Monday, February 26, 2007

Treating Cradle Cap

Cradle cap is basically a nice name for baby dandruff, a common "problem" with infants that isn't really a problem other than cosmetically. It definitely bothers mom more than baby! :)

However, since it was something that happened fairly severely with both of my children, and someone told me a great way to treat it, I thought I'd share my info. There are pricy kits you can buy to treat it, or some places/people say to put baby oil on it, but I have found a much better remedy. Baby oil (the mineral oil in it) is actually rather bad for your baby and I don't recommend using it on them at all. Burt's Bees Baby Bee products are great, and they have apricot oil that they sell that is a much better alternative for oil on your baby. It can be used if you want an oil to massage your baby with too.

Anyway, I use the apricot oil on my baby's scalp, pretty lavishly, and rub it in really well. Then I use a soft baby brush to brush the scaly skin off, then give her a bath and wash her hair. It works wonderfully! Just wanted to share this helpful tip of advice a mom passed on to me!

Thoughts on Breastfeeding

Sorry its been a little while since I've put a new post on here. While I want to do several different posts about breastfeeding, each with a different angle and a variety of information, I am going to start with one on the mental aspect of breastfeeding, as requested by a reader.

Many of you probably know the physical advantages for your baby and yourself from breastfeeding (but I will still write about that is a later blog I'm sure). There are so many physical benefits, and there are also so many emotional benefits for your baby and yourself. So, I think when mentally preparing for breastfeeding, it is very helpful to remember these benefits. But let me try to address the question a little more thoroughly.

While I think most women feel kind of funny about the idea of breastfeeding, after you've been doing it for a little while, it starts to feel so natural. You have to just be prepared to give yourself time to adjust to it. At first it may seem strange to have your baby sucking milk from you, but after a little while, it seems so normal. So, probably the first step is to begin to mentally prepare for the fact that this IS a normal process our bodies were designed for. One of the problems in our society is how sexualized breasts have become. Here is an interesting fact for you: when I studied abroad in Kenya, one of our African professors explained to us how in America, it is the lower half of women's bodies that are socially acceptable to reveal. However, in Africa, it is the upper half that is okay to reveal, because a woman's breasts are mostly meant for breastfeeding there, and they are not as sexualized. After breastfeeding, I now realize how much more right on they are with that!

Another thing about breastfeeding that's important to mentally prepare for is to realize that while it is a very natural process, it doesn't usually come naturally for everyone. It actually takes time for both mom and baby to learn, which is why I am convinced that God designed it where your milk doesn't come in until the third day or so, giving you and baby time to learn without dealing with lots of milk spraying everywhere! (After birth, you just have colostrum for the first few days, the thick yellow stuff that is full of nutrients but comes out much slower). So, during this time of learning, part of what is happening is the mental adjustment of recognizing that your baby is still dependent on you for their survival through the form of food. But it is such a huge blessing, because you realize that you can give your baby the food that is perfect for them, already processed and digested through you, and given back to them in a form that is just what they need with exactly the nutrients, antibodies, vitamins, hormones, etc. that they need. So all that to say, that I think part of the mental preparation is to recognize the blessing it is to be able to feed your baby in this way that is so good for both them and you physically, emotionally, and even spiritually.

Friday, February 23, 2007

Recommended Reading List

Here are some of my favorite pregnancy & baby books I thought I would recommend.





These two books are by the Sears doctors, a husband and wife who have 7 children (I think), and have a whole series of books. These two books are two of the most thorough pregnancy and baby books I have found. They are also the people who developed the term "attachment parenting," which I don't follow meticulously, but it is interesting and helpful to read their ideas. Also, these books have great medical information and are just really thorough all around.





These two books by the same author are some of the easiest to read that I've found. They are set up very differently than other books, and they are broken down into small increments easy for reading. They also have lots of useful information.



This book is full of useful information for taking care of baby. Its more entertaining reading as the author writes from personal experience (she is a professional "baby whisperer" who works with new moms in the LA area). She talks about everything from breastfeeding to distinguishing baby's different cries. I highly recommend it for pregnant women or new moms.

Monday, February 19, 2007

Capturing the Memories & Organizing Your Photographs

Many moms find themselves with shoe boxes and storage containers full of photographs that they are going to organize when they get around to it. Then, the next thing you know, their kids are all grown up and the pictures are still sitting in dozens of unorganized boxes. And by this time, the task is way too daunting to even know where to begin.

