Kinderwagen Quest

We hadden al enige malen in verschillende winkels (in binnen en buiteland) de beschikbare modellen bekeken en ook op marktplaats gezocht en bezocht. Aan elke inderwagen leek wel een voor en nadeel te zitten. De 1 is te groot om makkelijk op reis te nemen, de ander heeft een te kleine reiswieg, een tweedehandsje heeft vaak toch al zichtbaar veel geleden.

Dus twee weken geleden ging de kogel door de kerk en we besloten de kinderwagen te kopen waar we als eerste van gecharmeerd waren: De Quinny Speedi.

We hadden bij Van Asten babysuperstore in Tilburg weer een aanbieding gezien: Quinny (2008) + maxi cosi cabriofix + voetenzak + tas voor 499. We moesten ook nog een maxi cosi kopen dus dat kwam mooi uit. Van Asten is zo'n winkel waar het hele jaar "superkorting" en "mega sale" en "alles moet weg is" en we hadden al eerder meegemaakt dat op z'n zachts gezegd de aanbiedingen in de folder er beter uit zagen dan dat ze in werkelijkheid waren. Het enige dat we daar daadwerkelijk gekocht hadden was een babyphone (en nog niet eens degene die in de folder stond). Maar toch, nog 1 keer dan.

Daar aangekomen bekeken we nog 1 maal alle modellen, maar we konden onszelf niet overreden om voor een ander model te gaan, dus wij informeerden bij de verkoper. Wat bleek: we konden de Quinny kopen + maxi cosi cabriofix + voetenzak, maar dan we in fel paars of fel groen, OF we konden een andere kleur Quinny kopen maar dan + (goedkopere) safetyfirst kinderstoeltje + bijpassende (goedkopere) voetenzak + tas. Een subtiel, maar wel degelijk een verschil dat niet eens meer hiet anders interpreteren van de folder betreft. Het is simpelweg iets anders! Daar waren we niet van gediend en we verlieten het pand.

Dan liever iets meer betalen bij babydump, dus wij reden naar Eindhoven. Daar waren ook de fel groene quinny en de fel paarse quinny in de aanbieding (showroom modellen) voor 400 euro. Plus de maxi cosi (110) euro kwam dat op ongeveer dezelfde prijs neer (een voetenzak voor de maxi cosi was voor ons geen vereiste). Die fel groene binnenkant van de reiswieg stond ons nog steeds niet aan, maar we konden ook apart een andere mooiere (afgeprijsde) (showroom model) reiswieg kopen. Echter, omdat het einde van het jaar nadert en de laatste 2008 modellen weg moesten, waren er nog meer interesante aanbiedingen te vinden: een maxi cosi kinderwagen(vier wieler) en een ander kwaliteitsmerk (van 800 voor 400). Het was zaterdag en topdrukte dus het duurde even voordat we een verkoopster hadden gevonden die ons het een en ander kon demonstreren. Ten slotte besloten we te besluiten om de groene Quinny te kopen maar met andere (niet fel) groene reiswieg en we liepen terug naar die wagen. Helaas, net voor ons had een ander stel die laatste Quinny gekocht. Wat nu?

Het was inmiddeld rond 4 uur zaterdagmiddag en de winkels sloten om 5 uur. Misshien had Prenatal nog een kinderwagen in de aanbieding? Wij snel naar de Prenatal bij de IKEA. Gelukkig, ze hadden een Quinny in de aanbieding (ook weer de groene) voor 400 inclusief reiswieg. Ik vroeg of we hem ook zonder bak zouden kunnen kopen. Gelukkig, dat kon. De wandelwagen zou dan 259 euro worden. De maxi cosi was ook iets goedkoper (100 euro) en samen met de reiswieg van babydump kwamen we dan zelfs 10 euro goedkoper uit (zeg maar de benzine van al dat heen en weer gerij). We kochten hem snel en spoedden ons terug naar babydump. Ik wilde namelijk niet wachten tot maandag om er achter te komen dat de reiswieg die we nu wilden ook verkocht was.

