a baby is spoil proof until they are about 6-8 months old. She says that when they are 6-8 months old they will begin to recognize the cause and effect of their actions. However younger babies are only crying to communicate with you, be it to ask for food, a dry diaper or just to be cuddled. They do not yet recognize the cause and effect of their crying. When a baby cries and their parent responds the child is learning to trust his parents and is building self confidence.
The readers who also responded to the thread (and there were many!), also seemed to agree that you can’t spoil a baby. Many were struggling with conflicting advice from family members. Often older generations will tell a new mom and dad that they are spoiling their baby by responding too quickly to her cries. It can be difficult to know what to do when there is so much conflicting information being thrown at you. Really the best thing to do is to trust your own instincts. If it feels right to respond quickly to your baby’s cries than do so.
When my baby cries I respond. Which isn’t to say that I don’t let her fuss a little on her own to make sure she isn’t just going to put herself right back to sleep or become interested again in what she was doing. But for me, as a mom, I want my baby to know that her parents are there for her and I want her to build self confidence. When she is a little bit older I will set ground rules and encourage her to use positive behavior to get what she wants, but until then I will respond when she needs me cause that is what feels right.
What are your thoughts on whether a baby can be spoiled or not? In your experience with your own children what have you found?
Your baby’s first trip to the pediatrician’s office will take place some time during his first week of life. Prior to that first visit your baby’s pediatrician will likely visit you in the hospital within 24 hours of the baby’s birth. She will do a thorough examine of the baby and come in to talk to you about the results of the examine. If there were any complications during birth or your baby has any health problems she will discuss any special instructions for caring for your newborn. Take this opportunity to ask questions and to find out when you should make an appointment to bring the baby in for her first visit.
Most pediatricians will want to see the baby when he is one week old (or less depending on if there were any health problems at birth) make sure you call when you get home from the hospital to set up the appointment. This first trip to the pediatrician will be a pretty quick visit, and thankfully doesn’t involve any shots!
During this one week old visit you can expect your baby to be weighed to make sure she is gaining weight (a sign that breastfeeding is going well). Your pediatrician will examine the baby to make sure everything looks good. She will pay close attention to the umbilical cord to make sure it is drying up properly and that there are no signs of infection. She will listen to your baby’s respiration and heartbeat to ensure there aren’t any signs of problems. If your baby had any tests done at the hospital she will discuss the results with you. And most importantly she will ask you how things are going, if you have questions on infant care or breastfeeding, and advise you on what to expect over the next several weeks.
Our first visit lasted only about 10 minutes or so. Most of the time we spent talking to the doctor about our questions and what to expect in the weeks leading up to our next visit. The point of this first visit is to ensure the baby is gaining weight (an indication that she is getting enough to eat) and to give the parents a chance to check in and ask questions. Our pediatrician made sure we had all the keys numbers to call in case of an emergency or if we had questions. I found the visit very encouraging since our doctor told us that our daughter was doing great and that she was gaining weight. The visit didn’t last long but it was definitely well worth the trip.
There are so many different opinions when it comes to whether parents should let their babies cry it out or not. Some say it doesn’t hurt to let the baby cry themself to sleep while others would argue that this practice only teaches your child that they can’t rely on you for comfort. Really how you approach this is a very personal choice. No matter what the experts say or what other parents tell you it is ultimately up to you as the parent to decide if you will let your baby cry it out or not.
There is a very interesting thread on babycenter about this very topic. A mother asks whether they are damaging their baby by letting him cry himself to sleep. A pair of emotional health and well being experts respond saying that it is not a good idea to let a baby cry himself to sleep because this teaches the child that he is not important enough to be comforted and that he can’t rely on his parents. They recommend a method of putting the baby down when he is tired and then using soothing techniques like rocking, singing, or rubbing his back to help him fall asleep. They suggest that over time the baby will learn that he can rely on you to respond to his needs and will also learn that he can sooth himself. Their response is very interesting and I would recommend reading it.
Of course, on the other side of the coin are those who practice or recommend letting the baby cry it out. Several parents also responded, most were advocates of CIO (crying it out), while a few agreed with the experts. The parents who were for CIO had used this method themselves and had success with it. While others had used methods similar to that recommended by the experts and found it to be very successful.
So really what it boils down to is that whether or not you let your baby cry it out is a very personal choice. Everyone around you will have advice for you, but ultimately you have to do what you feel most comfortable with. I personally do let my daughter fuss a little before I respond. She will sometimes let out a couple of little cries and then fall right back to sleep, if she doesn’t and continues to cry I respond. At this point I don’t think I would try the cry it out method. The method I am using seems to work for now. Of course I am always open to try new things if what I’m doing doesn’t seem to be working.
What are your thoughts on the subject? Did you try the cry it out method, was it successful? If you didn’t try the cry it out method what did you try and did it work?