OK, first of all, you must know that newborns only need two or three times a week of thorough bathing. Other than that, all you have to do is completely clean her after feedings and don’t forget also the diaper section when you change her diaper.

If you bath your baby more frequent, it will only cause rashes and damages to her skin. Remember also that as long as the leftover of the umbilical cord remains intact, you should only bath your newborn with sponge.

When should you bath your baby?

Well, basically you can do it any time of the day, but if you want her to sleep better, you might want to bath your newborn just before bedtime.

Prepare all of the bathing equipments you might need before you start your baby shower and place them near you. Things like towels, blankets, diapers and clothes should be ready. Of course don’t forget to have wash-clothes and those cleaning stuffs close to you.

You don’t want to rush for those items in the middle of the bathing process! This is vital, because you must not leave your baby neglected even for a glance. You should always at least one hand on your newborn.

When is your baby ready for a tub bath?

Well, after sponge baths (that means after the umbilical cord leftover is healed), you can bath your baby in a sink, or a plastic tub lined with a clean towel. If your newborn’s been circumcised, then you should wait until it heals, then a tub bath is OK for her.

Finally, here are some extra points you should consider during your baby shower:

o Make sure the room where you bath your newborn is free from wind breeze.

o Make sure the bath water is warm. Not too hot, nor too cold. Feel the water first with the inside of your wrist.

o Wrap your baby in a towel instantly after pulling her out of the water, so she won’t slip from you.

Have a merry baby shower!

Taking good care of your baby means that you also have to stay healthy and live healthy. Here is the information your hospital doesn’t want you to know and I think this must be the best-kept healing secrets in the world! Feel free to download this FREE Report

Being pregnant is one of those points in your life when you need to follow your practitioner’s advice, take extra special care of yourself, keep healthy and put you and your baby first. Check out these pregnancy tips to help you enjoy this special period of your life.

· Good prenatal care is important for the health of your unborn child. Make an appointment as soon as you know you are pregnant and don’t skip any of your prenatal appointments. If there are to be any problems with your pregnancy the sooner they are detected the better!

· One of the best pregnancy tips I can give you is - stop smoking, preferably before you get pregnant but certainly once you are pregnant. Smoking is bad for the baby’s health, even secondary smoke so avoid smoky environments and ask people not to smoke around you.

· Stop drinking. No level of alcohol during pregnancy has been proven safe so stay off the alcohol throughout your pregnancy and while nursing.

· Exercise. Always check with your health care practitioner to make sure you get the amount of exercise that is right for you (in some circumstances exercise is not advisable) but as a general rule exercise is beneficial. It has been shown that exercising while you are pregnant can help reduce the time you spend in labour, aid your recovery following the birth, reduce the need for cesarean, help you return to your pre-pregnancy weight quicker and improve your overall health.

· Swimming is an excellent source of exercise which can help ease your aches and pains.

· Another top pregnancy tip is to change your eating habits as soon as you find out you are pregnant. Eat foods that are high in fibre, eat plenty of vegetables and include foods rich in iron, calcium, protein and folate in your diet.

· Talk to your health care provider about what you should eat and how much weight you should gain. If your diet is unlikely to contain sufficient folate, iron and calcium your practitioner is likely to recommend that you take supplements.

· Eat foods that are high in fibre, eat plenty of vegetables and include foods rich in iron, calcium, protein and folate in your diet.

· Eat a balanced diet and eat regularly. Don’t skip meals and don’t try and diet during pregnancy. Remember you are eating for two so you need to add 300 - 500 (healthy) calories a day to your diet.

· Limit your caffeine intake (tea, coffee, chocolate and soft drinks).

· Drink plenty of water, six - eight glasses a day.

· Join a prenatal class.

· First hand experience with babies is invaluable experience. If you have any friends or family with a baby offer to baby sit, get some experience and learn the ropes.

· When the nursery is being prepared remember, you as the expectant mum, must avoid all harmful fumes such paint stripper, paint and wall paper glue and delegate the heavy work.

