It was 10:10 a.m., March 9th, 1989, when I returned home with my six month old son, Jack, from our next-door neighbour’s house. My husband Michael was playing Duplo (blocks) with Ben on the lounge-room rug.
Michael told me that he’d been outside chain-sawing some branches he’d trimmed off a tree, when he had an intense attack of guilt about Ben.
He said that Ben had asked him to stay inside and play with him about fifteen minutes earlier, so he’d put down the saw and come inside.
I sat down to breast-feed Jack, while Michael went to make a cup of coffee. Ben quietly went upstairs. Only a few minutes had passed when I went upstairs to check on him. It was then that I found him sitting on the floor with a box of medical supplies. Some quinine sulphate tablets were scattered around him.
At first, I thought he’d only sucked the sugar coating off, as I tasted them and they were very bitter.
We immediately called the poison information service and they said to expect vomiting and disorientation from ringing in the ears.
It seemed that they didn’t think the situation was very serious.
But it was….
Finally, the time came to leave the hospital, where we had brought our son only seven hours earlier. I couldn’t have imagined then that we would never bring him home again.
We got into the van and just sat there stunned.
Driving out the gate, there was a toddler playing on the swings. How could it be, that he was still playing and Ben wasn’t?
Baby poo is a good indicator of how a baby is tolerating feeding.
What can a normal baby poop look like?
A newborn baby’s first bowel movement will be greenish-black, thick and sticky. A good one for the dads to learn how to change!
These first poos consists of epithelial cells, lanugo, mucus, amniotic fluid, bile, and water which are intestinal substances that an unborn foetus ingests while in the womb.
As a newborn begins to ingest colostrum (mother’s first breast liquid), breast milk and or infant formula this poo will begin to change into a dark brown colour and be less sticky.
When a baby is breastfeeding the poo will progress to a more mustard colour with tiny, white, grainy seed like pieces in it. It will be a very loose consistency and can occur at every nappy change or every few days or even up to 14 days. Unlike a formula fed baby a breast fed baby does not get constipated.
All is normal if a breast fed baby’s poo is mainly mustard yellow and occasionally has green specks and streaks but then goes back to being like seeded mustard.
When a baby is regularly ingesting an infant formula their poo will be a pasty consistency and often green in colour. Each brand of infant formula creates a slightly different variation of the colour green.
Bowel movements may be less frequent than a breast fed baby but to avoid constipation a baby will need to be passing a poo every day or every second day.
A baby that is breastfeeding but has top ups of infant formula will have a variation in between these two poos depending on the ratio of breast milk to formula.
BABY POOP THAT IS NOT NORMAL AND INDICATES THE NEED FOR FURTHER ASSESSMENT BY A HEALTH PROFESSIONAL
Green frothy poo and possibly associated with unsettledness, bloating, wind and nappy rash
Very liquid consistency with no white seedy bits
A formula fed baby who cries when they poo and the stool is a pebble like consistency
A formula fed baby who has not passed a poo for 3 or more days
A poo that has streaks of blood in it
A poo that is green with a stringy egg white consistency
Projectile vomiting after 3 consecutive feeds associated with no bowel movement
With today’s knowledge on SIDS, it is safer to sleep young babies on their back and not on their tummy. For this reason, it is important to give your baby a snug and secure feeling in another way; swaddling.
Three misconceptions about swaddling a baby:
1.They don’t like their hands wrapped up tight
2.They fight the wrap when I put them in it
3.They are struggling to get free
Three benefits to swaddling a baby my way:
1.Their hands are wrapped and placed in a natural position (you will notice that your baby places their hands on the chest when you have them lying contented and unwrapped on their back)
2.Wrap them securely before their nervous system is out of control and over loaded
3.Once they are asleep it prevents the startle reflex waking them between sleep cycles; allowing for a longer more settled sleep
Swaddling a baby to aid in them having a settled sleep is appropriate until they are 6 months old.
The swaddling technique shown in this video is appropriate until a baby is 3 months old, after that you can leave their arms free of the wrap which allows a baby to be able to suck their fist or fingers to self settle.
A toddler will have tantrums. After all that is what they are known for!!!
