I’d heard about baby signing but wasn’t sure how to get started.  That’s when I found Sign Language For Babies and Beyond the resource includes a guide to baby signing, but more importantly for me, it comes with videos of the hundreds of signs covered!

I decided I’d share a couple of little clips from the videos with you.  These two signs are the ones that helped us with Galen right away – apparently we’re not alone.  All the moms that wrote in about their baby signing experience said these two were among the first signs they shared with their babies.

As I got these video clips ready Galen was sitting in my lap excitedly signing along.  Enjoy!

More

All Done

As many of you know, Galen has had some feeding issues that were starting to get worrying to me.  All my kiddos have been a little “late” to start solid foods, but as Galen hit twelve months and went beyond without any solids, I started getting a little concerned.

Galen didn’t just seem disinterested in solids – he seemed to be unable to swallow anything thicker than a liquid.  He had a lot of gagging, choking, throwing up if anything did get down.  He hadn’t gained weight in months and actually started losing some weight.

I decided to bring it up with the doctor and we took a bit of a “wait and see” approach.  Another month or so went by and Galen had lost weight.  He nursed constantly, but he’s incredibly active and just seemed to need more calories (though he didn’t seem to be hungry or very interested in food.)

We had a swallow study done at our local hospital, which showed that food is slow to clear Galen’s esophogus but no real problems.  The therapist said it’s pretty common and it will probably continue to get better as Galen gets older.

We were referred to the Pediatric Feeding Program in our hospital’s therapy department.  Galen has been going for a few weeks now and it has been a good experience for us.

Scott and I were worried at first about what they might want to feed Galen, since we try to follow a very traditional diet.  However, that has not been an issue at all. Our therapist and the entire team working for Galen have been incredibly respectful of our choices with Galen’s diet and with his continued nursing.

I make all of Galen’s food to bring into his appointments and that works very well for us.

Right now the goal is to get Galen’s intake up.  The therapist has been very helpful and has taught me a lot about getting Galen to eat – and to enjoy eating.  He’s eating completely pureed foods now (though he can eat scrambled eggs with gusto!) as we work on getting him eating more.

In general I just puree whatever we are eating for dinner.  Having a high-powered blender has turned out to be a real blessing.  We spoon feed Galen and he’s now really enjoying eating.  He looks forward to eating and taking bites.

He’s still nursing a lot and I’ve been proactively working to keep my milk supply high for him.

Galen has a weight check coming up soon and I’m actually looking forward to this one because he looks like he’s filled out some and he feels chunkier to me.

It has been really interesting having Galen’s feeding issues because the other kids pretty much just went from nursing to eating anything and everything put in front of them.  Galen is a special case, but its apparent even now that he has his siblings’ taste in food – he’ll eat anything and everything as long as it’s pureed!

Galen was having some constipation issues which I think were related to his feeding problems.  We started him on daily doses of an infant probiotic mix and that coupled with getting more food in seems to be working for his digestive system.  He’s regular again and seems a lot more comfortable.

I’m really enthusiastic about how Galen will do with eating in the coming months – he’s made a lot of progress just in the few weeks since we started going to the feeding clinic.

He’s happy, energetic little baby – he almost always has a smile and he’s always trying to climb into everything!  He also has perfect proportions and a beautiful face.  I’m pretty confident that with more calories he’ll bulk right up weight-wise.  We’re really blessed to have him, and the lessons he gives us

Galen was chronicled on Natural Birth and Baby Care from start to finish (in fact, I started this blog because we were TTC him!) I thought I’d share some highlights:

We’re pregnant: a very faint positive at 10DPO (days post/past ovulation)!

My chart hits 18 days of high temps – a pretty certain sign of pregnancy! (Scroll to the bottom to see my chart)

We discover we’re expecting a son!

I do a marathon freezer cooking session to get ready for baby!  Talk about nesting.  This year I created a freezer meal plan for you based on that session

Scott and I use The Pink Kit to prepare for the birth (it’s excellent!) and I write down all the details for you.