· Don’t forget to baby proof your home.

· If you don’t have life insurance then now is the time to take out a policy.

· Make sure you have a Family Health Insurance Plan.

· Get your bags packed well in advance, you might have a due date but that doesn’t mean that your baby intends to stick to it!

· Pregnancy tip number 1. If you ever have any concerns over the way your pregnancy is developing, or what you can or cannot do, always seek the help and advice of your health care provider.

What Everyone Needs to Know About The Various Stages of Pregnancy

Pregnancy is such a critical state that keeping a careful markings on what is happening in your body is important in order to ensure that safety is at the top of one’s priority during such condition.

For pregnant women, it is important to note on the various stages of pregnancy so that you will be able to anticipate what changes to occur and tailor the care you are doing for your body, and for the loved ones, coordinate the support needed by the pregnant woman.

At such stage, it is advisable to keep a journal of yourself so that you will be able to note and track on every event that is happening in your body. Your doctor and yourself can use journals for the purpose of making sure that everything is all right and no needed medical support should be extended for you.

Stages of Pregnancy

While pregnancy is basically a matter of concern among women who are pregnant, it is also helpful for partners and loved ones to be aware on everything that is happening on the woman’s body so that proper and specific support would be extended on each semester of pregnancy.

The various stages of pregnancy including the unique characteristics and changes that may happen are listed in detail in the next section.

A. First Trimester - The first semester of pregnancy is characterized by many symptoms a host of changes. This may be difficult for first timers for they would be experiencing the many symptoms and telltale pregnancy horrors typical for such condition.

Symptoms may include tiredness (typical morning sickness), changes on the size of breast and the body mass, vomiting and nausea among other things. Excessive urination may be experienced during this time due to the hormones circulating in the blood which is also brought about by the developing fetus is the uterus of a pregnant woman.

Moreover, before the first semester of pregnancy concludes, the fetus may grow to a size of a hazelnut and starts showing signs life such as heartbeat, and locomotive abilities (moving). This critical stage is also a sign of intensive and regular medical checkup ensuring the health of the fetus and the mother and keeping any more-than-usual pregnancy-related symptoms that may occur.

Nutritious diet is advised at this stage and all throughout the course of pregnancy while advising on keeping a regular and light physical exercise.

B. Second Trimester. The second semester is marked by more aggressive changes. Body figure dramatically changes in the 6th weeks and more pronounced contractions, known as Braxton Hicks contractions, would be experienced. It is also in this stage that your belly will start to become more prominent and you may feel the fetus growing inside you.

On week 20-22, uterus will start growing all the way down to your navel and several changes including the production of colostrum (most nutritious first milk) in your breast, and color on nipples and areolas and overall skin tone may bring discomfort to your appearance.

Also, blood vessels in several parts of your body where the fetus develops the most experiences severe pressure and may result to characteristic hemorrhoids or varicose veins. Pigmentations and other discolorations, called chloasma, may also become apparent during this period and may disappear after giving birth.

Ultimately, the end of the second semester shows more signs of the body development of the fetus as it grows the size of 22 to 25 cm (11 to 14 inches) and may weight around one and a half pounds and may do the usual “kicking”.

C. Third Trimester. The third semester is usually called the “preparation time” for childbirth. It is in this stage that your body will become less tolerable for pain and changes. You may start complaining on your lower back and your breast feeling “loaded” to the max.

This stage is also an opportunity for would-be moms to start taking those breastfeeding and childbirth exercises in order to better prepare them for that “big day”. This preparation scheme would eliminate some possible delivery spoof which occurs among parents who normally are not better prepared on such circumstances.

Theoretically, this stage is the most uncomfortable semester of pregnancy as you may experience leg cramps, lowerback ache, frequent urination or uncontrolled bladder activity, and more pronounced Braxton Hicks contractions.

Baby shower crafts are a great way to convey to the parents your hearty and welcoming attitude towards the expected arrival. Crafts are the things that put a personal touch to your participation. Gifts and monetary contributions are good things; crafts lend human warmth and feeling to the whole affair.

