by Jennifer Shakeel
As a mamma to be you have probably thought whether or not you should breastfeed your newborn. There isn’t a mom in the world that does not know that when it comes to providing the best for your baby, then you should consider breastfeeding your child. Breastfeeding is scientifically proven to have many benefits for both infants and mothers. It is estimated that breast milk contains one hundred ingredients not found in formula. Breast milk is so nutritious that virtually all a baby’s organs benefit from it. I know, there are some formulas that boost they are the next best thing to breast milk… but when it comes to the health of your baby, is the next best thing really all you want to give?
Firstly, breastfeeding an infant fortifies his immune system, which is still largely undeveloped. According to scientists who study breast-feeding, babies who have been breast-fed have fewer cases of diarrhea, constipation, ear infections, and allergies. Furthermore, the mysterious Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is less common among breast-fed babies.
Breastfeeding may also help stimulate brain development in babies. It is estimated that children who have been breastfed have higher IQs of at least eight points than formula-fed children. Breast milk also continually evolves as the infant matures, containing different amounts of different nutrients as the baby reaches newer developmental stages. Because breast milk is human milk, rather than artificial milk, it contains the exact amounts of amino acids, fats, water, and carbohydrates that best nurture a baby. It is also at a warm temperature, which often promotes better sleep.
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Filed under Breastfeeding, Pregnancy by More4kids Inc.
A note from Julie: The decision to breastfeed should be made ahead of time. This article describes some of the benefits. I breastfed my first son and am now going on to breastfeed our most recent addition to our family. It can be physically and emotionally exhausting at times but feel it is well worth it.
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Filed under Breastfeeding, Moms, Pregnancy by More4kids Inc.
While it may seem as though being pregnant for nine months can last for years, especially the last trimester, it really doesn’t. Before you know it your pregnancy will be complete and you will have a beautiful baby boy or girl. The question is, are you ready for baby to come home? Do you have the essentials? I don’t mean the baby’s room necessarily, though a crib or basinet is important, but I do mean the items that you are going to need to take care of your baby once she/he is longer inside you.
Let’s start with the basics, diapers and wipes. Whether you are planning on using cloth diapers or disposable diapers you need to make sure that you have plenty of them on hand. If you are going to use disposable diapers I recommend that you at least have one package of newborn diapers, which typically will fit a baby up to 8 pounds. I wouldn’t go and buy a case of diapers until baby is born and you know his weight, because you don’t want to be stuck with a bunch of diapers that baby can’t wear. As far as wipes go, I always opt for the natural ones that are for sensitive skin. That is just a personal preference.
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Anticipating the arrival of a new baby is an exciting experience. There are a number of preparations to be made, and many decisions to make. One of the most important decisions that parents have to make – especially mothers – has to do with the nourishment of the child. A mother must determine whether she will breastfeed her child, or feed her child through the use of a bottle.
I know how difficult that this type of decision is. I have been there, and had to make the decision as well. Here, I will expound on some of the pros and cons related to breastfeeding. I feel that it is important to know and understand these so that you can make a better informed decision overall. More on Breastfeeding - Pros and Cons
Filed under Baby, Breastfeeding, Pregnancy by More4kids Inc.
There are so many things to think of during your pregnancy. As you prepare for the birth of your child, no doubt you have already set up a nursery for the new arrival. Between the baby shower and other items you may have purchased, there is no doubt the new baby’s nursery has every possible thing you could think of. Just in case, here are 5 things every nursery needs, and then some.
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by Jennifer Shakeel
Congratulations! You made it through labor and delivery and you are the proud parent of one of the most beautiful babies in the world! That’s right, you can now take that big sigh of relief… you are no longer pregnant. As you lay in the hospital bed, you are overwhelmed by the desire to stand up and see your no longer pregnant body. You are almost jittery with excitement of putting on those pre-pregnancy clothes. Once the pain killers wear off you jump out of bed to stand in front of the mirror and marvel at your no longer pregnant body…
Marvel indeed! Chances are it is not what you were expecting. I can tell you that last month, as I gave birth to my third child, a scheduled C-section, I asked my doctor if while she had me open she would go ahead and do liposuction and take care of everything while she was there. She laughed and told me I really didn’t need it (music to a pregnant woman’s ears) that there was really very little fat there and she was impressed. Naturally then I was looking forward to being back to where I was before I was pregnant.
