Mastitis

Oh the joys of new motherhood! Rocking in your glider chair your new baby suckles your breast cooing as he or she drinks. You cradle your baby’s head lovingly as you smile down upon him/her. The sunshine streaming through your window warms you and illuminates your hair so you look like an angel. The room smells of flowers from all the bunches sent by well-wishers. Your husband looks at you and thinks to himself that you are the most beautiful you have ever been. You are utterly content.
Uh
Wait…whose dream is this?
Yes, I am rocking in my glider chair but my baby is not really suckling so much as GNAWING at my breast. I cradle my baby lovingly as I grit my teeth and squeeze back tears of pain that not even the vicodin has diminished enough. The breast pain is nothing compared to the way my body feels. I have a fever of 103, chills, and can barely sit up because I am so exhausted. The sun streams though my window but I am cold. And forget the flowers…who cares about flowers right now? If my husband thinks that I am a vision, he is right. My hair is a mess, my boobs are hanging out to get some air and I am wearing my pajamas. Oh the joys of motherhood when mastitis comes to call.

Mastitis means that the breast is inflamed, and there is swelling, redness, tenderness and pain. There may be an infection, so it is wise to consult your health-care provider to determine whether or not an antibiotic is necessary. A breast infection can become a breast abscess that requires surgical draining, but this can almost always be prevented by treating mastitis promptly.

Signs of mastitis include:
• Part or all of the breast is intensely painful, hot, tender, red, and swollen. Some mothers can pinpoint a definite area of inflammation, while at other times the entire breast is tender.

• You feel tired, run down, achy, have chills or think you have the flu. A breastfeeding mother who thinks she has the flu probably has mastitis. Mothers with mastitis will sometimes experience these flu-like symptoms, even before they get a fever or notice breast tenderness.

• You have chills or feel feverish, or your temperature is 101F or higher. These symptoms suggest that you have an infection.

• You are feeling progressively worse, your breasts are growing more tender, and your fever is becoming more pronounced. With simple engorgement, a plugged duct, or mastitis without infection, you gradually feel better instead of worse.

• Recent events have set you up for mastitis: cracked or bleeding nipples, stress or getting run down, missed feedings or longer intervals between feedings.

PREVENTING MASTITIS

The best way to prevent mastitis is to avoid the situations that set you up for it.
• Relieve engorgement promptly. Milk that doesn't flow gets thicker and clogs the ducts, which is a set-up for mastitis.
• Breastfeed frequently. Don't restrict the length of feedings.
• If you feel your breasts getting full, encourage your baby to nurse. You don't have to wait for baby to tell you he's hungry.
• Avoid sleeping on your stomach or so far over on your side that your breasts are compressed against the mattress.
• Take care of yourself and get plenty of rest (both of mind and body).

Birthday Shout Out to 1/2 of Mamasnap!

Happy Birthday today to co-founder of Mamasnap, Susanna!

Today's the day
We get to say
We're happy you were born.
Hooray!

Here are some birthday ideas for when you're planning your little one's birthday: http://www.birthdaypartyideas.com/html/party_ideas.html

mamasnap book pick 6/26/06

I know we usually pick books our kids like but this week I felt like giving a nod to the folks responsbile for "What To Expect When Your Expecting" and "What To Expect The First Year" These books written by Heidi Murkoff, Arlene Eisenberg and Sandee Hathaway are the equivalant to the Bible for me. I had a terrible pregnacy and because of this I found myself refering to the book constantly. Eventhough I had been through it with my first child, I found myself reading the same stuff over and over again. After my second was born a few weeks ago, I found myself reading the "how to care for" parts that applied to both myself and my new baby boy. Then, of course, because my pregnancy apparently wasn't bad enough in the eyes of the universe I developed mastitis and again found information in these books about what to do and how to care for etc. I am so grateful for these books and recommend that any mom to be or mom to be a second, third or fourth time around keep it handy. You never know what kind of questions you may have and- if your brain is anything like mine at the moment- you'll need to read it 47,000 times before you actually remeber what it was you just read.

A review by Amazon:
Eighteen years after it first hit the shelves and having sold more than 10 million copies, What to Expect When You're Expecting is still on nearly every mother-to-be's reading list. This completely revised and updated edition is packed with answers to hundreds of questions and worries expectant parents may have. The information is presented in a month-by-month format starting with planning a pregnancy and choosing a practitioner, and follows through to six weeks after delivery. Each chapter begins with an explanation of what to expect at a particular month's prenatal visit and a brief description of how mom and baby are growing and changing before getting to the heart of the matter: What You May Be Concerned About. Topics are presented as questions ranging from "Should I be taking vitamins?" to "What if I forget everything I learn in childbirth education class?" to "Will I be able to breastfeed?" The answers are generally reassuring and provide enough information to soothe a worried mom between prenatal visits. Despite the reassuring answers, however, the sheer volume of worries discussed may alarm an otherwise calm mom-to-be.

