I recently asked my followers if they thought I carried a baby thermometer, a drink thermometer, and a bath water thermometer with me for every single consultation.
I thought I would let you know which thermometers I carry and why.
1) BATH THERMOMETER.
I always carry a baby bath thermometer with me because one of the most common questions I get asked in those first few weeks is, will I help mums and dads with the first bath at home?
It's a really nervous time for a lot of new parents, Babies are little and they are fragile, and they're slippery when you add a little soap into the equation!
So I totally understand why mums and dads want me around to help them and support them through those first few baths. So I always carry a baby thermometer with me so that I can demonstrate the technological way of checking that the water is at the right temperature. I also like to demonstrate some of the old fashioned ways that we use too, so with elbows and with wrists, where we can really kind of double, and triple, check our own instincts when it comes to the bath water temperature.
2) DRINK THERMOMETER
It might surprise you that another thermometer that I carry is a drink thermometer.
No, this isn't because I like my coffee at a particular temperature. This is actually because I often support parents with is formula feeding. I support all forms of feeding with parents. I support breastfeeding, I support bottle feeding, I support breastmilk and I support formula milk. My job is to educate you and ensure you're making informed choices; and as long as it's an informed choice, I will always support you in your choice of feeding.
The reason I carry a drink thermometer is to demonstrate to new parents, in a very practical way, the temperature of the water and the temperature of the milk when you're feeding your baby, how it cools, how hot it can be at the start, how quickly it can cool or how slowly it can cool down.
It's very, very hard to just guess the temperature of liquids, and it's not something we want to guess, so I really like to have a thermometer with me just for those first couple of times when new parents are making their formula; so that they can feel confident in the future.
New parents don't need to use drink thermometers all the time, but this is just a way to demonstrate what the temperature of the water is like when it comes out of the kettle, and then how long it takes for that water to cool down to the right temperature to feed.
3) BABY THERMOMETER for NEWBORNS
Interestingly to some, the one gadget that I don't carry with me is actually a BABY THERMOMETER.
I talk a lot about baby thermometers with new parents; and on our prenatal conversations it's definitely part of the shopping list that I talk to them about, with different recommendations of what type to buy and where to buy it from and how to use them.
But I don't personally carry one because, as a POSTPARTUM DOULA, my job is to support you in the NON - MEDICAL elements of becoming a parent. You have a whole host of healthcare professionals out there that support you for your medical needs; and we rely on them to take official readings of things like temperatures.
I do support parents with knowing when in their GUT INSTINCT is the time to take their baby's temperature, and I support them, and show them different ways that they can do that; plus ways to ensure that their equipment stays working well and that they are using it in an appropriate manner. But I personally don't carry one. Instead, I show you how to use YOURS.
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