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Birth to 4 Months Old Baby Food Ideas & Feeding Tips
Most paediatricians suggest that it is best to feed your baby breastmilk exclusively for the first six months after birth. However, for some, it might become necessary to supplement with formula. In the first year of birth, babies will gain thrice their birth weight. Thus, it becomes essential that they get all the necessary nutrients right from birth.
Which Nutrients are Important for the Child at this Stage?
Your baby needs the following nutrients to grow and develop well:
Folate – this is essential to help the cells in baby’s body to divide.
Calcium – helps in ensuring your baby has strong teeth and bones.
Iron – besides boosting blood cells, it helps in brain development. Your doctor might suggest iron supplements if your baby is exclusively breastfed.
Fat – ensures healthy hair and skin while providing protection against infections. It is also useful in brain development and provides energy.
Zinc – encourages cell repair and growth.
Carbohydrates and proteins – these are necessary to ensure your baby gets the required energy and growth stays on track.
Vitamins – different types of vitamins such as A, B1, B2, B3, B6, B12, C, D, E, and K are also essential to facilitate and enhance the normal functioning of the brain, immune system, nervous system, and blood clotting.
Infant formulas are usually fortified to ensure that they are as similar to breast milk as possible. Apart from the above nutrients, some formulas might also have essential fatty acids like DHA and ARA, nucleotides, prebiotics, and probiotics.
Feeding your Baby: Birth to 4 Months
It is important to encourage healthy eating habits in your baby right from the start. Baby feeding plans can usually be broadly categorized into three – baby-led schedules, parent-led feeding patterns, and combination feeding schedules. As the term indicates, baby-led schedules are determined by your infant and tend to be unstructured. Parent-led routines are where there are specific times for eating, playing, and sleeping. Combination feeding schedules tend to be flexible and though fixed by parents, can accommodate the child’s wishes to a certain extent. You have to determine which of these works best for your family based on baby’s needs and your daily lives.
How much and how Often should you Breastfeed?
As your infant grows older, the number of feedings will decline. Your baby is likely to sleep longer and have fewer bowel movements. On an average, your baby will feed about six to eight times each day. If your baby is alert, happy, active, gaining weight, developing well, wetting and soiling an adequate number of diapers each day, then it is likely that your baby is getting enough food. But if your infant seems unhappy after every feed and wants to continue feeding or is cranky and cries a lot, then it might be due to inadequate feeds.
How much and how Often should you Formula-Feed?
Breastmilk is easier to digest than formula. Thus, babies on formula are likely to feed less frequently than those who are breastfed. As they grow older, the number of feeds will decline further. It is important to take care not to overfeed your baby because it is easier for babies to drink from a bottle than the breast.
Feeding Tips to Feed a Newborn to 4-Month-Old Infant
The nutritional requirements of babies will vary as no two babies are alike.
Cues That Your Infant is Hungry
Your baby starts opens his mouth and turns his head towards the breast or the bottle.
The infant starts sucking on his fingers or hands.
Baby is extremely fussy and cries with clenched fists.
Signs of a Satisfied Baby
Baby is no longer interested in the breast or the bottle.
Falls asleep immediately after feeding.
Hands are relaxed and suck very slowly.
Other Things to Remember
Babies tend to have growth spurts, and for some, it can be at the start of the second week and again between three and six weeks.
Spit ups are common in young babies because the muscular valve connecting the oesophagus and the stomach is immature. This allows some of the stomach contents to come back up.
Bowel movements may be as frequent as one after every feed or even once a day or once in three days. This will vary from baby to baby, and so long as your baby is keeping to his schedule, everything should be fine.
For a 1-month baby, food will be all liquids. Avoid giving babies solid foods until they are at least six months old.
When breastfeeding, be sure to switch breasts midway. This way, you will ensure constant milk supply and also avoid engorgement. It can take your baby anywhere between five to 15 minutes to empty one breast. Changing breasts too quickly can deprive your child of the rich hindmilk which is extremely nutritious and filling.
Be sure to burp your baby every time you switch breasts. Babies who spit up a lot may have to be burped more often.
For a 2-months baby, food choices are limited. This is also true when it comes to a 3-months baby. Food is ideally breast milk or formula for infants up to six months. If for some reason, you need to start solids early, you can come up with a 4-month baby food schedule in consultation with your doctor.
Since babies have small tummies, they need to be fed frequently to meet their growth and developmental milestones. Since babies survive solely on milk, either breast milk or formula, for the first four months of their life, it is important to ensure that these are nutritional. Breastfeeding mothers need to eat a healthy diet as this is what gets passed on to the baby. When picking a formula, choose a reputed brand which is adequately fortified.
