First Dentist Appointment

Like I mentioned yesterday (30Jan), Megha was feeling a little uneasy with her neonatal teeth. Fortunately, her dentist called and advised us that there was a cancellation and if we want we can schedule Megha at 1:30 instead of on 1st Feb. I was relieved because Anand wasn't working that day and it would be good to have him around, specially during Megha's visits to doctors/dentists etc.

In a way I was hoping that the dentist would say that everything is normal and that she can go home right away. But I also knew its not going to happen as I knew for sure her teeth were loose. Since we took her to the pediatric dentist, there were other kids too and I instantly took a liking to that place.

As I had guessed, her teeth were loose. In fact they were so loose that they had to be extracted as soon as possible according to her dentist. Before I knew, tears were rolling down my eyes. The dentist was very emphatic and said that if it were his own child he would be very concerned too.
My next question was what kind of anesthetic she would be given to numb the pain. What brought more tears was the fact that she would not be given a general anesthesia at all since she was so little. Apparently only a proper anesthesiologist can administer a dose on children that small. If we insist on general anesthetic, we have to admit her into the Sick Kids Hospital and she would be treated there. The other option was to freeze her gums which the dentist can do himself. We opted for later.

I could not stay in the same room. Megha started wailing as I was walking out to wait in the reception area. How I wish she didn't have to go through this!! Like the dentist has promised, the extraction was done in under 5 mins and I was called back inside. My poor baby was still weeping :(
For the first time in her life, real tears were rolling down her eyes :( I cry even more.

Again, just like her dentist promised, she stopped crying in under 5 mins. We fed her milk right then and there and to my great relief and surprise, she latched on immediately and she didn't appear to have pain. I was hoping that the pain wouldn't be there even after a few hours.

We took her out for a long drive to Anand's workplace as he had some work. She slept through the whole ride and back home. By then it was close to 4 hours since her teeth were extracted and I was becoming more hopeful that there would be no pain.

Thank God, there was none. She seemed just fine and content. Since the time her teeth are gone, she is feeding well and appears relaxed. I am not sure if its anything to do with this, but she also seems to be sleeping better!!

Certainly a milestone crossed. I had my first tooth extraction when I was 28 and my first ever dentist appointment at 25! Megha had hers when she was less than 6 weeks old. We have her both teeth saved in a little treasure box given by her dentist.

P.S: Long time ago, one of my acquaintance told me that her baby had to go through a spinal tap since the doctors could not identify the source of fever her 4 week old infant had. I shuddered and thought that I understood the pain she must have gone through during the procedure. Honestly, I had no idea the kind of agony a mother would go through seeing her child suffer until I had seen Megha go through this. Of course, this tooth extraction is nothing compared to a spinal tap, but I am just saying.
I have made a mental note NOT to say, "I understand" when someone tells me about their child's suffering, because we dont understand it until our own child goes through pain (of any kind).

One small incident...

We do everything in our power to make sure that our children are safe and heaalthy. One fine day something happens to them and we get so worried that we ourselves feel sick. This is what has happened yesterday. Megha didnt feed well at all. She was latching on and leaves in a moment and cries. This was so unlike her; crying part I mean. I tried several positions and yet she doesnt seem to find comfort. She was also being extremely restless.

Then it occured to me that she must be having tooth ache (she was born with 2 bottom natal teeth)!! Poor baby! I called several dental clinics to check anyone are open and since it was sunday, I could not reach anyone. I called to check just in case she refuses to feed for several hours and I need to rush her to the clinic.  I was soooo worried. By then it was time for her next feed and she certainly improved. What a relief! And what 2 hours I had spent!!

This was the first time ever she had to go through this.

Recipe for Kajal

As modern as we might all be in every other aspect, when it comes to our own children we don't want to take ANY chances. In South India we believe that, "buri nazaer/drishti/bad-eye" might befall a baby if she doesn't apply a bindi. So we make this bindi at home itself so that apart from benefiting from the fact that this is totally chemical free, it also acts as a coolant.
This post is written in anticipation that some mom somewhere wants to get a chemical free solution for kajal for her baby.
Below is the process of making kajal at home. This process had been passed on from generation to generation in my family and every child in my family had used this. In case your concern is only chemicals for you not to use kajal…here is our families secret.

1. Take 4x4 inch clean muslin cloth.
2. Dip this muslin cloth in sandal wood paste.
3. Dry this in shade.
4. After the cloth is dried, dip this again in the sandal wood paste and let it dry in shade.
5. Repeat this process from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Basically from sun rise to sun set. (The muslin would have accumulated a lot of sandal wood paste by then.)
6. After sun set, make a wick of this muslin and light in Castor oil. We light this in a mud lamp (new, slightly big one)…the one we use to light during Diwali.
7. Take a brass vessel (make sure you use ONLY brass vessel) and cover this lamp, leaving some room for oxygen to assist the lamp to burn. We normally keep a small stone at the base of the vessel for this.
8. Leave it burning over night.
9. The next morning, carefully remove the soot deposited on the roof of the brass vessel.
10. To this soot, add 2 drops of pure ghee (drops depend on how much soot is deposited)…add so many drops which will bring the soot to paint consistency.
11. Store this in a tight container in a cool, dry place.
12. Every time you want to apply kajal/bindi for a baby, add a few drops of water and leave it aside for a few mins. Then, gently rub your finger into the kajal mix and apply a little on your little ones forehead/ behind the ear or what ever is your tradition.

