Leche, Baby!

Traveling with a toddler: gear

nkd5 — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 15:19:52 +0000

We have done quite a bit of traveling with our son. When he was 10 months we took him to Vancouver, British Columbia, which is about a 6 hour flight for us. On top of all the stuff that you need to bring for toddlers (extra clothes for unpredictable weather, toys, diaper bag, cameras, etc…) I really didn’t want to bring a stroller and a car seat as well. At some point, all the “stuff” starts to take away from the pleaure of the trip. I much prefer to travel ‘light’.

I wound up buying the Sit’n'Stroll by Lilly Gold, it is one of the only products on the market that attempts to combine a car seat and stroller. It isn’t a great car seat and it isn’t a great stroller, but it’s light, fairly easy to use and did its intended job.

But when my son was old enough to face forward (1 year or over 20 pounds) he did not fit in the seat anymore even though it is supposed to be for up to 40 pounds. My car is a 2001, the year before they started making the latch system. If I had the latch system I think it would of worked. I wound up returning it for store credit.

Our next big family trip was to Mongolia. This time we brought his regular car seat, due to the incredibly poor state of the roads in the countryside and the amount of car time we would have, and a Go Go Kidz TravelMate. The product converts your car seat into a fairly effective stroller. This worked out very well, and I would recommend it.

Check back for a list of travel tips for families. Particularly if you are interested in traveling in developing nations!

Toxic Toys… More to be concerned about

nkd5 — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 15:11:44 +0000

PBS NOW did a piece on chemicals in infant, toddler and children’s toys. Of particular concern is toys for infants that will wind up in their mouths. In past posts I wrote a few blogs about chemicals (bisphenol A) in sippy cups, the negative health implications, and some safer alternatives that are available to buy (read about Toxic Sippy Cup Here). NOW makes it clear that this is a much bigger problem and that toys that your kids chew on and play with are often full of these same questionable chemicals. Even though these chemicals are banned in the European Union (and soon to be California) in toys meant for children, ‘there is powerful resistance from the chemical and toy industries to doing the same here.’

Phthalates help make plastic toys like some rubber ducks and teething rings soft and pliable. But scientific evidence suggests that exposure to phthalates (which are also used in dozens of other consumer items like, makeup, shampoos and shower curtains) may interfere with the sexual development of boys.

Watch the full video “Toxic Toys?” here. Just click on the picture of ducks.

Here is a useful factsheet on bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalates (THAL ates) from University of California’s Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit.

The NOW web site also has a resource page to help you find non-toxic toys.

Leche, Baby! also has a post chock-full of toy recommendations.

Possible vitamin D deficiency in breast-fed babies

nkd5 — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 16:00:25 +0000

I had no idea that there was a correlation between breast-fed babies and vitamin D deficiency, which can lead to a softening of bones, or rickets. If I had known that I would have been more vigilant about multi-vitamins for both myself and my son. My son was breast-fed for 2 years, although he started eating other foods around 6 month, which may have caused him to be inadvertently deficient in Vitamin D.

Physicians have known for more than a century that exclusive breast-feeding may be associated with vitamin D deficiency and rickets, and that the condition is easily prevented and treated with inexpensive vitamin drops or cod liver oil. But doctors are reluctant to say anything that might discourage breast-feeding.

Read the full article from the New York Times here.

A friend of mine, a school nurse and an avid holistic care practitioner, recommends Designs for Health’s Vitavescence powdered multi-vitamins for my toddler. You could also try a liquid vitamin supplement from your local health food store.

Timeout tales

nkd5 — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 22:51:42 +0000

Slate has a post on the use and misuse of the timeout by parents.

A reliable body of scientific research accruing over decades has given us a clear idea of how to use timeout most effectively. The technique’s full name, “timeout from reinforcement,” provides the key. Timeout has nothing to do with justice, repentance, or authority. Rather, it follows a simple logic: Attention feeds a behavior, and a timeout is nothing more than a brief break from attention in any formâ€”demands, threats, explanations, rewards, hugs … everything.

The article goes on to suggest ways to admisiter the timeout: use it sparingly, keep it brief, and do it calmly, not in anger. Read the rest of the article here.

Our boy is 2 1/2 years old, and we as parents are just getting into this new “disciplining” phase. He received his first timeout last month, in fact. He thought it was a game at first, to sit in a corner and not play with any of his toys or interact with us. After his second one in the same week, he got the idea and protested quite loudly.

We strive to be judicious, fair, patient parents, careful to use prohibition as the last resort, preferring distraction as a way to redirect disobedience or mischief. But some moments call for quick, nonnegotiable orders, ones with consequences. Our son running toward the street, for example, or walking out the front door without waiting for us. During these moments, what we say, goes. There’s no discussion, no redirect. He will have to come to grips, I suppose, to the notion of an Ultimate Authority. His first timeout was a milestone of sorts, and I felt a twinge of sadness. He lost something.

First weaning, and now this. It’s a wonder how most of us ever turn out stable!

-PapÃ¡

Harmful Chemicals in Baby wash and dish soap

nkd5 — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 00:57:59 +0000

I haven’t had much time to post lately, but recently came across these articles that are too important to pass over.

It seems that some popular baby shampoos have an ingredient (not listed in the ingredient label) called 1,4-dioxane–a known animal carcinogen.

Channel 10 News did a piece on baby wash:

Although 1,4-dioxane is not listed on the label, there are some clues that it’s there.

Look for the words sodium laureth sulfate, or peg.

There are manufacturers that don’t use 1,4-dioxane, among them, California Baby and Aubrey Organics.

Popular dish soaps have also been found to contain 1,4-dioxane, the biggest offenders are the “natural” dish detergents- including the very popular brand, Seventh Generation.
Read 7th Generation response.

Brands found not to contain 1,4-dioxane include Burt’s Bees, Clorox Green Works, Avalon Organics and Dr. Bronner’s.

Babyherbs products are recommended as a safe alternative, and also California Baby and Aubrey Organics (thank goodness! I wash my son with CB and have since he was an infant)

The Environmental News Network has the full story here.

How Effective are Herbal Remedies for Children?

nkd5 — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 16:05:46 +0000

Are you considering herbal remedies for your child, or are you currently giving your child an herbal remedy? If so, it’s worth it to do a little research to determine whether or not the treatment has been shown to work and that it’s not harmful. Just because something is labeled “natural” doesn’t necessarily mean it is safe.

A 2003 paper by Dr. A. D. Woolf published in the Journal of Pediatrics reviews the use of herbal products to treat children’s health conditions.

Here are some things to keep in mind if you are considering using herbal remedies:

Not much is known about how herbal remedies affect children. Most have not been subjected to rigorous clinical trials; the U.S. Food and Drug Administration labels herbal remedies as “foods,” which means they don’t have to meet the same standards as do drugs and over-the-counter medications for proof of safety, effectiveness, and what the FDA calls “Good Manufacturing Practices.”

