Virtual Breastfeeding Help™. com - Exceptional Breastfeeding Home Visits via SKYPE

Cafe Laurie
Biological Nurturing
Our Blog Spot



Our Valentine Special was a huge success and we want to THANK all the wonderful mommies that made donations to:
And received their FREE 30-Minute Consultations!  After all it was -

For the LOVE of a CHILD!
                                                





March 1, 2010
National Nutrition Month

January 17, 2010

HAITI NEEDS BREASTFEEDING MOMS

In light of the recent earthquake in Haiti, I am re-posting (with editing) something I wrote for World Breastfeeding Awareness Week 2009. This is a small effort to  educate people about the importance of breastfeeding the babies in Haiti.  Our hearts and prayers are with all the mothers in Haiti who are breastfeeding a stranger’s baby to save the baby's life.

Please choose to donate to an organization involved in the relief efforts in Haiti that supports breastfeeding in emergencies. As a starting place to determine which agency in your home country to support, the Emergency Nutrition Network (ENN) has a list of key resources and policies on infant and young child feeding in emergencies. On that page you can find links to a list of agencies that have been involved in policy guidance and implementation on infant feeding. The ENN also has a list of its supporters around the world.

A Few Important Things To Know
  • Breastfeeding plays a vital role in emergencies worldwide.
  • Active protection and support of breastfeeding is needed before and during emergencies.
  • Mothers, breastfeeding advocates, communities, health professionals, governments, aid agencies, donors, and the media need to be informed on how they can actively support breastfeeding before and during an emergency.
  • Collaboration between those with breastfeeding skills and those involved in emergency response is imperative.
  • Children are the most vulnerable in emergencies – child mortality can soar from 2 to 70 times higher than average due to diarrhoea, respiratory illness and malnutrition.
  • Breastfeeding is a life saving intervention and protection is greatest for the youngest infants. Even in non-emergency settings, non-breastfed babies under 2 months of age are six times more likely to die.
  • Emergencies can happen anywhere in the world. Emergencies destroy what is ‘normal,’ leaving caregivers struggling to cope and infants vulnerable to disease and death.
  • During emergencies, mothers need active support to continue or re-establish breastfeeding.
  • Emergency preparedness is vital. Supporting breastfeeding in non-emergency settings will strengthen mothers’ capacity to cope in an emergency.
When we think of emergencies we think of earthquakes, hurricanes, tsunamis, war, and famine. The kinds of events that bring Red Cross volunteers to the frontlines, handing out food, water and formula and directing stranded individuals to shelter, providing the basic necessities for survival.  During emergencies, chaos is everywhere. There’s often no electricity, running water,or sanitation facilities, and while bottled water is good for drinking, more water is required for washing and sanitizing. Infants who must rely on formula are put at the highest risk when dirty bottles risk contamination and disease. No matter where one lives, mothers need to chose to breastfeed in order to ensure their babies health, safety and survival.
For young children, another component to survival is staying close to a parent. Breastfeeding is the best way to ensure a child is nourished, as well as feels safe, loved and protected in the arms of its mother. Why do you think even grown-ups cry for their mommy in the most frightening moments? We all need to be touched and cared for by someone who cares. Children trust their parents to provide that reassurance. Sometimes, another woman who is lactating can step in and nurse a lost or orphaned child. A police officer in Jiangyou, China breastfed nine babies after the May 12th, 2008 Sichuan earthquake which killed more than 69,000 people. She was proclaimed a hero. In the weeks ahead we will identify more HERO MOTHERS in Haiti. 
Breast milk can also be used to wash with and treat scrapes and other small wounds. When medical aids are scarce (or hospitals collapse) breast milk can be a precious commodity. Mothers with abundant supplies of breast milk can count their lucky stars in the time of crisis.
Moms who have weaned or only partially breastfeed can still nourish their babies by starting the process of re-lactation, which simply means breastfeeding as much as possible to stimulate the milk supply again.
Hopefully you will never find yourself in the middle of an emergency. However, if you do and you are still making milk, you are in a very good position to protect your children from life threatening illness, disease, and hunger. You are also in the position to be able to help other families and babies who do not have access to a food supply. While nursing another woman’s child (cross-nursing) might not be everyone’s cup of tea, I hope every woman who reads this might consider doing it if a crisis ever occurs where she lives.



