Why would modern parents need to swaddle a baby?
Immediately after giving birth, babies are swaddled in the delivery room and advised to do the same throughout their stay in the hospital. The child is swaddled tightly, while the arms are located along the body and the legs are straightened. This position of the newborn is not physiological. After birth, the baby has severe hypertonicity in handles and hacksaws. This is manifested by the fact that the child's legs and arms are bent and brought to the body. Why then do you need tight swaddling?
The essence and indications for swaddling in general
In the days of our grandparents, it was customary to “dress” a child this way. This was due to the lack of disposable diapers. Therefore, swaddling a baby was easier than changing an entire set of clothes several times a day. Tight swaddling of the legs was used to prevent the development of deformity of the legs. But this assumption is completely false.
In children, deformities are more likely to occur as a result of vitamin D deficiency. Some experts argue that swaddling reminds a child of his stay in the womb. But this assumption remains controversial. The indications for swaddling need to highlight the following: if the baby cannot sleep peacefully, interfering with himself with his arms and legs, then this method can be used.
Undoubtedly, a child in the first months of life makes erratic and chaotic movements. To calm your baby, you can try to swaddle him, but not tight. It is important to ensure that the movement of the limbs is limited by the diaper, but not constrained.
The essence of wide swaddling
This technique consists in fixing the legs of the child, divorced in the hip joints and retracted to the sides. The femoral head in this position is in the acetabulum. In this situation, the joint is strengthened by ligaments, muscles ("ripens"). And then the risk of developing a dislocation of the hip joint will decrease.
Indications for wide swaddling in babies
As mentioned above, wide swaddling is indicated for children with hip dysplasia. This disease implies defective formation of the hip joint, which can lead to dislocation of the joint.
Wide swaddling of the newborn is used as a preventive and therapeutic measure for hip dysplasia.
Also, wide swaddling can be used as a prophylaxis and treatment of diaper rash of the skin of the perineum, around the anus and external genitalia.
What products do you need to purchase to perform wide swaddling?
For wide swaddling, diapers or special devices may be needed. For more convenient use of swaddling with diapers, you can purchase a special fastener that will hold the diapers in one position.
If mom has a desire to sew a special case with her own hands, then rivets, ties, Velcro may be needed. The surface on which this procedure will be performed must be hard. Therefore, it should be done on the changing table.
How many and which diapers should I buy?
The composition of the diaper for wide swaddling can be any. For this process, this question is not relevant. But it will be more convenient for parents to use knitted diapers that stretch well and are easy to give them the desired shape.
There are several swaddling techniques. And only the mother should decide which one is more convenient for her to use, unless of course this contradicts the recommendations of a specialist. There is a wide swaddling method using three diapers. Therefore, the minimum should be three.
One diaper should be rectangular, 80 * 120 cm in size. The rest should be 80 * 90 cm.
Special case
The task of the special cover is to provide maximum dilution of the legs in the hip joints. Such a cover is worn on pants, panties, diaper. It is a diaper, located between the legs, which is fixed at the top and sides.
The wide swaddle cover can be sewn by yourself. First you need to draw a pattern, it is needed so that the baby does not rub the fabric between the legs. Having measured the child (the circumference of the tummy and the length of the body from the groin to the shoulder girdle), you need to transfer the data to the pattern. After drawing it, attach it to cotton fabric and cut it out.
In order for the cover to be tight, several layers are necessary (3 - 4). The layers of fabric are sewn together and the edges are finished. The ends at the top and sides must be secured. But how, it's up to mom to decide. These can be ties, Velcro, buttons or buttons.
A wide swaddle bag cannot be universal! It is created taking into account the proportions and build of the child.
The main technical points of wide swaddling
The main points to remember when swaddling a baby are, first of all, the posture. The baby should lie on the back. The surface on which the child is located is solid, without unnecessary items. Diapers used for changing diapers, as well as other products, must be clean and ironed on both sides.
Wrapping with diapers
As mentioned earlier, there are a lot of swaddling techniques. Each mother must decide for herself which method is most convenient and suitable for her. Of course, first you need to discuss this point with a specialist, in this case with an orthopedic doctor. Wide swaddling techniques are as follows.
