How a Super Mom could help reinforce the father-child bond

The role a Super Mom could play to strengthen the daddy-baby bond

Care, inspiration, and participation: three keys to father-child relationships. Even of some of them find it hard to express themselves most of the fathers care about their children.

According to sociologist Lewis Yablonsky, a man's fathering style by his enthusiasm for being a father, his own father's comportment, how the mass media projects a father’s image, his profession, his personality, the way family members relate to each other, and the number of children he has.

In a 1980 Gallup poll, six out of ten fathers said their families were "the most important element of my life at this time." Only 8 percent said their families were unimportant to them. When asked what they found most satisfying about their families, fathers rated "children," "closeness," and "being together" as personally important.

We should recognize, while talking about the daddy-baby bond, that the mother plays an important role in strengthening the relationship between the two of them.

1-      Encourage your husband to take in charge of a feeding or two during the day. Store pumped milk, if you’re breastfeeding, and let your husband give the baby the bottle while holding him close to his chest and looking in his eyes to allow the little one to gaze up at him.

2-      Let him take in-charge of the night shifts. Not only you will get more sleep but he will get to spend more time with his child and enjoy the preciousness of childcare.

3-      Stop being the first to go hold the baby when he cries, let your husband play a role in soothing her tears. Try singing to her, walking her around, gently rocking, or find the closest pacifier for her to suck on. She must learn that Mom isn't the only one who can give her what she needs.

4-      Humor is infectious. When laughter is shared, it binds people together and increases happiness and intimacy that is why your husband should try his best to add little humor to his relationship with his baby: silly faces and peekaboo games could work like a charm at early ages.

5-      Be the one to create that precious, every day, family time. With work and school, you will hardly find the time to bond with your children so create a time to take a walk all together, play a board game, dance or watch a nice family movie.

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All you need to know about the 6th month (23 to 27 weeks)

I have spent nights of reading and searching to give you this complete pregnancy guide. In this article we will go through fetus development, physical symptoms and infrequent symptoms. I did my best to simplify the presentation of this article to help you easily find your answer.



Fetus Development


Your baby’s eyes can open and close and react to light, vocal cords are functioning, eye brows are forming now.

Your baby is still active, since he is still relatively small about 30 cm long and is comfortable moving, punching and changing positions.

He weighs around 2 pounds. The facial features looks like a minuscule newborn baby.

The lungs are not fully developed so a baby born can still survive but with intensive care. Remember though, every day spent in the womb gives your baby a higher chance of survival and better odds at gaining the functionality it needs to survive.


Common physical symptoms:

1-      The baby’s movements becomes more definite enjoy the punches from those little arms and legs.

2-      Baby’s hiccups become more visible from the outside: Fetal hiccups usually shows up around the second or third trimester. Fetal hiccups are reflexive and do not seem to cause discomfort. In addition, hiccups prepare the fetus's lungs for healthy respiratory function after birth and they help regulate the baby's heart rate during the third trimester.

3-      Whitish vaginal discharge (Leukorrhea)

4-      Abdominal pain: It is often when pregnant women experience abdominal pain, and most of the time doctors hear complaints describing pain in the back and especially abdomen. There are many possible causes of such pain.

The most common cause for such pain is that round ligament stretching will cause minor or even moderate pain in the lower abdomen during pregnancy. A pregnant woman has to differentiate what is and what is not a cramp. A cramp could easily be confused with a minor contraction, which happens from time to time and is no cause for alarm. It is just a signal that the uterus is preparing itself for the upcoming birth. Severe or persistent abdominal pain during pregnancy is never normal and it requires an immediate doctor's exam.

5-      Constipation: Constipation in pregnant women occurs due to hormones that relax the intestinal muscle and to the pressure of the expanding uterus on the intestines. Relaxation of the intestinal muscle causes food and waste to move slower through your system. To avoid constipation you must eat fibers, lots of greens and fruits. and drink plenty of water up to 3 Liters per day.

           

6-      Heartburn: Hormonal changes is the main cause for heartburn during pregnancy. Hormones, particularly progesterone, can relax the valve that normally prevents stomach acid from backing up into the esophagus what will cause an irritation.
To avoid acid reflux, eat six small meals instead of three large ones. Abstain from eating tomato sauce, thyme, orange juice, spices and full-fat dairy products.

7-      Headaches

8-      Bleeding gums: hormonal changes are the reason of all our pregnancy problems. Pregnancy hormones causes a swollen gum that bleeds easily. Take a good care of your teeth and gum during those 9, long, months. Brush your teeth 3 times a day, floss and rinse with salt and water to ease any gum pain or bleeding.