More on Adjusting To Your No Longer Pregnant Body
Filed under Post Pregnancy, Pregnancy, Weight Control by More4kids Inc.
Are you are worrying about possible early signs of pregnancy? If so, you can rest assured in knowing that you can put your mind at ease with an early pregnancy test. Quite simply, what an early pregnancy test does is it enables you to see whether or not you are pregnant days and often even longer than that of the more standard pregnancy tests.
More on Some Advantages of an Early Pregnancy Test
Filed under Early Signs Of Pregnancy, Pregnancy, Pregnancy Tests by More4kids Inc.
Congratulations! After all the months of waiting, your baby has finally arrived. Your days of pregnancy has finally ended, and a new exciting adventure is about to begin. These first days are an amazing time that passes so quickly. These early days and weeks should be spent getting to know and bonding with your baby, both you and daddy. Naturally, family and close friends will want to stop by to see the new little one. However you may want to limit visits during the first week or so.
Take care of yourself. Remember that you have just gone through child birth. you will be tired and you need to rest. Don’t try to be supermom and do crazy things like cleaning the house and cooking a big dinner. Believe me; you have the rest of your life for all that. Right now, you need to concentrate on resting and getting to know the new little member of your family.
More on Pregnancy, Childbirth and Your Newborn - Now What?
Filed under Pregnancy by More4kids Inc.
When you choose your obstetrician, you are also choosing the hospital at which you’ll give birth. Therefore, you have to start thinking about which hospital to deliver at before selecting your obstetrician, because your doctor will have admitting privileges at a certain hospital. You may have to switch doctors in order to deliver at the hospital you want.
You can start your research by asking your current gynecologist about good hospitals. A good hospital usually means one that is less than an hour away, and is easily accessible by car. It is especially beneficial if the hospital is easily accessible by the interstate system, since you will not want to experience traffic while you are in labor.
More on Choosing A Hospital To Give Birth
Filed under Childbirth, Pregnancy by More4kids Inc.
by Jennifer Shakeel
Many expectant parents are swept up in the romance of having a new baby. We tend to get so excited over the arrival of baby that we forget to think about the changes that are going to take place, whether we want them to or not. As wonderful as being a new parent is, whether this is your first child or second or third, having a baby will change your life forever.
I think that it is a given that restful nights of sleep are a thing of the past, and for at least one parent, so are regular showers. New parents often sleep two or three hours at a time, because their infant has a bi-hourly or tri-hourly feeding schedule. It often happens that the parent has just fallen asleep only to awake to their infant’s crying. This irregular sleeping schedule changes little throughout the average baby’s first year of life. I laugh at this really; I have three children, the first two slept through the night from the moment they came out. The most recent addition to our family though, has an agenda all her own. Some nights she sleeps through the night, some nights she is up every 45 minutes, other nights she is up ever two or three hours. I have decided that it depends on where the moon is sitting in the sky and the direction of the wind.
More on How a Baby Changes Your Life
Well, you just found out that you are pregnant! Congratulations!! It is a time of excitement, joy, happiness, nervousness, anxiety, confusion, ecstasy; basically almost every single emotion can be included in the matter of pregnancy. It is truly one of the most major and most important times in both a man and a woman’s life, and this is why it is so important to understand some things about your pregnancy, such as your pso that you can worry more about your being happy than being confused as to what is going on. We hope this site will help eliminate some of the confusion and anxiety. One of the first things you want to know when you find out you are pregnant, is when will the big day be?
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Filed under Pregnancy by More4kids Inc.
