20 Tips How to Treat Hormonal Imbalance in Females Naturally; with Food

August 27, 2021September 1, 2021 / Judy E. / Leave a comment

In the circles in which I travel we talk about everything possible regarding babies, health, mommies, daddies, and more. A topic that affects many these days is infertility. There are lots of reasons why couples struggle with this issue. Both medical and homeopathic science are constantly making discoveries serving couples seeking pregnancy. As a doula, I look for practical ways to help clients in this area. The following article provides helpful easy suggestion for stabilizing hormonal imbalance through diet. After all, we are what we eat. These suggestion at helpful for everyone, guys included. Maintaining stable hormonal and medical balance serves us well thought out life. check it out and let me know what you think!!!

Thank you!!! JUDY

20 Tips How to Treat Hormonal Imbalance in Females Naturally & with Food

Hormonal imbalance is a common health problem that many women do not care about until they notice symptoms such as sudden weight gain or acne. And, if untreated, hormonal imbalance can lead to serious consequences. If you are diagnosed to have hormonal imbalance and want to treat its symptoms with some natural ways, this article may be helpful.

List Of simple Ways On How To Treat Hormonal Imbalance

In this article, Healthy Guide will show you some of the best ways on how to treat hormonal imbalance naturally that you can apply at the comfort of your own home.

CONTENTS

I. What Is Hormonal Imbalance?
II. How To Treat Hormonal Imbalance
1. Coconut Oil
2. Do Regular Exercise
3. Ashwagandha
4. Vitamin D
5. Manage Stress
6. Yogurt
7. Avocados
8. Avoid Overeating And Undereating

I. What Is Hormonal Imbalance?

Hormones are the body’s chemical messengers that take responsibility for controlling a few major processes such as reproduction and metabolism. When these hormones are produced too much or too little, it will cause a hormonal imbalance. Before learning effective ways on how to treat hormonal imbalance in females, keep your eyes below to check out how you can identify the appearance of the hormonal imbalance issue.

The signs and symptoms of hormonal imbalance are different for men, women and children. According to a study [1], some common symptoms that both men and women can experience include:

Fatigue
Increased sensitivity to heat or cold
Sudden weight gain or weight loss
Constipation or diarrhea
Dry skin or puffy face
Weakened muscles
Frequent urination and increased thirst
Stiffness or pain in joints
Depression, anxiety
Thinning and brittle hair
Decreased libido
Infertility
Blurred vision

Hormonal imbalance may be caused by a few health factors and medical conditions. They include diabetes, hypothyroidism, thyroiditis, stress, hormone therapy, menopause, pregnancy, contraceptive pills, certain medications, etc.

List of 26 Best Healthy Smoothies For Diabetes Treatment And Relief will show you some of the best smoothies for those with diabetes, so check it out!

II. How To Treat Hormonal Imbalance

If you are looking for natural ways on how to treat this health problem, keep both of your eyes on the following ways:

1. Coconut Oil

This is the first one among great ways on how to treat hormonal imbalance with foods that we want to mention in this article. Coconut oil is rich in medium-chain fatty acids, which are very good for human health. Coconut oil can be used to reduce the inflammation caused by hormonal imbalance. Besides, it also helps you lose weight and reduce anxiety and stress. You can consume 1-2 tbsp. of organic coconut oil on a daily basis. Alternatively, you can add it to your salads or use it instead your cooking oil. Repeat this remedy 2-3 times daily.

Read on Top 7 Simple Ways To Use Coconut Oil For Burns And Cuts On Face And Hands to discover some of the best ways to treat burns and cuts on face and body’s parts with the help of coconut oil.

2. Do Regular Exercise

When it comes to learning how to treat hormonal imbalance naturally at home, you should try doing regular exercise. Physical activity can affect hormonal health. For example, it can reduce insulin levels and simultaneously increase insulin sensitivity. Many kinds of physical activity can help increase insulin sensitivity and simultaneously reduce insulin levels. They include strength training, aerobic exercise, and endurance exercise.

3. How To Treat Hormonal Imbalance With Food – Ashwagandha

Ashwagandha can be used to deal with hormonal imbalance. Indeed, it helps reduce stress and anxiety, which are known as common causes of hormonal imbalance. Simply, you just need to consume 300-500mg of ashwagandha supplements for 2-3 times daily for maximum benefits.

