BREASTFEEDING
New Braunfels Mother Invents Nursing Pillow To Help With Breastfeeding
A mother invented an innovative solution to help with breastfeeding.The product is a pillow called the Nursie. Inside her small New Braunfels business, mother of three Tiffany Meinhart uses sewing machines to churn out orders for the portable nursing pillow. The Nursie slides onto a mother’s forearm, thereby putting baby in position for breastfeeding.
“You’re not having to lean over. It helps promote better posture for the mom, and it reduces gas and reflux for the baby because they are at an angle.”
This Badass Mom Breastfed While Competing In A Marathon
Emily Sabato, mom of four, nursed her 9-month-old daughter while running the TCS New York City Marathon.
“I like to sign up for long races to motivate myself to run!” she said. “I didn’t run during pregnancy ― I intended to but ended up not working out at all after the first couple of months.”
“It was much easier than pumping on the go and a lot better than being super full (which I was during the end of my 20-mile training run!) as well,” Sabato explained.
PREGNANCY
What To Do When Pregnancy Makes You Question Your Career
For women worried about their night time commitments, some might say it’s best to be prepared and explore other job opportunities. Others might disagree and say there’s no point in trying to guess what the future holds until after you’re a mother. Both perspectives seem sound and sensible but whether you gravitate towards the former or latter advice depends on your personality, your self-awareness as well as your risk tolerance.
“Women in the workplace (as well as men) need different kinds of career advice because no two people are the same. Some of us prioritize work-life balance and flexible working while others prioritize getting that next promotion. To make the most of conflicting career advice, we first need to understand who we are and what we want.” [Read more here.]
While Pregnant, Women Should Get Health Care 8 Times, W.H.O. Says
Women should see a doctor, nurse or trained midwife at least eight times during each pregnancy, with five of those visits in the last trimester, the World Health Organization said Monday as it issued 49 recommendations to prevent deaths in childbirth.
“Another recommendation is that every pregnant woman have one ultrasound scan before the 24-week mark to detect fetal defects and twin or triplet pregnancies and determine accurate gestational ages. Many clinics lack ultrasound machines and even electricity.” [Read more here.]
MOTHERHOOD
The Top 7 Lies Parents Tell Their Kids – And Why
Oh, the joy of telling harmless “white lies” to your children. These delightful near-truths range from those that carry on the bliss of holiday traditions to others that happily curb bad behavior. Most parents contend that it’s not lying, per say; rather, they are putting off (or bending) the truth until their kids are ready to handle it. And according to psychologist Dr. AricSigman, who has made numerous appearances in the media, white lies are good for a child’s development because they protect their innocence and stimulate their imagination.
“Here are the seven lies parents have told children over the decades. Included are tidbits on how some were started and carried through generations—and why parents continue to tell them today.” [Read more here.]
How Do You Know You’re a Great Parent?
Every day as parents we question whether or not we are good, average heck… great parents, especially with the internet telling us that we are doing it all wrong, or those overzealous parenting posts on Facebook, or our own psychosis screaming into our brains that we are not good enough parents.
“Well, my friends, I am here to tell you that you’re a great parent, no matter what your helicopter mom or dad friends say. How do I know that? Well, I got some mad skills, I’ve been around the parenting block for a decade, I’ve made many mistakes – my oldest son’s first year of life was like a circus, I had no idea what I was doing, I made everyone around me crazy, and my pediatrician actually red-flagged my file.” [Read more here.]
INFANTS
The Tiny Thing That’s Ruining Your Baby’s Sleep Training
Sleep training. It’s often met with a giant sigh and a “oh God, I don’t want to do it,” because it’s the total pits. Babies are not known for their excellent snoozing skills. So trying to implement them when you’re already exhausted and you know your baby is going to fight it is the worst. But once you’ve got a plan, it should be a breeze. Until you realize there’s one tiny thing that’s ruining your baby’s sleep training and nobody in your house is ever going to sleep again, and it’s officially the end of days.
“Sleep training can be hard, so stop thinking about it as sleep training. Put yourself in the mode of a parent helping their baby learn how to stay asleep throughout the night, but expect set-backs, changes, and that you’ll have to make adjustments to your routine. Babies aren’t robots. The sleep routine and bedtime that worked when they were 4 months old probably won’t work when they are 18 months old. Be flexible, but consistent, and know that sleep is a natural part of life, even if it doesn’t feel like it right now.” [Read more here.]
Infants’ Brains Attuned To Baby Talk And Nursery Rhymes
The study has also shown that infants are attuned to baby talk and nursery rhymes. The research indicates that babies need to feel safe, secure and loved for brain connections to be properly formed to enable them to learn effectively.
“To a newborn, the world is a rush of sights and sounds, an overload of information. But then the world gradually comes into focus. Babies soon learn to recognize faces and voices and over the coming months learn how to move, understand language and make sense of what is around them. This is a crucial moment in all our lives when important connections are being formed in the brain.” [Read more here.]
TODDLERS
5 Reasons We Can All Be Grateful For Our Toddlers
“Just when I think I might toss him out the window, he snuggles against me on the couch to watch an episode of Puffin Rock. He gently leans his head on me — the same head he used to ram me an hour ago. He pats me with the same palm he slammed into my nose this morning. How such a destructive creature could exist in such a cute body is a mystery I cannot explain. All I know is I am grateful for him.
I’m gonna take a moment to list why I appreciate this monster-truck-loving, peanut-butter-face-wearing, belly-button-jabbing child. I don’t know what I would do without him. And I wouldn’t trade him for anything. Well, I might consider a massage recliner. The kind they have on display at Costco is the closest to heaven I’ve been.
Anyway, here are five reasons I am thankful for my toddler:” [Read more here.]
The Surprising Secret to Raising a Well-Behaved Kid
“My friend Emily has three amazingly well-behaved children. They put their toys away when she tells them to, go to bed without a fuss, and even settle their own disputes. I actually witnessed her 3-year-old son calmly ask for a truck back from a friend who had yanked it out of his hands.
“What’s your secret?” I once asked, hoping she could impart some much-needed wisdom. “Threatening them with punishment? Giving them time-outs? Bribing them with Oreos?” Emily shook her head. “Nothing like that,” she told me. “If I’ve done anything right, it’s that I’ve made it clear from the get-go what I expect from them. Now, all I have to do is shoot them a look, and they know to discipline themselves.””
It may sound too good to be true, but experts agree that Emily has the right idea about teaching kids to behave. Kids are naturally inclined to want to please their parents and they’ll try to behave in the way that you’ve taught them to. In fact, experts say that kids as young as 18 months are empathetic and responsive to their parents’ expectations. [Read more here.]
