The Contest: Looking After Our Babies

Babies are the newest born or offspring of humans, animals, plants etc. They are usually tender because of their tenderness, they require extra care and hands to be able to take care of them appropriately. Talking about human offspring is the most loving experience of all time for parents and other family members.

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_{edited with itel A70}

Breastfeeding of a baby is the period where the child sucks or is fed with the mother's breast milk. Talking about the importance of breastfeeding babies (exclusively) especially, I will use a bit of time to explain being a two-times mother.

Breastfeeding of babies;

1. Breast milk contains antibodies (certain proteins), which act as immunity against some viruses that may affect the baby's health.

2. It provides energy for babies.

3. Breast milk contains nutrients and vitamins the baby needs to grow.

4. Well-fed babies are usually happy babies.

5. Breast milk when given to babies pacifies them

Apart from laying the babies appropriately;

• Parents should make sure the baby is fed appropriately before sleeping.

• Ensure you check the baby before and during sleeping time to ascertain if the baby has any sickness which could be fever or pains.

• Frequent checking of babies during sleep can also prevent any mishaps in the night.

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That reminds me of when I gave birth to my first child. The baby was taken to the nursery because he had a running temperature. He was to be on medication for two weeks. So one of the evenings, the doctors on duty were to give children in the ward injections. So, it was my child's turn, since his cannula was removed, the doctors wanted to replace it, so he could be given an injection.

They searched for veins in order to insert the cannula, but they couldn't find them. I mean different doctors use the needle to pierce the baby looking for veins till they finally can find it through the help of a consultant.

Where I'm driving at is that my son developed fever that night after the continuous piercing. He was just a week old. So in my conscious and continuous checking every night, I went to check on my son about past 2 o'clock. Behold, the child was damn hot with fever and stretching, he could not suck breast. I called my husband who was always sleeping with us in the hospital. He ran to get a doctor and my son was resuscitated back to life because he was almost dead.

What made me different from other mothers was because I was always checking at every interval to know how he was faring. Many children died due to one negligence or the other, but mine was spared.

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1. Rubbing the baby's back

2. Breastfeed the baby

3. Give a warm bath

4. Sing or play music for the baby

5. Place the baby on your shoulder and walk around.

1. Regular checks on the baby to avoid the baby harming itself or being suffocated by clothes.

2. Take away anything that may cause harm to the child. It could be inedible foods or drinks.

3. Avoid overfeeding

4. Provide a comfortable temperature for the child, not too cold or too hot.

_{my child's immunisation card}

Just like the name or word immunisation, immunisation is to immunise children against the spread of diseases, it prevents complications and even deaths of children from preventable diseases like measles.

For instance, dry seasons are periods when measles are usually prevalent. In my ignorance, my son had that measles when he was about a year old and I didn't know. I thought it was heat rash, but because he was vaccinated against measles, it could not harm him even if I didn't give him medication. I didn't know it was measles until a medical doctor saw the marks on his body and confirmed he had measles.

Having a child is not just enough, it takes a lot of time and responsibility.

I'm inviting:

@chilaw
@realitytrend
@okere-blessing