There is therefore less room and a smaller margin of error for the dentist drilling in primary teeth. The other important consideration is that the primary teeth will all fall out by around twelve years of age.

It doesn’t make sense to construct a major restoration for a tooth that will come out naturally in a short time, nor is it cost effective to fill a primary tooth that will soon be lost. The rule of thumb is not to fill a cavity if the tooth will be lost before the cavity starts to hurt.

This saves time and money. The dentist is able to judge, from the X rays and the clinical appearance of the tooth, if the tooth should be treated or left alone until it falls out by itself. Aside from these considerations, the treatment of baby teeth and permanent teeth is about the same.

We believe that it is actually more difficult to fill a primary tooth than a similar cavity in a permanent tooth. A general dentist’s fees for children’s dentistry, therefore, should be comparable to the fees for adult dentistry.

Time, as we have stressed elsewhere in this book, is the indispensable key to success in all phases of dentistry, and children’s dentistry is no exception. In areas which do not have fluoride in the drinking water the use of fluoride supplements for very young children is essential .

If your child is prone to cavities, stricter attention to diet and home care (less sugar and more brushing) is in order, and the use of an over the counter fluoride rinse could be helpful. Parents often are concerned because of thumb sucking or the use of a pacifier.

Sucking is a normal instinct. Many infants start sucking their thumbs or using a pacifier within three months of birth. Thumb sucking and pacifiers can cause the permanent teeth to grow in out of position if the child continues these habits past the age of five or six.

Fortunately, most children discontinue these habits well before this age. If your child hasn’t stopped, we recommend a program of positive reinforcement, with gold stars being given for every day that the child doesn’t suck his thumb and a big prize being given if forty or fifty stars are earned.

Sometimes peer pressure can help. (Do you want to be the only kid in class with your thumb in your mouth?) Appliances that have sharp spokes that stick into the thumb and torture kids aren’t effective, nor is yelling at and punishing them. If worse comes to worst, the teeth are easier to fix than your child’s psyche.

It’s not surprising that in a country as affluent as the United States, the care and maintenance of children’s teeth have a high priority. In many families, parents neglect their own needs in order to ensure that their children have a healthy and pain free mouth. Even with all the widespread interest in children, we see a deplorable lack of knowledge and scandalous lack of quality care in the treatment of children’s oral problems.

As an example, every year or so we hear the news that a child died in a dentist’s office while undergoing routine dentistry such as a few fillings, under general anesthesia. Children have this kind of dangerous anesthesia due to the parents’ fears of dental pain and the dentist’s assurances of safety. Often the child had been un-cooperative in another dentist’s chair, and the parents, being embarrassed, found a dentist, usually through an ad that says the dentist “caters to cowards,” who will put their child “to sleep.”

They do this rather than finding a dentist who would take the time to relax the child’s fears and convert the child to a cooperative patient We believe that general anesthesia for filling teeth is absolutely unnecessary and should not be done, except in the case of a child with a medical problem that makes it impossible to do dentistry any other way, such as a child with seizures.

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Even in between these two extremes, the figures consistently show that the higher the I.Q., the lower the percent of kids who lied. As with almost all of the studies of children’s intelligence in the last fifty years, smarter kids lie less.

Hartshorne and May considered the possibility that socioeconomic background might play a more influential role in explaining why smart kids lie less. They knew that children from more privileged upper middle class homes do better on I.Q. tests.

They also had evidence that the cultural level in the home (the amount of art, music, and literature children were exposed to) is related to lying. To find out whether I.Q. was an important variable separate from family wealth or I.Q., they studied children in private schools who all came from similarly privileged homes.

Even when the benefits, of wealth could be ruled out, mainly because everyone had it, they found I.Q. was still related to cheating. Why should smarter kids cheat less? Maybe they don’t need to cheat. They know they have the intellectual prowess to get good grades without cheating or lying.

If that explanation is correct,  then smart kids might cheat as much as dumb ones when tested in a situation in which they didn’t think their exceptional intellectual abilities would help them. Not surprisingly, they found that cheating at party games, in athletic performances, or on tests of mechanical skills and stealing was not related to I.Q.

Instead of saying kids who are smart cheat and lie less, we should specify that children who are specially talented whatever that talent may be are less likely to cheat when that talent is likely to ensure success. I am assuming that athletically gifted kids would be less likely to cheat when tested at that ability, but to my knowledge no one has done such a study.

Psychologist Roger Burton, who has been studying dishonesty for the last twenty five years, put it this way: The relationship of honesty to I.Q., therefore, was essentially limited to academic type tests in which previous experience of failure in similar school, situations led some low I.Q. and low achieving subjects to cheat.

Cheating for these children had become a means of accomplishing what seemed unattainable by honest routes. Dr. Burton might be overstating the case. Success wasn’t totally unattainable for all the kids who cheated and lied. The children with average I.Q.s were smart enough to do well on school tests if they worked hard at it, yet they cheated more than the kids who had higher I.Q.s.

In other words, maybe they cheated to avoid having to put in that extra work. Perhaps if the bright kids, who presumably didn’t have to work hard, were faced with stiffer tests requiring more study, more of them would also have cheated. From the research that exists, we can’t be certain if some children cheat and lie to avoid failure or to avoid the necessity of having to work harder’ than some of their classmates.