January 2010

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Make your NEW YEARS' RESOLUTION to share the following 5 TIPS with new nursing mothers.  These tips will help support and educate them so they may continue to give their children one of life's greatest gifts. 

1.  More Than Likely, You're Making Plenty Of Milk!
2.  Successful Nursing Takes Practice
3.  One Bottle Won't Hurt, Will It?
4.  If You're Having Trouble, Help IS Available!
5.  Give Yourself A Break

Breastfeeding is, by far, the most beautiful bond shared between mother and child. Not only is breastmilk the perfect food, but the mother-child connection created while nursing is one that most breastfeeding moms agree to be unparalled.Sadly, many mothers do not create this bond with their children. Some women are unsure how to breastfeed, some are uneducated about the benefits of breastfeeding, and others are unsupported. Some women may feel intimidated or afraid. Our society is not one that has completely normalized breastfeeding as it should be. In a world where formula companies run endless ads promoting their concoctions and nursing mothers are sometimes ostracized by airlines, corporations, and even celebrities, women face mixed messages about the importance and ease of breastfeeding. If more women were properly educated and prepared for this wonderful bond, they might enjoy more success. The following are five tips for new nursing mothers to help support and educate them so that they may continue to give their children one of life's greatest gifts.

1.  More Than Likely, You're Making Plenty Of Milk!
One of the biggest reasons new mothers turn to formula is the belief that they are not making enough milk. Some parenting books suggest putting babies on a schedule of four-hour feedings. While this might work for formula fed babies, breastmilk digests faster, leaving the breastfed baby wanting to nurse more frequently. New mothers should be aware that their nursing babies do best when fed on demand - and they demand a lot! Besides filling baby's tummy, mothers need to realize that nursing is a source of great comfort for the new baby. Suckling and being close to mom is often as good as the milk they receive, so babies sometimes want to be in that spot much of the time.
2.  Successful Nursing Takes Practice
When new mothers think of nursing they usually think of it as a beautiful, easy relationship between mother and baby right from the start. When they don't know is that it doesn't always get started as easy as planned.  Sometimes a mother and baby struggle as they are first learning to nurse.  New moms need to remember that while they are learning to breastfeed, so is baby. New mothers can be encouraged to place their babies on top of their chests and watch as babies naturally gravitate and latch on to a breast.   Many babies struggle and cry and refuse to latch in the beginning - they are as new to the idea that they must now suckle for food as is the mother that she must provide this nourishment. This struggle occurs during the first few days and is normal behavior, but it can be frustrating. New moms should be supported and told that these feelings of frustration are normal and they will pass. Practicing breastfeeding creates a successful breastfeeding relationship.
3.  One Bottle Won't Hurt, Will It?
Many well-meaning relatives want to help. One way that family members think to help the new mom is by offering to give the baby a bottle and allow mom a chance to rest, relax, and even sleep! While the new mother may be tempted to take this kind offer, she should be aware that introducing a bottle too early to a new baby still learning to breastfeed can lead to problems. A bottle nipple is easier and different for baby than suckling at the breast.  In addition, a mother is unable to build up a full milk supply when bottles are given before 6-8 weeks. 
4.  If You're Having Trouble, Help IS Available!
New mothers can feel very alone when learning to nurse their babies. No one else can really help with feedings and if mom doesn't have other women in her life who were successful nursers it can seem that everyone is pushing a bottle toward the baby. There IS help available.  Supportive and knowledgeable Virtual Breastfeeding HelpLactation Consultants are available at all times in the comfort of mothers' own homes via SKYPE. Mothers should never be too embarrassed or wait too long to seek help and make an appointment with one of our Lactation Professionals.  No problem is too big to handle easily and quickly.  Watch the short DEMO to see how our consultations work.
5.  Give Yourself A Break
Many new mothers are too hard on themselves after giving birth. Birth is a huge ordeal and new mother need to rest and spend quiet time with their babies. Many mothers see laundry mounting, dishes piling in the sink, and older children needing to be cared for and feel a sense of despair - how can they get everything done? Mothers need to be easier on themselves and allow others to care for the household while mom cuddles in bed with her new baby! This is where those relative wanting to help can lend a hand. Instead of giving the baby a bottle, fathers and partners, mothers and in-laws can be more helpful by helping keep the house in order and caring for other children while the new mom and baby spend time practicing and establishing their breastfeeding relationship.  The mother who allows herself this time will be rewarded with a quickly established bond between baby and herself as well as time to heal and recuperate. In the end, the mother who sets aside time in the beginning to practice breastfeeding may find that she is actually back on her feet and in the swing of things sooner than the mother who tries to accomplish too much at once. Laundry can wait, but a breastfeeding relationship won't.

