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  • Baby, Motherhood, New Born, New Mom, Sponsored, Toddler

    Early Hearing Detection Screening in Babies

    This post is sponsored by the CDC’s National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD).

    Last Mother’s Day, I announced my pregnancy and here we are a year later with an almost six-month-old baby girl. Six months is a huge deal; it means we’ve made it past half of her first year and through some significant milestones. One of the milestones that I take very seriously is hearing. We don’t talk about hearing loss enough because it is one of the most common birth defects with up to 12,000 newborn babies are born deaf or hard of hearing every year. Yes, this number is alarming but what’s important it to find out as early as possible. My mantras information is power, so I wanted to share a few things that all of us moms should know about hearing loss.

    Early Hearing Detection Screening leads to normal speech

    All three of my kids got their hearing screenings as newborns at the hospital before we were discharged. I was relieved when the nurse wheeled the baby in with the good news that she passed  her hearing screening back in November when she was born. If you’re worried about the hearing screening, know that it’s short, easy and not painful. Your baby would probably sleep through the screening. Early hearing detection screening in babies should be done at one, three and six months of age according to the CDC’s National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities. Hearing Professionals use 1-3-6 benchmarks as seen in the infographic below.

    [Tweet “Don’t be scared, if a baby is born deaf or hard of hearing; early detection can lead to speech being at normal developmental milestones despite hearing loss.”]

    Early Hearing Detection Screening in Babies

    So my daughter passed her hearing screening at the hospital but if she didn’t that would mean that she would need a full hearing test as soon as possible, but no later than three months of age. If your child needs one, do it right away, this isn’t something you want to procrastinate about, the timing matters. If the need arises for early intervention, don’t be shy to talk to your healthcare provider about your concerns to get started right away. Our job as parents is to advocate for our babies so learning what the best options are for early detection is important. Keep in mind that if left undetected, a hearing loss would have an impact on other milestones such as speech and language development, as well as his or her thinking, learning, and social skills.

    [Tweet ” If a baby does not pass a hearing screening, it’s very important to get a full hearing test as soon as possible, but no later than 3 months of age.”]

    Signs and Symptoms

    When I took my son in for his four year wellness check, I requested that our pediatrician give him a hearing screening because he would complaining about loud noises. I wasn’t sure if it was just a low tolerance for noise or a hearing problem even though he passed the hearing screening before but I preferred to be safe than sorry. It turned out that his hearing was fine but I’m glad that I got him checked. I always tell my mom friends, if you think something is off don’t shy away from asking, right away. Every child is different but here are a few signs in babies and children of hearing loss according to the CDC:

    Signs in Babies
    • Does not startle at loud noises.
    • Does not turn to the source of a sound after 6 months of age.
    • Does not say single words, such as “dada” or “mama” by one year of age.
    • Turns head when he or she sees you but not if you only call out his or her name. This sometimes is mistaken for not paying attention or just ignoring, but could be the result of a partial or complete hearing loss.
    • Seems to hear some sounds but not others.

    Signs in Children
    • Speech is delayed.
    • Speech is not clear.
    • Does not follow directions. This sometimes is mistaken for not paying attention or just ignoring, but could be the result of a partial or complete hearing loss.
    • Often says, “Huh?”
    • Turns the TV volume up too high.

    As I mentioned last month, I use the CDC Milestone Tracker app to monitor my baby’s milestones. Hearing loss can affect other milestones so if you see your child not reaching all of her milestones, request a hearing screening. I hope that this post is helpful but if you need more information, head over to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities website to learn more. If your child has hearing loss, read A Parent’s Guide to Hearing Loss for detailed information to help you make decisions.

    Early Hearing Detection Screening

  • Baby, Lifestyle, Motherhood, New Born, New Mom, Sponsored

    Ways to Support a Friend with a Newborn

         This post is part of a paid partnership with BJ’s Wholesale Club. All opinions are based on my experience as a member.

     

    My first friend who had a baby did so while I was still in college. I was excited; I couldn’t wait to see her baby’s little face and to be an honorary auntie. When I found out she had given birth via MySpace I decided to go to the hospital to visit them. I remember calling to ask her if I should bring anything and her voice sounded a bit weird. I went anyway and while I will forever hold onto the memories of seeing and holding her baby for the first time (possibly the first baby I held correctly), I cringe whenever I think about how awkward the visit felt. She needed rest and bonding time, and there I was interrupting an intimate moment. I didn’t stay for a long time, but I got my first lesson on how to support a friend with a newborn.  Over the past few years, I learned more lessons as more of my friends became moms as well as myself (three times). I wanted to share a few thoughtful ways to support a friend with a newborn:

    Give her space to adjust.

    I assumed it was okay to visit my friend without giving her space or having a conversation to determine what would have made her most comfortable on that day. I could have done more to support her so that’s what I do for my friends now, I ask them how they would like me to support them.

    Bring diapers and wipes for growing baby.

    When my friends reach out and ask me what gift they should bring for the baby, I always request diapers and wipes as gifts because we can never have too much.

