The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Care

  • Ways to care for a newborn infant

    TAKING care of a newborn is both the simplest and most difficult thing you have probably ever done in your life. The sense of responsibility, particularly after years of being responsible only for yourself, can be overwhelming. So here’s your first bit of advice: Breathe. And the second: Relax. Your baby knows when you’re uptight and anxious. You transfer that anxiety to him and then he can’t relax!

    •First, know that your baby will sleep much of the time. Newborns generally sleep up to 20 hours a day of the first few weeks. Unfortunately, it may not be in large chunks! That’s because they also need to eat quite often. Their tummies are tiny and their nutritional needs enormous. If it feels like you spend every hour of every day with your breast or a bottle in your baby’s mouth, that’s not unusual.

    •The most common reason for baby’s crying is hunger. If they’re not hungry? Check the diaper. If that’s not the problem, try wrapping her or him tightly in a receiving blanket. Newborns are used to the tight confines of the womb, being out in the world and having their arms and legs flapping around can be scary.

    •After feeding and crying, the other new thing you have to get used to is washing your baby. Until baby’s umbilical cord stump falls off, just use a warm washcloth to wipe around her face, bottom and hands.

    •When it’s time for her first bath, fill the basin or sink with about an inch or two of warm water with a couple of squirts of baby wash. Make sure you have everything you need at hand before you undress the baby. That includes baby wash, shampoo, washcloth and towel.

    •Holding baby against one arm, slowly lower her into the water and, using the other arm and hand, wet the washcloth and begin gently washing her. Don’t let go and don’t ever leave any young child unattended around water. You can use the washcloth to wash her hair, too. It’s best if you have two people doing thisone to hold her and one to wash herbut you can do it on your own.

    •When you’re finished, lift her out of the tub and lay her on the towel. Wrap her securely in the towel and take her off to be diapered and dressed.

  • Self-Care tips for working moms

    OF all the tips for working moms, top of the list has to be taking care of yourself. Mom’s needs often seem to come last. After your kids, their dad, your job, the pets, and endless errands, that is.

    There’s just not enough time in the day to get everything done, so your running shoes or novel or bath salts or strappy sandals just gather dust.

    But you can’t always stay on the back burner. Here are four reasons it’s important for working moms to take care of ourselves:

    Tip 1: If Mama Ain’t Happy, Ain’t Nobody Happy

    When mom’s stressed or burnt out, everyone in the house suffers. Even a baby gets fussy when his mother is upset. Older children may respond to a tense mom by acting out.

    If you take an hour or two to yourself, for whatever nourishes you, the rest of the day (or week) will be easier and more fun. Your family will enjoy having an energetic and refreshed mom, even if they complain about your absence. Bottom line: by paying attention to your own needs, you’ll actually be better at meeting everyone else’s.

    Tip 2: Stress and Sleep Deprivation Make You Fat

    Stress and sleep deprivation release cortisol into your bloodstream, which triggers fat storage around your waist. No wonder it’s so hard to lose that pregnancy weight while getting up every three hours with a new baby!

    Not only is it demoralising to carry more weight than your ideal, it increases your risk of developing heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and arthritis, among other conditions. And we all want to live long enough to play with our grandkids, maybe even see them get married, right?

    So the next time you’re tempted to stay up until midnight sorting, folding, and putting away everyone’s laundry, go to sleep instead. You can just dress the kids out of baskets of clean laundry. Similarly, taking your work lunch break to exercise can actually give you a burst of energy and make the afternoon more productive.

    Tip 3: Other People Are Capable, Too

    So many working moms fall into the Superwoman trap, thinking we have to be in charge of everything because we’re the only one who will do it right. That mentality not only overloads you with work, it doesn’t give enough credit to your other family members. Even worse, it prevents them from learning skills that can lighten your load and make them feel more capable.

    Try leaving the kids with their dad or grandfather for a Saturday morning while you have brunch with your girlfriends. He may not change the diapers as often as you would, or feed them perfectly balanced meals, but I bet they’ll have fun. And not only will he feel rightly proud of his caregiving ability, your children will develop independence, seeing that they’re all right without mom hovering nearby all weekend.

    At work, see if there’s a junior employee looking to advance to whom you can delegate some tasks. Again, they won’t be completed the way you would, but you’ll have more free time for yourself. You’ll also be mentoring someone who could use the experience.

    Tip 4: Life Is for Living

    This is your life, right now. Would you rather spend it rushing around to finish your to-do list, or actually enjoying yourself? Don’t fall into the trap of thinking you’ll relax once you reach the bottom of the list there will always be something more to do. Instead, ruthlessly prioritise and eliminate tasks that don’t absolutely have to get done.

    If you’ve having trouble carving out time for yourself, start small. Say you always wanted to meditate: wake up five minutes early for some deep breathing and visualisation. Or if you miss exercising regularly, schedule a once-a-week power walk during lunch. If it’s on your calendar, you can plan work around it.

    And the next time you have some breathing space, don’t fill it with errands. Instead, just breathe.

  • Care for foot this rainy season

    RAINY season takes a particular toll on the feet. Many problems may occur with feet such as blisters, heel pains, moles, cracked heel and particularly bad odour. Foot problems especially bad odour and infection are big risks during the rainy season.

    And while you might think that covering them up protects them from the rain, the fact is that the damp weather combined with cold temperatures are a potentially hazardous combination for the feet.

    People, and women in particular, do not give much thought to preventive foot wellness, only taking care of unsightly foot problems after they develop. With just a little bit of care and caution, you can keep your feet in top shape. You should monitor your feet; they need more care in the rainy season.

     

    Tips on how  to help your feet survive the rains

    •After walking through murky water, wash your feet with medicated soap, rinse with water and later soak in warm salt water solution.

    •Always keep your feet warm, don’t get your feet wet in the rain and if such happens, follow the procedure above.

    •Spray your feet with antiseptic foot spray for protection against bad odour: odour occurs from bacteria and sweat glands’ reaction, especially if your shoes are damp or airless shoes.

    •Use quality lotion to keep the skin of your feet soft and moist, but don’t put any lotion in between your toes.

    •Smoking decreases blood supply to your feet.

    •Never walk barefoot or in extremely flat shoes.

    •Soak your feet in warm water for about twenty minutes at least once a week. It is helpful for blood circulation to the feet, feet relaxation and tenderness after long walk.

    •For protection against callous dead cells under the foot, scrub your heels once a week or when having your bath.

    •To prevent fungal and parasitic infections, keep feet clean and dry, and do not walk barefooted on sand.

    •Keep your nails trimmed, whether artificial or not.

    •Do not tear your cuticles, this will break the layer of the skin and cause injury. Instead look for cuticle remover cream or cuticle clip.