...how to <calm/properly develop/soothe/please> my newborn...
Alas, despite some much-more maternally-inclined parents out there than I, I doubt that there is a single mother (or father) for whom this new daunting experience comes completely naturally or pain-free. As such, yes, I constantly find myself perusing Amazon.com and the local bookstores for assistance in the literary form. While some books are clearly better than others, here are a few I have found useful to date.
1. Preemies (2nd Edition): The Essential Guide for Parents of Premature Babies by: Linden et al- This blog was never intended to give others advice but this one is seriously required - every parent of a premature baby should read this. That is, unless of course you know what ROP, SBR, SRBs, inguinal, PU, BO and an incalculable number of other acronyms stand for - then sure, don't read it. For the rest of us, order it, steal it, borrow it or beg for it if you have to, this book was truly a savior for us in Darwin and have since been a useful tool to friends of preemies as well. Well written, informative, and easy to understand this daunting 656 page treatise of premature babies is compiled in a manner such that you only read the parts which pertains to you at any particular time. Don't have twins - skip that section; never needed oxygen - move right along...but should you suddenly require unexpected surgery (insert throat clearing here), the section on What if my baby requires surgery - puts your mind at ease by explaining that a hernia surgery is the most common surgery performed on premature babies (insert sigh).
2. The Happiest Baby on the Block: The new way to calm crying and help your newborn sleep longer by: Dr. Harvey Karp (UCLA) - the purveyor of the notion of a calming reflex in babies - Dr. Karp will show you how to calm your colicy/screaming/generally unhappy baby in 5 easy steps. As explained in this
older post, Dr. Karp believes that a human newborn is cheated out of a fourth trimester, and therefore needs his parents to imitate a womb-like environment to soothe them properly. Easy to read, perhaps with a bit too much repetition between some of the chapters, though I get the point why, this book will teach you useful and necessary skills in soothing and calming even the most irate baby. By carefully implementing the 5S's (swaddle, side/stomach, shhhhh'ing, swaying and sucking), or a combination thereof necessary for your own baby, you will soon have the tools to quiet even the loudest cries, and impress your family while doing so! (If you can, he has a video that shows you exactly how it is done - the term 'baby whisperer' does come to mind...) You can visit this Pediatrician to the stars online here
3. Baby Love: Everything you need to know about your baby's first year by: Robin Barker Australian nurse/mid-wife gives it to you straight. This easy-to read, useful reference covers basics from pooing to burping (incidentally she believes there is way too much emphasis placed on the latter). Use this to calm those frail nerves when your bub does not poo for a week (if you're breastfeeding - trust me, it is bound to happen)
4. Baby Sense: Understanding your baby's sensory world - the key to a contented child by: Megan Faure & Ann Richardson. This most recent addition to my baby-library is a much thinner, and therefore quicker read and provides some very valuable insight into the need to control the sensory inputs for young infants. If nothing else, it helped me understand the importance of enough sleep during the day for a newborn, if there is to be any hope of a good nights' rest. The nurse/midwife and occupational therapist authors both specialize in 'fussy' babies and provide valuable advice not only in calming a fussy baby (helped me move Luka to his own cot), but also useful hints on appropriate ways to stimulate your infant in age-appropriate ways. The book is divided into sections (First two weeks, 2-6 weeks, 6-12 weeks, and so on) with practical advice on how to stimulate vision, hearing, touch and other senses of your growing baby. While I disagreed with a few of their suggestions (like stretching out feed times by giving a baby cooled boiled water), I found most of it very useful and enlightening and can recommend it for a new mom looking to understand the terms 'over-tired' and 'over-stimulated' as well as looking for tips on how to stimulate your bun's growing little brain.
More to come soon...off for a walk...
Alas, despite some much-more maternally-inclined parents out there than I, I doubt that there is a single mother (or father) for whom this new daunting experience comes completely naturally or pain-free. As such, yes, I constantly find myself perusing Amazon.com and the local bookstores for assistance in the literary form. While some books are clearly better than others, here are a few I have found useful to date.
1. Preemies (2nd Edition): The Essential Guide for Parents of Premature Babies by: Linden et al- This blog was never intended to give others advice but this one is seriously required - every parent of a premature baby should read this. That is, unless of course you know what ROP, SBR, SRBs, inguinal, PU, BO and an incalculable number of other acronyms stand for - then sure, don't read it. For the rest of us, order it, steal it, borrow it or beg for it if you have to, this book was truly a savior for us in Darwin and have since been a useful tool to friends of preemies as well. Well written, informative, and easy to understand this daunting 656 page treatise of premature babies is compiled in a manner such that you only read the parts which pertains to you at any particular time. Don't have twins - skip that section; never needed oxygen - move right along...but should you suddenly require unexpected surgery (insert throat clearing here), the section on What if my baby requires surgery - puts your mind at ease by explaining that a hernia surgery is the most common surgery performed on premature babies (insert sigh).
2. The Happiest Baby on the Block: The new way to calm crying and help your newborn sleep longer by: Dr. Harvey Karp (UCLA) - the purveyor of the notion of a calming reflex in babies - Dr. Karp will show you how to calm your colicy/screaming/generally unhappy baby in 5 easy steps. As explained in this
older post, Dr. Karp believes that a human newborn is cheated out of a fourth trimester, and therefore needs his parents to imitate a womb-like environment to soothe them properly. Easy to read, perhaps with a bit too much repetition between some of the chapters, though I get the point why, this book will teach you useful and necessary skills in soothing and calming even the most irate baby. By carefully implementing the 5S's (swaddle, side/stomach, shhhhh'ing, swaying and sucking), or a combination thereof necessary for your own baby, you will soon have the tools to quiet even the loudest cries, and impress your family while doing so! (If you can, he has a video that shows you exactly how it is done - the term 'baby whisperer' does come to mind...) You can visit this Pediatrician to the stars online here
3. Baby Love: Everything you need to know about your baby's first year by: Robin Barker Australian nurse/mid-wife gives it to you straight. This easy-to read, useful reference covers basics from pooing to burping (incidentally she believes there is way too much emphasis placed on the latter). Use this to calm those frail nerves when your bub does not poo for a week (if you're breastfeeding - trust me, it is bound to happen)
4. Baby Sense: Understanding your baby's sensory world - the key to a contented child by: Megan Faure & Ann Richardson. This most recent addition to my baby-library is a much thinner, and therefore quicker read and provides some very valuable insight into the need to control the sensory inputs for young infants. If nothing else, it helped me understand the importance of enough sleep during the day for a newborn, if there is to be any hope of a good nights' rest. The nurse/midwife and occupational therapist authors both specialize in 'fussy' babies and provide valuable advice not only in calming a fussy baby (helped me move Luka to his own cot), but also useful hints on appropriate ways to stimulate your infant in age-appropriate ways. The book is divided into sections (First two weeks, 2-6 weeks, 6-12 weeks, and so on) with practical advice on how to stimulate vision, hearing, touch and other senses of your growing baby. While I disagreed with a few of their suggestions (like stretching out feed times by giving a baby cooled boiled water), I found most of it very useful and enlightening and can recommend it for a new mom looking to understand the terms 'over-tired' and 'over-stimulated' as well as looking for tips on how to stimulate your bun's growing little brain.
More to come soon...off for a walk...
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