Recent Articles
Meconium Aspiration Syndrome
Meconium is the thick, sticky, tar-like substance that your baby excretes into her diaper after birth. It is made up of all the dead skin cells, proteins, fats, intestinal secretions, and all the other matter your baby swallowed while in the womb. After delivery, your baby will pass meconium stools for the first few days of life. Sometimes, if your baby is distressed, she will have a bowel movement before birth and will excrete the meconium into the amniotic fluid. This can present a problem known as meconium aspiration syndrome.
Meditation and Mindfulness for the Management of Chronic Pain
In patients with chronic pain, it has been found that stress, fear, and depression amplifies the perception of pain. Mind-body approaches to chronic pain such as progressive muscle relaxation, meditation, laughter, and mindfulness-based approaches have been found to markedly reduce the pain experience.
To Dream Feed or Not to Dream Feed?
Let me paint you a picture. You get your baby ready for bed and put her to sleep for the night. She has been asleep for a few hours, and you are prepared to go to bed now too. You sneak into the room where your baby is sleeping, pick her up, and quietly feed her. Once you are finished feeding her, you lay her back down in her sleep space. You do this all while trying to keep her asleep. This is known as a dream feed because your baby doesn’t naturally wake up hungry.
How to Latch Your Baby for Breastfeeding
The big secret to a good latch is a tiny space at the back of your baby’s tongue. Many mothers make the common mistake of stopping just short of this space, an area which we call the “NO ZONE”. Learn here the simple concepts of a good latch and how to get a good latch when breastfeeding your newborn. As well as, how to recognize a bad latch and what you can do to fix it. And learn why the ”NO ZONE”, is no place for a nipple.
How Many Times Can You Safely Reheat Breast Milk? Updated Guidelines
As a breastfeeding mother, you know how challenging it can be to express and correctly store your breast milk. It takes enormous effort to follow safe storage rules when half asleep after a 3 am feed or when you're running late for a 10 am meeting, and so you really don't want to see that precious liquid gold wasted. What happens if you've heated a bottle of expressed milk that was stored in the fridge and your baby doesn't finish it? The answer varies and will depend on a few factors. Read on to learn more.
Sexual Harassment in the Workplace
There are many different ways in which sexual harassment plays itself out in the workplace. Some forms are more subtle and hard to pinpoint, and others are more aggressive, such as downright physical sexual assault. In short, sexual harassment is any form of unwelcome sexual remark or action.
What Causes SIDS and How Can it be Prevented?
As a new parent, the mention of SIDS can send shivers down your spine and get you up all night checking on your (finally!) sleeping baby. But you can rest assured, knowing that the incidence of SIDS is very low. In fact, only 0,0009% of babies succumb to SIDS, and there is a lot you can do to prevent it.
Lower Back Pain During Pregnancy
Pregnancy and lower back pain are almost synonymous. It is common to experience stiffness and aching that sometimes refers down into the buttocks, hips and legs. Back pain usually starts in the second trimester of pregnancy and sometimes only remits once your baby is born.
The Power Of Goal-Setting
Goal-setting is an important and powerful process for seeing your dreams realized. In order to be successful in the goal-setting process, you should set SMART goals. These goals are specific, measurable, achievable, realizable, and time-bound. Goals help provide direction and give you a sense of control over your life.
Maternity Leave Rights According to the FMLA
According to law, you cannot be fired for being pregnant. The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and the Federal Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA) strictly regulate U.S. employers, preventing them from laying off employees because of pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions. Read on to find out more about your rights during maternity leave.
The Best Breastfeeding Positions
Breastfeeding a newborn is very different to breastfeeding a six-month-old or even a 3-month-old baby. Learn which positions are best for breastfeeding your newborn, what a good latch feels like, different techniques for achieving a deeper latch, and how to know when your baby is full.
Let’s Talk About Change
One thing we can be sure of is that change is the only constant in our lives. Change often creates fear, uncertainty, and insecurity about our future. However, our resistance to this change either causes us to stagnate, or it causes us to be battered by unforeseen circumstances. It’s analogous to a surfer in the waves. You are either riding the waves or failing to act, you will be dumped by them.
Your Baby At Five Months Old
The fifth month is usually a transitional time of exciting developments in your baby's life. His muscles have developed in preparation for sitting, crawling, and even standing with support. He can roll from his back to his tummy and is starting to make sounds reminiscent of speech. You will also have noticed that your baby has almost doubled her birth weight. Read on to find out more about what you can expect in the fifth month.
Diastasis Recti Exercises
During pregnancy, our bodies do a lot of incredible things to accommodate our growing baby. Our abdomen muscles expand and separate as the linea alba (or connective tissue between the abdominis recti muscle) stretches. After giving birth, you may notice an indentation in the middle of your belly, in the region of your “six-pack” area. For some moms, this separation is excessive and is known as diastasis recti.
Abdominal Distension in Babies
Abdominal distension occurs when substances, such as air (gas) or fluid, accumulate in the abdomen causing its expansion. It is typically a symptom of an underlying disease or dysfunction in the body, rather than an illness in its own right.
Your Baby At One-Month-Old
You’ve made it through four weeks of parenting a new-born! Most parents don’t realize how difficult having a baby can be, and the first month of parenting can be a shock to the system. The sleepless nights, trying to get used to the two-hourly feeding sessions, worrying about the color of your baby’s poop can all be overwhelming, to say the least.
Queen Bee Syndrome
Although the Queen Bee phenomenon is still a common workplace occurrence, as time goes on, women understand the importance of having other women at their side. While it seems that more conclusive research needs to be conducted on the subject, this article has outlined practical strategies for coping with this phenomenon in the workplace.
Stop Comparing Yourself to Others
Human beings have compared themselves to others since the beginning of time. It is an inbuilt tendency of the mind, and in some ways, it can be helpful. It can give you a blueprint for improvement and inspire you to change, but at other times, comparisons can be a means to pick yourself apart. For example, recognizing the similarities you have with others can help you feel connected, validated, and supported. But for the most part, comparing yourself to others can leave you feeling inadequate and alone.
Letting Go of Mom Guilt
Most of us wonder (all the time) if the way we are parenting our children is right. Worsened by the consistent bombardment of parenting advice through social media, parenting blogs, well-meaning parents, and friends, we’re left feeling completely inadequate. Add a global pandemic, which means working from home AND homeschooling children, and you’ve got the perfect recipe for mom-guilt.
Your Baby At Two Months Old
The eight-week mark is usually an exciting milestone for new parents. At this stage, you may notice that your baby occasionally flashes you an adorable smile and is beginning to recognize different faces. You've also made it through the toughest stage of newborn parenting, with the sleepless nights, learning how to breast (or bottle) feed, and adjusting to a new family dynamic. You'll be glad to know that within four to six weeks; your baby will begin to sleep through the night (or at least give you a bigger break between feeds) and learns new skills every day.