June 2009 - Posts

What is a Newborn Care Specialist - Newborn Help Defined
28 June 09 07:15 AM | Nancy Hamm | with no comments

Please feel free to contact Nancy at 602-263-1003 or check out her website at www.exclusivelybabynurses.org for agency help or www.exclusivelynewborns.com for personal help.

 

There are many misconceptions on the differences between a Night Nanny, a Baby Nurse, a Doula and a Newborn Care Specialist.  I would like to take this opportunity to define these differences.  Night Nanny is a person who comes into your home at night and cares for your baby.  She takes her instruction from the parents and is generally not educated in newborn techniques nor can she give updated advice on the care of newborns.  She will generally charge accordingly.  Usually $10 - $18 hour. Baby Nurse is an RN or LPN.  She will generally come into the home when the newborn has medical issues that cannot be tended to by a Newborn Care Specialist.  She will assist the parents in a serious medical situation and the newborn will generally need around the clock medical attention.  A Baby Nurse can also be a Newborn Care Specialist but must be trained more extensively in practical newborn care.  A Baby Nurse will charge one half to two times more than a Newborn Care Specialist.  She will generally charge $30 - $50 an hour. Doula is sometimes called a Mother’s Mother.  She may be a Post Partum Doula or she could be a Pregnancy Doula.  A Pregnancy/Birth Doula will assist the Mother throughout her entire pregnancy and birth.  Her job will be complete at the birth.  A Post Partum Doula takes over where the Birth Doula leaves off.  She will follow the Mother home and assist her with *** feeding and she will tend to the Mother’s needs.  She will not tend to the baby unless the Mother specifically requests that she do this.  She is not educated in newborn issues to the same extent as the Newborn Care Specialist as her job is the Mother.  She will generally charge by the job.  Certified Newborn Care Specialist is exactly what the name denotes.  She is a specialist in newborn care from birth to 12 weeks (adjusted age).  She is more educated in that specific age than a Baby Nurse.  Although a Baby Nurse is more experienced in the medical aspects, she will not have the practical experience of the Certified Newborn Care Specialist.  A skilled and certified Newborn Care Specialist will have well-rounded knowledge in formula and breastfeeding, understand how to effectively set up a routine that fits the family's lifestyle, be able to interpret and adequately respond to a baby's needs, establish healthy sleep habits, know about diaper rashes, circumcision care, reflux, colic, swaddling, soothing techniques and how to effectively set up the family for success. She will be experienced in preemies, multiples and special needs babies. She will generally come in for one week to three months relieving Mom at night and educating the parents while she is there. Most Newborn Care Specialists are also available for day duty, around the clock or as a consultant. Her goal to work herself "out" of a job by the time the baby is 3 months old and typically sleeping through the night.
There is so much to know about babies and a Newborn Care Specialist is a person who is ‘in the know'.
I would strongly suggest that you make sure the Newborn Care Specialist/Baby Nurse you hire is certified by a qualified agent. Those ladies will carry the initials CNCS (Certified Newborn Care Specialists) behind their name. Many ladies call themselves Newborn Care Specialists/ Baby Nurses but not all are qualified to be doing that job.   

 

Filed under: colic solutions, baby care new parents tips newborn, bringing a baby home, newborn product needs, Baby Nurse, babycare

Newborn Care Specialist Class in Los Angeles
22 June 09 07:33 PM | Nancy Hamm | with no comments

I will be teaching a 3 day class in LA that will apply toward the certification of the Newborn Care Specialist.

I have trained Newborn Care Specialist’s, RN’s,LVN’s,Doula’s, CNA’s, Nannies, Child Care Workers, Mommies, and people with no newborn experience.  This is a hands on class.

This is an NCSA sponsored class (Newborn Care Specialist Association)

Friday          Aug. 14          5 PM – 10 PM

Saturday     Aug. 15           9:30 AM – 5 PM

Sunday       Aug.  16           9:30 AM – 5 PM

Please go to http://www.ncsainfo.com/training  for curriculum and to pay on line

This is the most extensive newborn class taught in the US. It includes complete care information for a newborn 0 – 12 weeks. 

