A real health risk for new mothers

During your pregnancy, your doctor probably warned you about additional precautions you should take against certain illnesses that pregnant women are more susceptible to getting than other adults are.

For example, pregnant women are encouraged to get a flu shot because of the severe complications that can arise when a pregnant woman and her developing child get the flu.

While breastfeeding, you should also be careful of certain threats to your health, as you are more prone to certain things than you were before. Staph infections are one of these things, as women who are breastfeeding are more likely to get this type of infection than most other healthy adults.

What is staph?

Staph infections are a type of bacterial infection that results from a fairly common type of bacteria, staphylococcus aureas. Staph infections can have very mild side effects but they can also develop into severe medical complications.

Preventing staph infections while breastfeeding

As staph bacteria can be found on the skin of about one in four healthy adults, the best way to prevent staph infections is to keep those bacteria from getting into open wounds and killing it whenever possible. Good hygiene is the best defense against bacteria infections of this nature.

Steps you should take to minimize the likelihood of a staph infection while breastfeeding include:

• Frequent hand washing with an anti-bacterial soap
• Sterilize all breast pumping equipment regularly
• Clean and bandage any wounds properly to prevent contamination
• Change bras regularly, especially if your nipples are sore and chaffed

There is a great deal of discussion among mothers and soon-to-be mothers about breastfeeding – benefits, challenges, and side effects. One topic that arises frequently is the relationship between breastfeeding and gas. And while it’s not a topic our mothers teach us to discuss in “polite company,” mothers still want to know can breastfeeding can make them or their baby gassy!

Baby gas and breastfeeding

It is not uncommon for moms to be surprised by a baby’s gas. But after the initial surprise is over, concern often follows – am I doing something to add to his gas?

For breastfeeding mothers, the worry is usually that they may be eating something that is transferred through their breast milk, resulting in gas for the baby. This is almost never the case.

If your child is gassy after being fed, it is usually because he or she is getting too much air along with their food. You can alleviate this problem by adjusting your feeding position to one that uses gravity to pull the milk or formula into baby’s mouth, ensuring the infant latches on properly, and using vented nipples whenever you use a bottle.

Gas and breastfeeding for Moms

There is no correlation between breastfeeding and problems with gas for mothers. You may experience some unpleasant side effects from breastfeeding such as fatigue, itchy nipples, or sore breasts, but digestive issues are not linked to nursing.

If you are feeling gassy, you may want to look to your own diet for the cause. Eliminate gas-producing foods such as cauliflower, brussel sprouts, broccoli, beans, and legumes to see if this helps.

If you are still having problems, consult your doctor who may be able to offer additional explanations and solutions.

Can switching from breast to bottle cause digestive problems?

Many parents worry about their child’s bowel movements. It is something you probably haven’t thought about before, but once your baby is born, it is an important concern.

While it is important that your child has regular bowel movements, constipation in general and constipation caused by switching from breastfeeding to formula are often misunderstood by parents, resulting in unnecessary worry.

Constipation defined

Constipation is not the same for infants as it is for adults, leading many parents to become concerned that their child is experiencing this problem when it is not the case. Bowel movements change as a child develops, both in frequency and consistency.

Keep the following in mind when worried about your baby’s constipation:

• As a baby gets older, they may not have a bowel movement daily. This is normal.
• Straining during bowel movements does not indicate constipation for infants. Their developing digestive system may just be adjusting, and straining does not indicate a problem.
• If your baby’s stool is hard, pebbly, and dry, your concern about constipation is warranted. If not, don’t worry.

Constipation and formula

When a baby switches to formula from breast milk or from one formula to another, he or she might experience some constipation. This is normal and in many cases, they can outgrow the constipation as their digestive system adjusts.

The baby has only been exposed to a very limited variety of food sources and their digestive system has only been functioning since they were born, so it is natural that they would need to learn to digest and process new foods as they are introduced.

If the problem persists, make sure that you are using sufficient water in the formula and consult your doctor about either adding water into the baby’s feeding schedule or switching to another formula.

Breastfeeding is both an incredibly special opportunity and an enormous responsibility for mothers. However, when mom’s start to feel run down, they often wonder if they should still be breastfeeding their baby even though they are sick.

