Smart Pregnancy Snacks for New Moms

Eating a wholesome, balanced diet is an important part of preparing for a new baby. And nutritious, delicious snacks should be a staple throughout the day. Experts say that eating small amounts of healthy foods can help prevent common complaints like queasiness and heartburn . Plus, reaching for the right kinds of snacks helps ensure that your new baby is getting enough of the nutrients for proper development. Consuming enough calcium, protein, healthy fat, vitamins, and minerals should be a priority for both your meals and snacks. Here are some good snack choices for new moms-to-be:

Snack pick #1: Yogurt

Calcium is essential for the development of your little one’s bones and teeth. Try sprinkling plain low-fat yogurt with some fresh fruit for a sweet but healthy snack. If you can’t do dairy, you can get the calcium you need from calcium-fortified soy yogurt. These snacks will also boost your protein intake for the day, which helps to keep you sated until your next mommy mini-meal.

Snack pick #2: Peanut butter

Although moms-to-be need lots of protein throughout pregnancy, this nutrient is especially crucial in expectant moms’ diets during the second and third trimesters. The amino acids that make up protein are essential for building new cells in your babyduring this time of peak growth. Peanut butter is a tasty, convenient choice, whether you spread it on a slice of whole wheat bread, a rice cracker, a celery stick, or apple slices. Other good protein-rich snacks include leftover roast chicken, soy nuts, and black bean dip on tortilla chips.

Snack pick #3: Oranges

Having a baby is a major accomplishment, and you need to make sure your body stays strong throughout your pregnancy. Vitamin C helps your body absorb iron, staving off anemia, keeping your energy up, and ensuring a healthy birth weight for your new baby. Citrus fruit is a great source of vitamin C , but other star snacks include yellow bell pepper slices, kiwi, kale chips, dried papaya, and strawberries.

Planning ahead and stocking up on healthy snack foods helps ensure that a nutritious choice is always within arm’s reach. Think of your snacks as mini-meals; they should be just as nutrient-rich as your breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It’s okay to indulge an unhealthy craving once in a while, but remember that the good choices you make now can help your new baby grow and thrive.

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Sun Smarts for Baby

It’s normal to worry about the sun’s harsh rays, but you could go stir-crazy if you don’t get outside every day. Fortunately, it’s not hard to protect your baby’s skin.

Dress for success. This means breathable, loose-fitting, long-sleeve cotton pants and shirts. Don’t forget to cover her head with a wide-brimmed hat, too. It's important to keep the sun's ultraviolet radiation from harming her delicate baby skin.

Load up on lotion. Sunscreen used to be reserved for babies over 6 months of age, but this thinking has changed. Apply baby sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 to 30 liberally over all exposed body parts; reapply after swimming, sweating, or every two hours. It's better to err on the side of caution and overdo it a bit when it comes to preventing sunburn.

Go off peak. The best tip for baby skin care is to stay in during peak hours, which are between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. in most parts of the U.S. That might seem like forever, but in reality, most babies are up and ready to go early (Hello, 6 a.m.!). Take a walk first thing, then let her play at home, have lunch and take a nap during peak sun hours. When she wakes up, the sun will be less severe and you can take her out for some fun without worrying about burning her sweet baby skin.

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Soothe Your Baby’s Colic

It’s normal for infants 3 months and younger to go through fussy periods, especially between 6 p.m. and midnight. But if the go-to techniques like feeding, changing, swaddling, and rocking don’t stop your baby’s cry, your little one could be part of the 20 percent of babies who have colic.

Causes of baby colic
If your baby develops colic, or excessive crying, you’ll start to notice it between his second and fourth weeks. His crying will intensify -- rather than trail off -- as the day goes on, and he’ll probably be gassy and alternate between extending and curling up his legs.  

Doctors don’t know exactly what causes baby colic, but these are some possible factors: 

• An immature nervous system

• Trouble with self-soothing

• A medical problem, like a hernia

• Something in your diet irritating his tummy, if you’re breastfeeding

Soothing your crying baby
Perhaps the most upsetting thing about a colicky baby is that often nothing seems to console him. But that doesn’t mean you can’t try. Here are a few tactics that can calm baby colic.  

Rock him. Rocking or putting your baby in his baby swing with some white noise -- like a vacuum or the dryer -- in the background can sometimes help, since the steady motion can be soothing.  

Walk with him in his carrier. Like rocking, this motion is comforting, and being close to you might also help him feel better.

Swaddle him. Wrap your baby in a large, thin blanket. It’ll help him feel warm, cozy, and secure.

Give him a pacifier. It doesn’t always help, but for some babies, the sucking motion is soothing.

Rub his back. Lay your baby tummy-side down across your knees and gently rub his back with your fingers, which could release some of the pressure in his stomach.

Check your diet. If you’re breastfeeding, certain foods in your diet could be causing discomfort for your baby. Milk products, caffeine, cabbage, and onions are all potential culprits, so try omitting them one at a time, over a period of days, to find out if one of them is the real culprit.

Remember, there’s hope!
You might not believe it now, but baby colic doesn’t last forever. By the time your baby reaches the 4-month mark, his colic will likely pass -- and you’ll all be happier!

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Your Baby and Hemorrhoids

Infants can get hemorrhoids, but fortunately, they’re quite uncommon. Hemorrhoids may occur when blood vessels around the anus become engorged from poor circulation. Eventually, they bulge under the strain of a bowel movement and may even bleed.

If you notice bluish coloration around your baby’s anus when she’s having a bowel movement, it might mean she’s pushing too hard. The strain may cause little tears in your baby’s anus, which can cause bleeding.

Grunting or straining while pushing out a stool is normal in young infants. They may become red in the face while passing a bowel movement (BM) as a side effect of pushing too hard. Brief straining or pushing for less than 10 minutes can occur occasionally at any age.

Her discomfort may be caused by constipation. Ask your doctor for the best ways to help relieve your baby’s symptoms.

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