Disclaimer :
This post is strictly for moms, the newer the better and those obsessive women (like I was) who start wondering about good parenting the day they decide to be a mom!

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Being a mom is about always being prepared.

Your little one has no way of expressing his discomfort or displeasure other than crying out to get your attention.

And no matter how much you take care he’s bound to get that dreaded Diaper Rash or feel a bit under the weather.

While you tend to a cranky , dull or sad baby – you have to be patient, very very patient. The only mantra that keeps you going is – “Its going to be fine”. For the both of you 🙂

Here are some experiences that almost every mother would go through at some point of raising a new born. I know iron-lady you only want to hear – ‘its fine!’ So here, I said it!

Infections / Allergies :

My 13 day old wasn’t wetting as many nappies as one would expect a new born to do. And then orange stains started to appear on his nappies. Post an ultra sound and numerous precautionary test that were more difficult to go through than bringing him into the world – we found out about his UTI . As scary as it may sound – its an infection that’s very common esp in baby boys.

The cause – he had starved himself and the ammonia content in his bladder was too high. The solution – drinking more milk , wetting more nappies and keeping him super clean.

Cough / Cold / Chest congestion:

No matter how well you cover up and keep you baby tucked – cold , cough,fever and chest congestion can happen irrespective of the weather. What’s worse is that one is linked to another .

Crocin drops , cough medicine are not as bad as they sound . Even if you are the types whose anti-medicines . What really helps clear out your baby’s chest is steam. So invest in a good steam apparatus . Do take him to a doctor if fever , cough or cold persists .

What we thought was just a bad bout of cough due to cold/chest clogging was actually bronchitis for our 4 month old. Again – something very very common for small babies how much ever earth shattering it may sound.

Constipation :

Even though you might have people around you keeping a track of how many times your baby pooped and discuss it colour , frequency at great lengths ( don’t stress yourself) , its a parenting thumb rule – bowel movements are not an indicator of your babys health! Infact I agree with my mom when she says – constipated baby is better than the one with loosies! ( Enough potty talk I guess).
But if your baby is having a problem with BMs when you’ve just started solids – it can be an indicator of something that you are doing wrong – over load his digestive system.
So take it slow . Don’t get ambitious . Start with fluids – mashed curd , sooji kheer , daliya and move to banana’s in curd and boiled veggies/stewed apples.
If relooking at what he’s eating doesn’t help – add a little more sugar to him milk than normal . And watch your baby “relieved” 🙂

Diaper rashes:

There will be times when your baby would have a minor redness here and there and then one fine day you ll see his bottom going a colour of fiery red!

Diaper rashes obviously happen when the diaper is worn for too long or its poopy and you didn’t realize it.

But let’s not question your judgment and skills as a mom! Just a word of caution- its pretty common when babies start solids so don’t beat yourself down! Stick to your routine – powder /pat dry your baby’s bottom, cleanse it often , avoid soap unless necessary , let him go diaper free when its safe and yes , use rash-free a magical cream available at your neighborhood chemist or coconut oil to watch it disappear !

This list if obviously WIP and so is the task of being a perfect mom.

But if you are happy doing everything you can – even when the going gets tough – you’ll see how its not as tough afterall.