Archive for the 'Breastfeeding' Category

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Hospital Nursing Gowns

Published on June 26, 2010 in Articles, Breastfeeding, maternity clothes, Maternity Fashion Trends, maternity pajamas, Nursing, Nursing Pajams and Pregnant. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , .

When your contractions quicken and you grab your pre-packed bag and dash off to the hospital, the last thing you want to worry about is whether or not the one size fits all hospital gown will be flattering, or at the very least, comfortable. When giving birth, you want to feel as comfortable as possible and not worry about any of the little things, such as whether or not your gown is covering you properly. One way to alleviate this stress is to bring your own hospital gown with you. This way, you are guaranteed comfort, style, and peace of mind on this incredible day. Two well-known maternity fashion designers, 1 in the Oven and Dear Johnnies, have created comfortable yet fashionable hospital gowns which are sure to make the birth of your child just a little bit easier.

1 in the Oven designs hospital gowns which encompass the most important factors for a comfortable birth, ease and practicality, while maintaining a fashionable and flattering look. One important feature of their gowns is the fabric, something which one should always consider when looking for a gown. Made of 100% cotton, they are incredibly soft. The light-weight fabric makes them easy to move in and ensures that you will not feel bogged down and uncomfortable. With no tags and such soft fabric, your comfort is guaranteed. Having a nursing gown with accessible nursing access is very important, and 1 in the Oven’s designs meet that requirement. Hidden slits in the front provide easy and discreet nursing access, ensuring that nursing your baby will be comfortable and hassle free. Covered by gentle pleats which also serve to create a figure flattering shape, the discreet nursing access is both practical and comfortable. Aside from the high level of comfort which these nursing gowns provide, they also are fashionable and flattering. With a scoop neck and hitting just above the knees, they create a breezy and easy cute look. Whether you choose the long or short sleeve option, you are sure to feel at ease when giving birth.

Dear Johnnies is another brand which exclusively designs hospital gowns. This focus on one item has paid off, as their gowns are practical yet incredibly fashionable. Designed by a mother of three, Dear Johnnies hospital gowns meet all of a new mother’s needs. They ensure that you will be comfortable and at ease while looking and feeling great. Made of 100% lightweight cotton, they are easy to move around in. These gowns are perfect for labor and after, and can be worn around the home as a nightgown in the weeks following your birth. Shoulders snap down for easy nursing access and provide easy medical access, something doctors will appreciate. Snaps down the back, decorated with beautiful ribbon, ensure that you will be completely covered and you will not have to worry about accidentally baring your backside, as is often the case with the standard hospital gowns. Aside from the comfort which these gowns offer, Dear Johnnies are incredibly fashionable. One of their most popular features is the cute patterns which the gowns come in. From pale yellow polka dots to a bright lime green mosaic design, there is a pattern for every woman. These designs, aside from being cute and trendy, brighten up the hospital room. In photos, you will feel confident and beautiful! Whatever design you choose, Dear Johnnies are comfortable, practical, and incredibly stylish.

Whichever hospital gown you end up choosing, make sure you purchase the correct size. If you are ordering online and are unsure about the sizing, contact the store to find out how the sizing is done. One thing to keep in mind is that you want to be comfortable and not be constrained. With this in mind, if you are choosing between two sizes, buy the larger size. A bit of extra fabric will simply add to your comfort and ensure that you do not feel constricted. Overall, bringing your own hospital gown and erase some of the anxiety on this exciting day and will ensure that you are comfortable and feel great while at the hospital.

Written by Kyra

Drinking More Milk And Less Soda Helps To Build Strong Bones

Published on May 19, 2010 in Breast milk, Breastfeeding, Diet, Health and Uncategorized. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

This article by Elena Conis, at the Los Angeles Times

Want strong bones? Eat foods high in calcium and vitamin D, get plenty of exercise — and maybe steer clear of soda.

In recent decades, as consumption of the beverage has steadily displaced the consumption of others —particularly milk — studies have consistently linked soda consumption with weaker bones. Now scientists are trying to figure out how and why, precisely, drinking soda may affect skeletons.

One theory is that a component in cola may cause bone to deteriorate; another is that people who drink soda simply drink (and eat) fewer nutritious foods.

In the 1990s, several studies suggested soft-drink consumption might be linked to lower bone mass and reduced bone accretion — the process by which bone is built up — in children, especially teens.

In a study of 127 teens that was published in the Journal of Adolescent Health in 1994, teenage girls who drank carbonated beverages were three times as likely to suffer bone fractures compared with girls who didn’t drink soda. A study by the same author published in the Archives of Pediatric Adolescent Medicine in 2000 showed the same effect — and an even stronger one for girls who drank cola beverages, who were five times as likely to suffer bone fractures.