Finally, finally, finally, our precious baby boy arrives – and Scott and I are the only ones to witness his debut!

And now today, one year later, our little man is growing strong.  He has been such an incredible joy and blessing to our family.  I’m delighted he decided to join us   I’ll leave with a parting shot of his first few minutes:

Mark Sloan is a pediatrician and writes about birth and newborns from a unique perspective not often seen in the world of pregnancy and birth books. Sloan has meticulously researched the book.

Birth

You’ll be pulled in immediately as Sloan recounts his own introduction to birth during medical school. From there Birth Day tackles how our own vaginal birth process differs from that of the higher primates – and give possible reasons for why we developed such a complex process of birthing. I differ in opinion from Sloan on some of these issues; however his arguments are well-reasoned and interesting to read. Sloan also discusses the history of vaginal birth and positions used during birth in this chapter.

The second chapter moves into a description of that almost-imperceptible transition babies go through – moving from a fetus living in the water-world of the womb to a newborn snuggled in the airy world of his or her mother’s arms. You’ll find this chapter fascinating. Again, Sloan will keep you turning pages as he weaves the stories of two babies into the factual information.

In the third chapter Sloan discusses cesarean birth. This chapter is really well done. Sloan presents lots of information on the history of cesarean then moves into what the surgery looks like in modern times. The book does a great job of explaining how and why cesarean birth may be necessary for some women and babies – while also acknowledging and speculating on just why the cesarean rate is currently so high.

Pain Relief – Past and Present

Chapter 4 is titled “B.E. (Before Epidurals)” and it’s a fascinating chapter! Sloan has done a good job researching the use of pain medications during childbirth. It’s very interesting to look back at where we’ve come from – and the book moves right into where we are now in Chapter 5. Sloan continues to explore childbirth pain relief from a modern perspective. You may be surprised to learn that in our epidural-dominated world there are other options – including options available outside the US that well, you just can’t get here.

I believe in natural childbirth, but even I have to wonder why some of these relatively effective and possibly less detrimental options are not really available to more women. As Sloan states, ours is a culture of epidurals.

Birth Day does take time to discuss five non-drug methods of pain relief during childbirth. It does a fair job with this, even discussing water for labor pain relief. Sloan does not bring up the issue of water birth (where the baby is actually born underwater) – in fact, he never comments on other birthing alternatives like birth center or home births and how they may affect labor pain or the perception of it.

Doulas are discussed – in a fair amount of detail. Sloan is a fan of doulas, and for good reason. He spells those reasons, all supported by research, out in Birth Day. He also discusses the history of birth attendants.

On Daddies and Babies

There’s a chapter devoted just to Daddies. My husband greatly enjoyed it. We both found it really interesting that new dads (and dads to be) actually go through hormonal changes during their mates’ pregnancies.

The final section of the book covers the cuddly result of pregnancy – the babies. Sloan covers much of the research done on what babies can and can’t perceive with their sense while in the womb, and in the newborn and infant period. It’s interesting reading, though a little drier than earlier chapters of the book!

A chapter covering the “baby worth rearing” is included here. I greatly enjoyed this chapter, which discusses how the current infant “rating” system – the APGAR – came to be. I also found the peek into modern-day pediatrics with its newborn procedure flow-charts to be fascinating.

The last chapter in the book does an inch-by-inch guided tour of the newborn. This chapter has become a favorite “inside joke” of my husband and me because it discusses possible reasons for babies to be pretty generic (Sloan theorizes it’s probably so a man would continue to raise a baby that may not have biologically been his own). Accusations of our own “generic baby” (who with flaming red hair is not exactly “generic”) fly regularly through the house (along with laughter).

But the chapter in itself is a great ending to the book, providing the now expected fascinating tidbits of information on why babies may look like they do, why your science teachers got some things wrong, and other interesting facts.

