Oil massaging and bathing babies

Oil massaging babies is a very healthy,enjoyable and exciting activity. We asked our pediatrician if we should start bathing them right away, and he suggested giving them an oil massage only, for the first couple of weeks. He suggested extra virgin olive oil for the massage. So at 10 am every day, about an hour after their morning milk, me or my husband gave them the massage. We used to spread a towel on the table, place the baby on the towel, keep a small bowl of olive oil close by and start talking to the baby. The babies thoroughly enjoyed it, and so did we. We used to take the oil in our palm, and spread and massage it on the baby, over the tiny hands, legs, little body and face.  After the thorough massage (most of the oil gets absorbed by the body), we used to wipe them very gently before placing them back in the crib. After sleeping deeply for another hour the babies wake up all fresh and have their milk before going to sleep again. This massage ensured absorption of nutrition, good and uniform skin color and moisture, glowing skin, good sleep, good intake of milk and growth.  Our body has many tiny circulation channels in it, for blood and other fluids, air etc. A nice, good massage opens up and straightens the channels. Also when parents' finger tips touch babies' body parts and nerves, the nerves get stimulated which is good for the babies' growth both physically and mentally. The touch itself is very healthy. 'You should keep touching, massaging and pampering your babies with your fingers, and hug them a lot'- our physiotherapist used to say. The bare skin in contact with the loving parents' touch can do wonders to the babies' emotional development. So the oil massaging was one of the highlights of the day for both us and our babies. 

The right kind of massaging is very important for their development, as both the traditional prasavaraksha experts and the modern physiotherapists would tell you. Start by applying oil in the naval, push it inside with a finger- apply a little pressure. The naval of young babies tend to be out for the first few months, we can help it go inside by this gentle procedure.(Later after the baby starts crawling on the stomach, it will go inside). Then push the nipples inside in case of boys. Apply oil on hands from shoulder till finger tips, apply on thighs and massage inwards, apply on knees and feet. Apply on the back and massage. Massage in round motion on the buttocks. Exercise the body by moving hands, legs and whole body. Cross the hands, move them up and down, do the same with the legs. See the video below. And finally apply oil on the face, push forehead in, pull nose out, pull cheeks out, straighten the ears, apply on head, kiss the baby, and you are done!

After two weeks or so, we started bathing our babies. after the olive oil massage. We applied baby hair oil on the head. Then after a few months we replaced olive oil with virgin coconut oil, because being in Kerala, pure coconut oil is available in plenty. We follow the same massaging and bathing procedure now also, with pure coconut oil. And I highly recommend this.

Another tip I wanted to give is about a tree called Danthappala (Wrightia Tinctoria, also called Ayyappala and Vettuppala- Sweet indrajao). It is seen in many places in Kerala, a tree with small white flowers. The leaves have high medicinal value when it comes to skin problems, infection, discoloration, even psoriasis. According to http://kerala-junction-news.blogspot.in/2010/12/re-wwwkeralitesnet-treatment-for_10.html, the preparation of the oil with Danthappala is as follows- collect a half kg danthapala leaves. Take half a litre of pure coconut oil in vessel and dip the leaves. Allow the oil to heat in sun light for 3- 4 days.  Collect the remaining oil.  Smear the oil every day before bath and allowed the skin to receive some sun light. I tried this because the tree is available in my workplace, and it definitely is very good for the skin and hair.

NEXT...My Post graduation and Complications

Diaper use and disposal issues

In Kerala use of disposable diapers was not very common at least until a couple of years back. As expecting parents, we never planned to use them for our babies. But the first time I went to see my babies at NICU, they had diapers on. Later when our first baby was brought to the private NICU room, and the nurse fed him milk through the nasal tube, he pooped. I didn't know it, but the nurse said he did, and she said she'd show me how to change the nappy. The neonatologist, Dr.Abraham George was very particular that babies should not lie on their back, but should always lie on their stomach. Initially we had a lot of reservations about this, but nevertheless we trusted our doctor immensely and rightly, and hence did as was instructed. (There is a lot of debate on the issue of whether babies should be put on their backs or tummy to sleep, but for us it proved to be a good method to let them sleep on their tummy. It reduced gas formation, and made it easier for them to sleep. They always sleep on their tummy although at times they turn around in sleep and lie on their sides or back.) Hence during the first month, on Doc's strict instruction, we fastened the nappy on their backs. This made it possible for us to change nappies in their sleep, without turning them around. But after a month or so we found it unsuitable and started fastening it in the front itself. 

So unlike we planned, or rather not planned, our babies always had disposable diapers on during their first year. Initially we were apprehensive about heat build up in the covered area, but later we found that the babies were quite comfortable with nappies on. It is difficult to clean up three babies as soon as they poop or pee because as I clean up one, the others tend to make a mess. While diapers are on we get time to clean them one by one. So even though we bought some reusable diapers and briefs, we never used them in the first year. And somehow disposable nappies seemed much cleaner too. However, they had rashes whenever we used a different brand other than Godrej's Snuggy, which has a soft, cotton feel. So we stuck to Snuggy. (It is just my babies' case- my friends do use Pampers and other brands without any issue). 

It is good to reserve a table for diaper changing, preferably in a space near bathrooms. Absorbent sheets are very useful while changing nappies, and also when the babies are taking short nappy-free naps :) Also diaper rash creams are to be kept handy, and wet wipes are good to clean up. We do not use those regularly, but during travels, they are quite useful.

