Unless you dress your baby in pink, frilly crap or blue, most people wouldn't be able to tell the gender until they start approaching toddlerhood and gaining physical characteristics that define them as boys or girls. Therefore, some people choose to pierce their baby girl's ears. When she's only a few months [if not weeks] old. With a piercing gun.
*RAGE*
Stupid egoistic uninformed idiots! If you take offence, then deal with it. I'm not going to moderate my tone nor my language about this topic.
Firstly, piercings should be a personal choice not something imposed by the parent[s] or anyone else just because it is cute.
Second of all, a piercing is an open wound and a baby that is merely a few weeks old will not know how to take care of it - and neither do most parents. This means that they will not be able to identify any potential problems, nor follow a correct aftercare. Which will lead to a shitload of problems that may arise either there and then, or even several years later.
Thirdly piercing guns are dangerous and unsanitary. Why? I'll break it down for you.
That is what a piercing gun looks like. The gun itself is not a single-use instrument, meaning it is used on several clients over and over again. The gun itself is not autoclaved - meaning it is never sterile.
"What's an autoclave?" you may ask. An autoclave is a machine used to sterilsie medical equipment by doctors and dentists, and it is also used within the body modification industry to sterilise needles and jewelry along with other tools of the trade such as clamps, for example. This means that everything is uber-clean - in the same way that a surgeon's tools are uber-clean before they are used to slice and dice you.
"So what?"
To quote APP [Association of Professional Piercers]:
"The lack of ability to sterilise the ear piercing guns is one of the issues of concern about such equipment. Blood can aerosolise (become airborne in essentially microscopic particles) and contaminate the gun. If any part of the stud touches any part of the contaminated gun, there is the possibility of transmitting a disease-causing micro organism.
The Hepatitis virus can live for extended periods on inanimate surfaces, therefore transmission of such disease through this type of equipment is possible."
Yep. Hepatitis. Guess which other virus can be contracted via cross contamination?
HIV.
This means that the dangers you face if you share a needle with another person are also encountered by simply opting to get your ears pierced by a piercing gun.
Oh- if you're not sure what cross contamination means, it essentially is when bacteria is carried from one object to another object; from one object to a person; or from person to person.
Fourth point is this - the studs used to pierce with are blunt - meaning brute force is used. It would be the equivalent of trying to cut through a block of wood with a butter knife. This means that there is quite a bit of tissue trauma caused to the pierced area - namely the earlobes. The studs also happen to be too short and do not accommodate for any swelling that may occur. The fact that they have grooves in the back where the butterfly pin 'locks' means it will cause even more trauma to them poor abused earlobes if you try to remove the stud itself. By not allowing any room for swelling, the jewelry can become embedded in the ear - or get infected. This also means that it makes it extremely difficult to clean the piercing properly. Stud earrings also do not allow for as thorough cleaning as do hoop earrings, and while some people remove the studs early and change to hoops, this only adds to the trauma of the tissues, and prolongs the healing process.
Malfunction is always a very real possibility, and happens way too often. This can occur in several ways - I have witnessed it myself a few times when someone I was with disregarded all the information I gave them and just went for the piercing gun purely because it was cheap.
You can clicky here, here and here if you'd like to read a few articles about the topic.
The bottom line is this - if your head is stuck so far up your arse that you refuse to understand that it is a bad idea to pierce a baby's ears, at least have the decency to safeguard their health as much as possible and go to a reputable piercer who knows what they're doing and who dispenses good aftercare advice.
I'm not able to recommend any good piercers on the island as I trust none of them - my piercer happens to be the lovely Ms Cale who works at True Blue Tattoo Studio in West Lakewood, Colorado. I'm willing to wait a year or two until I manage to fly out to meet up with her and some other friends into body modification to get pierced.
Cost should never be an issue, by the way. You get what you pay for.
Looking after a tiny human being that grows at a astonishingly rapid rate can be a daunting task. There is so much work behind it - stuff that we tend to take for granted and tasks that are second nature to us as grown humans, that sometimes looking at all the tiny details in the form of a list can make even the bravest of us go weak in the knees.
In a previous blog about cleaning, I have briefly mentioned that babies don't need daily baths unless they've had a nappy explosion, and that until their umbilical cord stump falls off, it is best to give them a sponge bath. Well - that isn't all there is to keeping your baby clean and healthy. Here is where we'll be going through the nitty gritty details.
