Breastfeeding Cafe is coming!

The Breastfeeding Cafe opens in the atrium of the Main Public Library (210 East 400 South) at the start of World Breastfeeding Week. Come celebrate breastfeeding daily with a community of support August 1-31.

Fertility Talk

Thanks to Salt Lake Leader Christy Porucznik for the enrichment meeting on Tuesday on fertitlity awareness. We discussed Lactational Amenorrhea, Calendar based methods, Bio-marker based methods, and Symptothermal based methods.

Here are some helpful links to find out more about natural family planning.
Natural Family Planning
Standard Days Method
Cycle Beads
Billings Ovulation Method
Taking Charge of Your Fertility
Natural Family Planning/Marquette University

July 28 Enrichment

Join us tomorrow for Fertility awareness with Salt Lake Leader Christy Porucznik @ 10am!

Welcome Rocio!

LLL of Sandy is proud to announce a new leader, Rocio Altamirano! Among many great qualities, she is Spanish and English speaking! We are happy to have her as a leader in our group! Welcome Rocio!

Breastfeeding around the house

Thanks to Kathy for leading Tuesday's meeting about breastfeeding around the house. We discussed all the different rooms in our homes and how they change when you have a baby. From safety in the kitchen, bathroom and laundry room to sleeping arrangements in the master bedroom mothers shared how they made adjustments for baby. Many mothers agreed that what you have intended for each room before baby is not necessarily what that room ends up being after baby arrives.

One mother used a baby jumper toy for baby in laundry room to keep him out of the laundry piles. Many mothers shared new uses for unused nurseries such as spare room or play room. Keeping baby out of toilets and dishwashers is another feat. Some mothers use safety locks and others opt for keeping baby out of certain rooms altogether. Overall, mothers said that keeping an open mind and being willing to rearrange are important when it comes to baby!

Join us for our next enrichment meeting on June 23, 2009. Discussion of the book How to Talk So Kids Will Listen with Timbra from LLL of Murray.

Meeting Tomorrow!

Series Meeting 2: Baby Arrives: The Family and the Breastfed Baby
Preparing for birth, establishing nursing in the early weeks, & including dad, sibling/s, & grandparents
Tomorrow, June 9, 2009 @ 10am

Disadvantages of Breastfeeding?

There are many sources for lists of the advantages (and disadvantages) of breastfeeding and artificial milk (formula) feeding. Yesterday we discussed many of the so called disadvantages and discovered that many are a state of mind. Here are some of the things we came up with:

What "they" say: Ties Mother down
Our take: Gives mother freedom to go anywhere with baby and doesn't require any extra equipment.


What "they" say: Father can't feed baby
Our take: There are many things a father can do and allows working fathers to get much needed sleep!


What "they" say: Makes babies too dependent/hard to wean.
Our take: Babies are dependent, they are babies. Babies, like adults, can learn and change.



What "they" say: Takes too long
Our take: Babies require attention, and should be held regardless of how they are fed!


What "they" say: Environmental pollutants are too high in breastmilk
Our take: The good still outweighs the bad & formula has been shown to have higher levels of heavy metals, phytoestrogens and badteria


What "they" say: Painful
Our take: Although some discomfort in the early days is to be expected, breastfeeding should not hurt! Despite this, many women do have trouble in the early weeks do to improper latch or other physical problems. Most mothers who encounter these problems find that making through this time is highly worth it!

Meeting Tomorrow!

Come at 10am for Series Meeting #1: The Importance of Breastfeeding
Nursing benefits for baby, mother, father, families and the world...
See you there!

Nutrition and Weaning

Thanks to Kathy for leading this Tuesday's series meeting on nutrition and weaning. She passed out index cards with myths about food and breastfeeding, such as "I love chocolate so I shouldn't breastfeed" and "My milk has turned green so I shouldn't nurse." (Green milk can be caused by mom drinking lots of lime Gatorade: watch out for food dyes!.) Another card was "I shouldn't eat onions and garlic when I'm nursing." The group talked about weaning, substitution, distraction, and nursing lying down.

For more information on nutrition in breastfeeding and weaning please visit La Leche League's website!
How do I wean my baby?
Are there any foods I should avoid while I'm breastfeeding?

Remember there is no Enrichment meeting this month! See you next time for Topic 1: The Importance of Breastfeeding on Tuesday, May 12th!

Yoga for Moms

Thanks to Rachel Vaden for presenting her yoga in pregnancy, labor & beyond. Tuesday's meeting was fun and informative. We learned that yoga can help your body & mind in pregnancy, labor and postpartum. Here is the 10-15 minute yoga routine that Rachel presented for pregnancy & beyond.

