Monday, February 21, 2011

Flavours in mothers milk may determine the foods children like

Mothers wanting their children to eat their greens should consume plenty of vegetables themselves while breast feeding, new research has suggested.

Flavours in mothers milk may determine the foods children like
Babies are typically exposed to low levels of flavour compounds from the food their mothers are eating through their breast milk Photo: GETTY

Scientists have discovered that babies' taste buds are primed between the two and five months after birth by the flavours they are exposed to and this can influence their preferences in later life.

Researchers found that children fed a bitter and sour tasting milk formula during these early months of their life continued to like its taste as they grew older and even into adolescence.

Those who were given the milk formula for the first time at six months old rejected the drink.

Dr Gary Beauchamp, director of the Monell Chemical Senses Center, in Philadelphia, who led the research, said it appeared that children's exposure to flavours during these key first few months of their life shaped their taste preferences and therefore food choices in later life.

Babies are typically exposed to low levels of flavour compounds from the food their mothers are eating through their breast milk.

Dr Beauchamp believes breastfeeding mothers can "prime" their children's taste buds to be familiar with fruit and vegetables by eating them themselves. In contrast formula milk is "bland and constant tasting", he said.

"We have demonstrated that there is a very sensitive period between two and five months of age when infants will learn to like these milk formulas," he said.

"This learned preference for formula milk will last at least into adolescence and we believe for their entire lives.

"By exposing infants at this very sensitive period is appears to be possible to make them like something that they would otherwise deem to be horrible.

"If we could enhance consumption of vegetables amongst pregnant and nursing women, it ought to impact on their children's later food choices and result in healthier eating.

"We have yet to do this work, but we would like to run a large-scale trial to see if this would be the case."

Dr Beauchamp presented his findings at the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Washington yesterday. The study has also been published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Taste preferences are generated through a combination of inherited genes which leaves individuals more sensitive to certain taste and odour molecules.

Earlier research has also shown that infants are exposed to small quantities of their mother's diet while in the womb which can help to prime some of their preferences.

The latest findings now add to the evidence that exposure to different tastes during early life has an impact on what people like and dislike eating as they grow older.

They will also fuel about whether breast feeding babies is better than giving them formula milk.

Campaigners insist that breast feeding can give children a better start as it boosts immune systems as well as being linked to lower risks of heart disease, obesity and cancer in later life.

Dr Beauchamp said: "There is some evidence that if children are exposed to variety, they are more likely to go after a wide variety of food.

"In the breast fed infant, they are routinely exposed to variation in flavours through their mothers milk. In the typical formula milk fed infant, they are exposed to an extremely bland and constant tasting food.

"One concern we have with formula feeding is that infants do not get the varied sensory experience that children who are breast fed get.

"Nutritionally the formula milk is almost identical to human milk as is possible, but from a sensory point of view formula milk is impoverished."



Wednesday, February 16, 2011

10 Ways Dads Can Help Ensure Breastfeeding Success

The Surgeon General's Call to Action about breastfeeding noted that family members -- especially dads and grandmas -- were important people in a new mother's life. They needed to have the opportunity to learn just as much about breastfeeding as the new mom ... and needed to learn how to support her in a way that helped her continue breastfeeding.

While a dad can't breastfeed (no matter how much we wish he could), he does play a large part in a mom's breastfeeding journey. Yet, dad often doesn't know what to do to be supportive.

I can help! We can help! Send this to the soon-to-be or new fathers that you know, send it to your own husband -- the new dad or dad-to-be.

Dear husband to breastfeeding mom: follow this 10-step guide to help your wife feel the support she needs when breastfeeding.

