Archive for March, 2017
Introducing Babies to Solid Foods
Each baby will be ready to begin solids in their own time/rate. Beginning at about 5-6 months of age, readiness signs for the healthy baby to begin solids may include: more frequent nursing; hands often to the mouth; some irritability after nursing/wish to suck longer; doctor’s recommendation due to child’s readiness or inability to pack on enough weight for their age through milk alone. Some parents feel the urge to make their own baby food, basically because they know what they make has no added preservatives, salt, sugars or fillers. It is quick, easy and very satisfying puréeing and freezing your own baby food. Because babies’ guts are so new and we don’t know what was used in the growth of some foods, choose Organic fruits and vegetables.
We are fortunate to have Foodsmiths Health Food Store @foodsmithsthegoodfoodstore in our home town. Makes choices very easy.
Dried Mangos Make Great Teething Objects
Looking for something safe for your toothless-to-date babies to chew on? Dried mango slices, available from most grocery and bulk sales stores, are ideal to suck on, gum and will keep them busy for a bit. They are quite large, don’t break down as easily as a biscuit might (which may result in some choking) and Taste Good! Because babies have sensitive guts and we don’t know what was used in the growth of some produce, be sure and choose Organic mangos.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Driving While Pumping = Distracted Driving
Apparently some breastfeeding Moms are trying to save some time and pumping on their way to work. I checked with the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Department and was told that this is distracted driving and the fine would be $400.00 if a woman was stopped and found to be pumping as well as driving.
Please reconsider this practice and keep safe while also ensuring those around you remain safe too.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Pumping While Driving = Distracted Driving
Apparently some breastfeeding Moms are trying to save some time and pumping on their way to work. I checked with the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Department and was told that this is distracted driving and the fine would be $400.00 if a woman was stopped and found to be pumping as well as driving.
Please reconsider this practice and keep safe while also ensuring those around you remain safe too.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )One Breast is More Productive than the Other
If at any point you are worried about any aspect of your nursing situation, check things out with a CERTIFIED lactation consultant.
It is common for women to have one breast which is more productive than the other. There is nothing at all wrong with you if this is the case for you. The differences in production came be slight to quite dramatic. There are some strategies for handling the difference.
~one baby can be a better sucker than his sibling(s). Put this baby on the lower producing breast at a feed so that he can remove as much of the available milk as possible from this breast. Baby B can go on the other and no doubt take advantage of the simultaneous let down. Baby A can be transferred to the better producing breast for the rest of the feed when his brother is finished, should he still need to nurse.
~when pumping, use a hospital-grade strength pump. These, with a stronger motor, are usually not for sale but can often be rented/borrowed from a hospital. Use the hospital-grade pump for pumping both breasts.
~continue to nurse the babies and/or pump at regular intervals, including through the night as if feeding a baby, keep your fluid levels up and stress levels as lows as possible. All three of these affect production.
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WRONG!! – YOU CAN’T GET PREGNANT WHILE BREASTFEEDING – JUST WRONG!!
Some folks are under the impression that a woman cannot get pregnant as long as she is breastfeeding. This is an Old Wives’ Tale. You sure can get pregnant while breastfeeding. Look to other means of birth control should you not wish to get pregnant.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )THERE ARE INDIVIDUALS WITHIN THE GROUP OF TWINS, TRIPLETS AND MORE
Even though our babies arrive at the same time, or very close to the same time, they are individuals within the group. A parenting challenge is to support and respect the special bond our multiple-birth children have with each other, while encouraging each to explore their own identities and to be the best they can be. Parents can, and need, to encourage others to also treat the children as more than just a group. Here are some ideas you may not have thought of to encourage individuality:
~do not call them “the twins” or “the triplets.” Do not let others use these labels either. Encourage the use of their names, “the babies,” the children, and so on. Labels present them as a group and encourage the world to also see them as a group (these labels don’t even point out what gender they are) rather than understand that they are unique individuals as well as being part of a group;
~rhyming names (Tim and Tom or Cody and Jody) also add to the package point of view. Over time rhyming names become annoying for teachers, doctors, and peers, especially if the children look a lot alike. In the Tim and Tom scenario, both boys became “TimTom” to school chums, as children will not take the time to see the differences between them rather than just focus on the similarities. Help your children out by avoiding such a pitfall.