However, as the sole source of your child’s nourishment during these
important early years, mothers must also be careful to eat a balanced diet and avoid potential toxins that could be transferred through breast milk. This can be difficult when a mother gets sick because it is harder to separate the safe medicines from those that could be harmful.

Don’t let normal illnesses get in the way

Generally, it is safe for mothers to continue breastfeeding when they become ill with common sicknesses such as a cold, flu, fever, or stomach bug. The baby has already been exposed to the virus during the time spent together nursing.

Your body makes antibodies to the illness that can be passed to the baby through your breast milk, so it is a good opportunity to build the little one’s immune system. However, you will want to be careful when selecting medicines to alleviate your symptoms.

Keep the following tips in mind, and of course, if you have any questions, ask your doctor.

• Avoid long-lasting formulas that will stay in your body and your breast milk longer than necessary
• Skip the extra-strength option, it has more of the active ingredient
• Treat only the symptoms you have rather than taking a multi-symptom medication
• Take the medication after you breastfeed and only as often as you need it

If you have other concerns, or a more serious illness such as HIV or Hepatitis, speak with your doctor as breastfeeding may be unsafe for your baby.

New Contest – Enter to Win!

It’s time for more free stuff again!  This time the giveaway is courtesy of our friend Hollie at Real Moms – Real Views.

The team at the Real Moms blog was interesting in checking out our products for a review, so we sent them a packet of swaddle blankets and a bouncy ball.  And turns out, they loved both!

Here is a sample from their review:

“They are very soft and stretchable. I love that the fabric is very breathable so I can have her swaddled and not have to worry about her over heating. I put them in the washing machine and washed them on cold, then dried them in the dryer on low. They came out and felt just as nice as when they went in.”

Enter to win today!

So if you would like to enter to win, first hop on over to Real Moms Real Views and check out their full review.  You can then read up on their contest instructions and take your chance to win a swaddling blanket pack of your choice – absolutely free!

Avoid an unplanned pregnancy by understanding your body

There are many fallacies about breastfeeding and pregnancy. For example, you may have heard that you cannot get pregnant if you are breastfeeding. This is not true. You are less fertile while breastfeeding, but you are certainly not infertile.

• Read our full article on how to tell if you are pregnant while breastfeeding

Breastfeeding and ovulation

In order to get pregnant, you must be ovulating. That is, your body must be releasing eggs in order for one of the eggs to be fertilized. After you give birth, your body’s hormonal balance shifts.

The hormones that tell your body to produce milk for the baby also repress the hormones that stimulate ovulation, which means that mothers who breastfeed usually do not get their periods as soon after childbirth as those who do not. However, this situation will not continue indefinitely. Eventually, your period will return, even if you are still breastfeeding.

Breastfeeding and pregnancy

Women usually ovulate two weeks before they have their period, which means that you will be fertile again before you have a period. This can make it challenging to tell if you are pregnant while breastfeeding because you can get pregnant without even having a period after childbirth in the first place.

Additionally, signs that may indicate pregnancy can be confused with breastfeeding side effects, such as sore breasts and fatigue. For this reason, the only way to determine with certainty whether or not you are pregnant while you are breastfeeding is to take a pregnancy test.

You can use an at-home test or go to the doctor and get a blood test. Both types are highly accurate and neither will be affected by breastfeeding.

Maybe, but let’s look at why it can happen

While good health is always important, it becomes particularly important to keep a close eye on your health during a pregnancy. Not only are you responsible for the development and growth of another person, but you may face unusual or unforeseen health issues as a result of the demands pregnancy places on your body.

For this reason, it may be disconcerting to see that your cholesterol levels are higher than usual both during pregnancy and while breastfeeding.

Normal fluctuations

The good news is that these elevated cholesterol levels are entirely normal. Most pregnant women see a decrease in their cholesterol during the first trimester followed by higher levels for the remaining two trimesters.

The higher levels often persist while the mother is nursing.

The cholesterol is produced by your liver, which receives hormonal signals telling it to make more cholesterol than usual because you are pregnant. It does not reflect an unhealthy diet or poor health choices.