Researchers surmised at the time that soda took its toll on bones because children who drank soda did so in place of milk. Soda drinking was also seen as a marker for a generally unhealthful diet lacking items that help foster strong bones.

It does seem to be true that soda drinkers have worse diets overall. In a study published this month in the Journal of the American Dietetic Assn., for example, among 170 girls followed from age 5 to 15, those who drank soda at age 5 were less likely to drink milk throughout childhood than 5-year-olds who did not drink soda. And they were more likely to consume diets lacking in calcium, fiber, vitamin D, protein, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium.

Such findings are significant because as much as 90% of bone mass is acquired in youth, particularly from age 16 to 25, says Dr. Jeri Nieves, director of bone density testing at Helen Hayes Hospital in West Haverstraw, N.Y.

Children who fail to get enough bone-building nutrients and bone-thickening exercise in their youth end up with increased risk of osteoporosis and fracture as they get older, adds Dr. Robert Murray, director of the Center for Healthy Weight and Nutrition at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.

But there is also evidence that drinking sodas — specifically, colas — may take a direct toll on the skeleton, says Dr. Katherine Tucker, professor of health sciences at Northeastern University in Boston.

In a large, well-designed study published by Tucker and colleagues in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2006, women enrolled in the ongoing Framingham Osteoporosis Study who drank just three or more colas a week had a 3.7% to 5.4% lower bone mineral density in their hip bones when compared with women who didn’t drink the beverage.

The study also showed what scientists call a dose response: The more soda participants drank, the lower their bone mineral density.

The effect was seen only with colas — non-cola soft drinks, such as ginger ale and orange soda, had no effect on bone density. That finding led Tucker and colleagues to suggest that the phosphoric acid in cola is behind its bone-weakening effects.

Phosphoric acid is added to colas for its tangy flavor. It’s not normally found in the food chain, Tucker says. When ingested, it causes the acidity of the blood to increase; to adjust the blood’s pH, the body draws calcium out of bones and into the bloodstream.

These proposed effects of phosphoric acid on bone are largely theoretical, but they are supported by animal studies and some human research. A Danish study published in the journal Osteoporosis International in 2005 measured the blood levels of bone minerals in a group of men after they consumed a low-calcium diet and 2.5 liters of soda daily for 10 days, and then again after they consumed a normal diet and 2.5 liters of skim milk for 10 days.

During the cola-drinking period, the men had higher blood levels of the bone mineral phosphate, the bone turnover protein osteocalcin and a substance called CTX — results that indicated minerals were being removed from bone, and not replaced, during the soda-drinking period.

Scientists are continuing to test the theory that phosphoric acid in soda harms bones. But even if it turns out that phosphoric acids cause only small or temporary changes in bone composition, these can add up over time, Tucker says.

In the meantime, Nieves suggests, it’s probably wise to limit your intake of soda.

“It’s not like alcohol, where one drink a day is OK,” she says. “Because bone mass is constantly changing throughout life, soda can cause bone loss at any stage.”

Written by Amy

Why Buy Formula When You Can Nurse For Cheap!

Published on February 6, 2010 in Baby, Breast milk, Breastfeeding, Nursing and Pregnant. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

 The next time you think twice about investing in a quality nursing bra or indulging in a fashionable nursing top, hestitate no further. The yearly cost of breastfeeding is in the range of $3,000, that’s about $50 a week! It will take you a lot of nursing bras to surpass that cost, plus it is better for your baby’s health, as well as your own. Not to mention, the added side benefits of weight loss as breastfeeding burns around 500 calories a day, that’s 20 calories for the production of just 1 ounce of milk, without even setting foot on a treadmill! Add exercise and healthy eatting to the equation and your back in your pre-pregnancy body in no time!

A recent style conducted by the Schneider Children’s Hospital revealed that unfrozen refrigerated breastmilk retains its benefits for at least 4 days. This is longer than the common notion promoted by doctors who recommended 48-72 hours. This study which involved 36 new mothers whose premature babies were being treated in the neonatal intensive care unit, found that there was vitually no change in the nutional integrity or bacterial presence of their breastmilk for up to 96 hours. Dr. Richard Schanler, chief of neonatal medicine at Schneider Children’s Hospital, hopes that study will shift the paradigm for hospitals everywhere by allowing women to store their unfrozen milk up to 4 days for the neonatal care which has even stricter rules due to the immunity of premature infants.[1]

The Human Milk Banking Association of North American has suggested that human milk remains viable refrigerated for up to eight days. Dr. Schanlar and his colleagues recommend storing milk in glass containers or plastics BPA ones and refrigerate at a temperature of 39 degrees Fahrenheit or cooler. They also recommend placing milk in the rear of the refrigerator.

