The Benefits of Breast Feeding

I recently received a correspondence from an RN who expressed disappointment that the Baby Instructions DVD series does not address breast feeding. 
 She wrote:  Breast fed babies are healthier, spend less time in the hospital in the first 2 years of life, experience fewer infections, develop  fewer allergies, and research has shown to age 8 (and I am sure beyond that age as we continue the research) have higher IQ’s than the formula fed infants.  

This blog is dedicated to her and will provide information on the importance of breast feeding.
Breast milk is best for baby with its benefits extending beyond nutrition.  Breast milk contains all the vitamins and nutrients that a baby needs in the first 6 months of life as well as disease fighting substances that protect a baby from illness.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of life.
Scientific studies have proven that breast fed babies have decreased instances of stomach viruses, respiratory illness, and ear infections. When breast fed babies do present with these illnesses the severity and duration of symptoms are decreased as compared to formula fed babies.
A research study that included over 17,000 infants followed over a period of 6.5 years indicated that breastfeeding improves cognitive development.

Preterm infants with extremely low birth weight who received breast milk shortly after birth improved their mental development scores at 18 months when compared with preterm infants who weren't given breast milk. In a later study, researchers found that the higher scores held at 30 months, and that the babies who received breast milk were also less likely to be hospitalized again because of respiratory infections.

A  long-term study of children who were breastfed showed that breastfeeding reduces food allergies at least through adolescence. Protection from allergies is one of the most important benefits of breastfeeding. The incidence of cow's milk allergies is up to seven times greater in babies who are fed artificial baby milk instead of human milk.

While breast feeding is natural it is not always a process that goes smoothly initially. Don’t be discouraged if you experience some challenges.  Consult with a lactation specialist if you need help or support.

On a personal note, I had difficulty nursing my first baby 21 years ago.  I was young and inexperienced at the time and would not have been successful if it had not been for the help of my sister in law.  If you are having any difficulties seek out people that can support you as you learn about the joy the beauty of nursing your baby.

The Importance of Play

Play is an essential part of your baby's development. Play in the first year is how your baby will learn about his world and his body. Your baby will learn from the toys your provide for him, but more importantly your baby will learn from exploration. When he touches, squeezes, pushes and pulls items he is learning about his world. When your baby moves his arms and kicks his feet, he is learning about his body.  In this early stage of development your baby will rely on his senses: touch, sight, smell, taste and hearing, to make sense of the new world he has arrived in. Exploration and play are an essential part of this development. Promote play fullness and desire to play by creating many social opportunities with face time, smiling, and cooing conversations. Allow for plenty of movement opportunities for physical development and provide multiple age appropriate items for your baby to reach for, grab, mouth, and touch. All of your baby's development will be enhanced through play.

Your Infant's Grasp and Hand Manipulation Skill Development

Understanding your infant's grasp pattern development and abilities will help you to know what  toys and items your baby is ready to explore with.  Your newborn's grasp is controlled by his involuntary grasp reflex pattern. Your baby will grasp any small item placed in his hand and will continue to hold on to that item without a real awareness that anything is in his hand. It's a good idea to stimulate this grasp response by encouraging your baby to hold your finger while you shake his hand and by providing ring like toys and rattles for your baby to hold. This involuntary response will help prepare your baby for the next stage of purposeful grasp which should happen at about 3 months.  Your baby will start to control and understand that something has been placed in his hand even though he is not yet reaching for items himself. At 5 months, your baby can reach and grasp items independently. By 7 months old your baby will be able to reach and grasp items with his full hand and will explore these items with his mouth and eyes. At this point your baby has developed the ability to grasp items voluntarily as well as release these items to let them fall when he wishes.  It is around this time, when your baby can hold items in each hand, that he will begin to problem solve how to retrieve a third desired item if both of his hands are occupied. At 9 months your baby should begin to pass small items from one hand to the other. With this new found hand manipulation skill your baby will begin to actively engage with toys and items in his environment.

Your Baby's use of the Sensory System to Learn

We learn and experience our world through our senses. What we taste, touch, hear, see, and smell teach us about the world we are living in ( sensory experiences help build neural connections). We need to create an environment for our child that is rich with experience through the senses. 
Here are some examples of sensory experiences.

Music in a variety of different beats, volumes, tones, voices, and tempo.
Providing the opportunity to play with toys and environmental objects of varied texture.
Providing books and pictures of varied colored and patterns to look at.
Providing a variety of things for our children to taste, sweet and sour foods, and so on.

Your baby will go through a stage form 4 months to about a year when everything will go into her mouth.  This is normal, your baby is learning about objects by how they taste and feel in their mouths.  As a matter a fact your baby will need to learn every item individually through each one of her senses.