Toddler’s are at an age where they are learning how things work and what sort of attention their behaviour will attract. This is normal however everything is harder to cope with when a person is tired. Most parents have probably experienced that in their own lives.
A day in the life of a toddler requires a feed, play, sleep balance to minimize fluctuating behaviour.
A toddler needs 5 meals evenly spaced over a day. All foods should contain proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. They should not be highly processed or contain refine sugars, preservatives and additives.
A toddler generally requires one or two sleeps during the day and 10 hours sleep overnight to function at their best.
When a child is given nutritious food at regular intervals and adequate rest their tantrums are much more short lived and easier to control allowing boundaries easier to establish and adhere to.
You can help your child make the transition from a cot to a bed when you and your child are ready. You will find this transition is the easiest to manage after your child turns 2 years old.
Below are some signs that indicate that it is time for your infant to move out of their cot.
Climbs or falls head first out of their cot
Thrashes around in their cot and seems unable to get comfortable
Asks you for a “big bed”
When they are toilet trained by day and then start to call out at night to use the toilet
A new baby coming and the cot will be needed
Suggestions that can help your child move out of a cot and into a bed…
Make the changes when there are no other changes happening in the child’s life
If another baby is on the way, make the changes at least 2 months before or after their arrival
They may like to help you chose the sheets
Idea 1: Take away the cot surrounds and place the cot mattress on the floor in the same spot for a few days or a week before changing into the bed
Idea 2: Bring the big bed into the same room as the cot, leaving cot assembled and start day naps and reading books on their new bed for a week before sleeping in it
Have a calm and comforting pre-bedtime routine established before making the transition
Have some of this on the big bed reading or chatting
Tuck them in and ensure they know you expect them to stay in bed
If they get out of bed, take their hand and walk them back to bed calmly and confidently, with no eye contact or conversation. Continue walking them back in this manner until they stay there. Do this consistently for 3 weeks before a new habit is established.
This video clip shows what can happen when an older baby (about 7 – 8 months ) gets over tired.
At this stage they are much harder to settle to sleep.
Give yourself a helping hand by understanding tired signs and acting on them appropriately.
To help you understand what tired signs are, when they are likely to happen and what to do about them I have written down my tried and tested theories and knowledge in an eBook for you to download and read. It is available here
Did you realise that the first 6 - 8 weeks of your baby’s life is the most important time to avoid a flattened head area developing in your baby.(Plagiocephalie)
Plagiocephalie can develop after birth from your baby applying constantpressure on one part of their head.
This is due to the bones of a newborn baby’s head being thin and flexible and the head being soft and easy to mould.
Flat areas may happen when:
1. Lying in one position for long periods of time (such as on their back while they sleep)
2. By always turning their head to the same side when lying on their back (favouring looking at a window of light)
3. Always sitting in a propped up position; occurring in babies who suffer from Reflux
4. Birth trauma resulting in neck pain; leaving the baby to favour a pain free position
Some important steps that you can do to facilitate a baby developing muscle balance and decrease the risk of developing a flattened head area.
1. Alternate their head position when putting them down in their sleeping area
2. Alternate putting them at different ends of the cot when putting them to bed.
3. A period of tummy time during every play time.
4. Change the position of their toys when they are on the floor so they move their head to different angles.
5. Vary their holding and carrying positions
6. Changing the side that you wear a baby carry sling on
7. When picking your baby up, approach them from different sides of their body.
8. An appointment with a baby accredited Chiropractor
or Physiotherapist maybe necessary to assess your baby’s head alignment.
It is not unusual for babies to need a gentle adjustment after
a Caesarean birth, forceps assisted birth, breech birth and prolonged 2nd stage.
Babies who do not feed well from a particular side, hate tummy time
or have considerable gas may have an alignment issue requiring attention.
Seek professional help EARLY if you see that your baby’s head is becoming flattened in areas. A physiotherapist may need to fit a cranial helmet if the head remains flat past 5-6 months.
Information on ‘Plagiocephalie’ came across my desk
from the Plagiocephalie Clinic at the Mater Children’s Hospital , Brisbane.
“Research is showing that baby’s that remain
with marked plagiocephalie may skip crawling
and have slower milestones with motor skills.
As they get older they may have reduced ability
with mathematics and in particular judging distances”.