9-       Nasal congestion or rhinitis: Nearly every woman suffers from nasal stuffiness. that's because the high level of estrogen and progesterone circulating in the body bring increased blood flow to the mucous membranes of the nose causing the to swell. The congestion won't get better until after delivery but I beg you not to use any nasal sprays unless they are prescribed by your doctor. Always check with your Ob-Gyn even if the medication were prescribed by another doctor.

10-  Increased appetite

11-   Leg cramps: Most leg cramps are caused from the fatigue of carrying around that extra weight. Cramps can also be aggravated by the expanding uterus putting pressure on blood vessels. While some experts believe they are due to an excess of phosphorus or a shortage of calcium, magnesium or other body minerals. Your doctor might suggest you take magnesium supplement could decrease legs cramps.
Try following these instructions to prevent those annoying nighttime leg cramps:

1-      Stretch your legs a few times a day, especially before bedtime

2-      Rotate your ankles and shake your toes to increase circulation

3-      Avoid sitting with your legs crossed

4-      Avoid standing for a long period of time

5-      Eat Calcium rich foods

6-      Reduce your intake of phosphorus rich foods such as soft drink, processed meat and snacks

 12-  Mild feet and ankles swelling (edema) :  Most women suffer from Edema. This symptom is the result of excessive fluid accumulation around feet and ankles. Here are few tips to help you deal with normal swelling during pregnancy:
* Try to rest and lift your feet whenever it’s possible.
* Drink plenty of water, up to 2 liters a day. The extra fluids will help flush out your system of waste products which may have increased swelling.
* Wear comfortable shoes.
* Excessive swelling that doesn’t seem to ease down after many hours of rest should be reported to your doctor.


13- Lower back and leg pain: this is another symptom of expectant motherhood. The pressure of the enlarging uterus, which has been responsible for so many other discomforts, can also affect the sciatic nerve, causing lower back, buttock and leg pain. To relieve this pain you can try to exercise more often, practice pregnancy yoga or Pilates, pelvic tilt, swimming or walking. Take care to sit in a good posture and lift your feet from time to time this may help reduce the pain.


14- Itchy Belly: This occurs when your uterus grows and expands to accommodate your new baby and your skin stretches. Pregnancy hormones can also result in some itching during pregnancy as well as changes in your liver enzymes.

15- Enlarged breasts: For small breast women, this could be the best pregnancy symptom ever. Hormonal changes during pregnancy cause increased blood flow and changes in the breast tissue which makes your breasts feel unusually swollen, sore and tingly.

16- Fewer mood swings

17- Absentmindedness

Uncommon Symptoms

Numbness and tingling fingers and toes is normal in pregnancy and is thought to be due to swelling tissues pressing on nerves


Clumsiness: The loosening of joints and the retention of water, can both make your grasp on objects less firm which will cause temporary clumsiness.


Gestational Diabetes: It first may be noticed in the sixth and seventh month of pregnancy. It occurs when the pancreas is unable to produce enough insulin or the body is unable to process the insulin properly, resulting in high levels of glucose. Gestational diabetes occurs in women who have not previously had diabetes, and the condition likely disappears after giving birth. The symptoms you should watch out for are:
* Excessive weight gain
* Excessive thirst
* Vaginal infection
* Excessive fatigue
* Excessive hunger
* Blurry vision
In case you notice these symptoms please contact your doctor.

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Five ActivitiesTo Do With Your Kids During The Summer

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The summer vacation is a few days away and after nine long schooling months, your children will be expecting much. They have been waiting all year for those 90 days to rest, play and have the greatest summer ever. But after a couple of days, and if you didn't send them to summer camp, routine will kick in and they will spend most of their time infront of the TV, lying down on that couch, bored to death. They could play outside in the afternoons, but what else? What can we do to help them fill those 90 days and turn them into the most enjoyable, educational, fun adventure ever?

1- Decide to make a summer crafting project: Crafting is, without any contradicition, a very important activity. Your child will put his energy, mind and skills to finish his work. I asked my 4 years old  to choose between two crafting projects: an airpot and a farm. Well for some reason she decided that making an airport will be fun! During this summer we will keep you updated about our project, we will post how-to's crafting articles and show you step-by-step how to make an airport yourself!

2- Funny Scholastic Exercises: Make learning fun and help your child maintain the improvement he made during his school year. Review together all the topics he learned by creating an educational game or printing out enjoyable exercises. My daughter is in pre-school, and I will be posting the exercises that she'll work on this summer.

