My Blog Page
8/24/08
Welcome to my Blog page! I thought this would be a fun way to share thoughts & ideas. Many of the families I work with ask me for my opinion about baby products. So I wanted to share with you some of my recommendations.
I know there are tons of books out there on infant care, feeding & sleeping. The book that I really love is, Secrets of the Baby Whisperer, by Tracy Hogg. It is full of practical advice that is fun & easy to read. I wish I had this book when my children were babies!
I also get asked what type of bottles I think are best. There is alot of personal preference in this choice but I like the Playtex nurser. The collapsible liners allow you to get all the air out so that baby has less gas. For colicky babies or Gerd babies I think these are definitely best. I know Dr. Browns bottles are very popular but I personally am not crazy about them. When placed in the bottle warmer they leak milk and they have alot of parts to keep sterilized. I do like the Born Free Bottles.
A product that I am really loving right now is the Kidopotamus wrap. It is absolutely great for keeping babies swaddled nice & tight. In my experience newborns sleep better & longer when they are swaddled tightly. You can find these wraps at Babies R Us.
Please feel free to e-mail me with products that you think are great.
9/30/08
Sleep
Many times I am called in to help solve babies sleep problems. It would be so much easier to prevent them from the begining. When you bring your baby home from the hospital, try to always lay baby down when they are sleepy but still awake. This allows baby to learn to self soothe themselves to sleep. I know how tempting it is to sit and rock them to sleep and then hold them but you have to ask yourself, Do I want my baby to be able to sleep in their bed? When your baby is able to nap easily in their bed you will be so glad you taught them this skill!
10/30/08
How Much Milk Do Newborns Need?
New moms are usually very concerned about whether their babies are getting enough milk. A newborn babies stomach on their first day of life is the size of a marble, by day three it is the size of a ping pong ball, and on day ten is the size of a plastic easter egg (the small ones). Newborns only need 2 - 2.5 ounces of milk at a feeding up until about 5-6 weeks of age. They can then graduate to 3-3.5 ounces per feeding until around 8 weeks of age. At 8-10 wks old a baby will begin needing 4-5 ounces of milk at a feeding. Many mothers overfeed their babies and in doing so create alot of stomach issues for baby. A newborn babies digestive system is immature and therefore prone to gas and pain as the baby digests their formula. There is a product on the market called Gripe Water that is extremely helpful for babies that are having stomach issues.
This particular brand has ginger in it which really helps to soothe babies stomach. It is sold at Walgreens and some HEB stores. You can also purchase it online at
If your baby is experiencing severe gas/colic you can ask your pediatrician to look at their stool sample to see if they have a milk allergy or lactose intolerance. There will be traces of blood in their stool that are not visible to your eye. They may also be having a reflux problem which can be helped by medication.
New Arrivals
11/26/08
Since it is the time of Thanksgiving I wanted to share with you some things that I am thankful for. On November 5th I had the honor of providing labor support for the birth of Eva and Amalie Sullivan. Both girls are healthy and doing great. They were welcomed by their parents Mike and Blanquita. As well as their very excited 2 yr old sister Eloise. Working with Mike and Blanquita was truly a pleasure. Mike took this amazing picture of Blanquita and the girls right after birth.
I am also so thankful for all of you! My clients, family, friends and those of you who just check out my website from time to time. I wish all of you a Happy Thanksgiving!
Breastfeeding Issues
12-04-08
Many new mothers who are planning to breastfeed are sometimes surprised when things don't go as easily as they had expected. They often feel that it is some type of failure on their part. In times past we had role models for breastfeeding. We watched our mothers, aunts or cousins breastfeed. Today many women are isolated when they come home from the hospital with their new baby. Many times their family is far away or unable to help. When problems arise in many cases there isn't a strong support system available. In this situation a doula can be an invaluable resource. Having an experienced, compassionate person come and spend time with you while you are breastfeeding can make the process so much easier. A doula will be able to offer suggestions and resources that will make the experience easier and more enjoyable. The care of a doula can also ease that sense of aloneness that many new mothers feel.
