johncsnider

I am sharing a great video from Stanford on how to get almost 2x the milk from pumping for premature babies and moms immediately returning to work outside the home. Of course only nursing (no bottles) is the best way to have a good supply of breastmilk as the baby can eat on demand and his or her suction is the best type for draining and stimulating more milk. Pumping is not as great at getting milk out. New moms who try to pump when their babies are very small find that little or no milk comes out. These moms should try to keep the baby on the breast as much as possible. If the baby is premature or she is already returning to work outside the home, here is a great "hands-on" method to use your hands and pump simultaneously to maximize output. If output does not increase a Lactation Consultant should be privately hired (pediatricians and OBGYNs are not specialized in milk production). http://newborns.stanford.edu/Breastfeeding/MaxProduction.html

GIVEAWAY ALERT! You, my readers, have given me so much support!  So much so that I am going to the next level and I am thanking you for it. I set up a Facebook Page and if you LIKE it by December 20th , I will enter you to win a FREE brand new double breast-pump: The First Years Breastflow Memory Pump valued at $179.99 . Do you just want to support me and don't need a pump? No problem. You can pass on the pump or have it shipped anywhere: a friend, a relative or a women's shelter. I had the opportunity to try this pump and it turned the head of every woman in the pumping room. The entire ensemble is incredibly light weight which was great for lugging around all day at the conference that I was at. The handle allowed for me to easily pump one handed. It's battery is  rechargeable and was able to hold enough charge for me to go all day without plugging in although I had the light-weight plug in my bag just in case. It makes a great travel pump. The First Years® Breast...

As parents we all want to see our children reach their highest potential. We know that we cannot protect them from every danger, toxin, and heartache. We all want to make the decisions that will have the best long term outcome on our children. Some moms and dads have known the secret to a higher I.Q. for thousands of years. Yet it comes as a news-breaker in papers such as the NYTimes when JAMA Pediatrics, a major mainstream medical journal, publishes a study about it. The World Health Organization recommends doing this for at least 2 years. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends doing it for at least 1 year.  Breastfeeding 1+ years WILL increase your child's I.Q. (for those who have already chosen the formula path, have adopted, or have serious medical issues I am in the process of writing a post on how to pick the healthiest formula so check back and don't feel left out!) Below is the latest study including the results and conclusion (the important part). ...

Not a Pre-Planned Birth During this blogging experiment, I have been planning and awaiting the arrival of Baby #3. She was due 8/24/12. Like my other babies, that due date came and past. My other two births were pushed along before my body went into labor. For this birth, I was worried that my husband would not be able to make it from work in time. My last labor was only 3 hours and I was thankful that we lived near my husband's work. Now we are in the suburbs and my hospital was even further away (a two hour trip from his office to the hospital). I could use a closer hospital but there is nothing closer that has midwives. So I tried to "plan" the birth! The day before my due date, my husband took the day off and went to my midwife appointment with me. We hoped that she would strip my membranes and send me into labor. Unfortunately the baby was not low enough yet and she worried that the cord could get in the way. So instead we had a "date" and went out to lunc...

My method: a prefold diaper in a cover. image: www.omahababystore.com The main reason why I love cloth diapering is that I love knowing that my baby's diapers are not going to sit in the landfill! The way that I wash diapers once a week is ABSOLUTELY more environmentally sound than disposable diapers. Of course it is also nice to know that my little one's skin does not have the carcinogenic bleaches and chemicals rubbing against her sensitive genitals. Both of my kids were out of daytime diapers at 18 months and I attribute this to them "feeling" wet in their cotton cloth diapers (and some reading that I had done about early potty training). Act I: The Diaper Service When my first baby was born in our little NYC apartment (no washer/dryer), we used a diaper service for the first 6 months. It seemed nice because we didn't have to deal with the laundry or the up front investment of diapers. The diaper service only used the prefold style of diapers pictured above. On...

We all spent years and years in school to essentially learn how to survive in the real world.  Many people went to specialized schools or universities to get an even more specialized education.  Most of us did not learn a thing about raising children and how they develop.  When I was first pregnant, I was overwhelmed with the fact that I knew nothing about raising kids or changing diapers.  There is a lot that parents SHOULD know before they bring the baby home from the hospital. Yes there are 45 minute parenting workshops at the hospital but they tell you little more than how to change a diaper, bathe the child, and not hit or shake your child. You may have family that are willing to help and be a wealth of information but I highly suggest reading books on different methods and determine what YOUR parenting style will be.  If you don't educate yourself then you are blindly sending your child down a path that molds their future. These are the books that I found...

Pumping at Work There is no doubt that some working women find it hard to schedule breast pumping into their schedules. It is important to talk to your employer (ideally before you have your baby) and to find out your state's laws. When I took classes, I had to pump in a corner of a hallway but I did it. My mom in the 1970s was one of the minority who breastfeed. She used to sit in the corner of her company's break room and hand-pump -- thanks mom! Section 4207 of the law amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.Code 207) to require an employer to provide reasonable break time for an employee to express breast milk for her nursing child for one year after the child’s birth each time such employee has need to express milk. The employer is not required to compensate an employee receiving reasonable break time for any work time spent for such purpose. The employer must also provide a place, other than a bathroom, for the employee to express breast milk. If these require...

