Mothering Corner

How to determine if baby is getting enough breastmilk? Not by measuring how many of oz of milk baby takes in a day as breastfed babies who nurse directly feed on demand, and it’s impossible to measure the milk volume from mommy’s breasts. Thus, as long as the newborn baby is having 5 - 8 very wet nappies or 5 - 8 poo poo per day, she’s getting enough milk. This means that we monitor the output, but not the input of breastmilk.

My 2 babies pee and poo a lot during the first month. Justin poo after every feed! I didn’t have a confinement lady nor a maid and was taking care of him all by myself. Being a first time mom, I felt so helpless, frustrated, and extremely tired! Hubby’s traveling most of the time, so I had to do everything by myself. Luckily, I managed to keep my insanity, and didn’t have severe postnatal depression!

But as baby grows older, the number of poo gets lesser too. After Justin was 3 months old, he only poo about once a week!!! The longest record is 11 days. No, it’s not constipation, but 100% absorption of breastmilk. But he still wet his diapers and nappies. However, after starting solid, he had poo poo about everyday. On the other hand Isabelle didn’t show this pattern before she started solid and still poo everyday, so it depends on individual baby.

Breastfed babies poo poo is yellowish and watery. So, I only use wet wipes or wet cotton balls to clean my newborn babies. After they’re older, I’ll wash them at the sink directly, unless it’s night time when the water is colder. You can be sure of using lots of wet wipers!

I got this tips from Bebeshop about making wet tissues by DIY. I haven’t tried it though as I don’t use much nowadays. So, you can try out and let me know the outcomes ya?

Making your own baby wipes will not only save money, but you will know for sure that no harsh or harmful chemicals are touching your baby’s bottom.

Difficulty: Easy

Time Required: 15 minutes

Here’s How:

1. Cut the roll of paper towels in half with a knife and remove the inner cardboard core.

2. Mix liquid ingredients in container.

3. Place the paper towels in the container with the cut side facing downward.

4. Secure lid tightly and allow to sit until all liquid is absorbed into the paper towels

5. Turn the container upside-down and allow to sit for 10 minutes.

6. Open container and ’start’ the roll by pulling a towel from the inside of the roll.

7. Wipes are now ready to use.

Tips:

Save the other half of the roll for use next time you make wipes.

Make sure the container is closed tightly after each use to prevent drying out.

When your baby is older and his skin is less sensitive, you can add about a teaspoon of rubbing alcohol to the mix.

What You Need:

Round plastic container, wash and clean

Thick, strong roll of white paper towels

Sharp knife to cut paper towel roll in half

Liquid ingredients:

2 cups water that has been boiled and cooled to room temperature

2 Tablespoons baby shampoo or body wash

1 Tablespoon baby oil