Vijf voor vijf holden we de babydump weer binnen. Gelukkig de bak was er nog. Het was zelfs zo dat ze nog enkele stuks van deze reiswieg op voorraad hadden.

De quest zat erop.

Groeicurves tijdens de Zwangerschap

Gister, heeft de verloskundige echo gemaakt om, gebaseerd op de groei het gewicht te bepalen, en dan gebaseerd op dat gewicht de groeicurve te bepalen, en dus het geboorte gewicht wanneer ons kindje op de uitgerekende datum geboren wordt. Ons kindje werd ingeschat als P20.Dit betekende dat ons kindje een normaal geboorte gewicht zal hebben, maar wel onder het gemiddelde geboortegewicht (wat P50 is). Omdat dit sterk afhangt van de geboorte datum, die kan verschillen afhankelijk waarvan je uit gaat (bv. laatste menstruatie of de resultaten van de 20 weken echo) wilde ik deze groeitabel met het de gewichten van het kindje voor de geboorte ook zelf eens bekijken en analyseren. Helaas koste het mij nogal wat moeite om deze op internet te vinden, daarom een verwijzing vie dit blog (naar stichting perinatale registratie nederland. ).

Eerste keer zwanger van een meisje? klik hier
Eerste keer zwanger van een jongen? klik hier
Al eerder zwanger geweest, en nu is het een meisje? Klik hier
Al eerder zwanger geweest, en nu is het een jongen? Klik hier


Het werkt als volgt. Stel, je bent voor het eerst zwanger van een meisje. Als je precies 34 weken zwanger en het gewicht van je baby is bepaald op ongeveer 2080 gram, dan wordt het geboorte gewicht, als je precies op de uitgerekende datum (van 40 weken) bevalt, ongeveer 3391 gram. Je kunt dan ook aflezen wat het geboortegewicht ongeveer wordt als je eerder of later bevalt.

Breastfeeding Course 2.

Last week I went to the second and last part of the breastfeeding course. I did not have time to make a good 'story' out of the evening but I decided to post my (probably incoherent) notes anyway. Maybe I find some time to polish them still at some point.

Unfortunately, Barbara was not able to join the course again so I went by myself. I arrived late at the breastfeeding course and they had already started with discussing questions & problems that may arise during the breastfeeding period.

- Not advisable to use a nipple hat for breastfeeding when the nipples have cracks because they bring down the milk production. First try if it is possible to use a different position to ease the problems and only use nipple hats after consulting with your doctor or verloskundige. It is OK to use nipple cushions between breast feeding periods.

- In general it is not a problem to use anti-conception pill when breastfeeding. However ostregen slows down the milk production so it is advisable to use a pill without this hormone.

- A clogged up milk canal is recognizable by a painful/hard/blue spot forming on the breast. When milk finds another way (then the canal) to leave the canal it will sip into the surrounding breast area. The body reacts on this and starts cleaning up the milk in the same way as it reacts to an infection. This may cause nipple cracks and fever. In case this happens and the fever lasts for more then 24 hours you have to go to a doctor. Also with both nipple cracks and fever you have to go to the doctor immediately. Luckily a lot of these “breast infections” may be prevented by detecting them in time. It was adviced to check the breast every meal time for hard spots. In case you find them you can: massage them, let the baby especially drink that side of the breast and let the baby drink more often. In this way the ‘clog’ can be gotten rid off before it gets worse.

- What mama eats (e.g. tastes) influence the content of the breast milk. This can cause cramps. I asked, if what my mother in law said, whether tea can help to solve the kramps. The answer was that they did not advice to use (venkel) tea anymore because it also contains a substance that is not good for the baby (although I didn’t ask which). What you can do is rub the baby’s tummy, put something warm on the tummy, or lay the baby on his belly (on your arm).

- However, a lot less substances leave traces in the milk then pass through the placenta to the baby. So, the mother is allowed to eat (raw) beef again, file american, and raw cheeses. And especially garlic is something a baby likes. Studies show that garlic makes the baby drink more milk. It is OK for the mother to drink (some) alcohol again, but some planning is involved. The maximum amount of alcohol after a glass of whine arrives in the milk around 2 hours after drinking it. So, plan your feeding-drinking behavior such that the baby doesn’t get a maximum amount of tralala. If you really feel like going party party (e.g. for carnival) then of course you can also pump off milk before and put it aside and give it to the baby instead of ‘fresh’ milk.

