2 Weeks Old Baby

Below are some common culprits if you experience poor milk supply:

Supplement

• If you’ve added formula to the menu, your baby will take less milk from your breasts, which in turn will cause your breasts to produce less milk.

Frequency feedings

• Stretching out the time between meals (to four hours, for instance) may be easier on a new mom, but it can mean your breasts won’t be stimulated often enough to produce an adequate amount of milk.
• If you cut nursing sessions short (five minutes on each breast, for example), not only won’t your baby get the fattier (and most nutritious) hind milk, but your breasts won’t be sufficiently drained. And without sufficient emptying, they won’t be stimulated to produce more.

Pacifiers

• For some (but not all) babies, time spent sucking on a pacifier means less time (or inclination) for suckling on the breast. Again, less suckling means less milk production.

It’s perfectly natural for newborns to give thumb sucking a big thumbs-up (for now). Here’s why:

• Babies are born to suck. Sucking is an inborn reflex for babies because it’s how they eat. So it’s definitely a good thing that your baby has figured it out.
• Sucking calms down your baby. Even when you’ve just finished feeding your baby, she might still clamor for more sucking action.That doesn’t mean she’s ready to chow down again. In addition to suckling to fill their tummies, babies need “nonnutritive” sucking, the kind that mellows them out. It’s the whole reason we have pacifiers in the first place — sucking helps a baby calm down. Some babies, like your own little thumb sucker, love nonnutritive sucking more than others.
• Thumbs are always at hand. There’s a reason your baby’s already going to town on her thumb: Like Mount Everest, it was there. Of course, the first few times were probably just accidental taste tests, but when your baby figured out how comforting her thumb was, she soon found out how to get it in her mouth on purpose.

While most of the initial intense discomfort usually passes within seven-to-10-days postpartum, many women feel the lingering effects of childbirth for weeks after delivery (finding it uncomfortable to sit after a vaginal birth or bend over after a cesarean, for instance).

If you’ve had a vaginal birth, the entire perineal area and rectum will be swollen for a few weeks. You can also expect the site of any stitches (either from a perineal tear, episiotomy or C-section) to be sore and sensitive for a few weeks. Itchiness at the site is also common.

Having bowel movements may be uncomfortable for a number of weeks, so be sure to drink lots of fluids and step up the fiber in your diet so you won’t have to strain. You might also want to ask your practitioner about using a stool softener.

Your practitioner has probably put the brakes on intercourse until six weeks postpartum. But while you’re waiting for the green light to get busy (sex-wise, that is), try to put that time (and your pelvic muscles) to good use. Resume Kegel exercises to stimulate circulation, speed healing and restore good muscle tone (so that when you do resume sex, you’ll enjoy it more — though probably not right away).

Most of all, relax and give yourself time to heal. Full recovery won’t occur overnight, but it will happen eventually.

There are actually two on your baby’s head, and they are technically called fontanels. They serve two important purposes: First, they helped your infant’s skull to shift and mold so it could fit through the birth canal (thank goodness); and second, they allow room for your baby’s brain to grow (very!) rapidly during her first year.

The larger and more-prominent soft spot (the anterior fontanel) is on top of your newborn’s head; it’s shaped like a diamond and can be up to 2 inches across. It’ll start to close when your baby is about 6 months old and be completely closed by the time she reaches 18 months.

The second, or posterior, fontanel is much smaller and harder to find. It’s on the back of the head, triangular in shape, and only about a half-inch in diameter.

While protecting your baby’s head (no bouncing or shaking) is wise, the good news is that it’s much less fragile than it seems. Those soft spots are covered by strong membranes that do an excellent job of safeguarding the brain. Two (rare) signs of trouble: A depressed fontanel could be a sign of dehydration, and a constantly bulging one could indicate pressure on the brain. In either case, contact your baby’s doctor.

If you’re formula-feeding or pumping, keep in mind that when introducing the bottle, some babies take to it like a fish to water, while others need a little more practice (and coaxing) to get sucking down to a science.

These how-to-bottle-feed tips will help you get started:

1) Have several bottles at the ready in your fridge so your hungry honey doesn’t get her crank on waiting for supper. (Bottles’ contents should get the boot after spending more than 24 hours in the fridge or more than an hour outside it.)

2) Sterilize nipples and bottles the first time out. New bottle-feeding gear should be boiled for five minutes in a pot of water (or use a store-bought sterilizer). After that, just wash bottles and nipples in hot, soapy water or in the dishwasher (no need to sterilize again).

3) Enjoy the bonding experience. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise — you can absolutely bond while bottle-feeding, with plenty of cooing and skin-to-skin contact.

Chances are you’re always exhausted these days, so noshing on nuts will give you a quick burst of energy. The protein, fiber and healthy fats packed into these little shells make them fantastic fatigue-fighters.

They’re a bit on the high-calorie side, though, so stick to a third of a cup or an ounce-and-a-half per serving. And reach for walnuts, almonds, cashews or pistachios because they have a healthier fat profile than, say, macadamias or pecans.

Eat them out of hand…or spread two tablespoons of peanut, cashew or almond butter on a piece of whole wheat toast for an extra energy boost.

Blocked up? Try these tips for postpartum constipation:

1) Eat high-fiber grains. Opt for whole grain cereals, breads, brown rice, anything made with bran, oat bran or flaxseed.

2) Make a date with raisins, figs, dried apricots and that senior favorite, prunes. Toss your dried fruit with nuts for a good boost of omega-3s — and some extra constipation-fighting muscle.

3) Nibble on crunchy fresh fruits and vegetables, and rough things up even more by leaving the skins on.

4) Cook up a pot of legumes, such as lentils or black beans, and add them to soups, salsas or salads.

5) Avoid refined foods such as white rice and white bread, and go for the (whole) grain instead.

6) Nothing unclogs like fluids, so be sure to drink at least eight glasses of water a day. Some women find a cup of hot water flavored with lemon especially moving (try it first thing in the morning). Vegetable and fruit juices can help, too — especially prune juice.

7) If none of the above is working (or working well enough or fast enough), consider some serious fiber supplementation. Adding some straight-up wheat bran and/or psyllium can give your diet the bulk it needs. (Just don’t overdo it, and don’t take your calcium foods with them since they can block absorption of that vital bone-building mineral.)