The book also features a complete nutrition plan (though many women may find it difficult to follow), a special chapter just for expectant dads, and extensive information about dealing with minor illnesses, chronic conditions, and pregnancy complications. What to Expect has guided countless women through their pregnancies and makes an informative addition to the mainstream pregnancy and childbirth bookshelf.

"What To Expect The First Year" addresses special concerns such as illness, first aid do's and don'ts, the low-birthweight baby, the adopted baby, becoming a father, and sibling relationships. You'll also find discussions of breastfeeding and bottlefeeding, selecting a physician for the baby, diapers and clothing, safety, and many ways of stimulating the baby's development.

These books are a must have for any mom, mom-to-be and daddies too! As always, available online from Amazon!

Exercise Crucial to Fight Childhood Obesity...

At home, the phrase "Go watch TV" to kids has replaced "Go outside and play" in many families. At school, the daily hour of recess is dwindling. The combination is contributing to many kids not getting enough exercise, according to some experts.

"Parents are not allowing their kids to play after school because of the safety issue and all of the child abuse issues we've seen over the last 15 to 20 years," said Steve Virgilio, a physical education professor at Adelphi University in New York. "Parents are happy to have children in front of the TV or DVD or the computer because they know they're safe." But throw in an almost daily dose of junk food and you've got a recipe for childhood obesity.

A 2003-2004 survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that about 17 percent of children between the ages of 2 and 19 were overweight. (YES - that's from 2 years old!) Compare that with figures from just a generation ago: Federal data from the late 1970s showed that 7 percent of 6- to 11-year-olds and just 5 percent of 12- to 19-year-olds were overweight.

"Children are inherently physically active, but it's up to the adult population, whether it's caregivers at preschools or teachers or parents or grandparents, to make sure that they understand that physical activity is a big part of their life," Virgilio said.
A newly released study conducted by the U.S. Department of Education found that 99 percent of public elementary schools had some scheduled physical education in 2005. But how often activity is scheduled varies. Between 17 and 22 percent of students had P.E. every day; about half had one or two days each week. The average amount of time spent at recess and physical education was about 221 minutes per week for first-graders and 214 minutes for sixth-graders. It just keeps getting worse as kids get older - participation in gym class drops steadily in high school....

Bill Modzeleski, who heads the U.S. Department of Education's safe and drug-free schools department, said the agency is working with schools to help children develop life-long habits. "This is about educating kids about healthy eating and healthy habits as well as just physical fitness," he said. "We're talking about getting kids at a very early age to understand that exercise is not only important, but it can be fun." Virgilio said that preschoolers need at least an hour and a half of activity each day.

"One of the guidelines is that children should not be sedentary for more than 60 minutes at a time. In other words, after 60 minutes they should be up and moving for 10 minutes blocks of time," he said. "As children move into elementary school, they shouldn't be sedentary for more than 90 minutes at a time." But that doesn't mean that they have to be running, or hitting the gym -- anything that gets their big muscles involved will work. Find something that you can do for 10 minutes that children can have fun with. Even marching around the room for five minutes, pretending to be in a band is fine, he said.
"They don't have to go out and run, they don't need to get down and do sit-ups and push-ups and so on -- they just need good physical activity." So get out there - and get moving!
(courtesy of CNN...)

Having a good day?

Feeling more happy than usual this particular Friday? You should be, according to a scholar in seasonal disorders at a British university. Cliff Arnall has analysed such factors as outdoor activities, nature, social interaction, childhood memories, temperature and holidays — data gathered over a period of 15 years in interviews with 3,000 people around the world.
His conclusion: June 23 is the happiest day of the year.

"People across borders experience happiness when they meet with friends and family and establish close social relationships," the University of Cardiff academic told AFP. "We need some close emotional ties."
He used what he considers a "simple equation" to reach his conclusion — O + (N x S) + Cpm/T + He.
O stands for outdoor activities, N for nature, S for social interaction, Cpm for childhood summers and positive memories, T for temperature and He for holidays and looking forward to time off.

Arnall has already figured out the saddest day of the year. It was January 23 — a Monday. "Surprise, surprise", he quipped.

(courtesy of USA Today)

World Refugee Day

I get upset when I read things about children refugees. It makes me ask the questions - What makes one ethnic group want to destroy another? After all, this is the 21st century. Are we not yet civilized?

Just imagine for a moment that everything you own -- from your hard-earned money to your home to your car to little mementos like pictures on the wall -- has just been taken from you by a group of people who don't like the way you look or the shade of your skin or what religion you practice or the shape of your nose. Everything gone except, maybe, the clothes on your back and you are forced to run for your life with a group of strangers to another country ('refugees') or somewhere else within your own country - but still...not your home ('displaced persons'). Millions of people are living like this across the globe and women and children are hit the hardest.

