Last year we saw the results of a 20 year study that found that breastfeeding two children for 2 years each could lower a woman’s diabetes risk by 60 percent. More proof of the positive effects that breastfeeding has on diabetes has now come to light, giving women even more reason to choose breastfeeding.

From CBS News:

A new study from the University of Pittsburgh shows that moms who breast-feed their kids are significantly less likely to develop diabetes.

The reason for the benefit is one that many breastfeeding moms already know of. Breastfeeding can help you lose weight after birth, and smaller amounts of stomach fat reduces the risk of diabetes. So, breastfeed for your own health as well as for your baby.

Babies have short memories, so surely they cannot remember the brief moments of neglect from their parents. Right?

A new study out of the University of Toronto Scarborough may show that even tiny infants can remember, in a way, the times they needed or attention and were denied.

The researchers had parents of 6-month-old babies do a test of two minutes of ignoring their infants, followed by two minutes of paying attention to them. The pattern was repeated again, then the hormone levels of the infants was checked and recorded. The next day, the infants were brought back to the test room and had their hormone levels tested again.

Even though the parents did not ignore their infants on the second day, they all showed higher levels of “anticipatory stress response”. As if they remembered this was the room where they had been ignored, and were expecting it to happen again. And even more interesting than remembering, the babies seemed to have adapted to the stress of being ignored.

What does this mean for moms? Well, a lot of guilt over any moment you ignored your baby. What is important, however, is that the babies adjusted to being ignored. So those moments when yo stared into space, or had to run to the bathroom, or just needed one more minute of sleep may not be long-term disasters. The babies remembered, but used that memory to adjust and prepare for the next time.

“The capacity to adapt to changes in parenting may be an evolutionary advantage that contributes to the reciprocal nature of the parent-infant relationship in humans,” suggested the study’s lead investigator Dr. David Haley.

photo credit: DerrickT

Bullying is back in the media spotlight, unfortunately because of a teenage girl who committed suicide after her relentless bullying. Many parents are wondering what they can do if their child is on the receiving end of a bully. But I want to look at the other side. What can parents do when they discover their child is the bully in question.

It can be hard for some parents to accept that their child could be capable of bullying. Especially to such extremes that it causes emotional distress and pain. Yet staying in denial of it will not help the situation, and can actually make it worse. Parents need to meet their children head on and be willing to get to the deep reasons why they are acting in such a way. Some kids bully because they feel insecure. Belittling other children helps them to feel stronger, better, or tougher in their own lives. Others have a need to be in control, and bullying other kids can help them gain that sence of power over the situation.

An ongoing pattern of bullying and aggression can be signs of a deeper emotional issue. Perhaps they are feeling hurt, angry, or frustrated yet lack proper ways of expressing those feelings. They may require counseling with a qualified professional to help them learn to release those feelings without hurting others.

• Parents need to let their children know that bully will absolutely not be tolerated. Bullying needs to be taken very seriously and firm rules need to be established. Bullying should not be tolerated as “something kids do.”
• Parents need to help their children learn how to treat and respect others. Both through conversations, and also through example. Telling children to treat others kindly does no good if they see you acting in a hateful or bullying manner towards another group of people.
• Encourage good behavior through affection. If your child only receives your attention when they are acting negatively, they will increase those actions to get more attention. Instead, make an effort to call attention to positive behavior that you see.
• Be a part of your child’s social life. Know who their friends are, where they go, and what is going on. You can then influence positive actions, discourage negative relationships, and foster tolerance among your child’s peers.

Stopping bully will not happen over night. Some children need professional counseling to help them move past the issues that push them to bully others. Stepping up and taking control of the situation is so important when your child is the bully.

photo credit: Mindsay Mohan

In a report released on Friday, the Food and Drug Administration has admitted some concerns with Bisphenol-A, or BPA, and it’s health effects.

This new report has been anticipated by many people after repeated insistence that BPA is harmless. Now, however, they are supporting companies taking steps to reduce the amount of BPA found in products. An outright ban is not being supported yet, and families are not being encouraged to stop using products that have packaging containing BPA.

