Our breastfeeding rates here at New Mother New Baby are skyrocketing. The moms around here are nursing well into the first year, even the working moms. I think when you are surrounded by so many women who are nursing and you get support from other moms, it starts to feel very normal. Actually, even the dads that come in are talking about breastfeeding in a very normal way. It is great!

Northbrook is nursing!!

Leida van Oss, PT, DPT is a licensed physical therapist at North Shore Pediatric Therapy (www.NSPT4kids.com). She obtained her doctorate of physical therapy from Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine & Science.   North Shore Pediatric Therapy is a multidisciplinary clinic offer services in Pediatric Occupational Therapy, Speech Therapy, Physical Therapy, Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), Social Work, Behavior 911, Executive Functioning, Nutritional Counseling, Tutoring, Reading and Neuropsychology Diagnostics and Support. We are dedicated to helping children blossom.

Torticollis | What every Mother Should Know

What is Torticollis?

Torticollis is a postural deformity that is detected at birth or shortly after birth and results primarily from a shortening or fibrosis of the sternocleidomastoid muscle (SCM). The SCM runs from behind the ear to the collar bone on each side of the neck and works to bring the chin down as well as to rotate the head. The incidence of torticollis has been rising in recent years, and is now as high as 16% of all births.

Signs & Symptoms

The infant will show limitations in turning their head to one side as well as tilting to the other side. The rotation is typically noticed first since the baby is not lifting their head off the surface much. Most parents report that their baby prefers to only look in one direction. The head tilt is more noticeable around 3-5 months when the baby begins to hold their head up in various positions. About 75% of infants demonstrate a right torticollis where the child holds his head tilted to the right, with the face and chin rotated to the left. The SCM on the side of the head tilt is tight, and the SCM on the opposite side of the head is weakened. There are various associated syndromes with torticollis including reflux, irritability, developmental delay, and plagiocephaly.

Plagiocephaly

Plagiocephaly is an abnormal head shape characterized by a flattened occiput on one side, and possibly accompanied by abnormal forehead, facial, and ear alignment. It is associated with as many as 90% of infants with torticollis. Because the torticollis limits the range of motion when lying on their backs, the baby’s skull may become flattened where their head rests. Babies with torticollis also typically have weakness in the back of the neck, and hate tummy time, which can also affect head shape. Physical therapy can often assist with rounding out the back of the skull and correcting any asymmetries in head shape. Some children require a cranial shaping orthosis (or “helmet”). These helmets are worn 23 hours a day, for multiple weeks. Typically the baby does not notice or mind wearing the helmet.

How Does Physical Therapy Help?

                  Physical therapists will passively and actively facilitate SCM strengthening and stretching. They provide the family with positioning (tummy time!!!) and therapeutic play activities to help strengthen the baby. Sometimes torticollis will affect symmetrical development of gross motor skills; physical therapy can help ensure that the child reaches all of their milestones correctly. The most important part is the home exercise program. Parents who follow through with activities at home may see a faster and smoother recovery in their child. Treatment times vary; the average range is 4-7 months. Prognosis is great and successful correction of the torticollis is high – up to 95% of cases see an optimal outcome.

Author:

Leida van Oss, PT, DPT is a licensed physical therapist at North Shore Pediatric Therapy (www.NSPT4kids.com). She obtained her doctorate of physical therapy from Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine & Science.   North Shore Pediatric Therapy is a multidisciplinary clinic offer services in Pediatric Occupational Therapy, Speech Therapy, Physical Therapy, Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), Social Work, Behavior 911, Executive Functioning, Nutritional Counseling, Tutoring, Reading and Neuropsychology Diagnostics and Support. We are dedicated to helping children blossom.

By Jill Rabin M.S. CCC-SLP/L IBCLC

There is a phenomenon that occurs with some breastfed babies that many parents and health care professionals are unaware of. This phenomenon occurs when the successfully breastfeeding baby who is nursing and gaining weight well, refuses to accept the bottle. This unfortunately seems to occur when the baby is around 3 months of age and often coincides with the time when new mother’s need to return to work, and their babies will need to be bottle-fed by other caregivers.

There is nothing more stressful to a new mother than being back at work for the first time and worrying whether their baby will accept the bottle. This stress can also negatively impact the mother’s milk supply, especially when she is pumping and attempting to maintain her supply during her work day. Lactation consultants often get frantic phone calls from distressed mothers asking what to do.

Why does this occur?

