Every young mother, even in the hospital, asks how to keep a newborn in a column. In order not to make mistakes and not harm the baby, it is better to familiarize yourself with the recommendations and basic rules in advance how to keep the newborn in a column.
A newborn baby is a tiny defenseless creature for whom mom represents the whole world. However, all young mothers face certain difficulties in caring for the baby. The first questions arise in the maternity hospital when a newly minted mother and child are transferred to the "mother and child" ward.
How to keep a newborn with a column
From the first days of life, a young mother will probably find it more convenient to keep the baby with a column, having previously wrapped it in a diaper. So there will be less fears that the baby may slip out or be in an uncomfortable position.
What should I look for?
1. The baby’s head must be supported so that it does not tilt over. To do this, fix the head and neck with one hand.
2. It is necessary to ensure that there is no unnecessary load on the spine. You need to hold the baby with your free hand (one keep your head) for the ass and lower back. Make sure that the child is not in a sitting position. Hand need to create support for the children's spine.
3. Do not give support for the legs of the baby (again, so as not to burden the spine).
4. You need to move smoothly, without sharpness, so that the baby remains calm. It is advisable to speak kindly with the baby.
5. It is better to put a clean diaper on your shoulder. This is advisable both for hygiene purposes and to avoid soiling of clothes in case of regurgitation.
By feeding the baby, you can immediately gently shift it into a vertical position, but for this you need to get a little used to handling the crumb. At the very beginning, it is easier for inexperienced mothers to put the baby after feeding, after which it will be easier to take the column. Lean towards the child as close as possible. Carefully stick one hand under the baby’s head, and the other under the lower back and buttocks. Lift the baby up and hold it against you so that its head is approximately at shoulder height. The shoulder should be a support for the baby’s head.
If you want to take the baby with a column from a position on the tummy, then one hand should be placed under the baby’s breast so that the index chin and thumb support the chin. With the second hand, take the baby under the tummy and lifting it, press it to you.
Do not make such a pleasant ritual as carrying your crumbs on handles, a boring routine. Talk with your child, sing songs. Remember that wearing a baby with a column is necessary only in the first months of life. Very soon, only memories will remain of this time.
Mistakes that can be made by raising and holding the child upright
In order not to accidentally harm the child, you need to know what manipulations with the baby are forbidden.
1. You can not raise the child by the hands (forearms) to avoid dislocations.
2. You can not raise the baby by the armpits. So the baby's head will tilt back, and the neck muscles can get a sprain.
3. You can not raise the child abruptly (fright can happen).
4. The child must be firmly fixed on the hands, but you can not hold it too tight so as not to disturb the blood circulation.
5. You can’t be distracted by extraneous matters while holding the baby in a column. A tired mother can easily lose her vigilance, and the baby can slip out of her hands or the head can tilt back, losing support.
When to keep a newborn with a column
Keep the newborn in a column can begin after the first feedings in the hospital. This is necessary to facilitate the digestive processes of the baby. A small organism only adapts to life outside the womb and the digestive system can cause anxiety in the form of colic and gas formation.
Many of the necessary future baby care operations are best practiced in the hospital, as there is someone to turn to for advice or help. For example, you can see how experienced mothers (who have more than the first birth of a child) hold a column of a newborn.
In case of problems, you can ask a question to the medical staff of the hospital. If you learn how to do basic manipulations in the hospital, after discharge it will be easier to care for the baby, since basic knowledge and skills have already been acquired.
What is the use of the child's column position
Inexperienced mothers may wonder: why keep the newborn in a column and is it always necessary?
The position in the column gives the following:
• the baby’s ventricle is easier to digest food;
• the baby can easily burp out the air swallowed during feeding, which will reduce the risk of colic;
• the child may burp excess food that otherwise would not be digested and could cause such unpleasant phenomena as feeling sick, restless, lethargic, or even allergic dermatitis;
• the position of the child with a column is useful for his physical development, in this position the muscles of the back and neck are strengthened, the baby will quickly learn to hold his head;
• tactile contact with the mother will benefit the baby, calm him, create a feeling of comfort;
• closer to a month in a column position, the baby will be able to get acquainted with the environment for the first time.
It is impossible to say unequivocally how long it takes to keep a newborn in a column. It depends on many factors: features of the baby's body, method of feeding (artificial or breast), time and conditions of feeding. This process can take about 5 minutes if the child immediately burps the swallowed air or excess food.
Some babies need to be vilified in an upright position for up to 20 minutes if spitting up in the first minutes does not occur. At the same time, you can periodically swing the baby and slightly change its position in order to speed up the process. You can stroke the baby on the back from the bottom up, leaning a little forward and backward. When air or excess food comes out, you can put the baby in the crib.
Is it necessary to keep the baby with a column if he falls asleep after feeding
If the baby is worried during feeding, crying, in a hurry, distracted, then starts eating again, then he will surely swallow air and must be held upright.
If, on the contrary, feeding takes place in a calm environment and the baby falls asleep after it, you can try to skip holding the column. After feeding the sleeping baby, it is imperative to lay it on a barrel, creating support under the spine (for example, with a roller from a blanket). You just need to remember that not burped air can disturb the baby later. If this happened, the next time the baby falls asleep after feeding, it is better to nevertheless carefully pick him up in his upright position right in a sleepy state.
There may be such a problem that the baby wakes up when he is picked up. For crumbs with such a sensitive sleep, it will be better to eat already in a semi-vertical position on the handles.
What to do if the baby is worried in his arms
Mom may encounter a problem that the child cannot be in her arms calmly while holding the column. If the baby is naughty, then he doesn’t like something and you need to look for the reason. There may be several main reasons.
1. The smell. The baby’s sense of smell may not perceive the pungent smell of deodorant or perfume.
2. Cloth clothes. Perhaps the material of my mother’s clothes causes discomfort on the baby’s skin. Synthetics are increasingly used for sewing clothes; for contact with a baby, it is better to wear clothes made from natural fabrics.
3. Foreign object. Pay attention that nothing interferes with the child (brooch, pendant, etc.).
4. The emotional state of mom. The bond between mother and baby in the first months is especially strong. Try to control your emotional state. Mom’s anxiety can affect the baby.
How to learn to keep a column of a newborn dad
For dad, the obligation to hold the baby in a column after feeding can be the reason for the first close acquaintance with his heir (heiress). For mom, there will be a free minute that is so necessary in the first months of the baby’s life.
Most dads (and mothers too) are afraid to take such a tiny creature into their hands, inadvertently do something wrong, do harm. In this case, it is best for the mother to hand the baby into her husband’s hands and help to take in the right position. After a while, when dad gets used to the crumbs in his hands, he will learn how to take a baby on his own, observing the basic rules.