I told myself when I had my first baby that I was not going to let that happen to me. And fortunately, I haven't! Of course, in the digital days we live in, it is a lot easier for us to keep our photos organized. If we don't want boxes full of unorganized photographs, all we have to do is never print any! But of course, that's not much fun either (and then we just end up with CDs full of pictures instead of shoe boxes full).

So, here's my 5 step guide to how to keep all those pictures you take organized. But first, a few tips for capturing those memories in the first place!

*I recommend having a digital camera and a small, lightweight digital video camera.
*Keep these out and accesible for those adorable moments you want to capture. If your camera is put away in a drawer somewhere, you'll usually miss the moment you wanted to get.
*Keep them fully charged and with plenty of available space on the memory card or video tape.
*A friend of mine gets her video camera out once a month to video her kids so that she has regular intervals of their growth and childhood captured.
*Keep your video times short, because when you're watching them later, it can get pretty boring watching your baby coo for 10 minutes. It is more fun seeing that for a minute, then seeing the next phase of them a month later for a few minutes, and so on and so forth.
*Label everything! (I usually label things based on age, not date, so I don't have to calculate how old my children were in April of 2006.)

Okay, so my 5 step guide to keeping your photos organized!
1. Get Snapfish & download Snapfish Picture Mover
12c prints, 20 FREE Prints
2. Plug in your digital camera every so often or when the memory card is full and download the pictures onto Snapfish
3. Make a back-up CD of them all & label it. Keep them all together in a CD case.
4. Order the pictures you want to put in an album from Snapfish (and delete the pictures off your camera)
5. As soon as you get the pictures in the mail, put them in an album! Don't wait, or you'll end up with too many and they'll be hard to put in order.

Following these steps has made my photo album production and organization of pictures so much easier! I hope it works for you too!

Friday, February 16, 2007

"Cherish These Moments"

Every now and then I want to write a blog reflecting on the blessing and joy of motherhood. On Valentine's Day my husband and I had a romantic evening away just the two of us...oh, make that three of us (breastfeeding baby in tow). While it started out rough, with a crying screaming baby because mom wasn't smart enough to realize that getting her first four vaccinations should NOT take place on Valentine's Day, it brightened soon after. Baby stopped crying...after some prayer...and we had a pleasant drive to a beautiful place - Westmont College, my alma-mater, where we took a lovely stroll through the amazing flora of the hills of Montecito, California. I had prayed that God would give us "surprise blessings" during the evening, and we had our first one soon after stepping out of the car into Westmont. As we were walking down the path, we spotted Ben Patterson, the campus pastor and our friend. We stopped to say hi, and he ended up praying a blessing over our little Hannah Hope, and speaking some words of wisdom to us.

He told us to "cherish these moments, because they are precious and they go so quickly." Its not like I never think about how quickly my children will grow up, because I see it happening everyday before my eyes. But something about him saying it the way he did, at that moment in my life, struck me. It could have been the screaming and crying we had just recovered from, or the frantic rushing to get out of the house with baby and all her belongings in tow, or the several dirty diapers I had just changed that made that moment such a stunning contrast to everything else in my life. But whatever it was, it struck me. In the midst of all the chaos, all the crying, all the diapers, all the rushing from this to that, we must stop...and remember the precious and sacred moments we are living in, the moments of caring for these little gifts, these helpless, adorable, innocent (or not so innocent) children that we've been given. We must cherish these moments, because they will be gone much more quickly than I think we realize. We joke about how it will be only tomorrow when we are sending them off to college, or watching them walk down the aisle...but something tells me, when we are doing these things, it will feel like only yesterday that we were holding them in our arms or changing their diaper. And we will probably shed a small tear, remembering the treasured moments of when they were so little, small, and precious.

And so as we find ourselves today in the moments of life, full of both the treasured and the terrifying, the holy and the hectic, let us remember to often pause and reflect on how precious these moments really are...because, whether we like it or not, they will indeed go by so fast.

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Why Every Boy Should Have a Dog (preferably a Golden Retriever)!

Great photo ops! And it is like having a brother to play with all the time that doesn't require as much work and supervision for mom!

A play partner to keep your son occupied in those morning hours when you really just want to keep sleeping!