-Mountain
-Rocking
-Standing cat-cow
-Forward fold
-Downward facing dog
-Come down onto all fours
-Spinal balance
-Hip circles
-Puppy or child's pose
-Hip circles/figure 8 both sides
-Squat and kegels
-Seated straddle split
-Ankle circles & flex & point
-Butterfly
-Head to knee
-Sacral stabilizing, interlacing fingers reach up both sides
-Gentle sacral twist
-Switch sides & repeat
-Cross-legged &/or side lying position, choose breathing technique and mantra* or meditation to practice at least 5 min. If sitting, place blanket under sit bones for hip & low back support if needed.

Namaste

*Helpful mantras:
-My body is stronger and more flexible than I ever thought possible
-I surrender to the wisdom of my body
-My baby feels calm, peace & serenity
-(breathing in)Trust in your body, (breathing out)Surrender to the experience

Benefits of Yoga

Come to our enrichment meeting tomorrow at 10am and learn the benefits of yoga in labor, childbirth, postpartum & beyond! Don't forget to wear something comfortable & bring a towel to kneel on. Although tomorrow's meeting is not an official class, Rachel Vaden will be able to show us all some poses. See you there!

The Well Ordered Home

Tuesday's enrichment meeting was led by Kathy on the book The Well Ordered Home. We discussed many ways of making our homes more organized with children, or accepting the disorganization that can come along with having children!

Some quick clean up tips moms offered were:
*Putting useful items in active storage close to where you need and use them i.e. bathroom cleaners in bathroom, printer paper next to printer, etc.
*Using different colored expanding folders for kids paperwork
*Taking pictures of children's artwork instead of keeping originals
*Having under the bed storage bin for keepsakes/artwork children want to keep
*Using bins and trash cans in your vehicle
*Changing our expectations of what a clean home with children really is!

Next week is enrichment!

Tuesday the 24th! Don't miss "The Well Ordered Home"

Books For Sale

LLL of Sandy has quite a few books for sale. Please see the bottom of our blog for the list. If you want to purchase a book, contact Kathy Grossman at hkgrossman@gmail.com.

February Series Meeting

During this month's series meeting the first two concepts of LLL philosophy were discussed. Here is a look at the 10 Concepts of LLL Philosophy.

The ideals and principles of mothering which are the foundation of LLL beliefs are developed in THE WOMANLY ART OF BREASTFEEDING. This book has provided answers and inspiration for the rewarding and challenging job of parenting to several generations of mothers. LLL philosophy is summarized in the following ten concepts:

* 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.

January Enrichment!

Winter & the Breastfeeding Family: Emergencies, stocking up, snow play & coping with cabin fever... Hope to see you Tuesday, January 27th!

The Importance of Breastfeeding

At this past Tuesday's meeting we discussed many facts about breastfeeding. Some of these facts included:
Breastfeeding reduces the risk of cancer in mother
Breastfeeding may reduce SIDS in baby
Breastfeeding helps mom lose "baby weight"
Breastfeeding helps lessen sickness and severity of sickness in baby
Breastfeeding creates strong bond between baby and mother
Breastfeeding helps mother read babies cues

Many moms shared their experiences with the three moms with newborns and another mother pregnant with baby number two. For more facts about breastfeeding visit the FAQ on La Leche League's website.

D-MER (Dysphoric Milk Ejection Reflex)

FYI

December Series Meeting

Our Series meeting this month was Nutrition and Weaning led by Jen. We started out talking about our favorite winter/holiday treats which varied from clementines to toffee to pies and soups. Jen led us in talking about holiday simplifying. Comments ranged from spending holidays at home, cutting out travel, opting out of gift giving, and spreading out the celebrations.
We also discussed starting solids and went over LLLI's new tear off sheet about when and how to start solids. Jen encouraged us to openly share this information with our pediatricians. Here, from http://www.llli.org/FAQ/solids.html is what LLL says about starting solids.

When should my baby start solids?

Human milk is the only food that healthy, full-term babies need for about the first six months of life. The composition of human milk varies according to the time of day and the age of the baby, so that each mother provides the milk that meets her own baby's unique needs. Human milk provides immunity factors for as long as the baby nurses, and many of the health benefits of breastfeeding continue well into childhood and beyond.

Most solid foods are lower in calories than human milk, of lower nutritional value, and can be difficult for young babies to digest. Introduced early, they can cause unpleasant reactions and even trigger allergies. These problems can be avoided by waiting until your baby is ready for solids. Some parents have found introducing solids before baby is ready to be a waste of time, energy and money.

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.

See you at the series meeting!

Tuesday, December 9 @ 10am
Nutrition and Weaning
Starting solids, family nutrition, extended nursing, approaches to weaning, loving guidance