Sloan does use this chapter to address circumcision. He does a great job tackling this extremely controversial subject. He gives a lot of historical information, good references, and a balanced discussion.

A Real Page-Turner

All in all Birth Day is an excellent read. There were a few parts of it I found myself feeling may be over the top – my views and Sloan’s do differ. But as I stated early in the review, it all gives food for thought.

The entire book is well-written in a consistent and engaging style. Birth Day keeps you turning pages! Because it does discuss some heavier pregnancy and newborn issues you may want to avoid reading it in your third trimester. But otherwise pick it up for an enjoyable and really fascinating read!

The issue is not, however, that Galen refuses food.  In fact, Galen seems to greatly enjoy some things.  My milk is the primary highlight to his diet, of course.  But Galen also really likes chicken stock and water.  If you’re giving Galen chicken stock or water from a spoon he looks like the baby in the photograph.

But the reason you haven’t seen many updates on “feeding Galen” since my first post is that feeding him has really not gone anywhere.  When we try and feed him anything with any sort of texture, Galen cannot swallow it.  There have been a few meals here and there where we’ve gotten tiny amounts into him.  When I say tiny I’m talking around 1/16th of a teaspoon.  TINY.  But mostly Galen just gags when solid foods get to his tongue.  And that means that anything that was in his belly comes back up.  Even his mama milk.

Initially I didn’t worry too much about his disinterest in solid foods.  And at this point I’m still trying not to worry.  Cassidy was also late starting solid foods.  The difference is that when Cassidy started she was already ready to go with finger foods.  She was happy feeding herself and she could get almost anything down.

Galen doesn’t put much in his mouth.  If we give him bits of finger foods he just moves them around on his tray.  He doesn’t put them in his mouth.  He chews on his fingers (and my hair, eww).  And that’s about it.

He can’t eat even pureed food.  So for right now his nutrition is coming 100% from nursing.  I’m working hard to make sure I’m eating well for him so he’s getting good, rich milk.  And we try with solids every few days to see if what seems to be a texture aversion is lessening.  I’ve gotten a lot of suggestions for things, and I’m researching around.  I’ve also talked it over with his doctor.  For a couple of weeks at least we’re in a “wait and see” mode.  But this is very different from what I experienced with the other kids.  There’s always so much to learn, and children always have such different needs.  Parenting is definitely the most challenging job out there

None of my little ones have seemed too enthused over solid foods at first (you would never guess this from the way my big kids pack food away now.) Galen seems no different.

As I’ve talked about before, our family follows traditional food recommendations from groups like the Weston A. Price Foundation and the Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation. There are talks in those groups about how no traditional culture delayed solids past 6 months. But I think even if they introduced solids starting around six months, not all babies took to the with great gusto straight away.

I am, however, trying to offer to Galen pretty consistently, and I’m being very choosy about what he gets. Galen’s first official food was a spoon of baked sweet potato covered in butter. He seemed to like that.

Most of his meals thus far have been egg yolk, however. Egg yolk and then egg yolk with a little bit of liver grated in to them. (In case you are wondering, it’s the egg white that is usually allergenic and should be delayed until baby is a year. I feel comfortable giving my baby egg yolk – I did wait several days after his first taste before giving anything else to watch for reaction.)

Some evenings he has attacked his egg yolk and liver with gusto. Other nights, not so much. He’s also had a taste of homemade chicken broth – he was unsure of exactly how to proceed with getting that off the spoon. And he greatly enjoys banging a chicken drumstick bone (all attached small bones/slivers picked off) around, but hasn’t really yet managed to the bone to his mouth.

The best starting foods for babies are not, as we’re told most of the time now, grain cereals. Cereals are really hard for babies to digest. Because Scott has a hard time digesting grains we’re planning to delay giving Galen any grains until he is 2 years old. But for all babies grains are hard to digest – the digestive enzymes for grains begin to develop in the second and third years of life. Even rice cereal is not easy to break down – and it’s also pretty worthless nutritionally.