Looking at the above picture, one starts to realise how much there is to look after separately in a human body. I will try to break it down piece by piece in as concise yet detailed manner as I possibly can. [*insert bad dismemberment joke here*]
The Head
This is probably the most complex area to take proper care of. We'll go through it step by step.
Hair
Baby may or may not be born with hair. Either way, Baby might have Cradle Cap. Cradle Cap is a fungal infection which isn't pretty, but isn't dangerous either. Really and truly, there is no real need to do anything about it, but if you'd like, there's a fairly straightforward process you can go through to treat it.
Gently massage Baby's scalp with your fingers or a soft brush to loosen the skin flakes.
Shampoo more frequently (up to once a day), but be sure to rinse out all the soap or shampoo. After shampooing, gently brush your baby's scalp with a soft brush or a terrycloth towel.
In cases of severe Cradle Cap, you can try rubbing in a small amount of a pure, natural oil – such as almond or olive oil – on Baby's scalp and allow it to sit for about 15 minutes. Gently comb out the flakes with a fine-tooth comb or brush them out with a soft brush. Finish off by washing Baby's scalp with a gentle Baby Shampoo. It is important to do so in order to get rid of any lingering traces of oil on Baby's head as they can clog the pores and cause the flakes to stick. You might wish to leave in the shampoo for a few minutes before rinsing, to help cut the oil.
Eyes Blepharitisis caused by the same issues that lead to Cradle Cap. Should this condition occur, Baby should be referred to a doc. If Baby develops a red bump on his eyelid, it is likely to be a Sty which can be treated simply by soaking a washcloth in warm water and putting it on the affected eye for a few minutes. If the Sty doesn't go away after a week or so, or it gets worse, refer to Doc. If the Sty is only affecting one eye, do not use the same washcloth on both eyes lest you spread the infection.
This is just to mention two different medical conditions that might affect Baby's eyes. As a generic rule of thumb, just make sure you wipe clean baby's eyes gently whenever bathing him/her to prevent from hygiene-related issues.
Ears
Keeping Baby's ears - as well as behind his/her ears - clean is important. Simply clean the outer part of your baby's ears with a washcloth moistened with warm water.
Never insert a cotton swab [a.k.a. q-tip a.k.a. cotton bud] or anything else into your baby's ear canal - you could easily puncture the eardrum that way. Earwax [cerumem] is the ear canal's natural bodyguard, if you will, and there's usually no reason to try to get it out of your baby's ears.
Whenever you take Baby to the doctor's for a check-up, Doc will check Baby's ears for signs of infection. If there is a buildup of earwax to the extent of not being able to see the eardrum, Doc will remove the wax. Otherwise, the wax will come out on its own eventually, and sticking a cotton swab in there is likely to push it in farther. If you notice a difference in Baby's reactions to sounds, it may very well be temporary hearing loss caused by Earwax build-up, in which case, refer to your paediatrician.
Nose
Strictly speaking, it isn't necessary to clear a stuffy nose - and Baby may not like it if you try. However, it can be done by use of a Rubber Bulb Syringe. Other than that, if Baby is snotty, wipe it gently away with a soft tissue paper.
Mouth, Teeth & Gums
Taking care of Baby's gums is extremely important even before the teething process commences as you might not notice it straight away, and therefore start the Oral Hygiene Regime later than recommended. This means Baby will be more likely to be exposed to cavities.
It's a good idea to get into the habit of wiping Baby's gums with gauze or a soft wet washcloth during bath time. Toothpaste is not yet required. All you would need to do is to wrap the cloth or gauze around your index finger and rub it gently over his/her gums.
Usually, around 6 months of age, Baby's first teeth start emerging. Purchase a baby toothbrush with a small head and grip suitable for your hand. Use a tiny
As soon as the bristles start to look worn or splayed, the toothbrush should be replaced. Flossing should only be introduced when tooth surfaces touch so that you can't clean them with a toothbrush.
Some important tips:
If your child is healthy and still hasn't sprouted his/her first tooth by his/her first birthday, don't worry – some children don't start getting teeth until 15 to 18 months.
If your baby's dummy falls, don't use your mouth to attempt to 'clean it' as you'll end up introducing bacteria in your child's mouth which can cause tooth decay to occur prematurely. Also, do not share cutlery with Baby for the same reasons.
Don't put Baby to bed with a bottle of milk/juice as this is well known to cause cavities. Also, if Baby is no longer feeding, remove the bottle from them.
Hands & Feet
Babies fingernails and toenails grow at amazing paces. This means, a regular manicure & pedicure is in order to avoid injury. Fingernails need to be trimmed several times a week - toenails slightly less regularly.
