Who am I?
I'am a final year medical student who just finished his paeds course. I thought that I was not going to like paeds but it turned out to be really interesting to the degree that I launched a website , www.thebabyfood.com ,about babies!
Anyhow,I found out that mothers have loads of questions about their children , especially babies, & these questions are usually answered by experience,which is important. Many of these questions needed a medical opinion, so I though why not making a site that combine both the experience & the medical info in simple language?!
I knew that this was going to be time consuming but I know that these few pages might help thousands!
The way am going to do this is by using the blog for frequently asked questions that I found to be common at the clinic, then every weak Ill be uploading these questions in a page of the website ,which will act like a bank of baby infos!
So, shall we start?
What causes vomiting in babies ?
There are 2 reasons that make a baby vomit, either a disease or incorrect feeding techniques. The diagnosis of diseases depends on the age of the baby, meaning that the age can rule in or rule out diseases. Babies tend to have more unique causes of vomiting which either can be due associated with infections or abnormal food canal. Incorrect feeding techniques including excess baby handling after each feed can cause the baby to vomit.
What diseases might cause a newborn to vomit?
Ill answer this question based on the treatment. Conditions, or problems , that can be treated medically are broad. The most common condition seen is Gastroenteritis, which is infection of the Gut & associated with diarrhea. This condition occurs in 1 every 10 children in the developed countries & usually self limiting. Usually its a viral condition, which only require re hydration and restoring body fluids. The treatment is basically water & sugar!YES!! that easy. 5 million children die every year in developing countries because of this condition, unfortunately they do not know that they can save their children lives using only water & sugar!! probably because they might even not have the water !sad isn't it?
Surgical conditions can be gastro-oesophageal reflux disease ,bowel obstruction, narrowing of the lower passage of the stomach (pyloric stenosis) or the gall bladder ducts ( Biliary Atresia).
What can I do to help my baby who is vomiting?
Its important to decide if the vomiting is due to a disease or incorrect feeding techniques. Disease associated symptoms tend to have other signs, like fever abnormal vomiting color, diarrhea etc. The only way to help them is by asking for a medical assessment & treatment. Feeding techniques can be used to help them is by holding them at 30 degrees angle to the floor when giving them the feed, feeding them slowly & when they are hungry & to avoid over feeding & avoiding excess shaking & handling at least for 30 mins after each feed.
My baby is not nursing well, why?
Its very important that when a baby is not feeding well to exclude any infections or medical causes. The majority of babies tend to refuse feeding when they are sick or beginning to get sick. Some babies tend to eat more. So always keep an eye for any sign that can suggest that your baby is sick before thinking that this is normal. There is absolutely no harm if baby is feeding more but we certainly do not want a baby to feed less as this can have serious consequences,not only on his development, but it can also puts his life in danger as they do not have other sources to get energy, e.g fat, like adults and this might put their life in danger. It's important to know what is your baby's calorific requirement per day in order to know if is he really feeding enough or not.This is usually calculated based on his weight. To know how to calculate that visit here .
When can I wean my baby?
Weaning can be a difficult transition in your baby's diet & for the mother. Its very important to introduce semi-solids at the right age as the newborn swallowing co-ordination is not developed yet. Many people tend to wean their babies at the age of 4 months,which is early. It's important to remember that if the baby is ready for semi-solids why did we have to feed him milk at the first place?!The WHO does not recommend weaning babies before the age of six months. An average of months would be definitely ideal for those who wants to wean their baby earlier than 6 months. For a guide about introducing solids by age visit the weaning page. for recipes that you can begin with visit here.
When does a baby walk or talk?
A baby is usually able to sit supported by the age of six months and unsupported by the age of 8 months. They also tend to stand by the age of 1 year and walk few months after that. It's important to remember that babies are different from each other, but its very important that you check that other milestones are appropriate for your baby's age & that his delay is not of a medical concern. For a full guide about milestones & development visit the babyfood.com here.
Where can I get recipes for babies ?
There tend to be good recipes on the internet, but i have uploaded some baby food & homemade baby recipes on my website www.thebabyfood.com.
I will be adding more soon.
I think these are enough questions for the day I hope somebody will find them helpful.
Amin
