Caring For Baby's Bodily Needs
Caring For Baby's Bodily Needs
Umbilical
Cord Care
After birth, the
umbilical cord will take anywhere from two to seven days to dry up and
fall off. It is normal for the cord to look swollen and
jelly-like
at first. It is possible to do absolutely nothing to care for the
cord, and it will fall off and heal just fine. Some people prefer
to not bathe the child until it has fallen off, others prefer to bathe
the child each day in pure water only. Either way is probably
fine.
If you prefer not to bathe and want to hasten the drying process, I
would
not recommend alcohol. My first choice would be goldenseal root
powder,
sprinkled on the stump and left on to dry out the moisture. The
goldenseal
will help inhibit infection, and will draw out the moisture. If
you
feel that you need a more powerful antiseptic, electrically-generated
colloidal
silver would be my choice. In the absence of this, garlic oil
would
be my third choice.
Care of
Circumcision
Site
I do not
recommend
circumcision.......however, if the procedure has already been done,
until
it heals I would apply an un-petroleum jelly product to the entire
exposed
and reddened penile area. I would re-apply a new coat each time
the
diaper is changed. Lavender oil helps new tissue to form,
so
in lieu of the un-petroleum jelly, one could just use a mixture of 1 ml
carrier oil and 4 or 5 drops lavender. Apply this as a lubricant
with each diaper change. It will not only inhibit infection, but
help with discomfort and generation of new tissue.
Care
of the
Intact Penis
No special care
is
required for the intact penis. In the past, parents were told
that
it was necessary to forcefully push back the foreskin, or it would
become
adhered to the penis. This is, however, not the case. It is
painful, the the foreskin will NOT retract until the child is much
older.
If you do it when they are babies and toddlers, this will hurt, and is
not necessary. I have a fourteen year old boy, and I have never
done
ANYTHING special with him. He just washes with soap and water in
the bath, that's all.
Diapering
My personal
preference
in diapering is cloth diapers. I understand that some people find
this distasteful or messy. However, studies have shown that
temperatures
inside disposable diapers are at least 3 or 4 degrees hotter than
outside.
There is concern about the development of the male testicles, because
there
is a specific temperature range which makes the development of sperm
possible.
If it's too hot, this development is thwarted. For this reason,
there
is a belief that the use of disposable diapers in the last thirty years
has contributed to the skyrocketing levels of infertility in men.
Also, can you imagine wearing plastic wrap all day long, sweating
inside
it, and encouraging the growth of bacteria? The fact that cloth
diapers
have to be changed more frequently means that there is little chance
for
bacteria growth.
Bathing
Most babies are
overwashed.
In reality, newborns don't get very dirty. When they become
toddlers
and are getting into everything, then they need a lot of washing.
Most babies don't have to be bathed every day. When you DO bathe the
baby,
soaps are usually not necessary. Pure water, lukewarm to warm, is all
that
is necessary. Many babies do not like to be totally naked, it
makes
them feel too exposed. You can take off their clothes and wrap
them
in a large washcloth or small towel before putting them into the
water.
Or, filling your bathtub, getting in yourself, and then taking the baby
in with you is a good way. Any time the baby can have skin to
skin
contact with you, it helps them not be afraid in new situations.
I always raised my legs up out of the water, laid the baby on my legs,
and slowly lowered them into the water until the baby is submerged to
the
point that you are comfortable with. They often like you to raise
and lower them in and out of the water over and over as a fun little
ritual.
If you want something to wash the baby with, aloe vera gel is a good
thing
to start with. Soaps leave a film and dry the baby's skin, and
many
babies are allergic to the fragrances and chemicals in the
products.
Aloe Vera is very soothing, and you can use it on their hair or to wash
the body if it is dirty. You can also put a 2 or 3 drops of an
essential
oil such as lavendar in the gel so that you can get a nice healthy
scent
to your washing. Lavendar boosts the immune system and keeps
germs
away, not to mention relaxing the baby to get them ready to sleep.
Feeding
Feeding should be
on-demand, meaning, whenever the baby is hungry. Never
feed
a baby according to a schedule, or according to your own
convenience.
Feeding according to a schedule is a sure way to have an inadequate
milk
supply, because you must nurse frequently in order to establish a good
one and maintain it. Also, babies are used to having a constant
supply
of nutrients when they were in the womb, so they never felt
hungry.
The feeling of emptiness which signals hunger is very uncomfortable for
them, which is why they cry. Also, they need the frequent
physical
contact with you. Wear the baby in the sling so that it can have
constant physical contact; this also frees up your hand to do other
things
and carry on with your life when you have a baby. Baby is
not
used to the feeling of being alone, and especially of laying in a crib
alone. It's best if they are in the sling all the time unless you
are sleeping, and then you just tuck them into bed next to you so they
still have that physical contact. Feeding your baby when he or
she
cries is a very important way of building a strong mother-infant
attachment,
and builds trust between mother and child. Please, don't
use
formula. For an explanation of the dangers of formula, see Why
Shouldn't I Use Formula?
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2005-9
Judie C. Snelson and The Center for Unhindered Living
