Mommies Magazine

How To Breastfeed Your Baby For One Year

Posted on 31. Aug, 2008 by Carrie.

Research about the benefits of breastfeeding – both for mom and baby as well as the world – continue mounting. As a result, more moms than ever are choosing to breastfeed their new babies once they leave the hospital. The numbers of women still nursing at 6 months and one year, however, takes a sharp decline.

photo credit: Tim & Selena Middleton
The World Health Organization and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends at least one year of nursing. Here are a few of the most important things a mom can do if she wants to breastfeed to that one year mark – and beyond.

1. Find support early on – this means during pregnancy if possible. Attend a breastfeeding support group meeting like La Leche League, or meet with a lactation consultant. Don’t wait too long to get the help you need if you start experiencing problems. Remember that pain means something is going wrong, and that most problems can be remedied with small adjustments in latch on and positioning.

2. Remember early and often – try to nurse the baby in the first two hours after birth if at all possible. Babies are in a “quiet, alert” state during this time and then fall often will asleep for several hours. If that first relaxed nursing session can happen early on, mom and baby will have an easier time later.

3. Be strict about positioning – don’t be afraid to unlatch baby and latch him back on if you’re uncomfortable. Get cozy and use lots of pillows if you need to so that baby is lifted up so you don’t have to lean over and don’t have to hunch your shoulders. Remember to keep baby facing you, tummy to tummy.

4. Listen to the baby – don’t limit the baby’s time at the breast in the early days. Frequent nursing in the early weeks does a lot to ensure a healthy milk supply.

5. Avoid “triple nipple syndrome” – don’t introduce a pacifier or bottle early on. While some babies can switch back and forth easily, some can’t and will refuse the breast.

6. Learn how to nurse in public – A baby sling carrier and a nursing bra can make this easier. Practice latching baby on in front of a mirror so you can be comfortable getting baby arranged discreetly.

7. Remember Dad – get Dad on your side and get him involved in baby’s care. Sometimes Dads or other people who will be caring for the baby can be a little jealous that you’re the only one who feeds him. Make sure he knows how important he is to you and the baby, and help him appreciate the many things he can do to comfort and care for your little one.

8. Relax and enjoy your baby – enjoy nursing sessions with your baby and take the time to really savor your baby. These moments pass so fast, even though feeding him sometimes seems to take forever! The secret to breastfeeding is to trust yourself and your baby and commit to the experience.

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Organic Baby Book Review

Posted on 11. Aug, 2008 by Carrie.

Organic Baby is an essential guide for pregnant and new Moms who want to ensure their baby’s optimal physical health and well being.

The author, Kimberly Rider, is an interior designer who also penned The Healthy Home Workbook. She offers dozens of non-toxic and environmentally friendly solutions for families in her books, that also won’t break the family budget. [...]

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Natural Remedies for Depression

Posted on 09. Aug, 2008 by Carrie.

Depression is rampant these days among moms, and we’re becoming disabled with depression at increasing rates and – according to researchers – at younger ages than in previous decades. Antidepressant medication is available but comes with its share of side effects that are sometimes extremely difficult to endure. Thankfully there are safer, and effective natural remedies for depression that you can investigate on your own or with the help of a trusted health care practitioner.

Exercise

Exercise has been proven in several studies to be just as effective for mild to moderate depression as antidepressant medication or therapy. Engaging in exercise stimulates the release of endorphins, the body’s happy hormones. Exercise also stimulates the brain. This research is very exciting and is ongoing. We’re really not 100% sure why exercise is so wonderful for our well being, but it is. Our bodies are meant to move, and we feel better when we do.

Omega 3 Fatty Acids

Omega 3 fatty acids have shown to be effective as a natural remedy for depression. This is encouraging for pregnant and breastfeeding mothers, who are concerned about the risks of antidepressant medications. While most antidepressants are safe for nursing moms, if a safer alternative can be used, it is preferable. Omega 3 fatty acids inhibit inflammation, which can play a role in depression. While you can obtain Omega 3s from foods such as salmon, grass fed beef and flax seeds, and supplementation is easy and inexpensive too.

Nutrition

Food plays a powerful role in our mood. Some foods help us keep a steady blood sugar level and contribute to a more balanced emotional state. If you think this may be contributing to your low mood, try eating a high protein diet with frequent small meals – such as every 3 hours. Focus on whole foods and avoid excessive caffeine and other stimulants. An excellent book that talks about this effect is The Good Mood Diet. One of the things the authors recommend is eating fish frequently, which comes as no suprise since fish contains Omega 3’s.

Some people have used aromatherapy and other herbal remedies to help them overcome depression. It’s definitely worth exhausting all the options so you can feel better.

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Finding Time In Your Busy Day To Relax

Posted on 09. Aug, 2008 by Carrie.

Moms need to take a few minutes each day to chill out and be alone with their thoughts. A little solitude is essential for our mental health and emotional well being. And as busy household managers, we need time to strategize and plan in order to be effective.

