All major American pediatric and health organizations strongly recommend breastfeeding babies for at least the first six months of life. The American Academy of Pediatrics, one of the preeminent authorities on such issues, recommends that babies be exclusively breastfed for the first six months and regularly breastfed for the first year or as long as it is comfortable for both mother and baby. There is abundant research showing that breastfeeding is the healthiest way to nourish an infant. And though formula can be good, the mother’s body naturally produces the right milk for the baby throughout the stages of early development.
Read MoreIf you are expecting twins there are of course special preparations that you can make in anticipation of their arrival.
Read MoreWhen it comes to getting an infant to sleep, there are many factors that parents have to balance. They have to balance the child’s personality and preferences with the recommendations of doctors and parenting guides-and these two things are seldom perfectly aligned. They have to balance the child’s sleep schedule with their own schedules. They have to figure out how to regulate the child’s naps so that he or she sleeps the proper amount during the night. And in addition to these issues, there may be other, unexpected factors that come into play. All in all, figuring out how to give your child healthy sleep is one of the biggest challenges of the first several months of parenting.
Read MoreYou would think that if two parents have brown eyes that their children would also have brown eyes but this does not always occur! Genes determine eye colour. It is more likely that the children will have brown eyes if the parents are brown eyed but they could also have hazel, green or blue eyes!
Read MoreIt can be an emotional mix of relief and anxiety when you put your newborn to bed. Relief for the well earned break you are about to enjoy and anxiety as you listen to every breath and look for every movement your baby makes. You need to know you are putting your baby to bed in the safest possible way. Remember that cot death or sudden infant death syndrome is very rare and you can reduce the risk even further by following the sleeping advice from the experts detailed below.
There have been modern developments in caring for babies who are born prematurely. However, in terms of fixing the problem of premature birth (preterm labour) there has not been very much improvement. It is not fully understood why some women break their waters or go into labour too early.
Read MoreA baby who is born before the due date is a premature baby. Babies often do not arrive exactly on their due date, but if your baby comes into the world a week or so early, this does not mean he is premature. Premature babies are usually kept at the hospital until they are strong enough to go home and the doctor is satisfied that there will be no health problems. Read More
Breast milk is very nourishing and contains valuable antibodies to help ward of illness and so is especially beneficial to a premature baby. Even if your preemie cannot feed properly at the hospital, breast milk can be frozen and stored ready for when feeding commences. Or it can be given via the feeding tube. Even if you had not planned to breastfeed, expressing milk for a little while will really help your baby to avoid illness and give him the best possible start in life. Read More