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Your Preemie Is In The NICU – What Can You Do?

Your feelings are tied up in that tiny little preemie bundle, and you have a hard time comprehending this small, wrinkled resemblance of a baby that is attached to every conceivable contraption…could belong to you. But when your heart is broken in more places then you could ever dream possible, and waiting seems endless, you are harshly welcomed into the world of parenthood.

It is truly staggering when you consider that an average of 1300 premature babies are born every day in the United States. If you are reading this article, you are probably the parent of one of these preemies. With so many things in this new out-of-control world of living in the NICU, what can you control?

Be There For Your Preemie

For you, the first thing you can control is being there for your baby. It may seem like you are standing around (in the way) not being helpful, but you are doing an important job. Your voice, your touch, your prayers, and your deep love is something your preemie needs and craves as he or she is trying to get stronger. Your baby can see you, hear you, and/or feel you. You are important and you are needed.

It is just as important that you are there mentally. Everything is so out-of-body and surreal, but you can begin focusing on the essentials of your preemies care. Learn about your babys routine, his reactions, and health limitations. Keep yourself informed about everything and you can then notice the small things that are overlooked in you preemies care. You can then request that these things be taken care of from a knowledgeable perspective, not just as a panicky parent.

Knowledge Is Power

Knowledge Is Power is a common saying. An important one when you consider the fact that you are now your babys cheerleader and coach for the rest of his or her life. Begin learning all that you can about your preemie and her specific medical needs now and in the future. Books, articles (like this one), your babys doctor, reputable websites, and other experienced preemie parents are wonderful sources of inspiration, information, and education for you.

It may seem difficult to find the time when you are so stretched, but go slowly when you can find that time and keep at it. Make small goals for yourself. Remember, if you set goals, you will get much farther than if you dont. You can do some of these things in the NICU at your babys side.

Look To The Future

Last, look to the future. It may seem silly to plan out what kind of parent you want to be for the next 18 years, but long-term goal setting is a very worthwhile occupation for any parent. Right now as time seems to drag on endlessly, it is difficult to see that time will soon pick up speed and the years will fly by. Practice little things now, like patience, and it will be easier when your preemie is older.

How are you going to react to your preemie when he or she does something that makes you mad, upset, frustrated, angry, happy, or laugh? How will you discipline and praise your baby? What kind of people will you let your baby be around, and not? Do you have any family traditions you would like to start? What healthy habits do you want to instill in your preemie?

If you keep your mind busy with all of the things you can do for your new preemie, then it is harder to fall into constant anxiety. Try not to worry (though it seems an impossible task) about will my baby make it, or what kind of problems will my baby have, or I cant do this anymore, or Is my baby in pain?, and whatever else is plaguing you. Stay focused on your goals, and keep your mind thinking positive thoughts even if you are tempted to do otherwise.

Remember, you are the best parent your preemie could ever have, and your baby is depending on you. You can do it if you take one day at a time. At times you may even have to break it down by minutes taking one crisis at a time. You are not alone, and you can forge your way through this trial as many parents have done before you.

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With baby showers, as with all important events, often the details can get in the way of the hosts enjoyment of the party! Dont let yourself get overwhelmed. Take it one step at a time and enjoy yourself. A baby is on the way and the baby shower is your welcome home gift. Answer these questions before you begin and your baby shower is sure to be a success.

Who Does What?

Assign tasks. Delegating duties will let you direct and handle mishaps rather than handle everything as well as mishaps. Of course, enlisting friends and family requires their agreement so ask them well in advance of the baby shower.

How Much Will You Spend?

Set aside a certain amount of money for each part of the baby shower and stick to it. Make sure your list is thorough and that your expected expenditures are realistic. Dont forget the paper plates and cups and napkins! Assigning others to bring things you need will help you cut down on baby shower expenses.

Whos Coming?

Ask the new parents who they want at their baby shower and get the addresses at least a month in advance. You will need addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses. Get the invitations out no less than 3 weeks before the day of the baby shower.