The contents of an herbal remedy aren’t always clear. One study reported that high levels of contaminants were found in imported herbal remedies from China. (cont’d)

Children may be particularly susceptible to variations in the dose of remedies and to herbal toxicity. Some herbal remedies contain 10 or more different plants, vitamins, minerals, etc. Interactions of these ingredients are unclear.

Herbs can concentrate in breastmilk and be inadvertently transferred to infants.

Dr. Woolf advises:

Seek expert advise when considering herbal remedies and avoid self-medication.
Herbal remedies may have beneficial effects (similar to drugs), but they may also have unanticipated toxicity.
Herbal products have not been regulated by the FDA (unlike drugs). Concentration and ingredients can be variable or even contain contaminants (which would of particularly concern for children).
Discuss herbal remedies that you are using or considering with your pediatrician (whether or not he or is supportive),

More information about herbal remedies and complementary and alternative medicine can be found on these websites:

National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Dr. Duke Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases

Quackwatch

National Council Against Health Fraud

Nutrition during pregnancy

nkd5 — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 23:26:13 +0000

A great rule of thumb to ask yourself before eating is:

“Does this food give my baby and me nutrients or just calories?”

If your answer is the latter, then eat something else!

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends that pregnant women in their second and third trimesters should eat 300 extra calories a day and nursing mothers should add about 500.

It isn’t as much as you might think…

Three hundred extra calories is roughly equal to one cup of whole-milk yogurt plus an apple. Add two slices of whole-wheat bread to that and the total jumps to 500 calories.

For great information about nutrition during pregnancy, read this articlepublished by the University of Rhode Island’s Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program.

To learn more about children’s nutritional needs, visit the Children’s Nutrition Research Center. Look under “consumer news” and nutrition on the web site. They have a great electronic newsletter that you can sign up for too.

Photo credit: James Gathany/CDC

The Pushy Noise that Saved Me from a C-Section

nkd5 — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 22:15:56 +0000

I admit, it’s embarrassing to make the noise, and I was embarrassed for our birth-education teacher, Vicki, when she performed it in class. But it was the single most important thing that occured during my labor. It reassured me that my body was getting ready and capable of birthing a baby naturally.

My labor had already gone on for 20+ hours, and I wasn’t much more than 5 centimeters dilated (although I was fully effaced, which is often overlooked). With each passing hour, everyone, except for my husband and doula, including me, was steadily losing confidence that I was strong enough to deliver my baby naturally.

We felt very prepared for birth. My husband and I are both researchers by profession, so we had read all the books, watched a lot of birth videos, taken birth classes and felt comfortable with the hospital and midwife practice we had chosen. What I didn’t expect was that my midwife would be busy with another patient who had to have an emergency c-section. Her backup was a hospital doctor I had never met and who was clearly not supportive of natural childbirth. All this happened in the throes of a very long labor that had left me weakened and feeling unconfident, scared and vulnerable. I felt like I was slowly succumbing to the doctor’s pressure on getting epidural, pitocin and the possibility of c-section. It is very difficult to continue with a natural (I chose to do unmedicated) birth if the staff is not supportive. When my midwife came in to introduce me to the new doctor, my labor pretty much shut down.

Women who are in labor make a very characteristic moaning sound, as if they are half delirious. I was sitting upright on the toilet moaning, feeling sorry for myself. when I started to notice an involuntary guttural sound punctuating the end of each moan. This pushing sound is what Vicki heard, time and again, during the many births she attended. It’s a signal to her, she told us, that a woman is getting ready to push the baby out. “Your body knows it’s time, whether or not you do,” she said.

Play this recording of my silly attempt to recreate the moan and the push noise!

There I was on the toilet. At first the noise was faint, and I didn’t really notice it. But with every contraction it got a little stronger. I remember telling everyone,”Wait! I’m making that pushy noise!”

Whether it was true or not, I felt like all talk of a c-section ended. My body had taken so long to dilate that I thought the end would never come (or the begining, depending on how you look at it!), yet here I was making the pushy-noise that seemed so ridiculous in class.

Active and intense labor followed for maybe another hour before my son was born. But making the noise alone was enough to re-assure me I was built for birth. How lucky I was that Vicky was observant enough to pick up on this sublte and overlooked clue.

Did you make the pushy noise? Or was there something else that gave you confidence to have a natural childbirth? Let us know. Leave a comment. It is valuable information for many women.
Thanks

Weaning a toddler by playing pretend

nkd5 — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 15:50:40 +0000

I have completely weaned my two-year old toddler and the transition was surprisingly gentle!

For the past 6 months or so I have nursed my son only for his afternoon nap. I was very reluctant to try to completely wean him because I was afraid he would stop napping altogether (his nap lasts a good 2 hours and during this time I get a lot of my work done).

Last week, we unexpectedly weaned. He skipped his nap, and nursing time, on Monday because I had to be away from him in the afternoon. The next day, at nap, I said, “let’s just pretend to nurse”, so he did. He curled up into my arms and pretended to nurse over my shirt. He is familiar with pretending: we often pretend to cook or eat, or pretend to swim, etc. He was surprisingly agreeable to pretend to nurse. After all, I wasnâ€™t saying â€œnoâ€ and we still got to cuddle. But after about 40 minutes of him doing flips and tossing and turning in bed, I gave up trying to get him down that day.

The next day we did the same thing. We pretended to nurse and this time he did fall asleep, after about 30 minutes. I was shocked! I probably shouldn’t have been (kids need to sleep), but for the past two years I (or more accurately, my nipples) have been the only thing to get him to nap. If he was going to wean, I reckoned, then the best way was going to be to spend a few days apart. I never imagined it possible to wean him the way I did.

It has now been almost two weeks. Other than having an engorged breast, things have gone smoothly. He still asks to nurse and I let him (pretend) whenever he wants. He has been asking to pretend nurse more often and I let him–I don’t see the harm. Itâ€™s now much easier for my husband, my mother and his babysitter to get him to take a nap, which I am very thankful for.

Ending nursing brings mixed emotions. I am sad because this beautiful part of our relationship has come to an end. And yet itâ€™s a milestone, a necessary and inevitable part of my son growing up.

Weaning a toddler

nkd5 — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 03:55:34 +0000

Welcome, Carnival of Breastfeeding readers! The topic for this carnival is “Beginnings and endings”. My post is about the process of weaning a toddler.

I found myself wondering, after reading Tara’s post, Weaning a toddler while pregnant, how many women need advice like this? What percentage of women are still breastfeeding a toddler and what percentage of those toddler nursing moms are willing to endure the pain of nursing, due to sore nipples from pregnancy, in order to continue breastfeeding? I would guess very few.

