mothers donate milk

BREASTFEEDING

 

Mothers Donate Milk (Over 500 Oz.) for Newborn of Officer Killed in the Line of Duty

In a tragic event, sometimes the most heroic and good acts can arise, and so is the case in the death of Palm Springs police officer Lesley Zerebny. She had barely returned to duty after delivering her daughter when Zerebny was shot and killed last Saturday. Many moms rallied together, though, to see that her four-month old would still have the gift of a mother’s milk for nourishment.

“One of Zerebny’s family members posted on social media after her death requesting prayers, when a woman named Ashley asked if donated breast milk would help. By Monday night, barely 24 hours later, the 500 oz. of breast milk were delivered for baby Cora.”    [Read more here.]

 

Breastfeeding Moms May Get Their Own Emoji

How about it breastfeeding mamas? Your very own emoji? Just imagine… Texting someone to let them know your busy breastfeeding would get that much easier: just the send them one icon! The proposal, submitted by registered nurse Rachel Lee, reads:

“I propose adding an emoji for breastfeeding as a complement to the existing baby bottle emoji, and to complete the set of family emojis,” writes Lee. “The lack of a breastfeeding emoji represents a gap in the Unicode Standard given the prevalence of breastfeeding in cultures around the world, and throughout history.” [Read full story here.]

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PREGNANCY

 

Safe Seafood While Pregnant: Good & Bad Fish Options 

Don’t eat tuna! Well, only a little tuna is OK…
Fish is bad in pregnancy! Fish is a great source of iron–you need iron in pregnancy!

If you have done any reading on what to avoid and what is best to consume during pregnancy, your head may be spinning. Fish is definitely one of the items on the list that can get pretty confusing, and rightfully so. Fish serves a lot of good in the vital nutrition the body needs during pregnancy, but at the same time, because fish comes to us through so many means, it can be dangerous.

“Some may say that it should be off limits while you’re pregnant. Some say say it’s no big deal. But the truth is, there are many options for safe seafood while pregnant. The key is to avoid some offenders (we’ll discuss later) and rotate the good options.”

Use this guide to help you better determine when to pass on the surf ‘n’ turf and what to look for when satisfying your seafood cravings. [Read more here.]

 

[VIDEO] Zika Virus: An Ob-Gyn Answers Our Questions

Whether you are a first time mom or not, it is likely this pregnancy is your first experience having to be concerned with the Zika virus. What are the concerns? What can you do about it? How do you prevent it?

“Pregnant women should specifically avoid travel to red areas because the intensity of Zika virus transmission confirmed in these areas is a significant risk to pregnant women,” the CDC said in a statement.”

This article and video were actually published prior to Zika cases originating in the United States. Since, several have arisen, and this warning from the CDC came out most recently regarding the areas to avoid in Miami. Stay safe and informed–even if it means giving up that beach vacation!

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MOTHERHOOD

 

How to rest when you don’t even have time to pee… 

How often are you reminded of the importance of getting your rest as a mother? It’s kind of just one of those things people say without a lot of thought behind it. Rest? Yeah, sure every mother would love more rest! But that is supposed to happen, when, exactly?

“…we go days without showering, barely getting time to pee and can’t remember when we last ate something that didn’t resemble a cookie or cracker. WE ARE EXHAUSTED and get to the end of the day feeling as though we did nothing yet at the same time did so much we didn’t have time to do anything. Yet we long to actually do something that makes us feel normal again. Like anything for more than a minute without being interrupted by a crying baby or our boobs leaking.”

This article is from The Milk Meg, a mom of three who has been through five pregnancies, so she obviously knows the exhaustion and demands of motherhood; however, these are her tips for finding ways to fit rest into you life. [Read more here.]

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An Apology Letter To All The Parents I Judged

Can we all admit that there was at least one (probably many more) occasions pre-motherhood, when you watched another parent or a child and thought, “No way that will be me.” Whether it’s the behavior of the parent or the child, you likely witnessed something that, in your mind, could have and should have been avoided or handled differently. Boy have the tables turned!

“It is now me who sits at dinner with a stroller next to me like it’s a ticking time bomb. It’s like you are in a Michael Bay film and when the pacifier falls, your night may explode.”

It’s OK if you now see the world differently and feel bad for the judgements made in the past; especially because you feel those judgements landing upon you and yours now. [Read more here.]

 

INFANTS

 

Could this new infant sleeper be the secret to more sleep—for you and your baby?

Be prepared for little to no sleep… Isn’t that what everyone warned you going into parenthood? Whether it’s better or worse than you expected, no doubt your baby has some weird sleep habits and if there is a sleeper that helps solve the problem, it’s worth looking into.

Time to check out the SNOO Smart Sleeper from Harvey Karp, M.D., author of The Happiest Baby on the Block and famous for his “5 S” method for newborn soothing (swaddling, side/stomach positioning, shushing, swinging, and sucking). It is said the sleeper could add hours of sleep to a mom’s night. It has great perks like the fact it mimics womb sounds and sensations, you can control it from your iPhone, and it is extremely safe and stylish. [Read more here.]

 

 

When can your baby start drinking water? 

Somewhere in raising a child, doctors go from saying, “Don’t give him any water!” to “Has he had enough water?” When does that happen and when does water–something we are trained to think of as an essential to our life–stop being a no-no? This article has all of the detailed answers. No need to freak out about being the irresponsible mother who does something wrong with her baby when it comes to something as simple as water!

“The fact is that babies do not require to be fed water separately till 6 months of age. Breast-milk contains 88-94% water, while formula milk is about 80% water, so additional water is not required in either case.” [Read more here.]

 

TODDLERS

 

4 Things I Wish I’d Known When I Was Parenting Toddlers the First Time Around

This post is from a mother of four, two of which are 18 months apart and the other two are 21 months apart. She is the first one to tell you that raising kids, toddlers specifically, close in age is complete exhaustion and madness. However, since she has been through it once already and has seen those two toddlers grow into little kids, she is finding ways to cherish the toddlerhood phase while it is there on her second go-round. Her post shares what she wishes she had known the first time through toddler madness, hoping it can help a fellow-mom keep perspective.  [Read more here.]

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How to Get Through Cold and Flu Season Without Getting Sick

Cold and flu season was a big enough pain prior to kids, but once you have little ones, germs run rampant. It’s like you can literally see them crawling on things and places you take your kids. Taking care of yourself when you’re sick is bad enough, but dealing with a toddler that keeps smearing snot across her face? Dealing with the fact they wake up crying at night because they can’t stop coughing? And of course the mid-night changing of sheets after a throw-up disaster; Let’s not go there…

The best we can do is take the proper precautions to avoid sickness in your family. This articles gives some great direction on accomplishing just that.   [Read more here.]

 

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