There is still a second explanation of how intelligence might be related to not lying or cheating, an explanation not considered by Drs. Hartshorne and May. Smart kids might just be better liars, more clever cheaters.  Smart kids may tell better lies that are less easily detected. This couldn’t have happened in the Hartshorne and May research because they arranged the study so they would know for certain who lied.

But there is no experimenter in real life. Not every liar gets caught. Parents or schoolteachers don’t always know who has cheated. Unlike the mythical Pinocchio, there are no telltale long noses that tell us when our children are lying to us. Following this line of reasoning, we may infer that highly intelligent children may lie even more than others if they learn they can get away with it, and more so if they are under more pressure from their parents to achieve.

We should not think of intelligence, then, as a protection or guard against lying. If your child is above average in intelligence, that is no assurance he or she won’t cheat or lie. In fact, an intelligent child may be a more skiffed liar, and therefore avoid detection. It will depend on opportunity, pressure, and other factors.

Though some of the data suggests otherwise, it isn’t that the smart kids understand that lying and cheating are wrong. They just don’t lie and cheat when they think they will get caught, and/or when they can succeed without lying or cheating. If your child is closer to average intelligence, there may be more temptation for him or her to cheat in school, especially if you are pushing hard on grades and the competition is stiff. That doesn’t mean. he or she has to cheat or lie, only that there may be more reason to consider it.

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The lens works on the same principle as the lens of a camera, focusing a picture of what we see on the back of the eye. There the image can be transmitted to, and interpreted by, the brain. After age 40, the lens becomes less elastic and takes on a yellowish color.

These changes interfere with the passage of light through the lens, causing the blurred vision which is the main symptom of a cataract forming. Usually there is neither pain nor other symptoms. At this time, we do not know how to prevent or slow down cataract formation in older people.

The only effective cataract treatment at present is surgical removal, which is successful in 95 to 98 percent of cases. When blurred vision interferes with normal activities, surgery is usually indicated. Sometimes a cataract must be removed because another eye disease is present.

Very early cataracts which do not significantly interfere with vision do not have to be removed but should be examined periodically by an ophthalmologist (eye specialist) or primary health care practitioner. Sophisticated surgical techniques and local anesthesia have made cataract removal increasingly safe and effective, resulting in shorter hospital stays and quicker recovery than in the past.

However, as with any surgery, there are risks of infection, bleeding, and other complications. Fortunately, in cataract surgery such risks are very small. Since the lens of the eye is being removed during this surgery, some other way of focusing light inside the eye is necessary.

The three methods currently for treating cataracts used are glasses, contact lenses, and artificial lens implants (intraocular lenses, or IOL). The glasses used are quite thick and powerful, enlarging the size of objects viewed through them by one third.

If they are used to correct vision in only one eye, they will cause double vision (the normal eye will continue to see objects at normal size). This problem of double vision can be minimized by the use of a contact lens in the affected eye, because a contact lens comes closer to replacing the removed lens.

It is well tolerated by many people, however, not everyone has the dexterity required to insert and remove the lens. This problem has been alleviated somewhat by the recent development of “extended-wear” contact lenses which usually require removal and cleaning only once a month.

The third method, still relatively new and controversial, is the insertion of an artificial plastic lens into the eye. This has the advantage of restoring vision in the affected eye to what it was before the cataract appeared without the distortion of glasses or the bother of contact lenses.

However, the plastic lens is a foreign object in the eye; it may not be well tolerated and may have unknown long term side effects. Artificial lenses are not used in those people who have other eye diseases or who have only one eye.

You should thoroughly discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each of these methods with your ophthalmologist in order to decide which is best for you.

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The most effective ones pump both breasts simultaneously. (If you use a one sided electric pump, it is a good idea to express milk by hand from the other side to get the milk flowing.) Moisten the inner side of the pump with a little water so the breast will slide in more easily.

You can help start the milk flow with a light massage. Don’t set the pressure too high because you might injure your nipples. Fill the milk into sterile bottles or plastic bags. Try to use hard plastic containers because microphages in the milk (cells that protect your baby from infection) stick to glass receptacles.

Most hospitals, however, do use glass bottles. Breast milk for a full term baby can be stored longer than breast milk for a premature or sick baby. Current recommendations are to use fresh breast milk immediately, or place it in the refrigerator.

Refrigerated breast milk lasts up to 48 hours. You can also freeze breast milk in the freezer compartment of the refrigerator for up to 3 months. Breast milk for a full term baby can be stored safely in a deep freezer at OF (-18C) for six months or longer, but breast milk for a premature baby should be stored no longer than 3 months in this way.

Breast Milk Pumping

When pumping, consider the following:

1. As soon as you feel up to it after the delivery, start pumping.
2. Pumping at least five and up to eight times a day helps boost milk production and keeps it going. Pumping with your baby nearby is probably easier for you, but even a photo of your baby can help your milk flow better.
3. Wash your hands in hot, soapy water and rinse your breast in clear water before you begin.
4. Before beginning, place warm compresses on your breast or apply nurturing touch.
5. If you rub your nipples gently while you wash them, the milk ejection reflex will start more easily.
6. Every piece of equipment that comes in contact with the milk must be sterilized and can’t be touched again.