But with a jam packed schedule, who has time?

Some of the following tips will help you carve out a few extra minutes.

* Avoid distractions throughout your day. As much fun as social networking is, try only logging in to Twitter or other sites like it (IM, your email, etc) for a set time each day, or for a particular purpose if you use it for business. Set a timer and stick with the limits you place on yourself.
photo credit: Wiros and have more fun.

* Don’t use the snooze button. I know, I know – how can I say this? The truth is, using the snooze button actually has a deleterious affect on your sleep habits. Getting up a few minutes earlier than your kids do to have a cup of tea, read your Bible or something inspiring, pray, meditate, exercise – whatever – will start your day on the right foot.

* Schedule it as part of your day! How about putting YOU on your schedule? Put 15 minutes in the morning or after the kids go to bed, during naptime or whatever.

If your kids don’t nap anymore, make that time of the afternoon “quiet time”. Moms who have implemented quiet time love it. Make it part of the to-do list so it doesn’t get skipped.

* Go to bed early, a good nights sleep makes everything easier. Don’t stay up too late at night to do last minute things, it just isn’t worth it.

* Don’t take on more work than you can handle, a lot of moms are guilty of doing this thinking they can squeeze it in. You’re just one little person!

* Keep a time log, or a journal to archive your daily tasks and then you can go back and find spots in your daily routine to save time, incorporate relaxing, and improve the routine in general. Effective CEOs do this, why not SHE-EOs?

* Connect with nature. Spending just 20 minutes a day outside can do wonders for your emotional health and even physical health! Get out in the sun, get your Vitamin D and let the sun’s rays regulate your sleep/wake cycle and put you in a good mood. Nature is a healer, avail yourself of this free medicine.

Hopefully these tips will help you carve out 15 – 30 minutes a day just for you. You’re worth it! It will help you avoid mommy burnout

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How To Plan An Eco Friendly Baby Shower

Posted on 08. Aug, 2008 by Carrie.

Are you planning a baby shower for your eco-friendly green Mama to be? Here are some tips to guide you in giving her a fun and memorable day that will leave her with happy memories and have minimal impact on mother Earth. [...]

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Breastfeed and Reduce Breast Cancer Risk – for You and Your Baby

Posted on 21. Jul, 2008 by Carrie.

Are you concerned about breast cancer? If you’re breastfeeding, then you can be assured that you’re cutting your risk for developing one of the most common forms of cancer among women. And you’re protecting your baby as well.

The World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research (WCRF/AICR) found convincing evidence that breastfeeding protects mothers from developing breast cancer, both before and after menopause. Breastfeeding also protects the breastfed child from developing cancers that are linked with being overweight and obesity. These include post-menopausal breast cancer and cancers of the esophagus, pancreas, colorectum, and kidney.

One reason breastfeeding reduces the mother’s risk for developing breast cancer because it causes her to stop menstruating for many months. Some women do not resume menstruating until after they stop breastfeeding altogether. This period of amenorrhea, or absence of menstruation, is a signal that the woman’s hormones have shifted to a state that reduces her chances of developing breast cancer. And the longer a woman breastfeeds, the greater her protection against breast cancer.

Apparently, the natural hormonal changes that women experience during menstruation increase breast cancer risk. This explains why women who have never been pregnant (another period of amenorrhea) have increased risk for breast cancer.

Another way that breastfeeding may protect mothers from breast cancer is by getting rid of breast cells during lactation. These include cells that could develop or already have damaged DNA.

Don’t worry, the damaged cells aren’t harming your baby through your breastmilk. In fact, breastfed babies have reduced risk for developing breast cancer and other forms of cancer. And again, the longer the baby is breastfed, the greater the protection.

Breastfeeding is only one of the ways that you can protect your baby and yourself against cancer. WCRF/AICR gives the following 10 recommendations to avoid cancer:

1. Be as lean as possible within the normal range of body weight.
2. Be physically active as part of everyday life.
3. Limit consumption of energy-dense foods. Avoid sugary drinks.
4. Eat mostly foods of plant origin.
5. Limit intake of red meat and avoid processed meat.
6. Limit alcoholic drinks.
7. Limit consumption of salt. Avoid moldy cereals (grains) or pulses (legumes).
8. Aim to meet nutritional needs through diet alone.
9. Mothers to breastfeed; children to be breastfed.
10. Cancer survivors: Follow the recommendations for cancer.

Remember: The World Health Organization and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) recommend exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months. Afterwards, breastfeeding should continue, along with complementary foods, for two years or longer.

Carrie Lauth is a single mom of 4 kids – all of whom were breastfed (but not at the same time!). She enjoys sharing more about the benefits of breastfeeding – for mom, baby and the rest of the world. Learn more about breastfeeding – its advantages and answers to common questions, and even find pretty nursing bras.

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