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My baby at 2-3 Months
"Baby Times" information for you!
FREQUENT FEEDINGS.
You spend a lot of time caring for your baby. It is not true that, “all they do is sleep”. Newborns sleep an average of 16-hours-a-day, but they also require frequent feeding, holding and playtime to grow and develop socially, emotionally and physically.
If you are bottle-feeding your baby , your baby is probably taking larger amounts (4-5 ounces) at a feeding, and perhaps, sleeping longer between feedings. Many babies begin to give-up their nighttime feeding around 2-3 months of age—unless they are going through a growth spurt!
If you are breastfeeding your baby , your baby’s feedings are getting longer. This is normal, as your baby’s stomach grows. This will also help your baby to sleep longer. When feeding times have stretched out to 4-5 hours apart at night---your baby is getting into a little more of a routine!
- When your baby cries, respond quickly.
- Use only a low light when checking on your baby.
- Change diapers, then feed your baby.
- You can soothe, rock, and/or sing quietly to your baby, but limit interaction, as this will make your baby want to stay up and play.
- After your baby has burped, lay your baby on their back in their crib and quietly leave the room.
Time To Grow
GROWING OUT OF COLIC
By: Jo Kinberg, M.D.
Colic is unexplained spells of crying, fussiness, and irritability in a baby.
These infants may cry for 3 or more hours-a-day and as often as 3 days-a-week.
The onset is typically in the first 3 weeks of life. Babies are usually over
this, however, by 3- to 4-months of age. About 80% of colicky infants begin their
spells between 5-8 pm, ending by midnight. While fussing, these infants may draw
their knees up against their chest, clench their fists, flex their elbows and
tense their abdomen.
Normal
At times it may be difficult to distinguish between normal infant crying and
colicky crying. A baby with colic, however, will be gaining weight adequately
and have a healthy physical exam.
Reducing Crying
There are several ways to reduce infant crying. Try rhythmic rocking motions
in your arms, infant swings, cradles, and automobile rides. Sucking on a pacifier,
fist, finger or thumb may also help. Some infants would rather be swaddled, bundled,
cuddled, and held with very little stimulation. Any of these practices will not
spoil your child. It is impossible to spoil a child through their first 4 months
of life. During the crying spell, if your child swallows a lot of air you may
have to “burp” them frequently to minimize symptoms of gas. Gentle heat on the
abdomen, a warm bath, and massaging the abdomen may help the spasms.
A colicky baby can be very frustrating to care for! It is very important for parents to give themselves a break. Call your healthcare provider if you need help or have other questions.
Jo A. Kinberg, M.D. is a board certified pediatrician at Pediatrics, P.C. in Lincoln. She was been serving the community for 13 years.
TIMELY TOPICS FOR MOM
IT’S TIME TO GET HEALTHY!
- Get enough sleep (6 hours-a-night)
- Exercise—even a short walk each day helps
- Take time for meditation, relaxation or prayer each day
- Have a daily visit with a good friend
- Eat a variety of food from all food groups
- Accept help when offered.
- Leave unnecessary jobs undone
- Take time to talk with your spouse
- Have fun with your baby
- Yoga or water workouts help you meet other moms, take care of yourself, exercise and have fun. Check-up Time
WELL CHILD CHECKUPS
By: Michelle Walsh, M.D. and Jamie Jeffrey, MSN, APRN, CPNP
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that infants be seen at 2-, 4-,
6-, 9-, 12-, 15, 18-, and 24-months, and annually after that---to make sure your
baby is growing and developing properly with no serious abnormalities. Your pediatrician
will check your infant’s growth to determine if your infant is growing normally
and charting this will show you his/her position on the growth curve in relation
to other children his/her age.
Your baby’s healthcare provider will offer guidance according to your infant’s
age of life, discussing even accident prevention and safety guidelines as well
as information prior to administering immunizations. This will help prevent potential
problems and to ensure your baby grows up healthy.
