Sunday, May 11, 2008

A formula feeding Lactivist?

Although I do use formula, it was by NO means what I wanted to do. Unfortuneatly Ryland's heart condition/surgery prohibited me from breast feeding my son and when he was able to breast feed he had no interest since the bottle is much easier than taking the breast. I pumped for a month but since a machine is no where close to what an infant can stimulate I dried up and sadly no mix of medication, mothers milk tea and fenu greek would bring it back..

I suppose its odd that a formula feeding mother is a lactavist, meaning I'm a huge breast feeding supporter and recommend that EVERY woman breast feed her child for as long as she can so that her child get the benefits of breastfeeding.

If however you choose not to breast feed here is some information from the Askdrsears website that will help you choose the best formulas for you baby and maybe help you understand why breast feeding is the BEST option for your child.

COMPARISON OF FORMULAS AND BREASTMILK
To be fair, formula companies have produced milk for babies which, at least on paper, seems to resemble the real thing. Formula is definitely better than it used to be. But on close inspection, what the factories make doesn't quite measure up to what mom makes. It is nearly impossible for artificial baby milk manufacturers to make a milk with nutrients even close to what mothers' bodies can make. And these companies' primary goal is to make a profit, so marketing and manufacturing issues influence what finally gets into the can.

One of our concerns is that even though formula-fed infants appear to grow normally, are they really thriving? Thriving means more than just getting bigger. It means developing to the child's fullest physical, emotional, and intellectual potential. We just don't know about all the long-term effects of tampering with Mother Nature – though we do know that there are significant health differences between formula-fed and breastfed infants. Human milk is a live substance containing live white blood cells and immune-fighting substances, and is a dynamic, changing nutritional source, which daily (sometimes hourly) adjusts to meet the individual needs of a growing baby. Formulas are nothing more than a collection of dead nutrients. They do not contain living white cells, digestive enzymes, or immune factors. In terms of human history, they are a new experiment.

Even though the Infant Formula Act passed by Congress in 1985 mandates the Food and Drug Administration to see that formulas contain all the nutrients that babies need, we don't really know everything there is to know about what babies need. The good news is that formula companies are constantly updating their recipe in order to keep up with new research into infant nutrition. The bad news is that each change in formula is really just a new experiment.

CHOOSING FORMULA
When it comes to infant formula, parents need to know a few simple facts:
Be sure to choose a DHA-enriched formula. Most, if not all of the US formula companies will offer AA/DHA-enriched formulas. For information about the brain-building benefits of DHA click on www.Store.Martek.com.
There are some subtle differences among the major brands of infant formulas which may affect how your baby tolerates one formula over another. Reading the labels may leave you feeling like you need a Ph.D in biochemistry to make an intelligent decision. We want to help you with an analysis of the big three nutrients: proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. The vitamins and minerals in all formulas are similar, since these are governed by strict regulations, however, the nutritional fine points of the fats, carbohydrates, and proteins differ from one brand to another, as the marketing departments of each company are very willing to point out, especially to pediatricians.

PLEASE check out his website at askdrsears.com for all the information regarding how to pick out formulas and what to look for as well as the TONS of information he has available about parenting and children in general, his site is an incredible resource for parents.

Saturday, May 10, 2008

Why wear your baby?

So I was lurking on Crunchydomesticgoddess and happened to click on one of her side bar links to Nest baby slings and found an awesome list of reasons to wear your baby, heres what they had:

Why Wear Baby?

  1. Baby-wearing recreates the oneness of the baby and mother that existed in the womb which is absolutely necessary for proper development of the infant and the mother’s levels of mothering hormone, prolactin.

  2. Baby-wearing provides fathers a way to share the nurturing as well as enhances bonding in the family.

  3. Baby-carrying helps the baby maintain equilibrium and provides movement to the baby in all three directions, essential to proprioception (body awareness).

  4. Baby-carrying provides the natural rhythm of movement and tactile stimulation that small babies need for proper neurological development. Constantly carried babies fall asleep quickly in the comfort of their sling – some babies may always fall asleep while carried.

  5. Baby-carrying stimulates optimal development of the cerebellum of the brain, the only part of the brain that continually increases in cells as the baby gets older.

  6. Baby-carrying enables the mother to be acutely responsive and aware of her baby’s cues and signals. Baby-carrying increases maternal sensitivity and heightens parent’s perceptions of their children’s needs. Mothers become so sensitive to their baby that they can anticipate hunger needs, waking, and the need for a clean diaper.

  7. Baby-carrying allows the baby to be an active participant in the walking, talking, laughing, movement, and working of the parent.

