Parent and Baby

Written on April 28, 2008 – 4:11 pm | by Staff |

Week 11 - How Big Is Your Baby This Eleventh Week?

Baby weighs 11-1/2 pounds and is 22-3/4 inches long this week.

Baby Care and Equipment

Ways to Relieve Baby’s Gas

A baby often swallows air when she eats, so it’s not unusual for her to have gas. Burping may take care of the problem, but when it doesn’t, you may need to try something else.

• Use a different burping position. Lay her face down on your lap, and pat her back. Or sit her on your lap and rub her back.
• Stop in the middle of her feeding and burp her. Burp her again when she finishes.
• Don’t let her cry for long periods. When she cries, she gulf in air, which can cause gas.
• Keep her upright when you feed her, at least at a 30-degree.i angle. She swallows food more easily. She’ll swallow less air.)
• If bottle-feeding, be sure the nipple is the right size. Too much milk going through too fast or sucking too hard on a nipple with an opening that is too small can cause her to swallow air.
• Be modern—use an angled bottle or disposable plastic liners that collapse as baby sucks.

Rarely, gas may be caused by a digestive problem. If baby has diarrhea, vomits, cries inconsolably and suffers from bloating, call your doctor. Baby may have lactose intolerance, be allergic to her formula or have some other problem.

Feeding Tips-Travel

Bottle-feeding. Prepare before you get in the car with baby. If you feed her formula, refrigerate any prepared formula, if directions call for it. If you can’t do that, premeasure water into a clean baby bottle. When baby’s hungry, just add powdered formula to the water. Or buy premixed, ready-to-feed formula in cans or bottles. Pour canned formula into a bottle when she’s hungry. Discard leftovers.

Breastfeeding. It’s easy to feed your baby on the road if you breastfeed, as long as you can find a place to feed her where you feel comfortable. Feed baby when she’s hungry. If you have to be away from her for a time, pump extra breast milk, then refrigerate or freeze it. Breast milk doesn’t have to be refrigerated immediately. It will stay fresh up to 4 hours at temperatures as high as 77F (25C) and 24 hours at 60F (15.6C). You can refrigerate breast milk for up to 72 hours. It can be frozen for up to 6 months in a refrigerator freezer and up to 12 months in a deep freezer. Label all containers clearly with the date.

You can combine fresh breast milk with frozen breast milk. Cool the expressed milk before adding the thawed breast milk. Use more thawed breast milk than fresh breast milk. Once milk is thawed, use immediately or store in the refrigerator up to 24 hours.

Help to Get Baby to Sleep

To help baby get a good night’s rest, keep her comfort and safety in mind. Place baby on her back to go to sleep. When she’s old enough to turn over, she can choose her own sleeping position. Room temperature should be about 70F (21.1C) for her comfort and yours. Keep her away from soft surfaces that can mold to her face and interfere with breathing. Use only approved mattress covers for her crib or bassinet. Avoid plastic bags or wrapping material that could come loose and suffocate her. Never leave baby alone on a sofa or bed. Even if she’s not rolling over yet, she could wiggle and fall off.

If you have a family bed and share it with baby, avoid using soft materials. Don’t use a feather-bed pillow. The mattress should be firm. Do not place quilts, pillows or comforters under the baby, If you share your bed with baby, don’t use any substance, such as alcohol, that could interfere with your ability to wake up.

Baby Bouncers

When baby wants to jump and wiggle, consider buying a bounce A bouncer is an angled, wire-framed, fabric chair, with a harness! holds baby. Its semireclining seat is designed to allow her to seel world and to bounce her gently when it is put in motion. It can be used until she’s about 25 pounds or until she can sit up on her own, Caution: When she can sit by herself, she’s no longer safe in it.

Most bouncers are well padded and comfortable for baby to sit in. Sitting in a bouncer gives your baby the opportunity to see you and to see what’s going on around her. At the same time, the rhythmic motion can soothe her, if you choose to “start her bouncing.”

Many bouncers have removable, washable cushions and cover Some have a toy bar across the front so baby can look at, and eventually play with, brightly colored toys.

When possible, bring water from home to mix with formula so it tastes the same.

By this time, your baby has probably settled into her sleeping pattern and eating pattern.

Milestones This Eleventh Week

She Uses Her Senses to Explore

Baby now recognizes familiar sights and sounds. She uses all of her senses to explore her world. She’s learning self-control. You’ll be amused how she may stop crying and start smiling when you make silly noises or funny faces.

Understanding Her Cry

Your continuing experiences with her help you understand many things about your baby. By this time, you recognize her “crying language.” You probably know now if she’s hungry, in pain, tired, bored or wants attention when she cries. Her crying is decreasing because she’s more involved in interacting with her environment.

