Both infants and babies can show symptoms and signs of acid reflux disease and syndrome. Gastreoesophageal reflux in infants is common when the infant or toddler does not release gas after meals appropriately. The stomach acid flow can back up into the esophagus causing many problems, and many even result in damage to the lower esophageal sphincter. Since babies cry and stress out the muscles in the stomach region on a regular basis, the result can be frequent hiccups and acid reflux shortly after feeding.

‘Spitting up’ is the common term for these infants, and can be a result of frequent agitation and stress of the stomach area and muscles. The symptoms will generally disappear after 12-18 months when the babies become more comfortable with eating and digesting food on a regular basis. The most common symptoms of acid reflux in babies includes frequent vomiting after meals, refusing specific types of food, constant crying, arching the back during feeding, and poor sleeping habits. Many of these infants may have difficulty in getting back to sleep, and may have episodes of ‘wet burps.’

Other symptoms of acid reflux include excessive drooling, frequent ear infections, and weight loss. They may have difficulty swallowing, and this can lead to a variety of problems including pneumonia, wheezing, and bronchitis. Acid reflux in infants is not easy to diagnose but it will generally involve an endoscopy and pH monitoring. Lab tests can also indicate other problems that may be triggering the gag and vomiting reflex.

Acid reflux in babies and toddlers can be treated with a variety of methods. Antaicds can help neutralize stomach acid, and small doses of Maalox, Mylanta, or Tums may be helpful in providing relief. Acid suppressers include Tagament and Zantac. These can help reduce and even eliminate the acid produced in the stomach, and acid blockers such as Prilosec and Prevacid can help with other symptoms and conditions.

Although acid reflux disease is common in many infants, a variety of lifestyle changes can be implemented to help treat the symptoms during their early ages—as they get older, these may reduce in scope on their own.

I am amazed and awed by women who seem to make time for all of life’s priorities outside of baby care once they have a child, like reading for example. I am not that cool as a cucumber mom. Once baby is in bed, on most nights, so am I, so there’s no chance of me spending hours pouring over baby care books. Good intentions notwithstanding.

The genius mamas behind the New Moms New Babies podcast understand this. They also understand that as a new parent you need access to up to date information about taking care of baby, health concerns, development milestones. They also know that you need the most basic information–like, what should a baby do during the day?

Listen to this podcast online when you’re in front of your computer, or take it to go with you. You’ll be glad you did!

I heard about The Happiest Baby on the Block on a Pregtastic podcast while in my first trimester, and I won’t lie, at first I thought it sounded a bit nuts.

The Happiest Baby on the Block is a book and DVD by Dr. Harvey Karp, a by-now famous, U.S.  pediatrician. In both, Dr. Karp walks new parents through the whys of baby cries, focusing a lot of attention on nighttime unhappiness. Dr. Karp’s method of calming a tiny upset customer is to use a method of 5 S’s–Swaddling, Side (position), Shushing, Swinging and Sucking.

These calming methods attempt to recreate certain aspects of the womb environment for baby. Look up information on The Fourth Trimester, as to why that’s important/works well for newborns.

I got the DVD but was somewhat skeptical, even after watching it. Faced with a screaming 2 week old at 3 am one night, I gave the five S’s a go and will forever be a walking talking testimonial for the Dr. Karp method of calming baby. It works. Sometimes instantly.

I know mamas who own the book and loved it, but my vote is for the DVD as it gives you the benefit of seeing the method step by step, being used on real babies.

No doubt a testament to its popularity, the DVD can be difficult to find in stores. I ordered mine online from www.amazon.ca, you can also order it from Chapters.

Now I’m just hoping that Happiest Toddler on the Block will work just as well!

Reports are out that Stork Craft Manufacturing, based in B.C., is recalling 2.1 million drop side cribs due to potential flaws which have resulted in 4 deaths.

It’s the biggest recall of cribs in U.S. history, according to the CBC.

A Canadian recall has not happened yet, but keep tabs on this story on the CBC News site.