Hopefully these five tips will help the new mother feel confident in her choice and educated in where to find support and help. If she learns to take cues from baby, ask for help, and allow herself time to heal and practice her new found art, the new nursing mother will likely be rewarded with a strong, beautiful, breastfeeding relationship with her child, and the bond that is created will be one of her most cherished.


October 3, 2009

Breastfeeding Challenge Event Raffle WINNER

I am happy to announce that smiling Sarah, proud mother of beautiful baby, Ania, is the WINNER of the Virtual Breastfeeding Help '45 Minute Consultation' ($100 value). 
Congratulations, Sarah and Ania!  
















SFV's 2009 Breastfeeding Challenge - Saturday October 3
























We all had a wonderful time yesterday at the San Fernando Valley's 2009 Breastfeeding Challenge. The Breastfeeding Challenge is a GLOBAL event to create awareness about the importance of breastfeeding.  This year's Challenge was on Saturday, October 3, 2009.  The goal was to get as many mothers as possible from all over the world to breastfeed their babies and have an enjoyable morning! The event was not only fun but quite the success.  Over 100 breastfeeding families and friends showed up for the SFV Breastfeeding Challenge to show their support.  46 babies were latched-on simultaneously to 44 moms during the official Breastfeeding Latch-On Challenge at 11:00am!

























September 4, 2009
AAP Statement on Passing of Senator Edward M. Kennedy


David T. Tayloe Jr., MD, FAAP, president, American Academy of Pediatrics
“On behalf of our 60,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists, the American Academy of Pediatrics joins with America in mourning the passing of Senator Edward M. Kennedy.
“Senator Kennedy was a true champion of children and their well-being throughout his career in the Senate. He knew first-hand what it was like to have a sick child, and that understanding and compassion was reflected in his decades of work on behalf of our nation’s youngest citizens.
“The work of Senator Kennedy on behalf of children cannot be overstated. His legacy includes working across party lines to provide millions of children access to crucial health care and immunizations, creating the largest funded program for children living with HIV/AIDS, and allowing for higher education grants and loans.
“As we move forward, it is the Academy’s hope that we remember what Senator Kennedy already knew: that the life success of every child must be this nation’s highest priority. Senator Kennedy worked his entire life towards the goal of passing comprehensive health care reform—for our children and for all Americans. Let us now come together and honor him by finishing what he started—let us pass health reform that includes what is best for children this year.”
Let's push for Obama's Health Care Plan to be called "Kennedy Care"!!



September 2009
September is Mommy & Baby Bonding Month
Bonding is the intense attachment that develops between a mother and her baby. It makes her want to shower her baby with love and affection and to protect and nourish her little one. Bonding makes mothers attentive to her baby's wide range of needs.
Scientists are still learning a lot about bonding. They know that the strong ties between parents and their child provide the baby's first model for intimate relationships and foster a sense of security and positive self-esteem. And parents' responsiveness to an infant's signals can affect the child's social and cognitive development.

Why Is Bonding Important?
Bonding is essential for a baby. Studies of newborn monkeys who were given mannequin mothers at birth showed that, even when the mannequins were made of soft material and provided formula to the baby monkeys, the babies were better socialized when they had live mothers to interact with. The baby monkeys with mannequin mothers were more likely to suffer from despair, as well as failure to thrive. Scientists suspect that lack of bonding in human babies can cause similar problems.

Bonding is a process, not something that takes place within minutes and not something that has to be limited to happening within a certain time period after birth. For many parents, bonding is a byproduct of everyday caregiving. You may not even know it's happening until you observe your baby's first smile and suddenly realize that you're filled with love and joy.

