You’re sure you will remember the birth of your baby forever. You are certain you won’t forget those sleepless nights. But as time goes on and you get busier, the memories lose their sharpness. Was it my first birth or my third birth where I wanted to give up and walk out? I know I was sad when he weaned, but I can’t remember it exactly. How did I decide on when to leave him with a sitter for the first time?

Keeping a journal has many benefits beyond simply preserving memories in scrapbook-like fashion. Writing in a journal can help you clarify your thoughts and process your feelings. It can help you find context for your emotions and help you make decisions. It can remind you of what’s important and what’s not. It can give you a safe space to think and just be yourself.

Whether you buy an elegantly bound blank book and write in your favorite colored pen, or you type your thoughts into a file on your laptop, keeping a journal as a new mom allows you to think through your birth, your parenting choices, and your feelings about being a mom.

You’re not sure what to write? Start with your birth story. Don’t just record the facts, but add your reactions. Were you scared, empowered, awed, exhausted? Write about the first days with a new baby or the first time you held your baby in your arms – how did you change from woman to mother, how did your relationships change, what did your heart tell you? Include your baby’s milestones, but add your feelings about them.

If you find that you need ideas to get your creativity flowing, search the Internet for writing prompts specific to motherhood. Use the notes section in your phone to jot down memories as they happen and write more about them when you have time. Start with a sentence stem such as “I feel it’s important to …” or “if I could wish one thing for today ….”

The hardest part may be finding the time to write. Try to make it a routine – allow yourself 15 minutes before you go to sleep or right when you wake. Even just writing one sentence per day can get you started (and can be an extremely telling journal in the end!). Or set a timer for five minutes and just write whatever comes to mind.

Nobody is going to edit your writing – so no need to cross anything out or agonize over grammar and word choice. You may decide to share the journal with your grown child someday, or you might decide to just keep it private. Making that decision early on may cause you to censor what you write, so leave your options open.

Writing will help you to become more creative in all parts of your life. You will learn about yourself, and grow as a parent. Journaling gives you a non-judgmental space in which to just be yourself – in all of your messy glory!

You can also use the Diary section of our Baby+ App to create your own journal. This may make it easier to write and add photos at the same time. You can also export this Diary via the App using the Baby Yearbook feature.

Written by Michelle, childbirth instructor, lactation consultant, and mother to 4 busy kids

This information is not intended to replace the advice of a trained medical doctor. Health & Parenting Ltd disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information, which is provided to you on a general information basis only and not as a substitute for personalized medical advice. All contents copyright © Health & Parenting Ltd 2016. All rights reserved.

New parents sometimes don’t want to be seen as overprotective by calling the baby’s doctor at the least little change in baby’s behavior. How are you to know when you should get professional help, and when your baby isn’t really in need of medical attention?

While every healthcare provider is different, here are some general rules about when to call the doctor and what you might do at home:

• Any fall by a baby, especially if he hit his head and even if he’s acting normal. Sometimes changes may take a while to show up, but you want to catch any problems before they cause too much damage to baby’s growing brain.
• Excessive crying after eliminating all common causes. Keep this relative to how much your individual baby typically fusses. Try diaper changes, feeding, burping, changing clothes, checking to be sure toes and fingers aren’t caught in strings or hair (you’d be surprised how often this happens!), etc. If your baby is inconsolable and will not sleep, call the doctor.
• Excessive drowsiness, especially if baby can’t be roused for feedings. Babies may occasionally miss a feeding, but if your baby misses more than one, he may be ill.
• Fever greater than 101°F (38°C), especially if baby is younger than 2 months. Some healthcare providers will recommend over-the-counter fever reducers, but some will want to check baby first.
• Projective vomiting. This is more forceful and copious than normal spit-up. If it’s happening repeatedly, your baby will need to be kept hydrated. If you’re breastfeeding, keep trying to nurse.
• Diarrhea or blood / mucous in baby’s stools. If your baby has more than 10 watery stools in one day, this is considered diarrhea. Keep your baby hydrated and seek medical attention.
• Cough or severe runny nose, especially if accompanied by a fever or if baby is tugging on his ears, too. You might use a nasal aspirator, saline drops or a humidifier to keep your baby comfortable, but you want to rule out infection.
• Discharge from the eyes. Some newborns have blocked tear ducts, which is typically harmless. But older babies with sudden eye irritation should be checked for infection
• If your baby has difficulty breathing or has been exposed to any toxic substance, call your local emergency providers immediately.

