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Natural penis enlargement exercises are the best way to make your penis thicker and bigger. Because natural penis enlargement exercises releases the blood flow towards penis and it helps a lot to increase penis size. Jelqing exercise, warm up, and some other exercises are part of the natural penis enlargement exercises programs. If you want a long term and permanent growth of your penis than natural penis enlargement exercises are very effective way to achieve you goal in few months of regular exercise. How penis enlargement exercise works? The fundamental thinking behind penile exercise is that presently your penis size is very limited. Because of this limited penis size your erections can only able to achieve the so much length that the capacity of your penis to fill up with blood. Corpora cavernosa is the name of two big chamber of the penis, and spongy tissue is the main content in that chamber. This chamber is filling up with blood during an erection time. Spongy tissues help to make the erection possible by soak up the blood flow into the penis. Penis exercise make this tissues more powerful so these tissues able to flow more blood towards penis and the result of this you can get bigger erections. Penis enlargement exercise techniques Jelqing is a daily work out routine of basic penis exercise. Jelq is a very deliberate, rhythmic and light external pull movement on penis. Doing such jelqing exercises helps to open up more spongy tissues area. Because of this exercises your penis is now able to fill up with more blood. There is a lot of jelq and other penis exercises in natural penis enlargement exercise program. First start with short, 10 to 20 minute workout and when you feel comfortable with these exercises than increase the time to 20-40 minutes per day. The main reason of these exercises is to enlarge penis size; so many penile exercise programs target the PC muscle. To improve ejaculation and orgasms, PC muscle should be toned and in shape. Penis enlargement exercises compared to other methods Compared to other penis enlargement methods, penis enlargement exercises found more effective. Weights only increase the length of penis while exercises help to increase your penis thickness and length. Penis enlargement pumps can also produce some result but the effect can not last for long term. Also penis enlargement pump has some draw back such as scarring, swelling and it makes people more dependable for every erection. So the only method that can produce good and long term effect on penis enlargement without any pain is natural penis enlargement exercises. best pnis enlargement penile enlargement system natural penis elargement exercise natural penis enlarement vimax best penis enlargement surgery pnis enlargement pump penile enlargement surgeries free penis enargement video

penis enlargement testimonials

Sexually Transmitted Diseases – are transmitted through sexual contact. STD -are generally divided into two categories, bacterial and viral. Bacterial infections are relatively easy to cure if detected early. Viral infections are technically incurable but the symptoms are controllable if detected early. Having a sexually transmitted disease (STD) can increase a person's risk of becoming infected with HIV. STD treatment reduces the risk of HIV infection. The human immunodeficiency virus HIV, Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases (STD) are one of the main concern today. The patients affected by them are large in number and alarming as it is infectious. Anybody anywhere can get the virus, from one person to the other, from a mother to a baby. It is estimated by the Joint United Nations Program that there are over 34 million people worldwide affected with HIV/AIDS. Out of them only few are aware of their being infected and spreading the virus. To begin with HIV - the human immunodeficiency virus - is a virus that kills your body slowly and slowly. HIV attacks human cells and uses nutrients and energy provided by those cells to grow and reproduce. HIV can be passed from one person to the other. If someone with HIV infection has sex or shares drug injection needles with another person then he or she is likely to be HIV positive. It also can be passed from a mother to her baby when she is pregnant, when she delivers the baby, or if she breast-feeds her baby. It is very important to keep yourself away from the virus getting into your body and it is equally important not to let others get infected by it. There are different ways of getting infected by HIV as • If you have unprotected Sex with someone who has HIV. The virus can be in an infected person’s blood, semen, or vaginal secretions. It can also enter your body through tiny cuts or sores in your skin, or in the lining of your vagina, penis, rectum, or mouth. • If you share a needle and syringe to inject drugs or share drug equipment used to prepare drugs for injection with someone who has HIV. • If you had a blood transfusion or blood clotting factor that you got before 1985. As all blood in the