4. Vitamin D

This is another great one among great ways on how to treat hormonal imbalance in females. Vitamin D is another nutrient required for your body. It helps reduce inflammation, improve your immunity and simultaneously balance out your hormones. You need to consume 1000-4000 IU of vitamin D supplements or vitamin D-rich foods on a daily basis. Just remember to consult a doctor before taking any nutrient supplement.

5. Manage Stress

Research has shown that reducing your cortisol levels can help treat the symptoms of hormonal imbalance. You can try out stress-reducing techniques such as yoga, meditation, massage and listening to your favorite music. Try to spend at least 10–15 minutes daily on doing stress-reducing activities.

To know some of the best natural treatments for stress, read on Top 48 Best Home Remedies For Stress Relief And Removal

6. Yogurt

If you want to know how to treat hormonal imbalance with food, you should not miss yogurt, yet try to include yogurt in your daily diet plan. Yogurt is rich in probiotics, which help balance your hormones and repair your gut lining. Your body needs these healthy bacteria to function properly. And, if you lack these bacteria, you can have digestion problems, inflammation and hormonal imbalance. Simply, you just need to consume a bowl of plain yogurt 1-2 times a day.

7. Avocados

According to a study about health benefits of avocados [2], avocado is rich in monounsaturated, saturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids. All of them have anti-inflammatory properties, which help deal with the symptoms of hormonal imbalance. Besides, regular consumption of avocados can improve heart health and provide the body with essential nutrients.

Directions:

Firstly, peel an avocado and cut it into some small cubes
Then, add these cubes to your favorite salad.
Alternatively, blend these cubes with honey and milk for a healthy smoothie
Consume any of these dishes daily for the best results.

8. Avoid Overeating And Undereating

Overeating and undereating can lead to hormonal shifts and weight problems. Overeating has been found to increase insulin levels and simultaneously reduce insulin sensitivity. Meanwhile, undereating can increase stress hormone cortisol, which may cause weight gain. Therefore, eating in moderation can help you keep your hormone levels balanced.

9. Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Another great way on how to treat hormonal imbalance in females is that they should consume more omega-3 fatty acids. The anti-inflammatory power of omega-3 fatty acids helps balance your hormone levels by reducing the inflammation and reducing stress and anxiety. You just need to take 250-500mg of supplements of omega-3 fatty acid supplements on a daily basis. Alternatively, you can consume salmon and sardines once daily.

10. Avoid Sugary Beverages

Drinking large amounts of sugary beverages can lead to insulin resistance. Additionally, drinking these beverages also results in excessive calorie intake. As a result, keeping away from sugar-sweetened beverages may be a great solution for restoring your hormone balance.

In fact, if you want to know how to treat hormonal imbalance naturally, you should try to keep away from sugary beverages.

11. How To Treat Hormonal Imbalance With Food – Clary Sage Oil

Clary sage oil rich in phytoestrogens, which help balance hormones, regulate the menstrual cycle and deal with depression and anxiety.

Method 1:

Firstly, add some clary sage oil to a diffuser
Let it diffuse in your surroundings

Method 2:

Mix some clary sage oil with coconut oil
Then, massage it gently behind your neck, and on your stomach
Repeat this remedy daily for the best results.

12. Fennel Oil

According to a study [3], regular use of fennel oil can help enhance your gut health and simultaneously reduce inflammation in the gut, hence helping treat hormonal imbalance. To use fennel oil for treating hormonal imbalance, you just need to add a drop of this oil to a glass of water, mix and then consume it. Alternatively, you can massage some fennel oil on your stomach. Repeat this procedure daily for the best results.

If you want to know other effective ways on how to treat hormonal imbalance naturally, you should keep both of your eyes on this article.

13. Green Tea

Green tea contains a powerful antioxidant called epigallocatechin gallate, which offers many health benefits. Drinking green tea can reduce insulin levels and increase insulin sensitivity in both healthy people and people with obesity and diabetes. For the best results, you should consider drinking 1-3 cups of green tea per day.

14. Thyme Oil

This may sound strange when it comes to learning how to treat hormonal imbalance with food at home, but it actually does work. Thyme oil can help increase the progesterone production, hence helping reduce the hormonal imbalance symptoms such as infertility, insomnia, stress, and hair loss.

