Archive for August, 2009

According to National Sleep Foundation, Sleep is
indispensable for a person’s well being. Lack of sleep
affects people’s health, they become moody, irritable and
even forgetful without adequate sleep.

It is no wonder then that new parents are concerned about
their sleepless nights when they bring their newborn baby
home from the hospital.

A new baby needs to eat every few hours.  Hence the new
mother has to feed him and many new fathers are trying to
be “helpful” as much as possible – at time by just
sympathizing.

But these sleepless nights should not last for a long
period of time. You can re-arrange somewhat your schedule
making the night-time routine go a lot easier.

You may hear a lot of suggestions from your friends and
relatives,But you need to educate yourself from reliable
sources: read books written by professional people as
well as articles in magazines.

Besides that, you have to keep in mind that not two
babies are alike.

A newborn baby has a very little stomach, so it gets
hungry “all the time”. And it’s rightfully so, your baby
is developing, is grooving – you would not want it to be
otherwise.

I had two children and they were very different in their
sleeping habits. One slept for long hours and needed an
afternoon nap until the age of about 6, while the other
child stopped napping at the age of about three.

While you could start “disciplining” the new baby nearly
right away in teaching the proper “sleeping-habits” – I
personally would keep the harshness away and try to be
patient for a few first weeks.

One thing you may introduce right from the start that at
night it’s strictly eating time and not entertainment
time and also you should put the child to bed without
pacifiers, bottles – in other words without help from
you, without “crutches” or toys.

You could adjust the hours of feeding. Some babies may
sleep at night during 4-5 hours – that’s what the “night”
for the baby is like.

You may feed the child at midnight and so your “night”
would be till four of five in the morning.

Keeping in mind that the newborn grows rapidly during
his/hers first two month in spite the fact that it’s
tummy is very small and the food get digested very
quickly.

The child needs to be fed every two-four hours.

A good practice would be to have the child fall asleep on
it’s own with one toy in the crib. By “on it’s own” I
mean not giving him the bottle or breast-feed him just to
get him to sleep.

If the child begins to fall asleep while it is being fed
just gently remove the bottle or your breast before he
falls asleep and put him in to the crib without a
pacifier.

This way the newborn will not associate the feeding and
the sleep as being closely “related” – sequenced.

There are several things that you can do to make certain
that the baby sleeps well.

Make sure that the temperature in the room is warm and
enjoyable for a baby. If the room temperature is
comfortable your newborn should not have too many
blankets.

Do not dress the baby too warmly because if a newborn
gets hot it will wake up, hence he or she is going to
wake you up as well.

If the baby is dressed many different layers to keep warm
this may also disturb his/her sleep.

It is important to put your baby to sleep at the same
time and in the same room every night.

Keep the room dark and quiet.

At times grown ups are speaking of the newborn sleeping
“through the night”, which means of about 5 hours: from,
12 to 5 in the morning. That’s the “night” for the baby
(not for you!).

It will take about a year or a little longer until the
real “sleeping through the night” will take place.

It’s important for the parents to get their sleep.

Besides being disturbed by the child’s feeding hours the
parents may get anxious or worried.

This is one of the things you should not do – worry,
which is according to studies, is number ONE cause of
sleep deprivation.

The child will grow-up soon and in time you are going to
recall those “sleepless” nights as some very special
events from your ‘distant” and joyful life.

Thank you, my Friend, for visiting my blog. I hope you
enjoyed the post. Please leave a comment.

Wishing you success and God’s Blessings,
Olga O’Mara

“Shocking Facts About Sleep That Drug
Companies Do Not Want You to Know!”

As a new parent it’s difficult for you to realize that
this little, defenseless and the most adorable being is
not only very sensitive but also is most perceptive.

You may feel that holding the baby is a challenge – but it
is not.

As a first time parent you need to know, to learn how to
pick the baby up so it would feel secure in your arms. If
you are nervous or upset for whatever reason and then are
not sure how to pick-up the baby from the crib, you are
going to have the unhappiest little wiggly being in your
arms.

