How to go from breast to bottle.

I look back with fondness on those days of breastfeeding. But the part where I had to transition from breast to bottle doesn’t conjure warm memories. I had to wean my first baby cold-turkey due to a medical condition. That wasn’t easy at all! Second time around with the next child, weaning was much easier — less painful too — because I had a transition plan. Read more for expert tips on how to go from breast to bottle without agonizing yourself or your child.

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Start looking even before baby comes.

Soon as the pregnancy test is positive, get ready to start looking for a doctor who will help you care for your baby. By your eighth month, you should have already made your choice. Ideally, it’s your baby’s own pediatrician who checks on him after birth and discharges him from the hospital.

You will be seeing a lot of the pediatrician throughout your baby’s first years. Note that doc isn’t just there for sick babies. There will be regular check-ups and vaccinations along with growth and development assessments. You will be visiting your pediatrician at least eight times in the first year – not counting baby’s sick days. So choose well!

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The answers to your nursing S.O.S .

We often see pictures of moms breast feeding in complete joy and ease. But even in the best nursing relationships, moms can experience problems. We’ve taken the most common nursing dilemmas… and their simplest, most effective solutions.

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Hello happy baby!

I gave birth to a healthy baby girl. Apgar score 9-10. She took to nursing like a pro in no time. She was our little 6-pound angel. We take her home from the hospital and after a few days, the nights become short of, uhm… nightmarish.

The baby that was so peaceful and content for most of the day turned into a non-stop crying machine at night. The crying jags would last for one or two hours. We had even reached 3 hours non-stop. Witching hour would begin almost like clockwork sometime before 8 in the evening. After a few nights of this, I ended up crying along with her.

Her pediatrician said it was colic that was agitating her at night. If this story of the non-stop crying newborn sounds familiar, don’t worry there is light at the end of the tunnel.

A lifesaver for us then was a book called The Happiest Baby on the Block by Dr. Harvey Karp. Read more to find out what advice he gave celebrity moms Madonna and Michelle Pfeiffer to keep their babies happy – and colic-free.

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Is your child getting enough Vitamin D?

Seven out of ten American children have low levels of vitamin D, putting them at risk for bone and heart disease when they become adults. These findings are significant as vitamin D deficiency is linked to high blood pressure and other risk factors for heart disease. Low vitamin D also causes poor bone growth and development.

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Is my baby ready for solids?

Somewhere around 6 to 8 months of age, babies can start getting a taste of solid foods. There are cases when babies are started as early as 4 months, but research shows starting them on food later gives better protection from allergies.

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Why Breast is Best

We just did a post about a new study that indicates how breast feeding makes for smarter babies. But that is just one among the many benefits of feeding your baby your own milk. Read on to find out exactly why human milk is the perfect food.

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As science advances, more evidence show how babies get optimum nutrition from the oldest and most primal of sources – their mother’s breast milk. Now there’s a new study that points to stronger link between breast feeding and more brain power. The effects can be seen all the way up to a child’s college years.

The American University reviewed the school performance of siblings – one that was breast fed, and one that was not – and saw that an additional month of breast feeding indicated a higher grade-point-average (GPA) of .019 points. The same extra month of breast feeding also indicated a higher probability of attending college by .014 points.

American University researchers used data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. 59 families were studied, involving 126 siblings whose breast feeding histories and high school grades were examined. Data on high school completion and college attendance was taken from 191 siblings from 90 families.

This study of siblings is crucial because it was able to consider hard-to-measure conditions, particularly maternal intelligence and a good family environment.

It has often been argued that breast feeding is linked to smarter children, not necessarily because of the breast milk itself, but because most mothers who choose to go breast over bottle are college-educated. Those who breast feed also tend to provide better home environments for their children.

This would be the first study to use sibling data in connecting the effect of breast feeding on high school performance and college attendance. The results were published June 11 in the Journal of Human Capital.

American University Professor Joseph Sabia says, “The results of our study suggest that the cognitive and health benefits of breast feeding may lead to important long-run educational benefits for children.”

The professor was quick to say that, this study is just a start and that more research needs to be done to establish a definitive causal link between smarter kids and breast feeding.

But for pregnant mothers out there contemplating between breast or bottle, there’s really no need to wait for that definitive link. You have to give breast feeding a shot.

Breast feeding your baby for at least a few months to a year is a practical no brainer. You will be nourishing you child with food that was perfectly formulated for her at every stage of development. Did you know that the composition of breast milk changes as your baby grows? Your own milk will have ingredients no expensive formula could ever copy.

Nursing from the breast is also a wonderful way to bond with your child. Both my kids were breast fed for 13 months. After a bit of a rough start (especially with my first child), we got on with good feeding relationships. With my second baby, prior experience made it easier to get the milk flowing. Those memories of my babies giving me satisfied, thankful smiles after a good meal are… priceless. If it helps drive up their future GPAs… then that would just be the cherry on top!