Nutrient rich foods are the best thing to start your baby on. I always wait until six months to introduce solids though some people still like to introduce at four months. But after six months you can give your baby egg yolk (I soft boil Galen’s), tiny amounts of grated liver, butter, and broths. Babies need a lot of fat I also feel pretty comfortable with giving sweet potato, avocado, and squashes to babies around the 7-8 month mark.

I am excited about starting Galen on solids and I’ll continue to share our adventures. Enjoy the above picture from one of Galen’s first solid meals… it’s also a rare shot of him without a hat Sorry it’s grainy – it was taken with our video camera!

For more information on feeding babies check on my review on the book Healing Our Children.

In the early part of my postpartum time I didn’t really worry much about my own fitness level. I just took things easy and got into a nice routine with Galen and the big kids. Now, however, I’m really desiring to feel my own strength come back… and yes, I’d like a bit of tone back in my belly! I got Helene Byrne’s Exercise After Pregnancy: How to Look and Feel Your Best
during my pregnancy with Galen. I was really impressed by her straightforward information, and I loved that she had things you could begin to work on right away.

Well, life came along and took my “right away” with it – but I’ve decided that since schooling is done for the year I have enough time to work some conditioning routines into my day. I also have quite a bit of persistent muscle soreness and I’m hoping getting myself more fit and active each day will help minimize or even eliminate that.

I’m going to work through Helene’s “Bounce Back Fast” routines and I’ll keep making updates on the blog. I think it’s important for mothers – you and me included – to find the time to nurture ourselves and our self perception by being sure we feel comfortable in our bodies. And building core strength and stamina helps you to be able to stand up to the rigors of motherhood – day in and day out.

I used free patterns found online and I am really very impressed with the patterns and the instructions.  The patterns work well and were easy to follow.

I did two different types – one a completely waterproof trainer and one with a little water-proofing right in between the legs but nowhere else (basically they protect from the initial stream but moisture will wick onto the non-waterproofed area.

The waterproof trainers have a brown PUL outer layer (called an “outer” in cloth diapering lingo).

I just sewed the sides of our waterproof trainers because I don’t have a snap press and wasn’t motivated enough to do Velcro (Aplix, hook-and-loop).  If you do want to do Velcro I would add some length around the waist (girth) of the area… I think most babies have a pretty chubby tummy like Galen does and if I’d needed to overlap the edges to close with Velcro I don’t think they would have gone around his belly.

I used the flannel sheet for the inner padded area (the “soaker”) on both styles of trainer.  The inside of the waterproof trainer is also fully lined in the flannel.  The few layers of flannel give a little absorption (enough to hold one miss) but they’re not bulky or hot for the baby.  Flannel is also very soft

For the outer of the non-waterproof trainer I used a white interlock I had left from making pajamas for my boys.  I used red ribbing for both the waist and the leg-bands.  So far that seems to be working well for both.  The pattern instructions recommend doing elastic inside the waistband if using interlock – I can see  where that might be helpful with the ribbing as well, but they are working just fine without it.

So now that both types of trainer are done, which were easier?  Well, I don’t think I can say.  The waterproof trainers had a lot of elastic and I find elastic to be a pain.  The non-waterproof ones require more pinning and piecing together, but I find ribbing easier to deal with than elastic.  Both types took me about the same amount of time, though from start to finish the waterproof ones were probably a little quicker.

And I’m not helpful with which type I prefer – just like with the trainers I bought through another work-at-home-mom, I like each type of trainer for different reasons.  The waterproof ones are really nice for when I want to put Galen in the carrier and he hasn’t pottied in awhile, or when he’s in his Amby or something else I don’t care to possibly get wet.  The non-waterproof trainers are nice because I notice a miss much more quickly.  I also think they’re a little cooler for Galen and they’re easier to slip on and off for pottying.

