Pregnant and battling to sleep?

Our resident baby expert, Jenni Johnson, has some good advice for expectant mums who are struggling to get some zzzz’s….

If you are pregnant and battling to sleep, an over-active mind can result in insomnia. Keep a to-do list or journal next to your bed. By writing out all that you have to do - your excitement or fears of birth and all the changes that are happening in your life, will help you feel organized and in control.

If your newborn baby is feeding and gaining weight well but seems to cry a lot, he or she could either be overstimulated or tired. Tiny babies don’t need a lot of stimulation. Everything they look at is something new to them and until they are two months old keep rattles and toys away. From two weeks old put your baby down to sleep 45 minutes after the start of a feed. Go to jennisays.com to find out how to do this.

Homemade rattles let baby explore and learn to make different sounds, put uncooked rice or pasta or bells in different packets. Put these packets into another bag, secure well and watch how baby loves to hear the different sounds and feel the crinkly textures.

If you are planning to fall pregnant or have had a miscarriage it is a good idea to see a dentist for a check up. There is a link between gum disease and stillbirths. If you are pregnant and have bleeding gums please tell your gynae, midwife or dentist as infection can be avoided with extra oral care.

Here are four reasons to call your doctor if you have a newborn:  Baby has a cold, which can make it difficult to breath, even after using a rubber bulb aspirator. Baby has a temperature of above 37.2 degrees; your baby’s nappies are not as wet as normal and there has been no stool for a day or so or only very runny ones and if your baby is crying inconsolably.

* Catch Jenni on-air every day just after 10am with her tip of the day.

Jenni Johnson, our resident ‘Baby Whisperer’, has been a practicing child-care practitioner for 15 years, and owns a busy ante and post natal clinic in Durban.

At Jenni’s ante and post natal clinic in Durban, parents are taught a system that gives them structure and routine to the baby and childhood years. Jenni has a nursing background. She’s a registered nurse, midwife, psychiatric nurse and a practicing child-care practitioner for the past 15 years. Jenni’s online clinic, can be accessed online via www.jennisays.com. For appointments, e-mail [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter via @JenniSays or on Facebook by 'liking' The Berea Baby Clinic.