An Art of Parenting

Posts Tagged ‘nutritious food’

It is true that consumption of sour foodstuffs such as tamarind, orange, lime and buttermilk causes the child to be born with hairy skin? The auspicious moment of birth brightens the child’s future. The hair on a newborn infant’s skin is present in varying proportion. Hairness depends on ancestry and heredity. Thus, if the mother and father have very little or no hair, it is very unlikely that their child will be born with hairy skin. This feature is often uniformly manifested within a community and even a country. Thus, all members of a particular community may have either a lot of hair or negligible hair. Perhaps,  heredity, geography and climate all play a part in determining hairiness. It is, therefore a racial feature. At times it may depend on the communities for the reason of hair growth.

The mother’s diet does not affect the extent of hair on her child’s skin. However, sour food increases acidity and can cause stomach burn. In the early stages of pregnancy, there is the urge to eat sour things to counteract nausea and tastelessness. Their consumption does relieve biliousness.

Drugs such as steroids or anti-convulsion drugs taken during pregnancy may be responsible for additional hair on the baby’s skin.

The bottle and teat will be found in most of homes where a new born baby is present. Cleanliness is the first thing that should be followed by the mother who wants their baby to live a hygienic life. The equipments or products which they use for their children should be clean and tidy. Soaps or detergents which are of best quality should be used to clean the bottle and teat. In the teat, the milk curd will be present and salt has the tendency to remove it. After the cleaning process is done, the mother should boil water in a large pan and place the bottle and teat inside it. This is the most excellent way to kill germs that is available in the bottle and teat. In fact, bottle boiling kits are also sold in the market which will be beneficial for the mothers. The mother should try to purchase four or five bottles in order to avoiding the bottle from boiling at all times.

Sodium hypochlorite is also a solution for cleaning the bottle. Just by mixing a tablespoon of the sodium hypochlorite in one liter of water and by immersing the bottle in it, the bottle becomes dirt free. Make sure that the bottle is immersed for about four hours so that the mother gets confidence that the bottle is crystal clear and germ free. Another solution that can be used for the bottle cleaning is Lugols iodine. Many mothers think that feeding with a bottle saves time for them but their duty is to sterilize the bottle and then use it for feeding their baby. The brand of milk should not be changed always as it may lead to the illness of the baby.

The uterus increases to about 40 times its original size over the period of pregnancy. This is because it has to accommodate a child weighing approximately 6-7 pounds. The lower abdominal muscles and the overlying skin are also stretched. Ordinarily, the uterus goes back to the original size, about 2-3 months after delivery. In order that the muscles of the stomach return to the pre-conception state, exercise is essential.

The exercise recommended is very simple. Lie flat on the back. Breathe deeply. Repeat this 15 times. Remain flat on your back. Raise each leg in turn without bending at the knee joint. This exercise should be done within 10 times. Do not be lethargic and inactive. Movement within the house is better than lying down all the time. Exercises restore the stretched muscles to their original condition. The abdomen contracts in size.

Extra fat accumulates due to the intake of oil-rich food. Much doting on the new mother by relatives and friends specially in the form of heavy food and fancy, calorific preparations is responsible for extra weight. Sweets with plenty of ghee, pannier, butter and “special” treats for the post-natal period should not be consumed in large quantities.

A lazy, passive lift style provides no opportunity for the calories to burn or the fat to work itself off. On the contrary, the heavier the body, the greater the laziness. Breast feeding is one way to reduce weight.

A mother should not be bathed on first day of delivery but simply sponged with Luke warm or natural cold water (not iced but she can herself take bath after 2^nd or 3^rd day of delivery). Following safeguard and cautions are imperatively essential for general maintenance of health of the mother in post-delivery period. Remember mother’s good health is a launching pad for the new born baby’s care and health.

• She should take complete rest-in-bed for, at least 5-6 hours after delivery.
• She should pass urine, stool in bed during first 24 hours but she can sleep or turn in bed as per her convenience.
• From 2^nd to 7^th day she should not exert bur spend most of her time in bed. She may use an easy chair and relax.
• She should adjust her sleeping time with her child’s sleeping/awakening times.
• It takes about 6-8 weeks for her to return to preconception stage, hence she must take reasonable rest, but keep up with moderate activities like visit to closet, taking bath, looking after and feeding her child, nursing the child.
• After period of 6-8 weeks she can attend to normal house work, attend to her office.
• In order to ensure free movement of bowels and urinary flow she should consume plenty of fresh water and other fluids but avoid taking all types of spices, fats, condiments, alcohol and smoking.
• She should resume her normal physical activity by way of morning and evening walk, cooking, doing domestic work.
• Her diet should contain high protein, milk, curd, fruits and vegetables, calcium and iron etc.

Pregnant women will be restless and have sleep problems so how can they overcome it? Here are some practical tips to get rid of such problems.

Exercise: A woman’s mental and physical health should be in good condition, so she should sleep well and make sure that her body will have the tendency to unwind even after doing exercise. In fact, studies have proved that doing exercise before going to bed may also affect the deep sleep. It will be fine is exercise is done before four hours from sleeping time.

Eat Healthy: Constipation, vomiting and heartburn will affect the health of the pregnant women. Maintaining a nutritious diet is the most possible way to avoid such problems. Heavy meals should be avoided for dinner because it will result in indigestion. Before sleeping, you can drink warm milk because it will increase deep sleep. It has been believed that amino acid I-Tryptophan raises brain’s chemical level which is known as serotonin. In order to have a peaceful and deep sleep, pregnant women can avoid consuming tea and coffee which contains caffeinated substances.

Take Naps: Symptoms of fatigue can be avoided by means of nap and it can also sharpen their memory. Try your level best to sleep in the morning as it may affect your night sleep.

Left Side Sleep: Pregnant women should sleep by turning towards their left side as it is the correct position which can improves blood to flow to the foetus and kidneys. Hence, all the waste can be eliminated because of this position and they can sleep peacefully.

Nursing or lactation is the period after childbirth, being a time of bonding between mother and baby, nursing serves certain biological and physiological needs of both of them. While the mother’s eating pattern need not necessarily changer, her nutritional requirements will increase – both in quantity and in some cases, in frequency.

A nursing mother needs good nutrition: The diet during the nursing stage is very important both for the mother and the infant. Good nutrition improves the quality and quantity of breast milk and should ensure that the nursing mother has her full nutritional intake, to avoid depleting natural body stores leading to deficiencies like osteoporosis, which can occur due to an insufficient intake of calcium. Certain aspects of the mother’s diet have a direct impact on the infant. For example, iodine intake in the mother’s diet ensures proper mental development in the infant and vitamin A is required to improve the infant’s immunity system, thereby protecting the baby against infections.

Guard against An Inadequate Diet: The inadequate diet of a nursing mother can cause a deterioration in her health and could also lead to malnourishment in the infant. The quantity of the breast milk produced will be reduced and will have fewer nutrients. The amount of protective nutrients such as anti-microbial proteins in the breast milk will also be reduced, thereby exposing the infant to infections. Due to insufficient intake of calories and nutrients, the baby’s growth and development will be affected.