Learning Styles

I found this video and it really struck a cord with me.

We are all different. We have different talents and we learn differently.

I think its important to remember that, even when we consider our little ones who are always learning.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8limRtHZPs

Breast Babies and Schedules

BREASTFED BABIES AND SCHEDULES

Breastfed babies typically need to nurse more often than their formula-fed peers. You may have a friend whose baby is on formula remark that her baby only feeds every 3-4 hours during the day and sleeps through the night. You may wonder why your breastfed baby's eating and sleeping patterns are quite different than this. Perhaps you have tried to put your baby on a schedule only to find that he cried before you thought he should or you found that you were constantly looking for other ways to pacify him until feeding time.

Breastmilk is digested with much more ease than formula. In fact, your first milk, known as colostrum, has a natural laxative effect on the baby, enabling him to pass the meconium (the stool he has been storing since before birth) more quickly. The earlier this stool is expelled the less likely your baby will develop jaundice. Due to breastmilk's ease of digestibility, breastfed babies are rarely constipated while only receiving mother's milk.

Formula consumption, on the other hand, puts a strain on baby's digestive system causing it to work "overtime". Thus the formula-fed baby sleeps for longer stretches of time and demands to feed less often. However, in this case, sleeping longer is not necessarily a good thing! The formula-fed baby is more likely to suffer with constipation than the solely breastfed baby.

Putting your breastfed baby on a rigid schedule may interfere with the successful intitiation of breastfeeding and put your baby at risk for slow weight gain and other developmental problems such as failure-to-thrive. Breastmilk is produced on a supply and demand basis. The more your baby nurses the more milk your body will make. The less your baby nurses the less milk your body will make. Insisting on an artificial schedule may result in not enough stimulation to your breasts and therefore a scanty milk supply. As a result you may not be able to fully meet your baby's nutritional requirements thus resulting in the need to supplement with artificial milk.

In the first few weeks of nursing when lactation is just becoming established, frequent, unrestricted feedings are crucial to establishing a healthy milk supply. Nursing at least every 2-3 hours during the day and at least once during the night even if your baby must be awakened for the first few weeks will ensure that your milk supply is established and remains adequate as your baby grows.

These frequent feedings also ensure that your baby is getting the milk that he needs. Most young babies need to nurse at least 8-12 times or every 2-3 hours during a 24 hour period. Studies show that newborns who are allowed to nurse frequently and on demand regain their birthweight more quickly and are at less risk for developing low blood sugar and jaundice. Conversely, babies who are fed strictly by the clock regain birthweight more slowly and need medical intervention for treatment of low blood sugar and jaundice largely due to the fact that their mothers' milk is slow to become more plentiful due to less frequent feedings.

Crying is actually a late hunger cue. Babies will all demonstrate early hunger cues such as turning the head side to side, rooting, bringing the hands to the mouth, and even sucking the hands before they cry.

As baby grows he will experience periods of heightened growth that generally last for several days. Commonly referred to as growth spurts, these periods require more feeding flexibility. Baby demands to feed more often and your body responds to this increased demand by increasing your milk supply. Adhering to a set schedule during these times may result in a baby who's increased caloric needs are not met. Furthermore, your breasts will not receive the added stimulation they require to boost up your supply to meet your baby's growing needs.

Many babies also "cluster feed", "stack feed" or "bunch feed". These are all different terms to describe a feeding pattern in which the baby nurses almost constantly for several hours. This is a normal pattern for a breastfed baby. Many will feed in this way prior to bedtime as they "tank up" for a longer period of sleep. Also milk supply is normally lower in the late afternoon and evening hours. Many babies compensate for this slight daily drop in mother's milk supply by feeding more often.

Finally, babies need to suck and find great consolation at the breast when they feel lonely, insecure, tired, overstimulated, and overwhelmed with the changing world. It is this non-nutritive need for mother's breast that ensures that this emotional as well as physical need is met. Thus, breastfeeding - unlike bottlefeeding - is more than feeding. It is communication between mother and baby. It is a form of nurturing; it is an act of love.

