A Planet Friendly Period

Our enrichment meeting tomorrow is about how to have a natural/plant friendly period. Enrichment meetings are open to all members, but if you aren't a member and this topic interests you please join us!

LLL Philosophy

La Leche League's philosophy is based on 10 concepts. Here they are:

*Mothering through breastfeeding is the most natural and effective way of understanding and satisfying the needs of the baby.

*Mother and baby need to be together early and often to establish a satisfying relationship and an adequate milk supply.

*In the early years the baby has an intense need to be with his mother which is as basic as his need for food.

*Breast milk is the superior infant food.

*For the healthy full-term baby, breast milk is the only food necessary until baby shows signs of needing solids, about the middle of the first year after birth.

*Ideally the breastfeeding relationship will continue until the baby outgrows the need.

*Alert and active participation by the mother in childbirth is a help in getting breastfeeding off to a good start.

*Breastfeeding is enhanced and the nursing couple sustained by the loving support, help and companionship of the baby's father. A father's unique relationship with his baby is an important element in the child's development from early infancy.

*Good nutrition means eating a well-balanced and varied diet of foods in as close to their natural state as possible.

*From infancy on, children need loving guidance which reflects acceptance of their capabilities and sensitivity to their feelings.

Meeting Tomorrow

Join us tomorrow at 10am for Series Meeting # 4: Nutrition and Weaning
Starting solids, family nutrition, extended nursing, approaches to weaning, loving guidance.

As always, our meetings are free to all interested women & any children who need them. Our meetings are informal discussions, so don't worry if you're running late! We hope to see you there!

Art by Kathy Grossman

A special thanks to Sandy leader Kathy Grossman for generously letting us use images of her beautiful paintings of mothers and babes for our website!

Attachment Parenting

Thanks to Ginger for leading this month's Enrichment meeting on The Attachment Parenting Book by William Sears.

What is Attachment Parenting (or AP)? Attachment parenting is a style of caring for your infant that brings out the best in the baby and the best in the parents. The 7 B's or attachment tools, according to Dr. Sears' book, are: Birth Bonding, Breastfeeding, Baby Wearing, Bedding close to Baby, Belief in the Language value of your baby's cry, Beware of baby trainers, and Balance. That said, here is a bit more about AP:

• AP is a starter style. There may be medical or family circumstances why you are unable to practice all of these baby B's. Attachment parenting implies first opening your mind and heart to the individual needs of your baby, and eventually you will develop the wisdom on how to make on-the-spot decisions on what works best for both you and your baby. Do the best you can with the resources you have – that's all your child will ever expect of you. These baby B's help parents and baby get off to the right start. Use these as starter tips to work out your own parenting style – one that fits the individual needs of your child and your family. Attachment parenting helps you develop your own personal parenting style.
• AP is an approach, rather than a strict set of rules. It's actually the style that many parents use instinctively. Parenting is too individual and baby too complex for there to be only one way. The important point is to get connected to your baby, and the baby B's of attachment parenting help. Once connected, stick with what is working and modify what is not. You will ultimately develop your own parenting style that helps parent and baby find a way to fit – the little word that so economically describes the relationship between parent and baby.
• AP is responsive parenting. By becoming sensitive to the cues of your infant, you learn to read your baby's level of need. Because baby trusts that his needs will be met and his language listened to, the infant trusts in his ability to give cues. As a result, baby becomes a better cue-giver, parents become better cue-readers, and the whole parent-child communication network becomes easier.
• AP is a tool. Tools are things you use to complete a job. The better the tools, the easier and the better you can do the job. Notice we use the term "tools" rather than "steps." With tools you can pick and choose which of those fit your personal parent-child relationship. Steps imply that you have to use all the steps to get the job done. Think of attachment parenting as connecting tools, interactions with your infant that help you and your child get connected. Once connected, the whole parent-child relationship (discipline, healthcare, and plain old having fun with your child) becomes more natural and enjoyable. Consider AP a discipline tool. The better you know your child, the more your child trusts you, and the more effective your discipline will be. You will find it easier to discipline your child and your child will be easier to discipline.

You can find a complete AP index for this book at askdrsears.com.

Attachment Parenting

Join us tomorrow, March 23, 2010 at 10am for a discussion on William Sears' The Attachment Parenting Book: A Commonsense Guide to Understanding and Nurturing Your Baby.

hope to see you there!

Making Your Own Luck

As mothers we often think we need many gadgets and accessories to get the job of mothering done. Nursing clothes, breast pumps and nursing pillows are on many "must have" lists for breastfeeding moms. As we discussed in this month's series meeting, most nursing moms find they need very few accessories to breastfeed. We also talked about coping with criticism, overcoming common and not so common obstacles. Here are a few helpful links for helping the breastfeeding mom to make her own luck!
Discreet Breastfeeding
Breastfeeding after a c-section
Engorgement
Sore breasts
Increasing milk supply
Sleeping through the night

Thanks to all the new moms that attended, and of course thanks to all our regular moms who keep coming back!