It is so entertaining to see how excited your son gets over the littlest things relating to the "vuh-vuh" (a derivative of woof-woof, the term he gives to every dog he sees). Feeding the "vuh-vuh" treats is an ultimate favorite!

And the best reason to have a Golden Retriever is that your son can do pretty much anything to the dog and the dog will never fight back! (although we highly recommend teaching your child to NOT hit, pull at, jump on, sit on, stomp on, etc. the dog)


Highchair Help



Feeding baby is one of the most adventuresome endeavors a mother can undertake. Here are some helpful hints for the journey!

First of all, I DON'T recommend buying a highchair until your baby is six months old or older, because you won't use it those first six months, and it takes up a lot of space. Also, if you have a small kitchen or just want to be more efficient with your money and space, there are several other "highchair" options that are very helpful.


Fisher-Price Healthy Care Booster SeatThis highchair by Fisher-Price is a good option, it actually can be used for a longer period of time too. It is much cheaper than a normal highchair and it takes up a lot less space.
Also, I recommend getting a highchair with a removable tray that doesn't have too many dividers/indentions so it is easier to clean.

Third of all, I highly recommend bibs made by Bumkins (I also use their diaper covers), because they are waterproof, easy to clean, and dry very quickly. They make a variety of sizes too. Here are some bibs that are a pretty good size...bigger bibs are better because they cover more of your baby to protect their clothes.


Bumkins Super Bib

Bumkins Junior Bib (2-Pack)
And here's a little trick in case any of you get a stubborn bib-wearer like I had on my hands for a number of months... Samuel used to always rip his bib off as soon as I put it on him, so I started using bibs made of cloth that had ties sewed on the neck part so you tied it on instead of velcroing it on. You can actually sew ties onto these Bumkin bibs if you want as well.
When you're out to eat, be sure to take plenty of wipes to use, and this product has been so helpful for us. When your baby is at the age of eating off the table, but won't leave a plate or bowl alone, this little helper is great! You can have a clean surface to place their food directly on.
Classy Kid Place Mat with Catch Pocket (2-Pack)

(You can click on any of these pictures to order these products)

And stay tuned for a blog on first feedings with baby and more help on how you transition your baby from eating only breastmilk to eating all the different foods we eat...a question I pondered over often!


The 5 S's! (5 little soothing tricks every mom should know!)

I had the hardest time getting Samuel to sleep and to calm down during his fussy times when he was first born. He would have crying spells that would last up to a few hours, and nothing seemed to really help. It would become very stressful at times. Then, when he was about a month old, I watched The Happiest Baby on the Block DVD and my life was changed. There is also a book, which I haven't read, but I know has a lot of good information. The Happiest Baby on the Block: The New Way to Calm Crying and Help Your Newborn Baby Sleep Longer

So, basically, here's the important info. that was so helpful for me. The 5 S's are 5 calming/soothing techniques that can be so helpful for those fussy times when nothing seems to calm your baby. The premise is that these 5 techniques re-create the womb environment, and it works almost every time with just about every baby!

The 5 S's:
1. Swaddle - this is the most important one really, that makes the others work (at least with most babies...Hope doesn't really like to be swaddled, but I use the other 4 S's with her and it still works)
2. Side - you place your baby on his/her side in your arms
3. Swinging - it is actually kind of jiggle you do with the baby on his/her side
4. Sucking - a pacifier!
5. Shushing - lean close to the baby's ear and do shushing sounds in his/her ear

One of the things that was so helpful from this video was seeing how to do these five things, and learning how to swaddle a baby in a very effective way. I highly recommend watching the video, but you can try to do these things on your own and see if they work. It is helpful to see the doctor demonstrate them all though, especially the swaddle and the way he "swings" the baby.

Monday, February 12, 2007

Saturday, February 10, 2007

The Basic List of Pregnancy 'No-no's

When someone first finds out their pregnant, the first piece of information I like to get to them is the basic things they should avoid now that they know they're pregnant, most of which are foods. So, here's my list...can anyone think of anything else to add?