Now we were face to face with a major problem-disposal of the disposable diapers. Being environment- conscious and wanting to be green, we found this unsuitable to our principles, made us feel guilty. But we really had to use disposable diapers in our situation, and so tried to dispose them in as safely as we could. In the first few months, each baby used an average of 12 nappies per day, that is, we were left with 36 nappies at the end of the day! We tried burning them with all sorts of fuel, but only wood dust seemed useful- for complete burning. But getting so much wood dust was a problem, it took hours for it to burn and caused pollution. Diesel was the second choice, but that was too expensive and it caused too much pollution. Thus we finally made an arrangement with a neighboring hospital's garbage disposal group, and every second week we took the tightly sealed sacks with nappies to the hospital, where the garbage disposal team took our sacks along with the hospital wastes for treatment and disposal. This was the safest and greenest option available for us. It became a chore every night to unload the waste bin to the big sack, fasten the sack and keep it outside in a small shaded area in our tiny backyard. Once we had a problem when a stray dog jumped into our compound in the middle of the night and tore up the sack. Early morning we found soiled and torn nappies scattered around. Such nightmare! Then we started tightening the sack and also spraying the outside with Dettol, so the smell would keep the dog away. It worked. 

Update March 2013

After the first few months, the diaper use reduced to 6-7 per baby per day. Since one diaper costed Rs.10/-, the daily expense for it reduced from Rs.360/- to Rs.200/-. We weren't very successful in potty training them, so the nappy use continued. Probably it was a good idea to potty train them sooner, but when we tried we found that it increased their stress. So we left it at that, and left them to develop bowel control on their own. It took time, but it worked. They started to tell us when they wanted to poop or pee, they developed a routine according to their own biology, and the stress was much less for them and for us. Now at two and a half, they still use nappies when they sleep, that is 2 nappies per baby per day. Some times I think about Dr.Sigmund Freud's anal stage and wonder if it would affect their psychosexual development, but it seems very unlikely from the way they are progressing..It would all have been wild and messy and crazy moments every time, everyday, when they'd suddenly pee and poop and try to touch it or smear it or what not! So we chose to be safe, and we are still continuing the slow transition to diaper-free days :)

Oil massage for babies

Update on December 2013

I am so glad to say that now they are totally out of diapers, and potty-trained. Finally saying good bye to diaper days :D

Feeding triplets

Feeding triplets in the  first six months

Today (15-06-2012) my triplets started on cereals! :)

Feeding the babies is taking up the major part of the day everyday. We have kept a diary in which we write down each feeding's time and quantity each one consumed, each one's pooping time, colour and consistency of poo (Raman's is dark green, always. Chattu's is loose and Arya's is like tiny balls), if there is any throwing up then details of that, sleep timings, massage timings (we are still massaging with olive oil- bathing them has not started) and any unusual behavior like crying too much or sleeping too much. I think it is an extensive record of the babies' day, but I have no idea if there is any use doing it.

They used to have an average of 35 ml formula every 90 minutes in February 2012. Once (26th Feb) we had to use suppository on all three to ease stool passing. Not a very pleasant thing to do, and after using it, it takes a couple of days to get them back on track and poop on their own. In March(one month old) the quantity increased to around 90 ml every two hours. Next change came in May when they started drinking 125 ml (though they have only 60 ml or even less at times), but the number of feedings decreased to 6-7 times a day (the average quantity they drink per day is somewhere around 500 ml). They maintain the same quantities now. Initially feeding triplets was through needle less syringes and bondlas. See page. Then we started using feeding bottles from Avent. Very durable, and hygienic if sterilized after each use. (We immerse them in boiling water). The formula we were using was Enfamil, but now we have shifted to Nan Pro. Nan Pro-1 is for infants, then 2, 3 and 4 are available, 4 for toddlers of one and half years old and more. It claims to have enough Calcium, Iron and Protein required for the respective ages. And it does not fatten the babies up. We are not keen to give them cow's milk (cow's milk does not digest properly for babies below one year of age. Even when they become one year, I don't think I will prefer to give it to them because nowadays we do not get pure cow's milk, and what we get as cow's milk seems to cause allergies and mucus in kids).

Father and grandfather feeding the babies

Today we gave them cereal for the first time, for lunch. We gave Ragi cereal sweetened with jaggery, supposed to have a lot of Calcium and Iron in it. I am concerned about the Iron intake since they need about 7 mg per day at 4 months old (since they are not breastfed- if they were breastfed, then it will naturally take care of Iron intake till six months old, after which they will need 11 mg per day in their diet), but they may not be getting that much now. The brand for Ragi we use is Ragitone. Three tablespoons of the powder (for all thee babies together) mixed in the specified quantity of water and one-fourth portion of a jaggery ball powdered and added to it. It is boiled till it is semi solid. It is real sweet and jaggery is very good for health. It is good for adults too. We plan to increase the quantity in the coming months. On alternate days we are going to give them Banatone cereal which is made from raw bananas.

Update August 2012
Now they also eat little bit of boiled banana and boiled veggies like carrot, cabbage, beans and cucumber.

Feeding Raman is most difficult. He likes his milk (Nan Pro), and sometimes cereal. He does not like to try different tastes. Chaattu and Aryakkutty eat without a lot of fuss.

Diaper use and Disposal issues