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Welcome to EveryBabyBook.com
Prenatal
to Preteen,
I Read Every Baby Book... So You Don't Have To. I read all the books about everything related to babies and children, from the first thought of ditching the birth
control in hope of conception through elementary school. I am not a doctor. I am the Been There, Done
That Mom. I have degrees in teaching and international affairs, focusing on psychology. I have taken courses on
parenting, baby safety and first aid, breastfeeding, childbirth, speech therapy and adaptive behavior therapy. Once my husband and I decided to start a family, I began to read all the books I could
find about fertility, pregnancy, babies and children. We
soon had our first son, second, third, and fourth and I keep reading. My family and friends began asking me questions
about things that happen in their lives... pregnancy issues, baby illnesses, preschooler discipline, controlling the
chaos... and consistently come back to tell me "the
advice I gave was right on
target." I answer questions and discuss any and all
things related to raising kids. I have turned my passion into a profession. While I continue to stay home to raise
my own kids, I am now also a Parent Coach. Please email
your inquiries to me and I will do my best to answer them here and might even include them in the book I am writing.
Thanks... Erin Send your questions to
Erin@EveryBabyBook.com
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Click on the Pregnancy and Baby link at the above left to read our TERMS OF USE before using this site.Dear Erin,
I keep hearing that breastfeeding is best but I can't imagine doing it. It seems so awkward and hard
and I don't want to expose myself in public. I was fed formula when I was a baby and I turned out ok. Isn't it
fine for my baby?
Signed,
Fine with Formula
Dear Fine,
Breast is best isn't just best,
it is the only food made for YOUR baby. Keep that in mind when you decide how to feed your baby. Learn all the facts, give
breastfeeding a try and then make an informed decision. Do what works for you and your baby. After an initial learning process,
breastfeeding is more convenient and easy that bottlefeeding- by far. It's much easier to put the baby to the breast in the
middle of the night than it is to mix formula and heat the bottle, when you are exhausted.
Formula is named as such because many years ago, a woman who couldn't breastfeed would go to the pharmacist to get a prescription
filled for a formula made specifically for her baby. These formulas were designed by a doctor and were unique to each baby.
Today, we know that breastmilk is tailored to each individual baby and constantly evolves to meet your baby's needs. For instance,
as the mother's immunities leave the baby's system after several months of life, the milk changes to contain stronger immunities
for the baby, continuing to fight illness. Breastfed babies suffer fewer illnesses and less severe illnesses than their formula
fed friends.
Any amount of breastmilk you can give your baby is better than none. If you are
not comfortable nursing in public, don't do it. You can pump and bottle feed or supplement with formula. I highly recommend
that you see a lactation consultant and/or take a breastfeeding class before you deliver your baby. A lactation consultant
can be a wonderful support to you. Give it a try and see how it goes.
Breastfeeding can be
a challenge at first, but don't let the initial difficulties dissuade you. After a month or three you will find it so much
easier than when you started and it turns out to be so much easier than making formula and filling and washing bottles every
day. The money you save is great and the food source is ALWAYS available. Don't make any decisions until you try it. Of course,
there are always women who cannot nurse, for one reason or another, but true cases of this are rare. If you get support and
learn how to get the baby to latch on well, you will likely find that you have more than adequate supply and your baby will
thrive!
-Erin
Please Note:
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends children be
breastfed for two years. The WHO study on breastfeeding has shown:
People who were breastfed:
- Had lower blood pressure
- had lower mean cholesterol
in adulthood
- were less likely to be overweight or obese
- were
less likely to have Type 2 diabetes
- had higher intelligence scores
- showed better school performance in late adolescence and young adulthood.
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Important Pregnancy Alert... A Study,
released by Kaiser Permanente this month shows that caffeine use in pregnancy is dangerous. Drinking 2 cups of coffee,
or 5 cans of cola per day doubles the risk of miscarriage. This is staggering when you consider that 1/3 of pregnancies
end in miscarriage, most of them are early losses but are devastating, nonetheless. Even
smaller amounts of caffeine can increase the risk of miscarriage, so to be prudent, many doctors are advising that women eliminate
caffeine use completely. It can decrease blood flow to the baby, creating other unknown risks.
Also, if you ingest caffeine during pregnancy,
because the baby has difficulty metabolizing it, he will suffer withdrawal during his first days of life. Anyone who
has had a caffeine headache would not want her baby to suffer from that upon his entry into the world. Caffeine can also decrease your chances of conceiving.
So, while you ready your body for pregnancy, it is advisable to wean yourself from your habit, slowly, to avoid withdrawal
symptoms.
♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦
BULLETIN
A cure for
colic?
If you have tried the basics: swooshing,
shooshing, swaying, swaddling, etc. as well
as homeopathic products like Hyland's
colic tablets and gripe water, and nothing
works, ask your doctor about
giving baby
probiotics- live bacteria found in yogurt.
Research just published
in the
Pediatrics" shows that probiotics might
soothe babies with colic. Probiotic drops
are
available without a prescription
be found at natural food stores like Whole
Foods. This is only one study
but as a parent
of a baby who had mild colic, I know that I'd try
anything to help my baby.
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