    Okay, it is possible to get too much before I had the baby I got more newborn and size one diapers than we needed. So bring your friends diapers size 2 and above, the baby will grow into them, and she will be happy to have them on hand. I like the Berkley Jensen Ultra Absorbent Diapers from BJ’s Wholesale Club because they’re hypoallergenic, perfume and latex free. The Berkley Jensen Ultra Sensitive Baby Wipes are my favorite baby wipes as I mentioned before. I feel comfortable using them on my baby’s skin because they’re very gentle on her skin and have no alcohol and parabens. Plus, all Berkley Jensen products are backed by BJ’s 100% Money-Back Guarantee so you know you’re getting – and giving – the best quality products.

    Give a gift that makes motherhood easier.

    I have three little ones, so I understand the importance of convenience. A BJ’s Wholesale Club membership is a thoughtful gift because it will make life easier. Sometimes convenience means sacrificing quality but not at BJ’s; I buy the organic and natural products that I feel most comfortable with for my little one like Happy Baby. If you’ve been following for a while, you know Happy Family is one of the baby food brands that I trust, and I’ve even had the chance to make pouches with fellow mom and Happy Family CEO Shazi Visram.  I’m excited to start this baby on their Happy Baby Superfood Puffs when she starts crawling because her brother loved it. Besides organic baby food, BJ’s carries Aveeno Baby Calm Wash with lavender that I like to use for nighttime baths.

    It’s the gift that would keep on giving, especially since members savings average about $500 a year. To make the gifting even better you can sign up for a membership and start referring friends by visiting BJs.com/bestie. For every one of your friends that signs up, you both will receive a $25 gift card.

    Give her a gift that’s independent of motherhood.

    I love when my friends remind me how amazing I was before I had anyone to call me mom. I’ve shared before that I love drawing and a friend got me a cute gift with pencils and a pretty drawing pad once that reminded me of Adanna and made me feel really good. So think about the people in your life and the things they loved before they became a mom as a guide for gifting.

     Ways to support a friend with a baby

    Do you have a newborn? How do you want your friends to support you?

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Beauty, Lifestyle, Motherhood, New Mom, Sponsored

    Night Routine for Working Moms | How I De-Stress before Bed

    This post is sponsored by Ivory. As usual, all opinions are my own.

    A few weeks ago, on a Wednesday night, I threw myself on my couch around 11 pm and laid there stiff and unable to move until 2 am. I was exhausted. Not only had I worked, cared for kids, cooked dinner, nursed the baby and supervised homework that evening but after the kids fell asleep, I cleaned for two more hours. I was so tired; I could barely think of anything beyond the fact that I needed to make a change.  That’s life with three young children; I feel like I run a marathon every day even the days that I never set a foot outside of the house. My husband is very hands-on, he jokes that his side hustle is fatherhood, but even with the two of us around, three kids is challenging. I’m by no means complaining, but I noticed that I started a bad habit of not de-stressing before bed so I felt wired up constantly. I knew a change was necessary for my self-care so I decided to switch up my night routine. Now that I am intentionally making time to de-stress, I feel much better during the day too. I know through conversations with other moms that de-stressing can be hard so I wanted to share my night time routine and how I de-stress before bed to give you some inspiration.

    Allot yourself time for chores and don’t go beyond it,

    Trying to deep clean nightly was taking a toll on me, and I started to feel physically and mentally exhausted. These days,  I give myself 30 minutes to clean up, so I don’t get carried away. I focus on the most immediate cleaning needs, and I’m done for the night.

    Take a calming shower.

     

    My nightly shower is sacred because I only have a few minutes for a quick shower in the morning. At night, I start to de-stress in the shower.  I’m selfish during my night shower, and I stay in the bathroom for as long as I want. It’s my little escape from adulting. As many of you know by now, Ivory Soap is one of my family’s holy grail products. I love how pure and gentle it is. After my shower, my skin feels clean but not stripped of its natural oils. While Ivory Soap packaging is now updated to reflect a new era, my confidence in Ivory Soap hasn’t changed since it’s still made with only pure ingredients and is free of dyes and heavy perfumes. I can’t imagine using anything else to de-stress, using a product that’s not as pure as Ivory Soap would probably cause me to stress about toxins.

     

    Do something that YOU really enjoy.

    After my shower, I like do something fun. These days, I either write in my guided journal, read a book, watch stand up comedy or watch YouTube haul videos. None of these take more than 20 minutes and usually gets me very calm and sometimes I even fall asleep especially if I read.

    Avoid using your phone or tablet.

    It’s easy to get carried away on social media at night. Trust me, I understand that struggle; you don’t want to lose sleep because you got caught up scrolling down the timelines of people you don’t even know. Plus, social media tends to overstimulate us.

    Have a cup of bedtime tea.

    Some nights I also have a cup of tea, I’ve shared this before, but I had stopped doing it for some time. I usually purchase different bedtime teas that help me to feel very relaxed.

    As moms, it’s important for us to be well-rested so we can take good care of our family. This bedtime routine has done wonders for my wellness, and I feel less uptight and stressed than I did before I started it.

    How do you de-stress before bed?

     

     

    Night routine for working moms