We won’t get into all the reasons that breast milk is the best thing you can give your baby, there is not enough space in a blog post to discuss all of them.  BabyCenter.ca has a good short article on why breast is best, or you can read a longer and more academic piece from Health Canada. Both boil down to one point–there is nothing as good for a little baby and his or her mom, as breastfeeding.

But sometimes a breastfeeding mama needs a little support to figure out all the hows, whys and whens o’boobie milk.

I had the great fortune of being close enough to drop into the incredible Toronto East General Hospital Breastfeeding Resource Centre (many times, sometimes on the verge of tears). If you don’t live in Toronto, or do but are too far away from Toronto East General, I have heard from countless mamas that La Leche League Canada is an amazing resource you should look up.

Focused on providing mother to mother breastfeeding support and education, La Leche League operates on the principle that the best resource for new moms trying to get the hang of breastfeeding are other moms.  No matter what information or support you may need, if it has to do with breastfeeding La Leche League will likely be able to help.

Here’s how to find a chapter near you: http://groups.lllc.ca/

I had a pretty hefty commute to work during my pregnancy, which did not go over well with my back and super active bladder in the later months of the pregnancy. The upside of being stuck in a car for about 2 hours each day was getting to listen to pregnancy podcasts.

The one I fell in love with, listened to through my entire pregnancy, made my husband listen to, and learned tremendous amounts from was Pregtastic.

Hosted by pregnant women and featuring expert guests, this podcast discusses every possible topic related to pregnancy, birthing and taking care of infants. I learned about nipple shields, baby slings, and gestational diabetes on the show. It’s a great resource for a progressive mama, as is their blog (find it in our Parenting Blogs links).

My favourite thing about this podcast is the fact that as you progress in your pregnancy, so do the hosts. Some give birth before you and come back to share their birthing stories. From them I learned to set realistic goals for my birth experience, get as ready as possible, but then give yourself up to the universe and let the baby arrive as he/she intends to.

I also love the pregnancy ups and downs shared by the hosts each week, and the fact that these real-life pregnant women were not afraid to let the hormones take over and cry every once in a while. And so then I, a real-life pregnant woman with raging hormones of my own, was not afraid to cry with them.

Welcome to the first in a recurring series of spotlights on great children’s stores.

The Shop: Cheeky Monkey in London, ON.

There are actually two locations of this maternity, baby and toddler gear shop. One located at 590 Oxford St., the other at 555 Wellington Rd. I visited the Wellington Rd. location and fell in insta-love.

Why We Love It: London can be a challenging town for a mama who wants a shopping experience beyond the mega chain baby retailers, so being an independent outlet gives Cheeky Monkey immediate bonus points.  Other great attributes of the store include a bright and kind-friendly layout, very helpful and knowledgeable staff, and a great selection of products. Everything you may need to take care of your little bundle is here from maternity bras, to slings, bibs, clothes, toys and more.  Lots of organic, ethically made products to chose from here, hurrah!

Favourite Find: Great selection of cloth diapers including my favourite– gDiapers.  A little different than standard cloth diapers, gDiapers  have a re-usable underpant and include a flushable/compostable refill.  No landfill necessary. Plus the little gPants are serious cuteness.

Ragu pasta sauce

Includes all varieties

Reg. £1.65

Now — Buy One, Get 2 FREE

valid until: 22 Nov 2009

The Skin Deep Cosmetics Safety Database, created by the Environmental Working Group, is a great resource for anyone wanting to stay away from harmful chemicals in cosmetics. For new parents, or not so new parents, it is invaluable.

The database is a culmination of ongoing research by the Environmental Working Group into the ingredients that make up cosmetics, big brand or otherwise. Particularly allergens, carcinogens,and chemicals which may be neuro-toxic or hormone disrupting.

Even though the chemical terms might be difficult to comprehend, the site thankfully is not.  It uses a grading system, assigning a number to each product–the higher the score the more nasty ingredients and potential dangers in a product.

Make sure to check out the Parent’s Buying Guide, which lists the good, bad and ugly products in a wide range of baby care items, from baby wipes, lotions up to play make up.

Mama loves baby.

Baby loves milk.

You know what mama does not love? When baby spits up milk all over mama!