United States have been tested for HIV since 1985. How can you protect yourself from HIV? • Make a mature move, both the partners should not hesitate to go for HIV test • If you are pregnant then have an HIV test. • Make sure to use condoms. AIDS - the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome - is a disease you get when HIV destroys your body’s immune system. Normally, your immune system helps you fight off illness. When your immune system fails you can become very sick and can die. An HIV-infected person receives a diagnosis of AIDS after developing one of the defined AIDS indicator illnesses, (opportunistic infection). A positive HIV test result does not mean that a person has AIDS. A diagnosis of AIDS is made by a physician using certain clinical criteria. There is no cure for AIDS. There are anti drugs now available that can slow down the virus, and slow down the damage to your immune system. These drugs have also helped reduce the overall rates of opportunistic infections in people with AIDS. easy enlargement free pnis surgery way do penis enlargement pill really work penile enlargement surgery photo permanent penis enlargment penis enlargment picture penile enlargement without pills natural penile enlargement exercise vimax penis enlargement penis enlargement testimonials

Gonorrhea is one of the main ailments causing trauma to mankind. It is termed as STD or a disease that is sexually transmitted from one person to another. Thick discharges result from the penis and the vagina of the respective infected persons. As per a latest survey, Gonorrhea has posed a serious threat to the health departments of all governments across the globe. Cases of Gonorrhea have been frequently reported from among those people who are sexually very active. Mention may be made of the teenagers, youths or the African Americans in the USA where on the average 700,500 people annually fall prey to this debilitating ailment. However, this is just the tip of the iceberg; for many such Gonorrhea cases go unreported for various reasons. Most of the countries regularly take up mass awareness campaigns on the STD diseases when the health volunteers identify and meet the vulnerable sections of the populations in their respective countries. There are clinics and also mobile health units that regularly distribute the necessary aids among the targeted population to ensure that STD diseases, such as Gonorrhea, are kept at bay. Owing to such campaigns, the number of people affected by Gonorrhea has been coming down. The primary cause of Gonorrhea is the bacterium -- Neisseria gonorrhoeae. This bacterium needs a moist and warm environment to reproduce itself and these ideal locales are to be found in the reproductive section of a woman as well as the urinary canal besides the anus, eyes, throat and also the mouth. Once a man or a woman gets affected by Gonorrhea, the bacterium transforms those places into its habitat to multiply fast and rather easily. Mentionably, a woman’s reproductive section is made up of three main parts, viz., the fallopian tubes via which the human eggs are transported, the womb or the uterus and the womb opening or the cervix. All these sensitive and vital sections of a woman’s body is very susceptible to Gonorrhea. The commonly reported symptoms of Gonorrhea are swollen or painful testicles or a sensation of burning during urinating or the penis discharging green colored thick fluid almost akin to the semen. However, these symptoms appear almost a month after the person has been infected by Gonorrhea. There are a number of ways in which Gonorrhea can be transmitted. The main means is sexual intercourse. The disease is spread via the male sexual organ – the penis – as well as the primary female sexual organ -- the vagina – or the anus and even the mouth. One should always take extra care and use preventive measures (like the condom in the case of males or the loop in the case of women) to check Gonorrhea. Once ejaculation occurs from an infected male inside the naked vaginal portion of a woman, the woman can get affected by the disease. There are also cases of Gonorrhea being transmitted from an infected woman to a male during sexual intercourse or even while kissing. It is important to remember that anyone can be affected by Gonorrhea several times notwithstanding the fact that this person did undergo treatment for the disease earlier and was cured subsequently. Gonorrhea can pass on to the new-born baby from the affected mother. free penis enlargement pennis enlargement stretcher does penis enlargement work vig rx store penis enargement product does pennis enlargement work pennis enlargement forum penis enlarement tip penis enlargement testimonials