The list above is of course not complete, there may be many other instances where it is best to call your doctor. The number one rule is to trust your instincts. If you think your baby needs to be seen by a healthcare provider, be persistent until you have your needs met. You know your baby best – in health and in illness!

Written by Michelle, childbirth instructor, lactation consultant, and mother to 4 busy kids

This information is not intended to replace the advice of a trained medical doctor. Health & Parenting Ltd disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information, which is provided to you on a general information basis only and not as a substitute for personalized medical advice.  All contents copyright © Health & Parenting Ltd 2016. All rights reserved.

Expressing milk is a great way of preparing for the times you can’t be there to feed your baby. Having a backup supply of milk means you can spend the day at work or meet friends for drinks without worrying about what your baby will drink.

Expressing milk is pretty amazing, and will probably make you realise just how precious your milk is. After all, once you’ve invested time and effort in pumping and storing your milk, you really don’t want any of that liquid gold to go to waste.

How to store breast milk

There are a number of different ways to store breast milk, and how you choose to store it affects how long it can be used for. For example:

• if kept at room temperature, freshly expressed breast milk can be used or properly stored within six hours. Ideally, however, you should aim for just four hours.
• if you want to take expressed breast milk out with you for the day, you should keep it in a cooler bag with ice packs.
• if you’re using a fridge, breast milk can be stored for up to five days at the back of a clean fridge. However, using within three days will be best.
• if stored in the freezer, your breast milk will be good for up to six months.

How to use expressed breast milk

If the milk needs to be defrosted first, simply stick it in the fridge until it has thawed. Once thawed, the milk can be used straight away. You should never refreeze milk that has been thawed. Once milk has been thawed for 24 hours, it should be discarded if it hasn’t been used.

Some babies are happy to drink milk straight from the fridge, however others will prefer it to be at body temperature. To do this, simply place the bottle of milk in some lukewarm water so it can warm up a little. Once your baby has started drinking from a bottle of breast milk, it should be finished or thrown away within the hour.

You should never use a microwave to heat up the milk, this can cause the milk to overheat and burn your baby’s mouth.

Written by Fiona (@Fiona_Peacock), mother, writer and lover of all things baby related.

This information is not intended to replace the advice of a trained medical doctor. Health & Parenting Ltd disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information, which is provided to you on a general information basis only and not as a substitute for personalized medical advice. All contents copyright © Health & Parenting Ltd 2016. All rights reserved.

As a breastfeeding mother, you probably double check whether pretty much everything you do will affect your milk. You have probably googled how much caffeine it’s safe to consume, whether alcohol enters your breast milk and how long until you can switch back to your beloved underwired bras. What did mothers do before Google was there to answer all of their questions?!

Will exercise affect my milk?

If you’re hoping to improve your fitness and, perhaps, get rid of some of the baby weight, you may be wondering if it’s safe to exercise when you’re breastfeeding. Obviously, you shouldn’t be lifting weights or running laps with a baby attached to your breast, but exercise is generally perfectly safe for new mamas.

Now is a great time to improve your health. The healthier you are, the better able you will be to look after your baby. Exercising can help to lift your mood, fight stress and help you sleep easier (obviously, the baby will still be keeping you awake, but at least you know you could sleep if you wanted to…).

The key is to start slowly and gradually increase the amount of exercise you do. If you are taking an unhealthy approach to exercise, and exercising to extreme exhaustion, you may find that it does affect your milk supply and general health. Instead, take baby steps along the road to fitness.