We do not have a place to meet yet and are willing to offer a free class to anyone who has a complimentary meeting room for up to 15 people.   This can be in a home, office, school, church etc.

The cost:   $450 and includes a manual, workbook and access to updates and videos.

Deposit:    $100 to be paid by Aug. 9 to reserve your spot. 

Preventing Mommy Meltdowns – what Mommy should know before the baby comes home.
22 June 09 02:47 PM | Nancy Hamm | 3 comment(s)

You walked out of your OB’s office, you were pregnant and so excited. After 9 months you were looking forward to the time when you were able to get back to your “normal” life. You had the baby shower and went on line to get everything you thought you needed. You knew exactly what to do; you read all the books and even went to a great baby basics class. You were ready.

Finally the baby arrives. It is at that point you realize you are now responsible for this new life and surprisingly, the baby is not very appreciative. The hospital staff helped you care for the infant for the first couple of days but now you are home and all your baby does is sleep, eat, poop and cry. You are sleep deprived from the on-going feedings; day and night, night and day. The baby continually demands your attention. You are either feeding, changing or rocking your sweet little one. Your husband is helping as much as he can or he has shut down and is seeking refuge in work. Your hormones are raging, your breasts are sore and you have not slept in days. You can’t remember the last time you showered or even had a good meal. Everyone told you this was suppose to be wonderful. There has to be an easier way.

Drugs probably sound really good right about now! If you find that you need a little medical help with drugs, don’t feel embarrassed. Your OBGN can be very helpful in these times. Don’t be afraid to talk to him and express your fears and concerns.

Please know that you are not alone. Believe it or not, all mothers go through the same feelings of being overwhelmed. I have had desperate mommies confess to me “At this point, I don’t even like my baby.” My heart goes out to them. I know they love their baby, but I also know they are sleep deprived and desperate.

Be prepared, really prepared. Talk to mom’s who have recently gone through this. Join a Mom’s group. Accept suggestions and support from them.

Consistency and scheduling are the two most important things you can do in this process.

Being a Newborn Care Specialist, I talk to new mommies everyday about this issue. Here are some of the suggestions I’ve give them:

Babies need to be on a schedule. Babies thrive on schedules and so do you. You feed them every 3 hours during the day and let them wake up by themselves at night. Bottle feeding should take approximately 20 – 30 minutes and about 30 – 40 min. if breastfeeding. There are acceptable ways to do this and it is extremely important for you to learn how.

Heating the bottles is not necessary. It is possible to prepare a bottle in under 30 seconds so when baby is crying, you are not wasting precious time using a bottle warmer or other means to warm a bottle.

You only have to sterilize bottles when you bring the bottles home from the store. The dishwasher is a great cleaning mechanism after that.

Know how to properly swaddle. This is extremely important. A properly swaddled baby will sleep longer and more peacefully. How great is that!

There is a very workable schedule that will allow you to get a 5 - 6 hours stretch of sleep every night. Learn what that is.

Have a recommended Lactation Specialist on call if you are breastfeeding. Breastfeeding should never cause cracked or bleeding nipples. I would also recommend that you rent a hospital grade *** pump as soon as the baby is born.

Have a non DHA/ARA formula on hand, even if you are going to be entirely breastfeeding. Doing this will take off the extreme pressure of “what if I cannot produce enough for my baby?” or of making a midnight run to the store for formula while a baby is crying with hunger and won’t latch on.

The last thing I would suggest is that if you can afford to hire someone to help you during the night so you can get a good night sleep, you should do that. If you get a good night sleep, you can handle anything during the day.

Having a new addition to the family is manageable. Yes, the first couple of months can be extremely difficult, but with the proper tools and knowledge, you will be able to navigate those times with confidence.

Contact Nancy at 602-263-1003 or email her at nancy@exclusivelybabynurses.com mention this article.

Filed under: colic reasons, baby care new parents tips newborn, bringing a baby home, Baby Nurse, babycare

Colic - Finally an explanation and solution
21 June 09 01:38 PM | Nancy Hamm | 1 comment(s)

WHAT IS COLIC?

