Index Of Contents:
Schools teach math and science, and parents are expected to teach kids everything else. I'm collecting list of things I want to teach my kid(s);
- Sports
- Swimming
- Football (soccer)
- Kayaking
- Bouldering
- Camping
- How to setup a tent ?
- How to make a bonefire ?
- Understanding and tracking footsteps
- Money
- What is it ?
- Why is it important?
- How to make it ?
- How to manage it ?
- Time
- Goals: how to decide and reach them ?
Our baby is one week old by now. Here is what I learnt so far;
- Infants can detect light but can not "see" first 2 weeks. They'll be able to make eye contact and focus on objects by the end of month.
- They need sun bathing every day at least for 30 minutes between 6am until 9am.
- Swaddling is not beneficial according to the experts.
- They need milk every 2 hours and they'll cry until you feed them.
- When baby is crying and you want to make him/her feel comfortable, try burping.
- Even normal birth is bloody like a surgery. The mother will keep having painful contractions and will need a lot of rest after birth, so the father has to be ready for hard work and sleepless nights.
- Disposable diapers are comfortable for baby because they can keep sleeping after peeing, so the parents, too. But they're expensive. We use clothe diapers and wake up & change when the baby pee/poo, and do laundry every day.
Infants ask for more food than they need. It's helpful to know the best amount and frequency to avoid overfeeding.
| Age | Amount | Time Period |
|---|---|---|
| Newborn | 45-90 ml | Every 2-3 Hours |
| 2 Months | 120-150 ml | Every 3-4 Hours |
| 4 Months | 120-180 ml | * |
| 6 Months | 180-230 | ** |
* Depends on the frequency of feedings and his or her size
** Depends on whether you've introduced any baby food.
It's a sign for overfeeding (if there is no other issue). We started using a pacifier once our baby puked after drinking a lot of milk.
Normal body temperature for a baby is 36.4°C, it can vary slightly. 38°C degree and above is considered as fewer. Source
- Crying increases at 2 or 3 weeks of age, peaks between 6 and 8 weeks, and then slows down after that, generally hitting its lowest level by around 4 months.
- When the baby cries a lot, try singing a lullaby. It works magically.
- They might have gas, as a part of the body development. Try making them feel comfortable by burping.
This is the most important information that every couple have to know before the birth, so you'll be aware of what is going on. If I didn't learn following information and didn't use a timer to measure contractions of my wife during the birth, nurses in the hospital were about to follow a false procedure because they thought the birth would happen 7-8 hours later. I trusted this information I found on americanpregnancy.org and it literally made the nurses change their mind, measure the opening again and call the doctor to the hospital at 3am.
Here is what happens when the labor day comes;
- Early Labor Phase: The time of the onset of labor until the cervix is dilated to 3 cm.
- Active Labor Phase: Continues from 3 cm. until the cervix is dilated to 7 cm.
- Transition Phase: Continues from 7 cm. until the cervix is fully dilated to 10 cm.
During this phase, you should just try to relax. It is not necessary to rush to the hospital or birth center. Try to enjoy the comfort of the familiar surroundings at home. If early labor occurs during the day, do some simple routines around the house.
What to expect:
- Early labor will last approximately 8-12 hours
- Your cervix will efface and dilate to 3 cm
- Contractions will last about 30-45 seconds, giving you 5-30 minutes of rest between contractions
- Contractions are typically mild and somewhat irregular but become progressively stronger and more frequent
- Contractions can feel like aching in your lower back, menstrual cramps, and pressure/tightening in the pelvic area
- Your water might break – this is known as amniotic sac rupture and can happen anytime within the first stage of labor
Now is time for you to head to the hospital or birth center. Your contractions will be stronger, longer and closer together. It is very important that you have plenty of support. It is also a good time to start your breathing techniques and try a few relaxation exercises between contractions.
What to expect?
- Active labor will last about 3-5 hours
- Your cervix will dilate from 4cm to 7cm
- Contractions during this phase will last about 45-60 seconds with 3-5 minutes rest in between
- Contractions will feel stronger and longer
- This is usually the time to head to the hospital or birth center
During this phase, the mother will rely heavily on her support person. This is the most challenging phase, but it is also the shortest. Try to think “one contraction at a time” (this may be hard to do if the contractions are very close together). Remember how far you have already come, and when you feel an urge to push, tell your health care provider.
What to expect?