Author: Michael Coleman ISBN: 1412073928: Publisher: Trafford Publishing Today, Norm Goldman, Editor of Bookpleasures.com is pleased to have as our guest, Michael Coleman, author of Keep Your God Waiting: Good day Michael and thank you for participating in our interview. Norm: How did you become interested in the exercise program you advocate in your book and how long have you been implementing it in your daily life? Michael: Hi Norm, first let me say thanks for the opportunity to share some insights on over-40’s health with your readers. Some may find the disclosures a tad provocative but all I ask is that people approach what follows with an open mind. How did I become interested in the program? Well, the program originated as a plea of behalf of the human body. If you’ll bear with me I’ll try to explain… We breathe, we run, we jump, we see, we hear, we laugh, we cry, we process information, we make decisions – in short, we can do all sorts of incredibly complex tasks that require awesome and exquisite intellectual and physical abilities on the body’s part. Yet, we take all this for granted. We have little or no recognition of the fact that the body holds all the knowledge and systems it needs to enable us to perform these tasks without any form of external intervention. This is never more in evidence than when we become ill or feel the effects of aging. Enter modern medicine with practically its whole emphasis on intervention and its prime strategy of evasion based on laboratory drugs and medical technology. Before you switch off this is not a crusade against conventional medicine – that would be completely irresponsible and fail to recognize advances that have been made. In fact, there are circumstances when I would take advantage of some of these developments. Having said that I believe modern medical practice is, by and large, an insult to the body’s innate intelligence In that sense the book and the programs it contains are a plea on behalf of the human body – a plea to recognize the awesome intelligence that we each have available to effect healing and maintain vibrant health and enjoy great sex for as long as we choose. For me the first question was – How do we know the body can heal itself? I imagine most of us have, at some time or other, allowed an illness to run its course rather than resorting to a visit to the doctor. Certainly in that course of action it may take longer for the symptoms to subside but the illness is, more often than not, conquered. So what does that tell us? It says that the body knows how to heal itself without intervention. It has called into play the immune systems defenses. It knows inherently how to organize and program very complex healing processes to perfection. In short, the body is much smarter than we are, much smarter too than any doctor. When we start interfering, for example, by taking medical drugs the body sees these as poisons and has to direct some of its healing effort to dealing with the ‘invaders’ and that delays healing and may, in fact, give rise to other illnesses. In other words ‘curing’ one illness not only confuses the immune system but also can foster the development of another illness. Compare this outcome with the body’s natural approach using its immune system to deal with the invaders. That process gives the immune system a ‘workout’, has no negative side-effects and strengthens its defense should the invader try another attack in the future. The next question was - Can we utilize the awesome healing power stored in the body? Yes, if we discover how to make sure the key survival systems in the body are functioning optimally and then basically leave it to take care of itself. And really that’s what “Keep Your God waiting” is about. How long have I been using the program? The program has taken several years of personal exploration and experimentation to put together so in that sense I’ve been using it for quite a while. The program as presented in “Keep Your God Waiting” was ‘finalized’ about 12 months ago. Norm: Why do you consider yourself to be a maverick with your unique exercise program? Michael: The term ‘maverick’ conquers up notions of something different and that’s what you get. What I’m saying in the program is basically “open your mind, get your gear off” and explore and experiment with the power, potential and exquisite pleasure stored in your body. It’s an exciting journey of self-discovery that could not only transform your health and sex-life but also change the way you think about your life. Now that’s a big call, and it might not be everyone’s experience – but I for one didn’t intend to die wondering! Norm: You use the term “sexual energy” in your book. What is your definition of sexual energy and how does it play an important role in our health? Michael: Sexual energy is a bioelectric energy and goes by many names but I prefer to see it as sperm or ovarian energy – it’s the body’s life force – the power that gives the body vitality. It has its origins at conception and can either be preserved and circulated to benefit from its powerful healing properties or squandered with a consequent depletion in vitality and general deterioration in health. Unfortunately, most of us choose the latter path albeit largely out of ignorance. Sexual energy can circulate around the body via channels or meridians – a term with which most people are familiar. Other bioelectric energy systems include the nervous system and