---

Written by Becky Flora, BSed, IBCLC

http://breastfeeding.hypermart.net/schedules.html

Past One Year

Many people wonder if there is any benefit to breastfeeding a baby beyond one year. Here are some references that might give some helpful info to answer that question. I believe there are many, many, many benefits and they go far beyond just nutrition (though, nutritionally, you can't beat breast milk ;)

These references were collected by Kathy Dettwyler while compiling research for her own studies and published material. Kathy has a Ph.D. in Anthropology and studies breastfeeding and other infant behavior from an anthropological standpoint. I find it very interesting.

http://www.kathydettwyler.org/detrefs.html

Breastfeeding a Toddler: One Mom's Perspective

A friend of mine passed along this link about a Mom who is breastfeeding her toddler (3 yrs) and she expresses some of her feelings about the experiences she has had doing so. I enjoyed it so I'm passing it on, too.

http://www.kveller.com/blog/parenting/it-may-be-time-to-wean-my-three-year-old/

What's in it....?

Ever wondered what's in breastmilk? Or how it compares with formula?

Check this out: It will amaze you.

http://www.bcbabyfriendly.ca/whatsinbreastmilkposter.pdf

A Letter From Baby...

A friend of mine shared this with me and she said it made her cry. Well... it made me cry, too!

Its a short narrative from the perspective of a newborn baby, explaining how they cherish their mother and the gift of breastfeeding. I thought it was so beautiful and so sweet, I had to share.

A Letter From Baby

Sleeping Through the Night....

Did you know that the AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) defines "sleeping through the night" as a stretch of 5 hours? Not 10 to 12 hours, like some people suggest as "normal" and "expected" for babies. It is normal for babies to wake during the night.

Here is an informative article by an Anthropologist - Katherine Dettwyler Ph.D., who discusses the topic of infants and when they should sleep through the night. I thought it was interesting.

http://www.kathydettwyler.org/detsleepthrough.html

Growth Charts

Have you ever wondered about your baby's growth and where they fall on the Pediatrician's chart for height and weight averages? I have and I wondered why my Pediatrician seemed concerned when Colin looks and acts very healthy. He is growing and learning. He is happy and he is FAT. So why the concerns at his well baby check?

The Pediatrician said that most babies will fluctuate up and down on the bell curve of weight gain... Okay. Then in the same breath, he said that Colin had gone down on the bell curve and he was concerned. "Why?", I thought, when he had just told me that it was normal for them to go up and down... weird.

So I started researching. Did you know that the graphs and charts that are commonly used in Pediatrician's offices to measure a Baby's growth (height and weight) are primarily based off of formula fed babies? It makes sense when most babies are fed, at least in part, some amount of formula before 6 months of age.

Kellymom.com has this to say on the topic:

"Healthy breastfed infants tend to grow more rapidly than formula-fed infants in the first 2-3 months of life and less rapidly from 3 to 12 months. All growth charts available at this time include data from infants who were not exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months (includes formula-fed infants and those starting solids before the recommended 6 months). Because many doctors are not aware of this, they see the baby dropping in percentiles on the growth chart and often come to the faulty conclusion that the baby is not growing adequately. At this point they often recommend that the mother (unnecessarily) supplement with formula or solids, and sometimes recommend that they stop breastfeeding altogether. Even if mom realizes that her baby is perfectly healthy and doesn't follow these unnecessary recommendations, she ends up worrying for no reason (and moms don't need anything extra to worry about!). "

You can read more HERE.

The pattern of growth that kellymom described was exactly what I have seen with Colin's growth... exactly.

Colin is exclusively breastfed so I wondered if there was a chart that more accurately depicted the normal growth pattern for a breastfed baby. And ya know what? There is! The World Health Organization published a chart for just such babies. The CDC (the US Center for Disease Control) is starting to use it and encourage Pediatricians to use it for breastfed babies, as well.