When my son was nearing a year, friends and family started asking me how long I planned to nurse. They also tried to convince me that my son didn’t need the breastmilk anymore. A very good friend of mine even told me that I had to “cut the cord” and that breastfeeding “had no nutritional value” after a year. The funny thing is that at one point of my life (prior to having a child) I believed that.

It is true that breastmilk comprises less of a baby’s overall diet as it grows and begins to eat a variety of foods, but it is certainly not true that breastmilk loses its nutritional value.

“Breast milk continues to provide substantial amounts of key nutrients well beyond the first year of life, especially protein, fat, and most vitamins.” (Dewey 2001)

Kellymom put out a fantastic fact sheet about the value of

extended breastfeeding, including information on nutritional value, and there is also a list of references if you would like to read the the actual studies.

Now my son is two, and I am breastfeeding once a day, just at nap time. For us, the best way to get down to one nursing session a day was to have my husband take over putting our son to bed, reading him a lot of good books, and always having a sippy cup full of water ready. We also found that just talking to our toddler about when he can and can’t nurse was also very helpful to him.

I would tell him that we were not going to nurse as much any more and that he could nurse at nap time, but not at bed time. So at night when he asked to nurse I would say (in a very upbeat and confident manner) “we already nursed today, you can nurse tomorrow at nap”. He seemed surprisingly agreeable for the most part. Although there were definitely times where it was hard to “stick to my guns” and not nurse him. Occasional tears were shed. The first few days were the toughest.

As a first-time mother, I am also learning the importance of consistency. I tried to night wean several times when he was about one and a half. But I was not always consistent about it. In general, the inconsistencies left him confused and frustrated more than anything. Now I make more of an effort to be consistent and I see that he can adjust much better when I do.

I would like to stop nursing completely soon, although I find it very difficult to just “let go“. I keep changing my mind about whether or not we are ready to completely wean… It has been such a wonderful bond between us. I am also concerned that my son will stop napping altogether if I do wean. He naps 2-3 hours a day and this time has become very precious to me as I am trying to finish my doctorate degree. Friends tell me he will wean when he is ready. I am not so sure- but have vowed to wean when I get pregnant again. Hopefully sooner than later!

Since writing this post I have completely weaned my toddler. Read the “Pretending to nurseâ€¦ to wean” post here.

Be sure to read the other bloggers posts.

Badass Dad writes about his experience as a breastfeeding father.

Naturemoms Breastfed three children and reviews a book about breastfeeding.

Adventures of Pip and Squeak Breastfeeding an infant and weaning a toddler.

Breastfeeding Mums Reflects on her time as a breastfeeding mother of three.

A mama Knows Breast Deals with a low milk supply.

Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog Gently encourages weaning.

Crunchy Domestic Goddess Inauspicious breastfeeding beginnings.

blog.reidelizabeth Found support in La Leche League, a lactation consultant and family and resisted supplementing her breast milk.

Breastfeeding 123 It’s about weaning during pregnancy.

Cheapest prices on diapers we’ve found…

nkd5 — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 17:49:34 +0000

For the past year or so, I’ve been buying Seventh Generation Chlorine Free Diapers for my son through Amazon’s ’subscription’ service.

I pay about $8.40 a pack (I’ve seen them for as much as $16.50 in health food stores in my area.)

Beside having the lowest price,

the service is quite convenient since the bulky diapers are delivered to your house. Shipping is free. What’s more, when you subscribe to get the diapers automatically delivered at regular intervals, Amazon will take an additional 20%, every time.

For example, I buy the stage 5 diapers, which list at $50 for four 30-count packs ($12.50 a pack). If you just buy it once, the store charges $42 ($10 a pack) and shipping is free. If you subscribe, as I do, to get say, 4 packs every month (you can choose the interval), the price goes down to $33.60 ($8.40 a pack).

Don’t forget the wipes! With a subscription, the Seventh Gen brand come to $2.30 a pack!

This has been proven to be an incredible convenience for us because we could only find these diapers at certain stores. Whole Foods carries them and often has coupons if you buy two packs. But we recently moved and now don’t have a WF market near us. The smaller healthfood stores charge a fortune for them.

I prefer the SG diapers because they are chlorine free. I find other diapers to have ‘chemical’ smells, especially once they are peed in. I don’t think the SG ones are bulky, and I haven’t had problems with leaks since the company redesigned the diapers last year. I did try the Tushies diapers as well because they are chlorine free and they don’t use any type of gel to absorb pee. But I found them to be bulky and they leaked all the time.

We also tried the G-diapers. While I like the idea of these flushable diapers, in practice it took a few more steps than regular diapers and so I found myself not using them, unfortunately. They are a bit expensive too.

Amazon gives the same discounts for other diaper brands too, such as Huggies. The grocery store even offers a small but growing selection of natural foods for subscription.

Have you found a diaper that works well and is mindful of chemicals and the environment?

Let me know!

Our Favorite Toys for Toddlers

nkd5 — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 23:20:43 +0000

My friend Nik, whose fab blog this is, asked me to blog about toys since she loves to ’shop’ at my house when our sons are playing together. I have a big family and people are always asking me what they can buy for my son. I give specific suggestions, since it’s kind of rude to say “please, no big, plastic, battery-powered crap from China that makes me want to jump out a window.” I’ve been trying to keep plastic out of my house (and my son’s mouth) since he was born. His pediatrician had warned me not to let him teethe on plastic. What?!? We live in a plastic world! I do the best I can on toys, and what follows is my list of favorites.

My hands down, all-time favorite online toy store is Oompa. It has an awesome selection, free shipping for orders over $65, and orders under $65 ship for a flat $4.95. You really can’t go wrong with anything from this place. It offers the good European brands like Haba and Selecta, most of which are not made in China, if that worries you. Haba does manufacture a few things there, but the nice thing about Oompa is it tells you where the toy is designed and also where it’s made. Oompa’s motto is this mother’s dream come true: no batteries, no blinking lights, no cartoon-themed toys. Period. It also has a wish list you can make and send to the grandma. Fabu.

My mom got my son a doll house made by Plan Toys. He loves it, calls it “playing family.” He’s two and I wanted one that wasn’t all pink and purple, like the ones his girl friends have; I didn’t want to discourage doll play, but for his father’s sake I didn’t want him to do it in pink!

I also got some nice wooden teething things from Plan Toys when he was little.

Another favorite are the Fantasy Blocks from Haba. He’s been playing with these almost daily for the past year. I added the Gedulsteine and Discovery Blocks set and it has worked out great. The Kaleidoscopic blocks and the Mirror blocks look cool too. He loves his Haba Ball Track, but he likes anything with a ball. The best toy we have is a basket filled with balls: wiffle, nerf, squish, any kind, different sizes–there’s at least 30. We dump’em, golf’em, hit’em. And he’s got rubber bases too, which is great if your kid likes baseball.

