New moms may have the best intentions in wanting to breastfeed their newborns; but sometimes, nursing the baby doesn’t happen so effortlessly. This can lead both mom and infant to feel discouraged and want to give up trying. But don’t give up! Your breast milk carries in it a large assortment of vital, life-sustaining nutrients, […]
Nursing Moms, the Let-Down Reflex and Milk Supply Read More »
As recently as the 1950’s, American moms were being told that formula was better for their babies than breast milk. A lot of moms bought into that fallacy, and more and more babies started being fed formula, instead of breast milk, even in the decades that followed. Food allergies subsequently exploded in numbers, and other
Breast Milk Protects Newborns Against Deadly Intestinal Tract Disease Read More »
You may have heard about the recent recommendation from Consumer Reports that all pregnant and nursing women avoid all types of tuna, due to concerns about mercury exposure for the unborn baby or newborn. This has a lot of women, and even some doctors, confused about whether to nix all tuna for pregnant or nursing
Is It Safe to Eat Canned Tuna During Pregnancy? Read More »
Day Milk vs. Night Milk The composition of human milk has been understood in great detail only in the last few decades. And even today, scientists continue to discover new components in breast milk. It has many: a handful of proteins, a handful of fats, and hundreds of carbohydrates or sugars — most of which
Breast Milk’s Composition Changes Throughout the Day: Read More »
A Chinese study has found that breastfeeding may be linked to lower risk of rheumatoid arthritis in women who nursed their infants. The study reviewed data from more than 7,300 women aged 50 and older from China, who filled out questionnaires asking about their health and lifestyles, including whether they had breastfed their children. Most
Can Breastfeeding Reduce the Risk of Rheumatoid Arthritis in Moms? Read More »
How to Know if Your Newborn Is Eating Enough As a new mom, it’s very natural to worry about all aspects of your newborn’s health, and feedings are no exception. How can you tell if your baby is getting enough milk? There are a number of clues that can answer this question, beginning with the
Is Baby Eating Enough? Read More »
A new study found that babies who were bottle-fed were more than twice as likely to develop hypertrophic pyloric stenosis than babies who were breastfed. This condition involves a narrowing (stenosis) of the place where the bottom part of the stomach ends and the first part of the small intestine, the duodenum, begins. It is
Breastfeeding Reduces Risk of Stomach Blockage in Babies Read More »
A study published online in August, 2013 in the Journal of Clinical Nursing found that breastfeeding for six months or longer could delay diagnosis of breast cancer by about 10 years. But the protective benefits were cancelled out if mom was a smoker. The study, conducted at the University of Granada in Spain, examined medical
New Study Finds that Breastfeeding Longer Helps Protect Moms Against Breast Cancer Read More »
If you are worried that your overweight baby has gained weight too fast and now weighs too much, it is most likely that you are worried over nothing. Infants can indeed become overweight if they are overfed, but this happens only rarely. Even most perfectly healthy infants go through many different phases in their first
What to do About an Overweight Baby Read More »
Once mother and baby get past the initial stages of breastfeeding, which can be tricky and uncomfortable, the act becomes so easy and natural that giving it up might seem unappealing. Breastfeeding is quick and easy, while bottles and, later, solid food come with learning curves and many unique difficulties. Yet weaning has to happen
Deciding When to Wean Your Baby Read More »
