5 tips for keeping up your breast milk supply.

Breastfeeding, though it is the natural way to feed your baby, and mothers have been doing it since the dawn of time, can prove difficult for many mothers. Even if you have no problem with painful nipples, the task of maintaining your breast milk supply can seem to be a full time job all by itself. Though one of the best remedies is simply to drink more water, you can only drink so much. Here are a few more things you can try.

1. Indian food and oatmeal.
Indian food is great, it contains many naturally healthy herbs and spices, such as garlic, ginger, fennel and cumin. The most effective one of these specifically for breast milk production is called "fenugreek". You can pick up fenugreek tea at your local health food store, but I have seen it be much more effective when combined with protein and carbohydrate rich meals which feature a range of beneficial ingredients. I would caution that you may want to ask for or prepare "mildly spicy" Indian food, because too much heat can make your breast milk taste funny to your baby. Oatmeal is a well-balanced meal to start your day. It is loaded with carbohydrates and protein, and is also relaxing and soothing. When you have a well stocked supply of protein, carbohydrates to burn while converting the protein to milk, and are relaxed enough that your body is not using the carbohydrates to fuel your activities, it is a perfect recipe for milk production.

2. Pumping the left overs.
After your baby is finished eating, use a pump, or a hand-expressing method, to drain all the excess milk from your milk ducts. Whenever your body has to reabsorb more than a few drops of breast milk, it tries to make less the next time. But when your breasts are continuously drained completely dry, your body tries to produce more for the next feeding. You can save the milk to use at night feedings, if your baby will take breast milk through a bottle, or freeze it to use for things like mixing with cereal when your baby is older. To hand express your milk, place your index or middle finger just outside one side of your areola, and your thumb in a similar position exactly across the nipple from your finger. Press your entire hand close to your body causing your breast to flatten against your rib cage slightly. Now gently bring your thumb and finger closer together, almost as if you were trying to pinch your areola. As you do this, you should see a stream of milk squirt out. Hold a bottle over your nipple to collect the milk, repeat compressions until there is no more milk.

3. Yoga and meditation.
I think it is very helpful for a new mother to take an hour or so for herself each day to drain stress from her body. You may be tempted to just sleep if your baby is giving you a break for a bit, and while there is nothing wrong with sleep, conscious relaxation can be even more beneficial in terms of milk production. While you sleep, you process stresses by replaying parts of them in dreams, and quite often this can be quite stressful in its own right. However, if you take some time to do some deep breathing exercises, and focus on being calm and relaxed, tension can drain away much more efficiently. The sleep you will have after a good yoga routine, or a soothing meditation session is much deeper, and restful than regular sleep. This relaxed, mellow mode is perfect for milk production. Your subconscious doesn't have anything to worry about processing, except for protein, nutrients and carbohydrates into milk.

4. Breast massage.
From just below your collar bones to the bottom of your breast, there are milk ducts. Some times some of these get "lazy" or "forgetful" and begin producing less milk. A quick little massage consisting of small circular rubbing motions by your fingers slowly covering each breast from top to bottom and from one side to the other side (as if you were doing your monthly self exam), is a great way to remind those ducts to get back to work. You can also use tapping motions and brisk full-hand rubbing. Basically, you just want to stimulate the nerves in the deeper tissue of your breast. You might also try draping a warm towel over your breasts between feedings to increase circulation and stimulate production.

5. Family bed.
Having your baby near you is always a great idea for stimulating milk production, but sleeping with your baby is especially effective. There is some conflicting data about the overall safety of sleeping in the same bed with your baby, but the majority of the reliable sources say it is safe, and there is no question that it is great for milk production. The reason is that your baby can eat easily and often throughout the night, but you do not have to rouse fully to feed him. So you get more rest, your baby gets plenty of food, your milk gets drained more efficiently, and you have more energy to produce more! It is a great tactic to give your milk production a real boost.

Do not give up hope if you have to constantly struggle with low milk levels, after a few weeks it usually picks up quite well. If you are still concerned though, talking to a lactation consultant can really help you pinpoint the best way for you personally to increase your milk production. It often may seem like your baby is not getting much to eat at all, when they are really eating plenty. Also, in worst case scenarios, your doctor can prescribe an injection to help stimulate your milk production. There are some nasty side effects to that injection, so I do not recommend that new moms rush out and ask for it, but if all else is not working, it can usually do the trick. If you have found these tips helpful, please forward them to any new or expecting parents you might know. As always questions, comments and suggestions are always welcome. Happy parenting!


There is a NEW post from NAOMI up today (9/5/14)! Check it out HERE.

5 tips for identifying baby's mystery conditions.