Grandma just got him Variola from Selecta. I found it’s not for carpet; much better on hardwood floor if you put a rubber no-slip mat underneath.

Another great toy he just received is the Your Body Boy Puzzle from Beleduc, a German company, though the toy is made in China. Totally worth it though. He loves it. It’s designed for 3+, but his dexterity is good and he can do the whole thing. We’ve been talking about how food goes in the mouth and what it does before it comes out as poop, and this puzzle puts a nice graphic to what’s inside.

I don’t love Melissa & Doug toys because the paint seems to chip a lot. Also they are made in China, so who knows how safe that chipped paint is? I’ve tested a few of his M&D toys for lead and none have had it, but still I don’t like the idea of all the chipped paint. And yet some of their stuff is great, and for a toddler who isn’t also teething on the toy, they’re at least an affordable, nonplastic alternative. Also, M&D have some great toys which you can’t find elsewhere. His favorite is the fishing game. He got this from Nik for his 1st birthday. She figured he could grow into it since the age is 3+. But he was doing the game by the end of the day, and it’s been over a year and he still asks to “play fishing” almost every day. Now we fish and count them, and line them up and name them and their colors. It’s a really simple magnetic game that you can take places. He also loves magnets. And speaking of magnets a great building magnet toy that you don’t have to worry about the magnets falling out (have to be careful about this, kid swallows two of them, they’ll join together through their intestines and stuff. Bad news.) or the balls getting swallowed is Magneatos. They’re plastic and made in China but hey with 80% of the toys made there you do the best you can. Anyway they make a jumbo set with balls 2″ diameter so your toddler can build and your 6 month old won’t choke.

I also like the “Take-A-Part Truck” by Battat. My boy got this for Christmas and he’s kind of a tool guy. (He gets that from his mom, I have a soft spot for nice power tools.) Anyway, he thinks my power drill is just the best and when he got this toy he flipped. They also make a crane and a plane but the concept is great. It comes with a “power drill” and the truck is put together with these big screws. The kid unscrews all the screws and takes the truck apart and then puts it back together. There’s even interchangeable bits and you can take the tires off too. There’s a little button on the drill to make it go righty tighty or lefty loosey. Which my kid has been talking about all holiday season since we use the old-school c7’s on our tree and he has been unscrewing them all season. Hopefully this toy will help get that out of his system by next year so we can maybe turn the tree on more?? But it’s just great and he loves it. And I love that he can do it all himself. Again the age is 3+ but if your kid has good dexterity and is past eating stuff that isn’t food, it shouldn’t be a problem. Also this toy is the one thing he wouldn’t share with his best pal, Nik’s son, both of which are great sharers so that’s saying something. Oh and with his own “drill,” I was finally able change all the pulls in my kitchen, since I could use my drill and he could use his.

Let’s see, I got grandma to get him a digital camera and he digs it. Keeps his hands off mine now which is just great. I got him this one by VTech but this one from crayola] looks a little simpler.

I think that pretty much wraps it up! Enjoy and happy playing!

Push? That’s the point!

nkd5 — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 15:58:43 +0000

Technorati Tags:
home birth, child birth, epidural, caesarian

While watching “The Business of Being Born” film, I found myself feeling defensive of the medical establishment. Much of it was cast in a poor light, and yes, much of it rang true for me. But I don’t believe that obstetricians are all “Cesearean Samurais” anxious to rush women to the operating room.

Unfortunately, similar to the environmental movement, showing the worst problems or scariest issues in order to make a point and get attention on these incredibly important issues can be quite effective. Perhaps very balanced reporting of the issue would be too boring to garner worldwide attention. But the downside is that they (the makers of BOBB and extreme environmentalists) lose credibility; or it may have the opposite of the intended effect: such a one-sided view can make the viewer reject the premises all together, which is pointed out by Slate’s Dana Stevens in a recent review of the film.

Unfortunately, Stevens is so caught up in describing weaknesses of the film (admittedly, there are many), that she doesn’t explore the simple notion that there really might be an institutionalized, growing problem in hospitalized birth.

The increasing rate of c-sections is extremely alarming and well documented. Unfortunately, how your individual birth takes place is largely dependent on the practices of the hospital you are in. If the hospital gives 99% of women epidurals then you would be very naive to think that you’ll be able to “choose” not to get one if that’s what you desire. Or if the hospital has a 40% c-section rate, then realistically, you have a good chance of being pressured to get a c-section. Women in labor are very vulnerable and easily influenced. Do you think a hospital staff would rather a) sit and wait for your natural labor to slowly progress (24+ hour labor is very normal), or b) break your water, give you Pitocin (and then an epidural to deal with the increased pain from the harsher contractions caused by the Pitocin) to get things moving along?

Hospitals will rarely advertse the fact that:

epidurals don’t always work
there is sometimes breakthrough pain
whatever drugs you are getting your baby is also getting
sometimes it takes several attempts to get the needle in the right place
you may feel pain in your spine for several months after the birth
your lower half will be deadened and you may need assistance to get the baby out (by suction, episiotomy, forceps, etc.)
you may not be able to walk for a brief time after you have the baby
your labor could stall or temporarily shut down after getting the epidural, which may lead to a c-section.

Having opted for non-medicated birth, I won’t fault anyone for getting an epidural – as long as they fully understand the benefits and risks. That said, I must point out that doctors often make you wait until you are quite dilated before you can even get the epidural, which is good because an epidural can stall labor. But what most people don’t know is that when labor gets to be just about intolerable, you are so close to being finished and holding your baby in your arms! Another benefit of unmedicated birth is that once the baby is born, for the most part you are ready to eat a sandwich, put your clothes back on and hold your baby (and take a Motrin). Of course, every birth and birth experience is individual and unique- so maybe you will just feel like crap.

“Ultimately, the business of being born ain’t nobody’s business but our own.” is Steven’s conclusion, but I doubt that Stevens would draw the same conclusion if she had bothered to scratch the surface of the more complicated issue of hospitalized birth in the United States. Stevens might find comfort in hearing her doctor say something such as “I graduated first in my class at Johns Hopkins,” but most of these new doctors have never witnessed anything close to a non-medicated, non-intervention, vaginal birth–something pointed out in BOBB. Doctorsaren’t in the habit of sitting back and watching as nature takes its course. They are trained to do something. The idea that a woman is quite capable of delivering her child with minimum of intervention is lost. If the staff does not believe in you, it is very difficult to believe in yourself and your body while you’re delirious from labor.

And yes, of course, thank goodness we have the doctors and trained staff there waiting in the wings if something goes wrong. Then I would probably be thrilled to learn that my surgeon graduated top of her class at Johns Hopkins.

[Photo Credit: Paulo Netto]

Potential toxicity of bisphenol A: Report

nkd5 — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 15:30:13 +0000

The Department of Health and Human Services has released a report about the potential toxicity of bisphenol A. Marion Nestle, the author of What to Eat has a nice summary and a link to the report on her blog.