Method 1:

Pour 10 drops of thyme oil to your bathwater
Then, soak yourself in that bathwater for about 15- 20 minutes.
Repeat this remedy on a daily basis

Method 2:

Mix 3 drops of thyme oil and some coconut oil
Then, massage this oil mixture into your abdomen.
Repeat this remedy on a daily basis

15. How To Treat Hormonal Imbalance With Food – Lavender Oil

According to a study [4], lavender oil can help promote sleep and reduce stress, anxiety and moodiness, which are the common hormonal imbalance symptoms. You can put some lavender oil in a diffuser and allow it to diffuse in your surroundings. Alternatively, you can add some lavender oil to your bathwater and then soak yourself in it for about 15 – 20 minutes.

16. Consume A High-Fiber Diet

This is another effective way on how to treat hormonal imbalance naturally that you should not look down, yet try to apply for good. Consuming a high-fiber diet helps increase insulin sensitivity and boosts the production of hormones, which make you feel satisfied. Therefore, to protect against overeating and insulin resistance, you should try to include more fiber-rich foods in your daily diet on a daily basis.

17. Eat Enough Protein At Every Meal

Consuming enough protein at every meal is very important. Dietary protein must be consumed daily to keep muscles, bone and skin healthy. Besides, protein affects the release of hormones that are responsible for controlling appetite.

18. Avoid Harmful Chemicals

To treat hormonal imbalance, you should avoid using products that contain harmful chemicals such as parabens, sodium lauryl sulfate, DEA, and propylene glycol. Also you should be aware of the effects of birth control pills or other medications on your hormones.

19. How To Treat Hormonal Imbalance In Females – Get Enough Sleep

Getting enough sleep every day is very important for reducing hormonal imbalance treatment. Disrupted sleeping patterns can lead to hormonal imbalance as well as other symptoms related to hormonal imbalance such as anxiety, stress and depression. Actually, this is a great way on how to treat hormonal imbalance that we want to mention in this article.

20. Reduce The Sugar Intake

This is the last way on how to treat hormonal imbalance naturally that you should not look down, yet try to apply for good. Hormonal imbalance can be caused by consuming too much refined sugar. In such case, the pancreas will secrete more insulin, leading to the excess testosterone production, which may prevent ovulation from functioning normally. Therefore, you should reduce the intake of refined sugar if you want to keep your hormone levels balanced.

Hormonal imbalances can increase the risk of developing diabetes, obesity [5], heart disease as well as other health issues. A combination of the methods as mentioned above helps balance your hormone levels effectively.

Hope that you can find some solutions to control your hormonal levels after reading this interesting article. If you know other great ways on how to treat hormonal imbalance in females, share them with other readers by leaving your comments below.

DIET PLAN FITNESS & EXERCISES FOODS FOR HEALTH

The Great Bathing Debate!!!!!!!!

August 12, 2021August 15, 2021 / Judy E. / Leave a comment

This morning social media is abuzz with the hilarious antics of Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis’ take on bathing their children. That something as simple as whether or not to clean up your kids could become a medical concern is ridiculous. What pediatrician ever came up with the idea that bathing your kids in water will dry out their skin? Your baby has just spent the last nine months living in water. Did her skin dry out?

Currently her skin is replacing itself every week or so as she grows the fastest she will grow for the rest of her life. Logically thinking, if her skin is replacing itself this quickly, how on earth could it dry out no matter what you did to it??? I am not saying mistreat you babies skin, I am saying use your head. Think logically. Research the topic, come to your own conclusion, and act accordingly.

Truly, baby’s skin is changing so quickly putting anything on it really doesn’t make since. Keep it clean. I suggest water. Using soaps really isn’t necessary. Lotions and oils sit on the outside of skin, they have very little affect on the skin of a newborn.

Being that I have been a parent for forty years, I have heard my share of “interesting” and hilarious theories on child rearing!!! I have watched crazy theories arise only to be torn down by logic. The question I most often ask my self these days is “Has this pediatrician ever had children of their own?” Nothing teaches you about kids like having them. No one can properly explain to you the feelings you will experience when you look into the eyes of your newborn. There is an overwhelming love, joy, peace that can not be put into words.

It isn’t possible to understand the overwhelming concern you feel for the well-being of this little person. They are yours. No-one will ever love them and want good for them as much as you do. They are you responsibility.

