Today’s guest post comes from Marianne Neifert, M.D., author of the new book Great Expectations: The Essential Guide to Breastfeeding.
Just a Few Weeks Early
Breastfeeding Challenges in Late-Preterm Infants
Until recently, babies born a few weeks early — between 34 and 36 weeks gestation — were referred to as near term infants. However, the designation, near term, implies that an infant is almost term or almost fully mature, and the misnomer has often caused health professionals and parents to underestimate the medical risks in this large, vulnerable population of infants. Recently, the American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended that infants born at …read more

It surprised me to see a DVD copy of the documentary “The Business of Being Born” available at one of my local county libraries. I put it on hold for 25 cents (have I mentioned how I think the public library is one of the best inventions ever?!), picked it up a few days later, and finally got to watch it with my husband the other night. The movie completely spoke to my disappointing experiences with hospital births and my very satisfying home birth. I wish everyone — pregnant or not, male or female — would watch the movie! The …read more

Sometimes being a mother means being a detective. My 10-month-old had a restless night last Saturday. On Sunday she was fussy and not much interested in eating solid food, which was unusual for her. I chalked it up to teething because I could see two new teeth poking their way through the top gums.eething was ruled out later that night when she spiked a fever of 103 degrees Fahrenheit. The next morning I started to get really worried — what would cause a fever and disinterest in food, but no runny nose, vomiting, or diarrhea? Had she managed to swallow …read more

In my Tips for When Your Baby Resists Solid Food, I made the remark that “there is no rush to get the baby to eat solids because breast milk provides complete nutrition through the first year.” I’ve since revised that statement to “there is no rush to get the baby to eat much solid food because breast milk provides the bulk of nutrition through the first year (and in fact some babies thrive on breast milk alone)” based on the following comment that that post received:
http://www.who.int/nutrition/publications/infantfeeding/WHO_NHD_00.1/en/index.html – see page 10 + 11
Breastmilk does not provide complete nutrition for the second …read more

Pediatrician Dr. Bob Sears makes it his business to stay on top of the latest developments and news regarding vaccinations. He is the author of The Vaccine Book: Making the Right Decision for Your Child. He spoke on the topic of vaccines at the La Leche League conference I went to last weekend.
La Leche League conferences are great because children are welcome at the lectures. As I chased my 10-month-old around the back of the room (until she finally fell asleep in the sling as you can see above), I managed to take in a lot of valuable information …read more

Both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the United States Breastfeeding Committee (USBC) have issued strong guidance on the importance of breastfeeding for protection against the H1N1 swine flu. The CDC states, “Infants who are not breastfeeding are particularly vulnerable to infection and hospitalization for severe respiratory illness.”
Thus, the CDC urges new mothers to initiate breastfeeding early and to feed frequently. Mothers already breastfeeding should continue to do so, even if they become ill. Formula feeding should be avoided or minimized and breastfeeding maximized. In the Health News Digest, USBC Chair Joan Younger Meek, MD, MS, …read more

My baby is sick. Possibly sick from the vaccine intended to protect her from illness. And I am sick at heart. You see, I took her in for her 9-month well baby visit three days ago. At that time, she received two vaccinations: DTaP and Rotavirus. Those of you really savvy about vaccinations might see the problem already. I didn’t realize it at the time, but the rotavirus vaccine is not recommended after the baby reaches the age of 32 weeks (about 8 months).y baby was overdue for her third and final dose of RotaTeq. I had put it off …read more

At every well baby visit, the pediatrician diligently charts the baby’s growth on a CDC growth chart or a WHO growth chart (which better reflects the general growth patterns of breastfed babies). Those charts have their place for monitoring that a baby continues to grow on essentially the same curve. However, such charts might mislead parents into thinking that a baby who is at the top end of the weight growth chart might be heavy as an older child. In fact, breastfed babies are less likely to be overweight as children than their formula-fed counterparts. So the next time a …read more

My little Nicole isn’t so little anymore as she topped the scales today at 20 pounds 6 ounces at her nine-month well baby visit! She is 28.5 inches long, which puts her pretty much in the 75th percentile for both weight and height.he’s healthy and happy and has four teeth, as you can see in this blurry photo from my camera phone. I could hardly get her to sit still for the second it takes to snap a picture!
Over the weekend she climbed the entire flight of stairs as I followed her right behind. It’s a new world and I …read more

A groundbreaking program at UC San Diego Medical Center encourages mothers of premature infants to initiate lactation and express breast milk to provide for their preemies who cannot suckle at the breast full-time or even part-time. The CBS interview linked to below reveals fascinating information about the life-saving benefits of breast milk for pre-term babies in the neonatal intensive care unit. What’s even more interesting is that the expressed breast milk provides a benefit not only for the babies but for their mothers as well! Cathy Robinson, the mother of premature twins Naomi and Caldwell, explained:
You can’t be there …read more