Things to keep in mind

It’s always important to wear a decent sports bra for support when exercising, but this is arguably more important when you’re a breastfeeding mother. You may find it most comfortable if you feed your baby just before exercising, as this will ensure your breasts don’t feel too full.

You can feed your baby as soon as you need to when you return from exercising. There is no minimum period, exercising doesn’t have much affect on your milk. It can increase the amount of lactic acid in your breast milk, but most babies don’t seem to mind this. Some babies aren’t keen on the salty taste of sweat, so you may find that washing your breasts after exercising encourages your baby to feed.

Exercise can be the perfect way to unwind after a long day of parenting. If you’ve been home with the baby all day, you may find yourself feeling touched out and stressed. A brisk walk or a few lengths of the pool could be all you need to turn the day around.

Written by Fiona (@Fiona_Peacock), mother, writer and lover of all things baby related.

This information is not intended to replace the advice of a trained medical doctor. Health & Parenting Ltd disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information, which is provided to you on a general information basis only and not as a substitute for personalized medical advice. All contents copyright © Health & Parenting Ltd 2016. All rights reserved.

If you’re feeling unwell, you may be worried about whether it’s safe to continue breastfeeding your baby. Many mamas worry that perhaps they shouldn’t feed their baby when they’re ill. However, in reality, there are very few instances in which illness may require you to stop breastfeeding your child (e.g. HIV, active tuberculosis, HTLV-1, HTLV-2).

Assuming you aren’t suffering from any of these conditions, you should be fine to continue breastfeeding your baby for the duration of the illness.

Will breastfeeding make my baby sick?

If you’re suffering from a cold or flu illness, you may worry about whether your breast milk will contain the virus. It won’t, so don’t worry. Not only that, because your milk contains the antibodies your body is busy producing to fight the infection, your baby will actually get this extra boost of immunity to protect her from the illness.

Do I need to take any precautions?

If you are prescribed medication to treat the illness, make sure you tell the doctor that you’re breastfeeding. Your doctor will need to check that the medication he or she prescribes is suitable for breastfeeding mothers. Most medication is suitable for breastfeeding mothers, but it’s always worth checking just in case.

If you have a sickness and diarrhoea bug, you need to make sure you’re drinking plenty of water. It’s easy to become dehydrated, especially when you’re breastfeeding, so make sure you keep your fluid levels up.

To minimize the risk of your baby getting ill, take the usual precautions. Wash your hands often, cover your mouth when you sneeze or cough, and try not to kiss your baby near the mouth.

If you’re feeling rubbish, it’s important to take care of yourself and allow yourself time to rest. If you’re really unwell, you might need somebody else to stay home and help with the baby. That will give you the opportunity to get some sleep between feeds, and put someone else in charge of diaper changes for a little while. If your partner is unable to take the day off work, ask a family member or friend to pop round for a few hours and help out.

Remember to keep breastfeeding on demand, a drastic reductions in the number of feeds each day could begin to affect your supply.

Written by Fiona (@Fiona_Peacock), mother, writer and lover of all things baby related.

This information is not intended to replace the advice of a trained medical doctor. Health & Parenting Ltd disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information, which is provided to you on a general information basis only and not as a substitute for personalized medical advice. All contents copyright © Health & Parenting Ltd 2016. All rights reserved.

Dehydration is never a good thing, and baby dehydration can be even scarier. That’s because your baby is relying on staying hydrated for appropriate weight gain and development, but also because babies are sometimes more susceptible to getting dehydrated as a result of diarrhea or vomiting.

Obviously, catching your baby’s dehydration as soon as possible is the first step to treating it. So how can you tell if your little one is lacking in fluids?