Plastic containers marked with the number 7 contain BPA in them. Infant formula containers are some of the common plastics for BPA. Water bottles and some food packaging linings also have been found to contain noticeable levels of BPA. Currently the health effects of BPA in children is not entirely certain. A $30 million study is planned by the FDA to fully explore what dangers BPA could have after continuous exposure. Officials expect this study to be finished within 18 to 24 months.

Advocacy groups are urging for a complete ban on BPA products in order to protect the health of families. The American Chemistry Council, a plastic trade council, on the other hand continues to say that BPA is safe and that families should not change their product uses. The FDA is recommending old, worn out plastic bottles be disposed of. BPA can seep from plastic through scratches and scrapes.

photo credit: Alessandro Perilli

A 20 year study of women by HMO Kaiser Permanente shows a significant link between breastfeeding and a woman’s reduced risk of type-2 diabetes.

The study was originally designed to track heart disease in women, yet the researchers were able to find many other health related issues. One being that the length of breastfeeding seemed to have an impact on metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes. Researchers were able to see that each year a mother breastfeeds she gains a 15 percent reduction in her risk of type 2 diabetes.

This news may be especially helpful for mothers who face additional risk factors for diabetes. Mothers who were diagnosed with gestational diabetes are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes later in life. The presence of excess stomach fat is also an indicator of the development of diabetes, something that many mothers deal with after giving birth. Breastfeeding two children for 2 years each could lower a woman’s diabetes risk by 60 percent.

This study confirms the results of a 2005 Harvard Medical Study. The Harvard study also found a significant decrease in diabetes risk in women who breastfeed.

According to the March of Dimes nearly 12.9 million infants are born premature each year. Of those, many do not survive their first year. It is a sad fact that seems to be growing each year. Yet one that can be reduced through better health care and education.

Micro-preemie Josie Duggar has become a reminder of one way parents can help their premature infants survive. When the news that Josie was taking breastmilk successfully came out, people were reminded once again how important it is to breastfeed even premature babies.

The human body is an amazing thing, though. It knows when a baby has come early and tries to protect the infant by producing special breast milk to compensate for some of what was missed in the womb. Preterm breast milk differs from full-term milk in that it is higher in calories and contains more protein, calcium phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, sodium, and chloride.

As with full-term breast milk, preterm milk offers immune system protection through the antibodies found in colostrum. Colostrum contains high amounts of immunoglobulin A, which helps a preemie fight off infections (especially in their weakest areas of the lungs and intestines) and special white cells called leukocytes, which protect the baby from bacteria and viruses. Immune system protection continues even after the breasts switch from producing colostrum to normal breast milk.

However, the physical act of breastfeeding is far from simple. Most premature infants are unable to suckle, are too small to take to breast, and need extremely tender care. This means mothers of premature infants who want to give their babies breastmilk will need a pump. Unfortunately pumping breastmilk can be difficult for mothers of preemies. Here are ten tips to help make pumping breastmilk easier for you.

1. Stay relaxed. It can be hard to relax when you are worried about your child, however stress and nerves can negatively effect how much milk you are able to create. This is even more so when using a pump.
2. Emotionally prepare yourself. Visualize your baby, think about holding your infant close. Sometimes this will help your milk to flow more easily. This is why some mothers experience leaking when they hear an infant cry. There is a very emotional tie with breastfeeding.
3. Use a professional pump. There are many low-grade, low cost breast pumps available. However, these weaker pumps may not be able to efficiently pump enough milk. If you cannot afford a good quality breast pump check with your local hospital or Women, Infants and Children (WIC) office. They may have breast pumps that you can rent or borrow on loan.
4. Create a pumping routine. Set up your pump in the same place at the same time every day. Take regularly scheduled breaks to pump, the more frequently the better. This will both help you create a full milk supply and make it easier to pump in the future.
5. If you are finding it painful when pumping make sure you have as much of your breast in the funnel as possible. Check that your breast is not rubbing against any of the sides and that your pump is not set to too high of a setting. If you are still experiencing pain there are many creams you can use, such as Natural Nipple Butter.
6. If your preemie is able to breastfeed some, try pumping the opposite breast while you are nursing. Your milk will have already dropped making it easier for you to pump. If you cannot nurse your infant yet, you can still pump while holding your baby or shortly after to make the most of your milk letdown.
7. Take care of yourself while pumping. Drink plenty of water and eat enough food to keep yourself healthy and to keep your milk supply up. Bring water with you to drink while you are pumping.