- After feeding for a while, the breasts get used to the feeling of being full with milk. Therefore, after a while it may not feel like the breasts are full anymore when they are supposed to be. However, usually they still are. If the baby is still growing well and does his deeds in his pampers well, then there is nothing to worry about.

The second part of the evening was about different milking pumps. Although, milking can be even done by hand (by pressing with two fingers behind the nipple) most women prefer to use a pumping device. In Holland there are two dominant brands: Philips Avent and Medela. The teacher had taken some models to show us. If you pump milk only once in a while a manual pump suffices, if you pump on a regular bases, it might be more convenient (and worth while) to use an electric pump (P.S. the Medala Swing seems to be the best option. It is very silent and still reasonably priced). If a pump is needed in the beginning to stimulate the milk production it is possible to rent a fancy (3000 euro) electric pump. These are easier/better then the hand pumps of course.

A baby makes a vacuum, uses is tong and lips for stimulation and takes ‘bites’. A pump only creates a vacuum which simulate the sucking. Therefore, a pump requires some practice and some getting used to (and accepting). So, with pumping, assume a relaxed position for instance put on some music. Because it takes some practice don’t get scared if in the beginning you are not able to produce so much milk (e.g. only a bottom full). Drinking from a bottle instead of a breast also requires some practice from the baby’s part. Therefore, it is advicable to start practicing (with a bit of breast milk) at already 6 weeks of age, and repeat it once in a while so that by the time you have to go back working again, the baby is used to it. Baby’s tend to have an easier time practicing with papa’s or grandmothers. Because with mama they tend to want to breast (because they are used to that).

Breast milk can be stored:
- 8 to 10 hours at room (20 degrees Celcius) temperature
- 5 days in the fridge
- One month the freezer part of the fridge
- Up to 6 months in a stand alone deep freezer

It is adviced to heat the milk in a bottle warmer. A micro wave or pot doesn’t heat the milk equally and therefore ‘kills’ part of the healthy substances in the milk.

After 6 months the baby is old enough to eat other things then milk. P.S. An adviced method to get the baby to eat solid food is Rapley’s (www.borstvoeding.com). The way to decrease the milking times and milk production is to start with one feeding session less after having the baby fully empty the breasts in the previous session. If after 4 days no hard spots have formed, then feeding times can be decreased further with another session and so on.

A final question of the evening was what it to do when the baby looks ‘yellowish’ for a longer period of time after birth. Because, it is normal that a baby looks yellowish for some days. However, this can take longer (and also go away and come back again). In case the baby is otherwise healthy, nothing needs to be done. Otherwise, contact your house doctor.

So now I know everything about breast feeding. Besides the health advantages it also saves (in 6 months) 650 Euro compared to using powder milk. So, no reason not to do it if you are able to.

Breastfeeding Course 1.

Thursday I went to breastfeeding course. Yes, you read that correctly. Barbara was not feeling well and therefore I went to breastfeeding course by myself.

We were first scheduled to have the breastfeeding course in Helmond on tuesday's. But that coincided with our zwangerschaps gym. The only possible alternative turned out to be thursday's in Gemert (about half an hour drive from our place). The breastfeeding consists of two sessions of 2 hours per session in which everything you ever wanted to know about breasfeeding is explained. I was a bit late because I never had been to that part of that village before and it turned out that the road where the course was held was closed off (so I had to run arround a bit to find it). The group consisted of 4 pregnant ladies (of which one had been pregnant before, one boyfriend, and 2 neighbourhood nurses (wijkverpleegsters). The teacher was a lactation consultant, which is a woman who can help with breast feeding in case of problems. Normally, the kraamverzorgster teaches the new mom how to breastfeed (so it is not a problem that Barbara missed the first course evening).