Children and adolescents make up at least 50% of the refugee and displaced populations. While they show tremendous resilience and ability to survive, they are also vulnerable and in need of protection and assistance. As children grow into adolescents within these situations they are vulnerable to be recruited in military service, miss out on education, suffer sexual violence and related health problems, be exposed to STD's including HIV/AIDS and be economically exploited, in the worst cases as soldiers and commercial sex workers. Many adolescents assume adult responsibilities before they are prepared to, as heads of household, principal wage earners and teen parents. Few experience a true childhood. This just can't be good for the planet as a whole. There's a lot of press today on refugees and I did a little digging into these organizations who offer assistance. One that impressed me is the

The Women's Commission for Refugee Women & Children.

They particulary work on behalf of children and women's issues in refugee situations and support a watchdog organization called

The Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict

which collects and disseminates information on violations against children in conflicts in order to influence key decision-makers for legislation. I expected to just see reports on African/Asia nations on this list (Angola, Burundi, Congo, Liberia, Sudan, Afghanistan) - but they also listed reports on Colombia and OPT/Israel and the recent uprising in Nepal.

Aside from donating money, which is something pretty obvious you can do to help, here are some other things you can do today to take

ACTION!

Desi's Book Pick of the Week 6.19.06

Nighty Night by Wendy Cheyette Lewison

I know this book by heart - I think I've read it 100 times. My son would not go to sleep withough reading it for months. I'm a big fan of any book that ends with a kid going to sleep! It's a terrific book for little people. The book has nice chunky pages with wipe clean surfaces and it contains eleven descending graduated cut-outs of bright yellow crescent moons that figure creatively in the imagination of a small boy not so anxious to go nighty-night. The simple drawings are cute and colorful and filled with fun adventures. The simple text is lively and leads a little one patiently to slumberland. It's a very dear book any child will love. My only complaint is the wire binding which will deteriorate with use...so be gentle.

Baby Geyser Shield

My first child is a girl so I never had to deal with "that other part". My new 10 day old baby is a boy and I am discovering that wee willie winkie is also a little geyser. I find myself searching around for something, anything to put over his "pee-pee" (sorry but penis just sounds too mature at this point) everytime I am changing his diaper. Last night during his third feeding, through a blur of incoherent thoughts and fatigue I had a great idea....At least I thought/think so. I was sitting there rocking Oliver in my arms as he gnawed away at my aching breast and my eye drifted over to my breast pad resting on the arm of my glider. Why not recycle my breast pad? It's not only very absorbant, but also round, domed and pretty much fits perfectly over "it". I change my pads fairly often so they would never qualify as dirty. If you are uncomfortable with "used" pads, then you can use new ones- but I like the idea of recycling and you are gonna wipe him down anyway. So there is my idea. I wish I could say "Hurray for middle of the night revelations!" but at this juncture I would rather be sleeping!

Breast-Feed or Else?

There was an article in yesterday's (June 14, 2006) New York Times written by Roni Rabin about breast feeding that was rather interesting. I agree that breast feeding is optimal for baby but not everyone can do it. It is a little harsh to INSIST that one MUST breastfeed or have their baby suffer health consequences. A happy mommy will usually have a happy baby. A Mommy who is conscious about what she is putting into her baby is acting responsibily. So, if she can't breast feed but is giving the baby other supplements that SHE and the baby's pediatrician believes are helpful, I think that is fine. A mother should not feel inadequate because she just can't breast feed.

Here are some snippets from the article and a link if you are interested in reading the whole thing.

"A new awareness campaign resorts to scare tactics.

Warning: Public health officials have determined that not breast-feeding may be hazardous to your baby's health.

There is no black-box label like that affixed to cans of infant formula or tucked into the corner of magazine advertisements, at least not yet. But that is the unambiguous message of a controversial government public health campaign encouraging new mothers to breast-feed for six months to protect their babies from colds, flu, ear infections, diarrhea and even obesity. In April, the World Health Organization, setting new international bench marks for children's growth, for the first time referred to breast-feeding as the biological norm.Ample scientific evidence supports the contention that breast-fed babies are less vulnerable to acute infectious diseases, including respiratory and gastrointestinal infections, experts say. Some studies also suggest that breast-fed babies are at lower risk for sudden infant death syndrome and serious chronic diseases later in life, including asthma, diabetes, leukemia and some forms of lymphoma, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics."

"Ample scientific evidence supports the contention that breast-fed babies are less vulnerable to acute infectious diseases, including respiratory and gastrointestinal infections, experts say. Some studies also suggest that breast-fed babies are at lower risk for sudden infant death syndrome and serious chronic diseases later in life, including asthma, diabetes, leukemia and some forms of lymphoma, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Research on premature babies has even found that those given breast milk scored higher on I.Q. tests than those who were bottle-fed."