Freeze milk immediately after pumping. Label each bottle or bag and store appropriately. Do not mix milk from different pump times. After thawing, shake the milk gently, because it tends to separate during freezing. (Note: Vigorous shaking actually destroys some nutrients.)

Don’t put yourself under pressure when you pump, or your milk supply may drop. Give yourself a break and reduce your pumping to 4 or 5 times a day. You can increase your supply when your baby
is with you again.Because the milk from the mother of a premature baby is matched exactly to the needs of her baby, her milk is the very best for him.

You can, of course, supplement it with donor milk. Be sure to know the health and HIV status of the donor, or obtain the milk from a certified milk bank. With everything we know now about the benefits of breast milk, most hospitals are happy for mothers of premature babies to supply their pumped milk.

Depending on their maturity and clinical condition, premature babies can be fed at first from a syringe filled with a sugar solution or mother’s milk, or they may be fed by cup, bottle or stomach tube, or, if they are lucky, directly from the breast. Feeding methods are mixed as a rule, at least in the beginning.

With breastfeeding, how much your baby takes isn’t the most important thing at first he may only get a tea spoon or two. What’s most important is the stimulating, protective closeness he gets by being with you. In this way, you get the feeling of having a “normal” parental relationship with a young if very small baby.

Your milk production is also enhanced. Spend as much time with your baby as you can and become familiar with his care. Even when your baby is fed primarily by stomach tube, there are good reasons to add breastfeeding to his routine. Through the baby’s sucking motions, the hormone gastrine is released into his system. Gastrine stimulates digestion and helps your baby utilize nutrients better. And, as we know, mother’s milk is extremely important for the baby’s development and protection against infection.

When giving milk to the baby in a small cup, be careful not to tip it into his mouth. Instead, give your baby the opportunity to sip on his own, If you place the cup at an angle against the lower lip, a small baby will lick the milk with his tongue, like a kitten. Premature babies who have reached the maturity of about 35 weeks slurp the milk and dribble a lot of it.

When you breastfeed your little one, hold him so his legs are peeking out at your side from under your arm, or hold him in the opposite arm so your hand can support his head. If you had only limited contact with your baby, your milk production may not meet his needs for days or weeks after he is released from the hospital, even if you have been pumping constantly.

After the separation and anxieties about your baby’s life and health, it may take you some time to develop maternal feelings. That’s normal, Your connection to your baby will develop as you spend time with him and get to know him better. During these early days, arrange as much relief from house hold chores and find as much moral support as possible.

Even if you can’t fully breastfeed, know that every drop of mother’s milk you do provide is valuable for your little baby and is worth your effort.

Related posts:

1. Increasing Breast Milk
2. Dealing with Breast-Feeding Problems

In these babies, the skin and especially the whites of the eyes take on a reddish yellow color between the third and fifth days of life. According to recent research, bilirubin is thought to have a protective function (antioxidant effect).

About one third of all babies continue to have high bilirubin levels into the third week of life, The latest information says this can be considered normal in healthy, full term, breastfed infants. Premature infants, whose livers have not matured, cannot tolerate high bilirubin levels. They need help to break down the bilirubin in their system. Photo therapy does this by exposing the baby to light under a special lamp.

The light decomposes bilirubin in the baby’s skin. Very often mother and baby are separated during photo therapy. However, some hospitals now offer a special bed on which mother or father can lie with the baby under the “bili-lights.”

This special bed is called a bilarium. In some places, “bili lights” are available at a pediatrician’s office or can be borrowed from the hospital and used at home, With normal neonatal jaundice, breastfeeding can and should continue. A rare form of jaundice, called breast milk jaundice, starts later in the baby’s life and lasts longer.

It peaks between the seventh and tenth days or later, Breast-milk jaundice is diagnosed by taking a bilirubin reading 2 hours after a breastfeeding and then discontinuing breastfeeding for 12 hours. If the baby’s bilirubin level drops after that, breast milk jaundice is the likely diagnosis.

After a short period off the breast, the baby can usually go back to breastfeeding, once her bilirubin levels come down, During this time, keep up your milk supply by pumping your milk, Unfortunately,
you must discard it. Once you put your baby back on the breast, her bilirubin level may increase slightly once more and then should decrease steadily.

If her bilirubin level rises while your baby is off the breast, breast milk is not the cause of the jaundice. Bilirubin levels in infants can also rise because of blood incompatibility, infection or for other reasons, which require urgent medical treatment.

Newborn Jaundice Cure

1. Early breastfeeding can have a positive effect on newborn jaundice. Colostrum speeds up the excretion of bilirubin.
2. The more breast milk your baby drinks, the better. Mother’s milk helps flush bilirubin from the baby’s system. (Giving water, dextrose or formula supplements on the other hand, interferes with milk production and will not lower the bilirubin level.) So, put your baby to the breast more often. Frequent short feedings are preferable to infrequent, longer feedings.
3. Expose your baby to daylight outdoors, keeping his feet, hands, head and liver warm.
4. Homeopathic remedies may be useful. Consult your homeopath for treatment. Depending on the symptomatic picture, one of the following may be recommended: Aconitum C6, Chelidonium C6, Aethusa C6, Natrium sulfuricum C6.
5. Bach Flower Therapy might be helpful. Consult a Bach Flower therapist. The following essences may be suggested based on the emotional cause suspected in mother or baby. Mother: Cherry Plum, Chicory, Crab Apple, Olive, Pine, Red Chestnut, Rock Rose. Baby: Crab Apple, Elm, Rescue Remedy, Star of Bethlehem, Walnut.