The moment you know you are pregnant advice, suggestions, & helpful ideas are poured over you in mass. It is truly more than anyone can absorb. More than that. how do you discern what is good and what is not? You have never done this before…. It is all new to you. You want to do your very best, be the most wonderful mommy or daddy ever, how???????

JUDY

7 Reasons Why A Newborn’s Skin Changes Color

https://www.babydestination.com/changes-in-newborn-skin-colour

You may have noticed that a baby’s skin looks fair and pale a few days after being born but within a few weeks it takes on a darker shade. Some babies on the other hand are born dark and become fairer with time. Why does this happen? How does a baby’s skin change from week to week? What factors contribute to this change in color? Is it just the genes or do many external factors play a huge role in allowing for a baby’s skin color to change? Let’s find out why a baby’s skin color changes in this article.

Before we get into the reasons for why a baby’s skin color changes, it is important to understand what the baby’s skin color looks like right after he is born. When a baby is first born, his skin looks dark red in color, almost a hue of purple. As the baby begins to breathe air outside the womb, the color changes to a lighter shade of red. During the first day itself the redness will start to fade away while the baby’s hands and feet may stay bluish in color for several days. However, this is normal as your baby’s blood circulation process is still immature.

Also read: How To Care For Your Baby’s Super Soft And Delicate Skin! – Mom Story

#1. Baby Has Jaundice

Many newborn babies develop some amount of jaundice, which makes their skin appear yellow in color during the first week. The eyes appear yellow as well. This is a temporary condition but should not be taken lightly. With time, the baby’s liver function starts to mature and the jaundice goes away. The yellow color of the skin can be seen more prominently by pressing on the baby’s forehead or chest and watching the color return. Jaundice in babies may be caused by many reasons like physiological factors, breast milk, immature liver function etc.

#2. It Tans Easily

A baby’s skin is paper thin; it’s three times thinner than an adult’s. Hence, it is extremely sensitive and prone to rashes, allergies and other skin issues. As a newborn baby’s skin is still developing, the melanin is also taking its time to mature. Melanin is the pigment that helps absorb the sun’s rays. As there is a lack of melanin, a baby’s skin burns faster and becomes darker sooner than an adult’s.

#3. Genetic factors

It is quite a common phenomenon for a baby’s skin color to change in the first few months. It may even take upto six months for a baby’s permanent skin color to develop and it is mainly because of genes. The pigmentation of a baby’s skin is largely controlled by the genes he inherits from the parents. Hence, the genes inherited can ultimately be the deciding factor for you baby’s skin tone.

#4. Excessive Crying

Uncontrolled, long duration of crying can also turn a baby’s face, lips and mouth into blue or purple color. However, once the crying stops, your baby’s skin color should return to normal in a few minutes. If these parts remain blue or purple for a very long time, consult a doctor immediately. The blue/purple tint in your baby’s skin could mean that the baby is suffering from a heart defect called cyanosis. In cyanosis, the baby’s skin color changes because the heart is not able to pump oxygenated blood to the rest of the body

#5. Mongolian Spots

Mongolian spots are quite common in darker-skinned babies, especially in African and Asian countries. Mongolian spots are also a form of birthmark but they tend to disappear within the first 4 years of the baby’s life. These spots usually occur on the back and the buttock area. They are flat and look like dark bruises but they aren’t painful at all. Mongolian spots occur when the skin’s pigment get trapped in deep layers of the skin when the skin is forming. When this pigment does not reach the surface, a Mongolian spot appears.

#6. Weight Loss

It may come as a surprise but babies can appear darker if they have lost weight. Along with the weight, the body’s water is also reduced. This in turn can make the baby’s skin look pale and darker. So, set a feeding pattern for your baby as quickly as you can. Consult a breastfeeding specialist if you are having breastfeeding problems.

#7. Anemia

Most babies have pale skin and it is not a major cause of concern but one should not neglect it altogether as well. If your baby looks pale, it may be due to anemia. However, to identify anemia look out for other symptoms like weakness, fatigue, abnormal body temperature and slow physical movements. If it is an anemia caused by folic acid deficiency, your baby will show signs like breathlessness, being excessively tired and palpitations.

Fun Facts About Newborns!!!