Great!

Here it is for Boys:

http://www.cdc.gov/growthcharts/data/who/GrChrt_Boys_24LW_9210.pdf

And this one is for Girls:

http://www.cdc.gov/growthcharts/data/set1clinical/cj41c018.pdf

And wouldn't you know, Colin's growth has been consistently right below the 50th percentile, all along....

When you use the correct tools for measuring things, you get a more accurate picture. Imagine that. :) Now I just have to print this puppy off and take it with me to Colin's next well child visit to show the Pediatrician. He is a healthy happy baby.

Marketing Formula

Have you ever stopped to think about why the trend is so high in the developed world (and the developing world is sadly following suit) for babies to be formula fed instead of breastfed? No other mammal feeds its young another mammal's milk. Its kinda odd.

Don't get me wrong. I think formula has its place and I am grateful that it is available for those who truly need it. But why are only 14.2% of US babies exclusively breastfed to 6 months? There are many variables to this equation, but one very big one is marketing. Formula makes money.

I found this article on Pub Med, which focusing on the pervasiveness of formula marketing and I thought it was interesting. It was published through Princeton University.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2443254/

Delaying Solids - an interesting article

I just found this article interesting. It makes some good points about why it can be beneficial to delay giving baby solids. Hope you like it. :)

http://www.naturalnews.com/027418_iron_food_foods.html

Naps: are they hard for you and your little one?

It seems like with each new "stage" in Colin's life, we find that nap time changes, a little. In the early days (first 3 months) Colin would sleep whenever he needed to. I didn't have a schedule for him to nap and I just followed his cues. He usually took between 3-5 naps per day, ranging from 30 minutes to 2 hours. Then around 3 months, naps became more challenging. He seemed to be easily distracted by what was going on around him and couldn't "let go" to sleep. I had to make some changes.

I started watching his cues more carefully. I tried to be home for nap time, because this seemed to help him sleep better and longer. I also made an effort to help him drift off to dream land. Sometimes that meant patting his back/bottom to help him fall asleep. Many times I would nurse him to sleep, which worked very well. (I'm a big fan)

Now that he is 6 months old, it seems like he doesn't need to take as many naps but also has a harder time falling and staying asleep. I do not subscribe to the "cry-it-out" philosophy, which seems to be the typical advice I am given....

I don't like "cry-it-out" methods for two reasons:

1) I think that letting a child cry alone is a very sad thing and sends a very sad/depressing message to the child. I worked in orphanages in Romania and saw first hand, the effects of neglecting a child's needs in this way. Babies and Children do not cry there. At all. It was very strange and very sad. They have learned that crying will not illicit a response from a care giver so crying is not beneficial. They have learned to be silent because they will not be helped. This is an extreme example, I know, but it has the same result. Babies who are left in their cribs to "cry it out" learn a form of behavior modification, which leads them to the conclusion that when they are in their crib, they will not be helped. They won't cry because they know no one will come to them. I cannot, and will not, ever do that to my child or any other child.

Information on "cry-it-out" methods and reasons it is not beneficial:

http://www.pantley.com/elizabeth/books/0071381392.php?nid=386&isbn=0071381392

http://www.kellymom.com/parenting/sleep/4mo-sleep.html

http://www.kellymom.com/parenting/sleep/comfortnursing.html#cry

http://www.storknet.com/cubbies/parenting/cryitout.htm

Also, check out AskDrSears.com for more on Attachment Parenting.

2) I believe that parenting wasn't meant to be "easy" or "simple". I believe parenting is about putting your whole heart into it, getting "knee deep in mud" so to speak and making a lot of personal sacrifice. To me, letting your baby "cry-it-out" is taking the easy way out. I think attachment parenting takes more effort and I believe that anything worth having in life is worth the effort and sacrifice it takes to have it. Children included.


