Breastfeeding may be natural, but it’s not always easy. The truth is, there are several things that can pop up along your nursing journey, throwing up roadblocks on what might already be a pretty bumpy road. What is easy? Getting great advice from the experts that know breasts and babies best. We asked them for their best tips for how to handle the most common breastfeeding problems new moms face. Here’s what they said....
Pregnancy stretches us to our limits, prompting an assortment of aches and pains—from round ligament pain to back pain, gas pain and more, most moms-to-be become intimately familiar with some discomfort along their pregnancy journey. The good news? There’s something to be done about it! Certain yoga poses can not only help ease common pregnancy symptoms, but they can also help you recenter and release your mounting stress. “The poses can be anatomically great and help our bodies, but yoga also teaches us how to be present and in the moment—which can be difficult during pregnancy when there’s so much focus on future and what happens next,” says Jennifer More, E-RYT 500, RPYT, a prenatal yoga teacher, doula, and hypnotherapist based in Santa Rosa, California....
Breastfeeding has been one of the most rewarding parts of motherhood for me (and in so many unexpected ways!). It has given me a very plump and healthy baby, helped me lose the baby weight and even given me a bit more in the cleavage department. Not too shabby. However, I am here to tell you that nursing my son at eight months is very different from nursing him during his newborn days....
Let’s be honest: a new baby, a whole new lifestyle and a postpartum mama aren’t exactly the easiest things for most new daddies to get used to. Though they usually try to be helpful, it’s still a big adjustment. So, after hearing what moms wish their partners knew, we decided to pull a 180 and ask dads to share what they wish the women in their lives knew. Some of the answers may shock you....
Who doesn’t love bunnies and babies? Well-meaning and excited friends and family members (and maybe even you) might be thinking about giving baby these holiday treats. It’s hard to resist, but here’s why they totally shouldn’t. Chocolate Bunny The March of Dimes recommends keeping baby away from sweets because they can cause tooth decay and add unnecessary calories to baby’s diet. With more tots getting root canals and cavities, it’s a good reason to ditch the sweets for now....
You’ve probably heard that it’s eating soft cheese during pregnancy can be harmful. It’s not the cheese itself that can be harmful; it’s the process that’s used to make it. Before you chow down on cheese, check the ingredient label and make sure it’s made from pasteurized milk. Unpasteurized cheeses can contain disease-spreading organisms that’ll put you and baby at a higher risk for getting sick. They also can carry listeria monocytogenes, deadly bacterium that are more likely to affect pregnant women....
Look ma, no hands! A carrier will give you the freedom to use your hands without making moving around with baby feel like work. A mom- and star-loved brand, Ergobaby stands out for form and function. WHAT WE LOVE Choose the carrying style that’s right for your baby: forward-facing on your front, on your back or on your hip The cotton fabric comes in a variety of solid colors and on-trend patterns, including stars, anchors and polkadots An infant insert lets you keep baby close from birth on It has the stamp of approval from the International Hip Dysplasia Institute, meaning Ergobaby keeps baby’s growing joints safe...
When you’re undergoing a treatment as complicated and emotionally draining as IVF, you’d like to do everything you can to make sure the procedure is a success. For many women, that might include a trip to the acupuncturist’s office. And it turns out there is some clinical evidence to back up this ancient art of Chinese medicine. In a German study of 160 women published back in 2002, researchers found that 42 percent of the women who underwent acupuncture treatments before and after having fertilized embryos transferred into their uterus became pregnant, versus the 26 percent success rate among those who simply had IVF alone....
Now that spring is finally here, we’ve also entered allergy season. So we were wondering: Can babies have seasonal allergies? Pediatrician Jack Maypole, MD, weighs in. “Conventional medical wisdom says babies over a year old can have allergies,” says Maypole, who is also an Educational Advisory Board member for The Goddard School. “You have to see some seasons before you have symptoms of seasonal allergies!” Look for a trio of symptoms in your baby, including itchy eyes, a runny or stuffy nose and wheezing....