Whats Your Theme?

1930s Flapper baby shower? Maybe a picnic in the park? Whatever you choose, make sure that your guests know what to expect.

What Food Will You Serve?

The food for your baby shower should reflect the theme, but make sure you choose something that the Mom to be likes. Pregnant women have aversions and cravings and catering to these is an essential aspect of the baby shower.

Where Should You Hold the Baby Shower?

Wherever you choose, it should be easy to find, comfortable for the number of guests youve invited and inexpensive to you.

When Should You Hold the Baby Shower?

Its the new moms choice! She may want to hold it in the middle of her pregnancy or wait until after the baby is born. When you pick a date and time, stick with it!

What Games Will You Play?

What prizes will you give away? What will you need so that all of your guests can play the games? Make sure you choose plenty of back up baby shower games in case things go a little too slow and need some livening up!

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Unlike us who struggle to keep up with our work duties during the day and can sit back, watch TV and really relax only during the night you little baby is not governed by the fascist rules of night and day. They will sleep whenever they feel like it, wherever they feel like it, and however long they want to. On an average, babies sleep close to 17 hours a day. A whopping nine hours more than what we can just about manage. However, unlike us they dont nap for long stretches of time, most of their sleeping spells extend only up to 2-3 hours. When they do wake up they expect to be fed or changed and in case you forget to meet those expectations theyll create a ruckus just to remind you.

To help your babys routine get more conventional, in terms of its sleeping/feeding time etc. you can take a number of steps. To make sure he/she learns that nighttime is the time to sleep and daytime the time to stay up and throw tantrums, put your baby in a room that is too bright during the day to fall asleep in. However be careful to not put your baby in direct sunlight. At night either shift your baby to a room that is cold and dark, or use the same room but just curtain it up and switch on the ac to make it cozy enough for your him/her to fall asleep. You can also put your baby in a sort of routine just to condition him/her to what comes before getting to sleep. Give him/her a warm bath or feed her or play soothing music right before putting him/her to bed everyday.

Every child is born with certain reflexes. If you touch his cheek with the tip of your hand or your breast he will turn towards the tip and open his mouth, if you put your finger in his palm he will grasp it etc. These reflexes disappear after the few initial months after his/her birth and are duly replaced by more voluntary actions.

Although a large variety of baby food is available in the market today nothing is as high in nutrients as the mothers milk. The antidotes found in a mothers milk protects the child against infections and makes his/her immune system stronger.

After birth the babies weight undergoes rapid change. Within a matter of six months it becomes twice its birth weight. In the next six months its weight shoots up to around triple the weight at its birth. Once it crosses the one-year mark its growth pattern settles down and continues at a comparatively lower speed. At one years of age any average child is about 30 inches in length and 20 pounds in weight. At two these figures become about 33 and 26 respectively.

At three months of age, your child will love to study faces and try and grasp toys and moving objects of interest hanging over its head. He/she will also respond to voices and sounds and volume. By six months most babies will be able to stand and sit with some assistance. At nine months of age, your baby will be sitting alone and will also be able to pull herself/himself on furniture (provided their strength matches their weight). Their babble will now start taking a concrete shape and fingers will come handy in pointing and of course eating little pieces of food.

By the time your baby is 1 she will probably learn to walk on her own and also crawl up over more difficult terrain, like the stairs or over the crib or play pen. She will also show greater preference for one hand over the other, and will tend to do most of her movements with the preferred hand. They will also learn to recognize faces and thereby be afraid of strangers and will express love and affection.

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How unique is unique, well to be honest I am not sure but to give a gift with a difference then surely this is enough to say your donation is just that.

Unique baby shower gifts make the giving more pleasurable and less embarrassing in case of duplication. The receiving of a gift given with heartfelt emotion at a baby shower will make the occasion more unique than you could ever imagine from the eyes of the expectant mother.