So, wanting to find some info on helping Colin take better naps, I stumbled across this website:

http://www.pantley.com/elizabeth/advice/0071381392.php?nid=424

It has a lot of helpful information, in my humble opinion, and helped me come to some realistic expectations. Maybe it will help you, too.

This table of sleeping hours, is included in the link above. I just found it very helpful and I love charts/tables/graphs. ;)

Average hours of daytime and nighttime sleep

Age	Number of naps	Total length of naptime hours	Nighttime sleep hours**	Total of nighttime and naptime sleep
Newborn*
3 months	3	5 – 6	10 – 11	15
6 months	2	3 – 4	10 - 11	14 – 15
9 months	2	2 ½ - 4	11 - 12	14
12 months	1–2	2 – 3	11 ½ –12	13 ½ –14
18 months	1–2	2 – 3	11 ¼ -12	13 – 14
2 years	1	1–2 ½	11–12	13 – 13 ½
2 ½ years	1	1 ½ -2	11–11 ½	13 – 13 ½
3 years	1	1–1 ½	11 –11 ½	12 – 13
4 years	0 -1	0 -1	11–11 ½	11 – 12 ½
5-6 years	0 -1	0 -1	11	11 – 12

Here is some info on Kellymom.com about nursing your baby to sleep and other comfort measures:

http://www.kellymom.com/parenting/sleep/comfortnursing.html

Good luck! I hope naps are a little easier for us all. :)

Naptime Difficult?

I have a friend that is very much into attachment parenting and does not use schedules for feeding but she recommended this book to me called "The 90 minute Baby Sleep Program". She was having a hard time getting her 5 month old to take naps during the day - he slept fine at night. I have had a little difficulty with this myself. Colin is pretty good about taking naps but I wasn't sure that I was optimizing his nap time or that he was getting enough nap times during the day. The recommended amount of sleep for a baby at his age (4.5 months) is about 12-14 hours of sleep per 24 hours.

The idea is that you set a timer (or just note the time) when baby wakes up in the morning. You feed, play, change diapers, etc and then when 80 minutes has gone by, you start winding them down. Rock, cuddle, nurse, etc - till baby is asleep. Let baby nap and then when they wake up, whenever that is, start the 90 minutes over.

I've been doing this with Colin (not with perfect accuracy) and it seems to be really working well for us. Just thought I'd pass the idea/book along in case it helps anyone else. :) THIS is the link to Amazon, where you can find the book.

Good luck!

HERE is a great link to Kellymom on the topic of sleep.

When will baby "SLEEP THROUGH THE NIGHT"?

Good question.

There are a lot of different theories on this topic and it is pretty widely debated. Bottom line, do what feels right.

And know that baby will sleep through the night when he/she is good and ready...

For those of you at the point where baby DOES sleep through the night but then a month later (or so) he/she starts waking again, wanting to nurse,please know that this is normal. Your 4 month old is not manipulating you. They do not have the developmental capacity to do so. He/She is simply meeting the needs of his/her body. Your baby is likely having a growth spurt OR is simply at the age where they are easily distracted during the day and probably not getting all the calories they need. Starting around 4 months, babies tend to have a hard time focusing on breastfeeding and tuning out all the fun and interesting things going on around them. Night time is when they make up for lost calories they missed during the day. Think about it: night time is quiet, dark and there are basically no distractions!

You can try to help limit this by feeding baby in a quiet, dark room during the day and feeding as often as possible, even if they are short feeds. This will minimize night time feedings to some extent if not all together. (This advice comes from a Certified Lactation Consultant)

For those of you with babies who still insist on getting up during the night to eat, be patient. This too shall pass. :o) I'm right there with ya!

HERE is a great article on this subject.

There is also tons of good info on Kellymom.com, too!

*** Side Note: It might also help you to get more sleep if you bring baby into your room, either in bed or in a crib, so you don't have to trek to another room to get baby in the night for a feeding. The less baby wakes from crying to get fed, the more easily he/she will likely go back to sleep during the night.