There is virtually no end to baby shower crafts - the possibilities are endless if you are creative and inventive enough. Here are a few tips for the next baby shower you are invited to.

Guess what single item the would-be mother is sure to need in great numbers? That’s right - diapers. She’ll soon find out in the coming days that hardly any item is more useful to her, at least until the baby is old enough to receive toilet training! Well, could this fact somehow be used for baby shower crafts?

Now, you could make a gift of diapers interesting by making it look very nice. They can be arranged on a tray in a circular fashion, held together by pins and glue, and you can use a toy or a doll as the centerpiece to the whole arrangement. This is known as a diaper cake. Diaper cakes are a popular and accepted item of baby shower crafts.

Personalization is the key to successful and impressive baby shower crafts. If the baby’s name is already fixed, then find a way to add it to the items. If you’re planning on a spectacular centerpiece like a ceramic baby bottle, glazed and decorated, then paint the baby’s name on it - and the date of birth too, if it is known. Get it done in attractive lettering, or have one of your artistically inclined friends to do it for you. Fill the bottle with attractive tit-bits like fruits and nuts, chocolates, toffees, and candies.

You should of course aim to provide the would-be parents with stuff they’ll need, but remember that utility alone is not everything. Usefulness is good, but it is even better when accompanied by love and warmth. Always try to express your appreciation for the expectant couple’s situation, and let your baby shower crafts be guided by that - and, of course by your fine artistic sense.

© Copyright Randy Wilson, All Rights Reserved.

Randy has dozens more baby shower related articles such as Baby Shower Games and Baby Diaper Cakes.

A baby shower is a very important event for an expecting mother, as it is one way of giving a warm welcome to a new life. Normally, the mom’s friends host baby showers whether they come from the office, church or school. However, the idea of a baby shower hosted by a sister or another close relative is becoming more and more prevalent.

Being invited to a baby shower also signals that the expecting mom highly values your presence in her life and wants you to share in this very happy and exciting experience. Of course, as invitees we want to make sure that we give a gift that will express our love and affection not only to the mom but also to the baby. While, there is a plethora of baby shower favors available in the market, why not make the gift more special by doing it yourself?

A homemade baby shower gift is something made out of hard work and the willingness to go the extra mile just to show we care for the baby. Here are some ideas on how to make baby shower favors:

Make your own homemade baby shower envelope.

Materials needed:
Decorative papers with different designs,
Stickers,
Glue and tape,
Ribbon

Making a baby shower envelope is easy to make yourself. First, cut out an envelope pattern, crease it where needed and stick adhesive to assemble. Put a small amount of tape to the envelope’s flap, and attach it to the backside of the next envelope. Repeat the process until several envelopes are attached with each other and eventually resemble an accordion.

Close the envelopes and increase the size of the final flap in order to match the width of the album. For a special touch attach an attractive sticker to serve as an album seal. When this process is finished, the cards that will be placed inside the album should be decorated. Select the decorative papers that best go with each other and make cards that list the following information.

birth data,

souvenirs,
photos,
list of gifts given during the shower

Each envelope should contain the handcrafted cards. All the envelopes containing the cards should then be placed inside album. Tie a ribbon around the album to complete this perfect homemade baby shower favor.

Homemade Baby Shower scrapbook

Choose papers and embellishments that perfectly match the theme of the baby shower. The book’s color can be selected based on the baby’s gender, if this is already known. However, yellow and green are appropriate for showers if the expecting mother does not know the baby’s gender.

Encourage your guests to write a special note in the album. In order for the notes to be written neatly, insert a journaling template at the back of each page. Prior to the shower a complementary photo and decorated page should be made ready. Snap a picture of each guest and take a group shot as well.

Choose the best photos for the album. Once all of the embellishments are put in, apply finishing touches and present the complete album to the expecting mother.

Kelly Jezek is a successful Webmaster and publisher of mybabyshowerhelper.com. She provides more helpful tips on how to make baby shower favors at her site. Visit my baby shower helper today!