Your 8 month old might crawl to a ball she sees on the floor, and notice it is round and green.  She might try to pick it up and feel its fuzzy surface. She might bring it toward her face and notice a scent to the ball as she places it in her mouth. While in her mouth she will learn that it is not and edible object but the experience will further reinforce what she has already learned by touching the ball, that it is a fuzzy texture.  She might then try to shake or drop the ball and will learn if this object does or does not make a sound. Your baby will need to do this with every new object she encounters in her world until she is satisfied that she has learned everythin there is to know about that object.

We can even help encourage the sense of smell by pointing out, naming, and expressing the different smells in food and in her world.  This is true for all of our experiences through our senses. Go ahead and label what your child is learning, aid her on her exploration and journey by telling her things like " That feels bumpy" or "We smell flowers they smell nice."

Most importantly, we must understand that new and varied sensory experiences provide our children with experiences that will help them grow.  So encourage safe exploration as much as possible.

How Your Baby Develops Hearing

Babies begin to hear sounds in the last few months of pregnancy. They are well equipped for hearing when they are born.

1-3 Months - Studies have shown that a newborn will choose to listen to their parents voice by turning their head to that sound rather then the voice of a stranger. Your baby will love to listen to your voice. Your voice is associated with comfort and food.  At this age your baby will enjoy music and listening to familiar sound in her world. Infants will respond well to high pitched, rhythmic, and singsong, vocalizations. You will notice that your baby can often be consoled by your voice. This response is setting the stage for future communication.

4-7 Months- Your baby will begin to understand the different parts of speech. Your baby will begin to differentiate various sounds and is beginning to learn that words make sentences.  By seven months she will respond to her name. There will be more babbling at this age as your baby experiments with speech and sounds.

8-12 Months- Your baby's first sounds should be GA, BA, and DA. Now you know your baby has been listening to you. Around this age your baby will begin to respond to simple verbal requests such as " Wave by, by". Your baby should begin trying to use the sounds she can make to communicate with you and play.  Keep talking and encouraging your baby!

1-2 Years- Your baby will begin using words at this stage. A lot of progress is being made with building word vocabulary in this year. Your baby is sure to understand even more then she can say. Your baby should begin to follow simple commands and instructions. Your baby will begin to learn to identify and label items in her environment. Your baby will begin to love to listen and participate in baby songs such as " Open Shut Them" and " Eensy Beensy Spider". Your baby will begin to enjoy really listening to stories and talking about the story book's pictures. Your baby will begin to point to pictures that you name for her. Speaking, singing, and laughing are now a part of your baby's routine.

How amazing is your baby's development in just 2 short years!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Your Baby's First Expereinces Effect On Brain Development

  The brain is the most immature of all organs at birth. How it grows was thought to be determined by genetics, scientists now believe that it is highly dependent on the child's experiences. The belief is that the "plasticity" of the brain (it's ability to grow and develop in different and changing ways) will cause the brain to adopt to it's experiences, environment and needs.
   The brain consists of many areas. Each area has millions of neurons ( nerve cells) that speak to each other by sending messages through synapses.  These synapses are your brains wiring system.  The areas of the brain communicate to each other in this manner. Neurons (nerve cells) have branches on them called dendrites and axons. Dendrites bring information to the nerve cells and axons take information away from the nerve cell. Information is passed from one nerve cell to another through a synapse.
   The number of connections will influence how the brain functions.  For the most part we do not develop new nerve cells but rather we develop new synapses. In early childhood the brain is programmed to create new synapses. This is our window of opportunity.  By facilitating varied and new experiences for our children, particularly before three years old, we facilitate the creation of new synapses.  We now understand that what a child experiences in the first years of life will effect how his brain will develop and how he will interact with the world throughout his life.
  So get creative with your baby and enjoy the variety of experiences that life has to offer.

Language and Communication

 You can make a big difference when it comes to your child's language and vocabulary development!!! How? Actively engage your baby socially by fostering eye contact, facial expressions, and lots of conversation.
Respond to your babies sounds and cooing noises.  Babbling is your baby's first attempt to speak.  Verbal responses from you will not only encourage your baby but will help her develop attention, listening, and language recognition. Holding and talking to your baby is one of the most important things you can do to help encourage her cognitive and language skills.  Use the opportunities of visual alertness in your baby to foster eye contact or "Face Time".  Face time will help to establish communication with your baby that will enhance your bond and stimulate interaction.
Talk through all your routines such as feeding, changing, and bathing.  Tell your baby what is going on,  where she is going and label items in her environment. Repeated words form your will help build her comprehension as well as her expressive language.  Reward your baby with animated expressions and conversation and in a short time you can be sure that she will reciprocate.