This study gives working women and moms on the go one more reason to breastfeed. Pumping and feeding can be more challenging to plan out and nobody wants to “pump and dump” milk that their baby can’t drink in time, especially moms that have to travel away from their babies several days at a time. Now moms can be assured that pumped refrigerated milk, even up to 8 days old, contains all the necessary nutritional ingrediants and far more than frozen breastmilk thawed out and certainly more than fresh formula.

Although freezing breastmilk is an alternative storing method and certainly effective for longer time periods, there is also a destruction to the infection-fighting cells and nutrional losses.

“Certain immune components, proteins and enzymes are decreased in frozen milk” Dr. Schanler states.

Most babies prefer the taste of fresher milk, but even thawed out breastmilk is nutrionally superior to manufactured cow milk formula and much cheaper. If you have a caretaker, make sure you instruct them with the proper guidelines for gently thawing out milk that has been frozen. Here is the recommended procedure and Storage Times for Human Milk from the AskDrSears.com site. [2]

  • Defrost milk by holding it under warm running water.
  • Or, place the container of milk in a bowl of warm water on the kitchen counter. As the water cools, replace it with more warm water until the milk is thawed and warmed to body temperature.
  • Do not heat expressed human milk on top of the stove. It’s too easy to overheat it this way. Do not boil!
  • Do not heat expressed human milk in a microwave oven. Even if the overall temperature of the milk stays below body temperature, there may be “hot spots” where the milk is overheated and some of its beneficial properties are destroyed. The uneven heating can also be dangerous when the bottle is given to baby.
  • Human milk, like any milk that is not processed or homogenized, tends to separate when stored. The cream rises to the top. Swirl the bottle gently to mix the layers.
  • Human milk has a thin, bluish look to it, quite different from either homogenized cow’s milk or the grayish color of infant formula. Your baby’s caregiver may need reassurance that this is normal.

STORAGE GUIDELINES FOR HUMAN MILK

These guidelines are for mothers who are expressing milk for a full-term healthy baby. Use clean containers, and wash your hands with soap and water before expressing. or pumping. When providing milk for a baby who is seriously ill and/or hospitalized, check with healthcare providers for instructions.

Where stored

Storage temperature
(degrees Fahrenheit)

Storage temperature
(degrees Centigrade)

How long
At room temperature 60 degrees F 15 degrees C 24 hours
At room temperature 66-72 degrees F 19-22 degrees C 10 hours
At room temperature 79 degrees F 25 degrees C 4-6 hours
In a refrigerator 32-39 degrees F 0-4 degrees C 8 days
In a freezer compartment inside a refrigerator     2 weeks
In a self-contained freezer unit of a refrigerator     3-4 months
In a separate deep freeze with a constant temperature 0 degrees F -19 degrees C 6 months or longer

SAVE? OR DUMP?

Type of Milk

Save or Dump?

Why
     
Milk remaining in the bottle that has been offered to baby Use for next feeding, otherwise discard. Bacteria from the baby’s mouth may have entered the milk during the feeding. This may lead to bacterial contamination if it sets too long (though as yet there is no research available).
Milk that has been thawed Save in the refrigerator for 24 hours after thawing, then discard. Do not refreeze. Milk that has been frozen has lost some of the immune properties that inhibit bacterial growth in fresh refrigerated milk.
Milk that has been kept in the refrigerator for eight days Transfer to storage in the freezer, or discard. Bacterial growth is not a problem, but milk sometimes picks up odors or flavors from the refrigerator or the container.

 The bottom line is it is worth your time to breastfeed or pump and feed your baby for at least their first year. You can be assured your refrigerated breast milk is not only safe for your baby but far superior than any store bought representation. You can also feel good about saving money on formula in allowing your baby to reap the health benefits of your 100% natural and organic breast milk.

References:

  1. Ricks, Delthia. “Study finds breast milk has longer shelf life than previously thought” Physorg.com. January 2, 2010, Accessed January 24, 2010.
  2. AskDrSears.com, “Storage Guidelines for Human Milk”


[1]Ricks, Delthia. “Study finds breast milk has longer shelf life than previously thought” Physorg.com. January 2, 2010, Accessed January 24, 2010.

[2] AskDrSears.com, “Storage Guidelines for Human Milk”

Written by Amy