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August 5, 2015 by Angela Walsh Leave a Comment

August is National Breastfeeding Month

 

 

happy mom breast feeding newborn baby

August is National Breastfeeding Awareness Month. I would like to take this opportunity to share some of the wonderful benefits of breastfeeding for both mother and child.

Not only does breastfeeding provide a unique bonding opportunity, a mother’s breastmilk offers antibodies that can help protect her baby from illness. According to womenshealth.gov, research suggests that breastfed babies have lower risks of such illnesses as asthma, childhood obesity, ear infections, eczema, diarrhea and vomiting, lower respiratory infections, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and Type 2 diabetes.

Breastfeeding can also provide many health benefits for mothers. According to healthychildren.org, “mothers who breastfeed recover from childbirth more quickly and easily. The hormone oxytocin, released during breastfeeding acts to return the uterus to its regular size more quickly, and can reduce postpartum bleeding. Studies show that women who have breastfed experience reduced rates of breast and ovarian cancer later in life. Some studies have found that breastfeeding may reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and cardiovascular disease including high blood pressure and high cholesterol.”

Feeding Your Infant

Newborns can eat up to twelve times in a 24 hour period.  It’s best at this young age to feed your baby on demand as their nervous system isn’t mature enough for a feeding schedule. Additionally, feeding on demand is a good way to help establish your milk supply.  You can often pick up your baby’s hunger cues before they start getting upset. Look for increased alertness and/ or rooting around for your breast.

Breastfeeding and Sleep Training

When it comes to sleep, breastfed babies can sleep as well and as long as bottle fed babies. However, breastfed babies are more likely to fall asleep while being fed. This is a wonderful feeling having your baby fall asleep as you nurse, but it can also create a strong nurse/sleep association. As your baby gets older, practice waking your baby after nursing and putting him down drowsy but awake, or have dad or a caregiver put him down. This will help your baby learn how to self-soothe. 

After the age of two months, babies eat more during the day and can sleep longer intervals at night. If your baby wakes within a couple of hours of eating, try singing, shushing, rocking, replacing a pacifier, rubbing or patting, before offering breast or bottle. It’s easy to always default to feeding, but it may not be necessary. Teaching your baby new skills is a wonderful goal to have. 

A baby’s sleep habits can change due to growth spurts and milestones. It’s very tempting in the night to begin feeding if they suddenly start waking. Try to resist doing this as it can become habit forming, and lead to even more night wakings. Instead, use the same soothing techniques suggested above, or offer a bottle of water if all else fails.  

If  your baby begins to drop a night feed, pump at the time your baby would normally wake and then gradually wean. If you stop abruptly this could affect your milk supply as well as cause discomfort. Likewise, nightly pumping may be necessary when your baby begins to give up night feedings.

Bonding With Dad
Within the first few weeks of life, try offering a bottle so your baby can get used to it. Have dad do the feed. This will allow you to get some extra rest, encourage bonding between dad and your baby, and introduce your baby to self-soothing skills. 

A mom’s ability to breastfeed is one of life’s amazing gifts. Breastfeeding not only provides your child with a healthy start to life, but the soothing routine helps to settle your little one into a good night’s rest. In addition, finding the right balance between feeding times and sleep schedules can help your little one build healthy sleep habits.

Once your baby approaches the age of four months, you can begin to put your baby on a sleep schedule. For some babies this is not an easy transition, and you may find you need help. As your Pediatric Sleep Specialist, I know your baby and family situation is absolutely unique. Understanding your baby’s sleep issues as well as your parenting philosophy and style, I will create a customized sleep plan to get your entire family sleeping again.  If you think you and your family could benefit from a Child Sleep Specialist be sure to review my sleep success plans or contact me for additional information.

Please let me know if you found this information helpful.

Angela Walsh is a Family Sleep Institute, Certified Infant and Child Sleep Consultant and the founder of Babes in Sleepland. She helps sleep deprived babies, children and families, get back on track and get the sleep they need and desire. To learn more about Angela and how she can help you, visit her website: babesinsleepland.com.  Also get sleep tips, the latest research on baby and child products, and be part of her weekly Q and A at her Facebook page: Babes in Sleepland.

 

 

Filed Under: Baby Sleep, Breast Feeding and Sleep Training, How to Teach Self Soothing Skills, Moms and Babies, National Breastfeeding Month, Sleep Tips for Newborn Babies

June 9, 2015 by Angela Walsh Leave a Comment

How a Child’s Behavior Can be Affected by Their Bedtime and Routines

 

Happy young family having fun outdoors in summer. Mother, father and their cute little daughters are playing in the sunny garden. Happy parenthood and childhood concept. Focus on the father.

With summer vacation around the corner, parents of young children can safely assume that their family’s daily and nightly schedules are going to experience a bit of a shake-up. When kids are out of school, they are no longer following the regimented schedules to which they have become accustomed.  This can become difficult for implementing a regular summer bedtime.