Disclaimer: This information is just a guide and not a substitute for medical advice from a qualified professional.
Also Read:
Common Digestive Problems in Babies
Introducing Water to Babies
Food Ideas for 4 to 6 Months Old Babies Read more
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Digital Pregnancy Test - Results and Accuracy
As everything in this age is going digital, it should not come as a surprise to come across an electronic pregnancy test kit in the market. We are usually aware of the simple kits that show a blue line or two lines confirming the pregnancy, but not many are aware of digital pregnancy test and how it works. A digital display clearly indicates the presence or absence of pregnancy and has low chances of false results, and clearly is a better alternative.
How Do Digital Pregnancy Tests Work?
The principle on which the digital pregnancy test kits work is the same as that of any other pregnancy kit available in the drug store.
For the kit to provide the right result, a strong sign of pregnancy needs to be present. The fertilization of the egg in the woman needs to successfully take place by the sperm, which gives rise to multiple zygotes working together to form a healthy embryo. Travelling down the tubes, the embryo attaches the uterus and causes implantation bleeding, which is generally one of the initial signs of the presence of a pregnancy. But this cannot be detected by the kit. It is only when the placenta forms that the human chorionic gonadotropin hormone (hCG) is secreted. This is precisely what is detected by the pregnancy kits.
The hCG can be detected in the urine and makes its presence there only when the secretion reaches a certain threshold. The pregnancy sticks contain specific chemicals that react to the presence of hCG. Simple sticks normally show a blue line but the digital pregnancy sticks display clear information.
Digital Pregnancy Test Results
Just like other pregnancy sticks, the result time of a digital pregnancy stick also has a limited lifetime. The test results cannot stay present forever. Every stick has a specific symbol to depict the result of the test, and that is shown only for some time. Other sticks up showing text or animated icons, too.
1. Positive Result
If you conduct the test in an appropriate manner and you are, in fact, pregnant, then the digital pregnancy stick will show you a sign to indicate the presence of a pregnancy.
Most sticks end up showing an arithmetic plus sign to indicate a positive result of the test, meaning that you are pregnant. Fewer advanced sticks may choose to display the word “pregnant” or even show animated icons to make the message clear. Most of the times, these messages are present on the screen only for a minute or so, before disappearing completely.
2. Negative Result
Thankfully, the digital pregnancy sticks are much clearer at indicating an absence of pregnancy or a negative result, as compared to the usual pregnancy sticks.
In a normal stick, if your urine does not contain the hCG hormone in the required quantity, the stick does not display any line or change in any way. However, a digital pregnancy stick will clearly state a negative result on the screen. This can either be in the form of an arithmetic negative sign, or the word “none” or similar methods.
An improved messaging of such sorts makes it crystal clear about the result and provides a better result than normal sticks.
How Accurate Are Digital Pregnancy Tests?
On a generic level, digital pregnancy tests are comparatively more accurate than the other pregnancy sticks. However, their accuracy can differ based on the brand of the stick that is being used.
Certain sticks are powerful enough to detect the presence of a pregnancy within six days from the date you have missed your period. Most of the common sticks do require a week or more to pass from your period to be able to detect good levels of hCG in your urine. The threshold of hCG that most digital pregnancy sticks function at is approximately around 25mlU per millilitre of urine. The moment the amount of hCG crosses this value, the stick displays the result to be positive.
Can Digital Pregnancy Tests Show False Results?
The chances of a digital pregnancy stick showing false results are minimal as compared to the usual pregnancy sticks since there is no possibility of a faint line visibility or late development of a line in these cases.
Most of the false results are a result of human error. The stick might have experienced external substances that have caused it to provide a wrong result, or you might have taken the test quite early where the hCG levels might still be below the threshold.
Can a Digital Pregnancy Test Give False Positive Result?
A false positive result is quite the rarity when it comes to using a digital pregnancy kit for the test. Handling the pregnancy stick improperly could trigger it to show a false positive on the display.
In certain cases, the chemicals present on the stick could react to any organisms present in the urine, as a result of an infection or a disease. The presence of fertility drugs could also introduce certain substances in the urine, which could react with the stick and provide a false positive result.
Are Digital Pregnancy Tests More Sensitive?
Most women wonder whether digital pregnancy tests are more accurate or sensitive as compared to their counterparts. While the increment in accuracy might not be present to a huge degree, there are different sticks available in the market that can detect the presence of hCG at lower thresholds as well.
