Your baby is nearly here and as new mum, it’s important to take care of yourself during the postpartum period. Here are some tips to help you create a postpartum plan:

Rest and Recovery:

After giving birth, your body needs time to heal. Make sure to get plenty of rest, eat well, and stay hydrated. Ask for help from family and friends to take care of household chores or other responsibilities. Cooking meals, baking, household chores and cleaning will all help.

Emotional Support:

The postpartum period can be emotionally challenging. Surround yourself with a supportive network of friends and family. Reach out to a postpartum doula or mental health professional if you need extra support. Feeling overwhelmed, anxious and second guessing yourself are all common. Make sure you ask for help.

Breastfeeding Support:

If you plan to breastfeed, seek out support from a lactation consultant or breastfeeding support group to help you with any challenges. Breastfeeding is natural but it’s not easy. You need support and guidance to help enjoy and have a successful breastfeeding journey. If you choose to bottle feed, that’s ok too. You need to do what is best for you. The New Mum eBook will help you.

Exercise:

Once you’re cleared by your healthcare provider, start incorporating gentle exercise into your routine to help your body recover. Engaging with an exercise professional or physiotherapist is a good idea.

Baby Care:

Plan for baby care by stocking up on essentials such as diapers, wipes, newborn clothing, burp cloths, feeding equipment and sleep attire such as swaddles. Consider hiring a postpartum doula, a newborn care provider to help with baby care so you can get some rest. The Newborn Guide will help you with all newborn care in those early weeks.

Remember, every postpartum experience is unique.

Be flexible and adjust your plan as needed.

Congratulations again and take care of yourself!

Dream feeds- here are some simple tips.

Dream feeding isn’t for every baby but it’s worth a try to see if your baby will sleep for longer stretches during the night.

It can work for both breastfed and bottle fed babies.

Here is what you need to know about your baby’s sucking reflex

Whether you are breastfeeding or bottle feeding, it’s important to know about your babies sucking reflex. 

As your baby is still developing and growing in the womb so is your baby’s sucking reflex. 

At 32 weeks gestation your baby is starting to use their ability to suck and usually by 36 weeks your baby already recognises that sucking can help them settle and gives them comfort- yes even in the womb. 

Both the rooting and sucking reflex are present due to a very simple movement of the baby’s hand being directed towards the mouth and stimulating them. 

The sucking reflex is a learned reflex and babies get more proficient at it the more they do it, like any other action that is present. 

The more you do it the easier it becomes. This is no different for babies in the womb or newborns and as your baby grows and develops. 

Many mums have seen evidence of their baby’s sucking their thumbs in their last scans before their due date. 

This sucking reflex is very important for your baby. It keeps your baby alive because it needs to be present to feed. 

BUT and yes there is is a big BUT

This reflex is always there even when your baby isn’t hungry.

Because it’s an involuntary reflex they don’t have cognitive control over it. Their nervous system is reliant to help them feed when the reflex is stimulated by certain actions. 

These actions are the hand to mouth, stimulus of the roof of the babies mouth and the initiation of the rooting reflex. 

Now the confusion for most parents is what they are told about this sucking reflex. 

Most parents are advised that whenever they see their baby suck on their hands, their fingers or show the rooting reflex their baby must be hungry and needs feeding. 

This is not the case. 

Babies do know to stop feeding and the feeling of being full in conjunction with their involuntary reflexes. 
Their way of letting you know that they are full is by pulling away, sucking becomes more shallow, not swallowing and showing frustration and grizzling while feeding. 

But because the advice is feed whenever babies look hungry due to the sucking reflex mums will continue to latch baby even though they a fighting to let go of their latch and pulling away and nodding their head.

You then have a baby who will continue to suck because of the sucking reflex, get over full, windy and even more grumpy. 

This often is repeated time and time again. 

A vicious cycle starts to emerge. 

This will lead to babies not sleeping, feeding frequently, snacking and ultimately a baby being diagnosed with colic or reflux. 

The best advice that I can give any mum and to give their baby the best opportunity to feed well, sleep well and not to be diagnosed with colic or silent, generalised reflux. Is to be knowledgable and confident to know when their baby is sucking for hunger or simply for comfort in correlation to their involuntary sucking and rooting reflexes. 

If you need feeding and sleep advice please get in contact. 

This hormone has a lot to do with how successful you will be with breastfeeding. 

It’s around in small doses when your are pregnant and slowly increases as your pregnancy progresses. 

Towards the end of pregnancy the prolactin levels are very high so this enables milk production. 