According to an article published in Pediatrics, The Official Journal of The American Academy of Pediatrics, children who don’t have a fixed bedtime show more behavioral problems than those who go to bed at the same time every night. Authors Yvonne Kelly PhD, John Kelly BEng, and Amanda Sacker PhD looked at the links between disturbed sleep and behavioural problems in children between the ages of three and seven. The results of the study showed that children with varied sleep times may also experience behavioural problems including hyperactivity, conduct problems, problems interacting with peers and emotional difficulties if sleep continues to be varied.

The good news is, according to the research findings, “The effect of having a non-regular bedtime appears to be reversible: For children who changed from not having to having, regular bedtimes, there were improvements in behavioral scores.” http://bit.ly/1BJsZc8

As a Certified Pediatric Sleep Specialist and the mom to four children, I know you can’t manage day after day with little or no sleep. Sleep schedules in childhood are influenced by a variety of biological and social influences. Routines are essential in ensuring healthy sleep. Unfortunately these routines do not always come easy.  Working together with parents, I set in place age appropriate naps, bedtime and sleep routines.  I develop a sleep plan that is in line with the parent’s goals and parenting philosophy, and provide daily support while the plan is implemented.

So how can your family implement a regular bedtime during the summer?
By making adjustments to meal times you can encourage an earlier bedtime. During the summer months it can be very easy for our days to get away from us and for meals to get pushed back to a later time. Do your best to keep your child’s meal schedules consistent and not have them eat a big meal right before bedtime or naptime.

Choose a sleep friendly bedtime snack
According to the National Sleep Foundation, proteins from the food we eat are the building blocks of tryptophan, which makes us sleepy. Therefore, the best bedtime snack is one that contains both a carbohydrate and protein.


Use a sound machine
During the summer months the sun may still be up when your child goes to bed. There is also a good chance your neighbors are outside enjoying the weather when your child is trying to fall asleep. A white noise machine is best.  There are some machines that play lullabies or nature sounds, but often these end up being a stimulant. A white noise machine is non-stimulating and very good at blocking noises from inside and out.

Don’t forget naptime
When families are enjoying summer activities or traveling on vacation it can be difficult to schedule in naptimes. An overtired child can find it difficult to fall asleep at night. Do your best to ensure your child continues their regular naptime during the summer months.

 
Every child is different, therefore each family experiences their own unique sleep worries. I am happy to work with parents one on one to help provide more specific advice for their specific case. You can review my Sleep Success Plans for additional information.

Please let me know if you found this article helpful.

Angela Walsh is a Family Sleep Institute, Certified Infant and Child Sleep Consultant and the founder of Babes in Sleepland. She helps sleep deprived babies, children and families, get back on track and get the sleep they need and desire. To learn more about Angela and how she can help you, visit her website: babesinsleepland.com.  Also get sleep tips, the latest research on baby and child products, and be part of her weekly Q and A at her Facebook page: Babes in Sleepland.

 

 

 

Filed Under: Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder, certified child sleep consultant, child sleep expert, Moms and Babies, Sleep Advice, Sleep Schedules

November 24, 2014 by Angela Walsh Leave a Comment

Ten Tips for Colicky Babies and Exhausted Moms

http://www.dreamstime.com/stock-photo-baby-crying-image26123090As most parents know, colic is intense crying that never seems to end. It leaves parents feeling terribly helpless and for new parents, it can be especially frightening. Here, your beautiful little baby seems to be in so much pain, and the piercing cry is almost too much to bear. It most often seems to happen when everyone is tired and cranky-early to late evening. It generally subsides when the baby is three months old.

Often parents think their baby has colic when it could just be general fussiness. I used to think my babies had colic, but the one missing ingredient was the classic ” knees pulled up to the chest.”  They never did this, so I can now say, they didn’t have colic. Yet their early evening, endless crying, left me feeling the same way a parent of a colicky baby would feel. 

 What do Professionals Say Causes Colic and Fussiness?

  1. Intestinal pain.
  2. Swallowing too much air when they start to cry, which in turn causes gassiness, which leads to more crying.
  3. Tension that builds throughout the day.

                  What Can a Parent or Caregiver Do?