Future parents who wait in anticipation for birth of their baby occupy their mind in other ways by joining in the fun at the baby shower party. Eat drink and be merry is just one of the top priorities to be fulfilled at joyous events like these but first and foremost is the opening of all the unique baby shower gifts.

By personalizing a gift you have guaranteed a way of ensuring uniqueness. Items like baby blankets, bibs, cuddly toys and baby burp cloths can be emblazoned with special logos, this can be of babys name or initials.
Jewelry trinkets make fine donations if presented in presentation boxes personalized with engraved inscriptions thus making this gift unique. Jewelry can be put in a safe place till a later date if baby is not born at the time of the celebration.

The future mother and dad also like to receive gifts. Consider giving them items like diaper – nappy or pram bags, even an article of clothing like a sweat shirt embroidered with a motto.
Favoured among many guests invited along to a baby shower party is give a gift basket. Baskets for mother and baby can be specially personalised where you choose what the content is to be. By selecting what the basket is to contain then you have just added a uniqueness to your basket therefore different from all others.
Content fillers of a gift basket for the mom-to-be are gifts of maternity clothes etc. And for dad the most unique gift of all is the price of a pint to wet the babys head

Where do you go to find a unique baby gift – well, the first place to look is in your head for ideas. Be creative with your thoughts, then have someone make – build – bake what ever it is you have in mind. What will make your gift donation different from any other is the sheer fact that it was given by you

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While looking into search patterns I stumbled upon the fact that parents to be or other people that has an interest in baby names are divided into to major groups. Nothing special about the fact that people belongs to different groups but this one shows a trend that has been gaining strength for the last 5-10 years.

On one side we have the parents that are searching for phrases like top 100 baby names, top ten baby names, popular baby names etc. All of these phrases have in common that the surfer is looking for what everyone else is naming their baby.

Now dont get me wrong… There is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to call your baby a commonly used name. There can many reasons for wanting to name your baby boy or baby girl the same name as most other kids. A reason could be that you want the baby to be socially accepted when he or she grows up and starts playing with other children.

Another reason would be that it might be easier for the baby to get called in for a job interview and maybe even get the job. It can be a tradition in the family to name the babies the name that ranks number 1 in the previous year.

There can be a lot of reasons for naming a baby after the majority of the babies born in that time period. This is not the part that got my attention.

What got my attention was that on the other side there is a similar large group of parents that is looking for the exact opposite. They are searching for phrases like unusual baby names, odd baby names, unique baby names etc.

Again the reasons for wanting an unusual baby name can be many and I can only guess what they might be but from what is happening in society I think that some of the most obvious reasons are these:

You want to show the outside world that your baby is something special. By giving your child a name that only a few people carry then you have made them special. They now have a name that will (probably) be easier for other people to remember because of the fact that they havent heard the name before.

A second reason can be that it has become a trend to name you child a unique name. Over the years this trend has been increasing and like with the common name a special name can now apply status as well.

Why people are divided into these categories no one knows. There is naturally still the third category left and that are the ones searching for neutral baby names. It is hard to say anything specific about these search patterns but it is a fact that they exist and there is nothing right or wrong no matter what category you might fall into.

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Why is it that a baby handprint picture might be right for you?

Since youre reading this article I guess that you have already done some initial thinking about creating a baby keepsake in the form of a baby handprint and maybe you have already created a few.

If youre still uncertain of what baby keepsake to create or even how to do it, I strongly recommend that you spend some time reading the articles and information at my site as there are a lot of things that youll need to consider before getting started.

It might save you some time and agony and make sure that you do it right the first time around.
The first time you think of creating a baby keepsake it might seem overwhelming to you. I agree that there are a lot of things that you need to consider but once you have structured the process it isnt a big task. It is pure fun most of the time in fact.

If you have already created the baby handprint in clay, mold, bronze or maybe a baby ink handprint on paper, then youre ready for the next step.