Checking whether you are pregnant and confirming it is one of the toughest things for a woman when she’s trying hard to conceive successfully. Using a digital pregnancy test for a second confirmation can help you put your mind to ease and make the right decision.
Also Read: Urine Pregnancy Test Read more
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Raped By Uncle, Fighting For Abortion: This 10-Year-Old Girl's Story Will Make You Question Everything About Our Law
Her favourite subject is English, she loves to draw and watch cartoons! But this 10 year old lost her childhood to something terrible - falling pregnant from rape!
10 years. Most children at this age are learning new things every day with an air of innocence that is enviable. But for one 10 year old from Chandigarh, this age is not about learning and playing anymore – it’s about fighting for an abortion!
How Her Mother Discovered She Was Pregnant
This little girl is the daughter of a domestic help and a government employee. The girl is only 10 year old, in the best years of childhood, but she has faced more trauma already than most adults.
She was raped by her uncle over a period of seven to eight months. The little girl didn’t realise that she was pregnant – how could she? Worse yet, she has previously undergone surgery for a hole in her heart and her body is in no way ready for a pregnancy, let alone a delivery!
While her uncle stopped visiting the family in March, it was too late for the little girl - she was already pregnant. But the rape and pregnancy only came to light in July when the little girl started showing. A neighbour noticed her ‘swollen’ stomach and enquired further. She said:
“I asked the girl if she was taking medicines for her heart, thinking the swelling could be a side effect of the medicines. She seemed to have put on weight, but the bulge looked like a pregnancy. When I asked her mother if the girl’s periods were regular, she said she hadn’t had them for some months. I asked her to immediately take the child to the doctor.”
On the same evening, July 13, the little girl took a pregnancy test and her whole life changed. The results came out positive. The sexual abuse came to light when the girl revealed that her uncle had raped her “five or six times”.
Her mother approached the police to file an FIR against her 40 year old brother and the man was arrested soon after.
Why Can’t The Little Girl Get an Abortion?
An abortion comes to mind as the most logical and humane step in this case. The body of a girl only 10 years old is in no way ready to deliver a baby! However, the shocking thing is, her parents could NOT get an abortion yet. This is because, under the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act 1971 (MTP), an abortion cannot be allowed without court intervention when the pregnancy is in advanced stages at an estimate of 24-26 weeks.
The parents approached the District Court with an appeal for medical termination of the pregnancy. However, the Additional District and Sessions Judge Poonam Joshi turned down the appeal after studying the medical reports. The reports suggested: if the girl underwent abortion, there could be “high chances of physical trauma”, especially due to her age, health and medical history. The case is so complicated that the doctors can’t predict the outcome of the pregnancy and whether the baby will survive, because in addition to her heart ailment, the girl’s pelvic bones too aren’t fully developed to carry and deliver a baby safely.
Another doctor familiar with the case even added, “The case can no longer be considered for abortion. It has to be considered as a premature delivery now.”
The mother was understandably distraught and her eyes brimmed with tears as she said, “What does she know, she is only 10 years old. She doesn’t understand all this, she has no idea about her pregnancy. Our plight has become public news… we didn’t want that. We just want her to be healthy and happy. We don’t need any help, we are okay alone. Her father doesn’t want us to talk or say anything about her. He is a broken man since we found out.”
A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed in the Supreme Court and the case was examined further before the next hearing on July 28. The bench said:
"Before the matter is taken up for hearing on July 28, the Member Secretary, after having followed the procedure and obtained due permission of at least one of the parents of the child, shall have the child examined at the PGI, Chandigarh, from a Board of Doctors on July 26, so as to affirm one way or the other, whether the health of the girl child concerned, who is stated to be of the age of 10 years, and also that of the fetus, would be adversely affected, if the pregnancy is continued for the full term.”
The parents of the lieelt girl has thier hopes pined on this udgement by the Supreme Court. However, The Supreme Court too has turned down the appeal basis the medical report that the abortion is not safe for the girl or the foetus. With this it seems that unfortunately, the girl will have to carry a baby to term and give birth as well.
The MTP and What The Law Says
As per the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971, termination of a pregnancy after 20 weeks is not permissible. The act was passed in an effort to crackdown on illegal and unsafe abortions where women would undergo abortion after gender determination tests of the foetus. This led to the killing of many girl babies right in the womb.
However, there have been cases like this where underage rape victims, unaware of the pregnancy till it was past 20 weeks, and women who have found out about significant abnormalities in the foetus after 20 weeks, have moved the court for medical termination of these pregnancies. Keeping in mind these cases, the Centre had put into motion the process of making an amendment to the MTP in 2014 as per which the time period would be extended to 24 weeks for abortion. It was also proposed to do away with any time limit on cases where the foetus has significant deformities.
