Saturday, May 29, 2010

Friday, May 28, 2010

Monday, May 24, 2010

Friday, May 21, 2010

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

blogging elsewhere

I recently wrote a post about breastfeeding for the blog published by the center I work at. I wanted to share it here also:

Nourishing our babies

I’m always surprised when people ask when I’ll stop breastfeeding, usually assuming I’ll be done by my baby’s first birthday. Many people I encounter think breastfeeding is a one year commitment at best; while others think it’s only important for a few weeks or months, and others don’t see value in breastfeeding at all. Often when I mention that I don’t have a planned date to stop breastfeeding, I receive strange looks or misguided comments.

My son is now 10 months old and I’ve been breastfeeding him since minutes after birth. I enjoy breastfeeding him and believe it is a key factor in developing that special bond between mother and baby. It gives us a chance to reconnect during the day now that he’s so busy exploring the world. It’s also easy and cheap! I don’t have to remember to bring milk when we leave the house. I don’t have to worry about clean bottles or the temperature of the milk. I have the perfect food at the perfect temperature always ready to go.

Breast milk conveys huge benefits to the nursing baby and mother. Studies have shown that breastfed babies are sick less often, have less allergies, have higher cognitive function later in life (as measured by IQ and grades in school), and lower rates of obesity than babies who are formula fed. Breastfeeding also benefits the mother by assisting with post baby weight loss, reducing the risk of many forms of cancer, and protecting against osteoporosis.

Current recommendations are for exclusive breastfeeding through a baby’s first 6 months (AAP 2005, WHO 2002). This means no other foods or beverages are offered. Complimentary foods are offered once the baby is 6 months old and breastfeeding is continued at the same rate as before. Throughout the first year, the majority of calories and nutrients should come from breast milk.

The need for breast milk doesn’t end after infancy. According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, children weaned before two years of age are at increased risk of illness (AAFP 2001). The American Academy of Pediatrics notes that breastfeeding beyond one year “confers significant health and developmental benefits for the child and the mother” and that “there is no upper limit to the duration of breastfeeding and no evidence of psychological or developmental harm from breastfeeding into the third year of life or longer" (AAP 2005).

How do Americans measure up to these recommendations? According to the CDC National Immunization Survey, 74% of women who birthed babies in 2006 initiated breastfeeding, 43% were breastfeeding at 6 months, and 23% were still breastfeeding at 12 months of age. Of babies born in 2006, 33% were exclusively breastfed for 3 months and 14% were exclusively breastfed through 6 months.

I encourage all mothers to breastfeed their babies and seek out help if difficulties arise. Certified lactation consultants are available to assist with feeding problems at your local hospital, La Leche League holds area meetings and has volunteers available for consult, and KellyMom website is a wonderful evidence-based breastfeeding resource. All of society can work towards increasing breastfeeding rates, and the health of future generations, by showing more acceptance and understanding of the natural act of breastfeeding.

Resources:

AAP Breastfeeding Position Statement: http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/pediatrics;115/2/496

WHO Breastfeeding Position Statement: http://www.who.int/nutrition/topics/infantfeeding_recommendation/en/index.html

AAFP Breastfeeding Position Statement: http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/policy/policies/b/breastfeedingpolicy.html

CDC National Immunization Survey: http://www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding/data/NIS_data/index.htm

La Leche League: http://www.llli.org/

KellyMom: http://www.kellymom.com/index.html

cruising

5.11.10
5.11.10

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Thursday, May 13, 2010

i < 3 these



he has never laughed like this before...

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

random pics just found on camera...

...that i happen to enjoy

4.18.10
4.18.10

Photobucket
4.24.10

Saturday, May 8, 2010

free ride

We put a seat on the back of NJG's bike so we could all ride together. These are pics and video from the first time we tried it out. Today we went out again. We rode around the neighborhood and to the park.

5.2.10

5.2.10
5.2.10

Thursday, May 6, 2010

IJG is 10 months old!


5.6.10

IJG is standing up everywhere now. Even with just a flat wall he can get up. He FINALLY started “big boy crawling” as opposed to army crawling almost exclusively. He only started this about 2 weeks ago. He can get around so much quicker now he has been investigating new areas of the house on a daily basis. He used to never leave the room he was in and now he will crawl out and into the next. He loves to travel around the kitchen and our bathroom and recently has been investigating our downstairs living room (which is totally not baby safe). The toilet and toilet paper are of great interest to him and I always have to close off that area when he is playing in the bathroom. He is beginning to take more and more steps while standing, but has been inconsistent. We’ve seen him walk while holding onto his window sill and also with the kitchen cabinets, but he is not yet doing it regularly.

IJG had his second bloody accident this month. This happened under grandma's care during their second visit this month. He had a bloody nose from falling against the corner of his bookshelf. She’s keeping up tradition of grandmas injuring first born sons in her family.

IJG loves to be tickled and his tickle places keep growing. He likes to lick every smooth surface he comes in contact with. He also likes to chew on cabinet knobs and door stops. His favorite toys right now are his wooden ring stacker, his rolling activity center (because he can stand at it and play), and unconventional things like the drawstring on daddy's scrub pants, the nasal bulb syringe, springy door stops, and kitchen utensils. He looks for tiny things to examine on the floor like single hairs or fibers from a rug. Anything new, that he has never seen before is the best toy ever. He's pretty good at entertaining himself with investigating all of these objects and areas.

We’ve been working with IJG to wave by waving and saying “hi” or “bye” when someone is coming or going. He has started waving in the last week (when he feels like it). He also learned to put his hands up over his head when he has finished eating and we yell "All Done." I sing a song that teaches clapping and opening and shutting hands. He still won’t clap but has started mimicking the open shut motion…just not when I’m singing the song! Grandma taught him to fake cough during her first of two visits this month and he picked this up immediately. He does this constantly, thinks it’s hilarious, and has started doing it every time I sing him a song. He has started opening the velcro on his diapers if we don't put clothes on him. He opens one side and then goes back to whatever activity he's doing.


4.29.10

He has started looking under his crib or the bed if his toy goes under. It's so cute. He leans over, knocks his head on the floor and looks. Then he tries to reach for the toy and often just hits it in further so he can keep playing this game. He has also started trying to roll or throw a ball back to us when we roll it to him. He still will "kiss" our cheeks when we kiss him, and now he will instigate this without us kissing him first by attacking us with kisses. IJG had his first bike ride on the back of daddy's bike and his second time in a swimming pool. He enjoyed both.

His schedule has not changed much in regards to eating, sleeping, or school. He has been more consistently sleeping from 8:00 pm to 6:00 am instead of waking up closer to 5:00 am. This is much appreciated. I haven't introduced any new foods this month. He is eating larger portions. He still can't handle many chunky or solid foods, but he is doing well with chunkier soft fruits. I've been chopping and mashing things like mangoes, kiwis, and peaches and mixing them with cereal and he does fine. He still is quite happy to go to school, but also always happy to see me return.

He got one more tooth this month, number eight, that never came in when it's pair made an appearance.

IJG has been sick twice this month, with both he became congested and the second had an accompanying fever. He developed ear infections both times. I started him on a natural ear oil (Wally's Ear Oil), liquid vitamin drops, and he had his first (and second) visit to a chiropractor. He did well and only cried for a very short time after his neck was adjusted the first time and not at all the second time.

Saturday, May 1, 2010