Although it is surprising, it is a proven fact that parents encourage the habit of crying in infants by attending to them when they “cry”. Being the most intelligent species on earth, human babies take no time to understand that they are being attended to when they cry out for any reason. Parents try to answer every call, and their attempts would be always positive to satisfy the baby with a “Yes”. However, it is essentially not possible for all parents under the sky to satisfy the baby every time. No matter how resourceful the parents are, there are certain phases where they have to restrict their children with a “no” for the best interest of their child.

It may be easier for a toddler to understand a restriction from the parents but how does an infant understand a ‘no’ in the initial days. Like every other milestone, the time to understand a refusal from the parents is also unique for every infant. It should be somewhere in between six months to eighteen months. Infants discover it all by themselves or the parents have to teach it to their wards slowly. When the baby does something unacceptable, it is necessary to channelize the kid’s energy to some other element for diversion. If required, quietly tell her ‘no’. Handover something different to them and they are sure to forget the old one in the excitement of the new toy or thing. Or keep them away from the element to avoid them getting in touch with the same thing.

Undoubtedly, there are many incidents where the parents may have to restrict a child and if you feel that the ‘no’ is being used more than often, you can try being creative by using different words to explain the kids why it is a no-no. If the kid wants to enter a dark room, it is essential to explain to them that they may fall, or hit something, due to dark environment of the room. It is not suggested by child psychologists to threaten kids by saying that there is a devil in the dark room to avoid them from going in there.  Rather, it is important to make them understand that the room is still the same even in the darkness; however, darkness creates the opportunity for anyone to unknowingly hurt themselves. Saying ‘no’ with a stern voice when they attempt to go the wrong route may help alerting the child. To communicate better, use words such as hot, cold, spicy, etc. in a stern voice to make them understand the impending cause of danger.

Approaching hot irons or ovens, getting into cold water tubs, attempting to eat peppers or chilies, fingering electrical sockets, swallowing poisonous repellents, playing with fragile items, etc. are all a cause of concern and are strictly on the range of a ‘no’. It is on the parent’s part to keep the home as child safe as possible rather than having to say a ‘no’ constantly. The lesser the ‘no’s’ the better the positivity in the child and higher the spirits are. Although ‘no’ is a negative word, try to inculcate this concept in the child’s mind with more positivity.

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If we had to choose between the natural and the artificial, undisputed, we lean towards the natural product unless the artificial one has undeniable properties. Nature has equipped womankind with ready made milk when they give birth to their child. Probably, this was nothing but the only option early humans. Since there was no rearing of cattle or no scope to feed the infant with formula milk, the breast milk was nothing but necessary and so was it rewarded to women. But with the generations passing by, humans became more civilized and discovered and invented many things to make their lives comfortable. Alternative sources of milk thus became extensively popular and a source of debate while attracting criticism.

There had been extensive distribution of literature on the benefits of breastfeeding for ages and it is an apparent fact that all the women want to feed their child with this exclusive food source meant only for their offspring. However, due to work commitments, health reasons or time clashes, many of them are unable to feed their younger ones.
It has been considered for years that mothers and babies enter into a special bond while the baby is being fed. However, mothers who feed their infants with formula milk can build a stronger bond too with their care giving and affection. Keeping the debate aside, many pediatric academics globally suggest feeding the baby for at least 6 months with breast milk exclusively and for one year with top foods.

Let us understand the benefits of both breast milk and bottle milk to let women choose the option that they are comfortable with.

Benefits for the baby:

• As we all know that breast milk provides the necessary nutrients to the baby as it is customized according to the baby’s age and requirement.
• The natural milk protects the baby from infections and they are less likely to be hospitalized. The mother’s milk builds immunity system for the lifetime by strengthening the immune system.
• Mothers pass antibodies to the baby while feeding which help building up a protective wall against many diseases.
• It is easy to digest and lessens the chance for the baby to fall sick due to indigestion issues. Colic, constipation and diarrhea are less likely when compared to formula fed babies.