charkas – all three systems are interrelated. Here’s my pretty crude explanation of how I picture sexual energy effecting healing. I’ll focus on the meridian pathways - these are a framework of connective tissue running throughout the body. As a layman the way I see it is that the sexual energy in the form of a bioelectric field flows through the meridian pathways and enters, for example, the organs and glands. Due to the movement of the molecules comprising an organ there is already an electromagnetic field in existence the strength of which, at any particular time, depends upon the relative health of the particular organ. If the organ is diseased the disease alters its natural frequency of vibration – and consequently its function impaired. When sexual energy enters that same organ it’s a bit like re-charging a battery and the organ’s natural frequency of vibration and hence its electromagnetic field are restored, so returning the organ to optimum functioning. Just one final point - sexual energy is very powerful and should be treated as such – special techniques need to be learnt in order to circulate and use it safely – but these can be easily acquired and are described in the book. Norm: You place a great emphasis in your book on strengthening the PC and anal muscles. What is the PC muscle and why do you believe that these muscles are important in increasing one’s life longevity and great sex? Michael: First let me say that I didn’t intend to create the impression that the PC muscle had a significant role in sex and longevity –but I’ll come to that a bit later.. The PC (Pubococcygeus muscle) can best be described as the muscle we use when we wish to interrupt the flow of urine. It gained notoriety when Dr Kegel developed his series of exercises to strengthen the vagina to aid in childbirth – having more control over the vagina also enables women to squeeze the penis during intercourse and hence heighten sexual pleasure. The bonus for men in powering up their PC muscle lies in the fact that it can increase the strength and durations of erections - again heightening pleasure during intercourse. However, there is much more to great sex than the ability to squeeze a penis and enjoy strong erections. What we are concerned with in the program is the circulation and use of sexual energy for not just for sexual pleasure but also for healing, energizing and fostering creativity at any age and regardless of whether one is single or in a relationship. The nature of your question suggests I might have created the impression that the PC muscle was of fundamental importance in ensuring health and longevity. If I did, then I should say now that in my view it plays a minor role. To put things in perspective, I’m concerned with three sets of muscles in the general pelvic region. These are the PC muscle, the Anal muscles and what I call the Lower Belly muscles. My aim is to be able to work, at will, each set independently of the others. This is because the relative contraction and release of the various sets is crucial in the circulation of healing sexual energy around the body. I consider the anal muscles to be the most important because of the critical role they can play in stimulating the flow of sexual energy. That said it is important to recognize that tension in the PC muscle can have an equally powerful negative effect on energy flow. Hence the need for complete control over these muscles as well as the lower belly group. Norm: Why did you feel compelled to write this book? Why do I think the book is important at this time? Michael: I have to say I didn’t feel particularly compelled to write the book. A couple of thoughts were predominant in my mind. Firstly, Hey, this stuff works! - I wonder if anyone else would be interested in discovering how to transform their health and sex-life. Second, and this is a bit more weighty and I don’t want to sound overly altruistic but I strongly believe everyone (providing they are prepared to make the effort) should have equal access to the knowledge they need to achieve vibrant health and enjoy sensational sex. In other words, good health and a great sex-life are not something for which you should have to pay or the preserve of a fortunate few. Why do I think the book is important at this time? I have to say that when it comes to our health we’ve been brainwashed! I’ll have more to say on that later but for now I just make the point that we accept that ill-health and age-related disease are a normal part of living. Further, we believe that the only ways to health are through ‘pill-popping’, hormone injections, sex stimulants, cosmetic surgery, diets, gym workouts, endless jogging – in fact, a whole string of actions that are unnatural as far as the body is concerned and all designed to tackles symptoms and ignore causes. I’m not saying such strategies don’t have a place, in fact they seem to suit some people. Nevertheless, the consequences of these beliefs are reflected in the burgeoning expenditure on sex pills, growth hormone injections, complex vitamin concoctions, spiraling healthcare