On another breastfeeding note, many of my clients are concerned with nipple confusion for the baby when they are breastfeeding. It is sometimes necessary to use a bottle for the baby for supplemental feedings or so that mom can get some sleep. Nipple confusion is not so much about confusion as it is about preference. Baby learns that the milk flows faster and easier out of a bottle with less sucking effort. There is a bottle that was designed for babies with cleft palates that is called the Haberman Feeder. It has a teat with a slit-valve in the mouthpiece that opens only when baby sucks. The flow of milk is determined by babies sucking and position of the teat in baby's mouth just like when your baby breastfeeds. There is absolutely no back flow in these bottle so no air for baby to swallow. These are a little pricey but I believe worth it for moms who are serious about breastfeeding or who have babies with reflux. They also make a mini size one for premature babies. Here is a picture of the feeder
as well as a couple of links to
sites that sell them. If any of
you have used Haberman Feeders that are in good condition that you would like to donate for mom's who cannot afford them please contact me and I will make arrangements to get them to mom's that would be so grateful to have them.
1- 4-2009
Happy New Year!
I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and a Happy New Year!
I want to take a moment to Congratulate Ryan & Sarah Cornehlson on the birth of their beautiful baby girl Maggie!
Sarah delivered at St. Lukes Baptist Hospital with the Lone Star Nurse Midwives program. I cannot say enough good things about our experience with both the hospital and our midwife, Amy Bible. They truly supported Sarah in her desire to have a natural birth. It was a warm, natural birth friendly environment. Sarah was allowed alot of freedom of movement and was even allowed to sit on the birth ball in the shower to help relieve her pain. Here is a link to the website for the Lone Star Nurse Midwives http://www.lonestarmidwives.com/
If you are seeking a caregiver for your pregnancy I feel very comfortable recommending this group as well as the Lone Star OB group, especially Dr. Peter Kuhl.
2/21/09
How to Have the Happiest Baby on the Block
Many of you may have seen this wonderful DVD or read the book on the 5 simple things you can do to activate your baby's calming reflex. This technique is truly amazing and can make life with baby so much calmer. I try to show this DVD to all my new postpartum moms. After the third time of having my client say can I just buy this from you, I decided to become a distributor for this great resource. If you are a new mom or dad and have not seen this DVD you are missing an incredibly powerful tool that you can easily use to calm your crying baby. I have used this with all my postpartum babies and it truly does work. If you can't find it in the stores locally please feel free to contact me. The DVD's are $22 plus tax. We will be doing a class at Eden's Baby in Artisan's Alley sometime in March to teach parents how to use these great skills. The class is free and you can sign up by contacting Becky (owner of Eden's Baby) @ 210 545-4872.
New Arrivals
I wanted to show off the new arrivals for January & February. We have been blessed with wonderful births and beautiful babies.
Meet Serenity
Born on Jan. 14th at Methodist Hospital and welcomed by her parents Megan & Sal.
Meet Carissa
Born at 2:13am on 2/13/09 at St. Lukes Hospital. Delivered by Lois with Lone Star Midwives and welcomed by her mom & dad, Eric and Letty Medellin.
Other News
I was recently invited to speak at Incarnate Word University by Professor Michelle Meyer. Professor Meyer wanted her child developement/psychology students to learn about the important role doulas play in birth and postpartum care. I was honored to have Kate Ramseur one of my birth doula clients and Sarah Barowsky a postpartum doula client, agree to go with me and share with the class their experience of having a doula. We had a great time with the students. I would like to thank Professor Meyer for giving us this opportunity. I would also like to thank Kate & Sarah for doing such an amazing job of sharing their experience. I believe that one step at a time we will make San Antonio aware of the wonderful care that doulas have to offer.
Professor Michelle Meyer, Me, Kate Ramseur, Sarah Barowsky
newborn baby products, haberman feeders, secrets of the baby whisperer, kidopotamus wrap, newborn swaddle, newborn feeding schedule, newborn sleeping schedule, gripe water for infant gas, birth doula san antonio tx, postpartum doula san antonio tx, edens baby san antonio tx, antepartum care san antonio tx, mothering multiples san antonio tx
I have moved this blog to:
Please visit for great articles on infant care, breastfeeding and childbirth. Click on the, Follow with google friend connect, button of the blog and sign up to receive updates as new articles are published.
