You and Your Baby - Month 2

Baby's Safety & Health

By now you know if your baby has colic. Colic is the term used for a long bout of unexplained crying in infants. Baby begins to scream suddenly (after about 2 weeks of age) and has some of the same characteristics as gas pain. The screaming can occur r egularly at a certain time or times, often in the evening or night hours. Some babies react after feeding, others at any time. Colic may be caused by an immature digestive system or by an allergic reaction to food.

Check a screaming baby for fever and other symptoms, making sure there is no obvious cause of pain or discomfort. You can also try the same "gas" remedies mentioned in You and Your Baby- Month One (Information Sheet 1371). Some infants have colic from gas pain, and it stops when they pass gas or stool. Most cases remain unexplained. Regular checkups will help your baby's doctor make sure there is not some other, more serious, cause for pain. The doctor may also pre scribe medicine for severe episodes. Comfort your baby with rocking, patting, or whatever seems to work best. Most babies outgrow colic by 3-6 months.

Baby will need her regular checkup and immunizations again this month.

Family Focus

Your older child may be experiencing several different types of emotions when the new baby is brought home from the hospital. He may feel sad, mad, and happy all at the same time. Everyone's attention seems to be focused on a newcomer. The family ne eds to be aware of these mixed emotions an older child may feel and be trying to deal with.

Acknowledge the new situation in a positive manner. "I know the baby takes a lot of my time and Dad's, too. She is helpless and all of us must do many things for her. However, Dad and I love you very much, and we want some special time with you. What could we do after dinner that would be fun?" Make a special time for the older child, even if some other adult has to look after your baby. You may want to make special "dates" with the older child. Choose to read a book together, g o to a movie or the mall, or take a special walk are different ways to spend special time together. Each child needs special time with each parent. Continuing to create these special moments helps strengthen family relationships. Your public library of fers reading selections that can help address these sibling issues.

A new mom's health is important, so make certain to keep the doctor's schedule for checkups. Most doctors want to examine a new mother about six to eight weeks after delivery. Take time then to ask questions, share your feelings, and discuss any prob lems.

As you start to feel less tired and sore, you can begin to exercise again. Most women need some abdominal exercises to tighten stretched stomach muscles. During childbirth education classes, you may have learned exercises to help keep you in shape. Con tinue to do these now under your doctor's advice.

Walking and abdominal crunches will help the hard-to-exercise stomach muscles. Go easy if you have back problems.

After nine months of pregnancy, your body needs gentle daily exercise. Try to set aside time every day to run through your routine. This also might be a good time to relax and be by yourself for a few minutes. Don't expect immediate results. It will t ake several months to get your figure back. Stick with it--the results will show soon!

As a new dad, there will be times you won't feel too sure about what you are doing. Parenting takes time, practice, and experience. A new parent put it, "Most important is to trust your own judgment and stick to it."

Baby's Development

Physical

There are a number of reasons your baby may cry. Here are a few of them:

She may be dressed too warmly or not warmly enough. Adjust her clothing to make her more comfortable.
She may have an air bubble in her stomach that makes her uncomfortable. Gentle burping may help. Air bubbles keep your baby from feeding as much as she needs. You might try feeding again after burping.
She may have a diaper rash. Leave her diapers off for a while. Try powdering her bottom with a little cornstarch instead of baby powder. Free circulation of air helps skin to heal, and most babies love the freedom of not wearing a diaper. If the weather is cool, wrap her loosely in a blanket.
She may want to be held close. Talk to her, cuddle her, and rock her for a while.
She may be bored. Try turning her over in her bed to give her a different view; hang something over the bed she can watch but can't reach; play soft music; read anything out loud.

Intellectual

Games and other types of play are important to your child's growth and development. Games promote physical, emotional, and social development as well as intellectual.

Playing with your baby gives her a chance to explore the world and to help satisfy her growing curiosity. She will enjoy your loving attention and benefit from it.

Put your baby on her back. Stand behind her and put your hand gently on her stomach. Try to keep her from seeing your face. You want your baby to watch the object and not you. (Remove your hand from her stomach if it bothers her.)
Hold a noisemaker object such as a ring of keys about 10 to 12 inches above her face. Shake the object gently until she looks at it.
Watch your baby's eyes to see how she follows the object.
Move the object slowly in a circle in the air.
Change the direction of the circle. If your baby can't follow the object in a circle, make only part of a circle.
Put a mobile over your baby's crib so she can watch the pieces as they move.
Move objects back and forth in a straight line in front of your baby.

Food

Parents used to think that feeding baby cereal at bedtime would help her sleep through the night. Not true! If your baby is hungry, give her breast milk or formula. It will help her sleep.

There are good reasons for waiting to feed solids. Your baby's digestive system is not ready yet to handle foods other than milk. Her tongue and swallowing movements won't develop enough for solid foods until she is about 4 months old.

Babies usually sleep through the middle-of-the-night feedings by the time they weigh about ll pounds.

If your baby sleeps through the 10 p.m. feeding (or the last feeding of the day), you may want to wake her up at 11 p.m. for a feeding. She then will probably sleep through the night until 5 or 6 the next morning. But some 2-month-olds will wake up e very 4 hours to be fed--day or night.

Remember. Your baby is the best judge of how much she needs at each feeding. In addition, a baby who is getting enough food will produce about four to five wet diapers each day. Be careful not to force her to feed longer than she wants. She will ch ange her feeding pattern when she is ready.

This information sheet is one in a series titled You and Your Baby. Contact your county Extension office for more information on you and your baby. Also, the American Academy of Pediatrics provides educational reading material:

American Academy of Pediatrics
P.O. Box 747
Elk Grove Village, IL 60009-0747

OR www.aap.org

Revised by Linda S. Patterson, R.N., M.S.N., Extension Health Education Specialist and Louise E. Davis, Ph.D., Extension Child and Development Specialist.

Information Sheet 1372
Extension Service of Mississippi State University, cooperating with U.S. Department of Agriculture. Published in furtherance of Acts of Congress, May 8 and June 30, 1914. Ronald A. Brown, Director

Copyright by Mississippi State University. All rights reserved.

This document may be copied and distributed for nonprofit educational purposes provided that credit is given to the Mississippi State University Extension Service.

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