Elimination Diet for Breastfeeding Mothers Martha recommends the elimination diet in her lactation-counseling practice whenever she suspects a baby’s colic could be caused by sensitivities to food in a breastfeeding mother’s diet. This diet was developed by William G. Crook, M.D. (Detecting Your Hidden Allergies, Jackson, Tenn: Professional Books, 1987), and it has several variations, depending […]
What to Do When Your Child is Throwing Up Your normally happy and playful 2-year-old has not been himself all day. He’s been clingy, fussy, and has refused to eat his favorite foods. Then out of nowhere, he starts throwing up what you think was breakfast. It doesn’t stop there. For the next three hours, […]
Making Nighttime Parenting a Better Experience During the first year, you will spend lots of time feeding your baby at night, so you might as well enjoy it. You have two nighttime parenting goals: get sufficient rest yourself and meet the nutritional and emotional needs of your infant. Remember, a happy mother and a well-fed […]
Is Your Baby’s Latch and Sucking Correct? Latch and sucking checklist: You see the pink of baby’s lips. This tells you that baby’s lips are turned outward rather than tucked tightly inward. There is a tight seal between the baby’s mouth and the areola. Baby has a good mouthful of breast. Much of the areola […]
Help Baby Awaken and Feed More Eagerly Certain situations require baby to be awakened and fed promptly. Consider these tips for a gentle awakening approach and feeding technique. Try to wake baby during REM sleep. This lighter stage of sleep is recognized by fluttering eyelids, sleep grins, clenched fists, and limbs that are not limp. […]
Thumbsucking Statistics and Ways to Help Your Child Stop In 1977 researchers studied fifty habitual thumbsucking children between ages one and seven. Researchers compared habitual thumbsuckers to children who did not suck their thumb. Studies showed that thumbsuckers tended to be bottle-fed rather than breastfed. The child who was weaned later was less likely to […]
“Why is my baby so different? She is not like any of my friends’ babies. They sleep through the night. They’re happy being held by anyone. My friends don’t seem as tired as I am. What am I doing wrong?” Sound familiar? Your baby acts the way she does because that’s the way she is. […]
Colic-Causing Foods to Watch For Mother-infant dining partners can enjoy a bountiful menu. But some babies are sensitive to certain foods in mother’s diet (See What’s Colic? Does Your Baby Have Colic? How to Tell). Colic-causing foods can enter your breast milk and upset your baby. This can happen as early as two hours after […]
Are Omega-3s Safe While Breastfeeding? Is it safe for me to take omega-3s while I’m breastfeeding? Supported By Science Absolutely yes! It’s not only safe, it’s necessary – for both you and baby. As you know from our books, we base our advice not only on our personal experience of raising many children, but it […]
A Special Note From Martha Sears on the Baby Shower Celebrating Daughter Erin Saturday, December 1st, was a special day for the Sears women to celebrate middle daughter, Erin Elizabeth. We celebrated her (and baby) with a baby shower with family and friends. Oldest and youngest daughters, Hayden and Lauren, are part of this group […]
Question: Do I need to be eating differently for better nutrition while breastfeeding? What do you recommend is best to eat? Answer: Since you are eating for two, you need to eat healthier for more nutrition while breastfeeding. Most mothers need to eat an extra 300-500 nutritious calories per day. The top nutritional deficiency in […]
The Link between Breastfeeding and Brain Development We can’t promise that breastfeeding will make your child a Nobel Prize winner, but research shows a very positive relationship between breastfeeding and brain development. Children who were breastfed have I.Q. scores averaging seven to ten points higher than formula-fed infants. It’s important to remember that these numbers […]