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His crying summons us to come to the rescue of this little person who can’t help himself yet. Babies have all kinds of new impressions to process over the course of a day, and crying can be a way of processing or expressing them.

Some infants cry a lot, others cry very little. When a baby cries frequently and apparently for “no reason,” people automatically think he has colic. The crying changes throughout the day, often gaining intensity in the late afternoon or early evening.

Usually this kind of crying ends abruptly when the baby is about three months old. Although colic is often talked about, it is still not precisely understood, even by scientists. Many parents in this situation feel their nerves are stretched to the breaking point.

I never thought motherhood would be like this. Our baby cried a lot lots of times we carried him around all night. We took turns so at least one of us could get a few hours’ sleep. It was a very difficult time. Suddenly, at three months, it got better.

Baby Colic Cures

1.   To rule out allergies, eliminate some types of cow’s milk protein, such as whole or nonfat milk, from your diet. Try eating yogurt, kefir or acidophilus milk instead. In a day or two, if your baby feels better, you will have solved the riddle.

2.   Be sure you haven’t eaten or drunk something else your baby may not be able to tolerate. The combination of sugar and whole grain products can cause gas. If you are concerned, omit one food per day and monitor your baby’s reaction or improvement.

3.   Burp your baby thoroughly.

4.   If your baby has trouble managing your initial milk flow, express milk beforehand until the milk-ejection reflex occurs. Or interrupt the feed as soon as you feel a tingling in your breast so the initial rush of milk can flow into a diaper or a small cup. This way your baby won’t be overwhelmed and swallow too much air with the milk she drinks.

5.   Try nursing your baby while you are lying on your back to see if that improves things.

6.   Try carrying your baby in a vertical position.

7.   When your baby is full, maybe he can comfort himself by sucking on your finger while you hold him in your arms. It may help him relieve tension.

8.   A gentle massage of the lower abdomen or around the navel in a clockwise direction (following the intestine) can be helpful for your baby. Use the following essential oils for massaging: 1 drop of Roman chamomile, 1 drop anise, I drop fennel, 1 drop carrot seed oil and one ounce (20 ml) of sesame oil. Shake ingredients thoroughly in a clean jar before using.

9.   Evaporate a few drops of anise, fennel, coriander and Roman chamomile essential oils in an aroma lamp.

10.  A small hot water bottle wrapped in a towel can help ease your baby’s discomfort; so can putting him down to nap on a lambskin rug or a blanket.

11.  Nurturing touch, which you may already have practiced on yourself, can bring your baby relief. First, sensitize your hands with gentle stroking. Then lay your hands, one on top of the other, over the baby’s pelvic area. Imagine you are “radiating” warmth into his body under your peaceful touch. The presence of your hands will help bring breath movement to his pelvis area, harmonizing and relaxing it. Touching the baby’s abdomen calms him, You may want to silently sound the tone 00 loudly or silently while you do this.

12.  Pressing the baby’s thigh gently and rhythmically against her stomach can help her expel excess air.

13.  Keep in mind colic usually ends abruptly when the baby is around three months old. In that short time, you will have survived this crisis and possibly found increased strength and confidence along the way.

When crying seems to be an expression of “undigested” emotional issues

1.   “Be there” for your baby. Accept her crying and let her know she is not alone. Support her by taking her in your arms or touching her attentively while saying, “I don’t know how I can help you. But I’m with you, and I won’t leave you alone.”

2.   Body and skin contact and an upright position are the only solution for many crying babies and their parents. Snuggled in a carrier, close to mother, father or some other helpful person and carried around, your baby may be more or less satisfied. Maybe it helps her to feel your body warmth at night. Don’t worry about spoiling her! Your baby is not crying to torment you. She cries because of some discomfort, even if the reason isn’t clear.

3.   You can massage your baby’s whole body using a massage oil mixed with 1/4 cup (about 50 to 6Oml) of almond oil and 1 drop of rose oil (many books give guidelines; see Bibliography). Or give him a foot massage.

4.   How about giving your baby a relaxing footbath?

5.   Is your home filled with obvious or not-so-obvious tension? If so, change something about the situation (by talking it out with your partner, making a change in the rhythm of the day, and so on).

When the baby’s crying frays your nerves:

1.   Accept offers of help, or ask for others’ help, before you reach the end of your rope. You need to renew your strength from time to time to stay sane. If none of your relatives, neighbors or friends can help, consider hiring a family helper for a few hours or days right now.

2.   Cuddle a lot with your baby in bed.

3.   If you feel tense or aggressive, don’t just swallow these feelings. Find a harmless way to let them out. Perhaps you could stomp your feet, punch a pillow or yell it out (away from your baby, of course). You will certainly feel better afterward. An open discussion about what’s bothering you with someone you trust might help reduce the tension.