Benefits for mothers:

• Nursing is much easier when compared to feeding with formula milk. Sterilizing bottles is a pain. Preparation time is saved as mother’s milk is ready made.
• Women who breastfeed have lesser chances of getting breast cancer and ovarian cancers.
• The women who breastfeed have faster recovery post delivery and their uterus goes back to normalcy within six weeks thereby helping the mother to lose the baby weight as they lose many calories while feeding.
• Breastfeeding can be used as a natural contraception method under some stipulated guidelines which is popularly known as Lactational Amenorrhea Method (LAM).

Adverse elements of breastfeeding:

• Sore nipples initially trouble many women who start off breastfeeding.
• While breastfeeding, it is hard to understand whether the baby had enough milk or not as it cannot be measured unlike the formula feed.
• Breastfed babies require more frequent nursing episodes than the formula fed babies and hence this can be considered as a time consuming task and may be a hindrance to working mothers.
• Bottle feeding is more convenient when you are in public places.
• Nursing mothers need to take care of their diet as good nutrition helps them in producing healthier milk. They should avoid smoking drinking and substance intake.

With the established factors, it is upto the mothers to decide on the effective method of feeding that is in the best interest of their child after considering the entire circumstances surrounding them. Since both the methods have their own advantages and disadvantages, any method chosen should be trusted as the best source for the child.

Sources:
https://www.livescience.com/51260-breast-vs-bottle.html
http://www.webmd.com/parenting/baby/tc/breast-feeding-as-birth-control-topic-overview

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The first few months of parenthood, especially for first time parents is a learning experience. Sharing a home and room with their baby is a process that new parents slowly have to adapt to. Additionally, normal workload like doing laundry, reading books, doctor visits also multiplies. Your baby in the midst of this lifestyle transformation also seeks constant attention. Night-times are occupied with multiple feedings and mornings start very early indeed.

So a common question that finds its way forward is, how couples adjust to these new demands whilst still trying to find time to nurture their personal romantic bond with a baby around?

Here are some tips to rekindle that romantic light into the relationship.

Make a date and stick to it

You were probably on tremendously demanding schedules prior to the baby’s arrival. With the new addition to the family, most couples tend to take turns towards napping, cleaning and looking after the little one. This basically implies that any personal bonding time is sacrificed to meet the needs of your baby.

Hence, you need to actively work towards spending some quality time with your partner. This positive habit will have great paybacks for you, your partner and your child. Begin with a straightforward coffee date at a local café, not far from home, on weekends when you can find a grandparent, a close relative or a nanny to look after your little one. Your date can progress into dinner or a movie in due course of time, when you’re able to leave your child for a couple of hours. If there’s no one to fill in for you at home, plan a special dinner at home once a week. Take turns to cook and set a beautiful table. The thought is to make private time with your partner a consistent occasion, one that is prioritized and doesn’t get bumped aside.

Show your affection

Do you remember those meaningless phones calls to each other, just to say, “hi?” Just because you have a baby in the picture, does not mean any of these previous loving touches in the relationship has to stop.

Why not do something unexpected and loving for your partner? Leave a love note on the bathroom mirror or hide a favourite treat in her handbag. Whilst these small things may not need a lot of time, it definitely shows your partner that you still love and care.

Communication is key

“One thing that needs to be stressed here is the importance of working on your relationship. Physical intimacy is very important, but an emotional connection is just as important. It takes work to keep your relationship together before the baby arrives, but it takes even more work after the baby arrives. I think people forget that. As mothers, it’s easy for us to get wrapped up in all things having to do with the new baby. It’s also easy for your partner (especially if he’s not had any experience in this area) to be disillusioned about pregnancy and the postpartum stages. Communication is key.”

Ensuring that your romance does not fade away with the arrival of your little one is not impossible. After all, where do you think the next one is going to come from?

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The beginning of my Dad journey…

It was just past noon and whilst my lovely wife was in the bathroom, I was furiously pacing outside the door. The bathroom door opened and there she was with the biggest smile on her face and tears rolling down her rose-blushed cheeks. She was ecstatic. She waved the test and I saw that it was positive. My first thought was of pure joy and relief. I remember telling her, “can you really believe it?”, “Are you happy?”, “Does it really say that you are pregnant?” We stood in the doorway for god knows how long, hugging and crying before finally calming down.