Dr. Michelle Walsh is a board-certified pediatrician at Pediatrics, PC in Lincoln.
She has been serving the Lincoln community for five years.
Jamie Jeffrey is the Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner at Pediatrics, P.C.
She works in collaborations with Drs. Fletcher, Kinberg, Koch, Shriner, and Walsh.
Resource Time
By: Rosemary Clements, BA, CFCP is a Certified FertilityCare Professional
Parenting
A great parenting resource is the Northeast Family Center,at 5903 Walker Avenue,
offering the Parents As Teachers Program—a home visitation program. Playgroups
are also held there weekly. For more information on either of these groups, call
the center at 471-3700.
NATURAL FAMILY PLANNING….FERTILITY CARE….AND POSTPARTUM
Contemporary health-conscious married couples are choosing methods of family
planning that respect the body, mind, spirit of their beings. Natural methods
for achieving or avoiding pregnancy are well developed and researched and offer
numerous advantages over forms of family planning that medicate, alter, or interfere
with these aspects of a couple’s relationship and physical health.
Fertility Charting
When to start monitoring and charting your fertility symptoms after having a
baby, depends on the couple’s intentions. Even if you are happy to let Mother
Nature space your children, I still encourage you to observe and chart their fertility
symptoms starting at the baby’s 2-month birthday. If you want to be more intentional
in achieving or delaying pregnancy---if you bottle-feed or partially breastfeed
your baby, start observing and charting at 4-weeks postpartum, as fertility can
return quickly.
Breastfeeding
Couples who are totally breastfeeding, may wait until the baby is 6- to 8-weeks
old to start observations and charting. Research indicates that the earliest
ovulation occurred while totally breast feeding, was at 10-weeks postpartum.
Creighton FertilityCare Method instructions encourage couples to start observing
and charting when the lochia (discharge after delivery) diminishes; intercourse
can be any time of day, up to 56 days postpartum. After the 56th day postpartum,
if a couple’s intentions are to delay or avoid pregnancy, the couple ‘s instructions
for intercourse are limited to the end of the day only, until the woman experiences
a normal cycle.
Review
Couples are encouraged to schedule an appointment wit their FertilityCare of
Natural Family Planning Professional when the woman is 4-6 weeks postpartum, to
review and brush-up on instructions. Couples new to using their choice of a natural
method will benefit from attending an introduction in the method even prior to
their delivery. Methods that monitor the cervical discharge will be most applicable
during the breastfeeding stage. When cycles return, some couples like to incorporate
the basal body temperature method into their mucus-symptom method. The benefits
of getting professional assistance via follow-up sessions are advantageous to
effective method use.
Many more women are looking to a natural fertility method that helps them understand the needs their bodies have as they relate to their fertility, reproductive and emotional health as God designed.
Rosemary Clements, BA, CFCP is a Certified FertilityCare Professional with a
BA in Human Relations, Certified in WAIT training and maintains an active practice
at Natural Family Planning of Nebraska, Inc. and the Natural FertilityCare Center
in Lincoln, NE. She has over 20 years experience helping women and couples,
You may contact:
Natural Family Planning of Nebraska, Inc at 421-7526
The Catholic Family Life Office at 488-2040
PLAYTIME!
BABY’S BEST PLAYMATE AND TEACHER!
Babies 2- to 3-months of age can be so much fun for parents and other children,
interacting with the baby. Your baby will actually begin to imitate you---an important
step in helping your baby learn.
When your baby begins to coo and babble, it is important that you respond---that is how babies learn about communication. They like familiar voices, so talk with them, tell them about your day, and read to them—even if it is the evening paper. They do prefer you to change the pitch of your voice and vary how you say words and vowel sounds. Your voice will be more fun and interesting to listen to, even if you are just reading the want ads!
By 3-months of age, your baby is very familiar with your voice and your facial features. Your face is your baby’s favorite thing to look and your baby will imitate the faces you make and even try to start conversations with you, just by flashing you a smile.
