1. My baby has swollen eyes with yellow discharge, what should I do?
This is usually caused by a blocked tear duct. Improper draining of the tears may lead the tear duct to remain plugged and tears to accumulate in one or both eyes. The fluid that does not drain properly becomes infected and leads to the discharge from your baby’s eye becoming yellow, suggesting infection in the region of the blocked tear ducts. These are things you can do:
- Talk to your doctor who will prescribe some antibiotic cream.
- Apply some expressed breast milk into the eye.
- Help unclog the tear duct by gently massaging tear duct that is located beneath the tiny “bump” in the nasal corner of each eye. Massage in an upward direction (toward the nose) about six times per day.
2. Will giving my baby a bath after sunset give her a cold?
It is important to keep your baby warm. As long as the room is warm when you are bathing the baby then your baby should be fine and will not catch a cold.
3. How does colostrum help my newborn?
Colostrum is the pre-milk fluid produced from the mother’s mammary glands during the first few hours after birth. The benefits of colostrum include:
- It is low in fat, and high in carbohydrates, protein, and antibodies to help keep your baby healthy.
- It is extremely easy to digest and is therefore the perfect first food for your baby.
- It is low in volume but high in concentrated nutrition for the newborn.
- It has a laxative effect on the baby, helping him pass his early stools, which aids in the excretion of excess bilirubin and helps prevent jaundice.
- It has a high concentration of immune factors. Colostrum actually works as a natural and 100% safe vaccine.
- Colostrum has an especially important role to play in the baby’s gastrointestinal tract. A newborn’s intestines are very permeable. It seals the holes by lining the gastrointestinal tract with a barrier which mostly prevents foreign substances from penetrating and possibly sensitizing a baby to foods the mother has eaten.
- It contains high concentrations of leukocytes, protective white cells which can destroy disease-causing bacteria and viruses.
4. Can I fast while breastfeeding?
You can have a short fast (not missing more than three meals) if you need to for different purposes. During this short fast, you can take water only. It is recommended that you avoid long fast as this may lead to a decrease in your milk supply.