A baby handprint created in clay or any other material is a great way to keep a memory of your baby, but it is difficult to share with friends and family if then dont come around often.

Creating a baby ink handprint however, will have you ship the keepsake just as easily as if you had taken a picture of the baby handprint in e.g. clay.

One thing that you will have to make sure though, is that the ink you use has to be the right one and that the paper you put the baby handprint on is of the right quality. Otherwise youll risk loosing the keepsake in a matter of a few years and thereby loosing the special memory.

The best way to create an easy to ship baby keepsake thatll last for a long time is to take a picture of it. When you have created the handprint in either material you can easily do a baby handprint picture.

It doesnt matter whether you use a normal camera or a digital camera to take the picture. If you have both to choose from then I would recommend that you use the digital one as youre then able to edit the picture.

Taking great pictures of objects are not an easy task and therefore it might cost you a little time and a lot of photos to get it just right. Be sure to have enough light at the keepsake so that the baby handprint picture will show all the little details that makes it so special.

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Congratulations on the new arrival! Caring for your little bundle of joy is a truly delightful experience, when you want to lavish all your love and attention over this one unique person. Nothing is good enough for your precious baby for whom, if possible, you would even buy the moon!

Naturally, you want the very best for your child, and with the countless baby products flooding the market, this means you can pick and choose to your satisfaction. Moreover, many options are available to the parent of today, and it is upto you to make up your mind about whats best for your child.

Is breast feeding better than the bottle, what brand of baby food is more healthy, or, oh dear, shouldnt the nursery be painted a mild and soothing green instead of all this pink? Should you opt for cloth or disposable diapers? Are you doing the right thing? Help!

Relax. The most important thing when raising a child is to make sure it is healthy. Just as proper nutrition is essential for your babys welfare, so is hygiene and cleanliness. While nutrition can be easily taken care of with regular feedings of milk, hygiene is a different matter. With little or no control over their bodily functions, babies expel a lot of waste, and keeping them clean can be a daunting task. The solution? Nappies, of course!

There are disposable Nappies and cloth nappies. Disposable nappies are easy to use; use it once and throw it away. No washing, no fuss! However, disposable diapers are made of chemicals that can harm your babys sensitive skin. Also, with its synthetic texture, disposable nappies are not comfortable, and babies are prone to develop rashes or allergies. Diapers made from natural fibres are a welcome change from disposable nappies as they are soft and soothing to the skin.

Raising a child also means rising expenses! A baby will go through upto a thousand or more diapers before his first birthday. Disposable diapers cost more than cloth nappies, but in this case, being expensive does not necessarily mean its better. Cloth nappies are lower-priced and are reusable. So, one cloth nappy serves as well as many disposable ones.

To further cut expenses, using second hand cloth nappies is a good idea, and after your baby has outgrown them, it is recommended you donate them to other parents or reuse them for your next child, thereby reducing waste. If one baby will use more than a thousand diapers in a year, imagine the amount of garbage generated in a city from diapers alone! While disposable nappies contain chemicals that do not decompose, discarded cloth nappies are absorbed back into the environment, and are thus very eco-friendly.

In the modern nuclear family where both parents work, washing cloth nappies may seem a tedious process. A gentle wash in the washing machine solves this problem.

Some popular brands of cloth nappies are: the Bumble sized shape nappy, Rainbow Bots and, Prorap All in One Nappies. Terries are flat squares of terry towelling that can be shaped into nappies. These are all nappies that are sized, shaped and have a high second hand value, meaning they are very durable. Almost all brands of cotton nappies are made of light cotton-based material.

Comfort for your baby comes first, and with the menace of harmful chemicals in disposable diapers, cloth nappies seem the only solution. Comfortable, hygienic, eco-friendly, durable . . . with so many merits, it is no wonder cloth nappies are replacing disposable diapers everywhere.

There can be no doubt that cloth nappies are so good for your baby!

