Saturday 9 October 2010

Mother's tips for newborn care


Strapping our newborn daughter into her car seat for the first time was our wakeup call that we were indeed amateurs. After 10 minutes of struggling with the seat belt, we realized the infant carrier she was nestled in was facing the wrong direction. Fortunately, we came to this conclusion prior to driving off with our tiny, precious package. Four children later, we look back and laugh at that scenario. The first newborn many come in contact with is their own. Most have very little practice with newborn care. Babies actually are pretty resilient creatures. They have to be to put up with their new students. We learned more from trial and error than from anything else, simply due to the nature of children. Each little bundle has its own set of rules. Unbeknown to us, she would have needs that weren't in any of the baby books we had read. As far as diapering, umbilical cord care, circumcision care and feeding basics go, you'll find all of it in "How to care for your Newborn" or "Baby's first year" books. The lessons we were taught by our children and not by our pediatrician are the topics for this discussion.



Poop that goes from black, to green, to yellow - What? Yeah, the first time I saw black poop was in the hospital, when the nurse explained that our daughters "first few bowel movements" would be black due to the meconium in her intestines. That was her attempt to get a blank look from a new mother. Moving along to the green poop, this is when the meconium is mostly gone and your baby is beginning to digest breast milk. Watch out for the yellow poop, that stuff is like liquid missiles. Open the diaper at the wrong time and you'll decorate the nearest object, which could be yourself. This leads me to address your position while diapering. Always stand at baby's side, thus preventing the possibility of becoming a poop target. However, standing at the side poses its own risks, if you are diapering a baby boy. We learned this with the second, third and fourth. It is wise to have the new diaper open and placed over your sons fire hose, prior to opening the soiled diaper, complete the standard procedure for diaper changing, then slip the diaper under his bottom and secure without ever exposing him to cool air. In the event he get's diaper rash, going diaper less for 15 minutes after each diaper change will allow his skin to dry completely. However, always lay him on his front, unless of course you'd enjoy cleaning the ceiling. Baby poop will remain mustard yellow

New Mom Getting No Sleep?


As a new mommy it can be really hard to get the sleep you need.

Who cares if things get better when my baby is three months old? I will have died from lack of sleep by then!

That's really how I felt getting my first child. I was so exhausted!

Looking back now at my first time as a new mother, I didn't do much to improve the situation at that time. Why? I didn't know what to do!


"Sleep when the baby does also at daytime" was the only advice I had heard. Easy to say! Boring and hard to do.

I mean, you're not a robot as a new mummy; there's no off-button to press as soon as the baby falls asleep!

When I was home with our third child things were different. Tired - yes sometimes. Like when all kids wake up at night... But I was not exhausted, not at all actually. Why? Because I had learned how to help myself getting much more sleep.
These tips meant the world to me. Despite being a new mother, I didn't sleep and complain about being tired all day long, but instead I had enough energy to launch this website!

Lower your ambitions

I guess you've heard it before, but it is worth repeating. Lower your ambitions!
DonĂ¯¿½t' have a perfect home, cook perfect food, do all the perfect things you planned to. Listen to your heart and prioritize. Skip all musts that aren't that necessary when you think again.
Enjoy being a new mother and have fun with your baby instead.
And don't think you have to show up a perfect life to be able to meet with your friends. Invite them home and ask them to bring a pizza instead of sweating in the kitchen for hours.
There will be plenty of time in the future to excel in all kinds of ways.
Being a new mother, now is the time to excel in being rather than doing!

New Mother, New Life!

Are you a new mother?

Congratulations and welcome to your new life of worries, guilt and exhaustion!

And of extraordinary love and happiness...

A friend of mine complained to her midwife about feeling so worried that something would go wrong during her pregnancy.

Her midwife looked at her, smiled and said:

"Well, this is just the beginning of a life-long worry for your child. Get used to it!"

Another friend told me that having a baby was not that great. "It's all about pain", she said. Being pregnant hurts, giving birth is extremely painful, breastfeeding hurts... Everything seems to hurt!

