Madrid, 20 Jun. (EDIZIONES)-
Especially if you are a first-born parent, you tend to pay more attention to what grandparents tell us, or to the popular beliefs that have been flooding popular knowledge about child-rearing for years, when in reality, if we read a little more parents, we would realize that half are not true and that our newborns are fine as they are.
The main problem today is that a feeling is sold that newborns have fragile health, that problems will arise, and that parents are afraid of things that never happen, according to the doctor who specializes in pediatrics and master's degree in Neonatology by the Spanish Neonatology Society, Dr. José María Lloreda.
"parents, especially first-time parents, live distressed by problems that are encouraged to sell things to you, such as the sterilizer, or for example the device to see the baby's vital signs, as well as to avoid sudden death a specific mattress. They scare you with everything to make you believe that if you Don't do everything they tell you, you're a bad parent when most things are free or really Don't need to be done," she says.
Precisely, in the 'Manual of early fathers' (Arcopress), this neonatologist lists those which in his opinion represent the main myths that surround newborns and which, in his opinion, we must banish.
In an interview with Infosalus, this expert raises, for example, the belief that the baby is cold because his hands and feet are always cold, when in reality this is not the case. "in newborns the circulation of blood is slower, so it happens, it has nothing to do with them being cold because they themselves are cold," the expert Apostille.
For sudden death, he says babies should sleep upside down, and parents should not smoke. "do not sell your bike because there is no device to prevent it. They also tell you that the humidifier is necessary for the cold, when it is not. You experience the feeling of fear when we live today in the era in which newborns have the most health in history," this specialist draws attention.
Another myth he thinks parents are 'beaten up' enough is with the subject of routines, and insisting that a one-month-old baby sleep alone, Don't sue for things. "we adults, however, have more freedom and we assume that everyone is the way they are, when we set rules for them. With a newborn one has to be attentive to their demands and we have to adapt to them, not the other way around. You put the baby to cry in another room but it's not a way to learn, not even ethics," Lloreda considers.
Cereal biber to make her sleep longer for the night?-No, no, no.
From the Spanish Association of primary Care Pediatrics (AEPAP) they also point out that there are people who think that the child wakes up at night to be hungry and, therefore, if given a bottle of cereals at night they will sleep better. "there are studies that compare the number of waking up between children who take only breast and children who drink baby bottles with cereals. They show that children who take cereal before sleep do not sleep better, nor do they have fewer awakenings than children who are breastfed alone," he adds.
What's more, she says that during the first 6 months of life babies wake up often, it's the pattern of normal sleep at these ages. "when the mother wakes up, she usually puts the child to the chest. These wakeups and frequent breastfeeding favor attachment and maintenance of breastfeeding. Babies who take the breast may take longer to sleep at once, but that doesn't hurt them," he says.
However, he pointed out that the introduction of a cereal bottle at night "does not make the child sleep better" and also warns that it may interfere with breastfeeding, "which has proved its benefits". In turn, he warns that night overfeeding with cereals can favor the development of overweight and obesity in children.
On the other hand, there is a myth that if a person places himself behind the newborn, he or she may be cross-eyed. "A widespread belief about strabismus is not to allow babies to look back because they can get biscuits. Is this true? it's false. It's normal for babies to get biscuits from time to time during the first few months. It's because of immaturity of the ocular muscles. But between 4 and 6 months, the eyes usually straighten out. If you keep diverting your eyes from that age, consult your pediatrician," adds AEPAP.
Also, cutting the baby's hair is thought to make it stronger. Does this have any foundation? "neither cutting nor shaving hair can get the hair to come out thicker," stresses the Spanish Association of primary Care Pediatrics (Asociación Española de Pediatrics de Atención Primera).
It is also widespread that the newborn should not be bathed until the umbilical cord falls. This is not true!, says the AEPAP, who adds that the umbilical cord is a conduit that binds the navel of the fetus to the mother's placenta, which after delivery is clicked and cut.
"little by little it dries up until it falls, usually between 5 and 15 days of life. The navel can be wet even if the cord has not fallen. The important thing is to wash and dry well to avoid infections. To do this you have to wash your hands before and after touching the cord. Just wash it with water and soap with neutral pH and dry it well both after the bath and after every diaper change," he concludes.