However, the proposed amendment is yet to be passed by the Cabinet.
Child Sexual Abuse in India
Childhood is a vulnerable time, and children need nurturing and care through this impressionable time as they learn their way around before becoming independent adults. Any sort of negative experience or abuse - physical, sexual or emotional - can have a lasting and scarring impact on the child and hamper his ability to function as a proper adult.
Child Sexual Abuse in specific is where an adult/ older adolescent uses a child for his or her sexual stimulation and this can result in physical and mental trauma for the child. The term includes:
Sexual Grooming: Establishing contact with child or his/her family with the intent of sexual abuse
Sexual Exploitation: Exploitation of child to produce child pornography or involve them in child trafficking
Sexual Assault: Rape, sodomy and penetration, etc.
India is home to 19% of the world’s child population, but it also holds the distinction of having the highest number of sexually abused children. In India:
A child below 16 years is raped every 155th minute
A child below 10 years is raped every 13th hour
As per a study conducted by the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD), which involved 125000 children, 53% of children faced one or more forms of sexual abuse with about 20% of the children having faced severe forms of abuse.
But perhaps the most shocking fact is this: Child Incestuous Abuse is the most common form of child sexual abuse. Here, the abuser is related to the child – a family member or a close relative. As per one study, 70% of abusers were related to their victims, while another study stated that only 10% of abusers were complete strangers to their victims.
The Dangers of Pregnancy and Delivery at Just 10 Years of Age
Goes without saying, the dangers are many and very severe! At the age of 10 years, a girl is not physically or mentally developed or ready itself to nurture another child. While the mental trauma is obvious with the sexual abuse of the girl and the strain of pregnancy, the physical trauma too can have drastic impact and in certain cases be fatal for either or both - the mother and child.
For nurturing of the foetus, the placenta takes nutrients from the mother’s body. For young girls, the body too is developing itself and thus will not be left with enough nutrients for both, the baby and the mother. This will lead to incomplete/unhealthy development of the baby as well as the mother
The pregnancy itself will put a major strain on the mother’s delicate body as, during an ideal pregnancy, blood flow is up by 50%
For delivery, a young girl’s pelvic bones aren’t developed enough to carry and deliver a child safely. Due to this, normal delivery can be risky. Normal delivery risks include days of labour that can result in death of the mother as the birth canal isn’t wide enough for the baby. The baby doesn't survive either. If the mother does survive, she is likely to develop fistulas - holes in the wall between the vagina and rectum or bladder due to which urine or faeces can leak through the vagina.
Even C-sections can be risky as surgeries during weakened bodily state add to the complications of pregnancy – a pregnancy that is already complicated enough at such an early age and with the onset of puberty
The 10-year-old girl and her family are going through an excruciating situation, and we cannot even fathom their pain. The little one has already faced a heart surgery. She is facing another life threatening condition now. It is saddening to see that the Indian Judicial system has somehow failed to protect its children from sexual abuse, and now, is failing to protect them from the life changing condition that is pregnancy at such a young age. It’s about time that the law and order situation in India is amended to not only protect our children from sexual assault, but also work to provide relief for victims of sexual assault. We wish the little girl speedy recovery from the physical trauma of the pregnancy, as well as from the mental trauma that the incident has left on her. Our prayers are with you, little one. Read more
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Cold Soup of Green Peas with Yogurt and Dill
Fresh or frozen green peas can be used to make this rich, creamy soup and we are sure it will appeal your taste buds. Especially when it's too hot outside, you can enjoy sitting indoors, in the comfort of your home.
Serves
Preparation Time
Cooking Time
6 People
18 Minutes
18 Minutes
Ingredients
3 1/2 cup(s) vegetable or chicken broth
2 medium uncooked potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch chunks (about 2 cups)
1 1/2 medium uncooked leeks, chopped, white and light green part (about 2 cups)
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 1/4 tsp (teaspoon) table salt, divided, or more to taste
1/4 tsp black pepper, divided
2 cups frozen green peas, thawed
1/2 cups plain fat free yogurt
3 tbsp dill, chopped, divided
1/4 cup fresh tomatoes, diced
Method
Step 1
In a large saucepan, combine broth, potatoes, leeks, garlic, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/8 teaspoon of pepper; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until vegetables are almost tender, about 12 minutes.
Step 2
Add peas to saucepan, stir and cook until vegetables are tender, about 3 minutes; remove saucepan from heat and let cool about 5 minutes.