1. Diapers: If it has been more than six hours since your baby’s last wet diaper, or if he or she isn’t producing between five and eight wet diapers in a 24-hour period, they are likely dehydrated. Another indicator might be the color and smell of the urine they are Darker, stronger-scented urine is a surefire sign of baby dehydration.
2. Sunken Eyes and Fontanel: If your little one’s eyes appear sunken in, check to see if the fontanel is as well. This is the soft spot on your baby’s head that you have probably caressed a hundred times before. When both the eyes and fontanel are sunken in, it can be a sign of a lack of fluids.
3. Dry Mouth: Just like you, your baby relies on hydration to keep their lips and mouth from becoming chapped and dry. So unusually chapped lips, or a mouth that seems to be absent of much saliva, can be an indication that your little one needs hydration.

If you suspect that your little one may be suffering from baby dehydration, one of the first things to do is call your pediatrician. They will likely ask you a few questions to determine just how dehydrated your baby is. Depending on the reason for dehydration, and how extensive the issue is, they may want to see your baby right away. Or, they may make some suggestions for trying to rehydrate your baby at home first.

Obviously, attempting to feed your baby breast milk or formula is probably the first thing to try, assuming he or she is not suffering from some type of stomach virus that led to the dehydration in the first place. Your doctor might also prescribe a special liquid to help replenish electrolytes.

If your baby is starting to appear lethargic or is exhibiting more serious signs of dehydration (excessive vomiting or fussiness, or crying without tears) skip the pediatrician and go straight to the emergency room. A severely dehydrated baby needs to be treated right away.

Written by Leah Campbell, infertility advocate, adoptive mama, writer and editor. Find me @sifinalaska on Twitter.

This information is not intended to replace the advice of a trained medical doctor. Health & Parenting Ltd disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information, which is provided to you on a general information basis only and not as a substitute for personalized medical advice. All contents copyright © Health & Parenting Ltd 2016. All rights reserved.

When you were pregnant, there were probably times when you would put your favorite music on and dance around for your baby, imagining him or her moving to the beat inside of you. Or perhaps you used headphones to place that music directly on your abdomen, intent on instilling a love of music in your little one.

But now that your baby is here, how often are you using the same music to soothe, entertain, and even enlighten him or her?

We know that babies respond to music, and that the sound of mommy singing can often be one of their favorite things to hear. Songs they have heard their entire lives can bring a smile to their face, and lullabies have proven again and again to be perfect for lulling a little one to sleep.

We know all these benefits, but did you know that music is sometimes used to help premature babies gain weight? Or that babies who have had music as part of their therapy are often released from the hospital sooner?

Music can have an incredibly stimulating effect on little ones, but will music make baby smarter?

Well, the answer to that is, we don’t know. Various studies have found various results for the effects of music and intellectual development in older children, but nothing definitive has come about regarding infants, music, and resulting IQ levels.

That said, we do know that music absolutely influences brain development. And some research has found that babies as young as 2 months old can start to recognize melodies.

So will music make your baby smarter? We don’t know for sure, but it certainly can’t hurt. And the benefits of music far outweigh any drawbacks to having a soundtrack to your life. Those benefits extend to you, too, in case you didn’t realize it. Music is uplifting, and dancing around the house with your little one to your favorite tunes is sure to bring a smile to your face.

So turn the radio on, hum the lullaby you’ve been singing since your baby was born, and put together a new baby mix CD to play whenever you and your baby are driving in the car. You can also try playing the lullaby songs in our Baby+ App. These lullabies are specially selected to make your baby feel relaxed.

Instil a love of music in your baby, and you just might find that they are someday smarter, happier, and more well-rounded because of it.

But even if they are exactly the person they otherwise would have been without the music, you’ll still have some pretty special memories because of it.

Written by Leah Campbell, infertility advocate, adoptive mama, writer and editor. Find me @sifinalaska on Twitter.

This information is not intended to replace the advice of a trained medical doctor. Health & Parenting Ltd disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information, which is provided to you on a general information basis only and not as a substitute for personalized medical advice. All contents copyright © Health & Parenting Ltd 2016. All rights reserved.