- Transition will last about 30 min-2 hrs
- Your cervix will dilate from 8cm to 10cm
- Contractions during this phase will last about 60-90 seconds with a 30 second-2 minute rest in between
- Contractions are long, strong, intense, and can overlap
- This is the hardest phase but also the shortest
- You might experience hot flashes, chills, nausea, vomiting, or gas.
Tips for support person:
- Offer lots of encouragement and praise
- Avoid small talk
- Continue breathing with her
- Help guide her through her contractions with encouragement
- Encourage her to relax between contractions
- Don’t think that there is something wrong if she seems to be angry – it is a normal part of transition
- Folic Acid (0.4 to 0.8 mg): Lentils, dark green vegetables, beans, fruit and juice
- Iron 27mg: Seafood, beans, dark green & leafy vegetables
- Calcium 1000mg: Milk, Cheese, Cooked Kale, Broccoli, Almonds, Yogurt
- Vitamin A 770 Mcg: Carrots, Eggs, Broccoli
- Vitamin B12 2.6 Mcg: Salmon, Milk
- Drink 10 cups of fluids
- Fish (Salmon is great)
- Boiled egg in the morning
- Beans: Protein & fiber
- Sweet Potato: Vitamin A, C and Fiber
- Whole Grains: Fiber and Vitamin E
- Walnuts: Omega 3s
- Yogurt: Protein
- Dark green, leafy vegetables: Vitamin A, C, K
- Lean Meats (fat cut off): High-quality Protein
- Colorful fruits and veggies:
- Alcohol, smoking
- Refrigerated smoked seafood like whitefish, salmon, and mackerel
- Hot dogs or deli meats unless steaming hot
- Refrigerated meat spreads
- Unpasteurized milk or juices
- Store-made salads, such as chicken, egg, or tuna salad
- Unpasteurized soft cheeses, such as unpasteurized feta, Brie, queso blanco, queso fresco, and blue cheeses
- Shark, swordfish, king mackerel, or tile fish (also called golden or white snapper); these fish have high levels of mercury.
- More than 170 grams per week of white (albacore) tuna
- Herbs and plants used as medicines without your doctor's okay.
- Raw sprouts of any kind (including alfalfa, clover, radish, and mung bean)
- Liver (ref)
At four to five weeks:
- Your baby's brain and spinal cord have begun to form.
- The heart begins to form.
- Arm and leg buds appear.
- Your baby is now an embryo and one-twenty-fifth inch long.
At eight weeks:
- All major organs and external body structures have begun to form.
- Your baby's heart beats with a regular rhythm.
- The arms and legs grow longer, and fingers and toes have begun to form.
- The sex organs begin to form.
- The eyes have moved forward on the face and eyelids have formed.
- The umbilical cord is clearly visible.
- At the end of eight weeks, your baby is a fetus and looks more like a human. Your baby is nearly 1 inch long and weighs less than one-eighth ounce.
At 12 weeks:
- The nerves and muscles begin to work together. Your baby can make a fist.
- The external sex organs show if your baby is a boy or girl. A woman who has an ultrasound in the second trimester or later might be able to find out the baby's sex.
- Eyelids close to protect the developing eyes. They will not open again until the 28th week.
- Head growth has slowed, and your baby is much longer. Now, at about 3 inches long, your baby weighs almost an ounce.
At 16 weeks:
- Muscle tissue and bone continue to form, creating a more complete skeleton.
- Skin begins to form. You can nearly see through it.
- Meconium (mih-KOH-nee-uhm) develops in your baby's intestinal tract. This will be your baby's first bowel movement.
- Your baby makes sucking motions with the mouth (sucking reflex).
- Your baby reaches a length of about 10-12cm and weighs almost 85 grams.
At 20 weeks:
- Your baby is more active. You might feel slight fluttering.
- Your baby is covered by fine, downy hair called lanugo (luh-NOO-goh) and a waxy coating called vernix. This protects the forming skin underneath.
- Eyebrows, eyelashes, fingernails, and toenails have formed. Your baby can even scratch itself.
- Your baby can hear and swallow.
- Now halfway through your pregnancy, your baby is about 6 inches long and weighs about 9 ounces.
At 24 weeks:
- Bone marrow begins to make blood cells.
- Taste buds form on your baby's tongue.
- Footprints and fingerprints have formed.
- Real hair begins to grow on your baby's head.
- The lungs are formed, but do not work.
- The hand and startle reflex develop.
- Your baby sleeps and wakes regularly.
- If your baby is a boy, his testicles begin to move from the abdomen into the scrotum. If your baby is a girl, her uterus and ovaries are in place, and a lifetime supply of eggs have formed in the ovaries.