The “moment you find out” is quite unique and it was finally sinking in. It reminds me of that singular moment in life when you hold your breath and then heave those pleasurable gasps after a chest-achingly long time. A combination of being euphoric on finding out as well as the sweet relief of the long-endured fight of trying to, engulfed us all around.

We’d been trying to get pregnant for quite some time and our gynaecologist had told us that it wasn’t going to be an easy path for us. This challenging personal experience for us was a mirror of what was happening with many of our friends and some relatives too. The entire experience of winning the battle against childlessness seemed just imbalanced. The wrongness is amplified by the sense that the act of getting pregnant should be uncomplicated and the most enjoyable thing in the world to do.

I’ve seen the tightly-managed disappointment and setback turn out to be merely the opening act for a massive emotional ocean of antagonism, hopelessness, grief, resentment, embarrassment and remorse at being envious or not interested in others’ swift stork deliveries.

But all that is in the past.

Now that it has actually happened to us, it is such an unreal feeling; something that I’ve never lived through before and doubt I ever will again. Marriage is colossal, buying a house is massive, but making a human… is mammoth. I could not wait to scream it out of the rooftop.

I started visualising what a fantastic dad I was going to be; not that I’ve had any practice before. I would need to change a million things about myself, my lifestyle, to be able to be that great dad; but I am prepared to make all those changes. No more reckless drinking and takeout every night, no more sleeping until 8:30am on workdays.

Right now, I am just excited beyond my wildest dreams and maybe a little frightened too. But today, I only want to share this joy and pride with my beautiful wife. I have no doubt that she is feeling the same thrill. After all, we did this together!

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You have probably heard this statement several times from many exasperated pregnant women: “I’m fine! I’m pregnant, not sick!” It can get really irritating when people treat you differently because of your pregnancy, making you feel like a fragile object that can break apart any moment. Your pregnancy is progressing well, your doctor is pleased with your health and you are continuing to live your life as normally as possible.

But you are often faced with many niggling doubts when you head to work every morning. Could all those people telling you to ‘Take it easy’ be wrong? Do you really need to take some extra precautions, apart from taking your vitamins and eating well? Should you work during your pregnancy?

Work and Pregnancy

There is a curious correlation between working and pregnancy – on the one hand, doctors advise that you should be active as your baby grows, but on the other hand, you are cautioned to be careful and not overdo it. So how much work is too much?

It must be established at the outset that women who have regular pregnancies with no health complications (either with themselves or the baby) can continue working right until the time that they must give birth.[1] However, women with high blood pressure, gestational diabetes, signs of developing preeclampsia, asthma and other health problems must get a clearance from their doctor if they wish to continue working during the pregnancy.

The intensity of your work and pregnancy are related. If you have a sedentary job at your workplace, you can probably get by with your regular routine. However, if your work involves frequent periods of travel, hard physical labour and contact with chemicals and other hazardous materials, you might consider taking a break till your baby is born. This way, you will minimise any risk to yourself and your baby.

* You might be nauseous in the early weeks of your pregnancy. If you are constantly on the verge of vomiting owing to certain smells and food at the office, you can take a break and resume work when your morning sickness is gone. If it is not possible for you to quit working at this stage, keep emergency medication and soothing foods handy to control your urge to vomit.[2]

* It is fine to climb up stairs and even lift moderately heavy things if your pregnancy is going well and you are healthy. However, avoid lifting heavy items once you are in your second trimester, and also climbing up and down stairs more than necessary. Avoid stooping to pick up heavy objects off the floor at all costs.

* If your workplace has a dress code, you must ditch it to wear comfortable clothing that does not constrict your belly.

* Your doctor might advise bed rest if the foetus is in distress. Please stop working at this point.

[1] http://sogc.org/publications/working-during-pregnancy/

[2] http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/pregnancy-week-by-week/in-depth/pregnancy/art-20047441

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