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Publisher's Note
A fter publishing a number of books on Health and Fitness, V&S Publishers is now coming up with an exclusive and exhaustive book on Baby Care & Child Health Problems. We all are aware of the fact that a baby is the most precious gift of God to a Mother. However, babies are very delicate, innocent and easily susceptible to various diseases and infections if not properly taken care of.
Therefore, a mother starts the preparations for her newborn's arrival right from the day she conceives or may be before that. She has to plan her food habits, daily routine, and take care of herself and her baby from day one till the baby is born experiencing the pleasures and pain of the nine-month long pregnancy period.
Even after the birth of her child, she has to take the utmost care of her bundle of joy, breastfeed him/her, keep the baby clean and happy and follow the doctor's (pediatrician's) advice of vaccinating the child periodically till the age of five years. These vaccinations, medications and drops make the child immune to a number of deadly diseases like Polio, Jaundice, Hepatitis B, Chicken Pox, Measles, etc.
The book, Baby Care & Child Health Problems deals with all the above mentioned factors elaborately and systematically with special tip offs and advices from pediatricians or child specialists.
So this book can be very helpful and serve as an asset for all those mothers, who are expecting their babies to arrive soon or are busy taking care of their precious ones.
Introduction
R emember that fateful day when you first held your tiny bundle of joy in your arms. Becoming a parent is the happiest day of one's life. The arrival of a new born brings delight and enthusiasm in parents life and they look forward to see their baby grow. However, caring for your delicate baby can raise some obvious questions. A slight mishandling or carelessness can harm your baby and his/her growth and you may be left wondering where you went wrong. Apart from the regular feeding and nappy-changing, there are numerous insignificant little day-to-day jobs involved in caring for your baby the right way. Bathing and clothing him/her, breast-feeding and many such other activities require special care and attention.
Lack of proper care leaves your baby vulnerable to infections and other ailments. With low immunity, your baby is susceptible to other harmful substances in the environment. Minor skin conditions, such as heat rash, infant acne, etc may also arise as the baby's skin is thin and fragile. However, the right care can keep your baby hale and hearty, pleasant and healthy-looking and also build up his/her resistance against the above mentioned health conditions. For the lack of the right instructions manuals, it is natural to feel baffled on how to provide the most loving and efficient care to your baby. Follow through the related chapters in this book to find the best tips and guidelines on baby care.
So help yourself and help your baby in healthy growing.
A New Life Begins
C hild care begins even before you conceive. The mother is the most important person in a child's life. If you are not ready then you will not be able to enjoy your baby nor would the baby be happy. If you are ready both physically and mentally to go through your pregnancy then the rest of the path becomes much easier. A baby is very demanding. So unless you enjoy being a mother you will find it very tough to cope with the unavoidable stress that accompanies the arrival of your little one.
Pregnancy
Pregnancy is a unique experience. You and your partner are going to become parents. Your life takes on a new dimension when you start a family. Let's have a brief idea about how pregnancy occurs. Males and females have their separate reproductive organs. The female reproductive organs include the two ovaries, fallopian tubes and the uterus. The eggs (ova) are produced in the ovaries. At the time of puberty, lots of hormonal changes take place in a girl's body. With the result, the ovaries begin to release an egg (ovum) each month. This egg travels to the uterus through fallopian tubes each month. During copulation when the sperm manages to penetrate the egg while still in the fallopian tube, fertilization occurs. If the fertilization does not occur, the egg and the tissues lining the womb are shed periodically every month. This is called menstruation. If fertilization occurs, pregnancy is established. The fertilized egg reaches the uterus and establishes itself there. New hormones are produced and new tissues are built up in the uterus to sustain the new life. A simple urine test performed six weeks after the first day of the last menstrual test may be done to confirm the pregnancy.
Pregnancy
Transformation
The cell formed by the union of egg and sperm is called zygote. After travelling from the fallopian tube to the womb, this cell gets attached to the lining of the uterus. With time, this zygote multiplies, matures and differentiates into various organs of the baby. The baby connects with the uterus through the placenta. Later on the placenta enlarges and is connected to the developing baby by means of the umbilical cord. The baby gets oxygen and all the nutrition from the placenta and sends its waste products to the placenta via this umbilical cord. When the baby is born, this umbilical cord is cut and clamped around two inches from the baby's end. The placenta along with the rest of the umbilical cord is expelled from the womb. The baby's umbilical cord dries up and gets shed a few days later leaving behind the belly button on baby's tummy.