Crib mirrors or mirrors in books, are of great interest to your baby. However, your baby won’t see full color until about 3-months of age, so bright contrasting colors are best.
You might also try singing or playing different kinds of music for your baby. By the end of 3 months, consider changing the location of the crib for a different perspective. Let your baby experience different textures from an assortment of blankets and a variety of toys. Have fun helping your baby learn and grow!
DADDY TIME
WHAT IS BABY IS TELLING YOU?
Research has shown that when adults respond quickly to their baby’s cries, that
the babies quiet more easily, cry less, and build a more trusting relationship
with the adult. This is because they learn that their needs will be met by those
who care for them.
As a father, try to determine what your baby’s cries mean. This is not always
possible. But most babies have one type of cry for pain (forceful and high pitched),
one for hunger (like they are mad), one fussy cry (a whimper, or may start and
stop frequently), and one cry when they are tired (sing-song cry).
As a new dad, don’t be too upset if you can’t figure out what your baby is trying to tell you. The important thing is that you take the time to respond to your baby’s cries and let them know you are there for them.
TRIVIA TIME
Aside from medical costs,
it's been determined that new parents in the U.S.
typically spend $7,000 in a baby's FIRST YEAR
on everything from diapers to formula to day care.
Tool Time
Building Relationships with Grandparents
1. Have grandparents tape themselves reading books and mail tapes to your child.
2. Send videos, e-mails, or fax updates of your baby to the grandparents.
3. Log/journal your baby’s days---what a great gift when your child is older
or to keep grandparents informed.
4. Phone—nothing can beat the cooing sound or the first da-da over the phone.
5. Tell stories. Begin to tell the stories of your family to your baby. They
will enjoy the interaction, it will help you re-connect with your childhood, and
keep memories and traditions alive. It’s Ok to tell the same stories over and
over. It helps your baby learn and as they get older, they will able to add details
that you forget!
SAFE TIME
Never shake a baby!
Babies cry. That’s how they communicate. It can be frustrating but, shaking,
spanking or hitting your baby is never right! Take time to calm down until you
can talk to and handle your baby in a loving way. It is better for your baby
to cry 15-seconds more than for you to treat them in a manner that could cause
harm or disable them.
Keep One Hand on Baby on a Counter or Table
Your baby may start to roll at any time. Injuries occur fast.
NEVER leave your baby unattended in the bath—even if just for 1-minute to run
for a bath supply or answer the door. Babies can drown in 1-inch of water. Accidents
will happen in the home. Each year, 10% of all infant drownings under the age
of 12-months, occurs in the bathtub. Other common places are buckets with liquids
and the toilet. Stay with any child whenever they are in or near water.
Sleep Time
Where should your baby sleep?
This is a controversial topic today. Many researchers advocate a shared family
bed –saying that it promotes bonding and facilitates breastfeeding. From a safety
perspective, however, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that infants
be placed on their backs, on a firm mattress, in their own bed/crib.
Hazards of a shared bed:
Babies could roll and fall off of the bed
Baby’s head and face can get covered and they’ll have trouble breathing.
Babies could suffocate from loose, fluffy pillows or another person rolling
on top of them in
their sleep.
Babies can get trapped between the mattress/cushion and the edge of the
bed or couch.
Crib Notes
If a crib is used, make sure that the slats are no further apart than 2 3/8-inches.
Remove bumper pads, soft toys, and pillows. Remove any plastic covering the mattress.
Be sure that the mattress is firm and fits snugly into the crib frame. You should
not be able to slip more than one finger between the mattress and crib frame.
Keep the crib away from drapery/blind cords or open windows. And, if the crib
is painted, make sure it is not a lead-based paint. Keep the rails up and “locked”
at all times. Lower the crib mattress as your baby gets older, so that the baby
is not able to crawl out. Make sure there are no corner posts or cut-outs in
the crib frame in which baby’s head or clothing could get caught.