Helpful Hints for Breastfeeding

With all the advice you get while you are pregnant, not many are really aware or prepared for the challenges that may face them with breastfeeding. When you think about it, it is quite amazing what the female body is capable of…The ability for mothers to produce milk to feed and grow their newborn baby. However as beautiful as that is, it does sometimes come with challenges that can be an emotional roller coaster fraught with pain, frustration and guilt. The best thing to do is go into your breastfeeding relationship aware of the challenges, educated on the techniques and solutions, and work with your baby. Lean on family, friends and bf support groups (they exist locally and online!) as combined there is a wealth of information and help available from this ‘village’. Here are a few helpful tips on breastfeeding:

1. When removing baby from the breast, remember to first break the suction by inserting a clean finger into the baby’s mouth between the gums and holding it there while pulling away.

2. Breastfeed frequently (8-12 times in 24 hours). Watch for early feeding cues such as gentle stirring, being awake and alert, putting hand to mouth, etc. It’s a good idea to try to bf baby when they are calm and alert and not while crying and upset from hunger.

3. Make sure baby is positioned properly with a wide open mouth and has hold of a large mouthful of breast . If baby is only suckling on the nipple, this can be extremely painful and your nipple may become damaged. The baby’s latch also affects milk production so it is important that a good latch is established.

4. Try to wait until breastfeeding is well established before introducing bottles and pacifiers (if needed at all).

5. Make sure you keep your bras and bra pads clean and dry

6. If your nipples are sore and/or starting to crack, rub some Lanolin cream on them after feeding to sooth and protect. We would even suggest new mothers do it every time from the beginning of breastfeeding as a preventative measure.

7. Most of all, if you have any concerns, questions or problems with breastfeeding, don’t give up! Their are many lactation consultants and supports groups out there now that can help work with you and your baby to establish a healthy breastfeeding relationship!

Resources for Breastfeeding Mothers:

Ask Dr.Sears

Kelly Mom Breastfeeding

International Lactation Consultant Association

United States Lactation Consultant Association

International Lactation Consultant Association

Ring in 2011 with the Petunia Pickle Bottom Diaper Bag Giveaway!

Grow With Me wants to ring in the New Year in a big way for all you expectant or new moms! What better way then to do a giveaway of a brand new Petunia Pickle Bottom Diaper Bag! Retailing at $175.00, usher in the New Year with this bold and beautiful black on black saffron flower medallion motif with a pop of deep crimson on a richly detailed, textured brocade.

This Petunia Pickle Bottom Diaper Bag features:

Built-in changing station with detachable changing pad

4 bottle pockets, 2 interior and 2 exterior

Three extra-wide external back pockets

A “no more digging” key clip

2 interior pockets

Pacifier pocket

PPB monogrammed wipes case

How to enter:
You may opt to do one or all of the below methods of entry. Each method has it’s own ballot value so the more you do, the more ballots you have counted towards you. Please ensure you leave a final comment on facebook that outlines what methods you completed alongside the alias (IE your twitter handle used, apple review nickname used, facebook handle, etc.).

1. Write a review on the iTunes App Store for the Grow With Me App: (4 ballots)
2. “Like” Grow With Me on Facebook: (1 ballot)
3. Leave a comment on our Facebook page telling us why you should win the Petunia Pickle Bottom Diaper Bag (1 ballot)
4. Follow @grow_with_me on Twitter and tweet this giveaway. You may do this everyday, just leave the link when you do.
 ‘I just entered to win the Petunia Pickle Bottom Diaper Bag from @grow_with_me http://bit.ly/fN4iSt (1 ballot each time you tweet this)

Giveaway ends January 7th, 2011. Open to US mailing addresses only.

Canadian Mom’s Blog Reviews Grow With Me iPhone app

Canadian Moms Blog has featured Grow With Me on their site and the review is great!

“All in all, I highly recommend this app for new moms and dads. I can positively say that it will aid them during those tough and difficult first few days home and for the months to follow. For veteran moms and dads, this app will help in keeping track of your baby’s growth and their activities of daily living.”

Read the FULL REVIEW on their site!

