Basics that all new moms should know

Everything is scary when you are a new mom. You don't really know what to expect, even if you read the "What to Expect When You're Expecting" a million times. You don't know what to worry about and what is nothing to be worried about. It's definitely a learning curve, and if you don't have close friends that are moms, you might be on your own (I was pretty overwhelmed when Sophie first arrived). So I have decided to compile some helpful tips and such for new moms who may be a bit frazzled. 

First up, breast feeding. This can be easy to grasp for some moms or it can be a nightmare. I had both of those experiences. Sophie had zero breast feeding issues, she latched right away and we were good to go. She did ween herself at 3 months (which was disappointing). Attempting to breast feed Bret was a nightmare. He would latch for 2 minutes, get a tiny bit of milk and then scream bloody murder, this was basically our existence for the first 2 weeks of his life, latch, suck, scream, repeat all day and night. I tried to see a nursing consultant, but I had him over the holidays, so no one was available to me. I was too exhausted to research ways to help, so after seeing his pediatrician and him not gaining any weight we changed to formula (and had the same result, until finally trying soy formula). I really wish I had done the research then, because I now the likely fix was very easy, reduce or eliminate dairy in my diet. If your baby has issues with latching you can try a breast shield, I never needed one, but I have heard they work well if that is an issue you are having. If your nipples start cracking and hurt, try lanolin. I used that the entire time I breast feed Sophia. If you get painful lumps the best advice I can give is to massage it out in a hot shower. If your baby seems to not like your milk, try changing your diet, babies get the taste of the things you eat through your breast milk. There are also ways to boost your supply if that is a problem you are having. Most important make sure you are eating enough calories, breast feeding mothers need to eat on average 300-400 more calories per day than if they weren't breast feeding. There is also Fenugreek and brewers yeast, also in the yeast family, beer can help, just make sure you don't drink too much and pump and dump.

Next up, constipation. First off, every baby has different poop routines. Some poop after every feeding, some poop once day, some go a few days between poops. Know your baby's poop routine. If you are formula feeding, it could be something in the formula that is making baby constipated and you might want to talk to his/her ped about switching brands (just know there is some overlap when changing formulas, so give it 2-3 weeks at least to see if the new brand is better). If your baby isn't crawling yet, you can bicycle his/her legs to help, if they are crawling, try to get them moving. If baby is over 1 month you can try giving a bit of prune juice or apple juice. Just an oz or so though, and don't dilute it, I know that goes against a lot of what people say, but the doc told me diluting it defeats the purpose because it's the sugar in the juice that helps. If your baby is under that age you can try sticking just the tip of the rectal thermometer in the rectum (if they have a super hard poop blocking it, the stimulation can help). Bret had a huge issue with constipation and this was suggested to us by the pediatrician after nothing else worked, and it worked amazingly. Warm baths can help sometimes as well (that always worked when Sophie got constipated).

Fevers, when should you worry? I know with Sophie's first fever I freaked out. She was 2 months old, and seemed fine all day. As we were getting ready to put her down for the night she started vomiting and we took her temp and found she had a fever of 104. I thought I was going to lose my mind, I had my husband speeding to the ER, luckily she just had an ear infection and she was fine after medication, but it was scary stuff.  First thing to know is most doctors won't accept a temp in a baby unless it is taken with a rectal thermometer as they are the most accurate (I know they sell pacifier ones now, but they aren't reliable at all, and most people don't use temporal ones correctly). Just so you are clear, 99 is not a fever, that is considered normal body temperature (can't tell you how many moms I saw when I worked in pediatrics that freaked out about a temp of 99). In a baby under 3 months, anything 100.4 or higher is cause for worry and the baby needs to be evaluated.  If over 3 months, if baby is drinking fluids and acting normal, it's only cause for worry if it lasts longer than 24 hours, gets higher, or doesn't improve with Tylenol or Motrin. A fever of 101 in a baby 3-6 months, you should call your doctor. Over 6 months, a temp of 103 and higher with other symptoms, like loss of appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, fussiness, or sleepiness you need to call the doctor. If your baby/toddler has a fever but is acting normally, call if Tylenol or Motrin don't help, or if lasts longer than 24 hours.  I know fevers can be scary, but if you have a 1 year old who is acting normal and only has a fever of 100.4 there isn't really much cause for concern.

Last topic is teething. Teething can be hell for some babies (and their parents). There are a lot of teething rings out there, but their are other ways to help as well. First I will say, do NOT use Hylands teething tablets or Baby Orajel, they can both be poisonous to babies. I did not know that the first time around and I used Orajel a lot with Sophia (wish I would have known it when she was a baby). You can get teething necklaces, we never used them, but I know a lot of people that swear by the amber ones. For Sophia freezing a wet wash cloth and the mesh feeding were the best things. We put banana or frozen blueberries in it and she went to town.

Bret had an issue with food, he couldn't have anything in his mouth thicker than formula until he was almost a year old, so teething rings and frozen wash cloths were our go to. They also sell molar chompers to help sooth the entire gum line. When Bret was old enough I made him teething biscuits with baby food and rice cereal, those were awesome! Easy for him to naw on and they really helped.

*Most of this information is from first hand experience (or I know because of my medical background). All other information was taken from www.babycenter.com and www.parenting.com.