3- Cook together: When your children are involved in the kitchen they will eat better because they will feel more comfortable with your recipes, they will accept new ingredients since they have, step-by-step, followed and participated in the cooking procedure.
What I personally suggest, is for you to put a menu with two options and make them choose between those two. That way, they will feel that they are in control of that meal time that has always, or most of the times turned into a fight! They will be responsable of the choice they made and obligated to finish their plate. " You cannot be a chef if you don't taste and eat everything" this sentence always work with my daughter since she loves being a chef like her father. And even though she was one heck of a picky eater now she eats everything and tastes everything. Check out our recipes they could be useful since they are easy, quick and healthy!

4- Play dates: Before school is over make sure to take her best friends phone numbers, talk to their parents and schedule a play date every week or two. You will help your children, especially if they are young like mine, stay in contact with their friends; that way going back to school won't be as hard as it is expected to be.

5- Organize family trips: trips to the beach, to the mountain, family picnics, or camping trips. A time spent with the family is always treasured.

How To Be Super Mom wishes you a great super duper summer!

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Lettuce, Bulgarian Cheese and Walnuts Salad

This Salad is so refreshing during summer. The taste of orange and mustard dressing coating the cheese is Superb!

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

1 small romain lettuce
150 g Bulgarian Cheese
50 g chopped Walnuts
Dressing: Mustardy Orange Dressing

Directions

Shred the lettuce into large pieces. Don't use the knife, the lettuce will loose all its nutrients. Shred the leaves with your hands.
Put the lettuce in a serving dish, and crumble the cheese all over the leaves.
Spread the chopped walnuts, add the dressing and toss all together.

Tips

          - After washing the lettuce, let them stand in water, vinegar and salt for

            5 minutes.

          - Chill the salad before serving
          - Always choose Romain lettuce for your salads.
          Romain lettuce is a highly nutritious leafy green it contains, per head,
          17% protein, 206 mg calcium, 44% RDA of Omega-3, more Vitamin C
          than an orange, 6 mg of iron, rich in Vitamin B, Water, Vitamin A,
          mineral rich.

Mustardy Orange Dressing

A light tasty dressing!

Ingredients

1 cup orange juice

2 tbsps Mustard

Ground black pepper to taste

Salt to taste



Baked Rigatoni With Meatballs

Ingredients

3 garlic cloves
1 bunch of basil
1 kg pureed tomato
400 g Rigatoni
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste

For the Meatballs

2 tbsps fresh parsley leaves
500 g lean minced beef
125 g grated Parmesan cheese
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 egg
3 tbsp olive oil for soufflé dish

Directions

Finely chop garlic
Chop Basil leaves
Pour the pureed tomato in a frying pan and add 2/3 of the garlic, the basil and a pinch of salt
Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, 10-12 minutes; there should be some liquid left in the pan
Season to taste with salt and pepper, and set aside.
Wipe the frying pan clean

How to make the meatballs

Chop the parsley leaves
Put the minced beef, 1/4 of the Parmesan, the chopped parsley leaves, remaining garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a bowl.
Add the egg.
Mix all the ingredients in the bowl with your hands until they are thorougly combined.
Shape the mixture into meatballs
Heat the remaining oil in the frying pan.
Fry the meatballs in batches until they are brown 2-4 minutes

Bake the Rigatoni

Heat the oven to 190 C
Brush the inside of the soufflé dish with olive oil
Boil the rigatoni for 8 to 10 minutes
In a saucepan, stir the pasta and sauce together until the pasta is well coated with sauce
Spoon 1/3 of the previous mixture in the dish, spoon half the meatballs, sprinkle with 1/3 of Parmesan
Repeat those steps, add the remaining pasta sauce and sprinkle with Parmesan.
Bake for 35 minutes.

Bon Appétit!

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Garden Salad

Ingredients

5 leaves romain lettuce
5 leaves lollo rosso
2 medium carrots, grated
20 cherry tomatoes, halved
3 lebanese cucumbers
Black ground pepper to taste
Salt to taste
Dressing: Sauce Maison

Directions

Shred the lettuce with your hands, this way it won't loose any of its vitamins.
Cut cucumbers into round slices
Toss all the ingredients together
Bon Appétit!!

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The luck arches the closing ozone.

Cabbage and Tomatoes Salad

Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients

1 small cabbage
2 medium tomatoes
2 tbsp fresh parsley
1/2 tbsp dried mint

Dressing: Sauce Maison

Directions

• Finely chop the cabbage
• Slice the tomatoes into a julienne cut( long thin cut)
• Add the fresh parsley
• Add the dried mint
• Pour the dressing and toss all together

Bon Appétit

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Sauce Maison

This is one of the most simple salad dressings ever and it goes with almost any kind.

Ingredients

1 cup oil
1/3 cup lemon juice
Pepper and salt to taste

Introducing Solids

When should you introduce solids to your baby?