Step 3
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together yogurt, 2 tablespoons of dill, remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/8 teaspoon of pepper until smooth; set aside.
Step 4
Puree soup in a saucepan using an immersion blender or in batches in a blender (be careful not to pour in hot liquid); stir in remaining 1 tablespoon of dill.
Step 5
To serve, ladle 1 cup of soup into each of 6 small soup bowls. Top each with 4 teaspoons of yogurt mixture, swirling mixture into soup. Then top each serving with about 2 teaspoons of tomato.
Nutritional Information
Servings Per Recipe: 4
Calories
203.9
Total Fat
1.2 g
Saturated Fat
0.3 g
Polyunsaturated Fat
0.4 g
Monounsaturated Fat
0.1 g
Cholesterol
0.9 mg
Sodium
264.6 mg
Potassium
448.2 mg
Total Carbohydrate
36.6 g
Dietary Fiber
10.2 g
Sugars
13.2 g
Protein
13.2 g
Vitamin A
92.8 %
Vitamin B
12 1.4 %
Vitamin B
6 19.1 %
Vitamin C
74.0 %
Vitamin E
2.2 %
Calcium
9.4 %
Copper
15.6 %
Folate
32.0 %
Iron
20.1 %
Magnesium
15.9 %
Manganese
44.4 %
Niacin
19.7 %
Pantothenic Acid
4.6 %
Phosphorus
22.1 %
Riboflavin
15.9 %
Selenium
7.4 %
Thiamin
40.8 %
Zinc
13.9 %
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
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Dr Vandan H Kumar has added a new answer
Guardian of 0 children
5 hours ago
Q. My son is 5 months old is suffering from cough..what to do?
Dr Vandan H Kumar
Paediatrician
4 hours ago
A. give nasal saline drops every few hourly to the child in the nasal cavity.
try to prevent temperature variations around the child
you can go for indirect steam inhalation which will again help in decreasing both cough and cold
continue the regular diet of the child
if there is no improvement in few days then meet your doctoru
for fever and pain give paracetamol.u
anti-cold medicines at this age have got side effects so can be given only after medical consultation.
Dr Laxmi Chavan-Sawant has added a new answer
Expecting Mom due in 6 months
5 hours ago
Q. hi. in Feb my period was last and I did pregnancy test in March its positive results but my belly is not being bigger
Dr Laxmi Chavan-Sawant
Ayurvedic Gynaecologist
31 mins ago
A. the belly size during pregnancy is not necessary every time to grow fast
it depends individually
so don't worry about that and just have proper consultation with your doctor for examination and sonography
Humara has added a new answer
Guardian of 0 children
3 hours ago
Q. I am 7 weeks pregnant. Before pregnancy I used to take medicine named Cyra 20 mg for acidity. Now since the day when I got to know that I am pregnant I am not taking any medicine for acidity but daily I am suffering from it. After having breakfast it starts. I am not eating any spicy food , oily food etc. Please help on this
Read moreHumara
Mom of a 2 m old girl
58 mins ago
A. dear mom u can take digene syrup or ulgel they as safe my doctor recommended me during pregnancy u can also take biorab dsr in the morning and syrup before meal at least 30 min i was faciny the same issue
Dr Ghouse has added a new answer
Mom of a 1 yr 9 m old child
2 hours ago
Q. hi mam , my baby 1 year and 9 month old just now onwards stop breast feeding .pls suggest formula milk to my baby
Dr Ghouse
Paediatrician
2 hours ago
A. your baby is more than 1 year 9 months of age any milk including buffalo milk cows milk ok. if there is no relief it is better you see your doctor for proper examination particularly physical examination if there is need for doing investigations to find out the problem and treatment ok
Dr Ghouse has added a new answer
Trying To Conceive
2 hours ago
Q. #AskTheExpert hello dr.
baby planning kar rhi kuch tips btayiye conceive ho jaye
Dr Ghouse
Paediatrician
2 hours ago
A. it's a natural process ok. if there is no relief it is better you see your doctor for proper examination particularly physical examination if there is need for doing investigations to find out the problem and treatment ok
Dr Laxmi Chavan-Sawant has added a new answer
Guardian of 0 children
31 mins ago
Q. when baby is kick? I'm 13 weeks pregnant
Dr Laxmi Chavan-Sawant
Ayurvedic Gynaecologist
29 mins ago
A. during first pregnancy you may feel the baby movements after 24 to 25 weeks of pregnancy and till then only mild flatters may be felt but which you may not be feeling if you are doing some work
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