My Baby is 1 Month

• Keep a supply of carrot sticks and/or celery on-hand for munching.
• Grab an apple instead of a cookie.
• Try eating a baked potato instead of fries.
• Eat roast beef (or other meats) rather than a fried hamburger
• Drink fruit juice, skim milk or water instead of pop or whole milk
• Try eating frozen yogurt instead of ice cream, cookies and pies.

TRIVIA TIME
The highest number of children ever born
to one woman is 69!
So you’ve got it easy!

Time To Grow
THE FIRST 12 MONTHS
By:  Jamie Jeffrey, MSN, APRN, CPNP
The most dramatic growth of a child’s life physical, cognitive, social, and emotional occurs during infancy.    All babies lose a few ounces during the first few days after birth.  However, they should never lose more than 7% of their birth weight (usually about 8 ounces).  Most bottle-fed babies are back to birth weight by 10 days of age, and breast-fed babies by 14 days of age.  Then, infants usually gain approximately an ounce per day till 4 to 6 months of age and then they gain half of an ounce a day.  By 1 year of age, the infant has tripled his birth weight, added almost 50% to his length and achieved most of his brain growth.

Alert!
From 2-weeks to 1-month of age, your baby is becoming more alert.  Babies are learning to use their eyes and ears.  Smiling faces and gentle, pleasant voices are interesting to babies at this age.  By 2-months, babies start to hold their heads briefly and reach for things with their hands.  They enjoy faces and may make cooing sounds in response to people speaking.  At 4-months, babies start to roll over from stomach-to-back.  At 6-months, babies are usually rolling over stomach-to-back and beginning to sit by themselves.  Babies squeal, babble, laugh, and often cry very loud.  By 9 months of age, babies are pulling themselves up to stand and are starting to say “dada” and “mama”.   They may be crawling and cruising furniture.  At 12-months, babies are learning to walk and use and know the meaning of words.

Unique
Each child is unique and therefore it is difficult to describe exactly what should be expected at each stage of a child’s development.  While certain behaviors and physical milestones tend to occur at certain ages, a wide spectrum of growth and behavior for each age is normal.  It is perfectly natural for an infant to attain some development milestones earlier and other milestones later than the general trend. It is very important for your child be seen for their well baby check-ups to monitor your child’s growth and development.  Call your Health Care Provider with concerns.

Jamie Jeffrey is the Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner at Pediatrics, P.C in Lincoln.  She works in collaboration with Drs. Fletcher, Kinberg, Koch, Shriner, and Walsh.

“Every generous act of giving,
with every perfect gift, is from above,
coming down from the Father of lights,
with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
In fulfillment of his own purpose
he gave us birth by the word of truth,
so that we would become a kind of
first fruits of his creatures.”
James 1: 17 and 18

Time to Immunize…But Why?
By:  Jamie Jeffrey, MSN, APRN, CPNP
All around us are bacteria, viruses, and other germs.  The immune system in the body defends itself against these disease-causing materials by building up antibodies against specific germs. When a child has a disease such as chickenpox, he or she generally cannot develop the disease again because the immune system remembers the disease and produces antibodies against it before the disease can cause the child or adult to become sick.  Vaccines work in a similar way, but unlike with the natural infection, the vaccine must be given more than once for the immune system to build enough antibodies to defend against the disease in the future.

Do Vaccines Work?
Yes! In fact, because the immunization level in the United States is very high for childhood diseases, the incidence of some of these diseases is extremely low.

Is It Better to Get the Disease?
No! Learn from the past---before vaccines, these diseases caused suffering, as well as permanent disability and death---more than have suffered serious adverse effects from the vaccine. For some diseases, such as tetanus and Haemophilus influenzae , the immune system provides a better level of antibodies to the disease from the vaccines than if the child got the disease.  However, some vaccines are not 100% effective.  A child’s immune system may not develop as many antibodies as he or she needs to fight off the disease in the future.  This occurs with a small number of children. However, children who are not immunized are far more susceptible to getting these diseases!

Aren’t the Diseases Are Eliminated?
These diseases can return---we are not sure they will ever be completely eradicated, and some children will not be immunized.  However, children who are not immunized are 35-times more likely to catch the disease!  Without vaccines, these diseases will return for sure. Also, travelers to other countries can bring these diseases back to the United States if those countries do not have an effective immunization program.

Immunization Schedule
Your baby should receive most of his childhood immunizations before his second birthday.  Immunizations begin at 2-months of age and the schedule varies with each physician.  Young infants are at the greatest risk, so babies need the following immunizations:  DtaP (Diptheria, Tetanus, and Pertussis), IPV (polio), MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella), HIB (Haemophilus Influenza Type B), Hepatitis B, Prevnar (Streptococcus Pneumoniae) and Varivax (chickenpox).  Please discuss any questions or concerns about immunizations with your pediatrician.

