7 Tips for Getting Baby Latched On to the Breast

By Jessica Hartshorn

Get your nursing off to a great start.

7 Tips

You're new to this and so is your baby, so getting a nursing session off and running may take practice. Try this:

1. Hold her the right way. Nurses or a lactation consultant in the hospital can help you, or you can practice in a breastfeeding class before or after the birth. (While many books have breastfeeding illustrations, nothing beats having someone physically put you in the right position.) There are several possible holds, from the traditional cradle hold (belly to belly) or the football hold (baby beside you, her head at your breast). Whichever you use, baby shouldn't have to turn her head or strain to reach you.

2. Lift your breast with your free hand. Especially in the first weeks, your breast will be so heavy that you'll have to support it with your fingers. Holding it also helps you guide baby to it.

3. Hold your baby's back and neck with your other hand. Supporting those, rather than her head, will allow you to lift her easily.

4. Get her to open wide. You need baby to take half or more of the areola (the dark part around your nipple) into her mouth. Try tickling her cheek or lower lip with your nipple, then waiting for her to open as wide as a yawn.

5. Pull her to you quickly. Once baby's mouth is open, you need to get her on the breast fast, before she begins to close down. But don't bend down to her -- she'll get a better hold if you lift her to you. The hardest part: Getting used to moving her with confidence. You don't need to use force, of course, but you'll help her if you put her on gently but firmly. Her chin should press into your breast.

6. Check her mouth's position. Her lips should splay out, and you shouldn't be able to see much if any of your areola.

7. Relax and breathe. This is more for you than the baby. In the beginning, you may find yourself sitting stiffly, hunching your shoulders, and leaning over too far, which strains your lower back. Practice breathing slowly, relaxing your shoulders, and sitting back into the chair as much as you can.

Latch-On Checklist

Studies show that newborns are capable of a good latch-on in the hour immediately following birth. Experts recommend putting your baby to the breast as soon as you can after delivery -- it may make subsequent latch-ons easier.

Your baby should have:

· His chin pressed into your breast

· His nose nearly touching your breast

· His lips splayed out wide

· All of your nipple in his mouth -- you should only be able to see half or less of the areola (the dark area around your nipple)

You should feel:

· A gentle sucking. Latch-on may hurt for the first few seconds and could make you sore for as long as a minute, but if you feel pain longer than that, disengage baby's mouth (using your index finger) and try again.

· Comfortable enough to stay in the position for anywhere between 10 to 40 minutes. Lean back into the chair, try to relax your shoulders, and breathe.

Sources: American Academy of Pediatrics; La Leche League

All content here, including advice from doctors and other health professionals, should be considered as opinion only. Always seek the direct advice of your own doctor in connection with any questions or issues you may have regarding your own health or the health of others.

5 Tips for Finding Cute Baby Names

Naming your baby is one of the most important decisions of expecting parents, as the name will be with your child for their entire life. While choosing a name for your newborn can often be scary and overwhelming, it can also be exciting and the most fun part of your pregnancy.

There are indeed endless possibilities for baby boy and girl names. While some parents prefer to give their child a popular and common name, others are looking to their family tree for inspiration, and some are simply looking for a cute name.

Here are 4 important points to consider when searching for the perfectly cute baby name:

1. Consider your last name. When choosing a cute first name for your baby, you must ensure that the first and last names go well together without sounding odd. While Madison is a cute name for a little girl, Madison Davison may be a bit too much. Select a short first name to go along with a long surname and vice versa. This way you can make sure that your baby’s full name will have the right balance. If you decide to give your child a middle name as well, make sure that it flows comfortably with the first and last names.

2. Remember that your baby will grow up. Keep in mind that the name will be with your child for the rest of his or her life. Sometimes a name that sounds adorable for a baby girl or boy could prove to be embarrassing for a 17-year-old and may cause your child problems when trying to head for an interview. A name like “Precious” is a sweet name for a little girl, but may sounds awkward for a grown up woman.

3. Nickname risk. Avoid cute baby names that can be shortened to insulting nicknames. Make a list of all possible nicknames that your child might end up with when choosing cute baby names.

