The way it is taken care of in the first few days of its life may determine how a baby develops and conducts itself throughout its life
TODAY, in this fast moving world, bringing up babies isn’t as straightforward as it used to be. Years ago, when the baby was hungry, you fed it; when it was wet, you changed it. Brace yourself, all that has changed.
Then, it was weighed in pounds, now it is in grams, ‘g’ for short. Some things continue to remain the universal truth. The sun rises in the East. When the child is good, it is the light of daddy’s eyes. When it bad, it is mama’s brat. What is the result of all this havoc.
As a doctor I advise two steps, talk it over with someone older or a knowing person in the family. Also read, the do’s and don’ts. A few common sense pointers. But one important point to note is that a baby is not a tiny adult. On the contrary, it is an entirely different story.
Breast-feeding is best for your baby. It is complete a nutrition. It also helps in cementing the bond between the mother and the child which grows by the minute. It is thought that the first hour is an important time in the development of the bonding process. This is the same bond which folklore calls mamta.
All other factors being equal, it will require nine major steps to building, increasing and maintaining the mother and child bond. It begins when you plan the baby. What season will it be born in, will it need warm stockings, will it be born in the hospital or at home? Will it be a natural birth? How much will you have to eat to gain the required weight, which all expecting mothers have to do. Will you exercise and how much and making a promise, not to break it.
Discuss it with your doctor this is a very necessary step as only he/she can give you the warnings which no one else will. He will also guide you to a healthy, viable baby; this is also the time to ask questions. Remember, leave no stone unturned, you only have your first baby once. It is also the time to tell the doctor of any diseases you might have or congenital problems that run in your’s, or the father’s family.
If you are diabetic, then you should definitely plan, a pregnancy with the doctor or else there is risk to you and your unborn child.
If you are to be a working mom, plan and arrange for maternal leave. It is the right of your unborn child.
The miracle of life is such that even after one is blessed, you need to know for sure, so it is the confirming of the pregnancy which is such a thrill that no news can be sweeter. The fact that it is now on, that from this point onward, it is forward movement, you are part of the gift of life.
Accepting that you are now pregnant and all that is to follow, will follow, this is how you need to proceed.
The acceptance is the basic building block of the frame of mind you will carry with you, your entire life, towards the love bundle, children and home.
Feeling the baby’s movement, a mother’s delight at those kicks is unforgettable. This is when you have a visitor, who has a mind of his own, doing as he/she deems fit. The baby pees inside of you but it is clear water as the kidneys do not produce waste. There is no harm in running to the ultrasound clinic if you feel there is something wrong or you do not feel any movement for a long time.
It is important to clear any misconception here that there is no harm to the mother or the child from an ultrasound scan.
Now you are a complete person, your body is your own and you have your personality. But remember the love bundle growing inside you is an individual in it’s own right. You have to remember this is going to be an individual and complete different person. Grant him that individual right.
The other experience that is only between the mother and child is experiencing birth. Once you have experienced bringing a bundle of joy into the world, the bond between you and him/her is set for life. It is part of you that goes out into the world to touch that which is out of your reach.
Now the magic moment of bonding; you hear your baby for the first time, while still in the labour room. Your every thought is for going out to the baby, is it well? Is it normal? Now you see it and some of the thirst is quenched. At this moment, a window opens between your brain and that of the baby. When you now touch it and hold it, this window becomes a more direct connection between two individuals than any other in this world or the next.
The last part of the bonding is the caretaking which will take place your entire life and whenever you feel your ward wandering away from you, performing small tasks for it will bring it back.
Therefore, the most important function you may perform in the first few days of the baby’s life is to develop the parent baby bond.
Now note a few other points.
The baby recognizes the mother’s voice in the first few weeks of life. It will recognize the smell of the mothers milk pad in its first week of life. Please remember that it recognizes the smell of the mother and not just the milk. This is important for the proper care of the infant and for the growth of the baby and for it to continue to gain weight appropriately. If you notice that the baby is losing weight in the first few days, do not be alarmed, as this is normal and should be expected. The appearance of jaundice in the first day is not normal and should be treated. Your doctor knows how. If the baby has a fever he might be infected and have neonatal sepsis, this requires to be treated.
Infantile colic is when your baby keeps crying without cause, is inconsolable and if this occurs according to the rule of three i.e. is fussy or cries for more than three hours/day, on at least three days/week and this goes on for longer than three weeks in a infant who is less than three months old, these criteria being filled then a diagnosis of infantile colic is made and appropriate therapy is inducted uppermost being parental behaviour modification. Discard all that you have doubts about.
The way it is taken care of in the first few days of its life may determine how a baby develops and conducts itself throughout its life