Before you pick the baby up you would have to speak softly
to the child, to let the newborn know you are close by.

Then pick the baby up with a firm grip and make the child
feel secure by gently pressing the little bundle against
your body, which also would give the baby the feeling of
comfort.

When you are picking the newborn up you are positioning
one of your hands under his neck, cradling the head and
placing it in the crook of your arm supporting the body
with your arm.

You can also place the baby against your chest, facing
you, always keeping one hand on the back of baby’s head
and the other hand against the child’s body.

While babies look fragile, in reality they are not, but
the neck is very vulnerable place to get injured – so, at
all times for the first few weeks place one of your hands
under the baby’s head when picking the newborn up or
pacing it down.

If you are tense or upset and don’t calm down your voice
and yourself before you are picking the newborn up, the
child will sense this and the child will arch its back and
would not want to be hold by you at this moment.

Learn Your Child’s Likes and Dislikes

There are different ways to hold your newborn. The most
traditional way is the one described above. The other way
is holding it against your chest with baby’s head against
your shoulder (watch the head! Hold your hand against the
neck!)

Another way, the most entertaining way for the child, is
holding the baby with its back against your body so the
child’s face is not obstructed and he/she can see the
surroundings, see what is going on.

Should you hold the baby for a while it’s a good idea to
change holding positions so that the baby does not get
bored or part of the tender body may get numb and
therefore sore.

You need to hold, touch and talk to the newborn often for
not only to form a bond between the two of you but to make
the baby feel safe and secure, leading to the child’s
physical and emotional security, which is very important
for good health and happiness of your baby not only for
the immediate future, but for the rest of child’s life.

Touching and talking

This is your first baby – everything about the child is
new to you and so is the world to your child. So, you both
are discovering each other, learning to be with each other
and enjoying each other.

Keep your mind on your baby and hold him/her close to your
body when you are holding your newborn; make the child
feel comfortable safe and secure, cuddle the baby, make
the child feel loved, wanted and secure  – those are the
prime requirements from you at this time while you both
are getting to know one-an-other as well as learning to
enjoy each other.

I noticed lately that there are a few “holding devises” on
the market, but I am not familiar with them.  They give me
the impression that they may be comfortable for the older
children but not for the newborn. But as I said before, I
am not familiar with them.

It does not take long for a grown up person to suffocate
without air – you can imagine how fragile a newborn child
is and how quickly an accident can happen. It’s always
better to be sure and familiar with the devise how to
handle before involving the newborn.

Good Luck and God Bless.
Olga O’Mara

PS. Who Else Wants A Step By Step Manual On Taking Your Brand New Baby From Crying Machine To The Most Content Child You’ve Ever Seen And Is Guaranteed To Help You Go From Overly Exhausted To Well Rested Mama In As Little As 3 to 5 Days!  www.ContentBaby.com

How To Name Your Newborn.

Most people have the names lined-up before the
baby is born. And then there are the family
members with their suggestions and questions – it
is difficult to have everyone happy and involved
in this project.

Some couples consult, share their choices with
friends and other members of the family, while
other – do not. Some relatives get offended about
it, but there is no need to feel so or feel
neglected.

It depends on many factors such as:

The cultural background of the  couple. If the
parents of the baby have the same back-ground,
lived for many yeas in the same country  then the
family members know, more or less, what to expect
in regards to choosing the name – whatever is
common practice in that  country.  The young
couple may follow the tradition.

But the customs change swiftly in our modern
world, the  family members should be prepared for
“disappointments” if they are not going to be
consulted.

Many couples decide to keep to themselves, be
private, and inform the grand-parents when they
are comfortable to do the announcement.

Whatever the new parents decide the family have to
accept and honor their decision without
resentment.

You may hear many suggestions from friends and
relatives, such as warning you not to give a name
from one of the celebrities, the fad names or
names that may go out of style quickly or to
choose a name only from the Bible.