"Breast milk has also been shown to lift the cognitive development of premature babies, presumably because it contains certain fatty acids that aid brain development."
For more click here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/13/health/13brea.html?ex=1151035200&en=32a1c2a945e66efe&ei=5070&emc=eta1

Are we getting enough sleep?

It's ironic isn't it? My 5 mo. old has been sleeping through the night for almost for 2 months now and and I still wake up more than she does to check on her! I don't think I've slept really well and solid for about 3 years with two pregnancies and two kids. So what better thing to do late at night than blog! It got me thinking about sleep and google has a lot to offer on the topic.

Now granted, with new babies, parents are bound to get a lot of interrupted sleep that gradually subsides as your kids sleep through the night but it is interesting to note that the trend in industrialized nations over the last hundred years suggests that people are increasingly sleep deprived. In 1910, the average person slept 9.0 hours per night, by 1975, the total had fallen to 7.5 hours. The 2002 Sleep in America poll conducted by NSF, indicates that the average American adult now only sleeps 6.9 hours a night leading to fatigue, exhaustion and other symptoms. Shift workers suffer more than other people: many only average 5 hours a night. A large proportion of the problem according to most sociologists, is due to high paced lifestyles causing the lack of time to get the sleep we need. The other reason people are so sleep deprived (other than having new babies) is due to sleep disorders, which may or may not be diagosed so readily as doctors are frequently NOT taught sleep during medical training.

Sleep deprivation is a common condition that afflicts 47 million American adults; that's almost a quarter of the adult population in the US! The brain's frontal cortex relies on sleep to function effectively. Insufficient rest adversely affects the frontal cortex's ability to control speech, access memory, and solve problems. Sleep affects your energy levels, mental abilities and emotional mood. I can tell you from experience, that having babies and getting no sleep seriously affects the memory - now I have to write everything down.

Different people require different amounts of rest. While the majority of adults should spend between eight to nine hours asleep, a small number of people function perfectly well on only three to four hours of rest. The time a person spends asleep also changes with age:

Zero to 24 months: Thirteen to seventeen hours.
Two year olds: Nine to thirteen hours.
Ten year olds: Ten to eleven  hours.
Sixteen to 65 years: Six to nine hours.
Over 65 years: Six to eight hours.

Here's an interesting

sleep test

to see if you've got any actual sleep disorders aside from the newborn tugging at you for some feeding.
...Sweet dreams...

Save Sesame Street AGAIN!

Everyone expected House Republicans to give up efforts to kill NPR and PBS after a massive public outcry stopped them last year. But they've just voted to eliminate funding for NPR and PBS -- unbelievably, starting with programs like "Sesame Street." Public broadcasting would lose nearly a quarter of its federal funding this year. Even worse, all funding would be eliminated in two years--threatening one of the last remaining sources of watchdog journalism.

Last year, millions of us took action to save NPR and PBS, and Congress listened. We can do it again if enough of us sign the petition in time. This would be the most severe cut in the history of public broadcasting. The Boston Globe reports the cuts "could force the elimination of some popular PBS and NPR programs." NPR's president expects rural public radio stations may be forced to shut down.The House and Senate are deciding if public broadcasting will survive, and they need to hear from viewers like you.

SIGN THE PETITION

telling Congress to save NPR and PBS again this year.

Thank you and pass this on to every parent you know and every intelligent person you know who enjoys the in-depth reporting of NPR!

For more information - here is a good

Boston Globe story

on the threat to NPR and PBS.

Desi's Book Pick of the Week - 6.11.06

"Duck on a Bike" by Dave Shannon

Any book that can be acted, as much as read aloud, is a book that I love to share with our kids and one that I would definitely recommend to you. This book is both those things. The text invites you to mimic along with the farm animals, so your kids will learn all the basic animal sounds, and is a satisfying read to both kids and adults.

The humorous illustrations inspire silly imagination and invite the story to continue on when you ask your child 'who else do you think can ride a bike?' Worth the money and the time spent...Enjoy!

Yummy Newborn Lotions

LITTLE TWIG BODYMILK...
Having a newborn got us to thinking at mamasnap - this newborn lotion rocks! Mother's milk for a healthy body, bodymilk for healthy skin! After bath time or anytime, this is dermatologist-tested formula to nourish dry skin with gentle, milky moisture. With lavender and chamomile to soothe the mind, plus shea butter and real milk to soften the skin. pH-balanced, no mineral oil and non-irritating. Newborn and up. Feel like a newborn, even if you're not...

LittleTwig

Congratulations Mamasnap!

Congratulations to fellow Mamasnapper who delivered this morning a healthy baby boy in ONE push!

Welcome Oliver James!
8 pounds 20.5 inches
More newborn news to come...