The most conclusive thing I can say is I greatly prefer trainers to diapers!  Galen now has a dozen trainers in circulation – plenty to get through a few days (because yep, we still have misses! )

Here’s where you can get the patterns – many thanks to this generous mama!!! Waterproof and Non-Waterproof.

So I’ll give an update on how things went over the past month. Galen’s fifth month started much like the rest of his early months, with EC’ing going pretty routinely. However, it ended much differently.

Galen began to enjoy being on the floor more, and got really proficient at rolling from his back to his tummy. It seems like I’d put him down on the floor, he’d roll onto his belly, and immediately pee.

Now that got frustrating! It seems to be whenever that pressure is on his belly, or whenever he decides he’s done with being on the floor and starts fussing, that he just lets go and pees.  It was a bit discouraging for me because I’m used to catching most of his pees throughout the day.

The most discouraging thing would be when I’d offer him the potty and he wouldn’t go – then I’d put him down and he’d pee almost immediately.

I felt conflicted because on the one hand, I don’t want to get stressed or convey any stress about pottying to him – he’s just a baby.  But on the other hand we’d been “catching” most pees and I didn’t really want to give that up.

In the end I’ve decided just to be more vigilant about offering to potty him.  We ordered a couple of new potty bowls (BabyBjörn Little Potties), one for the van and one so we have a nice potty bowl in both the office and the family room.  As you can see from the picture, my oldest child Cassidy can help Galen to sit on the Little Potty!  That’s very helpful to me and both of them seem to enjoy it.

We had our first dirty diapers since Galen’s newborn week.  One was at our CSA farm… a complete blowout diaper.  I felt so bad.  The other was right after Cassidy and Asher’s Japanese lesson.  I was strapping Galen into the car seat and heard him start – by that point I had the new Little Potty in the van so I pulled him out of the seat, pulled off his pants, and sat him right down on the potty.  I squeezed into the van so I could shut the sliding door and give him some privacy while I helped him sit on the pot   That diaper only got a little in it since I got him over the potty as soon as he started.

I’ve decided I probably need to plan time to offer him the potty when we go somewhere.  I really don’t want him to have to have dirty diapers and he has such a clear preference for pooping in the potty.  I don’t want him to lose that preference.

So this month was a little frustrating as far as elmination communication goes – but also a good reminder.  He’s getting bigger, and things are changing for him and so they’ll change with EC’ing too.

One of my goals for the next couple of months is to get him more trainers made so he can be used to wearing the trainers full time, and having them taken off to go potty.  I have 5 pairs made now, bringing our total to 8 pairs.  I’m working on 7 more pairs (two different styles to see which I like best).  I’m debating if I want to switch to trainers for going out and about or stick with diapers.  It’s something I’ll have to think over!

Low milk supply seems surprisingly common in modern societies.  There is heated debate about whether this was so in more traditional societies – I haven’t seen any answer convincing enough to allow me to weigh in on any side of the issue.

(Note: please allow me to clarify that “seems” means that it appears common when you talk to many women. However, professionals believe, and I tend to agree, that low milk supply is actually quite rare in our present day, even among mothers who are not getting good food. I have participated in a lot of heated debate about this issue and I’ve known this issue to come between women before. The reality, I think, is that it is not common – however many women worry – needlessly – about the fact that it does *seem* common. )

However, a few women struggle with low milk supply and I do know some ways you can boost your milk supply through nutrition. Others may want to boost supply so they can pump and store extra milk or donate to a milk bank.  Remember, if you’re truly struggling with supply issues there are many other strategies you should be trying – such as increasing frequency of nursing. Get more ideas from Dr. Jack Newman.

The “Supplements”

One of the first things you’ll hear when you mention struggle with milk supply is “oh my friend used (insert food, drink, or herb here) and it really helped her milk supply!”

There are some things that have been shown to boost supply, and you can use them as a supplement to your diet.