- Your baby stores fat and has gained quite a bit of weight. Now at about 12 inches long, your baby weighs about 1½ pounds.
At 32 weeks:
- Your baby's bones are fully formed, but still soft.
- Your baby's kicks and jabs are forceful.
- The eyes can open and close and sense changes in light.
- Lungs are not fully formed, but practice "breathing" movements occur.
- Your baby's body begins to store vital minerals, such as iron and calcium.
- Lanugo begins to fall off.
- Your baby is gaining weight quickly, about one-half pound a week. Now, your baby is about 15 to 17 inches long and weighs about 4 to 4½ pounds.
At 36 weeks:
- The protective waxy coating called vernix gets thicker.
- Body fat increases. Your baby is getting bigger and bigger and has less space to move around. Movements are less forceful, but you will feel stretches and wiggles.
- Your baby is about 16 to 19 inches long and weighs about 6 to 6½ pounds.
Weeks 37-40:
- By the end of 37 weeks, your baby is considered full term. Your baby's organs are ready to function on their own.
- As you near your due date, your baby may turn into a head-down position for birth. Most babies "present" head down.
- At birth, your baby may weigh somewhere between 6 pounds 2 ounces and 9 pounds 2 ounces and be 19 to 21 inches long. Most full-term babies fall within these ranges. But healthy babies come in many different sizes.
During the first trimester your body undergoes many changes. Hormonal changes affect almost every organ system in your body. These changes can trigger symptoms even in the very first weeks of pregnancy. Your period stopping is a clear sign that you are pregnant. Other changes may include:
- Extreme tiredness
- Tender, swollen breasts. Your nipples might also stick out.
- Upset stomach with or without throwing up (morning sickness)
- Cravings or distaste for certain foods
- Mood swings
- Constipation (trouble having bowel movements)
- Need to pass urine more often
- Headache
- Heartburn
- Weight gain or loss
As your body changes, you might need to make changes to your daily routine, such as going to bed earlier or eating frequent, small meals. Fortunately, most of these discomforts will go away as your pregnancy progresses. And some women might not feel any discomfort at all! If you have been pregnant before, you might feel differently this time around. Just as each woman is different, so is each pregnancy.
Most women find the second trimester of pregnancy easier than the first. But it is just as important to stay informed about your pregnancy during these months.
You might notice that symptoms like nausea and fatigue are going away. But other new, more noticeable changes to your body are now happening. Your abdomen will expand as the baby continues to grow. And before this trimester is over, you will feel your baby beginning to move!
As your body changes to make room for your growing baby, you may have:
- Body aches, such as back, abdomen, groin, or thigh pain
- Stretch marks on your abdomen, breasts, thighs, or buttocks
- Darkening of the skin around your nipples
- A line on the skin running from belly button to pubic hairline
- Patches of darker skin, usually over the cheeks, forehead, nose, or upper lip. Patches often match on both sides of the face. This is sometimes called the mask of pregnancy.
- Numb or tingling hands, called carpal tunnel syndrome
- Itching on the abdomen, palms, and soles of the feet. (Call your doctor if you have nausea, loss of appetite, vomiting, jaundice or fatigue combined with itching. These can be signs of a serious liver problem.)
- Swelling of the ankles, fingers, and face. (If you notice any sudden or extreme swelling or if you gain a lot of weight really quickly, call your doctor right away. This could be a sign of preeclampsia.)
You're in the home stretch! Some of the same discomforts you had in your second trimester will continue. Plus, many women find breathing difficult and notice they have to go to the bathroom even more often. This is because the baby is getting bigger and it is putting more pressure on your organs. Don't worry, your baby is fine and these problems will lessen once you give birth.
Some new body changes you might notice in the third trimester include:
- Shortness of breath
- Heartburn
- Swelling of the ankles, fingers, and face. (If you notice any sudden or extreme swelling or if you gain a lot of weight really quickly, call your doctor right away. This could be a sign of preeclampsia.)
- Hemorrhoids
- Tender breasts, which may leak a watery pre-milk called colostrum (kuh-LOSS-struhm)
- Your belly button may stick out
- Trouble sleeping
- The baby "dropping", or moving lower in your abdomen
- Contractions, which can be a sign of real or false labor
As you near your due date, your cervix becomes thinner and softer (called effacing). This is a normal, natural process that helps the birth canal (vagina) to open during the birthing process. Your doctor will check your progress with a vaginal exam as you near your due date. Get excited — the final countdown has begun!