Biggest Baby in India, Weighing Nearly 15 Pounds Delivered In Just 15 Minutes

The biggest baby ever born in India has been welcomed into the world, thanks to 36-year-old mom Firdous Khatun. 

Her bouncing boy, Raja Ram Kalawati, weighed in at a cool 14.77 pounds, and despite his hefty size, the natural (yes, natural) birth was seamless. She was in delivery for just 15 minutes before Raja greeted her.

Firdous, whose eight other children all weighed eight pounds at birth, was, to put it simply, surprised by not-so-little Raja. 

Dr Anjana Gupta, who delivered the child, told the Mirror "He is a miracle baby. In my 21 years of experience, I had never seen a newborn as big as him."

"We could not believe how, despite his big size, he smoothly came out. Though his shoulders got stuck for few seconds, within three minutes he was in my hands. He was so big that he did not fit in my hands. He is a beautiful baby."

"Though he had respiratory issues initially, both he and his mother are now doing fine. Strangely, the mother is not diabetic which usually causes the risk of obesity in newborn. We do not know why the baby is so big but he is healthy and all his parameters are fine."

Raja will join his 8 other siblings when he's released from the hospital in a few days. 

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Coping With Breastfeeding As A Working Nursing Mother

 

One of the most challenging times for working nursing mothers, is when the return to work after their maternity leave is over. At such times, the baby still needs breast milk, which must come at regular intervals.

Many husbands would want their wives to stay at home to tend their babies; but for a career woman, she must resume work after the maternity leave. And she must contribute her quota to the sustaining the home and maintaining her career.

How then do career women cope with this challenge?  How do they return to work and still continue to breast feed?

As a nursing mother, if you live close to work or have an on-site daycare, you may be able to breast feed during your breaks.  But if that isn't possible, there are two choices you might consider:

1.         Keep your milk supply by using a high quality automatic electric breast pump to express milk during the day.  Save your milk that you collect for your baby sitter or nanny. 

2.         If you don't want to or can't pump at work, you can gradually replace daytime feedings with formula while you are not at home but still continue to nurse at night and in the morning. The milk your body produces may not be enough to keep your baby satisfied, even if you only need enough for 2 feedings.

Advantages of pumping at work

Pumping at work will help stimulate your production of milk, so you'll have plenty available when it comes time to feed. You can also collect the milk you pump, so your baby will have the health and nutritional benefits of breast milk even when you aren't there. 

To make things better, pumping can be an ideal way to feel a connection to your baby during the work day.

Although it can seem like a hassle, many mothers find that the benefits of breast pumping far outweight the inconvenience.

To manage pumping at work, you'll need to have the following:

1.         Breast pump, preferably a fully automatic electric pump with a double collection kit so you can pump both breasts simultaneously.

2.         Bottles or bags for collecting and storing the milk.

3.         Access to a refrigerator or cooler to keep the milk cold until you return home.

4.         Breast pads to help protect your clothes if you start to leak.

Make sure that you get used to pumping before you return to work, so you'll know what to expect and how it feels.  You'll be much more confident with pumping at work if you already know that you can produce enough milk. 

At work, you'll want to have somewhere that's away from everyone else when you pump, such as an empty office or empty room. This way, you'll be away from everyone else and you can have the quiet tranquility you need to pump.  In most offices, this shouldn't be a problem.

For the time frame, you'll want to pump every 2 - 3 hours if possible.  If you can't, every 4 hours or so will have to suffice.  After you have finished pumping, store the milk in the bags or bottles, clean yourself up, then go back to work.  When you return home, you can feed the milk to your growing baby.

Breastfeeding For New Mothers

If you are a new mother, a mother to be, or if you have a wife, then you must read this. The experience of breastfeeding is special for so many reasons: the joyful closeness and bonding with your baby, the cost savings, and the health benefits for both mother and baby.

Every woman’s journey to motherhood is different, but one of the first decisions a new mom makes is how to feed her child. Here, you’ll find facts about breastfeeding and get practical tips on how to make breastfeeding work for you while getting the support you need.

Q:        Why should I breastfeed?

A:        Breastfeeding is normal and healthy for infants and moms. Breastmilk has hormones and disease-fighting cells called antibodies that help protect infants from germs and illness. This protection is unique and changes to meet your baby’s needs. Some reasons to breastfeed are:

• Breastfeeding offers essential nutrients and a nutritionally balanced meal
• Breastmilk is easy to digest.
• Breastmilk fights disease

Q:        How long should I breastfeed?