Unfortunately, we never know which babies will be the ones that refuse to accept the bottle. Some babies have no difficulty transitioning back and forth between breast and bottle. Other babies will fight it and outright refuse to accept it, sometimes never accepting a bottle at all. It’s important to realize that breastfeeding is more difficult than bottle-feeding. If a baby can breastfeed, they can most certainly take the bottle. Very often, when new parents attempt to give the bottle to their babies, they present it early on in the first month. If the baby accepts the bottle well, most parents feel they are “in the clear” and many times don’t even attempt to present the bottle again until it becomes necessary, e.g. the week prior to the mother starting back to work.

Young babies, under 3 months of age, are pretty flexible in accepting the bottle, however, as they get older and more accustomed to breastfeeding, they may refuse it. This is not a result of lack of ability on the part of the baby. It’s the result of behavior and a preference not to. If an older and wiser baby becomes accustomed to the warmth of the mom’s breast and is comforted by being held and nursed, they often prefer this to accepting the bottle. Some babies may never accept the bottle and begin to do reverse-cycle nursing. This is when they sleep during the day and then are up during the night so that they can breastfeed.

Most parents in a panic and effort to get their baby to accept the bottle before the dreaded return to work, will try every bottle system available on the market, thinking one certain bottle will magically make the baby accept a bottle-feeding. They become frustrated, panicked and distraught seeking help from their pediatricians, family, friends and lactation consultants.

What to do to prevent your baby from refusing the bottle?

Make sure that when your baby is between two to four weeks of age, that you introduce the bottle every few days, so the baby becomes accustomed to the artificial nipple. Someone other than the breastfeeding mother should feed the baby the bottle. Present small amounts of expressed breast milk every few days from the bottle. You don’t need to give a full feeding, and can give as little as a ¼ to a ½ an ounce. Your goal is to get the baby accustomed to the artificial nipple, not to give a complete feeding. This is an especially important thing to do if you know you will be returning to work. While this doesn’t assure that your baby won’t refuse the bottle, it may serve as a preventative measure.

What to do with babies who refuse the bottle?

• Stick with one bottle system
• Have someone other than the breastfeeding mother give the bottle
• Start with small amounts of ¼ to a ½ an ounce
• Warm the bottle nipple in warm water prior to the feeding to mimic the warmth of the breast nipple
• Nurse the baby briefly to satiate hunger and then attempt the bottle
• Use alternative measures such as, a syringe, Hazelbaker finger feeder, cut-out cups, medicine cups, etc. (Cup feeding for babies should be taught to you by a professional)
• Walk around while bottle-feeding the baby, and attempt to distract them by looking at something colorful or interesting or if the weather is warm enough, take baby outside to distract
• Allow the baby to hold and play with the bottle so it becomes more familiar to them during times you are not attempting a feeding so it becomes a familiar object
• Keep bottle-feeding attempts short so it is not associated with negative feelings
• Be patient and persistent

If your baby refuses to accept a bottle, despite persistence in presenting bottles, there are ways to “get around it.” Some mothers will nurse their babies before they arrive at daycare or before their caregiver arrives. Mothers can also nurse their babies during breaks or lunch hours, if they are in close proximity to where the baby is cared for. Also, caregivers can learn the alternative measures to get milk into your baby, until they are ready to accept solid food feedings at age six months. Mothers who want to go out for an evening with their spouse, can nurse their baby before they go to bed, and then leave for the evening, once their baby is sleeping through the night. While a baby who refuses to accept a bottle can create stress for mothers and caregivers, there are ways to work through it.

by Paula Yount
Mother-to-Mother.com

Reprinted with permission from the author.

It just occurred to me that I have not had a “full night” (decent night??) sleep in 27 or so years!!!!

All these sleep questions made me think about when I last got a “full night” – or what one might call *decent* night sleep…. and I had to go all the way back to BEFORE I was married… yes, you got that right… before I married.

It occurred to me that once married, my sleep was interrupted by my “loving” (*ahem*) husband – frequently (sheesh)… of course BECAUSE of those nightly interruptions, along came BABIES… and we all know how sleep and babies goes….

So then fast forward past the first year… now I have little toddlers.. we’re waking up to potty, waking up because of thirst, waking up because they’re sick (ew)…so much for uninterrupted night of sleep…

Fast forward a little.. now we’re preschool and school age (by this time we’re juggling preschoolers, toddlers and babies – and I want to kill my husband each time he *wakes* me in the night)…. now we get kiddies who wake because of hunger (anyone who has boys can understand this), because of wet pants, and still going through that *catch every bug there ever was* stage.