costs and lengthy waiting lists of persons seeking expensive drug ‘treatments’ and hi-tech surgery and so on. It is paramount to recognize that existing practices have the potential to cause damage the body’s sophisticated mechanisms with, for example, one so-called ‘cure’ leading to the onset of another disease. We also need to recognize that the pursuit of expensive drug and technology ‘solutions’ cannot be sustained economically – governments simply can’t afford the costs. I believe we are at a crossroads and we need to wake up. There are alternatives available that work in harmony with the body’s needs and desires, are completely natural and don’t cost a single cent. Are they the answer to everything – no, but they at least deserve to be the option of first choice when people think about healthcare. Norm: How would you respond to potential readers who might be skeptical about the exercise program you are advocating? Michael: My initial reaction would be to quote grandma “the proof of the pudding is in the eating”. So, unless you have a medical condition that prevents you so doing, put the program to the test – learn to do the Basic 15-Minute Program. You’ll find it described in step-by-step detail in the book and I believe it to be the most powerful single exercise that one can do. If you feel the benefits of that single exercise then you may be encouraged to explore further. However Norm, I think I owe it to your readers to explore the basis of the program in a bit more detail. Let me start by saying I think I can understand where they’re coming from, after all we’ve been conditioned to believe and accept that ill-health and aging are a normal part of living when in fact, as far as the body is concerned, they are not. How do we know? Well, studies on cell division and DNA corruption associated with cell division strongly suggest the human body is designed to function for about 120 years. What does that mean for us? My interpretation is that if the research findings are valid then the body must already have in place all the knowledge and systems it needs to restore and maintain itself for a lifetime without interference. Of course, we manage to inflict (often quite knowingly, other times through ignorance) all sorts of abuse on our bodies with the result that… surprise, surprise… disease develops! I got to thinking wouldn’t it be fantastic if we could use completely natural and harmonious means to tap into the bodies innate intelligence (by the way the intelligence stored in human cells is absolutely awesome, far above anything we can possibly imagine – lets just say it makes Einstein look like a dunce!) and use it to rejuvenate and maintain our health and sex-life. And that’s what the program does. Norm: Why do you feel that masturbation is important in achieving good health? Michael: Oh dear, I don’t know about you but the word ‘masturbation’ seems so lonely – as though it hasn’t got a friend in the world. I wonder why. I might best start by musing that when many people see the word there is an immediate feeling that “I don’t want to be associated with that” – as though somehow it’s unclean and not the sort of thing that nice people do. People forget that masturbation or self-pleasuring (now doesn’t that sound better) is a perfectly natural activity and in fact one in which we all engaged to our great pleasure and delight when we were very young. Later in life we become conditioned to see it as undesirable, perhaps because as its association with male and female ejaculation and the perception that one would go “deaf and blind” as a consequence. Well, I have to admit to be a great fan of masturbation. It is true that masturbation incorrectly performed can cause deterioration in health. On the other hand (excuse the dreadful pun), masturbation can be a powerful healing, highly energizing and creative experience. Why? Because correctly done masturbation greatly boosts the flow of sexual energy around the body and, in particular, to vital organs and glands (glands are a special type of organ so I use the terms separately) the good health of which your energy, vitality and sex-life depend. In the book, I provide step-by-step details on how to take advantage of the huge healing potential masturbation offers. Norm: You state in the conclusion of your book that in order to improve our health we have to satisfy the subconscious mind. Please explain why you feel this way. Michael: For me, the remarkable things about body are firstly, the fact that under ideal conditions it knows how to restore and maintain itself for about 120 years (this limit is set by the number of times a cell can subdivide) and second, that each cell in the body is replaced (through a process of cell division) during a period of about seven years. So we have to ask the question – if the body knows exactly how to look after itself and we routinely get ‘new’ body parts, why do we experience ill-health and aging? In other words, why don’t we get ‘new’ health too? In an attempt to answer this question I want to look at two factors. The first concerns the