Why is my baby's spit up clear? What is causing the trembling in my infants legs? When my newborn suddenly sleeps for five hours straight, should I worry? So, you've read the books, taken the classes and watched the videos, your baby doesn't seem to care. There are mystery symptoms popping up all the time. Which ones are normal and which ones should you call your pediatrician for? While I believe that you should call your pediatrician any time that you feel in your gut that something is wrong, here are a few common conditions which are more sheep in wolves clothing than anything else.

1. Clear spit up.
Whether your baby is teething or not, sometimes your little drizzle swizzle will simply drool, this is completely normal. Babies salivate a lot, especially at night. When you lay your baby down on her back to sleep, the excess saliva is all running right down her throat and getting swallowed. When swallowed, this moisture tricks your baby's stomach into thinking she has begun to eat food, causing a higher level of stomach acids, which when they have nothing to digest can be somewhat irritating to your baby's delicate stomach lining. The result is clear, and completely harmless, spit up.

2. Trembling legs.
It can be pretty scary when you are snuggling your new baby, and you notice his legs tremble for a moment or two when he pushes his feet against something. Your first thought might jump to worst case scenarios involving intense physical therapy and crutches for years to come, but chances are that it is nothing to worry about. Your baby's muscles are faced with the doubly difficult task of growing at an enormous rate, and retaining her strength and tone while doing it. At times, her new muscle tissue has simply not had time to tone fully as it is integrated into muscle tissue that she already has. Think of your own legs the day after a rigorous workout, when you try to walk down stairs, those first couple of steps are pretty shaky. This is basically the same thing that is happening with your baby's legs. With just a little kicking and pushing her legs should be back to their normal steady state.

3. Hives.
Hives, those red bumps that appear suddenly on your baby's face and chest, are pretty frightening when you first encounter them. They are generally a reaction of an allergic nature. As soon as you notice them, take note of a few things, 1-if you are breastfeeding what did you eat over the last 24 hours and if you are not, have you changed your infant formula recently, 2-has your baby tried on any new clothing or played with any new toys recently and 3-have you changed laundry detergent or has anyone new held your baby who does not normally hold him? These three questions will help you pinpoint more quickly possible causes for your baby's reaction. Chances are that the hives will disappear within a few minute of when they began, as long as what is causing them has been separated from immediate contact. There is usually no need to worry too much about the reaction, just make a note of the cause, and bring it up with your pediatrician at your next visit. Most sensitivities, both of skin and food will disappear over your baby's first few years, so don't give up hope if your baby shows a reaction to something particularly troublesome, like wheat, or perfume. Do get your baby tested for suspected allergies though, sometimes your guess as to the cause of the reaction is wrong, and you may be needlessly restricting your baby's environment.

4. Large amounts of spit up.
I'm not talking exorcist levels here, but if your baby throws up a particularly large amount of milk there are a couple potential causes for it that are relatively harmless. The most common reason for a sudden extra large amount of spit up is an air bubble. Basically, if your baby has a burp that needs to come up, but he continues to eat, that milk will sit on top of the bubble unable to fully digest. Until eventually the bubble forces it's way out, pushing all of that trapped milk up ahead of it. The best way to prevent this from happening is to burp your baby in the middle of the feeding at least once. The other potential cause for a strangely large episode of spit up, is perhaps something about the last feeding disagreed with your baby's tummy. If you bottle feed, it could be that a bottle was left out for a bit too long, causing some bacterial growth. This can happen pretty quickly, so it is important to keep an eye on how long you allow mixed formula to sit out. If you breastfeed, it could be that something you ate was particularly difficult for your baby to digest. There are a few other things that can cause excessive spit up, so you should check with your pediatrician if it continues regularly.

5. Suddenly takes very long naps.
Babies eat so often that we get used to a regular schedule of eat, sleep and poop during the first couple of months. However, those naps are usually only about an hour or two long at maximum, so if your baby suddenly sleeps for 3 or 4 hours it can be concerning. There is probably no need to worry though, it is completely normal for babies to have periods of extended sleep. Babies basically bulk up by eating food that they store as fat, and then while they sleep they build bone, muscle, nerves and skin. I often tell parents to watch for the larger pattern of "plump and stretch" that babies cycle through. This cycle looks like this: For a few days your baby will be ravenous, wanting to eat all the time and hardly sleeps at all. Then for a few days your baby will hardly eat, sleeping long and well. Next, you'll notice that your baby's cheeks are getting plump, and her thighs are filling out. But as soon as you notice this, she will have some periods of long sleep, and after a few days of heavy sleep your baby will look slimmer. Then she will be eating like an elephant, and will have suddenly outgrown her cutest jammies. This is probably what is going on with your baby's long naps, but if you find that your baby is difficult to wake up, seems very sleepy in between naps, or has been having fewer wet diapers than normal, talk to your pediatrician right away, there could be a more serious underlying issue at work.