Baby's mani&pedi should be a task left either for when Baby is snoozing, or right after a bath, when Baby's nails are at their softest. Make sure you have enough light to see what you're doing - you don't want to cause accidental injury just because of inadequate lighting. Ensure you use a pair of Baby scissors or clippers made especially for the purpose. Press the finger pad away from the nail to avoid nicking the skin, and keep a firm hold on your baby's hand as you clippety-clip.
Fingernails should be cut along the curve of the finger, whereas toenails should be cut straight across. Use a nail file to smooth out any rough edges. If you're patient enough, and Baby's nails aren't too long, you can actually just file them down rather than clipping them. If you decide to give Baby a manicure while s/he's awake, get someone to help. Babies are wriggly creatures, so some assistance may be required to limit the squirming and wriggling either by holding him/her down, or by providing some sort of distraction whilst holding his/her hands and feet still for the clipping and filing.
Some parents bite their baby's nails into shape, but if you do, you run the risk of introducing germs from your mouth into any little cut your baby may have on his finger. You also won't be able to see what you're doing, and you'll find that your baby's finger is minute compared to your teeth! Still, some parents rely on this method.
Keep your mouth away from your child's fingernails/toenails as if they have some small cut you don't notice, you'll end up introducing bacteria in their system. Also, Baby's digits are tiny. You really don't want to bite his/her fingers/toes!
Umbilical cord
It takes about 10 to 21 days for the umbilical stump to dry up and drop off,which will then leave a small wound that may take a few days to heal. It must be kept clean and dry. Fold Baby's nappy below the stump if it doesn't have a cut-out space for the cord so that it is exposed to the air and not to urine. If when the stump falls off, you notice a little blood on the nappy, don't panic - it's normal. Avoid giving your baby tub baths until the stump falls off.
What are the signs of infection?
Consult your doctor if:
Your child develops a fever or appears unwell.
The navel and the surrounding area become swollen or red.
Genitals
This is probably the trickiest of them all.
Genital hygiene should be treated very carefully since the very birth. Otherwise, strangury, different inflammations or problems in youth age can occur. In fact, there`s nothing difficult here, you just need to learn several simple rules.
Check Baby’s nappy often and see if it is pooped. If so, you should clean the genital area thoroughly with wet cloth and diluted soap.
Always wipe from front to back for baby girls and wipe under the genitals for boys. Also, take care to clean the buttocks and fat creases under the thighs of your child. Apply baby lotion in case of skin rashes. Maintaining regular hygiene is the key to care for your baby’s genital area.
If your Baby girl has had a very dirty nappy and poo has got within her vaginal lips (labia), gently separate your baby girl's vaginal lips with clean fingers, and with the moist cotton wool, wipe the area from top to bottom, or front to back, down the middle. Then, with two more fresh pieces of cotton wool, clean each side within her labia. Wiping from front to back will help to prevent bacteria transferring from your baby's bottom to her vagina or urethra, and causing an infection. When giving your baby a bath, again just use a flannel or sponge to swish water around the area, and wipe from front to back.
Baby boys can suffer from circumcised or uncircumcised genital problems that need your special attention. In case of circumcised genitals, keep the area clean. Bathe the area every day with warm water and use a gentle baby cleanser to clean it. After the bath you could put some petroleum jelly on his penis to protect it from rubbing against his nappy.
In case of uncircumcised genitals, wash the area with warm water and baby wash. Do not use any cotton swabs, cotton balls, astringents, or other harsh detergents on your baby. Keep the tip of the penis clean. Avoid pulling the foreskin back while cleaning. Gently hold the foreskin against the tip of the penis and wash it. While your son is a baby, his penis will "self-clean" to some extent. Don't try to pull back his foreskin to clean as you won’t be able slide it back.
Your baby’s foreskin will be attached to the head of his penis. The foreskin will separate from his penis by the time he’s two. You don’t need to help it along and you’ll probably do more harm than good if you try. Forcing back the foreskin may cause it to tear, which can hurt your baby and leave scarring. It may also cause problems for your little boy later on.
It is never good to keep your babies on soiled nappies for longer periods. If your baby pees or poops at night, do take care to attend to it immediately. Properly clean and dry the area before putting on a new nappy. If you prefer, you can avoid making your baby wear nappies at night, however this will make fora very messy morning present.
That pretty much brings us at an end of the dismembered bathing experience. If you can, have someone experienced with you just to supervise when bathing Baby for the first few times. You'll get the hang of it eventually - at least, I hope I will.