If a baby cries inconsolably for long periods every day, particularly at the same time each day, but is happy, health and alert at all other times, it is suggested that he may have colic. Colic occurs only in newborn babies up to about four to five months of age. Colic generally begins anytime after three weeks. The common reason given for colic is gas, indigestion or formula issues. The question is: Why does colic occur only around supper time and not at other times during the day? Why does the discomfort only occur at one specific time during the day and not at other times? Why does it occur mostly at the 'witching hour' which is generally around supper?I would like to suggest that there may be another cause for 'colic'. Perhaps neither gas, indigestion nor formula are the issues. Could there be a link between colic, over stimulation, and missing their biological clock in newborns?

OVER STIMULATION: The first thing we want to examine is the baby’s ability to become over stimulated. A baby can be hypersensitive to sights and sounds making it very easy to send a baby into an uncontrollable crying spell. This is the time where adrenalin can kick in and it may take hours to console them. What makes this action so difficult for parents is in their attempt to calm the baby they are using techniques such as rocking, juggling, singing and walking which are continuing to over stimulate them.Actions that may over stimulate may include the television, music, playing too long, other children running through the house, household noises, being kept up too long, company over and anything else that is tiring to a baby.

BIOLOGICAL CLOCK: Missing the baby's biological night time clock can cause a great deal distress with a newborn. A baby’s biological clock is set much earlier in the evening than an adult. A baby will sleep much better, longer and deeper when put to bed during the hours of their biological. A baby’s clock is set for between 6 PM and 7:30 PM. This means you should start the baby’s night time routine between 5 PM and 6 PM. and baby should be in bed for the night by approximately. 7 PM.  This does not mean the baby will not wake up for feedings around 10 or 11PM. but from the 7PM time there should be no more playing, or keeping baby up.  There are a whole set up 'rules' for baby care after 7 PM. (I will address them in the next post)If you find the baby crying uncontrollably around the ‘witching hour’ you have pushed the baby too far with over stimulation or/and pushing the baby's bedtime back too far.

WAKE/SLEEP TRANSITION: Some babies do not transition well from being awake to falling back to sleep. These are also times when crying may increases in the evening. Falling asleep may be difficult for the baby. Be very careful not to allow this to happen. Catch them before this happens. Watch their biological clock. Swaddling them and putting them down fed, dry and if possible awake to fall asleep on their own. If the baby gets to the place where they are crying uncontrollably they may have to cry it out as nothing will calm them down.

BABY GAS OR DIGESTION ISSUES: There are times when the baby has traditional colic, described as gas pains or digestion issues which are painful for the infant. They will be characterized by high pitched crying, arching of the back, the baby's face often gets flushed or red. The belly is sometimes distended or prominent, the legs alternating between flexed and extended straight out; the feet are often cold and the hands clenched.   These are not over stimulation or a missed bedtime symptoms. These incidents will not be every night at a specific time every day. These will only happen on occasion. Should this occur with every feed, they are more likely to have reflux not colic.

BABY MASSAGE FOR GAS: A good method of working out baby gas and/or constipation could be to draw a warm bath, with a teaspoon of Epsom or Himalayan salts from your local health food store, you can lay your baby gently on her back and with a little olive or almond oil on your fingers, you can trace a gentle clock-wise circle about 2-4 inches from her belly button with your fingers. With this action you are following the natural circuit of the large intestine and encouraging the squeezing action of the intestines, for the purpose of promoting elimination. Make sure baby is reacting favorably to this kind of stimulation as severe cramping or colic isn’t a normal reaction

BICYCLE FOR GAS: The other baby massage technique that works well is the bicycle. While baby is on his back, you can take his legs and gently imitate the motion of riding a bike. This also acts to stimulate the same way that walking and movement helps us parents to stay regular. If, during the baby massage, you feel hard or knotty stool, or you don’t hear any gas bubbles when you put your ear to baby’s tummy, it may be a sign of an obstruction from too much stool built up.Use only natural gas remedies such as Colic Ease, Colic Calm or Gripe Water.  I will do a post on chemicals in baby's products soon. 

Filed under: colic solutions, colic reasons