I often find mothers curious about knowing which is the vital years of their child to take care for overall growth and development. According to me, the first two years after birth is most important. In this stage, babies develop both physically and mentally. You might have come across situations when a baby cries just after leaving the lap of his/her mother. Do you know the reason why? Is there any sort of physical or mental pain related with it or the baby is doing this just because it finds hard to adjust to hostile conditions of surroundings. May be the desire to satisfy their hunger or thrust are very much related with this crying. Perhaps they try to convey a message or signal through their cry. Hence, just after the birth a baby goes through a learning process. He has to adapt himself with the surroundings. His languages are crying, smile or sometimes one or two noises. With these he explains his needs, comforts, happiness etc.
The Growth And Development Process In Babies
It is beyond an iota of doubt, that babies have some inborn capabilities and along with it they develop further capacities. With the passage of time these capabilities get sharper and stronger. With growth their mental capabilities also expands. Slowly and steadily, they learn to lift their heads, moving around, holding objects in hands, standing, climbing ladders etc. Like this, within two years they get ready by developing those capabilities. This process is also known as motor development in medical terms.
Together with these developments, their social development graphs also shows some positive momentum. Just within two months after birth they recognize their mothers. Thought they cannot speak
but love to hear people conversing. They convey their messages through the very movements of hands and legs or facial expressions. Further, they listen to songs and remain happy if only people around them are cheerful.
Just imagine how much they learn within the time span of two years. They learn and develop new activities or skills. They get the level of understanding increasing within them about various dos and do not s. They even understand that if they do something wrong people around them might scold. In this way they shape us into a perfect human being in future. The very process of learning and growth is much more prevailing in them at this stage of their lives.
Development in babies
The developments or activities of infants or babies can be summed up into three categories namely, physical, social and cognitive.
Physical
The first two years in babies are marked by the growth or development of height and weight. The different organs of the body also develop quickly. Their sense of hearing, vision, shape and size develop by gaining new abilities.
Social
This is also known as emotional development. Feelings like trust, friendship, pride develop within them. Gradually they begin to show the affection to others.
Cognitive
It is related with how children reason or thinks, solves problems and gain knowledge. They could identify shapes, color etc and learn through their senses by the behavior of people around them.
Role of mothers
The new born baby goes through the nonstop process of learning, understanding and adjusting. So questing is what is the role of mother? Yes, the role of mother is what matters for infants. A mother is like a teacher, friend, philosopher, guide to the new born or infants. Hence, mother, father and other family members play an important role in the overall proper development of a child. They need special planning and an important role to play in it. Of course, mental preparation is required but together with that some special facts and statistics should be borne in mind.
First, mothers need to find out what milk is good for their children. Is it buffalo, cow, goat, formula or mother milk that is going to benefit the new born. Naturally, there is no alternative to mother’s milk for children.
Under what circumstances breast feeding needs to be avoided?
Some times we find mothers saying that doctors have advised them not to breast feed their new born. Yes, a doctor or a medical practitioner might stop mothers from breast feeding under the following circumstances.
1) Septicemia, 2) Open tuberculosis, 3) Typhoid, 4) Malaria, 5) Cancer, 6) If mother is going through a psychosomatic treatment, 7) If the baby is suffering from Galactosemia, 8) Hepatitis B, 9) Aids, 10) Jaundice.
Hepatitis B
Hepatitis B affected mothers could easily pass the virus to their new born babies during labor or delivery. Within 24 hours of the birth of new born one dose of Hepatitis B vaccine or Hepatitis B Immune globulin (HbiG) should be given. It will protect the baby from chronic infections. After this a mother could breast feed her child.
Aids
WHO or World Health Organization warns us that in certain regions of Africa the epidemic, Aids, is widespread like any other deadly disease. Even in this condition WHO advises that if bottled or canned milk is not available then mothers could breast feed the child. Bottled or canned milk(Formula milk) contains Melamine which can mimic protein in certain food quality taste and because of this harmful ingredient many babies died in the past. This very incident proves the fact how careful we need to be when we think about formula milk feeding.
Mental Preparation
Mental preparation about breast feeding is required even before your child is born. There are certain amount of misconception about breast feeding which needs to be removed from mind.
1) For breast feeding mothers need to have a positive attitude towards it right from the beginning, that is, the time she is pregnant.
2) Those who are becoming mothers for the first time find it difficult to hold their baby properly and breast feed. Here, a proper training or help is required. Most often than not nursing staff fail to impart knowledge to these mothers since they remain too busy attending other patients and due to the lack of patience in them.
3) After labor or delivery one might feel completely exhausted , dazed from medications, cramping pains and delivery complications.
4) Sometimes mothers already have a baby in home and their mind gets preoccupied with his/her thoughts.
5) During visiting hours in hospitals when people pour in and out of rooms mothers might feel very awkward to breast feed their child. Hence, environments in hospitals and nursing homes are not at all congenial to breast feed their babies.
Baby friendly hospitals
Now let us look at the concepts of baby friendly hospitals in foreign countries.
1) In these hospitals as soon as mothers enrolled they are counseled on the advantages of breast feeding to young ones.
2) They also provide a handbook to mothers on how to breast feed their children properly.
3) A statistics is maintained in the medical record to find out if mothers are interested in breastfeeding
4) Within one hour of the birth of newborn, skin to skin contact, a built in feature of breastfeeding is made.
5) Babies and mothers share the same room or rooming in is done properly.
6) Sisters in different shifts come to find out if mothers are able to feed their new born. If not, they guide them and teach about the whole process.
What mothers need to know?
1) Mothers need to know how to sit and hold their baby properly for breastfeed.
2) How milk is prepared within the body and how to nurse their young one. Certainly before the issue of baby your body gets prepared to breastfeed new born. Nipples get darker and breast seem to be bigger in size. Breast becomes larger because the milk preparing cells and ducts multiplies and develops in numbers.
3) Mothers need to understand when their babies are hungry and how many times they breastfeed them. For the first month eight to 12 times per day. Moreover, it will also help to enhance the milk production within them. When the baby is of one to two months of age then they should be feed seven to nine times a day.
4) In hospitals, babies are given to mothers eight to 12 times in every 20 four hours for breastfeeding.
5) For the first two days breastfeed is recommended by doctors and mothers need to feed babies as long as they able to suck.
6) If required spoon and bowls are used place of feeding bottles.
7) Pacifiers are not given to babies until and unless in some special cases like taking blood samples etc.
8) Such medicines which obstruct the flow of milk in mothers are not given.
