Pregnancy

• Breastfeeding and Jaundice

  Jaundice is due to a buildup in the blood of bilirubin, a yellow pigment which comes from the breakdown of old red blood cells. It is normal for red blood cells to break down, but the bilirubin formed does not usually cause jaundice because the liver metabolizes it and gets rid of it into the gut. The newborn baby, however, often becomes jaundiced during the first few days because the liver enzyme which metabolizes bilirubin is relatively immature. Furthermore, newborn babies have more red blood cells than adults, and thus more are breaking down at any one time. If the baby is premature, or stressed from a difficult birth, or the infant of a diabetic mother, or more than the usual number of red blood cells are breaking down (as happens in blood incompatibility), the level of bilirubin in the blood may rise higher than what is usual.

• Using Gentian Violet

  Gentian violet (1% solution in water) is an excellent treatment for Candida albicans. Candida albicans is a yeast which may cause an infection of skin and/or mucous membranes in both children and adults. In small children, this yeast may cause white patches in the mouth (thrush), or diaper rash. When the nursing mother has a yeast infection of the nipple, she may experience severe nipple pain, as well as deep breast pain.

• Using a Lactation Aid

  A lactation aid is a device which allows a breastfeeding mother to supplement her baby with expressed breastmilk, formula or glucose water with added colostrum (glucose water alone should only be used, in general, in the first day or two after birth) without using an artificial nipple. The early use of an artificial nipple may result in the baby becoming “bottle spoiled” or “nipple confused” because it interferes with the way a baby latches on to the breast.

• Is My Baby Getting Enough Milk?

  Breastfeeding mothers frequently ask how to know their babies are getting enough milk. The breast is not the bottle, and it is not possible to hold the breast up to the light to see how many ounces or millilitres of milk the baby drank. Our number obsessed society makes it difficult for some mothers to accept not seeing exactly how much milk the baby receives. However, there are ways of knowing that the baby is getting enough. In the long run, weight gain is the best indication whether the baby is getting enough, but rules about weight gain appropriate for bottle fed babies may not be appropriate for breastfed babies.

• Sore Nipples

  The best treatment of sore nipples is prevention. The best prevention is latching the baby on properly from the first day.

• Colic in the Breastfed Baby

  Colic is one of the mysteries of nature. Nobody knows what it really is, but everyone has an opinion. In the typical situation, the baby starts to have crying periods about two to three weeks after birth. These occur mainly in the evening, and finally stop when the baby is about 3 months of age (occasionally older). When the baby cries, he is often inconsolable, though if he is walked, rocked or taken for a drive, he may settle temporarily. For a baby to be called colicky, it is necessary that he be gaining weight well and be otherwise healthy.

• Breastfeeding—Starting Out Right

  Breastfeeding is the natural, physiologic way of feeding infants and young children milk, and human milk is the milk made specifically for human infants. Formulas made from cows milk or soy beans (most of them) are only superficially similar, and advertising which states otherwise is misleading. Breastfeeding should be easy and trouble free for most mothers. A good start helps to assure breastfeeding is a happy experience for both mother and baby.

• What to Feed Your Baby

  We are given an opportunity as parents to revisit what it means to feed our bodies. Babies and young children wait expectantly for their parents to feed them. The choice of what goes into an infant’s mouth is really up to the parent. Most of us want to feed our children the best we can offer, but often the line between nutrition education and advertising is thin, undistinguishable.