Earth Babies Blog

Archive for the ‘Breastfeeding’ Category

Every year there is a breastfeeding awareness week where they focus on a specific theme/subject.

This years focus is on Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding .

This Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) was launched by WHO & UNICEF in 1991 and started in South Africa in 1994. The first health facility to be declared Baby Friendly in South Africa was St. Monica’s Maternity Hospital in Cape Tow n in 1994. The next 2 were only listed in 1996 and The last listing by Unicef of Baby Friendly Hospitals in South Africa is from 2005 where the total listed was 176 (of about 480).

UNICEF recently noted that the reduction of child deaths from 13 million globally in 1990 to 8.8 million in 2008 is partly due to the adoption of basic health interventions such as early and exclusive breastfeeding. More and more studies have shown that implementation of the Ten Steps with continued postnatal support contributes to increased breastfeeding initiation and exclusive breastfeeding at the local, national and global levels.

Last years theme was The First Hour- in which focus fell on making the world aware of the global change that could be made in terms of child health and infant deaths if certain steps were taken within the first crucial hour after birth to assist babies and mothers in successful breastfeeding initiation. This information is still available on our site as even if the focus week has long past that information and initiative should be ongoing.

The World Breastfeeding Week site
Wikipedias listing on breastfeeding and it’s benefits

I wrote an article on the breast feeding crawl for Parent24 which we have mentioned on the main Earth Babies site, it was just never something I thought I would have such personal experience with until my sister needed help thousands of kilometers away. For anyone that struggled before and is going to have another baby, or for a first time pregnant mom, or just for anyone that may come into contact with a mother who needs help breast feeding this is a must read.

There is the video clip of the technique

Sally(pinkhairgirl) passed this on to me and i also got tagged by Louisa (123blogmyself) thank you both ÜÜ

Since this is the EB blog I will do the meme about me but connected to Earth Babies – long winded sorry.

1. Sally is correct I don’t consider myself a blogger (maybe a plodder lol). I blog here as it gives a space to post those things that I would love to share but our website is either not the right place or does not have the space for them. I don’t blog personally as I would probably write all those things I think and never say – and there is maybe a good reason they remain unsaid.

2. I am not a ‘green-person’, so feel like a hypocrite at times when getting shoved into a box of someone else’s expectations– what enviro-awareness I have, has come (and still is) secondary to my original motivations for the choices I have made. Like many things on EB if it makes sense I will discuss it, incorporate aspects of what I learn, share info with others on things they find interesting but don’t do anything that is not practical and possible for us as a family.

3. This company I love & co-founded is considered by many as a ‘green’ company – I don’t see it as such though. For me natural and green are very different (but ‘green’ is where most people categorize us, marketing seems to work for us and a large part of our supporters – and our green-passionate Sally Ü view themselves). I try to keep us available/open to everyone (and myself lol) – organic and middle of the roader’s. Sally and I both agree nothing in life has to be all or nothing you incorporate what works for you and leave the rest.

4. My lifestyle, focus and intentions with Earth Babies are different to Sally’s (which is what makes us work – we balance each other). My personal passion for EB is supporting South African parents who want to birth naturally, breastfeed and cloth nappy. I love the products we carry, I love trying to keep the focus local, I love offering practical alternatives to the commercial norm and really enjoy trying to help customers find the right information/product etc for them. All the rest is complementary to this focus, is what Sally is passionate about and I don’t oppose or our clients have asked about.

5. I birthed naturally, breastfed, used cloth nappies, did elimination communication with my 1st (not 2nd); baby signing with my 2nd not my 1st; am a doula and have a business that supports these things and more. Based on these points a lot of assumptions are made so I thought I would clarify: I have used disposables (was a combination user – so actually know very well the pro’s and cons of both); I did not do Attachment parenting (and hate being called an attachment parent); I did wear my babies in slings; I am not a co-sleeper though our kids do sleep in our bed on and off; I did not and would probably not breastfeed past 2 years though I have no issues with others breastfeeding or encouraging it for as long as it is beneficial to both parties; I tried very hard to get my kids to take dummies – they would not; I breastfed publicly but always covered because that is what I was comfortable with; I don’t believe everyone should birth naturally or breastfeed etc, I feel strongly for informed choice; I don’t homeschool (would not consider it unless there was NO other choice); My kids do watch TV and play on computers (no specific limits); eat junk (and healthy too) and have plastic toys (natural and some organic too).