Fast forward… now they’re all over 2 and on into school… I THINK I might get a full night sleep maybe… woops! Wrong… someone forgot to tell the husband to STOP WAKING ME UP… and now my school age kids are bringing home bugs from school, can’t sleep because the toddler wet and it leaked on someone… so & so took all the covers… don’t want to share a bed, or even a room… chickenpox, strep, and poison ivy… so much for sleep.

Fast forward.. now they are teens… my husband has given up waking me by now. . but still no sleep, who can sleep with the teen out there somewhere (yeah, right, the car ran out of gas!) Gotta wait till they are all home safe and sound. Even now, soft footsteps are heard, and a whisper – “MOM” – to wake me… gotta talk about new girlfriends, broken hearts, and the latest thing in engine parts (at 2 am????)

Fast forward… the last ones are teens, the oldest two married… at last, maybe I can sleep ALL NIGHT… ugh… nope… dh now remembered what it used to be like waking me up… here we go with THAT again <grin>… Now I wait till the oldest are home safely for the night (yeah, I ask them to call me so I know they are home – old habits die hard), and I get midnight calls for all sorts of reasons (don’t they EVER sleep??) including the awesome wee-hr-of-the-morning calls from my pregnant daughter about how the baby moved, or “is this normal?”, or the “Mom, are you still awake? I need to talk…” calls (of course I am awake.. I NEVER really sleep <grin>)

The other night the youngest boys bunked over at their sister’s house, and the house was totally quiet… as I lay there listening to the deafening silence (do you know how LOUD a quiet house is???) it occurred to me that I SHOULD be able to sleep… but I can’t… my mind is full of thoughts about my kids… where they are, are they okay, are they sleeping well, and I think of our moms here on the board… and hope they are okay, and my friends and family… and finally… I begin to drift off to sleep…. and I hear a whisper in my ear… “honey… you awake?….”

Copyright © 2002 by Paula Yount. No portion of this text may be copied or reproduced in any manner, electronically or otherwise, without the express written permission of the author.

Every so often I will post about a great product you may not know about. Milksavers are a wonderful product that help you collect milk without pumping. They actually help you to get extra milk by collecting the milk that lets down on the breast you are not nursing from. It  collects your leaking breast milk when you nurse, allowing you to store extra breast milk effortlessly. This product is for you if you sit with a burp cloth or nursing pad on the side you are not nursing from so you don’t get drenched! Many women collect 1/2 ounce to 1 ounce per feeding with translates to 4-8 ounces of extra breastmilk per day! They retail  for under $30.00 and many moms have told us it is one of the most useful products they have bought! Good to know!

Some of you may know Diane as the music teacher. She has been teaching Music and Me and Babysongs on Wednesdays and Saturdays.  She has helped many of you in the past few years with gift registries, picking out baby gifts and helping you find the perfect size bra and nursing top. Diane, we wish wish you the best and thank you for all that you have done here at New Mother New Baby, supporting our youngest customers and helping new families transition to parenthood.

We will miss you and hope you come around and visit us often! We wish you good luck as you embark on this new chapter in you life.

Bari is a mom who I met that happened to come into the store one day, pregnant with her second a seeking advice about breastfeeding. She was one of our earliest customers and was so glad to know we were here to help her with breastfeeding because she had problems the with her first baby. She subsequently had a little girl and then soon after became pregnant with twins and had an adorable son and daughter. Now she had four children all under 5 years old. Just the other day I got a disturbing email from her sister saying that Bari is in the hospital fighting for her life.

Bari was very supportive to me and our store when we first opened. She knew our store was more than just a store. She realized we were here to support new moms and support breastfeeding, the environment and that we all need to support each other in the end. I pray for her and her family everyday.

So, if you would like to help Bari, donate a small amount. Even one dollar from lots of people will make a huge difference to this family that is in the middle of a huge crisis.

Here is the address if you wish to make a donation:

Make checks payable to Friends of Bari Rubenstein.

I think it would be great if you could mention that you heard about this from New Mother New Baby so she can feel the support from lots of other new moms. We REALLY need to support one another in this tough world. New moms are like nothing else when we all band together, we can make a huge difference!

Send donations to:

Friends of Bari Rubenstein
P.O. Box 1502
Deerfield, IL 60015

Here is the name of the organization where you can get more information on how Bari is doing. This organization is lifesaving for any family that is in the middle of a crisis.