This woman is now the happy not so new mother of two wonderful boys.

Why do I say all this?

That becoming a mom is a huge changeover, particularly the first time. But also getting your second and third child is a big change. Less and less you time!

And your body changes too.

But... (there's always a but or this website would not exist...:-)

...but there are a lot of things that can be done to make mom feel better!

Check out our new-mommy-feel-a-lot-better tips below! 

Mother Nature holds the........

t is fascinating how cosmetics and skin care products evolve. The industry swings back and forth responding to what it considers as the consumer demand du jour.

Have you heard that the industry is now going green? It is starting primarily with packaging, but the ingredients used in products are also going greener. Skin care companies are now looking to Mother Nature to put results into facial rejuvenation treatments by focusing on formulations using the power of natural substances; embracing a more holistic and organic approach for treating aging skin issues.

Needless to say, natural skin care has made a huge comeback during the past decade. Now we are seeing companies turning back to Mother Nature for the answers to effectively address aging skin symptoms.

We’ve all hear the term cosmeticeuticals which introduced a treatment benefit into cosmetics and skin care products. Now the skin care industry is evolving to include "Neutraceuticals".

Neutraceuticals can be summarized as the use of natural substances that have medicinal properties to promote health benefits. These natural ingredients are selected for their attributes and properties that are used to treat or prevent a range of diseases, afflictions, or conditions.

As modern medicine has documented, Mother Nature does provide astonishing results.

It’s not surprising that clinical trials also substantiate that nature has a bountiful supply and an amazing array of natural substances that promote skin rejuvenation. (Wouldn’t the ancient civilizations who utilized ingredients such as dairy products, honey, and herbs as effective skin treatments be surprised by this revelation?)

The utilization of natural ingredients is now becoming the cornerstone of the skin care industry when formulating anti-aging skin care treatments. (It’s top secret so don’t tell anyone. Natural ingredients work to rejuvenate aging skin. Astonishing isn’t it?)

And guess what?

You can make your own natural anti-aging skin care treatments quite quickly and easily while saving tons of money in the process!

Here are three simple natural skin care tips to help get you started on your own natural anti-aging skin care routine:
  • Choose natural ingredients that have healing and anti-aging properties for the best results
  • Use fresh ingredients: Select the freshest ingredients available to extract the most benefit from the anti-aging attributes of the ingredients when making your own skin care treatments
  • Select natural ingredients that are beneficial for your skin type
Any skin care routine can benefit from integrating homemade natural treatments. You can even use a duel approach by combining a natural approach to rejuvenating your skin with over-the-counter products.

Using the natural rejuvenating power that Mother Nature provides to enhance your routine will help you achieve visible results for your aging skin concerns. Among a huge list of benefits, natural ingredients provide essential nutrients to your skin which help it to protect and heal itself.

Your own skin care recipes can be used right along side your other skin treatments for younger, healthier looking skin by putting Mother Nature along with these three basic natural skin care tips to work for your skin.

Who doesn’t want to save money on their skin care treatments? Make your own!

Sue Dolan, facial rejuvenation expert (and close friend of Mother Nature), would love to teach you how with this quick and easy e-course on beginning your own. You can sign-up today and start mixing up your own natural rejuvenating skin care treatments in a matter of minutes!

Tips for Mothers

 How Mothers Can Nurture Themselves
Happy mom and child

By Amy Tiemann

There is a spark within each of us—I call it our "mojo"—that makes us special as individuals as well as mothers. That spark may simmer down to an ember during demanding phases of parenting, but it is essential to stay in touch with that ember, to protect it, and be prepared to build it back up into a bonfire when the opportunity presents itself. Here are some basic steps busy moms can take to keep that inner spark glowing.
Learn the first self-care tip for mothers.

Amy Tiemann, Ph.D., is the author of
"Mojo Mom: Nurturing Your Self While Raising a Family"

and founder of