4.   With your partner, discuss how you both can manage to find some time to “refuel.” A sensual, intuitive massage does the trick for some couples.

Other ways to soothe and pacify your baby:

1.   Lay your baby lengthwise on a large cloth or blanket. Hold one end of the blanket securely. While your partner or another person holds the other end, rock the baby. Cradles, hammocks and rocking chairs are also appropriate. As a rule, children love rhythmic movement. Many of them calm down when you put them in the car and drive around the neighborhood.

2.   Many babies stop crying spontaneously when they hear their own voices on tape.

3.   After being in the protective shell of their mother’s womb, many babies don’t feel comfortable with too much space around them. Your baby may enjoy being swaddled in the first weeks. You can wrap your baby snugly in a cotton blanket, or put your baby in a sling or carrier close to your body.

4.   Play soothing music.

5.   Babies between three and six months of age may be restless and cry a lot because their teeth are coming in.

6.   I have found this tea is good for sleep problems you or your partner  may have: Mix ground ginger, cardamom, cinnamon and liquorice in equal parts. Fill the tip of a knife with the mixture and stir into a cup of hot water; let the powder settle a little and drink a few sips.

7.   Homeopathic remedies may help your baby with her discomfort.

Consult your doctor before you begin, and consult a homeopath or naturopathic doctor for your baby’s diagnosis. These remedies are commonly used for babies with colic: Colocythis C6, Dioscorea .C6,

Related posts:

1. Baby Colic

The soreness seems to be unrelated to the length of time your baby is at the breast or whether you prepared your nipples before birth.

Your nipples may remain a little sensitive for a few days after the birth. Fortunately, this problem tends to disappear quickly.

Try to find out what may be contributing to your discomfort, and make the necessary changes.

.

Sore Nipples Possible Causes

1. The baby isn’t taking enough of the areola into her mouth or isn’t latching on correctly because

•    of the way she is positioned

•    the breast is engorged

•    the nipple is retracted

•    she has nipple confusion because of a pacifier or bottle

2. Your nipple is pulled out of shape on one side.

3. Your let-down reflex isn’t working well.

4. Your skin is not supple enough.

5. Your skin is sensitive.

6. Your baby has a strong suction.

7. If time passes, your nipples are still very sore and your areola is tingly or itchy, you could have a thrush infection. If so, your baby will probably have the same infection in his mouth. Both of you will need medical treatment.

Sore Nipples, What Can I Do?

What you do depends on what caused the problem.

1. Pay attention to the way you put your baby to the breast

•    is his head in the curve of your arm, his tummy against yours, and his bottom cupped in your hand?

•    is your nipple lying in the middle of his mouth, or is it pulled to one side?

•    Is your baby sucking just the nipple, or is he taking in the areola too?

•    Do you press on your breast with your finger, causing the nipple to tip up in the baby’s mouth?

2. Don’t use soap on the nipple or areola. it destroys the natural acidity of your skin, making the entire area less flexible and more brittle and encouraging cracks to develop.

3. Don’t wipe off the milk. Instead, allow milk and saliva to dry on the skin. Both have a softening, sterilizing effect.

4. Contrary to popular belief, women with sore nipples should nurse more often, not less. If the baby is put to breast more often, for shorter periods, he will not be starving at the beginning of the feed and will grip the breast with less intensity, When the baby nurses more frequently, he can grasp the nipple together with the areola more easily because the breasts are not as full. Women who breastfeed on demand have sore nipples half as often as women who feed on a 4-hour schedule.

5. The baby’s initial sucking before the milk lets down can be the most uncomfortable part of the breastfeeding process. You can relieve your child of this job by expressing a little milk by hand before the feeding. This way, he doesn’t need to suck as strongly at the beginning and can latch on to the breast more easily.

6. Put your baby to the nipple that is less sore first. The let down reflex will make the milk flow to both breasts, When she is moved to the sore breast, your baby won’t need to suck as strongly to get the milk.

7. If your let down reflex is not working well, your baby has to suck hard without getting good results. The strong sucking can hurt your nipples, which can inhibit the milk ejection reflex further, Then you need something to help you relax!

8. Alternate the positions you use to put the baby to the breast, to change pressure on the nipples.

9. Some women I know have had good experience using inexpensive plastic tea strainers to heal sore nipples. They cut off the handle and put the strainer over the nipple, inside the bra. The strainer lets air circulate, and the nipple heals in a couple of days. You may also use breast shells with air holes for this purpose.

10. Use breast pads made from natural fibers (for example, cotton and silk), Plastic liners may aggravate the situation.

11. Modified, purified, allergen-free lanolin can be left on the nipple during breastfeeding to heal cracks in the nipple. Vitamin A and D cream and vitamin E capsules also speed healing. A midwife I know with decades of experience has found the application of almond oil helps heal sore nipples quickly.

12. Centrally heated homes have low humidity and this dries out skin more easily. A humidifier can help.

13. If you start taking preventive or therapeutic measures for your sore nipples soon enough, you probably won’t have to interrupt breastfeeding at all.

