Travel Baby

You’ve changed the diaper, offered a bottle, tried a pacifier, and cradled her in your arms but she still won’t stop crying! What’s a mother to do? Why is she crying? What does she want? Fear and helplessness overwhelm you as you try to find the magical cure to stop her incessant crying.

Babies cry for a number of reasons and trying to figure out why is no easy task. It’s important to understand though, that your newborn came from a womb rich with noises and sensations that gently comforted her for nine months. Now your baby finds herself in a cold, empty crib with no comforting, sensory information to keep her warm and lull her to sleep. She becomes restless and frustrated at not being able to go to sleep and cries out in distress.

Barring health issues such as colic and other disorders requiring medical attention, creating an environment in which your baby can feel comfortable and go to sleep takes a little ingenuity and creativity along with a lot of loving patience. Finding what soothes your child to sleep may take a lot of trial and error but eventually you will find what works.

For starters, you need to create a calming environment for your infant. Turn off the lights or at least dim them. No one likes to sleep with a light shining in their eyes. Limit the amount of toys in the crib and moving distractions like mobiles or crib lights. These often stimulate the child rather than create a sleepy hypnotic effect.

Since newborns are used to the noisy, rhythmic sounds of the mother’s womb, often times creating some gentle “white noise” will comfort your infant and eventually lull her to sleep. Many stores carry CDs with nature sounds and the like, that would be perfect for this. Gentle, peaceful music also may work. Believe it or not, but sometimes even running the vacuum cleaner will help settle your baby down.

Holding, cradling, and massaging your baby always has a positive effect. Never underestimate the human touch! Your infant will feel secure and loved. And everyone loves a good massage! Gently stroke or rub her arms and legs. Another effective technique can be utilizing skin to skin contact. Laying your naked baby on your bare stomach or chest creates a soothing bond of warmth. Giving your baby a warm bath or holding her while you relax in a warm tub might be all it takes to calm her down and stop the crying.

Take your baby for a walk. A change of scenery may be all she needs to calm her down. Carry her in your arms as you walk around the house, or better yet, get some exercise and take walk down the block. A short road trip and the hum of a car engine might also do the trick if nothing else seems to work. There’s a good chance she’ll be all tuckered out by the time you get home and ready for a good night’s sleep.

Whatever you do, you need to remain calm and be patient. If you become distressed your infant will sense it and it will only escalate her level of distress. Finding the right solution may take time but eventually you will find it.

By: Gunawan Harinanto

As science becomes more and more advanced with fertility methods, gender selection is becoming more socially acceptable and more widely available. But what does this phrase really mean? One hundred years ago, it would’ve meant trying to conceive at a certain point during the month or day, but today it typically means something else entirely. Currently, selecting your baby’s gender is either performed through a clinic or on your own, trying all natural methods. Here’s a look at a few of the more popular methods couples use to determine the sex of their baby:

With Help From Clinics: There are a variety of methods that fertility clinics use to have you determine the sex of your child. Prices vary greatly depending on the service, but usually run in the thousands of dollars. IVF / PGD (described below) is typically $3,000 – $4,000 plus the cost of implanting the embryo, which is in the $10,000 range and up.

Sperm Sorting By Travel Speeds: This is among the oldest and least accurate of the techniques. The theory behind this is that X and Y sperm travel at different speeds. In this method, the couple’s sperm is placed in a solution. The male sperm are said to travel to the bottom first. So, sperm which seemingly match the couple’s preference is collected and implanted into the female.

Sperm Sorting By Laser / Flow Cytometry: This method sorts the sperm with a laser and then stains it with a dye which is supposed to indicate differences in DNA. This method is said to be around 90 percent accurate for a baby girl and about 75 percent accurate for a baby boy.

IVF Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD): By far the most expensive, IVF is also the most accurate. Once the egg has been fertilized by sperm in the laboratory, doctors can distinguish male and female embryos by biopsy and replace only embryos of the desired gender into the womb. If this results “take” and result in the birth of a baby, this method can be nearly 100 percent accurate.

Natural, Inexpensive Methods At Home: Because of the high cost of clinic procedures with no real guarantee (except with PGD/ IVF), many couples opt for natural methods that combine diet / PH alterations, ovulation / conception timing and intercourse positioning that favor the conception of the desired gender. Depending on compliance, the quality of the program, and the ability of the couple to determine and alter the factors involved, in my experience, these natural methods can also work.

By: Sandy Dean