Playing Together

You’ve also probably come to understand when is the best time to play with baby. Some days she wants to play more than others. If she’s sleeping and eating a lot due to a growth spurt, she may be less interested in playtime. Other times, when she’s learning a new task, she’ll want to continue to play long after her usual limit. Be flexible. Let her help set the playtime.

When awake, baby may no longer want just to cuddle. She wants to play and to interact. She doesn’t like being left alone for long. She has many facial expressions now, such as frowns, smiles and grimaces. She may stop nursing to smile at you, then return to sucking.

She’s Getting Stronger

Her strength is increasing. By now, she may be able to sit up quite well if she’s securely propped against something. Lying on her stomach, she can push up her chest using her elbows and forearms.

Baby’s Hands Help Her Learn

She no longer holds her hands in fists. Her hands are now loosely clenched. Sometimes they are open. She has discovered her hands are more than mere fists—now they are fingers and a thumb. They interest her greatly.

The reflexive grasp she was born with is disappearing. Now she must learn to use her hands to hold onto something. Your baby will bring her hands together at the center of her body. She’s beginning to coordinate the look/grasp/suck system. She’s putting everything into her mouth. Be careful of what she puts in her mouth. Unclean objects may expose her to germs. Small objects could choke her. Other than that, don’t worry too much.

She likes to touch or to handle just about anything. She’s i content to just look any longer—she wants to touch, too! She’li study a plastic rattle placed in her hand, then wave it around. She likes to make noise.

Different textures interest her—a hard rattle, a soft doll, a fluffy stuffed toy. She’ll repeat an action many times as she plays witf something. Does the rattle always make noise when she shakes! Does the foam toy always pop back into shape when she lets i it? Through repetition, she learns much about her environmer

Baby Likes to Look at Patterns

The contrast of light and dark still pleases her, but she also likes contrasting colors. Pastels don’t excite her much. She pays atter to details, patterns and the play of light on an object. And when; drops something, she will stare in puzzlement at the place where it  disappeared!

What’s Happening This Eleventh Week?

Sleeping All Night?

Your baby should be sleeping all night now. However, pediatrician define “all night” as not waking up between midnight and 5 A.M. Most people don’t consider this 5-hour period as an entire night, if you’ve been sleep-deprived since baby’s birth, even sleeping this amount of time is cause for celebration!

Help establish this pattern by feeding baby more frequently during the day. If she naps longer than 3 hours, wake her up. Establish a bedtime routine, as we’ve previously discussed, which helps her know it’s time to go to sleep. If you get up at night to feed her, keep lights low and interaction to a minimum. Change her, feed her and put her to bed with as little stimulation as possible.

Taking Baby on the Road

When traveling with baby, a family car trip is often the way to go. You can go on the spur of the moment and take along whatever you need. You can stop whenever you want. It’s OK when baby fusses. You probably won’t set any speed records. What used to take you 3-1/2 hours will now take at least 5, but the car is great for family travel.

Be prepared so the trip is enjoyable for everyone. Build in extra time for unplanned stops. Below are ideas for making your next trip a happy experience.

• Feed baby just before you leave, so you won’t have to make a feeding stop too soon. Never take baby out of her car sear to nurse or to bottle-feed her while the car is moving.
• Leave just before naptime, if possible, or when she’s awake but close to her naptime.
• Know baby’s tolerance for being confined. This usually isn’t a problem until she gets older. Many parents drive while baby is napping or sleeping.
• Be prepared to stop often. It’s hard for her to be in a car seat for a long time. You’ll need to stop often to give baby a break (you, too).
• Factor in extra time for everything. You need to feed and to change baby, sometimes not at the same stop. You may need to comfort baby if she’s fussy. Some babies have a hard time sleeping in their car seat, so you may need to let her lie down for a while.
• Keep cassette tapes handy that she likes. Include funny songs. Even stories can entertain her. Don’t play lullabies— they can lull the driver to sleep as easily as the baby!
• Have her favorite toys and comfort objects at hand.
• Pack ail the supplies you’ll need—disposable diapers,! wipes, extra pacifiers, formula, bottles, nipples, burp cloths, clean clothes, blankets.
• Take your food with you—picnic whenever you can. It’s often easier to picnic when and where you want than to go into a restaurant with a young child.
• Neck supports or a rolled, soft blanket provide baby with a comfortable sleeping position.

Think before you pack the car. Plan what you want to take with Pack the things last that you’ll need soonest. That way, they’re onl in the trunk and readily available. Keep essentials up front with you.

Carry a small cooler for snacks and formula or expressed breas milk. If baby wants warmed formula, put the correct amount of powdered formula in a bottle. Add warm water from an insulated bottle when it’s time to feed her.

Keep as close to your routine as possible, such as the time you put her to bed. Put her down about the time you normally do, and follow your bedtime ritual. This helps her fall asleep, even when she’s: not in her own bed. If you travel to a different time zone, let her adjust gradually, just as you do.