As soon as baby can sit up and pivot on her tummy, it’s time to start childproofing your home in anticipation of the next big baby milestone that’s not far behind—crawling! Once baby is on the move (generally between 6 and 10 months), she enters a whole new world of potential dangers and disasters, so now’s the time to double down on safety. You probably did a round of baby proofing before your little one even arrived on the scene, but recheck those safety preparations, since baby’s height, reach and mobility are significantly greater these days....
Are you starting to have some feelings of fear or anxiety crop up as your due date gets closer? Believe it or not, this is completely normal! Hi, I’m Liesel Teen, a labor and delivery nurse and the face behind Mommy Labor Nurse. First and foremost, I want to tell you that almost every mama who comes into the maternity wing has some degree of fear around what’s about to happen....
Fact: Creating a will likely won’t be as much fun as putting together a baby registry. But it just may be a more essential step on the road to becoming parents. Don’t have a will yet? There’s no wrong time to write one, and writing a will as soon as possible, especially once you have kids, can help make sure your children will be provided and cared for exactly how you wish in case you or your partner were to die....
Your baby might have some discomfort at high altitudes (the same as you would), but as long as she’s three months or older (her lungs won’t be mature enough prior to that), it’s not dangerous to take her on that family trip to the mountains. If you live in a high-altitude city, your baby will adapt to the pressure and lower oxygen level more quickly. Note: A high altitude is considered to be anything over 1,500 meters, or 4,921 feet....
What is sore throat during pregnancy? A sore throat is an inflammation of the throat that’s painful and reddened, and may lead to trouble swallowing and even breathing. What might be causing my sore throat during pregnancy? There are lots of possible causes of a sore throat — acid reflux, asthma, allergies, bacterial or fungal infections, pollutants or chemicals — but most are due to viral infections, says Mary L. Rosser, MD, PhD, an assistant professor in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Women’s Health at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University....
Step 1: Set the date If your return date is flexible, you might be tempted to put off the decision as long as possible. Resist! The delay is nothing but unnecessary stress. Take the reigns and move toward a decision. “The worst thing you can do is feel powerless,” warns Bump expert Tammy Gold, founder of Gold Parent Coaching. “Look at your options, even if you don’t have a lot of them....
Being gay is hard. There, I said it. It’s definitely easier than it was even a few years ago, but I’d be lying if I said I haven’t encountered any problems because I’m gay and married to a woman instead of a man. While my wife and I have had our fair share of issues from being gay—including hateful comments, unfair treatment at work and an assortment of challenges creating our children, because being gay and making babies is not an easy task—we live in California, and for the most part we have it good....
Sex after baby? Postbaby relationship? Parenting as a team? See all newborn Q&As What a sucker Baby’s learning tons of adorable new facial expressions, like pursing her lips, raising her brows, and widening her eyes. The incredible cuteness is just a bonus, though — the really good news about these faces is that they’re her way of communicating in a form other than crying. She’s also discovering how cool it is to have fingers, and might even start sucking them....
Latch hooks. Load legs. No rethread harness. Belt paths. For new or soon-to-be parents, car seat lingo basically sounds like a foreign language. But these confusing terms are commonly used in the complex world of infant car seats. And to say that navigating this territory is overwhelming would be a vast understatement. So before you start shopping for what is most definitely not a straightforward purchase, you’ll want to do your due diligence and get up to speed on all the basics of infant car seat usage....
The tireless search for the perfect baby name isn’t always easy on any new mom and pop — even after scouring the web for advice, playing with naming tools, and sifting through mountains of baby-name books at the bookstore. (Sound familiar?) If you’re still on a quest to name baby something cool and trendy, you might want to reconsider your strategy: Instead of hopping on the trend train this year, it’s looking like more and more parents-to-be will be opting for unique classics they love....
It’s actually happening—your little one is heading off to school! Dropping your child off at preschool can be stressful, of course, regardless of whether your tot has been in daycare for years or at home with a parent. But being fully prepared can go a long way in easing your anxiety. If your child is enrolled in a preschool program, chances are you’ve already run through the preschool skills checklist to ensure your little one is developmentally ready....
