Category Archives: Prevention

Get Breastfeeding Support

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Since the news was published that 900+ babies lives could be saved per year I’ve spoken to many moms about how they tried to breastfeed and couldn’t do it. Then I found these eye-opening stats at Busy Moms Breastfeed:

Prenatal Breastfeeding Education Is The Key To Avoiding Most Breastfeeding Challenges
72% of women who planned to breastfeed for at least 6 months have weaned before their babies are 6 weeks old.
Most early breastfeeding difficulties can be avoided. These include; sore nipples, engorgement, mastitis, thrush, jaundice, and slow infant weight gain.
Crying is a late sign of hunger.By the time your baby cries you have missed as many as 5 feeding cues letting you know that your baby is hungry.
80% of the immune system is located in the digestive tract. Breast milk coats the lining of your baby’s digestive track protecting it from harmful microbes. Human milk also has special growth factors that will help your baby’s immune system mature.
Most first time mothers attend fewer than 2 hours of breastfeeding education classes

“Breastfeeding should be continued for at least the first year of life.” -American Academy of Pediatrics

To find the support you need, visit La Leche League International for a list of classes and lactation consultants in your area.

Prevention, Products

Eat Chocolate! Coupon for My New Fave…

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Remember to eat lots and lots of chocolate while you’re pregnant- your child will have a sunnier disposition. This is a proven fact and not just an excuse to gorge on chocolate. I found a new favorite-Green and Black’s dark chocolate with whole cherries-and to quote my hub’s cousin Amanda, “I never want another day to go by without having a piece of that chocolate.” Since I’m buying a lifetime supply, I found a coupon for a dollar off, so I thought I’d share it with you! Just don’t plan on finding any in my ‘hood.

Prevention

Breastfeeding Could Save 900 Babies a Year

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If 90% of women in the US breastfed their infants for the first 6 months of life, it could save the lives of 900 babies a year, and save 13 BILLION dollars in health care. These findings were just published in the journal Pediatrics. Get involved in spreading the word about baby’s most important food. Support new moms who are breastfeeding with your time, running errands, doing laundry, cooking dinner. If you have experience breastfeeding, encourage her by offering tips on what worked best for you, and ask her how you can assist her. It can be a challenging and frustrating time for a mom who thought it would just “come naturally” but this is often not the case. Studies show that women have the most success when their partners are supportive and they have a community of loving guidance surrounding them.

Babies, Nutrition, Prenatal, Prevention

In The News: Papaya for Cancer Treatment

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Researchers have found that papaya leaf extract has dramatic tumor-fighting properties against breast and cervical cancer. papaya

University of Florida researcher Nam Dang along with researchers at The University of Tokyo documented papaya’s anticancer effect in a report published in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology.

Dang used an extract made from dried papaya leaves, and the stronger the extract, the better the results. This is exciting news because the papaya extract did not have any toxic effects on normal cells, avoiding a common and dangerous side effect of many cancer therapy regimens.

Dang and his colleagues in Tokyo showed that papaya leaf extract boosts the production of cytokines which help regulate the immune system.

Papaya has been used as a remedy for a variety of ailments in many parts of the world for centuries. This study focuses on the leaves, but the fruit is delicious and full of beta carotene and digestive enzymes. Eat it while pregnant to avoid constipation.

It also makes a great first food for babies!

Prevention

Caesarean Births Hit Record High in US

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C-section births are climbing steadily in the United States, affecting one in three babies. Click here to read the published report outlining the trend. It has become so commonplace that most women I talk to just assume they might have to give birth this way, not really giving it a second thought. It is, however, major abdominal surgery and carries risks. It is an amazing procedure when done to save mother or baby’s life, or in situations where complications have arisen, however often times today it is used for reasons other than life saving measures. Physicians’ fear of lawsuits, patients requesting scheduled births for convenience and inducing labor on a baby who isn’t quite ready to come out are all reasons the Caesarean birth rate is now over 32% in the United States.

What can you do to protect yourself from a surgical birth?

Take a birthing class. Many OB’s say they aren’t necessary, but that’s because the use of epidural anesthesia is 75-85% in the US, and once you have that you don’t need (and can’t use) anything you learned in a childbirth class. I would never have succeeded in a totally drug-free natural childbirth if it weren’t for my amazing teacher Shara at Real Birth in New York City.

Become informed. Watch The Business of Being Born
and read Pushed: The Painful Truth About Childbirth and Modern Maternity Care

You will be amazed at what you learn and how much you can do to take charge of your child’s birth.