During Pregnancy, Avoid:
1. soft cheeses, such as brie and Mexican cheeses
2. certain types of fish, like Shark or Swordfish (I know its safe to stick with Salmon and Orange or White Roughy)
3. certain herbs, for more information, go to http://www.americanpregnancy.org/pregnancyhealth/naturalherbsvitamins.html
4. pretty much anything raw that comes from an animal (raw fish, sushi, raw meat, raw eggs)
5. excessive caffeine
6. tap water
7. hot dogs (and some people recommend not eating lunch meat either, it is because of the nitrates in them)
8. alcohol
9. smoking
10. most drugs (obviously all illegal drugs, but even a lot of over-the-counter drugs shouldn't be taken when pregnant. Consult your doctor for what IS safe to use during pregnancy)
11. hot tubbing
12. X-rays
13. kitty litter (presents a risk of toxoplasmosis)
14. electric blankets
15. standing in front of microwaves
16. too much Vitamin A
17. toxic fumes and chemicals
18. sky diving (I'm just assuming on this one :)

For a more complete list of the foods you should avoid during pregnancy, go to
http://www.americanpregnancy.org/pregnancyhealth/foodstoavoid.html

Here are a few books specifically related to your help during pregnancy that will also list more information on this subject:


Thursday, February 8, 2007

Baby Sleep Issues Part 2

I realized after reading some of the comments and re-reading my post, that one of the important things I should say about this issue is that this is a sensitive subject for many moms, and that I don't want to come across as being an expert on the issue, nor do I want to promote any one type of parenting style over another in regards to this.

I think one of the biggest things I've learned about having babies is that they are ALL SO DIFFERENT, and that what works for one does not work for another. It is the same with mothers too...we are all so different, and what works for one mother does not work for another. For example, I know two moms who are both great mothers and yet have incredibly different parenting techniques. In regards to their babies' sleep, one of the moms breastfeeds on demand and fed her baby throughout the night until just recently (the baby is 20 months old), getting up with her every few hours to nurse her back to sleep. Then after she weaned her, she would rock her to sleep and probably still does. The other one (a mother of four), has taught most of her babies to sleep by doing fairly serious sleep training when needed, having them cry for even long periods of time sometimes. These two drastically different methods of dealing with their babies' sleep is what worked for each of them and for their babies. Again, what works for one does not always work for another, and that goes for both babies and moms.

Also, as you can see from what I just wrote, sleep and nursing/eating for babies are very much related. Some people nurse their baby to sleep all day long and all night long. Others don't think this is the best method, and they do more of a nurse, awake, then sleep cycle throughout the day, in hopes that the baby will learn to fall asleep on their own.

But the other thing I want to say right now about this issue is that it is very important to respond to your baby's cries, and especially when they are newborns. Sleep training is not about leaving your baby to cry, especially for no reason. It is about teaching them to fall asleep on their own without your help, an idea that some moms don't agree with at all and others swear by.

Treating Baby Stains

I wanted to write about this because I was inspired to share some of my "wisdom" on how to get stains out of baby clothes after I had to deal with a diaper blow-out yesterday. (A diaper blow-out is the term often used to refer to a major poop that blows out the sides and back of the diaper, getting poop everywhere and requiring a change of clothes for baby and often mamma too!) During the first weeks after Samuel was born, I was treating his clothes with Spray and Wash, and it seemed like everything was getting permanent stains on them and getting ruined. So, I actually called a baby hotline type thing, asking them how to treat these stains because I was so frustrated by it! They seemed to think I was crazy calling in for this, and I don't remember them having a particularly helpful answer...

But then my friend told me that Shout works really well, so I switched to that, and it did the trick! But here's a whole list of tips I've learned:

1. rinse the clothing with water as soon as you can, or soak it in water
2. use Shout on the stain, and try to treat it as soon as possible
3. you can add OxyClean Free or OxyClean baby to the wash
4. you can make a paste out of OxyClean and treat the stain that way (although I haven't ever done this, because I just use Shout)

For those of you who are about to have babies, I want to prepare you for the large amount of stain treating and laundry you are about to be doing! There is some strange phenomenon about newborns and all the fluids they produce (in the form of spit-up, poop, and pee), and it tends to go all over at first (they seem to love going potty when their diaper is off!). But take heart, it calms down somehow after the first few weeks.

Here's a little story on that for your entertainment: when we took Samuel to the doctor for one of his first newborn check-ups, they had us take the diaper off so they could weigh him, and on the way to the scale, he started pooping and it sprayed all over Jason! (It is amazing the force behind their excretions for such tiny people!)

One other piece of advice related to this topic: while breastmilk doesn't stain, it does "spoil." So just because it seems harmless, be careful to do laundry often enough to keep things from getting gross from curdled breastmilk, that can lead to mildewy clothes. Also, use an open laundry basket, not a closed bag or anything, so the clothes can air out while they're waiting to be washed.

