Welcome to the Women’s Health Blogfest featuring posts from registered dietitians and lactation professionals. First I want to share how breastfeeding counselors use their unique skills to help support breastfeeding mothers. At the end of this post, watch for links to other participating bloggers!
It’s true of nearly any profession. The keys to success are not technical knowledge or even years of experience. As I law student, I was not asked to memorize all the rules of federal, state, and local law. That would be impossible! Instead I was taught how to get at the heart of an issue and how …read more

Many children nurse well into toddlerhood. If a toddler suddenly stops nursing altogether, there are two possible causes: (1) a toddler nursing strike triggered by an illness, teething, or emotional event, or (2) self-weaning. How can you tell the difference, and what can be done to end a toddler nursing strike?

So far in this three-part series I have offered ten tips for helping your baby enjoy solid food. In this last installment, I make some suggestions for what to do when your baby resists eating solids.
Five More Tips for Helping Your Baby with Solid Food Feedings
11. Don’t starve the baby of breast milk in the hope of encouraging solid food intake. I hope that sentence speaks for itself, but in case not, let me explain what I mean. Don’t give in to the unhelpful suggestion or thought that you are feeding the baby too much breast milk and that is …read more

The list of tips for helping your baby enjoy solid food continues today with five more ideas. Stay tuned for the last five tomorrow when I will share some thoughts for what to do when solid food feeding is not going as well as you might hope! Feel free to add your thoughts in the comments section — what have you done and do you agree or disagree with this set of tips so far?
Five More Tips for Helping Your Baby Enjoy Solid Food
6. Set a good example with what you eat. One of the signs of readiness for solid …read more

You have determined that your baby is ready for solids (see Starting Your Baby on Solid Foods: When, What and How). You are determined to make it a good experience for both of you! Here are some tips to get the adventure off to a good start. Over the next couple of days I will post more tips in this series. While I don’t claim to be an expert, I apparently have a lot to say on the subject!
1. Tell your baby the name of each food you are offering. This simple step goes a long way to establishing a …read more

The classic parenting book How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish is as relevant and helpful today as it was when it first came out 30 years ago. The descriptions, examples and cartoons offer straightforward information that parents can put into practice right away. Readers can invest time in the practice exercises or simply skim the summaries for an overview or a brief refresher.

Throughout the chapters on “Helping Children Deal with Their Feelings,” “Engaging Cooperation,” and “Alternatives to Punishment” I found myself dog-earring pages and scribbling notes …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

Welcome to the biggest Carnival of Breastfeeding to date! Many mothers submitted posts to share their “how to” knowledge, from how to wean from a nipple shield to how to get a spouse to help with breastfeeding. After I discuss how to teach your baby nursing manners, take a look at the links to the other participants. You might also wish to enter to win a free baby carrier, sling, or wrap of your choice (contest ends Friday, April 24, 2009).
f you breastfeed for the recommended year or more, you might experience some occasional unwanted behavior from your nursling. I …read more

This contest has ended. Thanks for your interest!
You choose the prize in this fabulous baby carrier giveaway from Baby Carriers Direct! You have up to three contest entries to win your choice of baby carrier, sling or wrap under $100! The contest is open to those with a home mailing address in the United States or Canada.
Have a look around Baby Carriers Direct. You can browse by brand, type, color, weight capacity or price (handy for staying under that $100 limit!) To enter the giveaway, leave a comment here saying which baby carrier you want to win! For a second …read more

What’s the free postpartum contraceptive option for women? It’s called the Lactational Amenorrhea Method (LAM). I have written about the pros and cons of LAM before, so this time I want to highlight a comprehensive article on LAM (PDF) offered for free by USAID Global Health eLearning Center and the ACCESS Family Planning Initiative.he informative four-page brief is designed to help health care professionals offer LAM guidance in their maternal, child, and family health care practices, but it would be helpful for any woman who wishes to practice LAM. I like how the article uses LAM as a springboard to …read more