14. Keep in mind that nipple problems are temporary.

Rose Water Compress
-  1 lb. (454g) cottage c
-  50m1 rose water
-  1 drop rose oil
-  1 drop each, sheep yarrow and chamomile blue essential oils, optional
Combine cooled ingredients and apply to breast.

14. If your cracked nipples seep a little blood into the breast milk, don’t worry it doesn’t hurt the baby, and you can continue breastfeeding. It looks worse than it is.

15. Use nipple shields during feeding only as a last resort, never to prevent a problem. Nipple shields cause many problems of their own.

16. Homeopathic remedies may aid healing. You might try one under the guidance of a specialist. Let the practitioner know you are breastfeeding. Some homeopathic remedies typically used in this situation are Castor .

17. You may want to try Bach Flower remedies. Could there be internal, spiritual reasons for the sore nipples? What might they be? A trained therapist may be able to help you choose an effective remedy based on your answer. Agrimony, Aspen, Beech, Centaury, Crab Apple, Heather, Holly, Larch or Pine might help.

18. Aromatherapy: Rose water inhibits infection and encourages healing. Cool, damp compresses placed on the breasts can be helpful. Try the recipe I like for a rose water compress appearing in the box above.

No related posts.

If your baby’s eyes shine, he has healthy skin and at least 6 to 10 wet diapers a day, then he is probably getting enough milk. If he is lively and gains weight steadily, his discomfort may come from something besides hunger.

Are you misinterpreting the baby’s crying as a hunger signal? (Very quiet babies risk not getting enough milk more often than do those who cry a lot) Are you interpreting the normal changes in your breasts (getting softer) as signs of insufficient milk?

There may be several possible explanations for this fear. Possible Causes:

1. Your milk production is not being stimulated sufficiently because

•    You and your baby are separated for long periods of time.

•    The hospital does not have a 24-hour rooming in policy.

•    Your baby’s hunger has been satisfied with supplementary formula (or glucose water) and he is less eager at the breast.

•    Your baby is often given a pacifier to satisfy him, so he demands the breast less often.

•    Your baby is too weak to suck at the breast right now.

•    Your baby is very sleepy or doesn’t announce his need to nurse often enough.

2. Your let down reflex is being affected by

•    stress, fatigue, insecurity or anxiety

•    ambivalent feelings about breastfeeding

•    tension in your household (for example, if your partner is opposed to breastfeeding)

3. Your baby is not correctly positioned at the breast .

4. Because of a growth spurt, your baby needs more of your breast milk. You can’t satisfy him until your milk supply increases to meet his new demand.

5. Your daily habits are influencing your milk production or the milk flow.

•    Do you rest often enough?

•    Are you taking medication, including birth control pills?

•    Do you smoke?

•    Do you drink alcohol ?

•    Are you doing too much or having too many visitors?

•    Are you drinking enough fluid ?

•    Are you eating well-balanced, nutritious meals ?

Although eating well does not generally affect your milk supply, it can positively affect your health and well being.

Increasing Breast Milk

1. Breastfeeding is a matter of supply and demand. The more you nurse, the more milk you will have. If your baby doesn’t ask to nurse often enough, you may have to wake him at certain intervals (for example, every two or three hours) for a while to “condition” the baby and your body.

2. Many babies are especially restless in the late afternoon. This restlessness may have nothing to do with breastfeeding and everything to do with too much activity or some new stimulus, Your baby may be “processing” the many impressions he had during the day.

3. If you have nursed your baby on both sides, go back and give him the first breast again before ending the session. Do this for a few feedings to increase your milk production.

4. If you can’t stimulate enough milk by the baby’s sucking, increase your milk supply by hand expressing or pumping .

5. Sometimes, between the sixth and tenth days, mothers worry they don’t have enough milk. There is some reason for this. Leaving the hospital, having total responsibility for the baby at home, maybe having a lot of visitors to the home who want to admire the baby all these create a stressful situation that coincides with the baby’s first growth spurt. It’s possible your milk supply is temporarily not meeting your baby’s needs. Don’t supplement! Instead, breastfeed more often. In 48 hours your breast milk production will increase.

6. You may be afraid you don’t have enough milk when you notice your breasts have gotten smaller and softer again. Don’t worry! It means the milk ducts have stabilized. The right amount of milk is being produced.

7. At 6 and at 12 weeks, babies have growth spurts. Follow the same advice as before: Breastfeed more often, don’t supplement, and your milk supply will increase again.

8. In many cases there is enough milk, but the let-down reflex isn’t working.  Try to find your inner balance through a massage, a warm shower, a foot bath, a warm drink, music, a comfortable atmosphere, harmonizing fragrances, breathing and relaxation exercises, or visualization exercises to “nurture” the breast and release the milk flow. Allow yourself times of quiet and contemplation to “turn off.”

9. Find a doula to help during your first days with your baby. Spend a day or a weekend in bed and let yourself be nurtured, even spoiled, without feeling guilty.

10. Arrange for outside help for your household.

11. Find support from a breastfeeding group or from other nursing mothers in your area. You can even find support over the telephone or on the Internet.