Some names have connotations with them – it would
be  considered to stay away from such a name so
that teasing  and tormenting in School would be
avoided.

We know that young children in School are trying
to be funny, inventive to stay “popular” and may
pick on other student’s names if they are somewhat
unusually original.

To be a parent is to be predictive, wise and
thoughtful. When giving your child a name those
faculties should be strongly taken into
consideration.

This is a responsibility that you, as parents,
should take very seriously. You have to think that
the name is going to be with the child for the
rest of his/her life. You, as a parent have to be
considered and thoughtful when you are choosing
the name(s).

A name has to go with the middle name and the last
name. At times they look good when they are
written down but when you pronounce them they
sound awkward – they don’t seem to sound good
together.

The first, middle and the last name should flow
when pronounced together. Somebody said that the
first name should come out easily  when it’s
“yelled” out on the run.

A name is what defines a person.

The child has to live with it for the rest of
his/her life, although I have seen cases where
adolescent children asked parents to assist them
in changing their given names legally.

They were minor changes, such as a spelling of the
name; in other cases to avoid changing the name
legally they would introduce themselves by the
legal name, but add, that they wish to be
addressed by such and such name.

At times, parents wish that their child has a
unique, original name – a name that no one else
has.  So, they choose a name and change the
spelling, which does not go with the
pronunciation.

In that case the child would be always concerned
to correct the traditional spelling to make
certain that it is his/her name and that it is
spelled correctly.

An other mistake parents make is giving a child a
long name. I made this mistake giving my daughter
a beautiful, but somewhat long name.

When she was in the beginning Grades in the Public
School that was a handicap for her. The teacher
would tell the students to write their names on a
page. Pupils, whose name consisted of four-five
letters would be finished in a jiffy – my daughter
needed double time to write down hers. For a child
so young, could be embarrassing.

Should you really like such name – use it as a
middle name.

Something to think about.

It is a big responsibility for the parents to give
the child his/her name.

There are names that carry a lot of history. It
could be a name that has been passed down in your
family – you are going to be giving them a part of
that history. If you want to honor someone in your
family but do not like their name, you can use it
as the baby’s middle name.

There are some things that you may not have
thought about but you should keep in mind that
rhyming names or names that do sound funny with
the last name is not a good idea. Children will
use this to torment and make the child feel
uncomfortable.

Be very careful to give the baby a name that is
not easy to make fun of and also make sure that
your child’s initials are not going to spell
something that may be embarrassing.

These are all valuable things that are important
to think about.  But there is so much excitement
with approaching birth of a baby and many time
many things are not though of by parents.

The name that you give your baby is something that
he or she can be proud of for the rest of his/her
life.  Be sure that the name is a good one.

Be ware of fad names and names that may go out of
style fast.  Be cautious also that if you use a
name that is too popular, for some reason, your
child can be drawn in into whatever connotations
name has.

You have to anticipate, be thoughtful and wise -
be precautionary as well as protective at all time
– those are the qualities of caring parents.

Good Luck!
Olga O’Mara

Thank you, my Friend. for visiting my blog. If you
have any questions, please email me. Did you like
the post? Please leave a comment.

While the scientists are still not certain what LIFE is
they do know when it is created: as soon as the stem cell
is fertilized, that is the moment when the CREATION of
life occurs.

And then the cells begin to divide until they become
specific types of cells to form the different parts of the
body.

After the birth and forever after, while the body is alive
the stem cells are made in the body of the human being.

And now you found out that a new life, a new being, began
to grow in you… What an extraordinary feeling it is: to
have a new life growing in YOU – you are a life giver!

I remember to be jubilant.

Now you are concerned about supplying your body not only
with the proper nutrition for yourself but increasing the
quantity and the quality of it to make sure that the “New
Life” in you has enough to grow and to develop properly.
You are concerned for the welfare of the growing baby.