For pregnant women, infants, and children, the panel has some concern about effects on the nervous system and behavior, but minimal concern about accelerated puberty. Mostly, the panel thinks more research is needed. The report is now open for comment.

Bisphenol A is the controversial chemical used in many plastic products, including childrens sippy cups. I have written about this before here and here.

Technorati Tags:
breastfeeding, bisphenol A

Weaning a toddler while pregnant

nkd5 — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 21:25:14 +0000

A new guest blog from tara..

I’m 20 weeks pregnant, and am still nursing my son, who turned two last month. The pain is unbelievable! It started almost as soon as I got pregnant, and worsened. At the time I became pregnant, he was still nursing seven to ten times a day–with at least three of those being at night.

The “not sleeping” was really putting my sunny disposition in a bad place. I tried all kinds of tactics to get him to nurse less and it just wasn’t working. Also, he’s not a “sleeper”: nothing in his 25 months of life has put him to sleep except me, the backpack or the car.

What’s a knocked-up girl to do?

He just isn’t ready to stop nursing and I am going to have to take it one day at a time. First, I breathe through the pain of latch. It only lasts about 30 seconds before the intense pain goes away. I try to think about how the pain is still way less painful than the first weeks of nursing and last so much shorter than labor.

During the day and as often as I can I suggest a distraction, if he climbs on my lap out of nowhere and asks for “ma-ma,” I say “How about some water first?” and would hand him his cup, grab a nice long book and would start to read to him. Now, I can tell if he is serious or is just asking out of habit. We’ve been doing this for a while, and his appetite for foods has gotten better and he has become more interested in the things around him.

Night time is still a disaster though. He sleeps either in our bed or his own bed in his room. At first, I would put him to sleep in his room, and then either my husband or I would bring him into our bed to nurse back to sleep when he awoke in the middle of the night. Later, I started nursing him in his own bed when he was only waking 2-3 times a night, and go back to my bed after he fell asleep. But being pregnant, I’m generally exhausted, and I’m tempted to turn the monitor off and pretend he is sleeping, but of course I can’t do that!

But recently, he started sleeping through the night about once a week. It’s getting more and more frequent. I am glad I decided to breathe through the pain, because everything about the way we have parented him these past two years has taught him he’s important and we’re there for him. I didn’t want to cut him off from his one favorite thing in the world: ma-ma.

But I do want and need some sleep. So lately, what I started doing is to go lay down next to him when he wakes in the middle of the night. He’ll say “I would like some ma-ma please” and now I say “We had some ma-ma already” and rub his back. Sometimes he rolls over and goes back to sleep, and sometimes he starts to protest a bit and get a little upset. I test him on this, but I don’t let him get too upset because it will wake him fully. So I suggest he “hold ma-ma.” He likes this solution, he puts his hand on my breast and just holds it. And then falls back to sleep. He did cry and hold it the first few times but it was not the kind of cry where you know something is really wrong. Since I’ve started doing this he is waking up less often during the night.

At first, I did feel a little strange about suggesting he hold my breast, but then I remembered how he and other breastfed babies often “play” with the breast they are not nursing from. And I decided this could be a normal transition. It still gives him the comfort he desires from the exact thing he desires and yet no pain for me. This is how we’ve gotten down to one nursing a day.

And actually, we went 48 hours for the first time ever, the first day in his life he didn’t nurse: Jan. 1, 2008! He fell asleep in the car and didn’t wake up in the transition to his bed. We didn’t nurse again till the next bed time. Now if he happens to ask during the day I say “we’ll have ma ma at night night” and that seems to work ok, he gets it, and I can handle once a day. I don’t know if that’s a “tip” but it’s an experience for sure.

Good luck to you. If you are nursing and pregnant and people are giving you “advice,” know in your heart that you will find the right thing for you and your toddler.

YouTube for Toddlers?

nkd5 — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 15:25:32 +0000

We have been very reluctant to expose our son, now two, to television. Some research has shown that excessive TV watching by infants and toddlers can have negative effects, and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends children under two not have any screen time. With so many infant “media products” out there, like Baby Einstein, it is hard to know what to do. We donâ€™t have a TV in our house at all, so it is not part of our daily routine and therefore has been easy to keep out of our sonâ€™s life. But, I think he is at an age where he will really enjoy and possibly benefit from some of the PBS-like shows for kids out there.

We started by showing him short video clips, mostly from YouTube. The videos are short (2-5 minutes) and some even have fun soundtracks that kids like to dance to. The nice thing is that my son can just call out anything he’s interested in (lately: elephants!, tapir!, helicopter!, choo choo train!) and I can find a good video of it in a flash. One very large word of caution is that you have to screen the videos before you show your child. A quick search of â€œelephantsâ€ might take you to a video of an elephant gone mad at a circus, killing its trainer, a â€œwildebeastâ€ video might show one being devoured by a crocodile (letâ€™s not traumatize the kiddies), â€œhelicopterâ€ is often a crash. But, if you are willing to do a little research, you can find some great videos.

Here are some of his favorites:

Italian cartoon called â€œLa Pimpaâ€

A helicopter ride over Hawaii

â€œSteam Trainâ€

Curious George

The “Planet Earth” series from the Discovery Channel has some of the most amazing cinematography I have ever seen. I bought the whole series, which we play on my laptop and watch for about 20 minutes at a time. He loves it and so do I.

If you have suggestions, please let us know!

Two holiday gifts for both kids & adults

nkd5 — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 19:13:41 +0000

The best gift this year, in my opinion, is to lend $25 to the nonprofit Kiva, or give someone a $25 gift certificate from the organization so that he or she can choose the person they want to lend to. Best of all, when the money is paid back you can lend it to another person who needs a loan to get his or her business going. Teaching a child early on the importance of helping out those in need may stay with them their whole lives. At Kiva, you can look together through the profiles of people from all over the world who are asking for relatively small loans. The loan repayment rate is phenomonally high–near 100%. What a wonderful feeling to know that in a small way you are helping someone.

One of my all-time favorite gifts is a solar powered rainbow maker that attaches to your window. Over the years, we’ve bought these for more than half a dozen of our friends and family. They’re simple to use and can really brighten up your morning!

How about you? Do you have any suggestions for neat gifts this year? We’d love to hear them!

Business of Being Born documentary

nkd5 — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 17:42:29 +0000

My friend Tara and I went to see a screening of a new documentary called “The Business of Being Born” at my local art center, which was packed full of dulas and midwives. It was an amazing movie that shows how the culture of birth, in the United States, is based on mis-information. Tara sent out an email (see below) urging friends and family to see it. It will be released nationally in January at limited locations and will be available on Netflix in March.