Wednesday, February 7, 2007

Baby Sleep Issues, Part I


It is hard to even know where to begin with this one, but it seems to be one of the biggest issues for many new parents, or even experienced parents for that matter. I lost many, many hours of sleep with my first baby who only learned to sleep through the night when he got his own room and had to "cry it out" at about 12 months. It was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do, yet it was one of those necessary rites of passage I had to go through as a mother, and it made me much stronger.


Thankfully, my second (Hope) is a much better sleeper, as you can see from the picture. Though even with her, the old saying "sleeping like a baby" is frustrating. Anyone who's ever had a baby knows that babies are pretty much all horrible sleepers, mostly because it is so hard for them to sleep longer than several hours at a time.


So, the truth of the matter is that babies have all sorts of reasons that make it hard for them to sleep. One is their startle reflex, where their arms and legs are always flinging about, making it hard for them to settle their bodies down and relax enough to sleep. With babies that have a particularly hard time with this, swaddling is a huge help. Another reason that they can't sleep that long is their tiny tummies that can't hold too much at one time, and that get hungry quickly. Hence the need for round the clock feedings, including several in the middle of the night, for newborns. Often another problem comes (like I encountered with Samuel) when the baby eats so much or so quickly that they are then uncomfortable afterwards, and perhaps have the hiccups or gas and can't fall asleep because of how uncomfortable they are. Samuel got hiccups so bad he often couldn't sleep for an hour after eating even in middle of the night. So, when you're feeding the baby every three hours at first (even through the night), and it took him an hour to fall asleep after eating, you can imagine how little of sleep I was getting when he was first born.


Everyone recommends trying to nap while the baby sleeps during the day, but I found this incredibly hard to do. I am just not a good napper, so for those of you who are, consider yourself blessed. For those of you who are more like me, take comfort in knowing that if you are having major sleep deprivation after your baby is born, for most people this only lasts the first month or two. Even if you have a baby like Samuel who causes you to loose many hours of sleep for months upon end, it will end eventually! One mom I know has such a good perspective on this, pointing out that these days of your child being a baby are so short and go by so fast, that it is not a big deal to have to lose sleep for a little while. (Of course, I didn't believe this until I had my second baby and started to see how fast they really do grow up!)


But on that note, let me give you some advice that will hopefully spare you at least the last six months of sleep loss I experienced with Samuel... if you are finding that you have a baby that after the first several months is not able to fall asleep on their own and is waking up several times throughout the night, I highly recommend that you do some "sleep training" with them. Basically, you can read all about it in this book called Sleeping Through the Night by Jodi A. Mindell. I think there are some babies who actually NEED to cry themselves to sleep because it is the only way they can fall asleep without being rocked or nursed to sleep. I know some people probably think they would prefer to rock or nurse their babies to sleep, but the problem with this is that then every time your baby wakes up throughout the night, you have to get up and either rock them or feed them until they fall back asleep. And they also are actually not getting enough sleep themselves when this pattern is happening.



Here's my story with Samuel: I swaddled him to fall asleep until he was about 7 months old and finally started fighting the swaddle. At this point, I tried to get him to fall asleep by taking a pacifier, but it didn't really work more than a few times. So, I started rocking him to get him to sleep. I would then gently put him in his crib and let him sleep...but he would wake up again after some number of hours, and I would have to rock him again and gently put him in his crib until he woke up again. From about 8 months to a year, it was ridiculous and I was having to rock him back to sleep every hour and a half or so. We were both exhausted. Finally we did some sleep training, and he learned how to fall back asleep on his own. Now, he still sometimes cries himself to sleep, but it actually doesn't seem to really bother him, and he is a much better sleeper and much more well rested. He actually became a happier baby after he started "crying himself to sleep"!


I am going to write more on this topic later, because there is still so much to say about this issue. I have learned more new things with my second baby too, and I have some advice from other parents I can share, because so much of this stuff just depends on what your baby is like. But please feel free to post any questions or your own opinions/thoughts on the topic!

Outings with Baby/Diaper Bag Essentials


Outings with babies and toddlers are always an adventure, and always take a lot of effort. But I would have to say it is usually worth the effort, and I recommend trying to get out and enjoy life outside of the house as much as you can with your little one(s). They usually love being outside, and it is really good for you too!