• Oatmeal has been known to boost milk supply.  A bowl of oatmeal daily, or even oatmeal cookies, may give you a greater supply.
• Quinoa, a grain, has been used by traditional societies during lactation and is said to boost milk production.
• There are various milk teas on the market.  No, these aren’t teas made with milk.  They’re made with herbs that are supposed to boost milk production.
• Fenugreek is an herbal supplement you can take which many women have found helps boost milk production.  You know you’re taking enough when your sweat smells like maple syrup.

Your Diet

Though the above are nutritional strategies that can work, I believe if you’re suffering from low milk supply you should examine your diet.  Experts say poor nutrition doesn’t cause low milk supply.  However, poor nutrition can eat up your own nutrient reserves, causing stress and exhaustion for you.

You have heard that it really doesn’t matter what you eat, you’ll still make milk for your baby (and it’s still better than formula!)  Well, that’s true – but a higher quality diet makes higher quality milk*.  And a high-quality diet can help you to have abundant milk.  There may really be times when milk supply can’t be improved – but improving diet is one of the most basic steps to try and will benefit you no matter what the outcome.

Fats are Vital

The first step to take is to examine your fat intake.  No, I’m not going to tell you to cut out the fat.  In fact, I’m telling you the opposite.  Make sure you’re getting enough fat.  Be sure you’re eating good fats – “good fats” are traditional fats like coconut oil, butter, olive oil, tallow, and lard.  Avoid new “industrial” oils (such as corn oil, soybean oil, hydrogenated oils) like they’re a plague… they are!!

Use butter liberally to enhance the flavors of your foods.  Select full fat dairy products and don’t trim all the fat off your meats.  Drizzle olive oil on your salad greens.  Enjoy your food will full flavor.

How Much are You Eating?

Next up… are you eating enough?  Read through my nutrition pages to be sure that you’re eating well.  The late Dr. Brewer, the Weston A. Price Foundation, midwives, and other professionals all advise continuing your pregnancy diet during lactation.  Don’t obsess over pounds – just be sure you’re getting what you need for your baby.  Pregnancy and nursing do cause nutritional stress on your body.  You are growing another being.  You’re not going to be able to eat as if it were just you.  You left those days behind when you conceived your child!

Cut out unhealthy foods.  Processed foods, sugars, excessive carbs.  Get rid of those things if you feel like you need to “cut back” on something.  But eat healthy foods liberally – to satisfaction.  And don’t lie to yourself.  If you’re still hungry after supper have a small snack at bedtime.  If 3 meals a day aren’t cutting it for you (they don’t for many nursing mothers!) have snacks between your meals.

Eating plenty of food, and getting plenty of fluid, will help boost your milk supply.  You would not believe how many mothers I have ask me about milk supply who admit, when I ask them about what they ate that day, “oh, I had coffee for breakfast, and a small salad for lunch.  I’ll probably have a little bowl of pasta for supper.  I just don’t have time for anything else.”

Mama, make some time!  I confidently tell Galen “Mama needs to eat, or you don’t eat!”  There are lots of foods that can be easily prepared while your baby is in a carrier, in a bouncy seat, on a blanket on the floor, or being entertained by someone else.  I know it’s important to be attached to your baby – but your babe will not suffer because you’ve taken 10 minutes to prepare a meal!  Take a look at my pages on managing motherhood for more meal tips.

Eat Properly Prepared Foods – and Eat Some Raw

This next advice could get really broad, so I’m going to keep it to a summary.  You should prepare your foods properly.  This is primarily talking about grains, legumes, and seeds, which may be hard for your body to digest if you just eat them “as is” or simply cooked.  A soaking overnight may help make them more digestible, which in turn will make it easier for your body to utilize them and leave more energy for milk production.