=====

Hello Friends,

If you are a woman, are having a baby, thinking someday you might, have had babies and now have a daughter, I think you would enjoy this movie to learn more about birth and well woman care in our culture and it’s future. Or maybe all of them! Or you have a practice where you can spread this news around.

Anyway I wanted to share this great film with you all. It is called The Business of Being Born and it is a documentary that Ricki Lake (yes remember her? weirdoes and makeovers??) made about the culture of birth in our country. Largely inspired by the different birth experiences she had with her two children, one at a hospital and one at home. I was privileged to attend a screening of this film last month, along with a panel discussion that included Ricki Lake (producer/actress) and Abby Epstein (filmmaker) and it was fabulous. It was not all about homebirth or being judgmental about the choices woman make and it is not a film that attacks modern medicine or hospitals. Quite the contrary, it is about educating the modern American woman about her choices for birth in this country. It is about true informed consent being made by educated consumers. And it was beautifully done. You have nothing to lose seeing this movie and everything to gain if it helps you make a more informed decision in your personal health future or that of your daughter, niece, sister…

The movie is yet to be released nationally, that will happen in January in NYC, LA & San Fransciso. In March, it will be released on Netflicks. But you are lucky enough to be invited to a screening in Nyack, NY at the Riverspace Theater on THURSDAY DECEMBER 13th at 7:30PM. Tickets are $10, parent/child tickets are $15.

Please take a look at the website and consider coming out to see this film. I felt as I was watching it like this movie was one small step for woman and one giant step for womankind. Come out and support the sisterhood of woman in this country demanding whole woman care for ourselves and our daughters. I wouldn’t be asking you to come see this movie if I didn’t think it was worth every second of your time, trust me I have a toddler who doesn’t nap I know how precious free time is! So please spread the word, tell your friends, call your aunties, heck even grab your gramma and I hope to see you all in Nyack on the 13th.

Peace to you all,
Tara

Breastfeeding and Sleep

nkd5 — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 13:34:14 +0000

Welcome Carnival-of-Breastfeeding readers! This is my first post for the carnival and I do hope you enjoy it and the rest of the site. Check out the other carnival entries at the end of the post!

Here are my thoughts on breastfeeding and sleep…

When our son was an infant he slept in a bassinet next to my husbandâ€™s side of the bed. I couldnâ€™t have him too near to me because his every move and squeak would rouse me from my sleep, heart racing. That is, if I was lucky enough to be asleep. For much of the night, I would lay awake, waiting for the next breastfeeding session.

When he grew older, we assembled his crib and placed it at the foot of our bed. He spent a few nights in it, until I read Dr. Searsâ€™s The Baby Sleep Book (see side bar). The book convinced me the best place for my son to sleep was between his parents. Sears makes many convincing arguments as to why your kid should sleep next to you: breastfeeding is more comfortable and easier to do, baby will sleep better, SIDS risk is lower, etc. So I lifted my beautifully sleeping child out of his crib, which we started using to store clothes and blankets.

If I wore earplugs, I could block out his sweet little noises and actually get some sleep. Breastfeeding was easy. He would just fuss a little, find my breast and then we could both go back to sleep. However, it wasnâ€™t until he was 3 months old that I could actually lay down and nurse him. Before that time, we didnâ€™t line up very well, which made it painful to nurse. For the most part, this sleeping arrangement worked out well for us. My husband and I enjoy cuddling up next to him at night, quietly taking turns mimicking the funny things he said during the day. There have been times, however, when the â€œco-sleepingâ€ arrangement breaks down and none of us get enough rest at night.

Weâ€™ve tried to end night nursing a few times with the hopes of all sleeping better, but havenâ€™t yet succeeded. The first time, it took about three nights of our son sleeping only with my husband before he could get himself back to sleep after waking up. Heâ€™d cry less and less each time (meanwhile, I had barricaded myself in the second bedroom). I can still feel that joy of waking up one morning, realizing I had slept through the night. â€œI feel great!â€ I said to my husband. â€œIsnâ€™t it wonderful to be you,â€ he said grumpily, between espressos. The euphoria didnâ€™t last long, however, because the little one fell sick with the flu a week later, and the most comforting thing I could do for him was to nurse on demand. Each time we try to break his night habit, something sets us backâ€”illness, irritability from shots, or teeth breaking through.

Perhaps sleep will come to us when our son graduates to his own room? Who knows. Some people (read: our parents) tell us, â€œYouâ€™ll never get him out of your bed!â€

Good thing we bought a king-sized mattress.

For more great posts on this topic, please visit the other carnival participants: www.breastfeedingmums.typepad.com
mamasmagic.blogspot.com
crunchydomesticgoddess.com
www.veggieway.blogspot.com
www.jodimeisner.blogspot.com
www.breastfeeding123.com
thelactivist.blogspot.com

Tara’s breastfeeding tips: Part 5

nkd5 — Mon, 21 May 2007 04:15:53 +0000

Confidence: Most important, have confidence in yourself that you can do this, if you have trouble call a lactation consultant, donâ€™t wait! I wouldnâ€™t have been able to get through the first week without one. They are great, they come with a suitcase (literally, she had one with wheels!) full of tricks and a scale to see how much the baby is eating and they donâ€™t leave until everything is going ok, they are worth their weight in gold. Friends who are breastfeeding are great support but there is nothing like a professional when youâ€™re having a problem. Usually the hospital has one and the pediatricianâ€™s office sometimes does too. If not look up your local Le Leche League, they always know one.

The Magic Number: Six Weeks is an important amount of time if you are struggling with breastfeeding. Everyone always says it gets so much better after six weeks, they are right. I mean thereâ€™s no magic breastfeeding fairy that comes and makes it easy or anything but it gets way better. I could feel it getting better between week 5 and 6, it really did make a difference to know that I had to give it at least six weeks to know how I felt about it. And to breastfeed for six weeks to see if it felt better by then.

Final Word: Iâ€™ve now been breastfeeding for 3.5 months and just last week I felt like I got the hang of it. Everyone is different. Hopefully youâ€™ll be a natural and it will be easy for you and you wonâ€™t need any of this advice. But, if not, donâ€™t worry. You can do it! And it will get easier!

Tara’s breastfeeding tips: Part 4

nkd5 — Mon, 21 May 2007 04:09:46 +0000

Keep baby nearby: If you can, keep the baby in your room at night, once you figure out how to feed laying down itâ€™s really helpful for getting sleep. Most babies donâ€™t even cry when theyâ€™re hungry, they have a way to tell you they are hungry before they cry. Rowan starts breathing through his nose really fast and moving his head all around. I hear this and I take him into bed and laying down I feed him and I usually fall back to sleep and so does he. Itâ€™s way better then sitting up and having my head keep falling because Iâ€™m so tired. I was doing that in the beginning because I couldnâ€™t do it lying down, it hurt. But after I got used to it a little I tried it again and itâ€™s much more restful. Iâ€™ve also heard of a lot of people who drop their babies because they are too tired feeding them. So if youâ€™re up and exhausted make sure youâ€™ve got the boppy and pillows or something supporting the baby so if you fall asleep the baby doesnâ€™t fall.

