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How to Recognize Reflux in Babies

2015/06 By Lauren B. Stevens Leave a Comment

Your baby cries during and after feedings … and is still crying despite being fed, changed, rocked and cuddled. Could reflux the culprit? Reflux in babies is hard to detect.

Your baby cries during and after feedings ... and is still crying despite being fed, changed, rocked and cuddled. Could reflux the culprit? Reflux in babies is hard to detect.

Here are some signs to look for to determine if you might want to explore the possibility of reflux with your child’s pediatrician:

What Is Reflux?
Reflux — gastroesophogeal reflux (GERD) — is a condition in which the contents of the stomach come up after a feeding and are acidic enough to irritate or damage the lining of the esophagus, according to Mayo Clinic. Reflux is “the most common esophageal disorder in children of all ages,” says Jo Ann Serota, a long-time pediatric nurse practitioner and a lactation consultant in Ambler, Penn.

She defines it as the “backward movement of gastric contents across the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) into the esophagus.” It occurs, she says, because “the LES may be too relaxed to keep the stomach contents in the stomach.” With babies, says Serota, “breast milk or formula escapes from the stomach, via this sphincter, up the esophagus (regurgitation), causing a painful, burning sensation.”

What Are the Symptoms?
Some common signs of reflux in babies, according to Colette Acker, a lactation consultant and the executive director of The Breastfeeding Resource Center, are:

  • Your baby arches her back during feedings.
  • Your baby comes on and off the breast and/or cries during feedings.
  • Your baby often cries after feedings.

Your baby may also experience a dry cough after feeds or sound congested, Acker says, adding that in more extreme cases of reflux, a baby may limit his intake because it’s uncomfortable to be full, and he may start losing weight. Or, she notes, “Some babies may act like nothing is wrong, and mom gets a shock at the next pediatric weight check.”

Serota notes these additional signs:

  • Your baby is irritable, especially during or after feedings.
  • Your baby chokes or gags during or after feedings.
  • Your baby refuses to feed.
  • Your baby fails to thrive or doesn’t gain weight.

Serota adds that infants can also display signs of sleep apnea (breathing pausing during sleep), stridor (noisy breathing) or respiratory problems like lower airway disease (a respiratory problem of the lower airways caused by RSV, a virus).

Continue reading on Care.com…

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Filed Under: all, breastfeeding, Editorial, Natural Living, Parenting, topics Tagged With: baby, GERD, reflux

How To Get A Baby To Sleep

2015/05 By Lauren B. Stevens Leave a Comment

With a new baby in your life, sleep may be a distant memory. Babies tend to sleep in short spurts and stay awake in short spurts. While you might find getting your baby to sleep to be a challenge, it’s also an immense hurdle for your little one, who might need some help from you in developing a sleep routine and learning to relax and drift off to sleep.

These tips, from leading Pediatric Sleep Consultants, will show you how to get a baby to sleep at night and nap time.

Here, leading pediatric sleep consultants offer their tried and true tips for how to get a baby to sleep in any situation. Contributors include Rebecca Nazzal of Dream Big Sleep Consulting, Jennifer Schindele of Gift of Sleep Consulting, Ronee Welch of Sleeptastic Solutions, Visa Shanmugan of Sound Sleepers, Violet Ginnone of Sleep Baby Sleep, Tamiko Kelly of Sleep Well. Wake Happy, Janelle Jeffery of Sleepytime and Teresa Stewart of Stewart Family Solutions.

Their tips will show you how to get a baby to sleep at night and nap time — even if naps occasionally need to happen in a stroller. They also offer advice for handling a baby’s sleep routine when traveling by plane and car. As with all things parenting-related, consistency is key, they say.

[Read more…]

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Filed Under: all, Editorial, Parenting, topics Tagged With: baby, baby sleep, bedtime, naps, sleep, sleep tips, sleep training

Motherhood May Cause Drowsiness: By Mothers, For Mothers

2015/05 By Lauren B. Stevens Leave a Comment

Every so often I see a call for submissions that forces me out of my usual routine in an effort to get something else written. When I saw the call for the second edition of Motherhood May Cause Drowsiness, I knew I had to submit an essay for consideration (even though it meant I had to wake up at 4am to write without distraction).

Motherhood-May-Cause-Drowsiness

My son was not a good sleeper, in fact, he rarely slept. By the time he was 8 months old I was up with him an average of 3 times a night, after my husband and myself had exhausted ourselves by cajoling him to sleep. Daytime was difficult, as D only napped in 20 minute clips, 30 minutes if I was lucky. I was beyond exhausted, crying often, my mind in a constant fog. I tried to read books about sleep, but in my overtired state the books seemed as though they were written in a foreign language and when I could actually make some sense of them, they often offered contradictory advice.