Things you should soak are wheat, oats, rye, and other grains.  Nuts and beans (legumes) should also be soaked.  This is as simple as dumping your food into a glass bowl, adding some whey (the watery stuff that collects in your yogurt) or lemon juice, and setting the bowl in a warm place overnight.  Just add salt to nuts.  For flours (wheat, rye, etc.) you can soak with part of the cooking liquid.  The next day just pick up where you left off in the recipe.  After your nuts have cooked overnight re-dry them in a warm (not hot) oven.  It’s pretty easy and could help improve your digestion and help a fussy baby.

Also enjoy some foods raw.  Easier-to-digest vegetable salads are great with olive oil and raw wine vinegar drizzled over them (some veggies, like spinach, are best served cooked).  And enjoy at least some of your animal products raw.  In our world the easiest way to do this is to eat raw milk cheese, which is legal to buy at stores.  You can also make a number of raw meat appetizers (please use grass-fed animal meat) or enjoy soft-boiled eggs (please use pastured poultry eggs).  Or if you have access to it you can drink raw milk, or have raw milk yogurt or kefir.

That brings me to raw, cultured foods – which are very good for you.  I have noticed the absolute biggest boosts in my milk supply after I began to add extra cream to my milk, added yogurt with live cultures and lots of butter to my morning oatmeal, and began having a fermented vegetable condiment consistently each day.

Sauerkraut, kimchi, pickles, and chutneys are all cultured condiments when prepared traditionally.  You can find many of these items at your normal grocery store – make sure they say “raw” or “live cultures.”  These foods aid your digestion.

An Overall Effect

These dietary improvements are all beneficial to your overall health.  They’re not a miracle cure for low milk supply.  But by taking steps to improve your nutrition you are well on the way to creating better health for you, and good diet often directly correlates with the quality of milk you make for your baby (even if you’re not at a place where you can make dietary changes right now, your milk is still better than formula).  I know when we committed to a better diet in January of this year I noticed within the first week that my milk supply became more abundant and my milk was much richer.  Galen could hardly keep up!

Enjoy the benefits of improved nutrition for both you and your baby.  For more information on cooking techniques or the “whys” of what I have recommended check out the books listed at the bottom of this article.

*If you pay no attention your nutrition whatsoever you are still going to make milk for your baby and it is still going to be the best choice for your baby.  When I had my first baby I lived far, far below the current poverty lines and I couldn’t afford expensive organic foods.  I could, however, learn about nutrition and cook basic, healthy foods.  My baby thrived on my milk.  So even if you feel that you have little money to spend for food, know your milk is tailor-made for your baby.  Breastfeeding is best no matter where you are in relation to the poverty line.

I still strongly recommed that all mothers study nutrition and do what they can to improve their family’s nutrition for their own health’s sake and that of their children.  There is a wealth of resources at your fingertips for the best price out there – free.

Get more great breastfeeding how-to’s from these other bloggers participating in the Motherwear Carnival of Breastfeeding:

• Motherwear’s Breastfeeding Blog: How to help your baby kick the nipple shield habit
• Marketing Mama: How to pump successfully at work
• Mama Saga: How to breastfeed (or just look like you know what you’re doing)
• BabyReady: How to get baby to take a bottle
• Strocel: How to get breastfeeding off to a good start
• Baby Carriers Down Under: How to breastfeed hands-free
• Blacktating: How to treat a cold while breastfeeding
• Breastfeeding Moms Unite: How to become a breastfeeding support professional
• Breastfeeding Mums: How to wean a breastfed toddler
• Mama Knows Breast: How to get a spouse to help with breastfeeding
• Breastfeeding 1-2-3: How to teach your baby nursing manners
• Zen Mommy: Using YouTube to stop nosey questions!
• Happy Bambino: How to deal with unsupportive family members
• The Bee in your Bonnet: How to be comfortable around nursing mothers
• MoBleez: How to naturally increase your milk supply – try seaweed
• Milk Act: How to care for a sick nursling
• Maher Family Grows: How to to increase milk supply using supplements
• Tiny Grass: Tandem Nursing – how to do it without driving yourself and your nurslings crazy!