Flashlight: Have a little flashlight or glow thing handy, itâ€™s hard to get the nipple in the mouth in the dark, especially if itâ€™s sore.

Pumping: If you pump breastmilk and you donâ€™t get much milk, donâ€™t worry. Pumping is a learned skill and takes practice. Also, your baby is way more effective then the pump. It took me 11 weeks before I would try pumping. Itâ€™s a very different feeling and it took me 8 min to get 2 oz. And my milk supply was very well established and rowan was 14 pounds! So I know the boobs were working. Itâ€™s a mental thing too, try relaxing and thinking about the baby. As I write this I am still struggling with pumping. Also, if you are going to pump a lot, get a good pump. You can rent them too. And if your nipples are sore donâ€™t pressure yourself to pump in the first week, your nipples will only get less sore as time goes on.

Tara’s breastfeeding tips: Part 3

nkd5 — Mon, 21 May 2007 04:01:30 +0000

Donâ€™t limit the baby on the breast: Donâ€™t let people tell you he isnâ€™t getting enough. People say the stupidest things that will make you feel like a loser, just ignore them. Your baby is getting enough if there are wet and dirty diapers, weight gain and if the baby is content after eating. We all know how babies act when theyâ€™re hungry, if the baby isnâ€™t acting this way heâ€™s full. Also, always let the baby finish, the hind milk has a higher fat content then the milk in the beginning of the feeding so donâ€™t take the baby off the breast once you start. Babies all nurse differently; there is no right way. Some babyâ€™s nurse from both breasts at every feeding, some alternate, and some babies will only nurse from one breast. The latter is fine for the baby but sucks for you cause then youâ€™ll have one big boob!

All night nursing: Donâ€™t get freaked out if the baby nurses all the time. Newborns nurse 8-12 times a day and sometimes for an hour each time. Itâ€™s crazy but itâ€™s normal. Rowan nursed every 20 min the first two weeks, holey crap was I tired! Just try to sleep when the baby sleeps or at least rest. They also nurse more during a growth spurt. So donâ€™t be surprised if heâ€™s waking up 2x a night to feed for like a week then one night heâ€™s up every hour, itâ€™s just his way of increasing your milk for his growth spurt.

Put visitors to work: When people visit they want to be helpful, put them to work with getting you food, cleaning up, doing laundry so that you can rest with the baby. It really helps.

Emotional rollercoaster: Donâ€™t get freaked out if you get really emotional when your milk comes in on day 3 or 4 (I was a train wreck). It is just your hormones changing. It is easier to deal with if you know itâ€™s going to happen. I had no idea and my husband was all, â€œnow tara this can happen when your milk comes inâ€ even though he was telling me that I still felt crazy in my head. Your tired, you feel insane, but know that it will pass. So will the uncomfortable engorged boobs. For that, you can lay on your back and put a cold pack on your chest.

Tara’s breastfeeding tips: Part 2

nkd5 — Mon, 21 May 2007 03:51:59 +0000

Food and Water: Try and have food ready to eat in the fridge, youâ€™ll be really hungry and tired and getting food fast is good. Always have water near you when you are nursing, nursing makes you very thirsty. Especially during the night donâ€™t forget to drink plenty of water, if you donâ€™t drink enough water you can get constipated. And trust me, really not fun after you push a baby out from down there!

Plugged duct: This sucked. Your boob gets all hard and it hurts so bad. Try to avoid them by not wearing binding stuff around your breasts. Also feel your breasts after or during feeding and see if there are any hard lumps, if there is try to massage it while feeding. Always massage in a circular motion. Also, if you suspect you have a clog; 1. Soak in a warm tub or just soak your boob in a bowl of warm water, or use a moist heating pad. 2. Get plenty of rest and do the massage thing. 3. Try to feed a lot on the clogged breast and get the babyâ€™s lower jaw where the clog is. 4. Try to â€œemptyâ€ the breast at every feeding. 5. Try putting a cabbage leaf on the clogged area under your bra and just let it wilt there a few hours. I donâ€™t know why but it helps. Donâ€™t use the cabbage leaves too long, they are also used to decrease milk supply

Posture and comfort: Use a footstool and a pillow behind your back so you donâ€™t strain your muscles when you are sitting up. Put a pillow behind your back when you are lying down, and a pillow between your knees too.Fold a baby blanket and lay it across the area between your body and the boppy pillow so the baby doesnâ€™t fall in. once the baby gets bigger you donâ€™t need to do this but in the beginning it helps.Donâ€™t feel silly if you have to set up a whole special place to breastfeed at first. I had a â€œthroneâ€ set up on the couch with pillows every where, the boppy, a footstoolâ€¦ breastfeeding is challenging in the begining, it was for me (still is) and anything you have to do to get it to work is OK.

Alignment: Make sure the baby is aligned right. The ear, shoulder and hip should all be in a row. Both your and the babyâ€™s tummy should be touching. When lying on your side, you donâ€™t want the baby on his back with his head turned toward you; line him up on his side also. This helps the latch and the suck. I had it all wrong in the beginning, getting the alignment right really helped.

Tara’s breastfeeding tips: Part 1

nkd5 — Mon, 21 May 2007 03:27:11 +0000

My friend Tara was a great help to me with support and encouragement with breastfeeding. She found breastfeeding to be very challenging, the beginning especially, and put together an amazing list of useful tips to help new mothers. I’m publishing her tips in this post and the next few.

Thanks Tara!
Danish Wool breast pads: Really help to avoid sore nipples or make them feel better. They have 2 kinds, ekstra and regular. The ekstra are double layered if you leak a lot. I do, and even through them! But I found if you just put a disposable one behind the wool one, it catches any leaks. Any other breast pad made my nipples really sore. The lanolin in the wool is what helps with the soreness. Itâ€™s the same idea as the stuff in the tube: Lansinoh brand lanolin. Also the wool pads donâ€™t smell bad after they catch the leaks. If you donâ€™t leak they still help with the soreness.

Lansinoh brand lanolin: Make sure if itâ€™s not this brand itâ€™s hypoallergenic and doesnâ€™t have any crap in it and you donâ€™t have to worry about wiping off before feeding the baby. Lather it on in the first weeks, it really helps.