When I wrote this popular piece, 10 Signs My Baby’s Not Sleeping Through the Night (so don’t ask!), I was making a stab at humor, but the reality was that many of these were scarily true for me. Thank goodness for Facebook, as I was contacted by a Pediatric Sleep Consultant after posting a cry for help on my blog page. After a quick phone call with the sleep consultant (Jennifer from Gift of Sleep Consulting), I talked things over with my husband. Money was incredibly tight for us but I was desperate. We decided to hire Jennifer and the rest is history!

I still maintain that hiring a sleep consultant was the best investment we made in our son’s first year; you can check out our experience in this one year check-in piece, A Year of Sleep, Thanks to Sleep Training. While sleep training can be a controversial subject, I’ll be the first to say that the people being sleep trained were my husband and myself, moreso than our son. D began napping during the day and sleeping through the night at around 9 months, and I began to regain clarity (and my sanity).

So, yes, when I saw the call for submissions for Motherhood May Cause Drowsiness, I knew that I had to write something. I’m happy to say that my essay, The Long Road, was accepted for inclusion in this wonderfully funny and sweet anthology by mothers, for mothers. I just finished the book last night and I loved every moment of it; I actually forsook sleep two nights in a row to stay up reading these delightful stories by a bevy of talented writers. The best thing about Motherhood May Cause Drowsiness is that it is perfect for sleep deprived parents! You can easily pick MMCD, read a story or two and then put it down to be picked up again when you have the time (or the mental clarity) to read.

The second edition of Motherhood May Cause Drowsiness is now available for purchase! Give yourself the gift of laughter and camaraderie by purchasing your copy today! If you purchase the book through my Amazon link HERE, I’ll actually receive a few cents from each purchase (because I’m not exactly ‘raking it in’ by having my essay published). I hope you’ll purchase a copy for yourself AND for all of your mom friends. Let me know what you think, and thank you for your support!

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Filed Under: all, books, Editorial, featured, humor, Parenting, topics Tagged With: babies, baby, motherhood, motherhood may cause drowsiness, parenthood, sleep deprivation, sleep training, toddler, toddlers

5 Things to Know About a Sleeping Baby

2015/04 By Lauren B. Stevens Leave a Comment

You’ve read the books, gathered tips and tricks and your sleeping baby is snoozing like a champ! Now what? These 5 tips will keep your little one sleeping soundly.

You've read the books, gathered tips and tricks and your sleeping baby is snoozing like a champ! Now what? These 5 tips will keep your little one sleeping soundly.

  1. Learn to Swaddle
    Though you likely wouldn’t be happy in a blanket burrito, your baby is. Swaddles are a wonderful way to help newborns feel safe and comforted, and can also aid greatly with getting your baby to fall and stay asleep. You can choose to purchase a specially made swaddle, making it easier to tuck your baby in, or use a receiving blanket to wrap your baby up.From a physiological perspective, swaddles help keep the Moro reflex — also known as the startle reflex, when babies react to bright light or noise by stretching and retracting their arms, often waking themselves up in the process — to a minimum. Jennifer Schindele, a certified pediatric sleep consultant and owner of Gift of Sleep Consulting, reminds parents to swaddle their baby safely, “keeping in mind that the hips should remain loose within the swaddle while keeping it tighter around the arms.” She recommends transitioning your infant away from the swaddle and into a sleep sack or wearable blanket when your baby is around 3 months old.
  2. Keep the Room Cool
    Though it might be tempting to crank up the heat when you put your baby to bed, keep your baby’s room temperature between 65 and 72 degrees, recommends Teresa Stewart, the owner of Family Solutions and the director of parenting education for the International Maternity and Parenting Institute. She explains, “Basically, cooler is always better than warmer. Not only does [a cooler room] reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and suffocation, it also helps the baby sleep better.”Stewart suggests that parents add a fan to the nursery if they feel the room is too hot. To remind yourself to turn down the heat, remember the rhyme “cool and comfy, and not warm and stuffy,” as Schindele says. In addition, be mindful of what your baby is wearing to sleep in. Parents should use “cotton or muslin for swaddling,” says Stewart, “since those are light and breathable materials. We don’t want a baby to become too warm while swaddled.”