physical aspect and the second the mental aspect. At the physical level if we abuse our body cells their performance is compromised and when the cells subdivide that compromise is transmitted to the next generation and so on. Also there is largely unavoidable corruption of the DNA at each subdivision – so you can appreciate we really need to look after our cells in order to live a long and healthy life. More important in the context of the question is what is going on at the mental level. I don’t think there’s any doubt that many of us have unwittingly turned off our good health ‘switch’. We have been conditioned (albeit unintentionally) by healthcare product marketers and health authorities to accept ill-health and aging as normal. This acceptance is further reinforced by our friends and relations becoming ill and/or departing this world and by our own attitude to health care. In effect, we have programmed our subconscious mind to believe and accept the fact that illness and aging are inevitable. – when as far as the body is concerned they are most definitely not. What does this mean? It means that whatever we try at the conscious level to improve our health the subconscious will be nagging away with the same old message “ it won’t work, it won’t work” or something like that. I believe this is why most diets fail and why simple affirmations and positive thinking struggle to make any lasting change. We need to reprogram the subconscious mind to accept the fact that we can enjoy vibrant health and great sex for as long as we choose. This can be done by consistently providing the subconscious with positive experiences based on action and reward. In others words our approach must be one of action and movement, not simply contemplation and secondly it must produce undeniable rewards. This approach is the foundation of the programs in “Keep Your God Waiting”. Norm: What challenges or obstacles did you encounter while writing your book? How did you overcome these challenges? Michael The book was several years of experimentation and personal exploration in the making but was very easy to write. Apart from spending time getting the structure of the book user-friendly it was really just a question of writing down what I do. It was just a matter of documenting stuff that I knew intimately and targeting it to a market I not only understood but also was part of. I have to admit that my main obstacle was working with the word-processing package, in particular trying to line up the paragraphs and get the numbering correct – I just don’t like being told what to do my a machine. How did I overcome this obstacle – with much cursing and swearing! I say this ‘tongue-in-cheek ‘ but one of the major challenges of writing a book on health - is not getting sick – otherwise it’s a bit like going to a dentist who has false teeth. Norm: What has your experience been like with self publishing? Michael: I guess I’d make the point that. with no more than about five manuscripts in a 1000 being picked up by conventional publishers, self-publishing using a POD (Print-On-Demand) house at least gets the book in print and, generally speaking, production costs are quite reasonable. There are other advantages like higher royalties and retaining copyright. I don’t want to say much as I’m really still in the middle part of the whole process. However, there is no doubt in my mind that writing a book and getting it in to print is the easy part, it’s the marketing that’s difficult. This is where you need to use a publisher that has an impressive information distribution network. Not that that in itself helps you directly sell your book, but at least people in the book industry know it exists – you’ve still got the marketing slog Norm: What are your hopes for this book? Michael: That it outsells the Da Vinci Code! The book is really about saying to people “Hey, folks wake up” –there is another way to lifetime good health and great sex - and it’s free! If the book does nothing more than opens peoples’ eyes to the fact that they can, if they choose, take control of their health (and their life) I feel it will have made an important contribution. If it became the program of choice for the over-40’s then perhaps the world would be awash with happy, vital and sexy people – and wouldn’t that be nice! Norm: Is there anything else you wish to add that we have not covered and what is next for Michael Coleman? Michael: Simply to say to the over-40’s that far from resigning themselves to the inevitability of sexual decline and aging they should be cranking up their sex-life. It’s not the time for sipping lattes, drinking red and white, reading newspapers and taking overseas trips – instead travel to the bedroom and discover the exquisite power, potential and pleasure of their body. It’s an unforgettable journey of self-discovery - I mean, do you really want to die wondering! Thanks once again and good luck with all of your future endeavors. vimax penis enlargement pump penile enlargment excersizes easy elargement free penis surgery way enhancement forum free matter penis size penis enlagement pill magna rx plus review vigrx pennis enlargement product top penis enlagement pills penis enlargement testimonials