Reserve a crib and bedding if you’re staying at a hotel. If you’re visiting relatives, ask them to borrow or to rent a crib. Bring baby’s favorite blanket or toy to comfort her. Take along a crib monitor if you’re staying at a suites-hotel (with separate bedrooms) or at someone’s home.

You may have to adjust your routine somewhat. You may have to go to bed when baby does, or wait until she falls asleep before turning on the TV or radio softly. Often, you get up when she gets up. If baby is curious and crawling, consider bringing childproofing supplies with you. Most hotels and motels don’t supply them. Family members and friends don’t usually have these devices either.

Anal Fissure

What it is. An anal fissure is a small tear in or around the opening to the anus (rectum) that can occur at any time. You may notice a little bit of blood in baby’s stool or on her diaper. There may be a red rash around the rectum that itches and causes discomfort. Baby may cry with a bowel movement or be constipated.

What to do. Begin by increasing baby’s fluid intake. Do not give her water if she is not eating solids. Instead, increase the amount of breast milk or formula you give her. If she is eating solids, give her foods that soften bowel movements. Ask your pediatrician for advice. If you give her vitamins or formula that contain iron, stop for a while. Discuss this with baby’s doctor before making any changes.

When to call the doctor. Call your baby’s doctor if you notice any of the following symptoms.

• You see blood on the diaper or in the stool.
• She’s crying or fussing with bowel movements.
• She suffers from severe or prolonged constipation.

Baby’s doctor will prescribe treatment for the problem. You may be advised to use a small rectal suppository or a lubricated, gloved little finger to dilate the rectum gently. You may need to give her medications to soften the stool. Sometimes mineral oil is used. The problem usually heals fairly quickly.

Gassiness

What it is. Problems with gassiness or flatulence can occur at any age. It is more common once baby starts eating solid foods, between 4 and 6 months. Symptoms include

• abdominal pain
• bloated or distended abdomen
• fussiness
• frequent passing of gas

What to do. If you are breastfeeding, note the foods you have eaten. Some of them could cause baby to be gassy. Avoid these foods in the future. If she’s eating solids, keep track of the foods your baby is eating that might make her uncomfortable.

Lay her on her tummy on top of a hot-water bottle or a warm (not hot!) heating pad for a short time. Massage her tummy. See the discussion in Week 7 for tips on relieving gas. Burp her. If she’s crying, try to soothe her. Crying causes her to swallow more air, which could cause more gas.

When to call the doctor. Most of the time you won’t have to call your doctor about this problem. It usually goes away by itself. However, call the doctor if you notice any of the following symptoms:

• severe abdominal pain that is not relieved by passing!
• baby is still uncomfortable after you try the above treatments
• she has a fever
• you notice blood in her stools

If baby’s problem is severe, your pediatrician may prescribe medications to help eliminate gas in the intestines. Do not give her medication on your own, before consulting the doctor. If the problem becomes chronic or severe, your doctor may do further testing.

Toys and Play This Eleventh Week

Capture Baby’s Attention

When you talk to baby, capture You’ll hold her attention longer, response. Keep using her name.  She may not associate her name with herself yet, but if she he it frequently, she’ll eventually realize it is a special sound.

Use short sentences of four i or five words when you talk) her. Choose one- or two-syllalj words that can be drawn out when you speak them, such as “liiitttle prinncesss.” When possible, show her what you mean. When you say, “Wave bye-bye to grandma,” wave as you say it. It’s easier for her to recall a word associated with a gesture.

Ask her questions. She can’t answer, but the change in the way a question sounds (raising the tone at the end of the question) exposes her to different language patterns.

Read to her. She’ll love nursery rhymes and poems with a singsong cadence. Sing, too; she’ll love to hear familiar songs over and over again. She may wiggle with anticipation when you begin one of her favorites.

Finding Her Playmate

Your baby is fascinated by noise and movement. Entertain her by slowly moving around her while you talk so she can practice finding one of her favorite playmates—you. You may find baby cooing with pleasure when you play this game.

See if baby can focus on your voice from the direction of the sound. In a singsong voice, say, “Baby, baby, baby” while you stand in front of her. Then move behind her, and sing out again. Move to her side. Change the rhythm of the chant, or chant faster or slower. Chant loudly, then chant softly. Is she listening alertly? Does she follow your sound?

Bells on Her Wrists!

Use her fascination with sound to play a fun game. Tie a ribbon around her wrist that has one or two small bells attached. Lift her arm, and shake the bells gently. If she notices the sound, she may start moving her arm to hear it again. Then put bells on her other wrist, then her ankles. Be sure bells are securely attached to the ribbon. Never leave her alone wearing the ribbon.