  8. Baby-wearing in a sling or backpack is the most comfortable and easy way to hold baby on the parent’s shoulders, backs and hips. Baby-wearing distributes weight evenly from parent’s shoulders to hips and aligns baby’s center of gravity as close to parent’s body as possible. Plastic carseat carriers create severe torsion and strain in the caregiver’s back and arms, and an unnatural gait.

  9. Babies are easy to wear and parents learn to relax and touch, even if they were not touched often as children or are awkward with physical intimacy and closeness.

  10. Carrying infants lowers the level of stress hormones and adrenalin circulating in the blood stream of the infant, as well as the parent/caregiver.

  11. Babies that are carried develop a strong bond with their mothers and a solid emotional security pattern in the foundations of their psyche.

  12. Baby carrying greatly reduces crying and fussiness (one study reported in the 1986 Paediatrics Medical Journal found 43% less crying during the day and 51% less at night), mothers feel more competent and nurturing toward their infant and are less likely to act in abusive ways towards their children. This author found that baby-carrying resulted in crying less than 1% of the time for the first year of the baby’s life.

  13. Continuously carried infants actually initiate separation faster and become more emotionally self-reliant.

  14. Baby-carrying creates autonomy as well as a healthy development of physical intimacy and touching between parents and children.
  15. Baby-carrying gives healthy messages of touching to children and they learn to give and receive affection and touching in healthy ways. Carried infants are less likely to have sexual problems later in life.

  16. Babies who are touched and carried continuously develop larger brains than infants who are denied this stimulation.

  17. Babies who are carried have a lower mortality rate than infants who are denied this constant contact.

  18. Baby-carrying greatly benefits premature infants and lowers their mortality rate (called Kangaroo care in Neonatal nursing).

  19. Babies who are carried cry less, smile more, are less prone to vomiting and spitting up.

  20. Infants who are carried experience reduced or little incidence of colic.

  21. Carried babies experience an enhanced degree of bonding with their caregiver.

  22. Baby-carrying develops bonding and attachment between parent and child, shows love and affection, and parental-child love is expressed and actively demonstrated on a constant basis.
    Baby-carrying tells children they are loved, safe, secured and cared for.

  23. Baby-carrying allows children to be AT the center of activity rather than being the center of attention, which is a healthy atmosphere for development of empathy, affection and a healthy sense of self.

  24. Baby-carrying offers constant and easy access to the infant’s food source, mother’s breastmilk.
    Babies sleep comfortably and for longer periods of time while carried.

  25. Babies who are carried have a solid sense of self-esteem and independence.

  26. Carrying of the infant is the most important factor responsible for the infant’s normal and social development.

  27. Baby-carrying is a natural soothing baby tranquilizer which helps fussy or tired infants fall asleep.

  28. Baby-carrying stimulates the tactile receptors in the skin, developing muscle tone, increases cardiac output which increases circulation, promotes respiration and aids in digestion.

  29. Baby-carrying on the body provides the elements of pressure, motion, pleasure, warmth, security, sound that is essential to the development of the vestibular nervous system during infant development.

  30. Baby-carrying provides the exact level and kind of stimulation an infant requires, energizing their nervous system and providing quiet and calm alertness in the infant.

  31. Older infants learn more as they are in a vertical position or semi-vertical position which encourages an alert state of arousal.
  32. Baby-carrying develops the muscles needed for the infant to sit, stand and walk. The baby must use his muscles to fight gravity and hold his head up, building necessary muscle strength, control, and coordination.

  33. Baby carrying constantly allows the baby to complete its extra-uterine gestation period which is needed for the proper development and health of the infant.

  34. Baby-carrying creates an intuitive sensitivity that allows mother to anticipate her baby’s every mood and need and fully experience the joy of mothering.

  35. Babywearing can help reduce the severity of postpartum depression in mothers who have had negative or endocrine-disrupting (epidurals and/or IV pitocin)) birth/delivery experiences, and can help stabilize new mother emotions.

Sunday, May 4, 2008

grilling!


I'm so excited its getting nice out!! Yesterday Mark bought a mini-grill and we made burgers-they were awesome. Tonight i'm pretty sure we're doing kabobs.
I forgot how much I love grilling..We even got Ryland to help daddy out! I love being able to take Ryland outside, its so much better than being cooped up in the condo- I was starting to get cabin fever!
In other news our house is a mess, I really dont know how it gets so bad..ugh! I need to clean tonight (i've already started a little). Ryland has been on a wierd sleeping schedule lately.. he fell asleep at 1 last night, woke up at 530 to eat, then woke up at 7 to eat more then slept till12!!!!! I don't know if hes going through a growth spurt of if hes just got his days and nights mixed up. Oh well, i'm sure we'll figure it out.