Tips for New Moms from a Leading Pediatric Expert

Today’s guest article is from Sara Chana. She is a international board-certified lactation consultant, birthing instructor, classical homeopath and herbalist who guides others from adolescence, through pregnancy and childbirth on to menopause. With over 2500 clinical hours in lactation and 500 clinical hours in classic homeopathy, Sara has strengthened women by educating them on how to treat and heal their children naturally as well as how to work with their doctors to work in tandem in decision making.

Today, she is sharing some helpful tips for new moms.

Breastfeeding Do’s and Don’ts:

Don’t believe that breastfeeding is supposed to hurt and that sore nipples are the norm, or perhaps even a badge of courage for toughing-it-out. If the baby is latched on properly and draining the breast, it shouldn’t hurt!

Do teach your baby to “breastfeed” and not “nipple feed: To do so, start by holding your breast steady and compress it into a pointy shape with your hand.

Don’t stuff your breast into the baby’s mouth. Instead, bring your baby “to you”. To accomplish this, support the baby well, holding him along his spine and at the base of his head.

Do use RAM (rapid arm movement), and bring your baby (or RAM him) onto the breast in a quick-swift motion, allowing the baby to take the breast as deeply into his throat as he can.

Don’t get discouraged. With practice, a mom will be able to nurse pain free, when she and her baby share the experience of being on the breast deeply.

Working Moms Do’s and Don’ts:

Do assure that the breastfeeding is well established before the introduction of the bottle, if that has become your choice for getting back to work.

Don’t introduce a bottle before six weeks. If possible, wait until eight to ten weeks. Most babies take a minimum of six weeks to learn how to master and become a professional on the breast.

Don’t worry that your baby will not be able to learn to take the bottle. A baby who is nursing well and truly being satisfied on the breast, will be able to figure out and learn how to take a bottle in the mothers absence.

Do make someone else introduce the bottle to your baby. It is better for someone other than the mother to introduce the bottle so that the baby identifies the bottle only with another caregiver and not with the mother.

Introducing Solid Foods Do’ and Don’ts:

Don’t rush the introduction of solid foods. Babies don’t need to eat solids until they have from four to eight teeth, or until they can sit up and support themselves in a high chair, and manage to get more food into their mouths, by themselves, than they do in their hair or on the floor

Don’t confuse the need for oral discovery, with hunger. Babies become very orally excited from between five to nine months.

Do let your infant explore the world of taste and texture by letting her smell, play and mush all kinds of foods. Give her different colors and textures to play with. Rather than push quantities of food into their little tummies that most babies don’t require, allow their inquisitive scientific minds develop.

Do be aware that breast milk changes as the child grows, keeping up with the nutritional needs of the baby, so why the rush into solid foods? Your breast milk is as nutritious for a ten month old as it was for a two week old.

Preventing Catching Your Child’s Cold:

Increase your vitamin C an immune boosting with and herbal mix (elderberry, schinasha, lemon balm and thyme)

Eat medicinal mushrooms like maitake or reishi

Increase protein intake

Swab nasal passages with antibiotic cream or olive oil with tea tree oil

Sara Chana is a mother of 7 and was introduced to homeopathy as a result of her 2nd son’s severe eczema, reflux and asthma. As she went from specialist to specialist seeking a cure, each one told her that her son would need to be on medication for the rest of his life, Sara decided to look into alternative medicine. By educating herself and using homeopathic remedies, she was able to cure her son and now specializes in helping moms all over the country with natural remedies for their children.