The sooner the baby starts sucking the sooner your milk will start to produce- hence why many believe the first hour post birth is crucial for both bonding and breastfeeding. 

The more baby sucks the more prolactin is produced therefore the more milk is produced. 

This occurs due to the brain receiving messages through the nervous system to release the prolactin. 

Its a very clever hormone because it also adjust your milk to what your babies needs are. 

But there is an important factor that is often overlooked. ?

The prolactin has to have a very positive environment to thrive. 

If a women is anxious about her ability to feed, feels judged, may be embarrassed to breastfeed, finds it painful to feed, then prolactin is inhibited and the milk production and secretion will be diminished. 

This is not a good scenario for successful breastfeeding for new mums. 

Feeling pressured to breastfeed, copious amount of advertising about breast is best, not supportive enough advice in the first 72 hours, feeling confused, overwhelmed will all have a big impact on this little hormone. 

Prolactin is best produced under the influence of happiness, confidence, no pain and relaxation. 

This is why it is vital that all mums seek supportive and individual advice to help them breastfeed successfully. 

Unfortunately majority of postnatal care professionals are blinded by what is important to the mum and baby and the push to breastfeed as a whole.

Reflux – A diagnoses that is so common among babies these days that I have started to look into how easily doctors are giving antacids to babies as young as 2-3 weeks old.

Absolutely babies do suffer from reflux however diagnoses should be done after all other possible symptoms have been eliminated.

Through many years working with babies around sleep and feeding.

You become a mum in an instant. It’s exciting and a little scary at the same time. The first few days and weeks are about getting to know your baby. Lots of bonding, learning to feed, bathe and settle your baby among all other new beginnings. 

But we can also start to feel alone and become so entrenched in this new journey that we start to not look after ourselves.

Here are some questions you might want to think about. 

Are you giving yourself the love and respect you deserve? 

Are you trusting your judgement?

Are you spending time doing what you love?

If you’re struggling with this, like many mums are, it’s time to take some action.

You may be feeling overwhelmed and emotional. You might not trust what your doing is right. You are feeling judged by other people’s standards and taking on advice that doesn’t fit your parenting style. 

It’s hard to put ourselves first but it’s a necessity. It’s part of a mum’s survival mode. 

Parenting doesn’t come with a university degree. Sometimes it feels like you’ve been thrown in the deep end without prior knowledge or experience. 

So how can we expect to know everything, give up who we are and be the wonder woman we might expect to be. 

We can’t and we shouldn’t.

 The first few months can be particularly hard. It’s often not until our little ones are a little older that we start to think about ourselves. Thinking of going back to work, getting back to the gym or even starting a little business on the side. Even just simple things like going out for a coffee with friends can be daunting. 

 Remember the person before she became a mum?  

Deep down, she is still there. It’s just with all the chaos and our sleep-deprived state of mind we have forgotten. 

For me, I have been passionately interested in this topic for a very long time. To realize there was more to me than being an at-home mum has taken me years. It’s only been over the last 5-6 years that I have had the confidence to venture out into new territory and rediscover my calling.

I have always been in the business of helping new mums with babies right through to ages 5 while nursing in the areas of Obstetrics, Pediatrics and as a Royal New Zealand Plunket Nurse, before starting my own family.

Now 20+ years on, with more determination than ever, I see the importance of giving mums the knowledge and support to thrive. To listen to their intuition. To permit themselves to be number one.   

The road to finding this truth even for myself hasn’t been an easy one.

I had to overcome many hurdles to reach a point in my life when I knew I needed the balance and needed something for me so I could give back to my family with more confidence and energy but also myself. 

Today many mums need to head back to work much earlier than before. Our lives are much busier, more stressful, and the financial strain is all too real for the majority of families, which means going back to work is not just an option but also a necessity.

Often there is no family around to lean on, a lot of couples these days have moved countries and so are worlds apart from their support systems. Friends with babies are back at work or you are the very first to start a family.

To top that off with expectations to conform to a parenting style, or to feel pressured into feeding your baby a certain way. Where to sleep your baby, and the many do’s and don’ts of parenting while feeling sleep deprived will pretty much send any mum into a frenzy of emotions. Technology has even taken over common sense.  

It’s no wonder we see more cases of postpartum distress than ever before. Mums are feeling more guilt, judging themselves too harshly about their parenting styles, and not looking within themselves for their knowledge and strength to make their own decisions. 

There is no one way to parent but guidelines and recommendations suggest there is. 

 This is why so many are mums are feeling overwhelmed, second-guessing themselves and not trusting their mummy instincts. 

So here is my advice to you.

You need to look after you first. 