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We find every child a cute child. We enjoy looking at the children, love playing with them and share their happiness and innocence with joy. Why? Is it only because the child is a lovely child in looks? That is not true. We mainly enjoy being with children and love them because they are honest. We love children because of their innocence. We love children because we are sure that child will not judge us and that we can be totally free with the children without any fear.

Let us examine our relationship with grown ups. With most of our friends and acquaintances, we are guarded in our approach. We think before speaking. We try to hide most of our true feelings and try to act in a way that we believe will maintain a make believe relationship. How many times, have you thought of shouting at someone, but have refrained from doing so? How many times have you wished to laugh at someone’s dressing sense but have stopped that laughter? How many times have you really wanted to tell someone few things but stopped midway worried that it may spoil the relationship? Please think about the artificial way in which we relate with grown up people. We do all this because we are unsure of ourselves. We are unsure about the other person’s reaction and intelligence and we are unsure about the relationship.

With a child nothing of this kind exists. We are free to express ourselves in as many ways as we wish, without any reservations. That is why we love children and call them cute.

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It’s often a challenge to decide just who to invite to your baby shower. What is the proper etiquette and how do you avoid hurting someone’s feelings?

When determining your guest list, it’s important to define your target group. Is it your idea to host the traditional women only gathering or will you include children? Today it’s becoming increasingly popular to invite couples and/or complete families.

When you decide on the type of shower you are going to be hosting make sure your invitations are precisely worded, such as “women only”, “children welcome” and so on based on your decision. If you are planning a specific theme make sure this is included on your invitations as well as any special instructions such as what to bring, how to dress, and directions to the party location. This will save you countless telephone inquiries regarding the specifics of your shower plans.

Always ask your invited guests to RSVP and keep in mind that typically about 20-25% of those confirming will ultimately fail to attend for a variety of reasons.

Baby Showers held at an office, social club or church have a pre-determined guest list of co-workers, club members or fellow church members but make sure that you find out if your shower is the only one being held for the mom to be. If it is, then you may want to extend invitations to her personal friends and family. It may take a bit of discreet probing to find out if there are additional showers planned.

Alternatively, if you are a friend or family member planning the only shower, it’s a thoughtful idea to make a call to the prospective mother to be’s employer to find out who should be invited from her workplace.

In most cases her husband should be able to supply contact information for her friends and work associates.

Don’t forget that if your shower is the sole party planned, you should extend invites to the mom’s family as well as her husband’s family.

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Baby discount furniture is generally not hard to find, if you know where to look. Whether you are having a boy or a girl, you will need baby furniture to create that special room for your new arrival. Creating that special room on a tight budget can sometimes be tricky. While looking for baby furniture at a discount, there are a few things you will want to keep in mind.

You can often find baby discount furniture at many fine department stores. That is if you catch them putting their baby furniture on sale. If you are lucky, you will find many pieces of baby furniture throughout the year, with just the right markdown. End of the year and clearance sales are great to look for when sturdy baby furniture is something you need. Baby furniture is so versatile, you might find some pieces at a discount price that will go from newborn to grade school, without breaking the bank, or having to switch out furniture in a few years.

Garage sales are an excellent place to look for baby discount furniture. Many people use their baby furniture to the turn around and resell it in a garage sale, for only a fraction of the price. Some baby furniture items you might find at a garage sale include, name brand cribs; nice sturdy dressers; an all needed changing table; and high chairs that are in great condition, only to name a few. The best time of year to look for garage sales in your neighborhood would be in the spring and summer time. These are the times of the year that many people are cleaning unwanted items out of their homes, to make a few bucks in return.

Thrift shops can be a good resource for finding baby discount furniture also. Sometimes people will donate their unwanted items to a thrift store so that they can be resold, and the money will go to charity. By being creative, you can even make your own baby furniture out of an old piece of furniture you might spot. Antique desks can easily be spiffed up with new paint and hardware to create a changing table for your baby. Keep in mind the height you would need with drawers easily accessible to hold all of the items a newborn might need.

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