But remember to allow an extra 30 minutes or so if you need to get somewhere at a certain time when traveling with babies! It takes me that much extra time to get everyone first to the car, then in the car (strapping babies and toddlers into car seats is a mini workout in itself), then to run back in and get the three important things I forgot, and then get everyone out once you get there.

Okay, so here's my diaper bag list!

What to pack in your diaper bag (for infants):
1. diapers (should be obvious, but sometimes its the easiest to forget!)
2. wipes
3. changing pad (though most diaper bags come with this)
4. burp cloths (2 or more)
5. a change of clothes for baby (diaper blow-outs and major spit-ups happen often)
6. pacifier if your baby uses one
7. a plastic bag (can be used for poopy diapers or poopy clothes)
8. a few toys/rattles

What to pack in your diaper bag (for old babies and toddlers):
1. diapers
2. wipes
3. changing pad
4. change of clothes
5. FOOD, SIPPY CUPS, & BIB*
6. BOOKS & TOYS*
*most older babies and toddlers get very fussy if they are hungry and you don't have food with you for them...they also get very restless and bored if you don't have something to occupy them

What to Register For

Catherine,
I'm glad you asked! (And congrats, I hear you're having a boy!) That was one of the next posts I wanted to write! What should you register for? is such a big question for most new mothers. I remember when my friend and I went to register with our first babies, and we were so overwhelmed by the process. It has since become one of my favorite things to help new mothers-to-be figure out what they really need and what is not really necessary. Of course, it varies from mom to mom, and what one mother may think is a bare necessity may be total waste to another. It also varies from baby to baby. With my first, swaddle blankets were an essential, with Hope I don't use them at all. So some things you can get one of, and don't open the package until you see if you need it. Then you can always get more if you use it. For example, some moms-to-be buy expensive breast pumps and large sets of bottles and stuff, only to find out that they never pump or bottle feed because it is a hassle. I highly recommend waiting on that kind of stuff...register for one of the cheaper manual pumps (I recommend Avent Isis) and get two or three bottles, then get more later if you are finding you really need it and are using it (you can also upgrade to a better pump if you are using it often).

So, here's my list!
(And I wouldn't recommend registering for much clothing, if any at all, because people always buy clothes, and since they're seasonal, what you register for may not be there when people shop anyway)


New Mother’s Baby Essentials Checklist

Car seat*
Stroller*
Crib sheets
Mattress pad
Changing pad & covers
Pacifiers (& keeper)
Breast pump & a few bottles
Bathtub*
Towels
Washcloths
Burp cloths
Lap pads
Thermometer
Nail clippers
Diaper cream
Spray bottle
Cotton balls & squares
Rubbing alcohol
Baby wash & lotion
Comb & brush
Infant Tylenol
Baby monitor*
Swing*
Basic clothing
Socks, hats, etc.
A few receiving blankets
Mobile*
Play gym*
Bobby*
A few basic toys
Pack n’ Play*
Sleep Positioner
Mirror for car
Swaddle me blanket

For mom:
Nursing pads
Nursing bras
Maxi pads
Lansinoh

*things that can be bought used

Tuesday, February 6, 2007

One of the Greatest Joys




I wanted to write a post that looks at some of the joys of motherhood, because becoming a mom has definitely been one of the greatest joys that I have ever experienced in my life. While it is probably the hardest thing I've ever done, it is filled with more laughter, joy, and fun than anything else too.

Watching my new baby smile all the time (it is such a blessing having such a happy baby after having a more difficult one first) is one of the greatest joys. Dressing her in all of her cute pink outfits (I never knew I liked pink so much) is one of the greatest joys.

Watching my two-year-old son get so excited about his 'choo-choo' shoes he gets to wear today (Thomas the Tank Engine of course) is one of the greatest joys. Watching him learn new words each day is one of the greatest joys. Watching him spin in circles until he gets dizzy and falls down, laughing so hard he can't stop, is one of the greatest joys. To be continued...

Nursing Pad Help

Just wanted to throw this one up quick while its on my mind:

Nursing pads are one of those strange new mother issues that most people don't know much about before becoming a mom. When your milk comes in after having your baby (around the third day after giving birth), you will most likely be leaking milk often and nursing pads will be a must have. You put them in your nursing bra to prevent the milk from getting all over you, and you need to change them often until your milk supply settles down a little (which will happen after a month of so). They say your body produces enough milk for twins at first, and that it has to regulate itself after seeing how much milk your baby really needs. Most of that extra milk that your baby is not drinking ends up leaking all over you, your baby, your sheets, and your shirt! Hence the need for nursing pads.