  1. Prepare yourself and your environment for the possibility you will have a fussy/colicky baby. Understand that it is normal and many if not most, babies experience it. You are not alone which is so good to remember because you may feel alone.  Talk to your baby’s dad and make sure he understands there could be lots of crying. Keep in mind fussiness begins late in the afternoon and can go long into the evening. Prepare an early dinner for yourself, get other children settled, set up a comfortable room in the house where you have things to keep you occupied and distracted (movies, magazines, snacks) while you soothe your baby.   
  2. Probiotics have been found to relieve colic in some babies.Of course this is never advised unless the pediatrician agrees.
  3. Feed baby small amounts at a time and burp a lot.
  4. Remove cow’s milk from the nursing mom’s diet, and eventually other things such as, caffeine and spicy and gassy foods, if need be.
  5. Use a white noise machine which can calm a baby as it re-creates sounds of mom’s womb.
  6. Sucking-whether it be breast, bottle, or pacifier, this is found to trigger the calming reflex.
  7. Swaddling-babies feel they are back in their mom’s body which brings them comfort and warmth.
  8. Side Sleeping-lying baby on her left side can aid in digestion and inhibit the Moro, also called startle reflex. 
  9. Swinging-movement such as a swing, car ride or rocking reminds baby of his first home.
  10. Shushing– while you walk, hold, or lie with your baby, this sound emulates what he heard in the womb.                                                                                                                                  

                                 As a Last Resort

If none of these things work, it’s best to lay your baby down in his bed and leave him to cry. It may sound cruel, but often your baby needs to cry. Being exposed to so much stimulation throughout the day can be very overwhelming and crying can help relieve this tension. You can try this in five to ten minute intervals. Put him in bed for five to ten minutes, then try to soothe him for five to ten minutes.

Interestingly, a study showed that babies in the hospital had less colicky type behavior than babies who were at home with their parents. The study concluded that babies in the hospital cannot be attended to the way they are at home.  Therefore, they are exposed to less stimulation, which may actually be the root of the problem.

Remember to take care of yourself.  You are still recovering from childbirth and you need your rest to make sure your milk supply is adequate, so enlist the help of others if you feel overwhelmed.  

                                   Sleep and the Colicky Baby

So now that the colic has subsided you may run into sleep difficulties.  This is one of the things that can happen because colicky babies are held and comforted a lot.  Many have not learned self-soothing skills, and therefore have negative sleep associations, and often a big sleep debt to make up.  At four months of age, a baby’s circadian rhythms develop and it is now important for them to be on a solid nap and bedtime schedule, so that they get the most restorative and consolidated sleep.

If by the age of four months your baby is still not able to settle on her own, wakes frequently throughout the night, wakes very early in the morning, or is not napping properly,  you may need to consider sleep training.  Sleep training will teach your baby not only to sleep well, but to love sleep, and this is key to a well-rested, happy and healthy baby!

 


happy family mother and baby having fun playing, laughing on bed

 

 Does your baby have colic or fussy periods throughout the day?  Let us know what techniques you implement.

Angela Walsh is a Family Sleep Institute, Certified Infant and Child Sleep Consultant and the founder of Babes in Sleepland. She helps sleep deprived babies, children and families, get back on track and get the sleep they need and desire. To learn more about Angela and how she can help you, visit her website: babesinsleepland.com Also get sleep tips, the latest research on baby and child products, and be part of her weekly Q and A at her Facebook page: Babes in Sleepland

 

Filed Under: Baby Sleep, baby sleep difficulties, certified child sleep consultant, how to swaddle a baby, Infant and child sleep advice, is it good to swaddle a baby, Moms and Babies, swaddling a baby

December 16, 2013 by Angela Walsh Leave a Comment

sleep needs and sleep challenges of autistic children

 

http://audio.itsyourhealthnetwork.com/media/parent121213angelababes14min10sec.mp3

Once a baby is four months old and their circadian rhythms have developed, the baby is ready to be on a sleep schedule.

Give me your thoughts about this interview.  If it was helpful to you, please share it.

Filed Under: Baby Sleep, baby sleep difficulties, certified child sleep consultant, Child Sleep, child sleep expert, Families, How can i get my ASD child to sleep properly, Media Mentions, Moms, Moms and Babies, Sleep Advice, Special Needs Children and Sleep Tagged With: Special needs children and sleep

October 5, 2013 by Angela Walsh Leave a Comment

Sleep Tip #8

 

When your baby reaches the age of 3-4 months, you should see colicky behavior disappear, and longer sleeping patterns at night. This happens because your baby’s brain is now producing the hormone “melatonin.” Melatonin is responsible for relaxing the stomach muscles and ending day/night confusion.

Filed Under: Baby Sleep, baby sleep difficulties, Families, Moms, Moms and Babies, Sleep Schedules, sleep tips

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Meet Angela

My name is Angela Walsh.  I am a Child Sleep Consultant Certified by the Family Sleep Institute, and the founder of Babes in Sleepland.  As the mother of four grown children (three boys and a girl), my mission is to help parents like you enjoy every … (READ MORE)

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"After putting Angela’s techniques to use, we had a baby who went from several night wakings to only one waking a night! Angela was a great help, and was sensitive to my beliefs as a...
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"What I also found so appealing about Angela, is that she respected me as a mother. Her guidance kept me empowered. And she has the sweetest most soothing voice!"
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