It can be hard to know when something that your baby is doing is normal or not, and if you ever have any doubts or concerns you should talk to your pediatrician right away. You have parental instincts that are far more reliable than any medical website or baby book when it comes to knowing when there is something wrong with your own baby. Most of the time your baby will be fine, and there is no need to worry, but if you know which things are not cause for concern it can help you pin point those that are far more quickly. If you have found these tips helpful please pass them on to any new or expecting parents you might know. Questions, comments and suggestions are always welcome. Happy parenting!

5 tips for teaching your baby to sit up.

One of the first developmental milestones that new parents look forward to is the day their baby learns to sit up. Most babies will learn to sit by themselves somewhere between 6 and 8 months, however, it can happen as early as 4 months or as late as 10 months with no cause for alarm. As soon as your baby can support and control her head and has mastered rolling from back to belly, she can start learning to sit. There is no way to insure that your little Buddha will develop at the same pace as other babies, but if you are becoming concerned, and want to help encourage her to learn to sit, here are a few things to try.

1. Build core strength.
The muscles in your baby's back, sides, belly and thighs are essential support for a sitting baby. These muscles are easy to strengthen as well. To work all the muscles together, you could hold your baby in a sitting position on a medium sized exercise ball, and slowly roll the ball a couple inches forward, backward, then side to side. As the surface your baby is sitting on angles downward, your baby will automatically lean "uphill". The muscles are flexed, and the concept of self-correcting for balance is reinforced. Though you can also work each of your baby's core muscle groups separately, it is a good idea to strengthen them with balance-reinforcing activities.

2. Go through the motions.

Now the process of maintaining a sitting position is only half the puzzle your baby has to figure out. Getting there is the difficult part. One of the best and easiest ways for a baby to get into the sitting position is to first raise himself up on his hands and knees, then to walk his hands backward, while letting one leg collapse into a sitting position, then the second one. To teach the technique, you need to walk your baby through the process about 5 or 6 times in a row a couple of times a day. This will help create muscle memory which will give your baby a clear process to follow when they are ready to try it on their own. Start with your baby on his tummy, then help him prop himself up with his arms. Next, push your baby's legs under him one at a time, keeping one hand under his stomach to lend support in case he collapses. Then, take hold of both of your baby's arms, moving your hand from under the tummy to hold one, and physically walk them back toward your baby's knees. Be careful not to let your baby lunge forward during this process, try to keep the balance of weight over your baby's knees. Try to naturally guide your baby to collapse his legs into a sitting position by leaning to one side and then then the other while walking your baby's arms more slowly back toward his knees. Once he is in a sitting position, let him enjoy the position for a minute or two, then lay him back onto his stomach, and begin again.

3. Be the "Bumbo".

Although a Bumbo or Bumbo type seat is great for certain things, I highly discourage parents from leaving their baby's in them for very long. It is not because there is anything wrong with the Bumbo, it is because those seats do their jobs too well. Your baby is completely supported on all sides, and does not have to work at all to keep her balance. As a result, muscle development can be slowed, and balance-correcting skills can fall behind. I think the best sitting support system there is, is you. You can sit on the floor with your baby in a sitting position between your legs. Offer maximal safety in the form of blankets and pillows and minimal support, only correcting your baby's balance a moment before she topples over.

4. Toy with motivation.

As your baby's interest in toys develops you can capitalize on his burning desire to grasp his favorite toy. If you dangle it just outside of his reach, he will be highly motivated to figure out a way to get at it. For example, if your baby is able to get into the "crawl" position, on his hands and knees, try dangling his favorite toy an inch or so above his forehead. In order to see it better he will be motivated to back up. Then if he wants to grasp it he will have to figure out how to take the weight off of his hands while maintaining his height. This technique can be used at every stage of development, from rolling over to standing, and even walking. Try to be conscious of not frustrating your baby though. If he begins to fuss quite a bit it's a good idea to allow him to get the toy and play with it for a while before resuming the exercise.

5. Solo act.

After your baby has gotten the basics of balance down, whenever you have a few minutes when your baby is happy and content, prop her up with a few pillows, maybe a "Boppy" pillow and a few others, give her a toy. Then let her be on the floor by herself until she needs your help. The Independence promotes self-reliance and self discovery. Without your hand to catch her and sit her back up when she falls to the side she will have a more personal experience with the physics involved in keeping herself upright. I do not recommend that you remove yourself too far from your little wibble-wobbler, just move a few feet away so you can observe, but not intervene unless she gets herself in an uncomfortable position. If she falls to the side, if she is in a safe position, do not sit her back up for a few seconds. These moments just after slumping too far to the side are the ones where most of the learning happens.