I know, it one of those inevitable baby thingies, like getting baby poop on your hand, or never sleeping again (ok ALMOST never sleeping again).

But let’s break this down ladies. As a new mama, you’re likely taking care of a million things before getting your laundry/dry-cleaning done.  You have to leave the house today, so you pull on one of your last great looking/clean/clean enough outfits, feed baby, go to burp baby and then…bwarp. Baby milk disaster. If you’re already out in public with baby, you’ve got an even bigger issue. Because maybe the stain won’t show, but let me tell you, that smell is not roses!

So thank the mama gods for burp pads. Particularly westcoast baby burp pads.  They are pretty enough to be proudly draped across your shoulder no matter where you are. Lined with super absorbent terry cloth, they’ve saved many of my shirts from ruin,  and I have taken the manufacturer up on their advice to use them as a  change mat when I forgot mine. Double use bonus points!

Plus they’re made by hand in Canada.

Get yourself a supply of these puppies at any of these retailers from coast to coast, sit back, relax and let baby spit up to its tummy’s content.

In October, we lost a baby in miscarriage. It was our second miscarriage, though this one was very different than the first one.  It was much less emotionally difficult, but much harder physically.  You can read that story here if you are just joining us.

I found that I really slipped through the cracks, medically. The midwives didn’t seem to want to oversee things for me, referring me onto my doctor.  My family doctor, a wonderful sweet lady, has a very busy practice and was also in the middle of a family emergency.  At the best of times, it is extremely difficult getting in to see her and impossible to get information over the phone.  So, I decided to go it alone.  I formulated a plan in my head and went on my way.  My plan was to rest intensely for three days, to take an iron supplement at a higher rate for a week and then taper off to a normal amount for a month or so.

Within a week, I found this was not working. I was exhaused and I woke up with awful headaches every morning.  I realized I needed some help and I contacted my naturopath, whom I should have contacted as soon as I found out the baby had died.

She informed me that I was still severely anemic and needed a lot more rest than I had taken. She sweetly and respectfully chuckled at my 3 days.  Here was the plan we came up with for me:

• Receive a vitamin b12 injection at the office, which often helps with energy levels.
• Take the custom ‘After Miscarriage’ tincture made for me by Judy at Judy’s Organic Herbs, 1/2 t. three times a day until the bottle is finished.  The tincture contained the following:  Angelica (Don Quai) for strengthening and balancing uterus and hormone regulation, Hawthorn to dilate blood vessels and mend brokenheartedness, Yarrow to stop bleeding and cramping, Vitex (chasteberry) to regulate hormones and St. John’s Wort to help with stress and nerves.
• Drink Comfrey (healing of damaged tissue) and Nettle (iron rich) tea several times a day.
• Rest for another 10 days even if I feel up to doing more.  After that, listen to my body.
• Drink at least 2 litres of water (or if I drink a litre of herbal tea in a day, drink 1 litre) .  She thought this would help a lot with my headaches as well as help return my blood pressure back up to a normal level.
• Take the homeopathic ‘bellis perenis’ 200ch twice a day for two weeks to help end the bleeding.
• Take 15ml of Floridix iron supplement and 1 capsule of Thorne’s Ferrasorb twice a day for two to three months.  This was big for me, as I would have stopped supplementing my iron at this level within days.
• Take iron with a vitamin c source.
• Be very mindful of including iron-rich foods every day:  beef, spirulina, dark beans, blackstrap molasses, dates, prunes, etc.
• Let her know if my headaches and bleeding hadn’t completely stopped within 10 days.
• Have my HgB levels and Ferratin levels rechecked at 2 weeks after the miscarriage.
• Return for another visit in a month.
• Avoid pregnancy for at least two cycles after the miscarriage.

Witht the last recommendation, I exclaimed what a terrible hassle that would be, to which Dr. Sarah laughed out loud for a good half minute:  Hahahaha…for you, it is more trouble NOT to get pregnant than to get pregnant!  Hahahaha!  I didn’t think it was that funny.  I was going to not take her advice and just try avoid pregnancy for one cycle, but then I realized that if I was to get pregnant this month, it would mean I was due right in the middle of canning season next year.  That wouldn’t be good, so she can have her second month.  I’ve hauled out the charts and dusted off my thermometer.  What a pain in the neck.

