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Child care Post-natal

Postnatal care is most important for mothers and babies to lead a healthy life and avoid complications after a delivery

Postnatal care is most important for mothers
Postnatal care is most important for mothers

The sight and smell of a newborn is most heartwarming to any parent. The tiny features resembling that of the baby’s birth-givers bring genuine tears of joy to the parents. There are parents who get their baby room painted and stuffed with toys ahead of the precious little thing’s official first day as a newborn.

While the entire experience of childbirth is incredible and phenomenal for parents, all the excitement of welcoming the bundle of joy to this world must follow a sound medical procedure for complete and holistic postnatal care at home for both the mother and the baby.

In fact, for most mothers the dreaded part begins after being discharged from the hospital. Suddenly, there’s a platterful to deal with and that too not with much knowledge or preparedness.

The spell of sleepless nights can be taxing for new mothers or parents. Changing nappies, breastfeeding, dealing with sudden cries etc. Can be daunting for a new mother, especially when she herself needs care, rest, and medical supervision to recover.

Most new parents require education on immunizations, lactation care, and the terrifying prospect of giving the first baby bath and massage. Everything related to the baby in the first few months is crucial as that paves the way for healthy growth. Apart from regular check-ups and counseling at clinics, at-home postnatal care ensures speedy recovery of mothers and healthy growth of babies.

At-home postnatal services ensure that the new mother also gets ample rest and care without worrying about her baby, apart from gaining knowledge and awareness about raising a newborn.

Postnatal care is critical for Caesarian-section deliveries.

Home maternity care nurses who are trained to provide postnatal care provide the following specialized services.

  • They provide you a basic, yet comprehensive motherhood education bouquet that has a hands-down approach towards the day-to-day details such as settling the baby in the right place and environment, understanding and monitoring the sleep cycles of the baby, and becoming aware of her feeding cycles and patterns.
  • In short, the motherhood capsule course provided by a trained professional helps the new mother at becoming sensitive towards the baby’s needs without compromising her own health as she also gets attention from the nurse.
  • The intimate and conversational approach of the at-home nurses ensure that a mother gets an all-round view of all the practical aspects of holding and handling a baby and catering to her varied moods.
  • They provide a thorough clinical assessment of the baby during the conventional postnatal period that, generally, lasts for six weeks after birth.
  • For the newborns, the medical assessment service covers: a general health check-up, baby weighing, settling techniques, sleep patterns, assessment of neonatal conditions, infections and more.
  • For mothers, it includes a complete check-up of the vital parameters like blood pressure, monitoring of stitches, and prevention of any infection, dietary support to make up for the blood loss, post-caesarian care, and advice on family relationships.

The most common postnatal care services at home include the following day-to-day aspects:

  • Holding the newborn: Teaching parents the proper way to hold a newborn by our newborn babycare nurses .
  • Dietary care for lactation: Guiding a lactating mother on the right diet chart to follow for getting all the vital sources of nutrition for herself and her baby.
  • Baby bathing and massaging guide: Assisting parents with baby bathing and baby massaging and teaching them the correct ways to do so.
  • Baby feeding and maintaining feeding tools: Assisting mothers with handling and cleaning baby pump bottles.
  • Breastfeeding: There are a zillion questions that come to a lactating mother’s mind. From correct breastfeeding techniques to questions that range on the toll that it takes on women, there’s a whole Q&A session on breastfeeding that trained nurses are able to deliver.
  • Baby hygiene maintenance: This is very important for both babies. Babies contract infections easily from their mothers due to the close proximity and hence, it is important for mothers to maintain strong hygiene standards and professional home nurses are able to guide on the dos and don’ts.
  • Counselling to new mothers: Post-childbirth is a critical time for mothers as they often deal with depression, commonly referred to as post-partum depression, once the anticipation and wait is over. The bubble bursts and new mothers, sometimes, start fretting over issues like body weight, self-perception, perceived problems in conjugal life, getting back to normal life etc. Experienced and caring maternity nurses provide the right kind of counselling to mothers helping them counter symptoms and signs of anxiety with positive thoughts and an engaging schedule.