  1. Be active and vocal in your support. Know that your wife generally values your opinion over her own mother's, so you really need to be there in a big way, including reading breastfeeding books and attending classes with her -- not just asking her to give you the run-down afterward.
  2. Learn how to give the right support. Dads are often the first to offer the "relief" bottle, thinking it's helping their wife who is tired and struggling. Unfortunately, that "relief" bottle is the first in a long downward spiral and can make life much harder for the new mom. Knowing instead to bring her food, water, the TV remote, help her set up a "nest," and have her involved with the family even if she is stuck on her butt is very important. Women in a survey said they wished their husbands wouldn't even mention formula.
  3. Let her know how much you appreciate her. Breastfeeding can be hard work and mentally exhausting at first. Telling your wife that you think she's amazing and that you're proud of her can mean so much to her and really help her feel supported.
  4. Get up with the baby at night even if you're not feeding him or her. You can still change the diaper, rock the baby, and help mom in many ways.
  5. Take other baby responsibilities off her plate. So you aren't the food source -- that's okay. Babies still need to be carried, bathed, talked to, loved, and all of that can be done by you. It's also the best way you can bond with baby.
  6. Take over household responsibilities as well. Help with cleaning the house, getting dinner ready, paying bills, doing dishes ... especially if you're on paternity leave. Try to make your wife's only responsibilities be healing her own body and helping your newborn transition into the big world and get off to the best start by breastfeeding. The more mom doesn't have to worry about, the less overwhelming the demands of breastfeeding seem.
  7. Don't allow her to fall prey to sabotage. If you get free formula in the mail or from a well-meaning friend, donate it to a food shelter or give it to a formula-feeding friend. Even having it in the house is akin to having a cake on the counter when someone is on a diet. Also get rid of any "breastfeeding" literature that comes from formula companies.
  8. Keep out negative "help." If your mother starts talking to you or your wife about breastfeeding in a negative way, such as telling you she needs to supplement, kindly tell her that kind of talk isn't welcome or appreciated, and if she can't be supportive, she will be asked to leave.
  9. Know when your wife needs help. If she's suffering with bleeding nipples or is convinced she's not making enough, call up the local La Leche League Leader or a certified breastfeeding counselor to make a house call and help out.
  10. Crack appropriate jokes. Don't make cow comments -- just don't. But whipping your own shirt off and declaring it a nudist colony in your house or going out and making jokes about the things you'd say if anyone dared say anything about her nursing can help lighten the mood while also showing support.
http://thestir.cafemom.com/baby/116334/10_ways_dads_can_help

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Does Television Cause Fear of Childbirth?


Posted by Danielle625 on December 8th, 2010 at 12:03 pm

2517171696 9d01ccede1 199x300 Does Television Cause Fear of Childbirth?In the past couple days, there has been a lot of talk about a clinical fear of childbirth, something that was certainly new to me, even as a childbirth educator and doula. But I am sure there is a clinical term for fear of most things in life.

The term tocophobia, or the unrelenting fear of childbirth, made an appearance in Jezebel the other day, and it sparked my interest because I have been writing about fear surrounding childbirth for a while. Just not the clinical kind.

But are women truly afraid, literally clinically afraid of having children? Or is it just a fear our society has been perpetuating through horrid depictions of birth on our televisions for as long as we can remember? I am willing to go with the less dramatic.

I flash back to watching General Hospital after school with my mother back in the day. The dramatic 1994 birth of Lulu — such a scary and surgical event for those Luke and Laura fans glued to the television like my mother was. I found myself tainted by childbirth from then on even though I was only in elementary school. I am sure other young girls shared similar experiences.

Since then it hasn’t gotten any better on television. Scary accidental home births on soap operas, Addison Montgomery turning every delivery into a near death experience on Private Practice, and A Baby Story with all their emergency situations to fuel ratings. I have come to a point in my life where I can no longer watch these deliveries on television because of what they represent.

Fear, and the broken maternity care system our country is thrusting on the next generation of mothers.

The message being sent to our sisters and daughters is that childbirth is something they should be fearing. Something scary, and emergent instead of the beautiful and peaceful event it can be. These less eventful deliveries are not making it into the public eye, while the crappy examples continue to flood the mainstream media.

Pushing these fears is a rising cesarean birth rate well over the recommended percentage the World Health Organization put in place for modern women of the United States. The multiples, and health conditions we see increasing risks in the women today. In fact, at the most we should see a 15 percent cesarean rate, and we are over double that. I know that is something that aided my fear of childbirth. Surgery is scary. Any kind of surgery. It is still scary to me after going through two c-sections myself, and various other surgical procedures over the years.

But ratings are what bring the money in. We shouldn’t expect to see low risk women birthing with midwives, or beautiful home births on these shows, and in prime time. They won’t get the numbers the networks need to stay afloat.

Although I think if we took a big time birth documentary like The Business of Being Born and put it on as a prime time special, it would get those same numbers the networks demand. And maybe help the next generation or even the current generation of mothers to take a second look at childbirth and maternity care as we know it.

Until then, we need to be the educators in our community and families, and help send the message that childbirth is not something we should be scared of because of the way it is handled today in our maternity care system.


http://blogs.babble.com/being-pregnant/2010/12/08/does-television-cause-fear-of-childbirth/

Monday, February 14, 2011

upcoming classes and a new location!!

Upcoming Class Dates:
March 2, Sugar House, Wednesday Evenings**
April 1, Salt Lake City, Friday Evenings
April 2nd, Pleasant Grove, Saturday Mornings

For more dates/times, visit www.thedoulahouse.com

**Newest Location!!

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Doulas Aren't Just for Hippie Home Births

Midwives and doulas both play important roles in a birth. A midwife can be someone with medical training who aids you at a hospital, birthing center, or even in your home. But a doula's role is much different, and often very misunderstood.