The other thing I would add for anyone who has had a D & C would be to take a good probiotic for awhile. I didn’t think much about this until I started to have symptoms of a yeast infection and remembered that the OB in the hospital said she had given me some IV antibiotics.

I am feeling so much better than I was a short while ago. I did find that my first period went on and on.  Not heavy, but just lingering for about 10 days or so.

For those of you who have had miscarriages, is there anything else you did to heal physically? I would love to hear from you.  I am hoping to be able to refer others to this post for help and your suggestions would be fantastic.

Christmas gifts for all the family

Christmas gifts for all the family at The Goodies Mart Gift Store

Looking to shop in one place? Then look no further this Christmas. At The Goodies Mart Gift Store we have over 4000 products ready for immediate dispatch from stocking fillers to that all new important hoover to help you make Christmas more affordable and fun for all the family.

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Human milk can significantly improve nutritional and neurodevelopmental outcomes in premature babies, say experts.

 University of California, San Diego Health Sciences have recently launched a website dedicated to offering families and the medical community valuable information about the best way to provide human milk to premature and underweight infants.

 The website was developed with a 10,000 dollars grant from The March of DimesþuSan Diego chapter.

 Infants born prematurely sometimes develop an infection called necrotizing enercolitis (NEC), the most common life-threatening gastrointestinal emergency in the newborn period.

 It causes intense inflammation and acute intestinal necrosis or death.

 ”One of the goals of this website is to help fellow hospitals adapt our model of human milk nutrition in their own neonatal intensive care units,” said Dr Jae Kim, medical director of the Supporting Premature Infant Nutrition Program (SPIN) at UC San Diego Medical Centre.

 ”Since the implementation of our feeding protocols, we have seen rates of human milk feeding go up by 15 percent. We’d love to see this become a nationwide trend,” Kim added.

 The SPIN program at UCSD Medical Centre is focused on the provision, analysis, and research of human milk to improve nutritional and neurodevelopmental outcomes in preterm babies. The program is believed to be the first of its kind in the United States.

Ask your mom how often baby should be bathed with soap. Ask your family doctor. Ask your doula or midwife.  Ask your girlfriends.

You’ll likely get three different answers ranging from scrub baby with soap every day,  to use no soap at all for the first few weeks.

The right answer, as with all things baby, seems to lie in the middle; and includes sidebars. According to most baby care experts we’ve come across you’ll want to alternate soapy bath times, with water only bath times.  The more sensitive your baby’s skin, the fewer soapy bath times per week.  Try to keep the soap on baby skin for as short period of time as possible, and rinse off carefully.

Keep in mind that all baby body washes and soaps are mild irritants, baby’s skin is super delicate. Irritation is made worse by perfume, so keep to scent-free, ph neutral cleansers.

Winter makes baby skin dryer, therefore more susceptible to being irritated by soaps. So if your little one is born during late fall or winter months, you may want to go longer between soapy baths.

Your tap water also matters! We live in an area with hard water which is; please forgive the pun, hard on baby’s skin, especially in the fall and winter. We are battling dry, irritated skin for the second year in a row.  In our case we limit the number of baths to two per week and carefully spot clean/sponge bathe in between to keep our little one’s skin away from the hard water. We haven’t tried showering with her, another recommended option for hard water-sensitive skin situations, but will soon as crawling and therefore more dirt is about to make an entrance into our life.

Baby DermaMed Gentle Body Wash has worked like a charm for our little one. Made in Canada and 90 per cent organic, it’s the go-to choice for our household.  Get it online. For a find it anywhere option, Dr. Sears recommends Dove soap.

• For ages 6 months to 3 years
• Oat Beta Glucan and Vitamin B5 soothe teething aches
• Safe if Swallowed
• Fluoride and Preservative Free
• Made with food grade ingredients
• Free Gum Brush
• Made in USA
• Expiry Date is Mar 2012