Nursing Tank from Target $20 After your new baby arrives, it will feel great to be out and about when you are back in the swing of things. Then there is the moment that every new mother dreads: a hungry baby.  Oh no, the baby is crying and you don't want anyone to think that YOUR baby cries!  You want to get milk in the baby as fast as possible.  Luckily you don't bottle feed and have to get all that stuff in order.  All you have to do is sit down and give the baby a breast. My friend Melissa (and fellow Holistic Moms Network Co-leader) wrote all the details out to  Breastfeed Your Baby in Public with Confidence . Like Melissa, I don't think that the solution is to pump then bottle feed! She has great tips. I don't recommend a cape or cover-up for nursing. They are scary for most kids and confusing for the mom causing stress and a possibly stressed out baby. Most of the time in public, I put a receiving blanking near the baby's face after a latch if I want ...

There is an extremely small percentage of women who cannot breastfeed. Sadly most women who I have met who claim to have not been able to breastfeed, were not evaluated by a professional lactation consultant. I hear things like "I didn't have enough milk," "it didn't feel like my milk came in," "the baby seems hungry," "it hurt," "the baby wouldn't latch properly," "the baby has digestion issues with my milk," and much more! Please, please, please, have a good reference for a lactation consultant at your fingertips BEFORE you give birth. That way, if you have any questions or issues, all you have to do is pick up the phone. Most consultants will come to the hospital or your home. Ask on your local mom boards or your local Le Leche League leader. It is still shocking to me that babies are not born knowing how to breastfeed but they must be taught. And us as mothers, have to learn how to breastfeed and how to teach...

In the movies it seems like a woman goes into labor, runs to the hospital, lays on her back and then has her baby. In reality, most women have an early labor that lasts for hours (and often days) in which it is in their best interest to stay home and work through their labor before going to the hospital. So what do you do at home?  Well a good birthing class will teach you what to do during each stage of labor and delivery. Most importantly, birthing classes give moms and partners the self confidence that they need and the tools to empower themselves. I am sure that most of you reading this are looking for a natural un-medicated birth and a good class will teach you how to be in control of your body and not experience "pain." There are several options that you should investigate to see what is the best option for you. image: www.123rf.com ronen Doula For my first birth, I had a doula who came to our home and gave my husband and I private birth preparation classes. ...

image: http://www.freeimages.co.uk What is a birth plan? A birth plan is a list of what you want during labor, delivery and postpartum. It is helpful for you to sit down and decide on what decisions you want made in advance so you are not having to make spur of the moment decisions in between contractions and no details will be forgotten.  During my first pregnancy, I had so much to learn and found it useful just to read through the options that my doctor never told me about. I became very educated by just researching what those options meant! Free birth plan template. This one is really good from Earth Mama Angel Baby:  http://www.earthmamaangelbaby.com/free-birth-plan Should I create a birth plan? During my first pregnancy, my doula had me review all the birthing options. She was adamant about me not being too set on a fixed "birth plan" because she wanted me to be flexible and not get too disappointed if my dream birth did not happen. Since my doula was at my side the ...

I had no clue what a doula was. Then two moms both raved about their doula. As soon as my husband heard the other husbands rave about their doulas, he was sold and instantly made me call her and hire her. The story that got me was the couple that went for the cessation with a breach baby. Of course that was not in their birth plan but they said that the doula kept them both calm and turned it into an embracing and positive experience where it would have been horrifying without her. I had a doula for my first birth and she was priceless.   And of course she shared her wonderful pregnancy tea recipe with me! I will speak more about her when it is my turn to tell my birth story. For my second birth, my midwife told me not to have a doula because she (psychic or really talented?) predicted how fast my labor would be and told me that as soon as my contracts started, I needed to run to the hospital and that she would be at my side the entire time! It was true! Here is some information ...

Stokke High Chair As promised in my Useless Baby Registry Items and Useful But Not Necessary Baby Registry Items posts, here is my list of what you must have on your baby registry or in your home. To be truly green would be to make your own items or to have used items. If you cannot find them used or homemade, only buy it if you are sure that you will get very good use out of it for a long time . Baby carrier . Babies are used to being next to your body for nine months. They are calmed by the sounds and smells of your body. When a baby is born, it is widely known that babies do best skin to skin with their mom which is where they are used to being. It only makes sense that when you are out for a walk (or trying to cook dinner), your baby will be most comfortable up against your body. I have often seen screaming newborns being walked or driven around the block in a stroller/carseat to get the child to sleep with the white noise and movement. This seems so silly since the baby just wa...

image: 123rf.com Moodboard As I plan for the arrival of my third baby, I need to buy some crib sheets, and a pacifier (to stuff in her mouth while asleep, on airplanes, or during screaming fits in the car).  This short list is because I own everything that I need (including mama milk and cloth diapers).   My heart breaks when I see first time moms (or subsequent moms) engulfed in the consumerism of useless baby items. I know firsthand what is useful because my first two babies were born into a small one bedrooms NYC apartment with no storage. We simply did not have the space for "things" that we could only use for a short time so we took the opinion of "let's live without it and see if need it" . After having the second child, we moved into a house and had endless storage so our baby supplies have increased greatly (thanks mostly to donations and yard sales) but we still only have what we really need. The most important thing is not to be afraid to return thing...