August 12, 2021August 12, 2021 / Judy E. / Leave a comment

15 Newborn Features That Change In Less Than 3 Months

https://www.babygaga.com/15-newborn-features-that-change-in-less-than-3-months/

BY DANIELLE LASHER

PUBLISHED JAN 03, 2017

What parent isn’t over the moon when their baby is born and they get to marvel over all their tiny features? This new little life enters the world and it’s impossible to know what kind of personality will come with it. While a baby’s temperament and how often they coo or giggle might not come to fruition for a while, there are plenty of details that new parents will take note of right away.

What color is the baby’s hair? What about their eyes? How many wrinkles are covering their tiny newborn hands? Parents come to know and love all of these intimate details about their babies, and then just like that — poof — many will fade away like they were never there to begin with.

There’s probably not a parent on the planet that hasn’t been warned about how quickly their little one will grow up. Still, this warning can’t be fully appreciated until they’ve went through it themselves. One day the baby is just a week old and it seems like they’re six months old in the blink of an eye.

While there are lots of developmental milestones and cute facets of their personality to fall in love with along the way, it’s hard to say goodbye to some of the features they were born with.

Within the first few months of life, babies go through many changes. Many don’t even look like the same baby by the time they are just three months old. Their skin tone changes, along with the shape of their body, their hair and eyes, and the way they behave around mom, dad, and others. It’s unpredictable and bittersweet.

Wrinkles

Newborn skin is the stuff dreams are made of. It’s soft like marshmallow fluff yet silky and smooth, too. Across a newborn’s hands and feet, there may be a road map of fine lines and wrinkles from their time spent floating around in amniotic fluid. Some people may describe the skin as saggy in certain areas.

This sagging creates some of those folds and wrinkles that we love so much. Some of that plumpness is due to collagen. Type III collagen actually accounts for more than half of the total collagen in a newborn’s skin — so much so that it is often called fetal collagen.

The wrinkles will start to disappear. Slowly but surely, those little lines that appear in their newborn footprints across the pages of their baby book will look as though they never existed. Of course, we all have wrinkles on our hands and feet; some do remain, but not nearly all of them.

Newborn Noises

Some babies are cooing before they’re even home from the hospital post-birth. Others will take a few days or weeks to start emitting those telltale sounds that are so sweet and so subtle they could only come from one of the smallest human beings on Earth.

The best advice parents can heed on this front is to get their cameras ready and revel in these coos, oohs and ahs as often as they can, because it won’t last forever.

In fact, by the time a baby turns two or three months old, they may never make a cooing noise again. Yes, it really can end that soon. Don’t worry, though. You don’t have to give up on the way those coos make you feel. That warm and fuzzy feeling that a newborn giggle gives you will be replaced by the mamas and dadas of your six-month old and someday, the belly laughs of a toddler.

Sleep Habits

Most of the time, expectant couples experiencing their first pregnancy will recall warnings from friends and family alike of how much sleep they’re going to lose being a parent. Pregnant mamas may be encouraged to take advantage of the sleepiness that pregnancy provides and soak up all the extra naps they can get.

It may be suggested that dads-to-be snuggle up to momma and snooze away Saturday afternoon, too.

Yes, once that baby comes, your sleep patterns are going to change. Moms who nurse will experience this even more as their babies will often wake every 1.5 to 2 hours to feed. This may persist until solids are introduced between six and 12 months, but most parents start being able to squeeze in 3-4 hour stretches before then.

Truth be told, the first sleep months are the easiest in terms of sleep, because parents can sleep when baby sleeps throughout the day, too — if they’re fortunate enough to be graced with time off from work. By three months, baby will still be up at night, but they will also slowly start to sleep less during the day. Yikes!

Newborn Hair

The hair is actually one of the most frequently changing features on any baby. Even if you’ve had heartburn all pregnancy long, that full head of hair that science says you might get means very little. Why? Because it might not stick around, that’s why. Many babies are born with lush heads full of hair only to give their parents a fright when they subtly start shedding those locks in the weeks following birth.

Don’t worry moms and dads. This too is normal.

Many babies have a hair growth cycle that tends to end post-birth and they start growing fresh locks that might even be a different hue from that which they were born with. In addition, babies who are born bald could be swimming in thick curls or fine baby soft tendrils by the time three months passes.

It’s easy to get attached to the hair they’re born with, but believe it or not, some babies are ready for their first trim by three months, too.