Even more misunderstood is the value of a doula.

After all, why would you want to pay hundreds of dollars for someone just to focus on YOU, especially if you're in a hospital, or even having a c-section, why would you want a doula?

Well, there are lots of reasons why ...

Well, first remember that the midwife's job is to be there for you birthing your baby. To help you move around, watch for any red flags, and know what to do if any situations NEED interference or guidance, or rarely, medical intervention (certified midwives have life-saving tools and training, much like an EMT).

Your doula's job, on the other hand, has little to do with the baby and everything to do WITH YOU. Her title translates to "servant of the mother." Her job is to focus on you, and just you. Women who use doulas often have less complications and shorter labors.

In a home birth setting, she can help gently remind you of things you wanted to try, such as a birthing ball, different pushing positions, a hot shower, or a back massage. She can start the tub for you if she sees you're getting uncomfortable. She can help you remember birth affirmations (positive phrases) such as, "My body is made to do this" and "Self-doubt is the sign that it's almost over", which you can choose ahead of time.

In a hospital setting, she can help you keep your mind on the goals you had in advance. A good doula will ask, "Did you want time to think about that?" if a nurse is demanding you have something done, so you can be free of pressure before making decisions, and help with reminding you and your partner of the choices you'd made ahead of time about things such as methods of pain management, positions you'd like to try. She can remind you of things you'd intented on asking for, such as no mention of an epidural being made in your presence, that the wireless fetal monitors be used before they suggest you lay down. In essence, your birth plan. For example, if you're having back labor, rocking on hands and knees can help immensely, and that can be a part of your plan that your doula reminds you of, since in labor, stress can take over ... especially if the situation isn't kept stress-free (part of her job as well).

I wish I'd had a doula during my birth, especially for the time where my husband had to leave me by myself while he took my son to my friend's to be babysat. That was when I hit transition, and freaked out. The self-doubt got to me, and I had no one to talk me down or comfort me at that point, which a doula would have done.

She can even be your support during a c-section, to help you emotionally during both the surgery prep, and during the hard time after the baby's out, where often you can't see them, and the sensations are nauseating. She can help remind you (or your spouse) that you wanted the baby brought to you as soon as possible to initiate breastfeeding, or that your husband was going to keep the baby in his sight at all times and remind doctors that no formula or glucose was to be given. Or whatever things you might choose. Everyone has preferences.

The biggest questions is: Does a doula replace your husband/partner? The answer is absolutely, positively NOT. In fact their goal is often to help your partner be MORE involved, letting him know that putting gentle pressure at this certain point on your back can help, or showing him how to support you while you squat. Her goal is never, ever to replace your partner but actually to make him feel even more useful and important.

If you're interested in a doula, interview them during your pregnancy, and be discriminate -- you need to feel very comfortable with this person, or the point is moot. Your spouse should be part of the interview process as well.

If you're a military spouse and your husband is deployed for your birth, you can actually get a doula (for free) through Operation Special Delivery.

Did you or will you have a doula at your birth?


http://thestir.cafemom.com/pregnancy/115924/doulas_arent_just_for_hippie?utm_medium=sm&utm_source=facebook&utm_content=natural_fanpage

Great Hypnobabies Birth

http://www.hypnobabies.com/mylink.php?id=6356

The Birth plan

Friday, February 4, 2011

CESAREAN COURAGE

I Love this post from another blog!


As a doula, I keep up with "birth stuff". I read blogs, research and discussions on birth. There is a lot of talk about the medicalization of childbirth, about VBAC and VBAC bans, and women's choices and lack of choices and OBs fear-mongering and the negative effect of interventions and early inductions. We talk about the benefits of home birth and midwifery care, doulas, Hypnobabies, water birth, unassisted birth, hands off birth, free birth, active birth, gentle birth, natural birth....but what we really talk a lot about is fear and the cesarean "epidemic".

We, in the birth community talk a lot about fear because childbirth in our culture is saturated in fear. And there is no doubt in my mind that it is because of this culture of fear that we have such a high cesarean rate. And in all our talk of unnecessary cesareans, and of fear, I don't hear a lot of talk about courage. Because no matter what the culture is, it takes courage to give birth. A lot of courage. The courage to give birth is in every woman, whether she knows it before hand or not, and even if she thinks it isn't there, she finds it inside of herself.

And all those mothers having cesareans? They have courage. Courage that needs to be recognized.

In our analysis of cesarean births and their increasing numbers, we get caught up in the focus of why the cesarean was or was not necessary, if this or that intervention caused it, if only that had been done or not done then perhaps the birth could have been vaginal. We get angry, we get sad, we work to change things. This is all good and very important, because too many women are subjected to unnecessary cesareans.