LIFE AFTER BIRTH: THE FIRST 6 WEEKS Life after birth can be chaotic, especially if this is your first baby. Taking care of your newborn is hard work and won’t be much fun until he or she develops a personality. In case you didn’t know, a newborn doesn’t laugh or smile, it can’t play or even hold its own head up without a supporting hand. All it can do is eat, sleep, dirty diapers, pass gas, throw up and cry. Despite all of this, you will – believe it or not – love your little tot more than anything else in the world. Moreover, you will learn a lot about yourself and your partner as you both navigate through these initial days of parenthood. Sex (or lack thereof) You should know that sex is off-limits for at least 6 weeks after your partner gives birth. Don’t forget that she just delivered a fair-sized human through a very tiny birth canal and her body will need time to heal. Your gal’s doctor will ask to see her about six weeks after delivery for a full physical and emotional post-baby follow-up. At this visit, the doctor will check to see how her wounds are healing. If everything is good, your partner will get the green light for sex. However, this doesn’t mean that she will be as keen and eager to get back into the game. She’ll likely be tired from the whole pregnancy ordeal and from the added responsibilities of caring for a newborn. Help out as much as possible and be patient. Her interest in sex will return…just don’t push her too hard. Sleep (or lack thereof) The good news is that babies need a lot of sleep – about 15-16 hours a day. Unfortunately, newborns don’t have regular sleep patterns and don’t sleep for long hours at a time. This means that you won’t have regular sleep patterns either. Get used to napping throughout the day. And if that doesn’t work for you, then get used to sleep deprivation. You and your partner may feel like you are losing your minds as you quickly realize how cranky and dysfunctional you can be after several nights of disrupted sleep. Hang in there. After about 8 or 10 weeks, your baby will start to sleep through the night (approximately five consecutive hours) and your sleep-deprived, zombie-like state will be a thing of the past. You may with to alternate night shifts to maximize the amount of uninterrupted sleep each partner gets. There really is no need for both of you to get up every time the baby needs to be fed, coddled or changed. Caring for Your Tiny Tot After your shopping spree for nursery items, layettes and strollers, you may have thought that you were fully ready for your baby. While these purchases were necessary, they are only a small part of what you need to survive postnatal care. There will be many new and strange things for you and your partner to learn. The ins-and-outs of feeding, bathing, diapering and umbilical cord care are in no way intuitive. Don’t get scared or discouraged by your new-found incompetence. Chances are that your partner is also incompetent in this area. It’s okay to make mistakes; every new parent does. The good news is that the parental learning curve is steep. You and your partner will quickly develop the skills needed to care for your tot. To give you a helping hand, here is are a few pointers on baby care basics: Feeding The first step is to decide your method of feeding – breast milk or formula? There are many benefits of breastfeeding, including nutritional and emotional advantages. Breast milk is a complete food source that contains hormones and disease-fighting compounds that are absent in formula. Nursing also helps build a special bond between mother and baby. Studies show that babies thrive on the skin-to-skin contact, cuddling and holding that occurs during breastfeeding. However, there are a variety of reasons why many women do not nurse. They may not be able to produce enough milk or they may have to return to work soon after birth and are not available to nurse the baby throughout the day. Whatever the reason, your gal should not feel guilty or uncomfortable with deciding to bottle-feed. There are many excellent formulas available which are highly nutritious. Speak with your partner’s physician or pediatrician about recommended formulas. Regardless of your method of feeding, you should know that most newborns eat about 8 times a day (approximately every two to three hours). However, you shouldn’t try to set scheduled eating times during the first few weeks after birth. Let your baby eat whenever he or she seems hungry. Bathing Because your baby’s umbilical cord will need to heal, it is very important that you keep it dry to prevent infection. After about two weeks, the gross looking stump (i.e., remnants of the umbilical cord) will fall off and your baby will be left with a cute little belly button. In the meantime, take extra care not to wet the umbilical cord during bathing. The best way to do this is to give your tot sponge baths until the cord heals. To give a sponge bath, you will need a stable