The sidelying position can also help you rest/sleep during the night when baby wants to nurse. If you do not feel comfortable in this position, talk to a lactation consultant or someone who has used this position successfully. They may be able to help you figure out how to make it work and it really makes a huge difference, especially during night time feedings. I use it during the day when I need a little rest, too! Its really quite nice.

TV: Good or Bad?

I found this on the AAP website:

From the American Academy of Pediatrics:
"Children of all ages are constantly learning new things. The first 2 years of life are especially important in the growth and development of your child's brain. During this time, children need good, positive interaction with other children and adults. Too much television can negatively affect early brain development. This is especially true at younger ages, when learning to talk and play with others is so important. Until more research is done about the effects of TV on very young children, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) does not recommend television for children age 2 or younger. For older children, the Academy recommends no more than 1 to 2 hours per day of educational, nonviolent programs."

Babywise: why its not a wise idea

I have had a couple people encourage me to read a book called "On Becoming Babywise" by Pastor Gary Ezzo (who has no medical background) but since I had already heard about some of the philosophies contained in the book, I was pretty sure it wasn't something I would be interested in. I'm more of an attachment parenting sorta Mom.

HERE is an article on some of the risks associated with following the Babywise book.

I respect other parents rights to parent how they feel comfortable, however, I draw the line when a child suffers. We all need to make sure we are well informed as parents, meaning we can't just read one book and call it good. No matter what you are considering for your baby, make sure it can be well supported by sound medical evidence, research and the AAP, WHO or other well known, well respected organizations.

Vitamin D

We just went to Colin's 4 month check-up on Tuesday and our Pediatrician mentioned starting solids. I was surprised and mentioned the AAP guidelines, as well as recommendations by WHO not to start solids until 6 months - exclusively breastfeeding until then was best. He back-tracked and agreed.

This opened the door for conversation about starting solids later. I approached the topic cautiously, knowing full well that exclusively breastfeeding beyond 6 months is not widely accepted, though there is limited research to show that it is actually harmful for babies in developed countries whose mothers are well nourished. What little research there is points to third world countries and malnourished mothers who are breastfeeding. Naturally if they are deficient, then so will their babies be at some point....

Anywho, I mentioned breastfeeding exclusively till 7-8 months as I sensed some tension. The Pediatrician launched into an argument that Vitamin D would not be produced in breastmilk sufficient for baby's needs. Agreed. However, the only natural way to get Vitamin D is through sun exposure (not the baking or burning kind, but limited healthy amounts which are good) and Colin does get small amounts of healthy sun exposure through out the week. The Pediatrician argued that he should have sun screen on. And I agree that when out in the sun for extended periods during peak sun exposure, it is good to use sun screen but if you always use it, you won't be able to absorbed the natural rays for the sun which aid the body in synthesizing Vitamin D. When we take supplements, our bodies can't regulate them as well.

So, for those of you wondering about Vitamin D deficiency in your baby, HERE is a great link with tons of great info on how much sunlight is needed for adequate vitamin D, how much is contained in mom's breastmilk, as well as quotes & recommendations from AAP & WHO.

At the bottom of the link on KellyMom.com there is a link to JOURNAL ARTICLES which has a list of research that has been done on the topic of Vitamin D.

I still plan on exclusively breastfeeding beyond 6 months. Colin was born nearly a month pre-mature and if keeping his adjusted age in mind (you always want to adjust baby's age, if he/she was premature for every mile stone, especially for the first year) then he wouldn't be ready for solids until 7 months. I feel that there is some compelling evidence that starting solids at 6 months is not the most beneficial time for all babies, or even most babies. It seems unreasonable and unwise to have a "hard & fast" rule for when all babies should do anything. They all do things a little different and grow at their own pace. And we should let them.

For those of you interested in this also, I will post some info and links to help you decide if this is right for your baby.

Happy Breastfeeding!

