Are you looking for special
baby shower decorations for preemies or twins?
Posted by kim on October 28, 2009
Abigail Pogrebin, author of “One and the Same,” and her identical twin sister, Robin Pogrebin, discuss the unique relationship between twins on the Today Show last week (October 22nd, 2009).
In her new book, “One and the Same: My Life as an Identical Twin and What I’ve Learned About Everyone’s Struggle to Be Singular,” author and former “60 Minutes” producer Abigail Pogrebin interviews countless twins for their hilarious and heartbreaking accounts of what it’s like to grow up with an identical sibling.
One and the Same: My Life as an Identical Twin and What I’ve Learned About Everyone’s Struggle to Be Singular is currently available (and on sale) at Amazon.com.
Fostering a sharing and caring environment at home is nothing short of difficult. Especially for twins, who are often times expected to be each other’s best friends, expectations can be overwhelming.
Bunk beds for your twins can grant them individual spaces while still learning valuable lessons about compromise and cooperation. The bunk bed helps save space in the kids’ room while your twins work together toward a common goal, whether it be making the bed or deciding who gets to sleep on the top bunk. Comfortable, secure, stylish, and a space saver, bunk beds can also be a vital learning tool for teaching your kids an important lesson in cohabitation.
Posted by kim on October 21, 2009
I’ve been out of the deal loop for a couple weeks as my daughter had surgery, but is now recovering at home. It is a bit ironic that I recently wrote about breast milk vs. infant formula, and how I did not breastfed my twin daughters. I wished store brand formula which is now sold at Walmart, Sam’s Club, Target, Kroger, Walgreens, CVS, and Babies “R” Us would have been available to me years ago to save 50% off the price of name-brand baby formulas such as Similac, Enfamil and Good Start.
Available exclusively at Walmart, special cans of the store brand Parent’s Choice Infant Formula are currently on sale for only $5.00. Parents have the choice of Parent’s Choice Milk Infant Formula in a 15.5 oz (440 gram) can and/or Parent’s Choice Gentle Infant Formula for babies with fussiness or gas in a special 12.9 oz (366 gram) can.
All infant formulas marketed in the United States are subject to the same FDA standards, so you can be assured that even store brand formula meets minimum and maximum nutrient specifications.
If you are currently receiving formula paid for by the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program, there have been new changes in the WIC program which may reduce infant-formula subsidies. So you may want to check into your eligibility and stock up during Walmart’s sale.
If you are not familiar with the WIC program, visit the USDA website for more information and to apply for assistance.
WIC provides Federal grants to States for supplemental foods, health care referrals, and nutrition education for low-income pregnant, breastfeeding, and non-breastfeeding postpartum women, and to infants and children up to age five who are found to be at nutritional risk.
Posted by kim on October 20, 2009
Premature babies, often called “preemies”, are babies that are born before the pregnancy reaches full term of 38 to 42 weeks. Several factors can contribute to a premature birth, including the lifestyle of the mother throughout the pregnancy. Cigarettes, alcohol, drugs, poor diet, inadequate weight gain, poor prenatal care and physical stress can all attribute to the delivery of a premature baby.
However, many times, the cause of preterm delivery is complete out of the mother’s control. For instance, the mother could have an abnormal uterus, hormone imbalance, infection, chronic illness or a number of other factors that could result in premature delivery. Preterm births are more likely to occur if the mother is older than thirty-five years of age, under nineteen or pregnant with more than one baby. Sometimes the cause for premature delivery remains unknown.
Premature babies have several special needs that make caring for them different from full term babies and typically start out life in the neonatal intensive care unit, or NICU. The neonatal intensive care unit is specially designed to provide a low stress environment that provides the basic needs of a premature baby, such as nutrition, protection and warmth to aid proper development and growth.
With the many advancements in health care of premature babies, over ninety percent of premature babies weighing 800 grams or better grow up to lead normal, healthy lives. For babies weighing over 500 grams, the likelihood of complications is increased with only forty to fifty percent surviving.
Keeping The Baby Warm
Premature babies do not have the body fat like full term babies that is needed to keep warm, even if they are swaddled in blankets. Radiant warmers or incubators are necessary to help the babies stay warm.
A radiant warmer is an electrically-warmed bed that is mostly open. These are used when the premature baby requires frequent attention and care from the medical team.
An incubator is like a little protective box made out of transparent plastic. Incubators surround the baby completely, keeping her or him warm. They also limit the amount of water loss and keep the baby safe from infection.
Nutritional Needs
Babies that are born prematurely grow faster than babies that are full term. Premature babies also have immature digestive systems. Therefore, babies born before full term need special nutritional care.
Breast milk is a great source of nutrition; however, premature babies are not developed enough to be able to drink directly from the breast or a bottle until that are between thirty-two and thirty-four weeks of gestational age. Premature babies must be fed as a slow pace in order to prevent the development of necrotizing enterocolitis, which is an intestinal infection that only affects premature babies.
Premature babies are prone to several problems, primarily because of underdeveloped internal organs. A number of blogs on the Internet are dedicated to providing information and support to the mothers of premature babies. Here are some of the best places to learn how to take the best possible care of your newborn preemie:
- Preemies Then Twins
- TwiceBabies Mom
- Life in Holland
- Bern Bern
- Three Little Peanuts
- Amy George’s Working Wonders Blog
- Tulip and Turnip
- Parenting Preemies
- Preemie Twins Blog
- Info spot 4 the special tot
Mary Ward blogs about how to apply to online sonography programs.
We appreciate this month's PreemieTwins.com sponsor of
Gainsville AC service who helps us provide free resources for parents of premature infants and multiples.