The Tininess

Even for the baby who is born at a hefty nine pounds, it’s hard to watch them get bigger. There’s probably not a mom or dad in existence who didn’t wish at one time or another that their child would go back to being a baby — even if just for a day. We fall in love so hard and deeply with our babies when they are born, and their petite size is part of that.

We scoop them into our arms and stare at their tiny features in amazement of their size.

So, how do they suddenly jump to 25lbs then? They don’t. It’s subtle. They grow bit by bit, day by day and creep up the scale of percentiles until you’re left wondering where your baby went. Most babies will have doubled their birth weight by the time they reach three months old. They’ll be longer and more limber.

They will have outgrown the outfit they wore home from the hospital. They won’t fit into that ring sling

That Conehead

Short of having a C-section, there is no surefire way to avoid the conehead. Some baby’s heads will be misshapen more obviously than others. Likewise, some will round out within days while others take weeks. It might make those woven pink and blue striped hospital hats look more appealing in photos, but they can interfere with skin to skin contact, too.

If we aren’t opting for hats and surgery out of vanity, we’ll all have to deal with the conehead our babies are born with. Consider it a rite of passage. You’ve birthed your baby the same way that millions of women have been for centuries.

You carried that baby for nine — more like ten — long months and then pushed — with the help of your uterus — them through the birth canal. Their conehead might be the only proof you have, unless you’re really brave and opted for photography.

Eye Color

Eye color is genetically predetermined. If mom and dad both have brown eyes, baby has a 75 percent or greater likelihood of having brown eyes, too. Despite that fact, many parents get their hopes up when they see their newborn’s baby blues flash their way that they will have beaten the odds and their little one will keep their blue peepers.

Don’t shoot the messenger; surveys have shown men and women both prefer blue eyes to any other color.

So why then are these babies born with blue eyes only to have them change down the line? Most all Caucasian babies are born with blue eyes, and some with a steel grey hue. These babies don’t have color-changing genes. Rather, all babies have low levels of melanin at the time of birth. It takes time for melanin to build up and react with the pigment in their bodies.

While it can take as long as nine months to a year,

most baby’s eyes will start changing color by the third month of age if they’re going to.

Skin Tone

Newborn babies have this fabulous skin tone. It might help that they have no scars, laugh lines, pimples, or pores, but seriously, their skin is perfection. Their complexion is often reddish or pink and they might look a little warm or flushed because of it.

Rest assured this is normal. As the hours pass by following delivery, some babies will lose the red skin tone and settle into their own flesh coloring.

Others will take much longer — upwards of a month — until their skin tone evens out. Sometimes babies will go through periods where their skin looks bumpy or blotchy, too. This is also normal. Their skin is also paper thin in the initial weeks and weeks following birth. Sometimes you’ll catch a glimpse of their veins through the flesh.

This is nothing to be concerned about. The skin will thicken over time.

Pigeon Toes

The majority of all babies are born looking somewhat pigeon-toed. This feature occurs when the feet appear to curve inward. This curvature might look problematic at first, but it is quite normal. When babies are squished in the womb for the duration of a pregnancy, much of their body becomes a little contorted in order to fit comfortably. The feet are no exception.

One advantage that can help babies get more accustomed to their bodies and their surroundings is chiropractic care. While it sounds a little scary to think about having a newborn baby adjusted, it’s actually one of the best things a parent can do for their children.

Being in proper alignment boosts the immune system considerably and keeps the body’s many systems working well together. Adjustments can also help to sort out features like pigeon-toes. Nonetheless, it should rectify itself within a few months, though some babies may still have a slight curvature of the feet going into their first birthday.

Umbilical Cord

This step won’t take three months. The umbilical cord is present throughout fetal development to pass nutrition that the mother ingests on to the growing baby. One end of the umbilical cord is attached to the placenta, which is the organ that develops during early pregnancy to filter out toxins from getting to the baby. The other end is attached to where the naval will be on the newborn.

The umbilical cord also serves another purpose. It carries away waste from the developing baby. Most umbilical cords have three vessels inside of them — two of them carry waste away. For around 1 in 100 singleton pregnancies, one of the vessels will be missing.

Growth scans may be used to monitor these cases since adequate nutrition is a concern if the nutrient-supplying vessel is the one that’s missing. Otherwise, it is nothing to worry about. The umbilical cord is severed after birth and a stump is left. Nothing should be applied to this stump. It will fall off on its own in about seven to ten days.