Oh, yes some restrain will be necessary: from cigarettes,
alcohol, drugs, heavy exercising and lifting and worries –
anxiety… You know, the negative thoughts…

The moment has arrived – the baby is born. Yes, it was not
easy and painless, but you knew that and you welcomed and
endured the pain and everything that came with this most
important and long-awaited event – the birth, the giving,
of the new life.

Finally you are holding that special “bundle of joy” in
your arms!

You are exhausted, but endlessly happy. There it is, in
your arms, a new LIFE, which is part of you and your
beloved – your flesh and blood – you are overwhelmed…

You want the best for your child. Should the situation
arise you are ready to give your life in defending this
invaluable, this precious bundle – the “New Life” – part
of your present and future life.

Before the Baby was even born you were preparing yourself
for this big event, you were thinking of the comfort,
safety and well being of the baby and the things that are
necessary such as:

- Blankets and clothing: do not buy the most expensive
staff available. Your thoughts were focused on the
comfort, on the welfare, that is the well being of the
baby;

- Toys: you searched for safe and bright and noisy
entertainment gadgets needed for baby’s brain development
and cognitive stimulation.  And then the badly needed
pacifiers, to use them when everything else fails to
comfort the baby.

- Washcloths, soap and, of course, the lotion. Although
they are aromatic, etc., but I heard from new mothers
suggesting the Petroleum Jelly or Pure Virgin Oil.

-You will need special suction cleaners for the baby’s
nose and soft q-tips.  – Even if you will be
breastfeeding, you will need some bottles.

And, yes, you must have thought it over if you were going
to feed the baby formula or breast-feed before the baby
was born.

Yes, it’s a difficult decision to make – it’s a personal
choice yet the baby has to be considered – the babies
well-being.

In the meantime you probably have learned that the
American Medical Association (AMA) as well as the World
Health Organization (WHO) are recommending breastfeeding
and so is my personal opinion.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends to
breast feed at least till 12 month.

The reason being: the researchers have found out that the
bottle-fed babies are sick more often than the breastfed
children. They catch colds easier and have the ear
infections more often. Also mother milk protects babies
against chronic diseases and allergies in baby’s future
life.

The decision to breast-feed or not is based on the
mother’s lifestyle, there could be a medical consideration
and then there is the comfort level. But the most
important point should be the child’s well being.

The first and the foremost important reason for
breast-feeding is to connect, to bond with your baby. And
no less important motive to do so is to build your child’s
defense system, the immunity.

You want the best for your baby… Well, your milk is the
best. There IS not ONE Baby Formula Manufacturer in the
whole world that could make a formula, which can equal to
Mother Milk. The experts confirm that notion.

There are advantages and disadvantages to both procedures.

Special benefit for mothers when breast feeding:

Mothers, who breastfeed, are not getting sick with the
Postpartum Depression.

Breast-feeding helps the uterus shrink back to its normal
size postpartum.

Breast-feeding also reduces the risk of breast and ovarian
cancer – the longer a mother breastfeeds the baby the more
it reduces this risk.

A breast-feeding mother burn calories faster because the
need to produce breast milk makes lose the baby-weight
faster.

While the mother breast-feeds the return of monthly period
is delayed.

While the mother has to get up and feed the baby at night
she saves time by not preparing or warming-up the formula.

The milk is free – you don’t need to spend any money on an
expensive formula.

Your “formula” is always readily available.

No need to prepare and storage the formula in the
refrigerator.

No need to warm up the formula.

No need to wash and disinfect the bottles.

No need to carry the formulas with you when you go out.

Should you not take the formula with you, no need to rush
home to feed the baby on time.

Benefits for your baby:

Breastfeeding reduces the risk of SIDS (every parents
worst nightmare).

Breast milk passes along your antibodies so your baby’s
immune system will be stronger.

Breast feed babies are less likely to be colicky.
Breastfeed babies are less likely to be obese.

Breastfeeding almost eliminates all chances your baby will
be constipated.

Breast milk, in general is the best thing for your baby.
It was made specifically for his/her little body and will
give them everything they need and nothing they don’t
need.