6. I hate being told what to do so as such am repelled by anything that carries a label and has a set of rules you are meant to follow. I am not an all or nothing person and approach everything instinctually. (Sally and I have in the past differed on many things parenting related and in the journey of Earth Babies have had discussions and arguments with each other and others. Through these debates, time and personal experience we have both learnt to be more open and non-judgmental. Because of these differences though there were many subjects that we have ended up not incorporating into the website even though some readers have suggested we should – the subjects on the site got lots of editing till we both felt comfortable with what we are sharing).

7. A question I am asked often is which is the ‘BEST’ nappy on the market – in experience there is honestly NO best nappy – each one has their pros’ and cons’ and these are very subjective according to individual & lifestyle criteria and baby’s (body shape, elimination pattern etc) – I do have a personal favourite just the same as any other nappy user though.

8. I am put off from many natural/green/alternative approaches because of their esoteric connections. Many of them make actual or scientific sense but the strong esoteric jargon connected make me careful about them.

9. I have read very very few parenting books, I prefer to learn through observation and discussion (For the same reason as my label aversion thing – it is someone else’s 123 step guide on how to raise YOUR children and I feel this represses the natural parenting instincts). Basically my theory (unproven lol) is that your children are a combination of you and your partner and so have a combination of your personalities – so between the two of you, you should be able to realize what approaches will and wont work for your children based on what your own gut reactions to it would be … If it does not come naturally to you, all it will probably do is create stress, expectation and feeling of failure.

10. I am a pretty quiet person who write-talks way too much lol

I am meant to pass this one to other bloggers I like and admire – I am pretty new to blogging and following them and most have done it already so I am going to reserve the right to put some thought into this before I tag others.

touch… is the mother of all senses upon which our baby depends

In many ways touch is our most important form of communication. It is the most basic communication, the one we first get to experience and understand as babies. Of our 5 senses touch (touching and being touched) is the one that develops us physically, mentally and emotionally – it is this that the other four senses support.

There is always a lot of talk about bonding when it comes to babies – it is often attributed to the way you birth or feed your baby … which leads to arguments galore from those who do not choose the natural route and still feel they bonded.
In truth the only thing that bonding can be attributed is touch. Think about it in terms of people around you – if you have no physical contact with a person whatsoever, it is near to impossible to feel any form of emotional connection to them.

Breastfeeding forces you to put physical contact first.

This is where the argument for natural birth and breastfeeding being important for bonding stems from. Both of these allow for and require immediate and ongoing physical contact.

Thinking of breastfeeding, there is no option of putting that baby down or having someone else hold them during feeding. In the first few intensive weeks until your milk supply is properly established and baby has grown enough to go longer stretches between feeds the two of you HAVE to sit down and be in close contact for at least ½ of the day (newborns need to feed on average 12 times a day).
This allows for a lot of time for them to receive that all essential physical stimulation, to be physically close enough to see their mothers face (a newborn can only see clearly for about 20cm – the distance from your face to breast) and for you to settle in to actually spending time being still and simply holding them rather than doing all those things you feel you ’should’ be doing.

Love is founded in touch

In terms of natural birth the same applies – you are able to sit up and comfortably hold baby immediately after the birth, there is no need for them to be taken away while you are stitched up or taken to recovery etc.

I will admit after my first birth having a quick peek and having baby swept away for all the checks etc would have been quite welcome at the time (I was exhausted) – in retrospect though I am glad for that time I got to hold him close and marvel at the result of the unpleasantness I had felt moments before.
It was a very special time and which altered my birth-experience from too much, to a fantastic one. It changed my thoughts immediately from never again to “hope the next one is also a waterbirth” – not simply feeling able to go through all that again, but actually hoping to go through it all again … that it had all been so worthwhile.

These experiences however are not needed to bond – they simply help it along. It is never too late in a relationship to reach out and touch, to strengthen and re-establish that bond and love. Children and adults alike need those little touches – the pat on the back, stroke on their hair, sitting close, wrestling and tickling, being carried/held, hugs and kisses.

Did you know? Each parent has his or her own way of touching. Research has shown that when mothers touch babies, they are usually soothing and calming. Moms most often touch gently – they stroke softly, rock slowly, and hold their babies tenderly. Fathers, on the other hand, tend to engage in more physical forms of touch – they bounce babies on their knees, hold them playfully in the air, or roll around on the floor with them. Your baby benefits from these two different styles of touch. Together they contribute to your infant’s healthy development.
http://johnsonsbaby.com/article.do?id=9

Babies benefit immensely from massage and it is not something you need to do a course in, or pay someone else to do. It is something you can do yourself – here is a link to a lovely online video guide in How to massage your baby video

Breastfeeding Art

loving-it – qualityfastfoods open 24hrs

“What Babies Eat” – free Kid’s picture book download (for personal use only)

Follow this link – Breastfeeding is offensive – I love this post it is so true and for me hard hitting in its amusing simplicity. Good for a giggle but also to get you thinking.