Sleep Bra/Sleep wear: Get a night time sleep bra to hold the pads on or some kind of night gown or shirt that holds pads on. You might be lucky and not leak but you should still have one thing handy for the beginning in case you are. I didnâ€™t get a nursing bra before I had Rowan and it was like sleeping in a water park, I had no way to hold the pads on, it was kind of a mess. Make sure the bra is not too snug. When you are too compressed you can get a plugged duct or a breast infection. Also avoid underwire bras if possible, or limit your time in them. Motherwear has bras that are cheap. And thereâ€™s a store in Manhattan thatâ€™s good, they measure you and help you find a bra. I personally have been very uncomfortable in my bras and clothes. I have been wearing a zip up sweatshirt and a sleep bra so I am on the hunt for better stuff. I have some v-neck nursing shirts that I can pull aside; these are somewhat comfortable but kind of revealing and do nothing for keeping me warm. If you wear a button or snap shirt you can undo it from the bottom instead of the top so you have more coverage. Most people I know say they just wear regular clothes and pull them up. I donâ€™t like all the shirt under my armpit, I feel like I have an armpit wedgie. Since I wrote that Iâ€™ve solved my problem. The best bra Iâ€™ve found is by Bravado and Boob Design shirts, they have discreet openings and they keep your chest and stomach warm. The only place to get them in U.S. is at the upper breast side and online at Milkface, a Canadian company. I am much more comfortable now that I have a Bravado bra and Boob shirt.

Klean Kanteen Coupon code- 20% off

nkd5 — Mon, 21 May 2007 02:44:25 +0000

Voucher Code: VC1218B

Click on the images below to see amazon’s latest sale price.

Do you have other coupon codes to share? Please submit them in the comments!

You might consider Sigg bottles as well, though I can’t find a coupon code for them. The company makes a range of child-themed bottles:

Update: Toxic sippy cups

nkd5 — Mon, 21 May 2007 02:15:31 +0000

I received my Klean Kanteen sippy and I think it is a good solution to the Bisphenol-A leaching sippy cups. The Klean Kanteen comes with an adapter and a toddler spout by Advent that is made from non-leaching polypropylene plastic.

Pollution in People is an informative website that has a section on Safer Consumer Products for children and babies. There is a section on baby bottles and sippers where they recommend more alternatives that are not made from polycarbonate plastic, which can leach Bishenol-A:

“Choose bottles made of tempered glass, polypropylene plastic, or polyethylene plastic, such as Evenflo glass or pastel bottles, Gerber opaque bottles, or Medela bottles. Choose sippy cups made of polypropylene or polyethylene, such as Avent Magic Cup, First Years Take & Toss, Gerber Color Change, and Playtex Sipster. “

Breast Feeding Saves the Planet

nkd5 — Tue, 01 May 2007 21:03:08 +0000

Funny spoof about saving the planet, one breast at a time. Is Tipper Gore really the spokeswoman for Columbiaâ€™s Earth Institute â€œTits for Totsâ€ campaign? Did Al Gore really say that his wife has a â€œfine rackâ€? As explained in the article by, er, Biff Scuzzy “the former vice president explained how the production, transportation, and preparation of one quart of cow’s milk added to the increase in global warming, but the production of one quart of breast milk did not.”

Slings

nkd5 — Tue, 01 May 2007 19:41:29 +0000

I bought 2 slings while I was still pregnant: The New Native sling (non adjustable) and the Kangaroo Korner Adjustable fleece pouch. I barely used them. In order to get my baby into the New Native sling he had to be bent around me and squeezed into the pouch. The Kangaroo Korner sling was more flexible to put him into but it was a bit too warm and I found the snap adjustments to be cumbersome.

I had decided to give up on slings and just use the Baby Bjorn (which was killing my back) until my doula encouraged me to try the adjustable Over the Shoulder Baby Holder. I have to admit I didnâ€™t take right to it even though I watched the video and tried different positions. It wasnâ€™t until I started breastfeeding him in it that I started to get the hang of it. Once we both got used to it, I became completely dependent on it. Especially once he was out of his infant car seat (the bucket that you carry). The sling made it really easy to get him out of the car with whatever else I needed to carry and firmly attach him with his legs around my hip and have my hands free. The Zolowear Solarveil is popular among my friends. It folds up to nothing and you can pop it in your purse.

You can find a comparison of slings at Peppermint.

Toxic sippy cups?

nkd5 — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 01:21:36 +0000

An article came out recently about the health impacts of Bisphenol A, a chemical used in the plastic of certain popular-brand bottles and sippy cups. Apparently, the chemical is leeching out of the plastic and into the fluid in the container.

The NIH said studies have indicated the chemical may mimic a natural female sex hormone, and the upcoming review comes in part due to its widespread human exposure and evidence of reproductive toxicity in animal studies.

Although there is controversy about whether or not the amount of chemical consumed by babies is enough to cause damage, why take a chance? But are the alternatives any better?Based on this article and a tip from a friend, I bought an expensive ($11, BornFree- Bisphenol A free) sippy cup from Whole Foods. But, after using it a few times I have decided to return it. The water in the sippy cup tastes like plastic, no matter how many times I cleaned it. It also didn’t hold the water in very well.

I am going to try the Klean Kanteen, the have a stainless steel bottle that is non-leaching. I’ll try one for myself too since found out that Nalgene bottles contain Bisphenol A. They address it on their website here.
Any recommendations are welcome.

LANAcare

nkd5 — Sun, 04 Mar 2007 14:43:55 +0000

During the first few weeks of nursing my nipples were very sore, even though baby had a good latch (this is normal). The Nansinoh lotion with natural lanolin helped a lot and was especially good because baby could nurse even with it applied. But what gave me the most relief was the LANACare nursing pads. They are made of 100% wool (which is where lanolin comes from), and are very soft and comfortable. After sleeping with them on for a couple of days my nipples felt much better. Also, the nursing pads are not as obvious under your clothes as the other store bought ones. They are a bit on the expensive side, but well worth it.

Cabbage leaves for clogged ducts

nkd5 — Sun, 04 Mar 2007 14:39:42 +0000

I thought my friend who suggested it was crazyâ€“so much so that the first time I had a clogged duct I politely ignored her advice. The second time I got a clogged duct I was so afraid of getting an infection that I would have tried anything. Hot compress, gental massage and a cabbage leaf tucked in my bra, over the area that was clogged. For me, it worked like magic! After an hour or two the clogged ducted was completely gone. If I have I could tell a nursing mother only one piece of advice, it would be to use a cabbage leaf when you have a clogged ducts

More information can be found here:

test

nkd5 — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 21:41:29 +0000

does this mp3 file get link to accurately?

Megabrat- “bearly” used winter clothes

nkd5 — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 04:40:10 +0000

I had a great experience ordering a “bearly used” snowsuit and winter boots from an online vendor called Megabrat. The prices are very resonable and the clothing is in great shape.

Although the site says clothes for boys, I see clothes for girls there too. Also, after corresponding with Cody (the owner) several times about items and fit, I learned that he has much more stock than what’s posted online. So he is happy to personally help you find exactly what you are looking for and will send you pictures/description and measurements.

Leche, Baby!

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