4. Consider names with a special meaning. Instead of choosing a cute name for your baby, there are plenty of names that look good and that have a special meaning. You could select a nice sounding name that means “sweet”, “brave” or “kind”.

5. Consider using a known nickname. In recent years, widely used nicknames have become first names in their own right. For example, the name Gary has many origins, which largely all reach back to the Germanic element gar meaning “spear”. Names such as Garfield or Gareth begin with this element, and Gary used to be a nickname for those names. However, nowadays, the name Gary is widely used as a given name. The female name Elsa is a nickname of Elizabeth. Today, the name Elsa is popular world-wide. The name means “my God is bountiful” or “God of plenty”.

When selecting a cute name for your baby, make sure that you choose a name that your child will be happy with throughout his or her life. Ask yourself if the name could be an embarrassment to your child later in life and ensure that the first and last names sound well together. Once you have chosen the perfect cute name for your baby, sit back and relax!

5 Ways to Boost Your Baby's Brainpower

September 11, 2008 02:18 PM ET | Deborah Kotz

Any pregnant woman who has read What to Expect When You're Expecting is familiar with the fish conundrum: Should she eat more fish to give Baby all those brain-boosting omega-3 fats? Or limit her intake to save Baby from brain-toxic mercury in fish from polluted oceans? The pendulum has certainly swung both ways on this, but evidence is growing that for optimizing brain development, the benefits of fish outweigh the risks. Take a new Harvard University study published in this month's American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. It found that expectant moms who ate the most fish—more than three servings a week—were 30 percent more likely to have children with higher developmental scores at 18 months of age compared with those whose mothers ate less than a serving a week. But the women from Denmark weren't choosing tuna, shark, or king mackerel (known for their high mercury content) but instead ate low-mercury varieties common in their region: cod, salmon, herring, and smaller species of mackerel.

Inherited genes certainly play a major role in determining a baby's intelligence, but moms-to-be can also take certain steps, experts say, to help ensure that these genes are programmed correctly in the womb and during the first few months of life. (You may, though, want to skip those boost-your-baby's-IQ videos since this recent study found they don't work.) Here's what actually could make a difference:

1. Get those omega-3s: The National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition recently began recommending that expectant and nursing mothers eat a minimum of 12 ounces per week of fish like salmon, sardines, and mackerel to maximize their baby's brain development. Tuna is OK, too, if limited to 6 ounces per week. You can also get a hefty dose of omega-3 fats in fortified foods, such as certain eggs, margarines, and brands of pasta.

2. Stay active during pregnancy: Exercise improves blood flow to the fetus, helping transport nutrients and oxygen more efficiently. Check with your doctor about how much activity is best for you. Most women find that low-impact activities like walking and swimming are gentler on their bodies as their pregnancy progresses.

3. Get your thyroid checked: A New England Journal of Medicine study found that babies born to moms with underactive thyroids may have substantially lower IQ scores. The researchers think fetuses need sufficient levels of thyroid hormone from their mothers early on for their brains to properly develop.

4. Reduce relationship stress: This is a toughie, but if you're experiencing a lot of marital spats while pregnant, it could have a negative impact on your baby's intelligence. Researchers believe that high levels of the stress hormone cortisol cross the placenta and affect a baby's brain development. Thus, dads-to-be play a crucial role in their baby's development, too.

5. Breast-feed for as long as possible: The Harvard study also found that babies who were breast-fed for 10 months or longer had higher developmental scores at 18 months. Those great fats found in fish also pass into breast milk. While baby formulas are now fortified with these fats, there may be other still-unrecognized substances in breast milk that help with babies' brain development. Whether breast milk can actually boost a baby's IQ remains a topic of hot debate, with some studies saying it does while newer ones say it doesn't.

For more details on maintaining a healthy pregnancy, you can check out this article on pregnancy myths.

Circumcision

A boy is usually circumcised at the age of six or seven,
but as may be the custom among some classes of Sias and Arabs the
operation is performed a few days after birth. The barber operates and
the child is usually given a little Bhang, or other opiate. When a girl
arrives at the ageof puberty she is secluded for seven days, and for
this period eats only butter, bread and sugar, fish, flesh, salt and
acid food being prohibited. In the evening she is given a warm-water
bath, and among lower classes an entertainment is given t o friends.