Friends of Bari Rubenstein – Sign in to a community | Lotsa Helping Hands

New Mother New Baby has become a place of support for breastfeeding moms in Northbrook and the Chicago area.   There is often such an easy answer to so many breastfeeding issues. I hope more of you will get support when you need it because it really can turn things around.  Lactation Consultants can make a huge difference in breastfeeding success. I often see many women struggle for weeks or months by themselves before they come in to get help..  This is World Breastfeeding Week. If you support breastfeeding, support those around you who are new moms and dads and get the conversation going. One thing I know for sure is that Northbrook is nursing! I have the honor of working with so many breastfeeding families and it is so inspiring to see the amazing connection you and your babies have. I also get to see wonderful outcomes for those of you who have worked through breastfeeding challenges and then have gone on to have months and months of breastfeeding success. Breastfeeding is an amazing relationship you get to treasure for the rest of your life. If you have questions or are having difficulties, give us a call. We are open 7 days a week and are here to help YOU succeed!  Even if you are far away, we can point you in the right direction. Happy World Breastfeeding Week!

Every other month, many of the Lactation Consultants from this area get together at Alexian Bros. Medical Center.We talk about what is going on in the field of lactation both in the hospital and outpatient. This month I found the topic to be very interesting. It was about an idea that is brewing in Illinois and Wisconsin. A Milk Bank. Please read Nancy Mohrbacher’s article below about milk banks. We all need to let our doctors and hospitals in the area know, we want a milk bank. If your baby or someone you love has a preterm baby and needs donor milk you’ll want a milk bank to be here. Read on….

Where Do Milk Banks Fit In?

Guest Blogger: Nancy Mohrbacher IBCLC FILCA
Original Date: Monday, January 10, 2011 at 12:54PM
Nancy Mohrbacher in Cultural Commentary, Mothers Need to Know

During my early years in breastfeeding, I found the idea of milk banks intriguing but less than exciting. To me, the rubber gloves, the lab equipment, and the rest of their high-tech gadgetry were positively off-putting. All that changed when I attended a conference of the Human Milk Banking Association of North America. There I finally understood the bigger picture and realized that milk banks play a vital role in a breastfeeding culture.

To better grasp this role, it helps to know the World Health Organization’s ranking of infant feeding options from healthiest to least healthy. Healthiest is, of course, direct breastfeeding. Second is mother’s own expressed milk. Third is donor human milk. And fourth is infant formula.

Donor milk can make the difference between life and death, especially among preterm and ill babies. Although many mothers work hard to try to provide their at-risk babies with their milk, research has found that more than half of mothers expressing milk for preterm babies have inadequate milk production by Week 6.1

This is a problem because very preterm babies are at risk of acquiring a serious condition called necrotizing enterocolitis, NEC for short, and feeding infant formula increases this risk. When a baby acquires NEC, part of his digestive tract becomes inflamed and dies. About 1 in 5 babies who acquire NEC die from it. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in the U.S. NEC is the cause of nearly 2% of all infant deaths. Babies with NEC suffer horribly and the cost of treating it is astronomical.2 Babies whose NEC is severe enough to require surgery are also at risk of long-term growth delays and neurodevelopmental problems, which can affect a family and a society for a lifetime.

This is where milk banks come to the rescue. Research has found that only 1.5% of babies fed mostly human milk acquire NEC, as compared with 10-17% of babies fed exclusively formula.3 So as the Swedes have already learned, the answer to this terrible scourge is to feed preterm babies only human milk during their hospital stay. In Sweden, no hospitalized preterm baby receives infant formula before discharge. If a mother cannot express enough milk for her baby, donor milk is given.

Milk banks provide a safety net for mothers unable to express all the milk their babies need. While direct breastfeeding is best and mother’s own expressed milk is second best, donor milk can be a lifesaver for babies whose only other option is infant formula.

This ray of hope is why I became a member of the leadership team of the group pictured here, which hales from Illinois and Wisconsin and is working hard to establish the Mothers’ Milk Bank of the Western Great Lakes. Our plan is to move heaven and earth to begin providing donor milk to babies in our states, where no milk bank currently exists. An important role of this—and any—milk bank will be to educate hospitals about human milk as the standard of care. Even with research backing, changing practice always takes time. But it will be well worth the effort. Our new website will be premiering soon and I’ll post a link when it’s ready. Please wish us luck!

References

1 Hill, P. et al. Comparison of milk output between mothers of preterm and term infants: The first 6 weeks after birth. J Hum Lact 2005; 21(1):22-30.

2Bisquera, J. A., Cooper, T. R., & Berseth, C. L. Impact of necrotizing enterocolitis on length of stay and hospital charges in very low birth weight infants. Pediatrics 2002; 109(3): 423-28.

3Sisk, P. M., et al. Early human milk feeding is associated with a lower risk of necrotizing enterocolitis in very low birth weight infants. J Perinatol 2007; 27(7), 428-33.