Hair, Hair Everywhere!

Babies spend a lot of time in their mother’s bellies. Their skin is kept protected by vernix for the most part, which will diminish the longer a baby is in utero, but there is also hair growth that starts to form, too. Our entire bodies are covered by fine hairs that alert us to sensations such as a blowing breeze, and the newborn is no exception.

Initially, they grow lanugo all over their bodies. This fine and often colorless hair is shed between 33 and 36 weeks in most developing babies. They will then digest it along with amniotic fluid. The lanugo is then replaced with vellus hair, which is what the baby will be born with. This hair is still very fine and soft.

It may be very dark or so light that it is barely visible. It is common to see more prominent trails of it along the shoulders and neck. This hair will shed in the first few months and slowly be replaced by terminal hair, which is what we have as adults.

A Lumpy Head

When you have a baby, there’s almost nothing more irresistible than brushing their fine baby hairs with your fingertips and swooning over their tiny little head. So, when your fingers grace over that massive ridge that seems to be taking shape at the crown of their head, rest assured that it is supposed to be there.

In addition, the rest of the skull will appear to be almost puzzle-like in formation. Certain areas will dip down into the skull, too. You might notice blood vessel underneath these regions pulsating at times. Don’t worry! It’s supposed to be like that. These are called soft spots or fontanels.

The newborn baby’s skull is actually in five separate pieces at the time of birth. This flexible skull is what makes it possible for the baby to be pushed through the birth canal, and what causes that telltale conehead appearance in many of them.

Swollen Parts

A lot of parents aren’t told to expect this. So, when the baby is born they end up very surprised and wondering if something is wrong with their baby. Don’t worry, moms and dads! It is completely normal for the genitals and breasts to be swollen the way they are at birth. No, it isn’t at all indicative of the size they will end up being, and no their breasts won’t stay that way.

The appearance of a baby’s genitals at the time of birth is actually somewhat related to how far along they were in gestational age. Premature boys may still have undescended testicles, for example, and premature girls may have a very swollen and prominent clitoris. All of this will subside in the days following birth.

In addition, girls may have some white-colored discharge and even a little spotting of blood in the weeks following birth. This too is normal.

Erythema Toxicum And Baby Acne

Either or both of these rashes may appear on your little one within the days and weeks following birth. Some babies will develop erythema toxicum, which is a rash that resembles flea bites. It often appears prickly and red and will spread from the top of the body to the bottom before it clears up. Baby acne is more common. Around 20 percent of babies will experience this phenomenon.

It is most common on the cheeks and forehead, but isn’t understood why just yet. These raised pustules are actually pimples. They are thought to be caused by leftover hormones from the mother that are trying to leave the baby’s body.

While it can be tempting to squeeze or otherwise burst these pimples in an attempt to clear the baby’s complexion, this is not recommended and actually warned against because it can lead to infection and scarring. Some women have found breastmilk applied topically to be helpful in clearing it sooner. Otherwise, leave it alone and it will go away by itself.

Vernix

Obviously, the vernix isn’t going to stick around forever. You will — at some point — bathe your baby. I say at some point because delayed bathing is all the rage right now — as it should be. Evidence actually supports this trend, so don’t scoff just yet. But it’s not because of just the vernix itself. Rather, the baby is exposed to bacteria.

Yes! You actually want to expose your little one to germs. Why? Because that’s how they build their immune system.

This is such a strong proponent of a healthy baby that many moms-to-be and hospitals are now opting for swabbing babies down with mom’s vagina fluids post-Cesarean, too. In addition, the vernix acts like a protective barrier for the newborn’s brand new skin. It is naturally antibacterial, too.

So, when the vernix will go away is entirely up to the mom and dad. Some will still opt for that first bath at the hospital. Others will wait up to a month. Rub that vernix into the skin, Moms and Dads! Science says it’s best for baby.

Sources: Clinical Gate, Parents, She Knows, March of Dimes

Great Prices on Kirkland (Costco brand) Disposable Diapers and Diaper Wipes…

August 2, 2021August 11, 2021 / Judy E. / Leave a comment

In an effort to save you some money I mention great deals coming down the pipeline. From August 4 – 29 these diapers are available at $9.00 off per package! Wipes are available at $4.00 off. If you do not have a Costco card ask friends to pick these up for you. It never hurts to watch your budget!!!