After many readings I decided to simplify this answer in few words to give you all the information you need without you having to read pages and pages to get to your desired answer.

Most of the pediatricians advise the start of solids when the baby is 5 ½ or 6 months:

1. His digestive system isn’t ready until he reaches 6 months
2. By six months of age the intestines are more mature and able to filter out more of the offending allergens. This is why it's particularly important to delay solids if there is a family history of food allergy, and especially to delay the introduction of foods to which other family members are allergic.
3. The tongue and the swallowing mechanisms may not yet be ready to work together. Prior to four months of age, a baby's swallowing mechanism is designed to work with sucking, but not with chewing.

How to start:

1. Only introduce solids at lunchtime to avoid bedtime disturbance, and start between feedings that way your child won’t be starving and will accept new food easily.
2. You should give your baby one new food at a time and wait 4 days before you introduce a new one. Meanwhile watch for any allergic reactions like diarrhea, rash or vomiting. If any of these occurs contact your pediatrician.
3. Remember that your baby may only want a teaspoon at first
4. Don’t force it, if your baby doesn’t want it, try again another day.

*Don’t make mealtimes a performance, with you turning every spoonful into a fast running train or driving airplane. Your baby probably won’t eat anymore and in fact may refuse food just to enjoy the show. When he doesn’t want anymore, just call an end to the meal. ~Sarah, health visitor~ 

(Scattergood, Emma. The first-time parent’s survival guide, ward lock book, UK, 1998)

Please download the UNICEF booklet a start4life. It will help you have a good start of solid introduction (http://www.unicef.org.uk/BabyFriendly/Resources/Resources-for-parents/Weaning---starting-solid-food/)

Good Foods to start with 

(all the following information were taken from the UNICEF booklet a start 4 life)

From 6 months

First foods: mashed or soft cooked sticks of fruit and vegetables like parsnip,

potato, yam, sweet potato, carrot, apple or pear, all cooled before eating.

Or try soft peach or melon, or grabbable bits of soft ripe banana or avocado.

Or baby rice mixed with your baby’s usual milk.

*My pediatrician never advise the use of rice cereal or any other processed food.

Next foods: soft cooked meat such as chicken, mashed fish (check very

carefully for any bones), pasta, noodles, toast, pieces of chapati, lentils, rice

and mashed hard boiled eggs. Also, full fat dairy products such as yoghurt,

fromage frais or custard (choose products with no added sugar or less sugar).

Cow’s milk can be used in cooking or mixed with food from 6 months.

Cups: introduce a cup from around 6 months and offer sips of water with meals.

Using an open cup or a free-flow cup without a valve will help your baby learn

to sip and is better for your baby’s teeth.

From 8-9 months

Gradually, in this time, your baby will move towards eating 3 meals a day.

It will be a mixture of finger foods, mashed and chopped foods.

From 12 months

Your baby will now be eating 3 meals a day, chopped if required, plus mum’s

milk or cow’s milk and healthier snacks like fruit, vegetable sticks or toast and

rice cakes. They can now drink whole cow’s milk and have full fat dairy products.

Choose full fat because children under 2 need the extra fat and vitamins in full

fat dairy products. From 2 years old if they are a good eater and growing well

they can have semi-skimmed milk. From 5 years old, 1% or skimmed milk is ok.

References:

Murkoff, Eisenberg and Hathaway. “What to expect the first year”, Workman Publishing, New York.

Scattergood, Sarah. “The first-time parent’s survival guide”, Ward Lock, UK, 1998

UNICEF, “start4life”booklet, (http://www.unicef.org.uk/BabyFriendly/Resources/Resources-for-parents/Weaning---starting-solid-food/)

Father's Day Card and Picture Holder

This will make a perfect gift for a traveling father,

 it's a card and a photo holder in the same time.

Supplies Needed

• 4 Construction Papers (any color)
• White Marker
• Glue
• Scissors
• Zigzag scissors
• Your kids Picture 

 

Directions

Choose one of the construction papers and cut out a 14*24 cm rectangle

Choose another color, and cut out, using the zigzag scissors, a 12.5*22.5 cm rectangle
Glue it in the middle of the first rectangle

From the same basic construction paper cut 9*18  cm parallelogram, and glue it as seen in the picture.

From a third construction paper, cut a 11*11 cm square, and glue it as posted.

Cut out from the 4th construction paper the shape of a tie, you can use the pattern we posted earlier( click)

Glue it as posted

Cut from the basic construction paper, a 11* 23cm rectangle and glue it to the back. To hold it better you can use a glue gun.

Put glue only on the borders to be able to enter the pictures.

Write a small quote using the white marker

Place the pictures you chose in the back pocket you made

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