Breastfeeding has many benefits, in fact 100 years ago there was little other alternative. Today wWe live in a bottle feeding society. Many moms not only find bottle feeding more convenient, they have also been led to believe that feeding formula is somehow better for them and their baby. This information is flat out wrong. The benefits of breastfeeding for you and your baby generally far outweigh any risks or problems you may face. Remember if you are concerned to ask your health care provider, as everyones circumstance is a little different, but most will agree with this.

The most obvious and also most numerous benefits from breastfeeding are to the baby directly from breast milk. No only does breast milk contain the exact nutritional requirements for your baby, it has numerous other positives as well, including:

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by Patricia Hughes

In some homes, the baby is not the first baby. A beloved cat or dog may have held that title for years. You may be worried about how your first baby will react to the arrival of your human one. There are things you can do before and after the baby arrives to make the transition easier for everyone.

Before the Baby is Born

The time to start preparing your pet for the new baby is while you are still pregnant. This is especially important for pets that are not used to children or older animals. Think about your pet’s routine. What will change? Will the baby be sleeping in your room and the dog banished to the family room? If so consider making the change now, so your pet won’t associate the two events. Block your pet from any rooms that will be off limits after your baby is born, including the baby’s room.

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by Patricia Hughes

One piece of baby gear that all new parents will need is a car seat. You will be asked if you have a seat at the hospital and a nurse may check before you are discharged from the hospital. A car seat will protect your baby in the event of an accident and in most places, using a car seat is the law. You have two basic choices in seats for your new baby, an infant only seat or a convertible car seat. There are pros and cons to each type of seat.

Infant Seats are made to fit rear facing and are used for young babies. The seat part can be removed from the base and carried by the handle. This feature can be useful for moving a sleeping baby into the house. Some are made as part of a travel system and can fit inside the stroller. The biggest benefit of these seats is that newborn babies just fit in them better. Newborns, especially smaller babies, flop around in many convertible seats and just don’t fit well.

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by Patricia Hughes

One of the most common worries among new breastfeeding mothers is having an adequate supply. Many of us, at one time or another will worry that we aren’t making enough milk. In most cases, our worries turn out to be unfounded. If you are concerned about making enough milk, there are some things you can do to increase the supply.

Sometimes we find we are worrying for nothing. Before you get too worried, be sure you really have a diminished supply. As the baby settles into a somewhat regular feeding schedule, your body will naturally adjust to that schedule. Your breasts will feel less full between feedings than they did when the baby was first born. Sometimes we mistake this for a reduced supply.

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We all know how it can be sometimes very frustrating trying to communicate with our baby or toddler. Perhaps one of the newest trends in parenting is baby sign language.  People in the deaf community have known for years that babies could communicate through sign long before their vocal cords allow them to speak, but the trend didn’t really catch on because of the false assumption that signing led to later verbal language development. We now know that not only does signing not keep a baby from talking; it actually helps them to start talking sooner and have better language skills.  

By using sign, children learn how to express themselves with words, and some will even start to put words together in sentences before they turn one.  Sign is also great for relieving some of the frustration you and your child face because they can tell you exactly what they want.  This is especially helpful if your child is ill.  Imagine a child under a year being able to tell you not only that they’re in pain, but where it hurts.

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