The Ways Babies Bond
When you're a new parent, it often takes a while to understand your newborn's true capabilities and all the ways you can interact:
  • Touch becomes an early language as babies respond to skin-to-skin contact. It's soothing for both you and your baby while promoting your baby's healthy growth and development.
  • Eye-to-eye contact provides meaningful communication at close range.
  • Babies can follow moving objects with their eyes.
  • Your baby tries — early on — to imitate your facial expressions and gestures.
  • Babies prefer human voices and enjoy vocalizing in their first efforts at communication. Babies often enjoy just listening to your conversations, as well as your descriptions of their activities and environments.


Making an Attachment
Bonding with your baby is probably one of the most pleasurable aspects of infant care. Begin with 'Laid-Back Breastfeeding'! 
Bonding usually occurs naturally almost immediately for breastfeeding mothers. Infants respond to the smell and touch of their mothers, as well as the responsiveness of the parents to their needs.
Adoptive and intended parents may be concerned about bonding with their baby. Although it might happen sooner for some than others, adopted and intended babies and their parents have the opportunity to bond just as well as biological parents and their children.
ENJOY this time with your baby - these are precious moments never to be experienced again!


August 3, 2009
August is Breastfeeding Awareness Month
"Breastfeeding - A Vital Emergency Response"

July 18, 2009 - C-Sections on the Rise - Part 2 (Problems for Baby with Mother-Infant Separation for ANY Reason)
In my previous blog Part 1, I talked about the serious rise in the number of c-sections and I alluded to the problems associated with c-sections.  The main problem is one many have never recognized as a problem - separation of mother and baby after birth.  What's the big deal separating mother and baby?  Mothers need their rest....Babies need to be monitored......Well, let me tell you the practices lead by this thinking are absolutely unsafe for both mother and baby.  I will discuss the problems that arise for babies in this Part 2 blog.  In the uterine HABITAT, oxygenation is provided through the placenta and the cord, as well as warmth, nutrition and protection. These are the four basic biological needs. Parturition (birth) represents a "habitat transition". In the new habitat, the basic needs remain the same. Research over the last ten years concludes the newborn, in the skin-to-skin habitat (baby between mother's breast skin-to-skin), not the mother or the health care providers, provides these basic needs. Oxygenation has been shown to improve with skin-to-skin contact. Breathing becomes regular and stable, and is coordinated with heart rate. Warmth is controlled within a very narrow range by mother's core temperature.  When the infant is cold the mother's core temperature can rise 2-3 degrees and fall 1-2 degrees when baby is hot. Nutrition is improved, both with respect to the baby's ability to breastfeed, and with respect to the newborn’s utilization of the feed. The volume of mother’s milk and the frequency of feeds is greatly increased. Even without the increased milk, with the vagal stimulation the infant receives, the gut is better able to use the milk provided, and the baby does not lose weight. Protection of the baby by the mother is critical and this behavior is dependent on skin-to-skin contact.  The stimulations the newborn gives the mother during skin-to-skin contact elicit caregiving and protective behaviors from the mother. The baby’s legs kicking on the mother’s abdomen cause the mother’s uterus to contract strongly, preventing postpartum bleeding. The primary violation, the worst case scenario, to any newborn is separation from its mother. “Protest-despair” behavior is a stress reaction, and the hormones related to this have been extensively studied. At high levels, these hormones are neurotoxic to the brain, particularly areas of the hindbrain, and any area which may be already a little hypoxic. Skin-to-skin contact has been shown to markedly reduce these levels. Numerous study findings support the presence of a period after birth (the early “sensitive period”) during which close contact between mother and infant may induce long-term positive effect on mother-infant interaction. Therefore, hospital practice that includes any separation or prevention of immediate skin-to-skin contact, including swaddling of the infant has been found to decrease the mother's responsiveness to the infant, her ability for positive affective involvement with her infant, and the mutuality and reciprocity in the dyad.  I will discuss the problems that arise for mothers in my next Part 3 blog later this week.

