This week I had the pleasure of having family over the weekend, and for sure, like many of us that don’t live in the same zip code as our family, it’s a blessing to have them here (someone told us that Florida attracts more family… Nobody took into account our new baby to be a better tourist magnet!). Our daughter is starting to form her routine, we already know about her “crappy hour”, and we have established a nice ballet of feeding, burping (I’m becoming an expert), diaper change, activity and happy times. We have gone to the maximum time allowed at night (amazing and extravagant 5 hours between feedings), meaning that we actually get to sleep a 4 hour cycle (GO BABY GO!).
My wife has given me the opportunity to do the last feeding of the day (no, I don’t use the props from “meet the Fockers”), enjoying a couple of minutes with my baby. The entire philosophy of bonding/feeding time really makes sense, whatever feeding method you use (bottle/breast milk/formula), being there and interacting is just amazing (PLUS YOU GET AT LEAST 10 MINUTES OF SILENCE!). Completely recommended if you have not done so.
The bath routine is working, she actually, contrary to popular beliefs, she loved the water, probably a genetic trait from my family. She is joyful and having fun (maybe some memories of mommy’s tummy?), making it clear to us that she does not want to leave the bathtub.
From the water to the earth, we have started her on “tummy time” now that she has more neck control, using our “mini GYM”, she starts on the top and slowly works her way down to the bottom of it to lay her face in the cushion and we start again. A part of stimulating your baby, it has a couple of more advantages, using the wake time for a positive activity. It comes to my mind one thing that is happening a lot with the new recommendations to prevent Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, it decreases and prevents unnecessary deaths, but if we are not moving the position of the head of our babies, they start having a “flat head”, that’s way one of the reasons to do tummy time and observe the shape of your baby’s head, if you think it is flat, talk to your pediatrician about it.
My amazing wife noticed this week that our Baby started to find her hands, it was amazing to see it, how we take for granted, and we forget the little things of our body, I encourage you to take a moment and observe your hands, probably you won’t remember when you saw them for the first time (at least I don’t) J.
What I’ve learned this week for THE UNOFFICIAL MANUAL ON HOW A PEDIATRICIAN BECOMES A FATHER:
1) Tummy time is amazing and fun for the entire family, changing the routine of poop, eat, sleep moments of the day
2) Baths are amazing, even for babies!
3) Feeding your baby as a father/partner at least once a day creates a special bond for a couple of minutes that will give peace to you and your baby.
PS This is going to be an historic week for the US, whatever decision the Court makes regarding the Affordable Healthcare Act will have an impact on all of us.
Dr Shap's 
Parents helping parents is team work… ..