A:        The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends breastfeeding for at least 12 months, and for as long as both the mother and baby would like. Most infants should drink only breastmilk for the first six months.

Q:        Does my baby need cereal or water?

A:        Until your baby is 6 months old, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends feeding your baby breastmilk only. Giving your baby cereal may cause your baby to not want as much breastmilk. This will decrease your milk supply. You can slowly introduce other foods starting around 6 months of age.

Q:        Does my baby need more vitamin D?

A:        Most likely, yes. Vitamin D is needed to build strong bones. All infants and children should get at least 400 International Units (IU) of vitamin D each day. To meet this need, your child’s doctor may recommend that you give your baby a vitamin D supplement of 400 IU each day.

Q:        Is it okay for my baby to use a pacifier?

A:        If you want to try it, it is best to wait until your baby is at least 3 or 4 weeks old to introduce a pacifier. This allows your baby time to learn how to latch well on the breast and get enough milk.

Once your baby is breastfeeding well, you should use the pacifier when putting your infant to bed to reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

Q:        Is it safe to smoke, drink, or use drugs?

A:        If you smoke, the best thing you can do for yourself and your baby is to quit as soon as possible. If you can’t quit, it is still better to breastfeed because it may protect your baby from respiratory problems and SIDS. Be sure to smoke away from your baby, and change your clothes to keep your baby away from the chemicals smoking leaves behind. Ask a doctor or nurse for help quitting smoking!

You should avoid alcohol in large amounts. An occasional drink is fine, but the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends waiting two hours or more before nursing. You also can pump milk before you drink to feed your baby later.

It is not safe for you to use an illegal drug. Drugs such as cocaine, heroin, and PCP can harm your baby. Some reported side effects in babies include seizures, vomiting, poor feeding, and tremors.

Q:        Can I take medicines if I am breastfeeding?

A:        Most likely. Almost all medicines pass into your milk in small amounts. Some have no effect on the baby and can be used while breastfeeding. Always talk to your doctor or pharmacist about medicines you are using and ask before you start using new medicines. This includes prescription and over the-counter drugs, vitamins, and dietary or herbal.

For some women, stopping a medicine can be more dangerous than the effects it will have on the breastfed baby.

Q:        Do I still need birth control if I am breastfeeding?

A:        Yes. Breastfeeding is not a sure way to prevent pregnancy, even though it can delay the return of normal ovulation and menstrual cycles. Talk to your doctor or nurse about birth control choices that are okay to use while breastfeeding.

Q:        Does my breastfed baby need vaccines?

A:        Yes. Vaccines are very important to your baby’s health. Breastfeeding may also help your baby respond better to certain immunizations, giving him or her more protection. Follow the schedule your doctor gives you. If you miss any vaccines, check with the doctor about getting your baby back on track as soon as possible.

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The New Nursing Mother And Her Baby’s Sleep Requirements

As a new mother, you probably will wonder whether your baby is sleeping enough, or sleeping too much. There are guidelines of what to expect, but of course these can vary from baby to baby. Even if you’ve had children before, each baby will be different.

Newborn babies usually sleep about 16-17 hours in a 24-hour period. Most babies will not sleep through the night until they’re at least 3 months old. There are several reasons why. First of all, their stomachs are very small and they’ll get hungry faster, especially if you’re breastfeeding your baby. Breast milk is much more easily digested than formula, and your baby will need to feed more often, especially in the beginning.

Babies also have shorter sleep cycles than adults do and have shorter dream cycles. In general, though, a newborn baby should sleep about 8 or nine hours during the day and 8 hours or so at night. These won’t be in 8-hour cycles, of course. In the beginning, those sleep times will be very short.

As the baby gets older, up to about 2 years of age, she’ll still be sleeping 13-14 hours, but the amount of daytime sleep will diminish month-by-month. By age 2, your baby should be sleeping through the night with a 2-hour nap during the day. Again, this will vary by child. Your baby might need a slightly longer nap or two short naps. At this age though, try to discourage naps too late in the afternoon, as this can make it harder to get them to sleep a few hours later at bed time.

Once a baby begins to regularly sleep through the night, parents are often dismayed when he/she begins to awaken in the night again. This typically happens at about 6 months of age and is often a normal part of development called separation anxiety, when a baby does not understand that separations are temporary.