July 13, 2009 - C-Sections on the Rise- Part 1
C-sections are on the rise and are actually out of control in some locations.  I know of several hospitals where the c-section rates are over 75% and I have been told to keep this a secret!  Humm, I wonder why?? No wonder mothers are having more and more difficulty breastfeeding their babies from the first moment of life.  More and more babies' first moments of life are spent in a hospital operating room. This is NOT the environment where babies find a welcoming and calm setting.  Babies are not immediately placed on mothers' chests skin-to-skin to start the wonderful bonding process. Babies are routinely separated from their mothers and whisked away to who knows where....This early separation has such negative effects on both the mother and the baby that one day we will see laws forbidding this routine hospital practice.  I will write more about the detrimental effects to mother, baby and the breastfeeding experience later in Part 2.  In the mean time please check out the article published today about several hospitals in the Brockton area of Massachusetts.

July 4, 2009 - Happy 4th of July!!!
Three reasons to celebrate today:
1.  Our freedom
2.  My hubby's birthday - Happy Birthday, Bill
We decided to really go 'all out' this year to celebrate Bill's birthday.  We're having a huge fireworks show on top of our mountain and we're having the Philharmonic perform - should be a blast tonight!



We might even get lucky and see the "Annual Burning of Mt Rubidoux" - AWESOME!


3.  Time with your family
Enjoy the time together - this is the time when memories are made.  I have fond memories of the 4ths of July while growing up - first we would all pile in the station wagon (bring along a bunch of the neighbor girls) and spend the day at the beach.  We'd come home at dusk just in time to have a block picnic and fireworks show.  I love the sparklers.  Check out Bill's cake above - the candles were actually sparklers!  So much fun...
July 1, 2009 - The Marketing of Infant Formula Escalates  
Why are formula companies stepping up their advertising campaigns?  Could it be that breastfeeding is on the rise and their revenues are decreasing?  Not only are formula companies advertising in parenting magazines they are now placing ads in mainstream magazines and on mainstream websites.  The current main offender is Mead Johnson.  They are running a new ad "Can formula support the way your baby develops?" on Celebrity-Babies.com.  This is the leading website for the most up-to-date info on celebrities and their babies.  Celebrity-Babies.com receives 1 million page views per day with a large number of these viewers expectant mothers. This ad rotates with other ads so it is not always on each page all the time, but periodically appears on the various pages of the website. Celebrity-babies.com is owned by PEOPLE magazine, which has also started running full-page formula ads, especially in high-selling issues featuring the latest celebrity babies. With such a large circulation PEOPLE's decision to run formula ads is extremely damaging to breastfeeding. Formula company ads have been working to dupe parents into thinking that formula is equivalent to human milk,  their strategy is working. So many people now believe they are 2 very similar products.  These ads have now moved to mainstream media outlets and with that formula feeding is normalized - you see famous people and Hollywood stars right next to the formula ads.  Most people will see this as the famous people use this product - even though it doesn't actually say that, it is the unsaid messages that are so powerful.  And, who loses - our mothers and our babies.  Any, who wins - the pharmecutical companies who own the formula companies - BIG BUSINESS. 
June 27, 2009 - Human Milk for Human Babies - MUST READS
Wow, I am so glad I found these 2 articles in Oprah's O Magazine.  They are both great....


I am outraged over the insurance companies not covering this vital and critical "medicine". Does this have something to do with the drug companies not making any $$? Hummm....I wonder.  The baby's doctors' responses: "One doctor pointed out that for ill or preterm infants, 'human milk is not just nutrition; it is a vital medicine' (preterm infants fed human milk have a lower risk for sepsis and necrotizing enterocolitis, and spend fewer days in the hospital). Another doctor was more blunt: 'After practicing for 32 years, I am still not able to understand the thought processes insurance companies use. … [T]he decision not to cover the cost of donor breast milk for this family [is] one of the most illogical I have ever encountered.'" Good for them!! 
Baby Gabriel in this article received breast milk from Lynn Page, the mother in the next article!


Lynn Page and her husband packed 7,260 ounces of frozen breastmilk into freezers and placed the freezers in a trailer they hitched to their Ford Focus.  The Page's drove over 2 hours to deliver the single largest donation of human milk ever - over 56 gallons!  Some of Lynn's milk helped save baby Gabriel in the above story.
June21, 2009 - Happy Father's Day!!!
Dad's Important Role in Supporting Breastfeeding  
Dads play a very important role in a mother's decision to breast-feed.  We all are convinced that fathers can influence a mother’s decision to breastfeed. So I challenge all of you to get as many fathers involved in prenatal education as possible. An encouraging father makes a new mother feel that she has the support she needs to successfully breastfeed. Some fathers are uncomfortable with breastfeeding due to the changes to their partners’ bodies or because it takes more of their partners’ time. They feel like they are spectators or outsiders when it comes to caring for their babies. By encouraging couples to work together and by giving fathers specific roles in baby care, both parents can care for their infant, each in their own special way. 

