Week Nine
After two months outside the womb, your baby is spending more time awake and taking in the world around them. Newborns are hard-wired to look into the eyes of anyone who stops to chat and both children and adults are hard-wired to look into babies eyes and engage with them. The infant facial features are just what attracts us and it is very hard not to respond when a baby looks at you and smiles their brand new smile. And when faces don’t fit the standard design a baby expects - facial hair, glasses, masks and other variations - you will see your baby’s eyes scan and frown as they process the unexpected. Gradually widening your infant’s social circle and sharing simple books featuring faces and different expressions will help them build their mental catalogue of what people look like.
Breastfeeding is probably going smoothly by now if you have had the right support to overcome problems. Your baby will be getting more efficient at removing milk and some feeds might be quite short compared to just a few weeks ago. With your breasts and baby working well together, your supply responds to any small adjustments needed through the day but the volume of milk your produce each day is now consistent and won’t change much in the coming months. You are unlikely now to develop supply problems but sometimes your baby will fuss and behave as though they are frustrated. This isn’t a sign you don’t have enough but is a sign something is going on with your baby. Usually this is related to some surge in growth or development which means they go to the breast for milk more often. They might seek the breast for all sorts of reasons as it helps to calm and relax babies as well as feed and hydrate them. An unsettled baby will feed for comfort and this is entirely as expected.
If someone supporting you suggests your baby is using you as a dummy, it helps to remember that dummies were invented at a time when most babies were not breastfed and those who were had strict schedules and routines regulating feeds. Allowing babies to suckle the breast for comfort was frowned upon but sucking on an artificial teat made from rubber was acceptable! It doesn’t make much sense. However, some babies have a high-need to suck and when their mothers have other demands like older children, paid work or domestic responsibility, then a dummy can be helpful when extra time for comfort sucking isn’t practical. As long as they are not used to stretch out the period between feeds, use of a dummy in the breastfed baby is not always a bad idea. However older babies and toddlers can become over-reliant on them which can have an impact on oral and speech development so try to limit dummy use only to those times you cannot offer the breast for comfort.
Babywearing is fabulous as babies become more awake in the day and enjoy being with you while you go about tasks. Choosing a comfortable baby carrier which offers ergonomic support for the developing infant body is important. If your baby has been identified as needing additional assessment for potential hip dysplasia might be worried about babywearing. While it is true that narrow-based carriers are not considered suitable for babies who have what used to be called “clicky hips”, wide-based carriers actually support the hips in the same prescribed position achieved by braces for babies with this diagnosis. Its the same with cloth nappies: the wider support is good for healthy hip development.
This position can be achieved when using a woven wrap, stretchy wrap, ring sling, soft-structured carrier or meh dai. Your local babywearing group or babywearing consultant can help you choose the right carrier for your family and help you fit it correctly. All are options from around 3.2kg however some soft-structured carriers need an additional infant insert until around 6-8kg.
