Newborns & Beyond
What to Expect When Your Baby Is Not Who You Expected Him to Be: 5 Strategies for Parenting a High Needs Baby
You can never be quite sure of who this tiny human is going to be after he or she emerges from your womb. We often expect an image like this one (Artist: Brenda Burke). Mom and baby awash in the sweetness of new motherhood. You picture the days snuggling away in quiet and coos, with only occasional crying.…
Read MoreBirthy Weekend Links
This week, featuring breastfeeding: Why Delay Solids? ~KellyMom.com The Benefits of Breastfeeding and the Dangers of Formula: Two Sides of the Same Coin ~House Calls 5 Cool Things No One Ever Told You About Nighttime Breastfeeding ~Breastfeed Chicago
Read MoreEvery Parent Should Know The Scandalous History Of Infant Formula
Before I share the article I’m about to link, I need to make a few things clear for you: 1) Formula, in and of itself, is not bad. Neither is it anywhere near what breastmilk is. That is not insulting, it’s simply the truth. Breastmilk is not the “best” option for feeding babies, it is…
Read MoreBook Review: “The Vaccine Book” by Dr. Robert W. Sears
First of all: You have to know something about this book. It is not pro-vaccine. It is not anti-vaccine. It is pro-informed-consent for parents. It’s about information, not influence. Okay. Keep reading. I thought this book was the most informative look at vaccines I have ever seen. So much “information” is so heavily biased, and…
Read MoreSuper Power Sight (a Guest Post)
By: Jackie Miller: She is my husband’s aunt and my long-time friend. Along with her sisters, she raised up a generation of loving mothers and fathers. She and her sisters shared nursing duties when their kids were little, some had home births, some did not. Each of them supported and provided a loving “village” to…
Read MoreLearn From My Mistakes
Every mom would be wise to try and learn from the mistakes of others. This is the story of my biggest one. I did the CIO thing with my oldest. I “flexibly scheduled” his feedings. If he was crying, and I noted that he was dry, clean, full, and well-rested, I let him cry. Sometimes,…
Read MoreInconsistent Breastfeeding Advice = Consistent Frustration for Moms & Babies
I was excited to see this issue addressed at Best for Babes, because it is something I have seen over and over in pretty much every hospital birth I’ve attended as a doula. When a woman hears one thing from her L&D nurse, another from the baby nurse, and still another from the lactation consultant,…
Read MoreA Really Inconvenient Truth
This weekend, instead of sharing links, I want to share a quote I came across that really hit home for me this week. It’s one I had to learn as a young mother, though I couldn’t have put it so beautifully. It is something I am trying to teach other young mothers when they ask…
Read More“Just Doing My Job”
After having all four of my babies out-of-hospital (one at a birth center, the rest at home), and seeing how much respect was given to my babies, I have a hard time believing the above statement I have heard from so many baby nurses. Baby nurses who have such a sweet demeanor, and genuinely believe…
Read MoreBreastfeeding & Jaundice
Today I read a post on my CAPPA Yahoo group from a gal who just had a baby a little over 3 weeks ago who has come down with “breastmilk jaundice”. Now, I have absolutely no personal experience with this common occurance myself, but I’m sure that some of you (my millions of readers, that…
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