Posts

You’re smart to ask — those “natural” supplements aren’t automatically safe for baby… and won’t necessarily help you out. Here’s what’s safe, what isn’t, and what’s currently caught in controversy. _The Good _Alfalfa: Full of vitamin K, which helps blood clotting. Chamomile : Can help ease nausea (always a plus!) and is a natural anti-inflammatory. Fish Oil : Contains omega-3 fatty acids, and can boost both baby’s coordination and mom’s mood....

It’s every new parent’s biggest fear: One moment, baby is sound asleep and the next, she’s not breathing. By definition, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) has no known cause. It’s extremely rare, but a small percentage of babies do die in their sleep within the first year of life, without warning or explanation. The best way to decrease baby’s SIDS risk is to always keep her in a safe environment, especially while sleeping....

The following story, “The Internal Battle Between SAHM and Working Mom” by Alyssa Shelasky was originally published on Boomdash. I never know where I fit in. I’m a working mom, who works around-the-clock, from home. But I also don’t have a nanny, so most domestic responsibilities are on me—which often makes me feel like a desperate housewife of the Valium and vacuum cleaner variety. So basically I’m a fulltime-working-mom-housewife. Who wouldn’t change it for the world, blah, blah, blah, dark chocolate....

What is toddler’s diarrhea? Diarrhea is frequent, watery loose stools. Most of the time, diarrhea is the result of a stomach infection and typically only lasts a few days. But the phrase “toddler’s diarrhea” refers to a condition that lasts more than seven days. Kids with toddler’s diarrhea often have as many as 2 to 10 watery stools per day; the stools may contain bits of undigested food. What are the symptoms of toddler’s diarrhea?...

Brace yourself for a whole lot of shots. Preeti Parikh, MD, explains what else usually happens at this checkup. Questions the doctor will ask • How are things going? Do you have any concerns? Is there anything new going on? • Is baby holding his head up, cooing and smiling? Are there signs he recognizes mom and dad? • Are you breastfeeding or using formula? How frequently? (At two months, baby is probably still feeding every two to three hours....

Whenever I’m out with our daughter on a walk, it seems that 80 percent of the moms I pass on the street are attempting the stroll/text/sip combination known as the Mom Walk. The walk, much like it sounds, goes a little something like this: Load baby in stroller, toss diaper bag underneath and head out wearing yoga pants and exercise-appropriate top. Stop at Starbucks for drink of choice. Hold cell phone in one hand and stare at it while pushing stroller with other hand....

I recently broke up with breastfeeding. My son is 6 months old, and it was time for me to call it quits. I work from home and had a pretty strong supply, so, naturally, the first question I get is, “Why?” Let me first say this: No matter how you choose to feed your newborn, there will come a point where it will reduce you to tears. Maybe it’s nailing the latch, finding the right hold or trying to boost your supply that’s driving you over the edge....

It’s natural for those little toddler quirks to (sometimes) make you crazy. “It’s your toddler’s job to test your limits,” says Laura Jana, MD, spokeswoman for the American Academy of Pediatrics and author of Food Fights. Plus, they just don’t know better yet. Nose-picking “Nose-picking is normal and natural, but it’s also socially unacceptable and a great way to spread germs,” says Jana. Expect it to take some time for that “not okay” message to sink in; meanwhile, try not to dwell on it, redirect with lots of tissue offers and wash hands regularly to reduce the spread of germs....

Since baby arrived, you’ve probably talked about poop more than you ever imagined. While it might be frustrating to change all those diapers, it’s even more stressful when baby has trouble going or stops altogether. Baby constipation is rough, but sometimes, it’s hard to tell if baby is actually suffering (how little is too little?). Suffice to say, you’ve got poop questions, and we’ve got answers. So is your wee one plugged up, and what does constipated baby poop look like anyway?...

After squeezing into a cramped, makeshift lactation room three times a day, Cara Delzer learned quickly that pumping breast milk at work was a less-than-ideal situation. So after three weeks of telling herself there had to be an easier, more discreet way, she quit her job at eBay to find one. Delzer wasn’t alone in her thinking. With her business development background, Delzer paired up with product designer Gabrielle Guthrie and engineer Santhi Analytis, and the three Stanford University alumnae set out to reinvent the breast pump....