Over time your baby will eventually sit, even if you don't use any of these techniques. These are just ideas to help you encourage your baby's development to stay on schedule. I have seen quite a few babies learn to sit early, and most of them were babies that I worked with, and who I used these techniques with, but they don't always help. Every baby has their own natural schedule for development, and sometimes it is quite resistant to our attempts to speed it up. Some babies even learn to walk before they learn to sit up without help. If you have found these tips to be helpful please forward them to any new or expecting parents you might know. Happy parenting!


There is a NEW post from NAOMI up today (9/5/14)! Check it out HERE.

5 tips for reducing baby spit-up and soothing reflux.

When I was little, I remember thinking that it was natural for babies to spit up about half of their feeding every time they were burped. Now I know that was not true, and it is very likely that my younger brothers and sisters all had severe reflux. Gastroesophageal reflux (infant acid reflux) is basically the inability of a baby's throat to close all the way to keep food down.

For general questions about your baby's spit-up, check here.

It is theorized that many babies have this issue early on, but most grow out of it within the first couple of weeks. The symptoms don't all have to be as extreme as the example I've given, the medical rule of thumb is much broader: If a baby has thrown up 1/3 of a feeding 3 times a day for 3 weeks out of a month for the first 3 months they are considered to have reflux. Of course using that system of measure, you won't even receive the diagnosis until your baby is 3 months old. Since there are several simple easy things you can do to help your baby avoid the discomfort associated with reflux, I recommend that for those first 3 months, if you are in doubt, go ahead and treat it as if it is reflux, it can't hurt, and could very well help.

1. Feed your baby on a 45 degree angle and keep them like that for about 20 minutes after they finish.
Keep your baby's head up, that way the milk won't simply run back up your baby's throat, and has a better chance of being digested right away. A baby will begin to digest breast milk within seconds of the start of nursing, and formula is not far behind, that means that if this milk comes back up the esophagus the stomach acids in it will burn and cause discomfort. Keeping your baby's head elevated during a feed, and for 15-20 minutes afterward will help give them time to completely digest the remainder of the milk.

2. Do not rough-house with your baby for at least an hour after eating.This tip is hard for some proud daddies to remember. There is nothing so fun as twirling around with your baby in your arms, or lifting them up in the air and swinging them up and down to get giggles and grins. However this will almost certainly result in a thorough splattering with a warm white chunky substance. Though the spit-up itself is not really dangerous, your baby's milk is put to much better use in their tummy than on your face, or the furniture.

3. Add a couple of drops of fennel, chamomile and peppermint herbal tea to your baby's feeding.If you are breast feeding, you can drip a couple of drops in your baby's mouth just before you begin to nurse (a trick for doing this is to use a bottle nipple that is unattached to a bottle, and when it is in your baby's mouth, use a plunger to squirt a very small amount into it. Though your baby may not like the taste and will probably spit out the nipple right away, they only need to have ingested a very small bit to get the positive effects). If you are not breast feeding you can add a couple small drops directly to the formula. You can make the tea with a couple fresh sprigs of fennel, a few leaves of peppermint and a teabag of chamomile (unless you have some wild growing nearby, then fresh is best). Just soak them in some hot water until they are wilted, or the water changes color, there is no need to make it particularly strong. You can drink the rest of the tea, it boosts digestion and is calming to the nervous system (though you might want to save a little to give to your baby later). These drops should be given no more than 3 times a day, and as little as once can be beneficial.

4. Burp your baby at least three times during each feed, as well as afterward.The less gas in your baby's tummy, the better digestion will be and there will be less internal pressure as well. Do not feel that you need to make a bubble come up each time you pause for a burping, it is just a short break (4-5 minutes) to give gas an extra chance to come up if it is there, if you spend too long waiting for a bubble each time, the feeding could end up lasting hours.

5. Tuck a rolled up burp cloth or wash cloth under one of your baby's shoulders when you lay them down to sleep for the night.Raising one shoulder just a little will encourage your baby to sleep with their head turned to the side. Though all of the food in their tummy should be digested before you lay them down to sleep for the night sometimes they will have saved a little surprise for later. Though the chances that they might choke on their own spit-up are small, the process of coughing, gurgling and gulping that can happen when spiting up while laying completely flat can cause your baby quite a bit of discomfort and stress. Since discomfort and stress are not conducive to anyone having a good nights rest, it is better if your baby has to spit-up, that they do it to the side, and don't have to clear their airway after.

A bumper-sticker I saw the other day had some wise words to share on this topic: "spit happens". Nothing could be more true in the world of babies, except maybe the more crude saying that this one is making a play off of. However, despite all of the unpleasant things we have to deal with as parents, knowing we have done everything we could to help our baby be safe and happy makes it all better. I hope these tips are helpful to you and your baby. Please feel free to leave comments and questions and share this blog with any new mothers you might know.