Welcome to Mami Vida!!
Using this blog I hope to share a little bit of my vida with you guys. I will be sharing experiences some mamis will be able to relate to and soon-to-be mamis can learn from. Everyone’s mami journey is different. However, I know God has placed a unique bond between each mother and child making you the best mami for your little ones. Through Christ and his teachings we are given the right tools and capability to take care and raise our children. We might all have different methods and ways but we are all part of this amazing mamihood journey. We grow to love and cherish every moment: lo bueno, lo malo, and the stinky.
Having a little one who is learning to move, open their eyes and is overall a fragile little being, is enough to have us constantly alert and on our feet. Yet, when things don’t go as planned, we definitely tend to worry!!! So, here are 3 little things, out of many others, I wish other mamis had told me that I hope will benefit you.
- Baby acne
I have never heard of BABY ACNE!! I must have skipped over it in all the books and blogs I read because it definitely caught me off guard. Beware: baby acne is real! My little one was 2 or 3 weeks old when he got it and it lasted it little over a month. Although you know your baby is healthy and perfectly fine you definitely don’t like to see your bebe covered with red bumps.
In all honesty, it’s not a pretty sight but mamis understand that it is normal. For the longest time I felt as if I had to explain to everyone why my child’s face was covered with acne. As if I owed it to them to explain why his face wasn’t “ flawless” or pleasing to their eyes.
I remember going to Babies-R-Us when my little one was 4 months old and saw another mami in the Mother’s Room feeding her baby when we got to talking.
She told me that her little one was 2 weeks old and had baby acne as well. Her facial expressions and apologetic, embarrassed explanation reminded me of my own. I could sense that she desperately wanted to explain her baby’s bumpy and red face. Then, after explaining to her that my bebe also had it and that it was not a big deal, she seemed as though she could finally breathe. Finally, she could relate to someone. She didn’t feel as if her child was the only one with such the problem. When her husband came in, she was eager to share my experience with him and he too felt relieved. You could see the feeling of “hey she understands me” and “it’s not just us” on their face and tone.
So, mamis don’t feel like you have to explain why your baby’s face isn’t “flawless.” Todo va estar bien! With time it will go away. There are various methods that can help; for example, we used aquaphor, which definitely helped his little face. But we as mothers sometimes just have to be paciente.
- Umbilical cord issues
So everyone knows that the umbilical cord will fall off in days or a couple of weeks from birth. BUT sometimes it can stay around a little longer. In our case it was a little over 3 weeks. Beforehand, I had always heard of umbilical cords falling off fast so I immediately got worried after 2 weeks of no change and especially when it started to bleed. In case your child’s pediatrician was like our first one and you were not given any information about the umbilical cord, understand that it can bleed a little and take some time to heal.
Furthermore, to top it off he then developed an umbilical granuloma, which is a moist, red lump of tissue that can form on a baby’s navel (belly button) after the umbilical cord has fallen and dried up. They applied silver nitrate, which cauterizes the tissue. In short, it pretty much “burns” it. The baby does not feel any pain but it can end up looking really bad. In some cases, like ours, the baby’s skin can turn brown and peel; yet they still do not feel pain. All in all, definitely watch out if other fluids start coming out.
- Acid Reflux
Yes, babies have acid reflux. Once again, yes acid reflux is no fun for a bebe. They tend to refuse to lie down, throw up a lot consistently and have similar symptoms as babies with colic. When I first began to breastfeed, it seemed like our baby vomited all of his leche after every single meal. We started giving the baby medicine but nothing helped. After consulting with our baby’s pediatrician, we decided to make the switch from breastmilk to soymilk. Surprisingly, we saw an almost immediate change. There was no longer projectile vomiting but more of an occasional spit up.
Mamis: there are many ways to keep breastfeeding even when your child has acid reflux. I was having latching and milk production issue, which led me to switch to another formula. I know I could have kept trying and I would have loved to keep breastfeeding but unfortunately it was the best thing for the baby and for me at that moment. I was feeling very overwhelmed and was battling post-partum depression. Therefore, if you need to stop, it’s okay. It does not make you any less of a human nor mother. I always say just try as much as you can to breastfeed. JUST TRY! But if you can’t, it doesn’t make you a failure.
These 3 little things were definitely giant worries on my mind when I was experiencing them but I am grateful to have found other mamis throughout my journey who helped ease my worries. Always trust in the Lord for He will always guide you. The Lord chose you to be that beautiful bebe’s mami for a reason. As the song goes, “mother knows best”. But also find other mami’s and don’t be afraid to ask them questions. I promise you many have gone through what you are going through.
Bendiciones
Mami Vida 