12. If something worries you, talk with someone you trust a friend, minister or rabbi, therapist or counselor. “Getting it off your chest” may bring relief.

13. As soon as your baby gets a bottle, the weaning process begins. Your milk supply will be reduced, Even glucose water spoils the baby’s appetite for mother’s milk. The fine balance of supply and demand is disturbed. If you have already given one or more bottles and want to reverse the trend, gradually replace the formula feedings, one at a time, with breast milk. If you have decided to continue to offer formula at certain meals and nurse at other feedings, there may be a consequence: Your baby may suck less and less well at the breast as a result.

14. Be sure you get enough fluid (more than two quarts or liters a day) and eat a balanced diet (rich in calcium, protein and vitamin B-12). Many women can increase their milk supply by drinking milk-enhancing teas (three to six cups a day) or by taking a vitamin B rich, brewer’s yeast supplement.

15. Above all: Have faith you can increase your milk production at will. You can do it

16. You might try a homeopathic remedy under the guidance of a specialist. Let the practitioner know you are breastfeeding. Some homeopathic remedies typically used in this situation are Bryonia C6, Calcium Carbonate C6, Ignatia C6, Pulsatilla C6 and Zincum metallicum C6.

17. You may want to try Bach Flower remedies. Ask yourself what emotional condition might be inhibiting your milk production or flow. A trained therapist may be able to help you choose an effective

remedy based on your answer. Plausible remedies for this situation include: Agrimony, Cerato, Clematis, Crab Apple, Elm, Holly, Hombeam, Impatiens, Larch, Olive, Pine, Rock Water or Star of Bethlehem.

18. Aromatherapy may help. To stimulate milk production, you can make a massage oil with which to gently massage your breast.  While your baby is still a newborn, do not apply the oil to your breast
too close to feeding time, because the fragrance will be too strong for the baby’s sensitive nose. Also, avoid rubbing the oil into the nipple and areola.

Related posts:

1. Breast Milk Pumping
2. Dealing with Breast-Feeding Problems
3. When It Is Better Not To Breastfeed

Today we know breastfeeding is possible in all these cases and even with hepatitis B (with some limitations). We realize even tiny, premature babies, who were once thought to be unable to drink from the breast, can do so, 

Mother’s milk is even more crucial for them than it is for mature babies. Very rarely, babies have to be fed with a mother’s milk substitute because of galactosemi an inability to digest lactose.

There may also be situations in which breastfeeding is contraindicated on the mother’s side.

These situations may include:

-  when she needs to take medication that is absolutely contraindicated for the baby is better not to breastfeed

-  if she has AIDS  better not to breastfeed

-  mental illness or other serious illnesses that weakens mother so much she cannot care for her baby better not to breastfeed

-  current drug use or drug-treatment therapy, such as methadone, that could get into the breast milk better not to breastfeed

If more than two years have passed since a woman has had successful treatment for tuberculosis, it is generally OK to breastfeeding. All medical and psychological reasoning speaks in favor of breastfeeding. This makes some mothers feel they have to breast feed otherwise they won’t be an “ideal mother,” Pressuring our selves this way can backfire.

It can lead to tension in the relationship with our child. That greatly burdens breastfeeding. Children have sensitive “antennas.” They can sense their mom’s reluctance very well, and they will respond with reluctance of their own. Sometimes they even go on strike! Perhaps you decided to try breastfeeding despite genuine ambivalence about it. If so, difficulties and an inner resistance may crop up.

At that point, you might ask yourself:

-  What messages were passed to me about breastfeeding?

-  How influenced am I by the people in my environment who want to talk me out of breastfeeding or who may even ridicule me?

-  Am I torn between my child and my partner, who may be openly jealous?

-  Does the closeness, the intimate contact with my baby during nursing confuse me and create a conflict for me? As a result, do I have trouble letting myself simply enjoy my child?

-  Is it difficult for me to “give myself” to my baby as a source of food and comfort? Where could that reluctance come from?

-  Am I afraid my baby is taking something away from me, is “draining” me?

Or:

-  Do your breasts hurt so much that you become tense during breastfeeding? Has this reaction burdened your mutual relationship too much and for too long?

-  Has your baby possibly become used to a bottle and now finds it easier to drink from a bottle than from the breast (maybe throwing a fit whenever you try to feed him)? If so, has this undermined your self confidence?

You may only have to deal with a few “technical” breastfeeding problems. Or you may be bothered by emotional problems primarily, which frequently turn into technical problems. You can find help to overcome these problems from a La Leche League Leader, by attending a support group or by talking to a counselor or therapist if you suspect the problem is more deeply rooted.

In some cases, a woman may offer her baby better mothering if she isn’t breastfeeding. Don’t demand something of yourself that overtaxes you (and your child), To decide, look deep inside yourself look at your vulnerabilities and strengths, assess your present situation with a clear mind and an honest heart.

If the circumstances are too difficult to overcome, it may be better for you to feed your baby lovingly by bottle. If that restores peace and harmony, then it will be better for you to bottle  feed halfheartedly with anguish to both of you. Since I’ve stopped breastfeeding after weeks of struggling, I’ve been able to have an anxiety-free, loving relationship with my child for the first time.