But can we please stop, for one moment and recognize, that no matter how educated or uneducated, coerced or informed the choice that woman on the operating table made or didn't make, whether that cesarean was elective or emergency, necessary or unnecessary - it takes a lot of courage to get there. Our birth culture may be saturated in fear-based decisions, but behind every cesarean and "unnecesarean" is a woman of courage. In that moment, it doesn't matter how that woman got to the operating table. It doesn't matter if the surgery is necessary or unnecessary, what matters is that it takes extraordinary courage to say:

"Cut me open.
I love my baby so much, that I will do anything to get my baby out of my body alive.
Lay me out, cut me open
because I love my baby so much."

That is courage. That is bravery and sacrifice and mothering in its purest form. That is the willingness to lay down your body and risk your life that your child might be born, that your child might live.

Cesarean mothers are BRAVE.

In the midst of our efforts as doulas and mothers and midwives and counselors and friends, in the work we do to educate and empower and change things...we need to take a moment to recognize the courage it takes to lay down and allow yourself to be cut open to have your baby.

http://avital.blogspot.com/2011/01/cesarean-courage.html

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

The Dangers of Early Cord Clamping and Cutting

Immediate clamping of the umbilical cord at birth has been associated with short- and long-term problems in newborns. Early clamping (within one minute after birth) can reduce the amount of umbilical cord blood transferred to the baby by more than 50 percent. Research shows that delaying clamping produces higher hematocrit and hemoglobin levels (more red blood cells, less anemia), healthier blood pressure, and improved heart rate and breathing in newborns. Polycythemia and hyperbilirubinemia are risks associated with delaying cord clamping, but studies find these risks extremely low.
Detrimental effects of early cord clamping
Nurse midwife Judith Mercer has investigated cord clamping in several studies and authored a 2001 literature review that points to some long-term harmful effects associated with early cord clamping. These include infant anemia, childhood mental disorders, and hypoxic ischemic brain damage.
Benefits of delaying for preterm infants
A 1993 study measured the effects of umbilical cord clamping on preterm infants. The investigators found that holding the newborn at about eight inches below the vaginal opening for 30 seconds before clamping the cord (sometimes referred to as “milking” the cord) improved bilirubin levels, decreased red cell transfusion requirements, and lowered the infant’s dependence on supplemental oxygen.
Lasting benefits of delaying for full-term infants
A 2007 study examined the timing of umbilical cord clamping in full-term babies. The conclusion was that delaying clamping for at least two minutes after birth improved the babies’ hemacrit and iron status (stored iron), and that these benefits extended two to six months into infancy. Similar results were found in a large 2004 study on 476 newborns.
La Leche League’s The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding cites this 2004 literature review. The authors conclude that delayed cord-clamping increases hemoglobin concentration in babies at 2 to 3 months, reduces the risk of anemia (especially in babies with anemic mothers), and does not increase the risk of complications.
Benefits of delaying for breastfed babies
In a 2006 study published in The Lancet, delaying cord clamping by two minutes resulted in increased iron stores in the babies at six months by 27 to 47 milligrams. And this effect was significantly greater in breastfed babies not receiving iron-fortified milk or formula, in babies whose mothers had low ferritin (a protein that stores iron), and in babies who weighed between 5.5 pounds and 6.5 pounds at birth.
A natural stem cell transplant
In a 2010 review article titled “Mankind’s first natural stem cell transplant,” researchers point out that a few types of important stem cells are transferred through the cord blood and argue that this greatly increases the benefits of delaying cord clamping.
Most research on the timing of cord clamping emphasizes the benefits of delaying. Only a few studies focus on the dangers of immediate clamping. From the studies cited in this article, one could conclude that the detrimental effects of early cord clamping are the loss of the benefits associated with delayed clamping, and these effects are significant and lasting.
Discuss this procedure with your birth attendant (obstetrician, midwife, or doula) and include your preference in your birth plan. As Ina May Gaskin, CPM, writes in her Guide to Childbirth, if you prefer to delay cord clamping, “the evidence is on your side.”

Amy Mitchell is a freelance writer in Jacksonville, Florida.

Additional References:
American Academy of Pediatrics, Evidence-Based Review of Science for Cord Clamping, http://www.aap.org/nrp/pdf/030B.pdf
World Health Organization, Effect of timing of umbilical cord clamping of term infants on maternal and neonatal outcomes (Reproductive Health Library Commentary), http://apps.who.int/rhl/pregnancy_childbirth/childbirth/3rd_stage/cd004074_abalose_com/en/index.html