These are some of the ways fathers can be encouraged to do that will help with breast-feeding and make him feel very much a part of the new family:
- Share their own ideas and concerns about feeding choices
- Show support by going to classes to learn more and to find ways to help out
- Learn ways to help make mom and baby more comfortable for nursing (a huge help to mom in those first weeks when everything seems difficult)
- Provide all the feeding “extras” such as burping, cooing, caressing, calming, cuddling, diapering and rocking to sleep
- When baby is about six-weeks old and breastfeeding is going well, fathers may choose to offer a feeding of expressed breastmilk to their babies
- Be positive about the breastfeeding experience

Ways fathers can bond with their babies:
- Babies respond to fathers if fathers respond to their babies.
- Fathers can talk to, make funny faces and noises at, hold, touch and play with  baby.
- Daddy’s bare chest provides skin-to-skin contact with baby. 
- Fathers can give baby a body massage.
- Fathers enjoy singing and dancing with their babies.
- Babies enjoy stroller rides or rides in the car with daddies.
- Fathers can carry their babies in a sling or backpack.  Babies will snuggle safe and sound close to daddy. This helps baby recognize father's smell, walk and body rhythms.
- The more time baby spends with father in quiet times, the more likely he or she will respond to dad  during “fussy” times.
- Fathers are great with other baby needs too — like bathing, diapering and dressing.

Most of all encourage fathers to enjoy and spend time with their babies.

June 15, 2009
My son, Nate, the one who gave me the wonderful name "MOTHER", turned 21 today. Where did the time go?  The celebration of his milestone is a double edged sword - On one side, I can't believe my job is over, I will miss it so very much.  And, on the other side,  I am so very proud that I have been instrumental in raising the smart, ambitious, kind and talented young man, Nate! Happy Birthday, Natey Boy!!  
Nate, then            
                     and
 
                          Nate, now
                
                                                       Nate and Kohl
                                                                                                                               
June 8, 2009
"Baby" Kohl graduated from High School today.  Wow, I cannot believe it.  My "baby" is not a "baby" any longer. Where did the time go?  I am so proud of Kohl...He not only graduated with high honors he also graduates with lots of wonderful friends.  He will be entering college in the STEM Program (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) this Fall. Congratulations, Kohl!

Baby Kohl, then            
                        and
 
                       Kohl, now 
                
June 6, 2009
1.  Baby Wearing
I know my Brain Wiring post got lots of people quite concerned.   Everyone seems to agree that a mother and baby dyad are a single psychobiological organism.  However, the idea of a mother and baby staying together 24/7 for the first 2 months is a hard concept for a mother to wrap her mind around. Remember, she just went out and bought a nursery full of beautiful furniture and accessories including a ‘luv-n-hug power plus plug-in swing’, a ‘soft-embrace comfort bouncer’, a ‘baby Einstein stationary entertainer’ and a 'especially for baby breathe easy sleep positioner' to name just a few. It’s time to add on to the house! 
I do understand, we all did this with our first baby, myself included.  Then, we found out what we really had was a beautifully furnished playroom – that’s OK.  Only the beautiful playroom was filled with a lot of “stuff”.  What we later found out is all we really needed was a sling or other wrap to wear our baby. – now that saved us a ton of money and space.  A perfect “sell” for mothers-to-be during a recession.  Please check out the Baby Wearer link on the right panel.  AND, don’t forget about our “ring slings” we have for sale at our WIC sites and our Lactation Clinics for ONLY $35.00 – they are beautiful.

