Below are some of the things we did which I believe have helped to make Ellisa a very healthy 18 month old so far.
- Visitors had to wash their hands before holding/touching her.
- She was exclusively fed breast milk for as long as I had supply (for 8 months).*
- She got a bath or was washed with soap & water after every bowel movement.
- Her bed/clothes were changed as soon as they were soiled.
- Her nipples and bottles were washed in hot soapy water daily and sterilized once per week.
- She did not go to many public places.
I was told that I was going overboard at times, but I believe it paid off.
Question: What are some of the 'excessive' things you did when your child was 6mths and younger?
* She was fed expressed breast milk from a bottle because she couldn't latch onto the breast. It was more work for me, but better for Ellisa in that we could quantify the amount of milk she was getting. That meant she was given the appropriate amount of milk for her weight. http://www.babycentre.co.uk/baby/formula/howmuchmilk/
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I don't think what you did was excessive, but common sense. The only thing that may seem excessive is not taking her places. However, you had a premmie so it makes more sense to keep her away from germs and disgusting people! One thing that people do that drives me nuts(thats excessive) is bundling up their baby like its 30 degrees ourside in the middle of a S. Florida summer.
ReplyDeleteAnd she has been exposed to some of those disgusting people! One woman coughed in her hand and then held Ellisa's hand. That was not kosher.
ReplyDeleteHey Dellis:
ReplyDeleteFrankly, when it comes to keeping my child safe and healthy, I guess I am one of those people who others would think of as obsessive compulsive but nothing is excessive to me, particularly when it comes to being clean. Outside of that, I have breastfed for three years, which some may view as excessive...but my son has had only one encounter with being really ill and for me that reinforces the importance of breastfeeding for as long as possible. He was also exclusively breastfed for about 6 months so, in my opinion, you are on the right track!!
The one thing that I probably did excessively would probably be checking to see if he was breathing "every minute". It was about month 6 before I stopped with the craziness...but I am not too sure if any parent is exempt from that. I shared a little bit about my crazy days at, "www.parentwithme.blogspot.com". Have a look.
Hi Kareen,
ReplyDeleteIt is funny you said you checked if he was breathing, as I forgot to put that on my list. After Ellisa came home, we were a 24 hour household. Someone was ALWAYS awake to watch Ellisa. I would look to see if her chest was moving, or put my finger by her nostrils to feel her breath.
I saw a baby stopped breathing in the NICU, and was fearful ever since. Even thought she is 19 months now, I still check on her from time to time.