Always the right temperature. Always the right amount.

And the fact that Mother supplies the probiotics for the
baby is very significant for the future development of the
child. If the child is not breast fed, he/she has to grow
them himself/herself.

The baby also receives the right quantity of the Vitamins
and Nutrients indispensable for his/her development.

It’s good to keep in mind there is NO substitute for
mother milk.

Benefits for your wallet:

Formula is very expensive. Possible risk in higher medical
bills in the future, since the formula fed babies seem to
get more sick than the breast fed (from the loss of
breastfeeding benefits listed above).

Just invest in a good electric pump (like Medela Pump in
Style Advanced which pumps both breasts at the same time
in 10-15 minutes) freeze the milk (it can keep frozen
during 3-4 weeks), someone else can give it to the baby
while you are away. You will be happy you did it in the
long run.

That was, what some mothers, who did not breast feed, said
when I did some research.

The disadvantages for breast-feeding are:

The disadvantages are that it’s the mother who has to get
up at night to feed the baby. Should you bottle-feed the
baby the father can help out too by getting-up at night,
feed the baby and give mother a brake to get a restful
sleep once-in-a-while.

I researched the Topic and came up with 99% in favor of
breastfeeding. But even those mothers, who did not
breastfed their babies, commented that if they would have
another baby they would breastfeed – they felt that they
missed the closeness that they could have enjoyed while
holding the baby as well as the comfort they would have
offered to the child and then there are so many “FIRSTS”
of this and that that babies do when they growing.

At times, when the newborn gets sick to the stomach it
can’t digest anything, that is, anything else but the
breast milk, which is the best and which is designed for
that purpose.

To breast-feed or not to breast-feed is a very important
query and needs to be thought over thoroughly.

Dear Friend, I wish you luck. If you have any questions,
please, email me – I would be pleased to be of help.

Thank you for visiting my blog. Did you like the Post?
Please leave a comment below.

To your Health and God Bless,

Olga O’Mara

What is Life?

 Did you, My Friend, ever wonder What is Life?

I did. I was curious to learn WHAT was Life and learn more about it.

 Our scientists are saying that physically a human body is about the same as at the time of Creation (or Evolution).

 The only difference is that at that time a human being led a very difficult primitive life.

And also that in not so distant past when we spoke of LIFE we understood it as a system, which moved, eat, metabolized, excreted, breathed and responded to externally contributing causes. Many people said that an automobile is doing the same things.

If an extraterrestrial visitor should watch the Highways, Parking Lots and Garages that were built for the benefit of these moving ‘creatures’ he may easily say that they are not only alive but are the predominant part on Earth with garages built to accommodate them.

There is one School of Scientists who define LIFE as a collection of cells of complex structure making it difficult to understand the workings of life. They agree that LIFE is not only Chemistry and Physics but there is a life giving “mysterious and vital force” involved.

Another Group of Experts in this Field of Study opposes such Theory. They believe that a BODY of a human being is nothing more than a “lot of Atoms”.

In our Modern Age physicists, chemists, biologists, geologists and meteorologists have facilities to study LIFE in many different places, even beyond our Planet Earth, but so far besides “perhaps, besides, maybe, possible, it may have been, etc.” they still do not have a clear understanding about LIFE. They ALL agree that ” … all organisms on Earth are extremely closely related … and that LIFE is very complicated“.
(Encyclopedia Britannica, LIFE, pg. 1 0083A – 1 o087.)

 After a lot of searching and “digging” that was ALL I was able to come-up with more information, which does not shade any light on the subject of the Creation or Evolution.

 It was not “enlightening” or educational. Needless to say I was disappointed…

 In view of the above and until I have a concrete proof otherwise – I have no other choice but to believe that God created a human being.

 Thank you, my Friend, for visiting my blog. If you have a definition of Life, please let us know so that the rest of us could learn about it as well.

 Did you like the post? Please leave a comment

 To your Health,

 Olga O’Mara