surface, a soft washcloth and lukewarm water. Make sure that you test the water temperature before applying the cloth to your baby to prevent scalding him or her. Your elbow or the inner part of your wrist is a good place to test water temperature. Your hand is not a good guide since it is not very sensitive enough to tell how hot or cold the water really is. Now you can begin wiping your baby gently with the moistened washcloth. Begin by wiping your baby’s eyes (from inside to outside), ears and under arms. Then you can move onto legs and genitalia. When washing the bottom, make sure you wipe from front to back to avoid bringing any feces near the genitals. If you have had your baby boy circumcised, then you will want to speak with your pediatrician about caring for the penis while it heals. The most important thing to remember when bathing your baby is to NEVER leave him or her along – not even for a second. Babies squirm around a lot, so you should always keep your eyes and one hand on your little one during bath time. The same rule applies when you are changing your baby’s diaper. Changing Diapers Don’t avoid this responsibility because it you have never changed a diaper before. Because babies pee and poop so often, you will spend a lot of time changing diapers. Take advantage of this precious time with junior. You may also have to develop silly and immature techniques to comfort your baby if he/she does not enjoy the diapering process. As ridiculous as you may feel, this is actually an important part of establishing a parent-tot bond. While it may be dirty work, diapering is not rocket science. For easy to follow instructions, make sure to read our article on How to Change a Diaper at www.thefunkystork.com. Caring for Yourself and Your Partner As flighty and silly as it might sound, self-care is important. Neither you nor your partner is doing your tot any good by neglecting yourselves. Try a shift-work system where you schedule an hour or two during the day where one parent will care for the baby alone. This way, the other parent can practice self-care – taking a long, warm bath, going for a run, doing yoga, reading or just going for coffee with a friend. You will find that self-care will also help maintain civility in your relationship with your partner. By making time to do something for yourself, you will find that you won’t feel as overwhelmed by your initiation to parenthood. And don’t forget that this rule also applies to your partner. In fact, she will likely need more time for self-care than you since she will also be recovering from both 40 weeks of pregnancy and hours of childbirth. Also be aware that your partner is particularly vulnerable to postpartum depression during the first weeks after birth. Postpartum depression, which is a more serious case of the baby blues, can begin as early as a few days after delivery. Experts don’t know the real cause of postpartum depression, but they suspect that it has something to do with changes hormonal levels. Stress, disturbed sleeping patterns and changes in daily routine can all contribute to postpartum depression. Signs and symptoms include restlessness, irritability, changes in appetite, sadness and anxiety. If your partner is experiencing any of these symptoms or if you sense that something isn’t right with the way your partner is behaving, you should consult your physician immediately. Untreated, postpartum depression can develop into postpartum psychosis, which is a serious mental illness that requires medical intervention. Both you and your partner should take her postnatal psychological state very seriously. On a lighter note, you and your partner make an extra effort to keep the romance in your relationship. While your baby will require a lot of your time and attention, he or she will also be taking a lot of naps. Nap-time may be the perfect (and only) time for your and your partner to romance each other. Snuggle, watch a movie, make dinner or enjoy a glass of wine together. Whatever you decide to do, take a minute to set the mood with candles and relaxing music. Another important factor to consider is how involved you want your parents or partner’s parents to be. Parental intervention can add some seriously unneeded stress to the situation and unnecessary strain on your relationship. That said, you shouldn’t reject offers to help. Being a new parent is not going to be easy and you will need all the help that you can get. Just remember to set limits and don’t be afraid to tell your relatives what you need (and don’t need). The last thing you want is to have one overbearing relatives overstepping their boundaries and overstaying their welcome. Now What? Things change after about 6 weeks of caring for your newborn. You and your partner will be different people, your relationship will be redefined and your tot will begin to act more like a baby than a squirmy alien. Life will get easier from here on out. Your tot will become a toddler and will begin roaming around the house. Make sure you are prepared for junior’s curiosity by baby-proofing your home early.