Hushamok: Baby Hammock

Our friend’s newly welcomed bundle of joy and his wonderful ability to sleep through most of the night has inspired us to blog about an aesthetically beautiful piece of furniture called the Hushamok. The Hushamok provides a soothing natural rocking motion for your new baby that is designed to mimic the womb. It was designed by husband and wife duo, Mark and Julie Soboil, and after undergoing extensive safety testing, this modern alternative to a bassinet follows SIDS recommendations and the incline helps those babies who are colicky and sleep-challenged as well as infant acid reflux.

Apart from all the sleep benefits, this hammock is gorgeous! It can be bought with an aluminum stand or Okoa stand (constructed with sustainable European beech wood). You can also buy the “My Seat” which functions like one of those swings/soothers that attaches to the stand. The Hushamok is made with modern eco-friendly materials this beautiful piece of nursery furniture is like a piece of art!

Be Prepared for Baby – Your New Baby Checklist

As you enter your last trimester of your pregnancy, you may notice that “nesting” feeling creeping up on you. It’s the sudden need to purge, organize and prepare your home for the welcoming of your new bundle of joy. While nesting can be a fun time for the mom-to-be, at times it can be a little overwhelming. So what do we normally turn to when life’s details get to be too much? Well, checklists of course 😉

Grow With Me has created an easy to use checklist of all those big and small things you will and may need when your new baby arrives. Just download and print out the New Baby Checklist PDF so you can have it on hand at anytime.

Childhood Obesity

Over the years, we’ve spent a lot of time in nutrition and understanding what choices we can make for ourselves and our children to ensure we instill good health and eating habits at an early age. We highly advocate farm to table whenever possible and try to go organic when it counts. What was interesting was a few days back, we came across an article that dealt with a well talked about subject, childhood obesity. Back in the 1980’s, research had shown that pre-school children had a self regulating internal system. Meaning, if they ate a high calorie meal early in the day, their bodies would naturally compensate later by consuming less of the next meal/snack according to their energy output. Now, recent studies have shown that this internal self regulating system is disappearing (especially as they move into school age) and that given the opportunity, they will consume much more then their bodies need. These studies lend to the high obesity rate in children that continues to grow and is said to be driven by the convenience of readily available food, marketing to children and parents and the food industry itself (preservatives, chemicals, sugars). What do you think about the above? While this research may be in some way stating the obvious, in our day to day lives (and budgets!) what can parents do to prevent this early forming habit? How do you ensure your child is getting the best nutrition during the day?

iPhone Mom? This Gadget Will Be Great For You!

We always enjoy perusing the new baby/toddler shops that show the newest gadgets, furniture and toys.  Admittedly we haven’t been in one for a few months now but this one caught our eye.  As we toured around looking at the neat activity centers, cribs and strollers, I came across something that only makes sense yet I was amazed it was made.

You see, a long time ago, clip on coffee cup holders for moms were non existent.  But then the world woke up and realized us mom’s love our morning stroll with the carriage to grab our Timmie’s, Starbucks, Coffee Time, Dunkin Donuts, etc.  Give us hands free and give us a coffee holder!  And voila!  Drink holders were built into strollers and if the stroller design didn’t suit that, accessories that cost extra were born (the coffee cup holder clip-on).  It was only a matter of time before marketers ALSO discovered the iPhone mom and so the iPhone stroller holder was born!

The one I saw was for the Bugaboo but they also sold a universal holder for other strollers.  I suppose if you are an avid texter/talker or love checking your facebook/twitter apps multiple times a day, this is perfect.  Let’s face it though, the cellphone has become the new wallet and people just don’t like to leave home without it.  So iPhone mom’s, here is yet another functional gadget built with you in mind!

Read about our iPhone Application at: Grow With Me

Baby’s First Pea Puree

You wouldn’t think these little guys could pack such a punch, but peas are a wonderful source of some key nutrients for your baby. One cup of peas contains a good amount of protein and also provides calcium, Vitamin A and C and Iron too. These veggies are a great “first green” for your baby as they are both nutritious and have a sweetness to them that will be nice on baby’s palette.