The Art of Breastfeeding & Avoiding Difficulties

Join us tomorrow for series meeting #3, The Art of Breastfeeding & Avoiding Difficulties at 10am.
The normal course of breastfeeding, recognizing challenges, caring for yourself, getting support

Meetings are open to all interested women. Children who need you are always welcome. Series meetings are group discussions, not lectures. We encourage pregnant moms to come before baby is born to get information and support. Hope to see you there!

Join LLL of Murray tomorrow

Murray LLL Series Meetings
Held the first Tuesday of each month at 12 noon.
Murray Park Church of Christ
494 East 5300 South
Murray, UT 84107

New Beginnings Issue 1

Enjoy!

NB_Issue_1_10_FINALZmags.pdf

Enrichment Meeting Tuesday

Join us tomorrow February 23, 2010 at 10am for a discussion on Elizabeth Pantley's No Cry Sleep Solution for Toddlers and Preschoolers: Gentle Ways to Stop Bedtime Battles and Improve Your Child's Sleep.

As always, enrichment meetings are for LLL members, but if you are thinking about membership or there is a topic that is of interest to you, please join us!

The Family and the Breastfed Baby

To we answered the question: "How does the perfect man help a breastfeeding mother?" The answers ranged from helping with night time parenting, starting dinner, helping with bed time routines, to just giving a new mom praise and encouragement. We also talked about making our desires and needs known by communicating verbally or through "honey-do" lists.
We also talked a lot about tandem nursing, nursing right after birth, nursing strikes and weaning. In keeping with today's theme here is a wonderful FAQ page from llli.org entitled "What Is the Father's Roll in the Breastfeeding Relationship?"

Thanks to all who attended, especially the new Moms! We hope to see you next month for series meeting #3: The Art of Breastfeeding & Avoiding Difficulties- The normal course of breastfeeding, recognizing challenges, caring for yourself, getting support. That meeting will be on March 9, 2010 at 10am!

Tomorrow!

Series Meeting #2: Baby Arrives: The Family and the Breastfed Baby
Preparing for birth, establishing nursing in the early weeks

LLL of Salt Lake launches "Cafe Day"

LLL of Salt Lake is adding a fourth meeting option for moms and cafe kids! On Thursday January 28th they will launch their winter season Cafe Day at Cafe Niche, 779 East 300 South, from 10 am until 12 noon.

Diaper Free Baby

Today's meeting was based on the book: The Diaper-free Baby: The Natural Toilet Training Alternative by Christine Gross-Loh. Also known as Elimination Communication or EC, The Diaper-free baby is based on mother-baby responsiveness and focuses on how we respond to cues for baby's feeding, sleeping, and other natural functions. You can learn more about EC at diaperfreebaby.org.

URGENT CALL FOR HUMAN MILK DONATIONS FOR HAITI INFANTS

There is an urgent need for human milk to be donated for newborn (especially premature) babies in Haiti. . . . Here is the information regarding Haiti and below that, in red, a response to information from our nearest HMBANA Milk Bank (Denver) regarding eligibility and how to donate, beneath that more information on donating to programs that support mothers feeding their own children (in blue):

URGENT CALL FOR HUMAN MILK DONATIONS FOR HAITI INFANTS

The Human Milk Banking Association of North America (HMBANA), United States
Breastfeeding Committee (USBC), International Lactation Consultant
Association/United States Lactation Consultant Association (ILCA/USLCA), and
La Leche League International (LLLI) are jointly issuing an urgent call for
human milk donations for premature infants in Haiti, as well as sick and
premature infants in the United States.

This week the first shipment of human milk from mothers in the United States
will be shipped to the U.S. Navy Ship "Comfort" stationed outside Haiti.
"Comfort" is currently set up with a neonatal intensive care unit and
medical personnel to provide urgent care to victims of the earthquake. An
International Board Certified Lactation Consultant stationed at the U.S.
Navy base in Bethesda, MD is assisting with providing breast pump equipment
and supplies to the "Comfort." Dr. Erika Beard-Irvine, pediatric
neonatologist, is on board the "Comfort" to coordinate distribution of the
milk to infants in need. HMBANA, USBC, ILCA/USLCA, and LLL are responding to
requests to provide milk for both premature infants and at-risk mothers who
have recently delivered babies on board the U.S.N.S. Comfort, but an urgent
need exists for additional donations.

At the current time, the infrastructure to deliver human milk on land to
Haiti infants has not yet been established. As soon as that infrastructure
is in place, additional donations will be provided to older infants.

Mothers who are willing to donate human milk should contact their regional
Mothers' Milk Bank of HMBANA. A list of regional milk banks is available at
the HMBANA website at www.hmbana.org.

Currently milk banks are already low on donor milk. New milk donations will
be used for both Haiti victims as well as to replenish donor supplies to
continue to serve sick and premature infants in the U.S. Donor milk provides
unique protection for fragile preterm infants. Financial donations are also
strongly encouraged to allow HMBANA, a nonprofit organization, to continue
serving infants in need.