• You are just as important as your baby.
• Believe in your strengths. 
• Believe in your decisions. 
• Stand your ground.
• Feel empowered with the choices you have made.
• Stop feeling guilty and step up and make yourself count.
• Whatever life decisions you make, they’re yours and your family’s and for no one else to judge.

Nurturing, trusting and believing in yourself will ultimately make parenting much simpler and more enjoyable.

So here are some simple steps for you to follow. 

1. Ask for help
2. Take time out (even if it’s just for a coffee)
3. Trust and allow your partner to take care of your baby (so you can confidently go out)
4. Delegate household chores
5. Keep in touch with friends without children (it’s important to have a balance of baby and adult talk)
6. Keep up with fitness or start fitness classes
7. Dress up rather than dress down
8. Take the advice that you will benefit from
9. Love yourself
10. Most of all believe

As a new mum you’re often told that feeding frequently is best for your baby.

Demand feeding your baby is very important for weight gain, establishing good lactation and it’s also a great way to bond with your baby.

Feeding your baby on demand means feeding your baby whenever they cry, suck their fingers (sucking reflex) and show the rooting reflex.

However these signs are not just hunger signs.

Let’s look at these cues:

Rooting reflex:

This reflex is an interesting one. It’s an involuntary action. This reflex is present when the baby is close to the breast or their cheeks are being touched. They will naturally turn their head to that side. Babies less than 3 months of age all have this reflex present.

Seeing this reflex is involuntary it’s always present when cheeks are stimulated. Even when your baby is not hungry!

Sucking reflex:

This is also an involuntary action. Babies will generally suck anything if its introduced into their mouth and the roof of the baby’s mouth is stimulated. Babies are in what we call an oral stage. They often suck or feed not only when they are hungry but also when they are tired, in pain, distressed or for pleasure. Little babies (under 3 months) have a strong urge to suck other than feeding times to feel contented.

Hand and mouth reflex:

All babies have this reflex when they are born. It’s not until they get a little older when this is more prominent and coincides with their development. Babies under 3 months have this reflex, however it’s a little hit and miss. Once they are a little older they will put their hands in their mouth for comfort sucking and at times thumb sucking may start. Babies as young as 6 weeks can start sucking their thumbs voluntarily.

Crying:

Babies cry for several reasons.

• Hunger
• Pain
• Wind
• Too cold or too hot
• Overtired

So recognizing these signs and acting accordingly can be the key to having a settled baby.

With demand feeding some of these signs may not be hunger signs, and even though the baby is being offered milk and will feed for comfort, a condition called Lactose Overload may occur.

The majority of babies who are unsettled, don’t sleep, are frequent feeders and struggle with gas are often diagnosed with having colic.

They then are subscribed medication such as Gaviscon.

Predominately babies then get better only because the medication is masking the underlying issue.

However in 95% of cases in one clinic I researched, the colic is from Lactose Overload.

So what could be the underlying issue and how do we solve it?

Lactose

Lactose or milk sugar is present in all milk. Lactose is the primary source of energy. Foremilk is very high in lactose.

So what is Lactose overload?

This is when breastfed babies (and sometimes bottle fed) are feeding too frequently and consuming large amounts of foremilk, which is rich in lactose.

It often happens in babies who are unsettled, don’t sleep, are windy and burp a lot and appear to be in discomfort. They have frequent green bowel motions with nappy rash and spill after feeds.

Because these babies are unsettled and are showing signs of hunger (wants to suck, is unsettled, screams and draws up legs) they are fed to help settle them.

However this becomes a vicious cycle. Large volume, a low-fat feed goes through the baby very quickly and not all lactose is digested. Then the gas, pain in tummy etc. presents again.

So what’s the best way to manage lactose overload?

Changing to a breastfeeding routine is a good way. It’s important to make sure one side gets drained first before offering the other. It even means that after your baby has burped, changed and ready for the next phase of the feed, you can put baby back on the same side. This will make sure that your baby is getting enough hind milk to settle. Hind milk has less lactose present and fatter content which helps settle babies. The other way is to make sure your baby doesn’t feed more than 2-2.5 hrs. Babies over 2-3 weeks of age and are gaining weight are best to feed 3hrly during the day if Lactose Overload is a possibility. After a while you baby will become easier to settle and can return to feeding on both sides if need be when older. However to avoid the lactose overload, make sure that you generally empty the side you started the feed on before offering the other side.

Lactose intolerance is very rare but should not be ruled out if your baby does not improve over time with change of feeding regime.

If you’re a mum that has a baby that is showing these classic signs then get in contact and we can help you for a better outcome and more settled baby.