What tips would you give to a mom trying to pump breastmilk for her preemie?

photo credit: Andres Rueda

Tuesday 800,000 H1N1 vaccines meant for children were recalled from the US. These vaccines, meant for children between the ages of 6 months and 35 months, were voluntarily recalled from the supplier stating that the vaccines were not strong enough.

With a much discussed shortage of vaccines available, such a large recall has caused many parents to worry that they will not be able to have their children vaccinated. Doctors say that children who have already been vaccinated by the low-dose vaccines who not need to be re-vaccinated. However this recall still leaves a large number of children who will need to wait longer to receive the vaccine.

If your child has not been vaccinated you can still reduce his or her risk with these simple steps:

• Wash hands often. You may be tempted to use sanitizing soaps to kill germs and bacteria, however these soaps only kill the mild to moderate organisms while leaving the strongest alive to reproduce. A new study has also shown that allowing your child to be exposed to some germs will improve their immune systems. Warm running water with ordinary soap is generally enough to prevent the spread of the flu.
• Cover your mouth to sneeze and cough. This is basic cold and flu prevention advice. Turn your head to sneeze and cough into your shoulder or use a disposable tissue. Do not use your hands as this can make it easy to spread germs from your hand to any surface that you touch.
• Keep you immune system strong. This means adequate sleep, vitamin rich fruits and vegetables, and plenty of sunshine. The stronger your immune system is the easier it will be to fight off any germs that come your way.

Source: ABC News

photo credit: mborowick

For all the Veterans out there, thank you.

A recent study at the University of Carolina put to task the common idea that breastfeeding mothers should not exercise too much or try to diet. The study looked at women who did and did not exercise after birth and looked at their bone density.

Of those women who did exercise during lactation, they exercised in their homes three times a week. Women who did not exercise lost 2.2 percent more of their bone density in their lower spines. This supports that exercise does lower the risk of osteoporosis. The risk of women developing osteoporosis increases in women who do not exercise or do not consume adequate calcium in their regular diets

The study is far from finished, next the researchers plan to look more into overweight breastfeeding mothers. But the results so far look good. If you are breastfeeding, exercise is still good for you.

One problem for breastfeeding mothers often comes from their breasts themselves. A too restrictive bra can cause blockage in the breast tissue and lead to mastitis, while one that is not supportive can cause pain to breasts that are fuller in size. Many women have a noticeable increase in breast size while breastfeeding, which can mean needing to buy larger exercise bras.

photo credit: Nesta Vazquez

According to the New York Times spanking has been replaced by shouting in parents today. More parents today are aware of the problems behind spanking children, yet “parental yelling is a near-universal occurrence” still.

Feel like shouting? Here are a few things to do instead:

• Take a time out for yourself. Walk away, find a babysitter and escape for 30 minutes, lock yourself in the bathroom and breath deeply, or just put on some headphones and listen to soothing music for a few minutes. Whatever you need to do to feel more relaxed.
• Write it down. Sit down with a pen and sheet of paper and start writing. Start with exactly what it is that you wnat to shout at your child and let the words flow from there. Getting the words out will help you feel a relief, and the free-flow writing might help you get to the real problem.
• Shout at yourself. Bite your tongue until you can find a mirror, then let loose your shouting at yourself. Many parents do not realize exactly how frightening they can look when angry and shouting.
• Start exercising. Getting your body moving can calm you down and may release enough happy hormones to calm you down. Do some stretches or yoga, take a brisk walk, or even jumping jacks.

When parents shout at their children it can be frightening, especially at young children. For some the words you say when angry and leave lasting scars. While no parent is perfect, making an effort to reduce your shouting is important for parents to try.

If you do have a shouting moment the best thing you can do is talk about it with your child later. Apologize for shouting, explain why you were angry, and give your child a chance to tell you how the shouting made him feel.