Do you know how to swaddle a baby? When to stop swaddling your baby?

On this post, I am going to talk about the swaddling techniques or how to swaddle your baby. It’s very simple. I will show you the step by step instructions and also the how to swaddle baby video.

Why swaddle a baby?

Swaddling creates a slight pressure around your baby’s body that gives most newborns a sense of security because it mirrors the pressure they would have felt in uterus. It can also reduce the incidence of the startle reflex, which can upset babies and increase the frequency of waking and crying which help babies sleep longer through the night. Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is a syndrome marked by the symptoms of sudden and unexplained death of an apparently healthy infant aged one month to one year.

New research shows that swaddling can help reduce the risk of SIDS or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome by promoting better sleep when infants are on their backs but make sure do not swaddle a baby in warm room because overheating is a SIDS risk factor.

Do you have question about swaddling your baby for how long or when to stop?

Research shows that swaddling is only effective for the first few weeks after birth. After one to two months, swaddling, which inhibits movement, can restrict your baby’s motor development. You can choose to change it to baby sleeping bag so that your baby’s arms and hands are free to move around.

How to swaddle your baby? Just wrap it!

While it can look complicated, once you get the hang of it, swaddling a baby is incredibly simple. You should use a small cotton sheet or special swaddling sheet/ swaddling blanket to swaddle your baby; blankets or synthetic wraps should be avoided as they can cause overheating.

1. Lay the swaddling sheet down on a flat surface and fold the right corner down approximately 6 inches so that the sheet takes an almost triangular shape.
2. Place your baby diagonally across the sheet so that their neck rests on the edge of the folded corner.
3. Gently place your baby’s right arm flat against their body. Take the left side of the blanket and brings it across your baby’s chest. Ensure that your baby’s arm is securely under the wrap. Tuck the edge of the wrap under your baby to firmly fix the wrap.
4. Take the bottom corner and place it up over your baby’s feet so that it points upwards along the legs.
5. Take the right corner of the sheet, wrap it across the left hand side of your baby’s body and tuck it round underneath. Your baby should now be swaddled securely with only their head and neck exposed. To ensure that your baby’s swaddling is not too tight, check that you can slip your fingers down the top of the sheet.
6. While you should not need to use additional sheets and blankets when your baby is wrapped in swaddling, you will need to adjust their clothing according to the temperature of the room in which they will be sleeping.

If you still aren’t very sure on how to swaddling a baby, please take a look at the following “How to swaddle a baby” video.

Tags: SIDS, swaddle blanket, swaddling baby
Posted by hoho | No Comments »

Welcome to AnythingMaternity.com! On this first post, I would like to talk about an important topic, which is Breastfeeding.

Why is breastfeeding important?

You have spent nine months nourishing your precious baby in your womb, why start feeding your baby infant formula when you have your own wonderful breastmilk?

Every parent wants to give their child the very best. When it comes to feeding babies, there is nothing as good as breast milk. Do you know the advantages of breast milk? Your breast milk is organic and tailormade for your baby. Breast milk is the ideal baby food. It has the perfect combination of proteins, fats, carbohydrate, and fluids that new-born babies require.

Benefits of breastfeeding should be enough to encourage mothers to want to breastfeed their newborn and for all health care providers to strongly encourage breastfeeding.

What are the benefits of breastfeeding for the baby?

• The colostrum your baby receives in the first few days, and the breastmilk that follows, contain antibodies that provide resistance to infection. Until your baby has had time to build up its own immunities, mother’s immunities will be shared with him/her through her breast milk.
• Breast milk is an important factor in promoting the best possible development of babies. It is well recognised that breastfed babies have better development of their eyesight and speech.
• The unique combination of fatty acids and other components in breast milk contribute to optimal brain development, so lack of these in artificially-fed babies may result in lower intelligence.
• Breastfed babies are less likely to suffer from childhood cancers, eczema and asthma. And if a breastfed baby does get ill, the illness is often less severe than it would otherwise have been.
• Breastfed babies will also have some protection against conditions like juvenile diabetes, and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. There is good evidence that Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS or ‘cot death’) is less common in breastfed babies.
• Breastfeeding can protect your baby from developing allergies. Several studies have found that breastfeeding for six months or more makes it less likely that your baby will go on to develop food or respiratory allergies.
• Advantages in long-term health: Many studies have looked at the possible long-term health benefits of breastfeeding. There is now good evidence that, on average, the following health problems in later life are less common in those who had been breast fed compared to those who had not:
  • Obesity and overweight
  • High blood pressure
  • High cholesterol level
  • Eczema
  • Diabetes
  • Leukemia
  • Asthma

Do you know there are also many benefits of breastfeeding for the mother?

Tags: allergies, breast milk, Breastfeeding, breastfeeding benefits, eczema, SIDS
Posted by Nelson | No Comments »