The diaper back is often handbag, toybox and tolietry kit in one. Sleep-deprived moms often forget to replenish their bags and there is nothing worse than being left in a lurch without diapers or a change of clothes for your baby. Here’s a checklist of the essential 15 things you should pack in your diaper bag, as well as a few fun surprises.
I caught wind of these things and I absolutely had to see for myself – Milkscreen test strips. Created for the mom that wants to enjoy an occasional drink but make sure she is not passing any alcohol onto baby, Milkscreen test strips are the first ever at-home tests to identify the presence of alcohol in breast milk.
Alcohol can pass through the body into breast milk. About 2% of the alcohol you consume will enter your bloodstream and breast milk. Because everyone metabolizes alcohol differently, the amount of time it takes for the alcohol to leave your breast milk also varies. The only way to know for sure that alcohol is not present is to test the breast milk.
Yeah – I was always a bit rude to servers who refused to give me a glass of wine if I had a baby in my arms. Pump and dump? Really? (That’s not a solution. Alcohol is not trapped in breast milk. It is funneled through breast milk just as it is through your bloodstream, and pumping and dumping will just make you produce more milk a few hours later and feel uncomfortable.).
Anyway. I am an advocate of a breathalyzer in a car, and think a strip that tells you if you should or should not breastfeed is great. Any tool that can facilitate you being a responsible parent is amazing. It’s so good to have tests to know whether you are physically doing well, especially when you want to do the best you can for your baby.
If you are planning on breastfeeding, there are a few items that are essential to your success. You will need a nursing bra, nursing top, breast pump, nursing cover and lastly, patience. With these modern conveniences Breastfeeding is simpler and more stylish than ever.
New and soon-to-be moms face many important decisions : Co-sleeping or crib? Cloth or reusable diapers. And of course, the critical mission of finding the perfect nursing bra for those that plan to breastfeed. Sara Witzaney, owner of designer boutique Posh Mommy, realizes that like regular bras, not all nursing bras are created equal. These days, new moms have more selection than ever to choose from and it’s important to find the one that will meet your needs right from the beginning.
The most common reason mothers probably choose to breastfeed is the knowledge that human milk is the superior infant food. It contains live cells, like those in blood. Some components of human milk also enhance the effects of others, so the ingredients of human milk work together. Here is Why Human Milk is so Special.In contrast, only a small percentage of some ingredients of formula are absorbed; mixing ingredients in formula does not guarantee they will act together the way they do in human milk.
As if sleep deprivation isn’t enough.. People actually expect you to remember the breastfeeding sessions of a newborn and which side you did last. Yeah. As if. Well, the UrbanMommies team has developed a little treat for you. Meet our Breastfeeding Tracker Log. Breastfeeding Tracker
Losing weight is a concern for many mothers after the birth of a baby. Mothers may ask if it is possible to lose weight and breastfeed. During pregnancy, women gain extra pounds to store energy for producing breast milk. For some women, breastfeeding makes it easier to lose weight, since additional calories are used. Mothers who do not breastfeed will need to rely totally on diet and exercise to burn additional calories.
Dr. Judith Roepke, a nutritionist at Ball State University in Indiana and a member of LLLI’s Health Advisory Council, feels that the ideal time to lose weight is during lactation.
Q – My baby is 7 weeks old and I am exclusively breastfeeding and very happy doing it. I am, though, really missing a glass of wine or two…not like I need to drink a lot but I feel very conflicted about it while I’m nursing. How much is ok to drink, how long do I have to wait before feeding my baby, and how long does it take for the alcohol to actually leave my body?
People believe that there are multiple foods to avoid while breastfeeding, but the only thing women need to be careful of is alcohol. Alcohol does pass through the breast milk so if a woman does have a drink she should avoid breastfeeding for the next four hours and express and discard the milk produced during that period.
Women are often told they should not have chocolate, coffee or certain vegetables but none of these are actually harmful to the baby. Some babies will react to certain foods a mother has eaten, but this varies greatly from baby to baby and mother to mother. It is always wise to try foods you like even if they are “gassy vegetables” and watch for a change in the baby’s behavior. If there is no change then there is no point in restricting yourself. From my own personal experience, my oldest son was never upset about my eating chocolate or coffee but was not thrilled with tomatoes but my youngest one really did not like my eating chocolate. (Probably why I lost the weight faster the second time around.)
– Linda Ducholke