Read more on Care.com…

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Filed Under: all, Editorial, Parenting, topics Tagged With: baby, care.com, sleep tips, sleeping baby

Rock ‘n Roll: Your 4 to 7 Month Old Baby and Movement

2015/04 By Lauren B. Stevens Leave a Comment

Your baby grew by leaps and bounds its first three months, and months 4 through 7 are no different. Your 7-month-old baby is developing muscles and moving with much more purpose, but what big milestones will he tackle at this stage?

7-month-old-baby

[Read more…]

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Filed Under: Editorial, Parenting, topics Tagged With: 7 month old baby, baby, milestones, parenting

Parenting Is Not About Me

2015/01 By Lauren B. Stevens 1 Comment

One of the greatest lessons I’ve learned as a parent is that parenting is not about me or my husband, it is, and always will be about our child. From the earliest days, our lives were dictated by our infant’s most basic needs: breastfeeding on-demand, dry diapers, warm clothes. Those early choices had nothing to do with our wants and needs as parents, they had everything to do with what our son needed (and continues to need).

Parenting is not about me or my husband, it is, and always will be, about our child.

[Read more…]

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Filed Under: all, Editorial, Parenting, topics Tagged With: baby, breastfeeding, compassionate parenting, parenting, toddler

10 Signs My Baby’s NOT Sleeping Through the Night (so don’t ask)

2014/08 By Lauren B. Stevens 12 Comments

I remember those early days with my son, those days and weeks when we were fueled only by euphoria, forsaking sleep and taking shifts watching our new baby around the clock, lest he stop breathing (he didn’t) or some major milestone occurred (it didn’t). Trips out of the house were opportunities for us to shake off newborn, new parent, cabin fever and show our little one off with pride (but don’t get too close and DON’T even think about touching my baby, Stranger). Inevitably, we were bombarded with questions, which we, proud to have created such a beautiful specimen, were all too happy to answer.

The most commonly asked question, one that stays with me to this day, was whether our baby was sleeping through the night. This question began when he was a mere two weeks old, and we politely smiled, shook our heads, and proceeded to tell those kind folks (strangers as well) about all of the other awesome things our newborn was doing (soiling 12-15 diapers a day, smiling at us (and NO, it was NOT just gas), eating non-stop during his wakeful hours, cooing with gusto, etc.). But by 8 months old, the “sleeping through the night” question, and all of the unsolicited advice that came along with it, had begun to wear me down, and all I could do was grimace, shake my head, and mumble how my son was constantly hungry and just wasn’t a good sleeper.

 Curb unsolicited advice with these 10 signs my baby's not sleeping through the night.

Because of our experience, with a baby who preferred to take in virtually every moment of a 24 hour day, and the abundance of unsolicited [bad] advice we received, I decided to create a helpful list of signs for those people dying to know if a baby is sleeping through the night. Here is a quick reference guide to share with those who have the urge to ask someone how their baby is sleeping:

  1. You see nonsensical Facebook status updates posted by me at 2:30 am.
  2. You drop by, unannounced, to lend an ear, hand, or both, and I answer the door, oblivious to the fact that my milk-caked, lanolin-smeared breast is exposed.
  3. At the sound of a baby crying, any baby, I automatically stop what I’m doing and turn and head in that direction.
  4. While on the phone with me, I share how my bad day has gotten worse, now that I’m unable to locate my…phone. (this actually did happen)
  5. I call you to “catch up”, only to find that we’ve just spoken that morning. (see #4)
  6. You wake in the morning to find that I’ve ‘liked’ every photo in your vacation album on Facebook…from 3 years ago.
  7. My shirt is on backwards and/or my buttons are mismatched.
  8. I have circles under my eyes and an overall frazzled appearance. (see #7)
  9. I’m in tears, and neither you nor I know why.
  10. Any conversation with me involves me using “Ferber” as every part of speech (Ferberized, Ferbering, doing Ferber).

What other signs am I missing?  Help me create a definitive list by leaving signs your baby’s not sleeping in the comments:

 



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Filed Under: all, Editorial, featured, humor, Parenting Tagged With: baby, baby sleep, infant, newborn, top ten

Goosie Organics Natural Teething/Nursing Jewelry

2013/11 By Lauren B. Stevens Leave a Comment



I have a beautiful Tiffany necklace, a gift from my husband, that I wear every day.  When Declan was around a year old, I had to have my favorite necklace repaired because D’s constant tugging and pulling had bent one of the rings holding the clasp.  My broken necklace could easily have been avoided had I been wearing a nursing necklace.  I now have a solution/necklace-saver: Goosie Organics natural teething/nursing jewelry.