So, here's my advice on nursing pads. I recommend Lansinoh or Johnson and Johnson's disposable nursing pads for most of the first month, but then after your milk supply is more regulated, I recommend using the reusable nursing pads by Avent or Lansinoh. Buy about 10 pairs, which may seem expensive at first, but over time will save you lots of money in the long run. Wash them with your baby's clothes in a mesh bag (which also works well for keeping tiny socks from getting lost). Using the reusable pads is a great supplement to help prevent you from running to the store all the time to buy new pads. Plus, they are not cheap. Sometimes they can be hard to find. They sell them at most regular grocery stores in the baby aisle, but they are marked up there (as most baby items are), and are usually cheaper with a wider variety at Target, Wal-Mart, or K-Mart.

Pregnancy Weight

My sister-in-law inspired this one... is it true that you should only gain a certain amount of weight when you're pregnant? First of all, let me give my disclaimer that I am not a medical doctor and do not claim in any way to be giving medical advice. But, I will tell you what I've learned about this issue from my own experience. The books will tell you that you are supposed to gain between 25 and 35 lbs. during pregnancy.

I gained 40 or more with each of my pregnancies. I really believe though that this amount was the perfect amount for my body, especially since I gained pretty much the same amount in both pregnancies and within the first month lost 20 of those 40 lbs. I know that my body was just putting on the necessary weight it needed to be able to support my growing baby, and especially the weight it needed to be able to produce the amount of breastmilk my babies were going to need after they were born. While it deserves its own blog, the things your body needs to be able to produce such large quantities of milk might be surprising: you need lots and lots of water and liquids, 500 calories more a day than you needed when you were pregnant, and maternal fat stores from which your body makes a lot of the milk from. So, a lot of the reason your body stores up so much weight when you're pregnant (if the baby only weighs around 7 lbs., where is the rest of the weight from?) is to be able to have what it needs for AFTER the baby is born. In fact, when you look at the breakdown of the pregnancy weight distribution, most of it is related to breastfeeding... (approx. weights)
12 lbs. maternal stores (fat, protein, and other nutrients)
4 lbs. increased fluid volume
2 lbs. breast enlargement
2 lbs. uterus
7.5 lbs. baby
2 lbs. amniotic fluid
1.5 lbs. placenta
[from Your Pregnancy Week by Week by Dr. Glade B. Curtis and Judith Schuler]



The first three are all related to breastfeeding in some way or another.

I would also like to point out that even doctors will agree that it is much more serious to not gain enough weight than to gain too much weight during pregnancy.

But what I really want to reitterate in this post is that our bodies are good at self-regulating and doing what they need to do in terms of weight gain during pregnancy, as long as we are doing our part. If we are eating healthy foods and eating when we're hungry, stopping when we're full, and getting regular exercise, we don't really need to worry about how much weight we're gaining. Our bodies will take care of that!

Friday, February 2, 2007

My Great New Idea

I love writing, I love being a mom, and I love helping people with things relating to motherhood, so I had this great idea to start a blog and see what happens when I combine these things!

As a mother of a two-year-old and a two-month-old, I have gotten to have lots of experience in the realm of motherhood in the last two years. Everything from pregnancy to diapering to baby gear has occupied a great deal of my time these last several years, and I have found that I have a passion for helping my friends who get pregnant and have babies with all of the stuff that goes along with this new journey into motherhood. One good friend of mine that had a baby about four weeks ago actually is the main inspiration behind this blog. I had the pleasure of walking through her pregnancy with her and giving her advice on everything from how to deal with morning sickness to preparation for childbirth; now I get to be a listening ear and a consultant on newborn things such as which nursing pads to buy and tricks to calm her baby down. She has thanked me so many times for all of my help and said she doesn't know how people have a baby without a 'Holly' to help. It got me thinking that maybe there are more people out there that I could share my knowledge and advice with, and since it is something I enjoy doing so much, I thought I would try to start a blog and see if more people could benefit from my experiences thus far.

So, feel free to send questions my way, or to just read posts for my random motherhood help!