Hey Laura, What...?

Allie emailed me last week, at her wit’s end with chronic sleep deprivation and I pounded out a quick response. She’s given me permission to reprint our exchange (edited a bit for readability and extra things I thought of since) in case it can help anyone else out there!

Basically, we are having a tough time with Noey’s sleeping. Common problem, I know, but it is really difficult to know what to do. She is almost a year old, on Monday, and right now she takes naps and sleeps on a futon in her room. Until a month ago we all slept in the same king size bed. I sleep with her at night, my husband sleeps on our king size bed alone. She wakes up about 5 times a night. I am sleeping with her on...

Oh, you know me! I always have something helpful to say!

This post is actually from my personal letter archives. I wrote most of it after my first was born (nearly 5 years ago!) and have tinkered with it each time I’ve sent it to friends who are expecting. Since I have a bunch of friends who are having babies this summer, I’m editing it a bit to reflect my (much more positive) experience with my second born, and adding links to other useful posts I have on HLW. Enjoy!

Advice to New Parents

The most important advice I can give you: Parenting this child is going to be a unique experience, and while other people’s advice might be useful, it is not the Law. Sift through everything and keep...

I’ll be updating this page periodically as new info comes to me. Feel free to add your own favorite links in the comments!

Pro-breastfeeding info and resources
BreastfeedingOnline: The Importance of Human Milk.

I love this article called “Nursing is more than breastfeeding and every mother can do it.” We hear so much about the nutritive benefits of breastfeeding that the emotional, psychological, and developmental benefits of the breastfeeding-type contact get sidelined. Even mamas who don’t feed their babies from the breast can still engage in a valuable nursing relationship with their babies.

PhDinParenting’s The Scientific Benefits of Breastfeeding and The Economics of Breastfeeding:...

I’m compiling a list of resources here for anyone who needs to drop milk products from their diet. I run into this question a lot from breastfeeding moms with fussy babies and want to have a starting point for them. I will definitely be adding to this list over time, but I wanted to get it published right away for a mama in need.

Eliminating dairy is one of the first things I suggest for infants with digestive issues or excessive fussiness. Dairy elimination is also a great first step in reducing ear infections in kids.

When removing dairy from your diet, don’t automatically replace everything with soy substitutes. Many babies with milk intolerance are also sensitive to soy (the proteins...

HVW writes:

My son is 18 months old and nurses 4-5 times a day, and seems to be in the process of cutting back on his daytime nursing in the past few months. My husband and I are tentatively planning to try for #2 starting in the next few weeks. My son was conceived on the first “try” but you never know how long it will take. My goal is to nurse my first son for at least 2 years, although at this age I do not mind if I end up having to supplement some with cow’s milk or other dairy products (he does eat cheese at this time but I don’t give him cow’s milk).

I know that often pregnancy reduces or dries up milk supply. I have seen a variety of data on how many women do lose their milk supply...

A while ago (before I started this blog), a friend of mine asked for some suggestions for useful and unique gifts for new and expecting parents. I’ve expanded my original answer just a bit for posting here. These aren’t your run-of-the-mill diaper cakes and layettes!

Big Stuff
If the new parents are particularly special to you, or if you are feeling particularly generous, here are some big ticket items I highly recommend.

Miyo Baby Baby Hammock - Just what it sounds like - it’s a great bed alternative for the first 5-7 months. I like the Miyo best because it is simple and has a really beautiful looking stand, but there are other brands/styles like: the Kanoe, the Hushamok, which has a...

Brandi, The Friendly Doula, writes:

I have a family whose 5 month old is sick for the fist time since a difficult birth. The mom took the kiddo to the Drs today and the Dr wants her to stop nursing and give the child nothing but pedialyte for the next 48 hours. This to me makes no sense and seems to risk an already difficultly established nursing relationship (the baby didnt nurse for almost 2 weeks after birth) , but i have no backing to support my instincts here… help?!

This is completely ignorant and potentially harmful advice; in my opinion doctors who are this uneducated about a breastfed baby’s health ought to be out of a job. And possibly kicked in the head.

He’s wrong. Do more...

Jaime writes:

I am staunch attachment parent advocate. Love the co-sleeping, baby-wearing, no CIO philosophy. That said-I have a 7.5 month old that seems to be no closer to sleeping through the night than he was at birth. I have put him in his own bed and he wakes up within an hour. Next to me he may make it 2 or sometimes 3. Help! I love my little chubbers, but mama needs some sleep!

Ironically, my progress in responding to this question has been interrupted 3 times now by my nearly-5 month old waking up!

I think I’ve linked to my favorite parenting advice blog of all time, AskMoxie.org. Man, she (along with her awesome community of commenters) has saved my sanity many a time! It was...

Harmony just had a baby and her (still-also-nursing) 2 year old daughter is going a bit crazy in the transition. While a lot of the manic energy and behavioral issues can be explained away by all the upheaval in their home right now, Harmony’s gut feeling is that there is a nutritional element involved as well. Since Harmony’s family eats very clean already (very little refined flours and sugar, small amounts of organic dairy), she asked me to look into what happens to kiddos when they are overdosing on fruit. Here’s what I found and emailed back to her.

The fruit thing you’re probably thinking of is salicylates - naturally occurring chemicals in…pretty much everything. NOT fun to try to...

Harmony writes:

Dear Laura, my 2-week old daughter is projectile vomiting and is awake for about four hours a night in pain, what do I do?

This is very familiar territory for me, as a mom of two babies with food intolerances. Can I just say right off that I don’t buy the “Happy Spitter” theory? That if your baby vomits all the time but is gaining weight that it’s “A laundry issue, not a medical issue”?

If your baby’s body is rejecting sustenance, there is likely something wrong and long-term GI damage is most likely occurring.

Take action now and avoid prolonged health issues. Gut health is vitally important for immunity; many cases of allergies and asthma are rooted in poor gut health...continue reading

A new mom writes:

Hey Laura, what are some natural allergy remedies that are safe for a breastfeeding mama? I usually have a ton of drugs to take for seasonal allergies and I want away from them in general, but really because I am breastfeeding too.

Being pregnant or nursing and sick is horrible! Not only is the toll on your body so much greater, there seems to be very little you can do to get relief without putting your baby in jeopardy!

Luckily, I have a few tricks up my sleeve that should help you get through hayfever season in relative comfort.

First of all, if you don’t already know this, Kellymom.com is your go-to website for all breastfeeding questions. It is an excellent...

Kael’s Momma sent this one in and it’s a good one! What are some good prenatal and postpartum supplements?

******I’m not a doctor! I’m not even really an expert; I just pretend to be one for our mutual edification and entertainment. Don’t be stupid: Listen to the real experts in your life, including the truest authority on yourself: Your Self.*****

When you’re pregnant, good nutrition is more important than ever. But good nutrition can’t be gotten in a pill, and there’s some contention whether there’s any benefit at all to prenatal vitamins. Potent vitamin supplements can also exacerbate nausea, and some care providers recommend suspending your use of a vitamin until the first trimester...