Average Weight Gain for Breastfed Babies

Baby's Age	Average Weight Gain 1	Average Weight Gain 2,3
0-4 months	5.5 - 8.5 ounces per week	5 - 7 ounces per week †
4-6 months	3.25 - 4.5 ounces per week	4 - 5 ounces per week
6-12 months	1.75 - 2.75 ounces per week ‡	2 - 4 ounces per week
[click here to see tables in Metric Units] † It is acceptable for some babies to gain 4-5 ounces per week. ‡ The average breastfed baby doubles birth weight by 3-4 months. By one year, the typical breastfed baby will weigh about 2 1/2 - 3 times birth weight. 1 Sources: World Health Organization Child Growth Standards, 2006. Available at: http://www.who.int/childgrowth/en/. To figure average weight gain, we used the weight-per-age percentile charts for birth - 5 years. The range is a combination of boys and girls 5% to 95%, rounded to the nearest quarter-ounce. Click here for more details on calculations [PDF file]. Riordan J. Breastfeeding and Human Lactation, 3rd ed. Boston: Jones and Bartlett, 2005, p. 103, 512-513. Mohrbacher N and Stock J. The Breastfeeding Answer Book, Third Revised ed. Schaumburg, Illinois: La Leche League International, 2003, p. 148-149.

A few things to keep in mind when evaluating weight gain

A 5-7% weight loss during the first 3-4 days after birth is normal. A 10% weight loss is sometimes considered normal, but this amount of weight loss is a sign that the breastfeeding needs to be evaluated. It's a good idea to have a routine weight check at 5 days (baby should be gaining rather than losing weight by day 5), so that any developing problems can be caught and remedied early.

Baby should regain birth weight by 10 days to 2 weeks. If your baby lost a good bit of weight in the early days, or if your baby is sick or premature, it may take longer to regain birth weight. If baby does not regain birth weight by two weeks, this is a sign that the breastfeeding needs to be evaluated.

Go HERE for more information at kellymom.com

Exclusively Breastfeeding Beyond 6 Months

"DOES MY BREASTFEEDING EIGHT-MONTH-OLD NEED SOLID FOODS FOR COMPLETE NUTRITION?"

"My eight-month-old still does not seem interested in solids. I am breastfeeding, and he is gaining weight well. I am worried that my breast milk is not enough for him. Does he need the solid foods for complete nutrition at this age?"

"I encounter this situation frequently in my office. Many parents have the misconception that all infants will be ready for foods between 4 and 6 months of age. The truth is that very few infants are developmentally ready at 4 months. In addition, it is now recommended to delay foods until 6 months in order to decrease the chance of allergies. I also have found that some infants are not developmentally ready for solids until 8 or 9 months. You can click here to read about what signs to watch for to determine when your infant is ready for foods. Breast milk is nutritionally complete for at least the first year of life. This means that infants can go for at least a year on breast milk alone, without eating any foods, and be nutritionally complete. Offering foods between 6 and 12 months of age is simply for social development and to get infants used to eating.

I encourage parents not to try to coax their 6 month old into accepting solids before he shows many of the signs of being ready. This can create a picky eater and negative feelings about eating."

Dr. Bob

I found this link HERE originally linked through kellymom.com.

As always, this information is for you to consider and decide if it is something you think might work well for you and your baby. You are the expert when it comes to your baby. :)

Breastfeeding & Brain Development

"When breast milk begins to flow (approximately two to three days after delivery), it [...] provides important vitamins and minerals for your baby, including the brain-cell builder taurine. While taurine is not an essential amino acid, its high concentration in breast milk does seem to indicate a need that cannot be met by the child's own body. But how much taurine is in formula or cow's milk? None! Yet extremely high levels of this "smart" substance are found in the brains of children, indicating that it is an important aid to brain growth. Ninety-six per cent of brain growth occurs by the age of five years. The average age at which a child weans in cultures that practice infant-led weaning is - you guessed it - five years." -Dr. George Wootan

This is the full article: http://www.naturalchild.org/guest/george_wootan.html