2.  Hard Things About Parenting 
What are some of the really hard things about parenting?
  • Your baby seems to need you all the time. It can be tricky to get much else done, other than care for your baby.
  • You want your baby to be as happy and content as she can be.
  • Sometimes this seems really hard - tiring and frustrating.
  • It can be difficult to have much of a life, while so much of your time is taken up with your baby.
3.  The Perfect Solution for Active Moms
Babywearing =Keeping Baby Happy + Getting On With Your Life
It's also great for your baby:
  • Babies cry less. Research has shown that babies who are carried cry (on average) 43% less overall and 54% less during the evening hours. In cultures where babies are carried almost continuously, babies cry significantly less than those in non-carrying cultures.
  • Good for baby's mental development. Babies spend more time in a "quiet, alert state" when carried - the ideal state for learning. Their senses are stimulated while being carried (yet there is a place to retreat, too). When carried, your baby sees the world from where you do, instead of the ceiling above his crib or people's knees from a stroller. And the extra stimulation benefits brain development.
  • Good for baby's emotional development. Babies are quickly able to develop a sense of security and trust when they are carried. They are more likely to be securely attached to their mother and often become independent at an earlier age.
  • Good for baby's physical development. By being so close to your body's rhythms, your newborn "gets in rhythm" much more quickly. Your heartbeat, breathing, voice and warmth are all familiar. Research has shown how this helps newborns (especially premature babies) to adapt to life outside the womb.

While wearing your baby you can:
  • Cook dinner during the "arsenic hour" and soothe your baby at the same time
  • Do the gardening, chores, socialize, even dance, while providing a stimulating learning environment for your baby
  • Breastfeed hands-free while on the phone or shopping
  • Keep your baby close and happy while playing with your toddler
  • Get some exercise (walking) while your baby sleeps
  • Avoid lugging around an awkward, heavy carseat, or battle getting a stroller into your car, onto a bus or up stairs.
Imagine that......
Please check out the Baby Wearer.

June 3, 2009

I attended a conference "Perinatal Neuroscience" featuring the internationally-known speaker Dr. Nils Bergman of Cape Town, South Africa.  Armed with this critical information I am now on a mission to educate ALL parents-to-be on how their babies brain will develop and what they can do to guarantee their baby is really smart.  WE have known attachment parenting is the best for families, we did not know how critical attachment parenting is for a baby's developing brain.  Here are the basic principles of brain development:
  • During the first 10-14 weeks fetal brain development is determined by genes (DNA)  NATURE
  • Thereafter, brain growth is an active process determined by experiences in the environment. NURTURE
  • There are critical windows of opportunity in early life when a child's brain is primed to receive sensory input in order to develop advanced neural systems.  The first 3 years of brain development is the most critical.  The limbic system and the midbrain are fixed at the age of three.
  • The sensory input of a baby's experiences stimulates the creation of neural pathways, the firing and wiring of the brain.  These neural pathways can be good or bad, depending on the type of sensations and experiences.  "Cells that fire together, wire together." On the other hand, without the stimulation the critical neural pathways are not created.  "Use it or lose it."
  • The wiring of the brain's pathways is best supported when it receives quality sensory input through several pathways at once.  Sensory input includes touch, balance, smell, hearing and vision and each have a specific effect on the infant.
  • ALL of the sensory input is achieve simultaneously during breastfeeding.
  • High levels of tactile stimulation  is important for normal drain maturation during the first 2 months of life.  Tactile stimulation = skin-to-skin contact with deep touch (as opposed to light touch of the skin) occurring between mother and baby.
  • Quality sensory stimulation makes the brain able to think and regulate.  Positive experiences are embedded in the attachment relationship between mother and baby.
  • Negative experiences (which includes both ABSENCE of good and presence of bad) have LIFETIME negative effects.
The following is the information we must share with others:

  • Separation is harmful.  A mother and baby dyad are a single psychobiological organism and should NOT be separated.   Separation leads to many behavioral deviations in later child and adulthood
  • Crying is bad for your baby.  Effects of crying place infants at risk for physiological and psychosocial harm.
  • Keep your baby skin-to-skin for 2 months.  Place baby (in diaper only) on top of mother's heart between her breasts.  The provides deep tactile stimulation and frequent, unobstructed access to nourishment 
  • Read to your baby.  Einstien stated "If you want a smart child, read books to your baby.  But if you want a really smart child, read LOTS of books to your baby!"
                       Breastfed Babies are Best Fed Babies®!
Powered by Vistaprint. Website Hosting for Small Businesses.