With one diaper
The wide swaddling technique with one diaper is suitable for quieter babies, or you can use it before bed. To do this, you need to take a diaper, roughly resembling a square. Fold into a triangle. Place the diaper at the most obtuse angle down.
Put the baby on a diaper. Pull the lower part between the legs, and fasten the sharp ends of the diaper on the side. It is important to remember that the legs must be divorced and fixed in this position. From such panties, a child can easily get free. Therefore, you should put on pants or sliders upstairs. You can also fix the diaper with special fasteners.
With two
This method is used with 2 diapers of different sizes. One should be 80 * 120, the other smaller. The large diaper should be laid out in a rectangular shape on the changing table. Fold the small diaper several times.
We put the baby on the table, placing a folded diaper between the legs so that it completely covers the intergluteal fold, perineum and external genitals. We fix it with a large diaper, wrapping the legs and fixing the ends on the baby's belly. This method can be used for the prevention and treatment of diaper rash.
With three
The three-diaper technique is most commonly used. To perform this method, you will need one 80 * 120 diaper and 2 square diapers. Straighten the rectangular one and place it on the changing table. We fold the other in the form of a triangle and lay it out on the table so that the triangle appears inverted. We fold the third diaper several times until a dense rectangle is obtained.
We put the baby on the table. Stretch a rectangular diaper between the legs and fix it with the ends of a triangular diaper. The bottom end should wrap around the top edge of the rectangular diaper. The lateral ends are fixed on the baby's tummy. A large diaper is needed to fix two diapers in one position. The side edges are wrapped around the baby's belly. The bottom edge hangs freely. Then it is folded over and fixed over the baby's navel.
Using a disposable diaper
If the baby does not have irritation and diaper rash in the external genital area and anus, then disposable diapers can be used. In this case, the diaper will replace one of the three diapers (folded into a rectangle) during the wide swaddling process.
To facilitate swaddling, there are now special swaddling panties available from a podiatry store. They are very convenient to use as they resemble disposable diapers. Their application is not a bit different.
The only difference is the denser lining of the panties, for a stronger separation of the legs and their fixation. Also, panties can be used from 3 months of age.
Freyk's pillow
This device can be used from the first month of life. The Frejk pillow consists of a strong bandage that should be placed between the legs and the ties. The pillow is fixed on the baby's belt and shoulders. This device may have a high back, in which case the bandage has a continuation from the back.
Frejk's pillow should be tailor-made for a particular child.
How to use the case?
The cover is located between the legs and is fixed on the sides and on the child's shoulders. It can be worn over ready-made orthopedic structures, on nappies, diapers. Its main purpose is to improve fixation.
Can I sew a wide swaddling cloth myself?
A lot of questions arise from mothers related to how you yourself can make drugs for the prevention of dysplasia? You can sew the nappies yourself. But it is important to pay attention to the composition of the fabric. It should be natural and breathable.
The diapers should be of a certain size, one should be larger and rectangular (80 * 120 cm), others more square (80 * 90 cm).
Duration of wide swaddling
The duration of wide swaddling is determined by a specialist for a specific disease and patient. The course of wide swaddling is usually 1 - 3 months. During the day, special devices can be assigned to be worn from 12 to 24 hours a day.
The peculiarity of caring for babies who need a wide swaddle
Due to the fact that some babies are advised to wear special devices 24 hours a day, special attention should be paid to caring for the child. Several layers of diapers, pillows, diapers are rather poorly breathable, so these children often have irritation and diaper rash. If the diaper or diaper is dirty, wash the baby immediately and change the diaper.
It is important to watch for areas where friction from structures is possible. If diaper rash is found, you need to add baby powder, zinc paste or Bepanten cream to the care products, depending on the condition of the skin.
Conclusion
Wide swaddling for hip dysplasia is of great importance, since this method is used as a preventive and therapeutic measure. But you need to understand that this method is not universal.
Only after consulting a specialist, it can be applied to a child. And sometimes a doctor's examination is not enough. After a full diagnosis, a final diagnosis can be made. And then the doctor can prescribe wide swaddling in combination with other procedures.
