•Restrict dairy and wheat in your diet if nursing.
•Use homeopathic remedies for windiness and colic, like ColicCare and Chamomilla Tablets – if you choose the correct one, the results are usually very satisfactory.
•Remember that breastfeeding your baby is not just a physical task and that it affords you both a unique opportunity to be close and grow in understanding of one another.
Formula feeding
If you choose this option from birth, do all you can to inform yourself about the various formula milks on the market, as well as feeding accessories, in order to have as good an experience as possible. Take these hints into account and read more in the milk-feeding section of this guide:
•Preferably do not feed according to a schedule but take the baby’s individual appetite into account, using the suggested amounts and feeding times on the can as a guideline rather than a rigid rule.
•Remember, it may take a while to settle on a new formula, so don’t change too soon.
•If allergies are prevalent in the family or your baby has a special problem like gastric reflux, choose a specially modified formula, despite cost.
•Preferably use orthodontic teats for best possible jaw structure development.
•Choose a small teat for newborns to prevent gagging.
•Always cradle Baby in your arms when feeding, for emotional nurturing.
•Do not lie your baby flat when giving a feed – milk might run into the Eustachian tube to the ear from the back of the throat causing irritation and possible ear infection.
•Prepare formula with slightly cooled, boiled water to promote easier digestibility.
Weight gain in babies
Initially there is a drop of five to ten percent in weight. Babies then pick up between 150 and 250 g per week, depending on heredity, health, type of milk and how well you both have adjusted to feeding. Breast babies often pick up more rapidly in initial months, only to slow down later. Formula babies might gain steadily, or more slowly at first and more rapidly later. If Baby is thriving, do not be too concerned with rate of weight gain. Birth weight doubles by about the fifth month.
A WORD ABOUT COLIC AND HICCUPS
Many parents see a doctor for the first time because Baby is crying and nothing you do seems to soothe the little one. The feared diagnosis of colic is often made, but do not worry, take the following to heart and read about every conceivable solution under the sun in the detailed section on colic in this guide.
•Loud, strident crying at feeding times, with lots of wind, a red face and arms and legs pulled up, is the colic of a frustrated baby. Offer a few courses at each feed, practise non-scheduled feeding and give ColicCare if necessary.
•Constant fretfulness with Baby in apparent pain for large sections of the day is as painful for the mother as it is for the baby, but using the homeopathic remedy Chamomilla Tablets will greatly improve matters.
•If Baby cries at predictable times of the day, hiccups often and possets and passes stools forcefully, give the Sister Lilian tissue salt remedy Mag phos before each feed.
•Should Baby be having a ‘gut reaction’ to Mom’s anxiety, and it seems like colic, try dosing yourself with homeopathic remedy Rescue Emotion to defuse the situation.
•All babies with colic respond well to clockwise abdominal massage with special oils containing chamomile and dill.
BABY’S SKIN
A newborn baby’s skin
This wonderful organ protects, manufactures, excretes and absorbs. It is the biggest organ of the body and needs all our respect and care to remain healthy. Skin rashes are often a reflection of problems on the inside and you should look for the cause rather than immediately applying creams and lotions. Take these tips into account:
•Use gentle soap and shampoo with rooibos and calendula essence for bathing.
•Use talc sparingly.
•If your baby has skin rashes, make up 500 ml rooibos tea using one teabag and add to the bath water.
•Expose Baby to about fifteen minutes of sunlight each day, but avoid midday heat.
•Skin rashes are often caused by washing powders and softeners – use a special cleanser and conditioner for babies with sensitive skins; also for their cot linen.
•Don’t dress babies too warmly to avoid heat rash.
•Very bad dry rashes respond well to Calendula Tablets and cream.
ROOIBOS FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY
Rooibos is more than a healthy herbal tea – it is an indigenous national treasure. The whole family can profit from using rooibos with its beneficial action on the skin, nervous and digestive systems. Rooibos has been tested extensively in Japan and at the University of the Free State and it has been shown to have an antioxidant effect. Antioxidants form an important part of overall health and well-being as they help every part of the body to function efficiently. Rooibos is caffeine-free and has very low levels of tannin, making it an ideal evening drink, rather than coffee. It also contains important trace minerals, which is why it has a long history of being included in a rehydration programme in many paediatric wards.
Rooibos is a safe beverage for expectant mothers and their babies, and after the birth can form part of a healthy diet for little ones of all ages. All herbal teas should be taken in a weak infusion – the subtle flavour is delicious and there is never risk of adverse effects.
It is vitally important that women keep up their energy levels through labour and birth. Few women feel like eating though and rooibos forms the base of the ideal solution. Add fructose powder or syrup to a thermos of rooibos tea and sip throughout labour. It will relax you and ensure stamina enough to pace yourself well through the amazing experience of birth. It has countless other uses, from soothing cracked nipples in Mom to relieving colic in babies, which have been mentioned throughout the book.
•Limit or avoid dairy products in your diet if breastfeeding, as these often cause allergies. If a formula-fed baby is prone to skin rashes, use an allergy formula.
•Massage your baby daily. There is nothing as lovely as the soft, pearly skin of a baby and touch is therapy! You don’t have to learn a special technique, just do it every day before bathtime. This helps release endorphins in you and your child and you will very soon feel the relaxing effect, as will your baby. Use a little good baby massage oil and concentrate on the movements your baby enjoys. There will even be the spin-off of a calmer night ahead.
Mosquito bites
Prevention is always better than cure, so try these tips:
•Dot Citronella oil around the baby’s room to keep the mozzies from coming close, but do not apply directly to your baby.
•Use a mosquito net.
•Avoid travelling to known mosquito areas at peak malaria times.
•Crush a handful of khakibos or basil leaves and place in a container in the baby’s room.
•Baby can wear special anti-mozzie citronella bracelets – these are safe.
If Baby is bitten, treat the bites in one of the following ways:
•Make a paste of bicarbonate of soda and water and apply to the bite.
•Add a pot of strong rooibos tea to the bath water to soothe the itch.
•Give