Founded out of her desire for plastic and chemical-free teething solutions for her daughter, Lacey began  designing and making her own all-natural teething jewelry.  Goosie Organics was founded for Lacey to share natural products with like-minded mamas: natural products for the “baby-minded mama”.

I anxiously awaited the arrival of my Goosie Organics necklace, having seen how beautiful Lacey’s creations were, and was not disappointed when it finally arrived; a necklace from the Sage Collection:



Each Goosie Organic piece is handcrafted using locally-sourced all-natural and organic materials.  I love how Lacey explains the process on her Etsy site:

All of our products are handmade with natural materials including our unique 100% organic yarn. It is handspun and nature dyed using organic elements such as logwood, madder and wood chips. It is then crocheted into a necklace chain as well as onto a natural wood bead. Each wood button, coconut ring and wood bead is handcrafted locally and polished with organic beeswax and olive oil.

What I love even more?  What you see is what you get.  No hidden chemicals or dyes, and no need to worry when your little one, inevitably, puts this in his/her mouth.  


Declan loves playing with my Goosie Organics necklace while he’s nursing, which [thankfully] takes the strain from my favorite Tiffany necklace!  One of D’s favorite things to do is to roll the small wooden balls between his fingers, as the polish renders them incredibly smooth.  With 6 teeth coming in, my Goosie Organics necklace has already found it’s way into my 16 month-old’s mouth a handful of times!



If you’re looking to have a Goosie Organic creation of your own, you can visit the Etsy store HERE. Want to find out what’s new at Goosie Organics?  Visit them on Facebook HERE.

Feeling lucky?  Enter to win a Goosie Organic Teething necklace using the form below:

Entry-Form

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Filed Under: breastfeeding, Giveaways, Natural Living, products, reviews|sponsored Tagged With: baby, babywearing jewelry, breastfeeding jewelry, natural jewelry, organic jewelry, teething jewelry, WAHM, WAHM Feature

The Ultimate Online Baby Shower: Week 2 and What to Do

2013/11 By Lauren B. Stevens 1 Comment

Thank you so much for joining us for Ultimate Online Baby Shower!  Last week was full of fun flash giveaways, RSVP gift basket winners (how awesome were those gift baskets?), “Wishing” for Samplers, and now it’s time for even more giveaway and Sampler fun!  Take a look at the calendar of events for this week:

We have some Canadian events, some great flash giveaways, and over 10,000 Samplers to be gifted.  But that’s not all: Friday is the GRAND FINALE and we have a HUGE prize that will be given away!
If you still don’t understand what a Sampler is, here’s a graphic that explains it all:
A great tip for making Sampler work for you is to Buddy-Up, by working with friends/family to send Samplers to each other:

One last reminder: all of The Ultimate Online Baby Shower events & Samplers are scheduled for Eastern Standard Time.  Use this quick reference to ‘decode’ the time difference:
Lastly, GOOD LUCK!  I’ll be Sampling right along with all of you…

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Filed Under: Giveaways Tagged With: baby, giveaway, ultimate online baby shower

Easy-Peasy Baby/Toddler Spinach Pesto

2013/05 By Lauren B. Stevens Leave a Comment

There are (many) times when I just don’t feel like cooking dinner, and a turkey sandwich will suffice, but D still needs a healthy meal.  This spinach pesto has become one of my quick go-to meals for those ‘sandwich nights’:

1 1/2 C. Organic frozen spinach (of course you can use fresh, I just keep frozen on-hand)
1/4 C. Parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp. Butter or Olive oil
Cooked whole wheat pasta of choice (preferably finger-friendly).

Cook spinach according to directions.  When done, drain in colander and transfer to food processor.  Add parmesan and butter/olive oil and puree mixture.  Toss with pasta and top with some fresh parmesan.


The best part about this recipe is that Declan absolutely loves it (when he likes a certain food, he tends to be extremely messy eating it!), and it’s really quick and easy for me to whip-up.  Do you have any go-to baby/toddler recipes?  Please share your recipes in the comments:

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Filed Under: DIY | Recipes Tagged With: baby, pasta, recipe, spinach pesto, toddler

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Lauren B. Stevens is a former publishing rep-turned-writer, whose work can be found on ChildVantage, The Huffington Post, Scary Mommy and Care.com, among many other websites. When she's not chasing her precocious preschooler, Lauren pens hilarious and heartwarming stories about her life as a mother, ghostwrites blogs for businesses, and sometimes even finds the time to write a bit of creative non-fiction.
Look for Lauren's published essays in the books listed below:

i’m in these books!

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