If you are on Facebook why not join in the MILC virtual nurse-in next week. My issue is not so much that Facebook feels that nursing pictures are inappopriate (though I cannot see why), but more so the double standard of allowing truely sexual profile pics yet deleting those as innocent as breastfeeding.

The Mother’s International Lactation Campaign (M.I.L.C.) is a non-profit organisation dedicated to the normalisation, protection and promotion of breastfeeding.

In 2008 and 2009 via the Facebook group “Hey Facebook, Breastfeeding is not Obscene!(official Petition to Facebook)” The organisation hosted two nurse-in events on the popular social networking site. Facebook continues to remove depictions of breastfeeding from their site, demeaning women and encouraging the misconception that breastfeeding is in any way a lewd, sexually explicit or offensive act and is inappropriate content for their site. Facebook has issued several public statements in response to the petition group, claiming to support breastfeeding but removing some images out of “concern for the safety of the many young users of the site.”

The virtual nurse-ins received extensive media coverage all around the world and membership in the petition group has surpased 240 000. On one designated day, participants simply posted as their profile picture the image of a nursing mother and changed their status line to: Hey Facebook, breastfeeding is not obscene. Individuals used a very diverse and representative range
of images for the event including personal photographs, historic works of art and international symbols.

August 1-7, 2009 is World Breastfeeding Week.

As part of running a website and company like ours is that I do a lot of reading and browsing around the web. Sometimes there are ideas you come across that just feel right. This is what Baby Led Solids was like for me.

Starting solids was a nightmare with my daughter, she was not interested and would projectile vomit it across the room if you got more than one or two spoons in. She never really started eating much before 1 and even then has always been a fussy eater. So I was dreading solids the second time around. Until I came across this article
it is really well worth a read.

I tried it with my son and it was so much less stress and hassle, no blending mushy food, no spooning slop into their mouths. The basic idea is that you let the baby feed themselves and they regulate what and how much they choose to eat. It makes use of their natural curiosity, ability to mimic and desire to learn.

I used to just put a variety of whatever we were eating on Caleb’s tray and let him try it and play with it and generally learn as he went along. His favourites were Broccoli, breadsticks with humous, banana and pizza. He has always eaten well even from the beginning and is very independent when it comes to his food.

DOs and DON’Ts for baby-led introduction of solids from the afore mentioned article

* DO offer your baby the chance to participate whenever anyone else in the family is eating. You can begin to do this as soon as he shows an interest in watching you, although he is unlikely to be ready to put food in his mouth until he is about six months.
* DO ensure that your baby is supported in an upright position while he is experimenting with food. In the early days you can sit him on your lap, facing the table. Once he is beginning to show skill at picking food up he will almost certainly be mature enough to sit, with minimal support, in a high chair.
* DO start by offering foods that are baby-fist-sized, preferably chip-shaped (i.e., with a ‘handle’). As far as possible, and provided they are suitable, offer him the same foods that you are eating, so that he feels part of what is going on.
* DO offer a variety of foods. There is no need to limit your baby’s experience with food any more than you do with toys.
* DON’T hurry your baby. Allow him to direct the pace of what he is doing. In particular, don’t be tempted to ‘help’ him by putting things in his mouth for him.
* DON’T expect your baby to eat any food on the first few occasions. Once he has discovered that these new toys taste nice, he will begin to chew and, later, to swallow.
* DON’T expect a young baby to eat all of each piece of food at first – remember that he won’t yet have developed the ability to get at food which is inside his fist.
* DO try rejected foods again later – babies often change their minds and later accept foods they originally turned down.
* DON’T leave your baby on his own with food.
* DON’T offer foods which present an obvious danger, such as peanuts.
* DON’T offer ‘fast’ foods, ready meals or foods that have added salt or sugar.
* DO offer water from a cup but don’t worry if your baby shows no interest in it. A breastfed baby, in particular, is likely to continue for some time to get all the drinks he needs from the breast.
* DO be prepared for the mess! A clean plastic sheet on the floor under the high chair will protect your carpet and make clearing up easier. It will also enable you to give back foods that have been dropped, so that less is wasted. (You will be pleasantly surprised at how quickly your baby learns to eat with very little mess!)
* DO continue to allow your baby to breastfeed whenever he wants, for as long as he wants. Expect his breastfeedingfeeding pattern to change as he starts to eat more solid foods.
* If you have a family history of food intolerance, allergy or digestive problems, DO discuss this method of weaning with your health advisers before embarking on it.
* Finally, DO enjoy watching your baby learn about food – and develop his skills with his hands and mouth in the process!