Читать книгу Sister Lilian’s Babycare Companion: Complimentary and traditional care - Lilian Paramor - Страница 44

A newborn baby’s skin

This wonderful organ protects, manufactures, excretes and absorbs. It is the biggest organ of the body and needs all our respect and care to remain healthy. Skin rashes are often a reflection of problems on the inside and you should look for the cause rather than immediately applying creams and lotions. Take these tips into account:

•Use gentle soap and shampoo with rooibos and calendula essence for bathing.

•Use talc sparingly.

•If your baby has skin rashes, make up 500 ml rooibos tea using one teabag and add to the bath water.

•Expose Baby to about fifteen minutes of sunlight each day, but avoid midday heat.

•Skin rashes are often caused by washing powders and softeners – use a special cleanser and conditioner for babies with sensitive skins; also for their cot linen.

•Don’t dress babies too warmly to avoid heat rash.

•Very bad dry rashes respond well to Calendula Tablets and cream.

ROOIBOS FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY

Rooibos is more than a healthy herbal tea – it is an indigenous national treasure. The whole family can profit from using rooibos with its beneficial action on the skin, nervous and digestive systems. Rooibos has been tested extensively in Japan and at the University of the Free State and it has been shown to have an antioxidant effect. Antioxidants form an important part of overall health and well-being as they help every part of the body to function efficiently. Rooibos is caffeine-free and has very low levels of tannin, making it an ideal evening drink, rather than coffee. It also contains important trace minerals, which is why it has a long history of being included in a rehydration programme in many paediatric wards.

Rooibos is a safe beverage for expectant mothers and their babies, and after the birth can form part of a healthy diet for little ones of all ages. All herbal teas should be taken in a weak infusion – the subtle flavour is delicious and there is never risk of adverse effects.

It is vitally important that women keep up their energy levels through labour and birth. Few women feel like eating though and rooibos forms the base of the ideal solution. Add fructose powder or syrup to a thermos of rooibos tea and sip throughout labour. It will relax you and ensure stamina enough to pace yourself well through the amazing experience of birth. It has countless other uses, from soothing cracked nipples in Mom to relieving colic in babies, which have been mentioned throughout the book.

•Limit or avoid dairy products in your diet if breastfeeding, as these often cause allergies. If a formula-fed baby is prone to skin rashes, use an allergy formula.

•Massage your baby daily. There is nothing as lovely as the soft, pearly skin of a baby and touch is therapy! You don’t have to learn a special technique, just do it every day before bathtime. This helps release endorphins in you and your child and you will very soon feel the relaxing effect, as will your baby. Use a little good baby massage oil and concentrate on the movements your baby enjoys. There will even be the spin-off of a calmer night ahead.

Mosquito bites

Prevention is always better than cure, so try these tips:

•Dot Citronella oil around the baby’s room to keep the mozzies from coming close, but do not apply directly to your baby.

•Use a mosquito net.

•Avoid travelling to known mosquito areas at peak malaria times.

•Crush a handful of khakibos or basil leaves and place in a container in the baby’s room.

•Baby can wear special anti-mozzie citronella bracelets – these are safe.

If Baby is bitten, treat the bites in one of the following ways:

•Make a paste of bicarbonate of soda and water and apply to the bite.

•Add a pot of strong rooibos tea to the bath water to soothe the itch.

•Give Baby the tissue salt Ferrum phos hourly until less red and inflamed.

•Crush a Sister Lilian Calendula Tablet, mix with a little water to a paste and apply for itching and healing.

If you have been to a malaria area and Baby seems ill or develops a fever, seek immediate medical attention. Also give the tissue salt Nat sulph every hour until Baby improves. It must be stressed, however, that it is extremely irresponsible to take babies and small children to malaria areas.

Cradle cap

Cradle cap is a crusty, yellow layer clinging to the skin of Baby’s scalp and possibly also the eyebrows. It is related to a certain type of eczema and Baby may well develop this later if preventative measures are not taken. Cradle cap responds very well to the following measures:

•Give the homeopathic remedy Calendula Tablets and the tissue salt remedies Kali mur and Kali sulph, one tablet of each crushed and dissolved in 5 ml cooled boiled water 3 times a day.

•Massage olive oil into the scalp, leave overnight and wash out the next day, or use a fine-tooth comb to remove crusts.

•Make a paste of bicarbonate of soda and water, apply to cradle cap and remove by rinsing after five minutes.

•If cradle cap persists, you might need to change Baby’s formula milk to a special allergy formula. If breastfeeding, reduce dairy and grain products in your diet.

•Do not introduce cereals to Baby as a first or early food.

Milia/pimples in Baby

Milia (pimples on a baby’s face, usually over the cheeks and nose) usually disappears by three months and seems to occur because of blocked pores as the sweat glands and skin mature. It is often called ‘babasuur’ in Afrikaans. Milia resolves of its own accord within a month or two but these tips may speed healing:

•Do not squeeze the pimple-like eruption, to prevent secondary infection.

•Rinse the area with cooled rooibos tea.

•Apply a very light layer of Calendula cream daily.

•It often helps to reduce dairy, grain and acid-forming foods such as coffee, pickles and red meat in your diet if you are breastfeeding.

Baby powder

Baby powder’s reputation far exceeds its real worth! Of course, it gives that delightful, ‘real baby’ smell, but that is appealing to the sentimentality in each of us.

Because babies have such sensitive skins, all baby cosmetics should be chosen carefully. Preferably try dermatologically tested products, bearing in mind that what suits one skin will not necessarily work for another.

Powder will absorb moisture, but can irritate sensitive skin, and tends to make crumbs which can also irritate the skin. Use sparingly and choose baby-sensitive products.

Powders, if used, should be spread on the hand first and then applied so that a cloud does not form, as these particles may be breathed in, irritating the respiratory membranes. If Baby’s skin is sensitive but you really like that special smell, pat a little on the outside of the nappy or vest.