In Holland, 80 % of women breastfeed their new born baby. After three months, 50 % of women is breasfeeding still, and only 20 % of women breastfeed still at 6 months. There is no doubt that this decline is caused by the fact that in Holland women only get 3 months of maturnity leave. The secretary of health wants to increase the percentage of women who still breast feed at 6 months to 40 % in a couple of years, but for now maturnity leave remains 3 months.

Children are raised with the image of giving a bottle to a child, as they grow with dolls who they give the bottle. However, it is only natural to breast feed and children who have been breast feed find this the natural way. And here the teacher showed a very funny picture of a toddler in a museum who sees the naked breast of a statue and instinctively went for it :)

Breastfeeding can be very tiring, so much that one of the women told that with her first child she could fall asleep at night while the baby was having his midnight snack and would only wake up in the morning with her baby still at her breast. Also, sometimes it can be hard to find the motivation to breastfeed and then women tend to give up. However, the teacher reassured that it is OK (and normal) not to feel for it sometimes.

After the baby is born, it instinctively looks for the breast of the mother. It will start smacking its mouth, and put his little fingers in its mouth. Within one hour it will even start crawling for the breast. Therefore, it is recommend to put the child to the breast within the first hour after it is born (when you see it is longing for it). If this is not possible, because the mother is separated from the child in the hospital for some reason, then the teacher adviced for the father to go to the child, strip his shirt, and lay the child on his breast until the mother comes.

The first couple of days the milk production still has to start up and little milk is produced. But this is OK, since the stomach of the baby is not bigger then a marble and fills easily. The first days, breastfeeding can cause contractions. This is a good sign. It indicates that the hormones are working. If the milk production is not starting so well the first days, then it is adviced to milk using a pump to stimulate the milk production.
The first 6 months, breast milk is all the child needs, except that in the first 3 months it gets vitamine 'K' and 'D' extra, in the form of drops. When (fulltime) breastfeeding there is a 2 % chance of getting pregnant.

The first weeks the child has to be fead every 3-4 hours, but if the child wants to be fed more times it is also fine. It is not supposed to that we should look on the clock for feeding times, but look at the child. However, if the child is sleeping so much that he does not wake up for regular feeding times, then we should wake it up becasue there are baby's who 'suffer in silence'. Each feeding time, the baby should at least drink for 15 minutes with long hauls (see below). Some days the child will have a 'regeldag', when the child wants to be breast times more tmes then normal. A day or two later everthing is back to normal (so don't panic). These indicate that the child likes more milk and cause the mother to produce more milk. This happens arround the 10th day, 6 weeks, and 3 monhts. The growing curves used at the consultation office are based on bottle fed children, so don't panic if the child seems to grow less fast then the curve indicates. Growing curves for breastfeeding can be found at www.borstvoeding.com. Note that after birth the cild first loses weight (around 7 - 10 %) before it starts gaining weight.

The baby is put at the breast as follows: first of all, the mother should be in a comfortable position. Then the baby is placed belly to belly with the mother, with the nose against the nipple. The baby should now take a big bite ('hap') at the breast. Then the baby has to be pulled closer to the breast such that its chin is pressed in the breast and the nose is free.

When the baby has locked itself to the breast correctly then he starts making short sucking movements. After a bit it will start making long hauls and you can hear him swallowing. This is called 'toeschieten'. The mother can also feel this in her breast, even in the other breast which can also start leaking milk. If the 'toeschieten' does not happen for 15 minutes then the moter should try the other breast. The baby is taken off the breast by first putting a finger on in the side of its mouth and give a little pull (in order to break the vacuum) and then it can be taken off with ease. When the child has finished the breast it will let go, or fall asleep, or start 'headbanging'. Then it also is time to give the second breast to the child. The teacher adviced to have the baby drink one breast fully and then let it on the second breast as long as it wants to. Only the first sucking movements should be felt by the moteher, after that the breastfeeding should feel conformtable. Otherwise, there might be something wrong.

The child is drinking well if:
- it drinks at least 8 times per day, with at least 15 minutes of long hauls.
- after 4 days, it has at least 5 wet dipers per day
- after 4 weeks, it has at least 4, nr 2. (kakki) dipers
- the child is gaining weight.

Next thursday we talk about milking with the pump and about possible problems that rise while breast feeding.