Your Child's Journey

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Poop or No Poop

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Since we have to clean it up, we are very aware of what kind of poop our baby is making. We see different colors, different amounts, different consistencies. Some of them really worry us. The explosive poop of breast fed babies or the days of no poop, what does it mean and what can we do about it? Here are some helpful suggestions:

Baby or toddler constipation

Try  Poop Goop– Two different concoctions to whiz up for your baby/toddler’s constipation

Long-term constipation – see When Your Child Just Can’t Go
To get the article in pdf – click here: When Your Child Just Can’t Go.

Breast-fed Baby’s Explosive Poop

Q.
I know breast fed babies have different colored and often softer stools then formula babies. My baby’s stools are very soft with the majority liquid.  None of the seedy things the books and peds talk about seeing are present.  When he goes, it’s nothing short of explosive. When I say explosive, even if the diaper is new and dry, it comes out with such force (and noise) that very little is caught in the diaper and it gets very little saturated. The poop shoots out the sides and back to the point you can feel it hit you if you’re holding him. Both docs told me I just need to get used to the softer stools of nursing and I felt like they thought I was exaggerating.  Its been two weeks of what I would call liquid stools and I’m concerned about him being dehydrated or actually having something wrong. I called the nurse line today and talked to her about it and she said it sounded normal, but she’d be happy to bring in me to talk to another doc.  Am I crazy to feel like this is not normal?  We have gone through 5 blow out outfits since 5am, not counting spit up changes and its only 5pm.

Read answers from other moms 

You Are Invited!

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Youre Invited

All moms want to give their babies and children the best possible care. But research takes more time than you have.

First Steps is a helpful bulletin for moms with children from birth to 3 years. Each monthly bulletin will have the information you most need for that month of your baby’s development. These bulletins were carefully assembled from the best information available and compiled in a brief, readable style. They will help you learn the usual developmental mile markers for that month. Also, you will see what to expect next and the best ideas to help your baby get there. Other short articles of interest for parents with children that age are included.

Learn more about me and Your Child’s Journey at About.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Blessings!
Diane

Why am I So Sad?

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Why am I sad? I just had a beautiful, healthy baby!

Welcome to the majority of new moms! Where is the blissful joy we expected as the reward for labor? Why do we feel like this is the worst PMS ever?

With delivery go all those wonderful hormones. We’re profoundly exhausted by the birth process. Then comes learning to breast feed (no one told us we would have to learn how!) And, let’s not forget, sleep deprivation from waking to feed our darling every 2-3 hours.

The first two weeks involve profound physical, emotional, social and family changes. This is all normal. To feel sad and irritable is nothing to be ashamed of or embarrassed by.

What should you do during this time? Ask for help, rest as much as possible, take good care of yourself, and share your feelings. Don’t bottle them up and make yourself feel even more miserable.

Life soon settles down to a new normal,  hormones level out, and the worst of the emotional storms are past.

If however, you are among the 10-20% of moms whose baby blues last longer than two weeks and are more intense, you are experiencing postpartum depression. Talk to your OB/Gyn or midwife as soon as possible. There is much that can be done to help you out of this common depression. Don’t delay getting help. These first 2-3 months of your baby’s life are so important for bonding and establishing the foundations of trust in your baby. There is no shame in asking for help.

Read more:  Baby Blues and Beyond

Brain Development and Early Learning

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Child Brain Development and The Science of Early Learning

By Madeleine Fitzpatrick<

Your baby is born with most of the brain cells she will ever have, but during her first 12 months in the world, her brain will become increasingly complex. By the time she reaches the age of two, her brain will already be 75 percent of its adult weight. By the age of three, it will have reached 90 percent of its adult weight.

Almost 50 percent of the brain cells your baby is born with will wither and die during the first few years of life. This process, known as neural pruning, organizes the brain and makes it more efficient. The brain learns through experience.

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