Sensitive Midwifery - Issue 43 - July2019

Mom & Baby steps Canny colic cures Not every constant bout of newborn crying is colic. To give mothers insights and tips that result in real solutions, you, their midwife or postnatal advisor must let go of stubborn, outdated ideas, and you need to respect a baby’s individuality! What seems like colic could be a reaction to Baby’s milk formula, or excessive dairy, grains and sugary foods in a breastfeeding mom's diet. Additional symptoms, like skin rashes or mucus, can indicate that digestive discomfort is part of an allergy or intolerance. The answer: get babies breastfeeding, and get nursing mothers to reduce or cut out the food triggers! Also, avoid scheduling feeds – breast and formula babies should feed when hungry! Crying can also have emotional triggers, like a traumatic birth or C-section; being handled by too many strangers – discourage this in the early weeks; and an anxious mother whose baby will pick up on this. Sensitive Midwifery advocates five other tried and trusted strategies to help moms relieve ‘colic’ too: 1. Rock Baby 2. Bath with Baby 3. Walk or dance with Baby 4. Bond with Baby through talking and lots of skin-to- skin contact 5. Let Baby co-sleep with you Advising mothers on otitis media While not strictly respiratory conditions, earache and ear infections are characterised by inflammation and fluid accumulation frequently associated with other upper respiratory conditions. They often follow a persistent cold or other upper respiratory affliction; Baby may have a high temperature; be irritable, with a poor appetite; and night waking will likely increase because congestion and pain are always worse when in the horizontal position. While otitis media is not to be taken lightly, there is much that nursing professionals can assist with to overcome repeated incidents. Advise parents to: • If not breastfeeding, change to an allergy formula or a formula previously found less problematic to address the common trigger of excess mucus. Although special formula milks are expensive, parents save a lot on medical bills. • Take note that grain products like baby cereals are common mucus triggers, as are dairy products like yoghurt and cheese. • Place a covered hot water bottle (not too hot; avoid burns) against the affected side for pain relief. • Let Baby sleep on a lift wedge, or prop yourself up (against pillows or in a rocking chair) with Baby sleeping on you, to ensure better fluid drainage and less pain. 21