Baby Registry Must-Haves for Eco-Friendly Parents Baby Registry Items to Skip Tricks and Tips from Eco-friendly Parents “Navigating all the green products can be challenging and expensive, so we focused on what was most important to us—things that were rubbed into the skin like sunscreen and wipes.” —Marissa S., mom to a 3-year-old boy and a baby on the way “Choose gender-neutral clothes and swaddles so you can use them again if you plan on having more children....

After Georgene Huang was laid off at two months pregnant, she felt frustrated during her job search. Wanting to ask about maternity leave and company culture for mothers during job interviews, she felt she couldn’t do so without being “mommy tracked” and compromising her chances of being hired. So she turned to the internet to do her own research but couldn’t find any website that provided job reviews from the perspective of women and new moms....

To you, it’s just a sofa. But to baby, it’s a challenge. Standard household objects, from furniture to toys, can play a role in baby’s motor skill development, a new study published in the journal Physical Therapy determined. “Parents, doctors or other infant caregivers might ask ‘What does a toy or a coffee table do?’ Well, depending on the space between the couch and the coffee table, it could be the first distance that the child wants to cross,” says Priscila Caçola, an assistant professor of kinesiology in the UT Arlington College of Nursing and Health Innovation where the study was conducted....

Science has proven again and again that talking to baby is good for her brain development. And we’re willing to bet you’ve been doing it along. Now, there’s finally some firmer guidelines on how to do it. The advice comes from Dana Suskin, a surgeon at the University of Chicago Medical Center. Suskin has performed cochlear implant surgery on several young patients. But she’s noticed that the gift of hearing is nearly wasted when it’s not paired with conversation at home....

Not only is it safe to visit a chiropractor during your pregnancy, it’s also highly beneficial. All chiropractors are specially trained to treat pregnant women, but you may want to do a little research and find one who specializes in prenatal or perinatal care. Getting regularly adjusted while pregnant is a great way to relieve the added stress on your spine that comes along with the weight gain. It can also prevent sciatica, the inflammation of the sciatic nerve that runs from your lower back down through your legs and to your feet....

Get off to a great start by taking advantage of you and your baby’s natural feeding instincts and reflexes. This means getting as much skin-to-skin time with baby as possible. Skin-to-skin contact helps your baby become calmer and in the mood to feed, and also releases hormones in your own body that respond by triggering your milk supply and let-down reflexes. For optimal skin-to-skin contact, prep for a feeding by taking off your shirt and bra and undressing baby to just a diaper....

If you are younger than 30, the general recommendation is to try for a year before you seek professional help; for the 30+ set, six months is the cut-off. Once you’re ready to see a doctor, be prepared for a whole battery of tests and in-depth interviews about your sexual habits. If your physician can’t trace your TTC trouble to any problems with your general health, then he will likely want to perform more specific evaluations....

Racism is a factor in the quality of life of every African American. For Black mothers, the joy of seeing their children grow up is often tempered with fear of how they’ll be treated by the world. Black moms fear for the life and safety of their children in ways other moms don’t. What’s more, before a Black mom even gives birth, she may not only fear for her baby’s life, but also for her own....

And the Winner Is: Cake Maternity Your breasts can change dramatically in size (as well as shape) over the course of your pregnancy and breastfeeding journey. Every woman is different, of course, but you might expect to go up a band size and one or two cup sizes. That means you’re going to need some new bras—and if you plan on nursing, you’ll need bras that offer easy access for your hungry baby....

Chorioamnionitis is an infection of the placenta and membranes — it’s most likely to occur after a mom-to-be’s membranes have been ruptured. That’s why doctors and nurses keep tabs on your labor once your water breaks; each passing hour is another hour that bacteria could migrate up into the amniotic sac. It’s also why care providers typically limit the number of vaginal exams during labor, especially after the water has broken — so there’s less chance of introducing bacteria into the birth canal....