Make a well considered decision, and then stand by it. Above all, free yourself from unrealistic expectations and guilty feelings that create new problems. As important as breastfeeding is, the quality of your relationship with your child, and his relationship to you, is even more important.

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1. Increasing Breast Milk

It requires relatively little effort or cost to manufacture. The most distinct difference between cow’s milk and mother’s milk is that cow’s milk is suited for cows and the development of a baby calf. Mother’s milk is composed of things suitable for a human infant.

There are many, many identifiable proteins, enzymes, and other minerals in breast milk that help sustain, protect and grow the babies who drink it. Breast milk also contains many as yet unknown components. Infant formula is created to resemble mother’s milk. But we will see it is a poor substitute for the real thing. What’s in mother’s milk, and what are its advantages?

Water

Human milk consists mainly of water: All its other ingredients are dissolved in water. Breast milk preserves an ideal, flexible relationship between water and its other ingredients. For example, the first milk the baby gets at a feed is watery and thirst quenching, while milk toward the end of a feed is creamier and more filling . An exclusively breastfed child doesn’t usually need additional fluid, even in hot weather, as long as she is put to the breast sufficiently and her mother takes in sufficient fluids herself. (A mother would have to be seriously dehydrated to affect her milk supply.)

Protein

The main proteins in milk are called casein and lactalbumin. Casein is a protein that curdles coarsely (it’s the basis for yogurt, kefir,cottage cheese and other cheeses); lactalbumin, on the other hand, is a much smoother protein similar to the clear, water like part of cow’s milk that separates from the curd. In cow’s milk, the casein to lactalbumin ratio is higher than it is in mother’s milk. That means cow’s milk based formula has a lot more coarse, curdling milk protein than mother’s milk does. Casein sticks together in the baby’s stomach and is much harder to digest than the finer lactalbumin. Because of this clumping tendency, formula companies dilute, homogenize and add emulsifiers to infant formula.

Even so, we observe that bottle-fed babies are more prone to digestive problems such as stomach gas and constipation. Apparently a newborn can only partially digest cow’s milk protein; the remainder is eliminated in the form of large stools. Because human milk is fully absorbed by babies, breastfed babies gain more weight on less breast milk than they would if they were fed the same amount of formula. The large amount of lactalbumin in mother’s milk makes it easier to digest, and it empties more quickly from the baby’s intestines. For this reason, it is normal for breastfed babies to be hungry sooner than bottle fed babies; in the beginning, every two to three hours.

Fat

About half the nutritional value of mother’s milk lies in its fat content. Fat is especially important to the newborn because it is used to develop new nerve cells. Mother’s milk has many more unsaturated fatty acids than formula does, Fatty acids are particularly indispensable to an infant. They are critical for digestion, protection against infection and possibly intelligence. Infant formula adds vegetable oil in an effort to duplicate the fatty acid combinations in mother’s milk. This oil cannot make formula the same as the species-specific, healthful milk you produce for your baby.

Carbohydrates

between breast milk and formula can be made up to some extent by adding lactose and other types of sugar to cow’s milk based formula. However, some other carbohydrates present in human milk, such as the bifidus factor, are absent in cow’s milk and cannot be Milk sugar (lactose) is present in different amounts in both mother’s milk and cow’s milk. This carbohydrate is the second most important energy source for the baby. The difference in lactose content duplicated in formula.

This beneficial substance is necessary for the growth of lactobacillus bifidus, which helps protect the baby’s intestines from disease producing bacteria (such as certain coli types and streptococci families). It also protects against infant enteritis (inflammation Medical literature describes epidemics of infant enteritis before the discovery of antibiotics. These cases were only brought under control by feeding the affected babies fresh, untreated mother’s milk.

Minerals

Levels of sodium, calcium and magnesium are many times higher in cow’s milk than in mother’s milk. Infant formula companies artificially try to reduce these levels, but they cannot duplicate the exact mineral composition present in mother’s milk. These minerals may be low in mother’s milk, but they are still better absorbed by the breastfed baby than are the same minerals in infant formula.

Vitamins and Iron

During pregnancy, deposits of vitamins A, D, E and K are  stored in the mother s body. For a healthy woman who nourishes  herself sensibly this supply is often enough to cover most of her baby’s entire  vitamin requirement during the coli bacteriat. Mother’s milk contains relatively little iron, but it does contain the enzyme lactoferrin, which binds itself to iron in the baby’s body.

Lactoferrin permits the baby to absorb at least half of all iron present in the mother’s milk. Without lactoferrin, which is not in cow’s milk, a baby absorbs just a fraction of the iron available in his food, even if this food has added iron! In the first six to nine months of life, a full term baby still has the large iron reserve he got from his mother during the pregnancy. The small amount of iron he receives through his mother’s milk is enough in this early period.

Antibodies
In the womb, the baby receives antibodies against germs and organisms to which his mother has been exposed. These are called immunoglobulins certain kinds of protein. The time immediately after birth is critical for the baby; The antibodies he receives from his mother during pregnancy are available, but start to disappear. He can’t produce his own antibodies yet. His immune system gradually matures in the first year of life. Breastfeeding is ideal for bridging this critical phase. It continues to protect him with his mother’s antibodies.

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