~same with constantly dressing them alike. Would you like to have your sister or brother constantly dressed like you? Probably not. Break the mould of the package and allow each to also be the individual s/he is. Dressed alike children can also be a safety hazard as you are screaming the name of one toddler running to cross the road, but with no distinguishing visual markers, you are screaming the wrong name.
~twins, triplets and more will probably not reach the same milestones at the same time, e.g. rolling over, sitting up, walking, moving up to the next car seat size, thereby reenforcing themselves that they are individuals within the group.
How have you handled things with your multiples which encourage each to explore their own capabilities and individuality?
Nailed It!!!
Every month has an average of 30 days except the last month of pregnancy which has about 1,330 days.
~as seen on #birthwithoutfear LOL
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Vaginal Births vs C-Section: Which is “Natural?”
It can happen that a pregnant woman goes the prerequisite 40 weeks for her pregnancy and both babies are head down for vaginal births. Or at least the lower baby is head down, ready for its vaginal birth. The second baby may be able to be turned to present head down; is born breech or in a very few cases; or may require a c-section for delivery even though his/her womb-mate was delivered vaginally.
It may also be that a pregnant woman goes the prerequisite 40 weeks of pregnancy and one or both babies are transverse or side ways across the abdomen; or both babies present bums down; or the babies are “hugging” or “intertwined” in such a way to prevent vaginal births and necessitate a c-section.
Each of the above-described presentations for delivery are natural, for different reasons. With head down presentations for vaginal births, I prefer to call Vaginal Births* and is a natural situation. When the babies are transverse or across the abdomen and surgery is best for all concerned, this is called a C-Section and is also a natural situation because there is no other safe ways to delivery the babies.
Whether your babies are born vaginally or by c-section, BOTH are Natural Births.
Lynda’s Notes: Triplets, quadruplets and quintuplets are nearly always delivered by c-section for the safety of mother and all babies although I do know of several triplet sets who were delivered vaginally.
*Births with an ‘s’ because more than one baby is born
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )In-law Conflict???
It can be difficult when in-laws continually (inadvertently?) step in with unwanted and/or negative advice and comments. Anxiety levels can quickly go up and resentment set in. There are ways to handle things in a bridge-building manner and not having to blow your top and perhaps say things you, and they, can never take back. In-laws are around for a long time so learning about boundaries and keeping the peace ensures that the relationship can be worked out.
One Mom reported that her mother-in-law (MIL), who moved in for 3 weeks after the babies were born, would bottle feed formula in the night even though MIL knew that Mom was trying to build her supply and needed to either feed and/or pump for her babies in order to do so. This is sabotage, upsetting and negatively affects the plan the parents had for breastfeeding their babies. Rather than let things fester and affect breastmilk supply, it was necessary to deal with this situation. (MIL’s explanation was: “Well you need your sleep too and I didn’t want to wake you.”)
Here are some ideas to get you started:
Firstly, work out and agree upon with your partner a system that works for you and your family. This way, when having the talk, both partners on the same page with no second guessing.
Check out my App Jumelle Twin, Triplet and Baby Tracking App at http://www.jumelle.ca and/or on the App Store. With using this App, parents can easily fill out the notes, details and comments as well as keep track of breast/bottle feedings, diapers contents and sleep habits. Having it there in black and white leaves no room for error or forgetfulness.
Secondly, I firmly believe that each parent needs to speak to their own side of the family so that tensions may not run as high or if things do get out of hand, the same side of the family may be more forgiving for the future. So, each parent will do the majority of the talking to their own side of the family during the discussion.
Have the discussion on a day when things are going well. Having a deep discussion on a day when things are not going well, will only add fuel to the fire.
Use a lot of “Is” in your sentences: “I know you are trying to help, but I would really appreciate if you could come on board with working within the schedule we have found works best for our family,” or any variation of this wording/content that works for your needs. Presented with being part of the solution and not being part of the problem is very defusing and will hopefully bring the “offender” to a better understanding of your side of the situation.
If the negativity, sabotage or judgments continue, stick to your guns and repeat the above statement. Consistency and a united front, even if the other parent is minimally verbally involved, should eventually get the message through.
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Lynda discusses multiple birth 