Cholesterol is important for babies

Cholesterol is a waxy, fatty substance that plays an important role both during pregnancy and nursing. It contributes to neurological development in the infant and is an important way to transfer energy. Cholesterol is able to hold a great deal of calories and can be completely digested by the infant after he or she is born, making it a great way for the baby to get the nourishment and energy needed at this time.

Additionally, the higher levels of cholesterol do not pose a threat to mothers during this period because the cholesterol is used by the body and transferred to the child rather than remaining in arteries to cause problems.

Are you pregnant and still wondering how soon you should start breastfeeding after the baby is born? Well don’t wonder anymore – because the easiest way to start breastfeeding your baby, is to breastfeed as soon as possible after the little one is born.

For full-term babies whose mothers are able to breastfeed, it is recommended that the first feeding take place within the first hour after the baby enters the world.

Why is sooner so much better?

You know that breastfeeding is good for your baby; it helps build immunity and may even aid brain development. But why is it important to start breastfeeding right away?

After all, you just experienced a very draining and demanding physical event as you went through labor. Will it really matter if you wait a little while before jumping into the next challenge? It just might.

Research on this subject supports the benefits of starting your baby on your breast right away for several reasons:

1.      The colostrum you produce in the first few days after delivery is rich with immunity-building antibodies, making your baby more resilient to infections and illness

2.      Babies who experience skin-to-skin contact with their mothers within the first few hours of life and breastfeed have less trouble latching than infants who spend these hours away from their mom. This means that starting earlier will make breastfeeding easier overall.

When your infant has his or her first feeding, your body begins to produce a greater and more consistent milk supply.

Benefits of breastfeeding

There are many reasons why a mother chooses to breastfeed or not to breastfeed. It is very personal decision and one that should be made with careful consideration. However, there are many benefits of breastfeeding to both mother and child from choosing to nourish your little one in this way, all of which are worth considering as you make this decision.

Benefits for the baby

Infants who are breastfed have been shown to experience improved health including a lowered occurrence and risk of certain diseases as well as a more resistant immune system, most likely due to antibodies the baby receives through breast milk. These benefits not only improve the baby’s health during infancy but are believed to improve lifelong health as well.

Some of those benefits include lowered risk or occurrence of the following:

-         Ear infections

-         Diarrhea

-         Bowel conditions

-         Urinary tract infections

-         Obesity

-         Diabetes

-         Asthma

-         Allergies

-         Irritability

Benefits for mother

Mothers also enjoy several benefits when they breastfeed their baby. Some of the benefits mothers cite for choosing to breastfeed include:

-         Less mess (no bottles or formula to mix)

-         Unique bonding experience with the baby

-         Easier weight loss

-         Lower risk of ovarian and breast cancer

-         More energy while breastfeeding

Talk to your doctor if you have questions

If you are unable to breastfeed your infant or choose not to for other reasons, this does not mean that you are making the wrong choice. Talk to your doctor about ways that you can supplement the infant’s immune system and other ways to assist your child’s development.

Diet “don’ts” for breastfeeding moms

In a previous post, we discussed good things to make sure that you incorporate in your diet while breastfeeding, including fruits, whole grains, sources of calcium, and lots of water.

However, there are also certain things that you should make sure to keep OUT of your diet while breastfeeding, as they can be dangerous to you and possibly to your infant.

Some of the things to stay away from while you are breastfeeding include:

-         Alcohol. This toxin is dangerous to development while your baby is in the womb and now that he or she is born as well.

-         Mercury. High levels of mercury are found in some types of fish including swordfish and halibut, so be careful with seafood.

-         Caffeine. This stimulant can be found in soft drinks, coffee, and tea, among other products, so read labels carefully before drinking or eating anything you think might contain caffeine.

-         Artificial sweeteners. These chemicals can be found in diet drinks and low-calorie foods and may be harmful to your baby.

-         Nutritional supplements. While it is important to get vitamins and minerals while breastfeeding, it is best to get them from fruits and vegetables than to take a multivitamin or other supplement. These supplements are not monitored by the FDA, so it is difficult to be certain that what you are putting into your body is safe for you and for your baby.

Have a question?  Ask your doctor.

If you have any questions about what to eat while breastfeeding, be sure to ask your doctor about specific issues. Being healthy will help you be the best mom you can be, so take care of yourself during this bonding time with your infant.