At Nightingale Dubai, we understand the need for a helping hand, a non-judgmental, patient friend, and a professional caregiver. Our well-versed maternity nurses provide world-class at-home postnatal services by combining updated knowledge with intuitive care.

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Baby Care Child care Weaning

Tips For Keeping Your Kids Healthy During the Holidays

happy kids dubai summer
Happy kids – Dubai summer

Want to enjoy the holiday season with joy & not a sick child? Here’re tips to help you and your children avoid common illnesses during the holidays

Regardless of what you’re celebrating, the holiday season is upon us and with it comes plenty of germs! Between colds, flu bugs, and other illnesses, it’s essential to practice healthy habits to keep your batteries charged and your children healthy during the holidays.

At Nightingale Home Nursing we want to enjoy your holiday season with joy, laughter, and cheer and not a sick child or loved one. Our DHA registered home nurses have put together their top tips to help you and your children avoid common illnesses during the holidays.

Wash Your Hands Often

Hand washing is one of the most beneficial habits we can teach our children. Think of hand washing as a simple “do-it-yourself” vaccine that’s a win for everyone except the germs. Hand-washing is especially important after using the restrooms and before meals. If you’re planning on travelling this holiday season, keep hand sanitizer within reach to “wash” those germs away when you are on-the-go.

Keeping your hands clean is one of the most critical steps you can take to avoid spreading germs to others and getting sick. When you wash your hands be sure to use soap and clean, hot running water. Rub them together for at least 20 seconds to ensure you are killing all of the bacteria you may have come in contact with. If you have trouble keeping your children at the sink for this amount of time, sing their favourite song while you wash. It makes the process fun and helps the time pass.

Catch Those Sneezes and Coughs

Be sure to teach your children to sneeze or cough into their elbow or a tissue instead of their little hands. The earlier you instill this behaviour, the better. This simple act helps to prevent germs from spreading to every surface they touch.

Encourage your children to keep their hands out of their mouth. Everything they touch is a potential breeding ground for bacteria and illness. Subways, trains, cabs, aeroplanes, and other forms of public transportation are full of infectious germs. Keeping their hands out of their mouths will help your children stay healthy during the holiday season. If this is something your child struggles with, re-emphasise the importance of frequent and proper hand washing.

Get Plenty of Rest

Another way to keep your children healthy during the holiday season is and to boost their immune system is to ensure they are getting enough rest. Children should sleep uninterrupted, anywhere from 8-14 hours per night, depending on their age. For example, a 1-year-old toddler requires more sleep than a 13-year-old.
A good night’s sleep allows the body time to rest and protects the body from injury and illness. Additionally, well-rested children wake alert and ready to handle the hustle and bustle of the holiday season.

Eat Healthy Foods From the Rainbow

When we say eat from the rainbow, we do not mean holiday cookies, candies and other colourful sugary treats. This means teaching your children to eat a well-balanced diet comprised of eating healthy fruits and vegetables in assorted colours. Think blue blueberries, green spinach, yellow and red peppers, orange carrots and any other colourful fruit or vegetable that’s high in healthy vitamins.
Sure, you’re all going to eat sugary sweets during the holiday season, but if you eat them in moderation, your body will thank you for it. When you fuel your body with healthy foods, it’s better equipped to fight off infection and illness, such as the cold and flu.

Get Nutritional Support

A well-balanced diet is high in lean proteins, whole grains, fibre, healthy fats, and plenty of vegetables and fruits. However, we know that it’s hard to eat the right things during the busy holiday season. Consider enlisting the help of a home nurse to help customise a nutritional plan to help you through the holidays.

Nightingale DHA registered home nurses can help you create nutrition plans that will keep you and your children healthy through the holiday season and beyond. Additionally, your home nurse can also work with your childcare providers and nannies to ensure that they are promoting a healthy lifestyle for your children.

Stick to the above tips to keep your children and family healthy during the holiday season. If you need a few more tips, contact the professionals at Nightingale to speak with one of our registered nurses. Stay healthy and Happy Holidays from our family to yours!

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