[blparent] Hi Erin

Sun May 22 02:37:57 UTC 2011

Hello Jan,

Very nice to meet you and congratulations on your pregnancy!  How exciting!
When are you due?

I hope I can help out in any way possible with the latest info that's out
there and product info.  When it comes to some of the things they recommend
the most today the pros suggest the following:

Baby on back always when sleeping decreases the risk of SIDS (Sudden Infant
Death Syndrome)  Other preventatives for SIDS include no smoking around
baby, no sleeping with baby in bed and use sleep sacks instead of baby
blankets so baby doesn't smother him or herself.  Additionally studies have
shown that babies that are not over-heated at night are at less risk for
SIDS.  Breastfed babies are also at less risk for SIDS.  This is probably
due to the fact that they sleep lighter to nurse more during the night so
they're not falling so deep into sleep where they might not wake if
breathing is cut off for some reason by bedding or rolling over on face.

Breastfeed if you can for at least 6 months but a recommended year for
optimum health.  I plan on nursing my son for 2 or even up to 3 years if
possible.  Studies show that kids that are breastfed get sick a lot less
than non-breastfed babies.  Take advantage of those lactation nurses at the
hospital and any support group after you bring baby home because they really
are a huge help and very encouraging.

Don't feed solids until 4-6 months and try to go to 6 months if you can.
This is really going to be up to baby, but you'll know when they really want
your food and are grabbing at everything you're eating.  I tried to push my
son to 6 months but he was ravenous at 4.5 months so we began him slowly
with rice cereal at that time and moved slowly to vegies and then fruit.  At
nearly 7 months I have Dawson on mostly stage 1 foods, but moving slowly to
stage 2 foods.  No water or juice before a year and even after a year you'll
want to stick to breast milk or formula and very little juice if given
because of the sugars.

No son screen until 6 months is advised.

Don't use lotions as they actually dry baby's skin.  Over bathing can be a
culprit of dry skin as well.  I gave my son 1 bath a week on average except
for the occasional explosion that baby wipes were just not going to remedy.
Now that Dawson is a little older I give him around 2 baths a week since
he's doing a lot more floor tummy time and around the corner from crawling.
A nurse in the hospital told me not to use baby wipes every time I change my
son for a pee diaper since the disposable diapers are so absorbent and wipes
can often times just dry them out.  This is so true and unless he's
saturated from a big pee I don't use wipes.  Frequent changes also help
prevent rashes and I don't use any creams other than a little petroleum
jelly or Vaseline from time to time.  My son has not had a diaper rash yet
and I really contribute it to these tips that a wonderful nurse gave me
before Dawson was born.

I'll leave you with those few things for now but please let me know if you
have any questions about anything.  This way I'm not writing you a novel all
at once.  When it comes to breast pump equipment I'm not your woman since
pumping has been a bare for me for some reason although nursing has been
going very well for me.  I do have a Medela hand pump and I know from word
of mouth that Medela is a wonderful recommended brand.  I believe it was the
Medela Harmony electric pump that I rented from the hospital at one point
and that was wonderful to use even though my darn boobies don't like to give
out unless baby's attached. SMILING

Take care,

Erin

-----Original Message-----
From: blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Jan Wright
Sent: Saturday, May 21, 2011 3:00 PM
To: blparent at nfbnet.org
Subject: [blparent] Hi Erin

Hi Erin,
sorry, I forgot to introduce myself.
My name is Jan Ahmed. (although my email says: "Jan Wright," I just have not
changed it yet). 
I am an older mother.
I have four children: dd22, ds21, ds20 and ds18.
I have recently married and am now due in December.
I am interested in hearing about the products you researched, especially
those new nursing gadgets that they certainly didn't have when my children
were of nursing age.
Even that squirty spoon sounds helpful and was not available when my
children could have used it ---- or if it was, I didn't know about it.
I don't want to buy lots of gadgets  and furniture -- we just don't have the
money or the room.
but, some seem to be essentials!
and, I have to catch up on all the latest baby news -- dos and don'ts -- and
such.
It will be an education for me, I am sure.
anyway, just wanted to say hello.
I actually like the fact that there are all kinds of mothers with all types
of families on the list. that means that we are pretty diverse   and have
room for all views and all families.
Jan
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