There are absolutely no chemicals in this. This is Ayurveda and is an excellent coolant.

First taste of water

Just like any infant Megha is often trouble with hiccups. Our baby doesnt like them a bit! She has this very angry look on her face as if demanding to know, "whats up with these hiccups and do they stop?!"

In India people feed water to infants from day one. Here everyone (including google) suggested that its not advisable to feed water to infants before they start their solids because they might get confused between water and milk. So, until 6 weeks Megha was not given water when she had hiccups. I just fed her some milk or just rock her and comfort her until the hiccups stop.

Last night was no exception expect that Anand fed her water (water bottle cap full) to Megha when she had hiccups!! Our baby had her first taste of water on 27Jan2012. Yippie! She had a very surprised look on her face but seemed to like the taste.
Certainly a milestone according to me. God bless you baby!

Sleep training part-1

Just like any other baby, Megha is having a lot of trouble getting into the crib. After rocking her for 30 mins so that she goes to deep sleep, she is still waking up in 20 mins. Poor baby, how I wish I could helP her feel safe in crib. 20 mins at a time is how her sleep training began yesterday. Today also I kept her in the crib and like clock work she woke up in 20 mins. I am hopeful that eventually she will start sleeping longer. But as of now I have decided to gently transition her into crib and not rush her. So, she is going to go in her crib only once a day until she sleeps for longer than 30 mins.

On one hand I want her to want me like she does now. On one hand I feel she will eventually have to learn to be independant and it's easier if she starts early. How I wish I didn't have to go to work in dec :(
I really can't blame her to want to be held. I am torn between holding on to her and letting her go. I think this is the first of a gazillion moments when I would feel the same way.

UPDATES: as of 26th Jan night: Perhaps you would remember from my previous post that Megha and I are content with sleeping together on the couch. It so happened tonight that I desperately needed water and there was none in the room. By then Megha was just getting up for feed. So I gently kept her on the couch, made sure she is safe and secure and went to drink water. I was expecting her to be fully awake when I returned. To my utter surprise she was not only sleeping but appeared to be in deep sleep!! I left her as is and went and sat in the glider since I was expecting her to wake up in 20 mins. She surprised me again by sleeping for 45 minutes without waking up and with out human touch!!
What's more, she was hungry when she woke and I fed her, burped her, changed her, gently rocked her to sleep and put her back the same way on the couch. As I am typing this post, it's one full hour and she has not woken up!! Is it a miracle or what?!!
P.S: Don't worry, the couch is 100% safe; she will not roll over or fall down. I made sure I tucked her is such a way to prevent any accidents.

Sleep Routine

Megha is being such a sweetheart when it comes to sleep. She pretty much sleeps from 9:00 PM to 9:00 AM continuously and wakes up only when she is hungry (every 1.5 to 2 hours) and goes right back to sleep. I am so thankful that we didnt have trouble teaching her the day and night difference.
I think what worked for us is to dim the lights and reduce the sounds around (cooking/tv etc) and she sleeps so well after that. During the course of the day I am trying to maintain the normal environment like playing TV, washing dishes etc.

The only issue (for the lack of better word) is that she likes to be held all the time while sleeping. If I keep her in her crib, she wakes up in less than 15 mins as against sleeping for 2 hours on my lap. I tried every possible way I know to make her feel safe and comfy in her crib, like, making a little nest with small pillows for her, warm the crib matress (with a laptop) for a few mins, keep my jacket so that she can smell me, swaddle her...nothing is making her comfy there!

I dont mind holding her all the time for now but soon she is bound to get too heavy for me to hold all through the night. What shall I so?!
Some say she is too young to be sleeping in her crib alone...in a way I agree but she has to get used to this somehow at some point of time. I dont want he to get scared or feel insecure. What shall I o to make her feel safe in her crib?

How to clip nails of an Infant

Any mom would be terrified the first time she has to clip her little one's nails. I was no exception; what if I cut her soft skin? what if i make the wrong move and hurt her? All sorts of nightmares started bothering me. I had done a lot of research and took advises from friends and family. Finally a nurse who came to visit Megha advised me that I should not clip infants nails but I have to file them. I was sooooo relieved to hear it! Here is what worked for me; I am writing this down, in case some mom, somewhere is in the same predicament at some time in future.

1. Give her a warm bath; this will soften her soft nails even further!
2. Feed her, burp her and put her to sleep.
3. When she is fast asleep, gently take her (one) finger in your hand and gently pull down the flesh underneath her nail. This step is important so that you file just her nail without touching her skin underneath it.
4. File her nail backwards (file outwards of her nail, you know what I mean?)
5. Make sure you are using the baby nail file which is available in the market.

This will significantly reduce the risk of accidentally hurting her tiny fingers with a clipper. I have been clipping Megha's nails and so far I am very happy with the result.