UNICEF, the World Health Organization, the Emergency Nutrition Network, and
medical professionals all recommend that breastfeeding and human milk be
used for infants in disasters or emergencies. Human milk is life-saving due
to its disease prevention properties. It is safe, clean, and does not depend
on water which is often unavailable or contaminated in an emergency. Relief
workers, health care providers, and other volunteers are urged to provide
support for breastfeeding mothers to enable them to continue breastfeeding,
and to assist pregnant and postpartum women in initiating and sustaining
breastfeeding.

For more information, contact HMBANA at 408-998-4550 or
www.hmbana.org . Additional information can be
provided from the United States Breastfeeding Committee at 202-367-1132
(www.usbreastfeeding.org), ILCA/USLCA at
1-800-452-2478 (www.ilca.org or
www.uslca.org), or La Leche League at 847-519-7730
(www.llli.org).

The Science of Mother's Milk

Our meeting today was based on the article "The Science of Mother's Milk" by Ayala Ochert on pages 28-29 in Issue 3 / 2009 NEW BEGINNINGS. We talked about prebiotics (sugars naturally found in milk), probiotics (friendly bacteria in milk), oligosaccharides (the special sugars in prebiotics), lactoferrin, colostrum, and the amazing thymus (a central organ of the immune system that is twice as big in breastfed babies as compared to formula-fed babies at four months old). Ochert comments, ". . . people who were never breastfed (or those who were weaned too early) will have deficient immune systems--not just in infancy but for the rest of their lives." To read the entire article visit this New Beginnings link: NB Issue 3-09.

The Importance of Breastfeeding

Join us for our discussion of topic one: The Importance of Breastfeeding on Tuesday, January 12 at 10:00am at the Community of Grace Presbyterian Church located on the corner of Highland Dr and Newcastle in Sandy.

Series meetings are open to all interested women and focus on breastfeeding in the first year. Although we have topics our aim is to help women breastfeed their babies (in the first year and beyond) so come and join the discussion!

New Beginnings Issue 5-6

Enjoy!
NB Issue 5-6-09

Nutrition and Weaning

This month's series meeting was focused on nutrition and weaning. Starting solids is the beginning of weaning. The following information on starting solids can be found on llli.org's FAQ sheet "When should my baby start solids?":

Breastfed babies do not need to have complementary food introduced until about the middle of the first year. Before that time, you will notice some signs that your baby is changing developmentally, in preparation for beginning solids in a few months. You will notice that:

• he becomes more sociable, playing and holding "conversations" with you during a nursing session
• he has a growth spurt and nurses more frequently for a while
• he imitates the chewing motions you make whilst eating -- he is practicing!

You will know that he is really ready to start solids when:

• he is about six months old
• he can sit up without any support
• he continues to be hungry despite more frequent nursing which is unrelated to illness or teething
• he has lost the tongue-thrusting reflex and does not push solids out of his mouth
• he can pick up things with his finger and thumb (pincer grasp)

Babies who are ready for solids can usually feed themselves. Mothers often report that they knew their babies were ready when they picked up food from a plate, chewed it, swallowed it, and wanted more.

Listen to your baby! Babies with a tendency to allergies may refuse solids until later in their first year. As long as they are growing well and are happy and healthy, there is no need for concern.

Good first foods for babies

Save money and give your baby the freshest food by making your own baby food. Here are some suggestions.

Fruits

Most babies love fruits. Make sure they are ripe, and wash well before peeling. Here are some favorites:

• Bananas cut into slices which have then been halved or quartered
• Unsweetened applesauce, or tiny apple chunks that have been softened by cooking in the microwave
• Plums, peaches, pears, and apricots, gently cooked if necessary
• Avocado diced into small, bite size pieces

Vegetables

Fresh vegetables should be washed, peeled and cooked until tender. Frozen veggies are convenient to have on hand. Avoid the canned varieties to which salt has been added. Your baby may enjoy:

• Baked or boiled sweet potatoes, in tiny chunks
• Mashed white potatoes
• Baby carrots, green beans, peas and squash

Meat and fish

Babies often prefer well-cooked chicken, which is soft and easy to eat when shredded. Be careful to remove even the tiny bones when serving fish.

Beans and legumes

Remove the skins from beans as they tend to be harder to digest. If you use canned beans for convenience, make sure they are unseasoned.

Grains and cereals

Commercial, iron-fortified cereals are often the first foods served to babies who are not breastfeeding because they need the extra iron, but breastfed babies are rarely anemic as the iron in human milk is well-utilized. If there is concern about the baby's iron levels, a simple test can be done in the doctor's office.

Whole grain cereals, breads and crackers are the most nutritious. Wait until later in the year before offering wheat products. If you use cereals, make sure that they only have one ingredient and use either water or your own milk for mixing. Many mothers prefer to let their older babies chew on a hard bagel or an end of bread instead of sugary teething biscuits.