Jamie Jeffrey is the Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner at Pediatrics, P.C. in Lincoln.  She works in collaboration with Drs. Fletcher, Kinberg, Koch, Shriner, and Walsh.

Time for Play!
LEARNING THROUGH PLAY
You may just have experienced your baby’s first smile!  Up until this time, your baby has tried to focus and gain control of his/her eye muscles.  Your baby sees best about 13-inches away, so be sure you hold your baby close when it’s time to feed or just talk with your baby.
Contrasts
Your baby still prefers to look at bold contrasts—such as black and white.  While they originally looked mostly at geometric shapes and the outline of your face, your baby can now begin to focus on facial features—such as smiles.  If you smile a lot, your baby will try to imitate you!  By 6- to 8-weeks, your baby may also show  interest in looking in a mirror.  Some “child-proof” imitation mirrors are available and make great crib or diaper bag toys.

My Name
About 1-month of age your baby may begin to recognize their name.  So, call them by name, and substitute their name into stories when you read to them. It’s important to help your baby develop his/her senses. Here are suggestions to help:

Sight---Wear different color neck scarves/ties.  Hang a mobile
above the changing table. Show baby 3-dimensional objects.
Hearing---Sing, talk, read to baby.  Let baby hear different types of music.  (Studies show that babies really do prefer classical music.)
Touch---Have different kinds of blankets for baby to lie down on.
 Wear different textured clothing.  Give your baby a massage.
Smell--Include your baby in the activities of the home—especially cooking. Keep them safely secured in an infant seat.  Let them smell the food being prepared.
Balance---Carry your baby in a carrier. Rock, swing or sway with your baby.  Let your baby enjoy the movement of a car in motion, a stroller, or a cradle.
 
Tummy and Back Time
Floor-time play is an important time to help baby’s develop physically!  Have fun by laying down beside your baby on a blanket and play with rattles, exercise their legs, nuzzle their tummy’s or have quiet time and read to them.  Make sure your baby has both “tummy” and “back” time.  This is important for muscle development and will help them reach their milestone for “creeping” and “crawling”.
Remember: Your Baby should always be placed on the back when sleeping.  

Daddy TIME
MORE THAN A “BABYSITTER”
One of the easiest and most enjoyable aspects of baby care that dad can also enjoy, giving your baby a bath.  There is no law that says your baby must have a bath first thing in the morning. 
See what type of temperament your baby has.  If your baby is wide awake for two hours after a bath, then an early evening or morning bath may be best.  A colicky or fussy baby in the evenings, may benefit from an evening bath to help settle gas. Some babies relax with the warm bath water. Bath time affords a great opportunity for interaction and for learning about how your baby responds to play!  “Rubber ducky, you’re the one…”

Tool Time

Our Saint Elizabeth Top Ten Tips for New Parents
1. Sleep when the baby sleeps.
2. Set visiting hours in your home.  (Try taking your phone off the hook!)
3. Have fun with your baby.  This time is precious as they grow so fast!
4. If someone wants to help—have them do the dishes and the laundry while you nap or hold and feed the baby.
5. Keep a list handy, of people who offered to help in specific ways during your pregnancy, and call them to ask for help.
6. Make sure both dad and mom have their time with the baby. You each interact differently with your baby—and your baby needs to learn from both of you!
7. Eat take-out!  But eat healthy!
8. Practice relaxation techniques you learned in prepared childbirth classes!
9. Make sure that both mom and dad have time for themselves each day—take a walk, read, exercise, or do an activity you enjoy.
10. Remember, that there is no such thing as a “perfect parent”.  Help each other in this journey to do your best.

SAFE TIME
How Safe, Really, Is Your Baby in Your Car?
Here are some eye-opening messages:
In Nebraska, in 2001, 95% of car seats were installed incorrectly.
Motor vehicle accidents resulted in 618 injuries for children aged 0-4 years.
The average cost for injury was $1,797 for an unrestrained child and $404.00 for a child restrained in a car seat.

• The most expensive seat is not necessarily the safest. Most important is that it is positioned safely, installed correctly, and it is the right fit for your baby.
• A borrowed seat may not meet current safety requirements. Car seats should have a seal of approval.  Also, check to make sure your car seat has not been recalled.
• A used seat may NOT be safe for your baby. Unless you know the complete history of a car seat, you should not use it! Once a car seat is in an accident, it could have unseen cracks and break apart when stressed in an accident.
• Your baby is safest in a properly fitted, secure car seat, positioned rear facing and in the middle of the back seat.
  

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