For the freshest peas possible, go to your local farmer’s market and feel the texture of the pod.  A silky pod of medium size indicates that the peas are fresh and ripe.   At home, shell the peas and then you can either steam or boil them in a small amount of water or chicken stock. Once the peas are ready, we always recommend submerging them into a bath of ice cold water. This not only stops the cooking process but also is said to make a smoother puree. Don’t forget to reserve some of the cooking liquid because you can use this to help thin out the puree to the desired consistency and contains some of the nutrients from the peas that got steamed off.

Now put the peas into your blender and puree. Pour into the ice cube trays and cover. Once frozen, place into freezer bags and label with the date packaged and name of puree.

Easy to make, easy to serve, and packs a healthy meal for your growing baby!

Mandatory Vaccination?

This is one topic that can cause a lot of heated debate and for good reason – it all surrounds the health and welfare of your child and the children around them. There has been some movement of parents who believe that some of the recommended inoculations are not necessary or should be held off until later in a baby’s life. There are several reasons behind these parental decisions which, when your baby is just a few months old, may not mean all that much; that is until they start socializing with other baby’s and kids. Put them in a daycare situation and all of a sudden your child’s immune system is being put to the test and sickness runs rampant.

So just recently we heard some concerned chatter about laws in the United States indicating your child needed to be up to date on their vaccines in order to enter into daycare or for school age children. If parents did not show this state form indicating that all their vaccines were met, the child would be turned away. The only exemption they apparently provided was for religious reasons. This got us thinking – what if you have personal or philosophical beliefs against vaccination? Would you then have to abandon your beliefs in order to get care for your child and/or ensure they are able to attend school? On the flip side, is this the right move in order to ensure the safety and well being of children?

What do you think about this regulation? Are we keeping our children protected from otherwise deadly diseases and sickness or are we unrightfully strong arming parents into abandoning their parental rights by making them vaccinate?

Introducing Solids

Introducing solids to your baby isn’t always so cut and dry. Experts use to tell us that 6 months was the exact milestone to start introducing solids. However my experience, and those of fellow mom’s, family and friends, has been that this milestone can occur anywhere between 5 months to 9 months. The best advice we could ever give? When you feel your child is ready, give them the opportunity but watch, listen, learn and adjust accordingly. Letting your child lead you down this exciting road will tell you when THEY are ready and avoids making this milestone one that is frustrating and tearful for both you and baby.

It’s always a good idea to start the introduction to solids with thin rice cereal. It’s bland enough for a palette that has just been enjoying breast milk or formula and the consistency is just a bit thicker. The books then usually tell you to introduce different kinds of cereals from there (oat, barley, etc.). However through many discussions in mommy groups, it was quickly discovered that many babies rejected these cereals. If this is the case with yours – don’t sweat it, skip it! There’s no need to make this experience unpleasant for your child if these cereals are not to their liking.

Your next step can be to moved to some mushy vegetables and fruits. We recommend starting with vegetables first, such as peas or green beans, and then introducing some fruits. This way the sweetness of the fruit doesn’t soil the palette for when you want to introduce the vegetables. Green peas tend to be the best first introduction as they have a nice consistency and a touch of sweetness. Also, if you are able to do so, we would highly recommend making your own baby food. It’s simple, fun, and can be made in large batches and frozen for convenience.

What you need to get started:

Magic Bullet or mini food processor (I love the magic bullet for the sheer convenience and quick cleanup!)

Ice cube trays

Zip lock bags

Some First Time Foods

Fruits: Buy Blueberries, Apples, Bananas, Pears, Peaches fresh and when introducing one at a time, just throw them in the magic bullet and puree! Keep in mind that Bananas in particular are one of those fruits that DO NOT freeze well, so always puree on demand!

Vegetables: Peas, Sweet Potatoes, Cauliflower, Green Beans, Butternut Squash, Broccoli, Avocado, Carrots etc. TIP: When making a carrot puree, do not reserve any left over water to use for thinning out the carrots if your baby is under 8 months old as the nitrates may seep into the cooking water.

Juices: In terms of juice, we would avoid giving your baby and type of juice at this point. Their little bodies don’t need it. If you want to hydrate, water is your best bet. At some point down the line, if you would like to introduce apple juice, we recommend cutting it in half with water for awhile.