Top 10 Nutrition Tips for Kate...well, really all new moms

Are you excited about the Royal Baby? Well, I am!  I've been a fan of William and Kate from the get-go, and I'm happy to see them blessed with a new little son.

Kate's not the only new mom in my circle of acquaintances, so I was interested when I came across these tips from  Dr. Stan Cohen, one of the top experts in the fields of pediatric gastroenterology and nutrition in the country and founder of the Children's Digestive Research Fund (disclaimer: I'm not a doctor, and you should take Dr. Cohen's advice only at your own discretion.)

TOP TEN NUTRITION TIPS FOR KATE, KIM, AND ALL NEW MOTHERS IN THE FIRST THREE MONTHS AFTER BIRTH

1) Breastfeed if you can. Breast milk has wonderful immune factors to lessen infections and doctors visits. Breast milk even helps to lessen asthma, diabetes, obesity, reflux and a host of other conditions. You'll also lose your baby weight faster, by the way (and you will decrease your own risk for breast, ovarian and uterine cancers).

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2) In those first days after birth, put the baby to the breast often to help your milk come in. The baby isn't going to take much at a time (his stomach is only the size of a small marble). Let the skin-to-skin contact help stimulate your flow and let all that bonding nurture both you and the baby.

3) Don't give up easily or assume breastfeeding is totally natural. I actually almost did this as a brand new mom.  Thanks to a supportive husband, I stuck with it, nursed all my children, and I'm so glad I did.  It may not be easy right away, but beleive me, if you persevere, you'll be so glad you did.

4) Breastfeed as long as you want to, though Dr. Cohen recommends at least 6 months if possible. The longer you continue, the more you may help to diminish any tendency to allergies and increase the baby's intellectual and social development.

5) This was a new one to me, but Dr. Cohen says to Make sure you eat fish 2-3 times a week* to increase your supply of DHA that will cross to the baby. DHA is one of the factors that optimizes the baby's brain and visual development, beginning in the last trimester of pregnancy through the second year of life. *These should be fish that do not contain high levels of mercury (swordfish, tilefish, king mackerel, shark). If you are allergic to fish, you can take DHA supplements or get it from other DHA-enriched sources (eggs, for example).

Go here for a yummy-looking recipe for grilled snapper

6) Continue your prenatal vitamins --and Dr. Cohen suggests that you consider taking extra vitamin D, some of which will get to your baby.  He also recommends giving the baby vitamin D drops as well. 

7) Don't let all of the emphasis on breastfeeding cause any guilt if you are unable to breastfeed or choose not to.   I agree with this one.  I've seen new moms agonize when breastfeeding didn't work out...or feel guilty for choosing not to do so for various reasons . Dr. Cohen says that formulas are quite healthful. They were developed to match breast milk and the outcomes of feeding breast milk as much as possible.

8) Watch for early hunger cues, especially when your baby is smacking his or her lips or seems to be sucking or rooting for your breast. It's much easier to initiate a feeding than when the baby is already shrieking with a hunger cry.

9) Neither breast nor bottle fed babies need to have a rigid feeding schedule. Nor do they need to finish a bottle just because you prepared it. Overfeeding can result in an uncomfortable baby or one who brings back the excess. My addition to this thought? As a new mom, you'll feel your way with this.  Do what feels right for you and your baby.

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10) Ask for help if you need it--from your husband, your baby's doctor or others. Dr. Cohen says not all babies are professional feeders, and they may have problems that others can assist you with, even if it's just to watch the baby so you can refresh and pamper yourself for a few hours. I totally agree with this! Just an hour or two away from the baby...for a hair appointment, a pedicure or coffee with a friend...can go a long way to making you feel "normal" again.

Note: Dr. Stan Cohen is the author of What to Feed Your Baby: Cost-Conscious Nutrition for Your Infant

Any other suggestions? Feel free to put them in my comments section!

10 Old-Fashioned Baby Names that are Back in Style

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"These classic names went out of fashion, but now they're back as parents go vintage" --(from Parenting.com):

1) Clara

2) Eli

3) Naomi

4)  Charlie

5)  Alice

6) Henry

7)  Olive

8) Leo

9)  Lillian

10)  Jasper

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Rounding out the top 20 are Amelia, Everett, Nora, Silas, Adeline, Max, Hazel, Owen, Stella, and Oliver.

Go here for a lot more info about the names, their meanings, their re-emergence in popularity, famous people who have them, etc.

And if that's not enough, this site  lists "10 vintage baby names we want to see in 2013, including Ada, Cora, Florence, Josie, Murray and Graham.

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How about you? Have you named your baby a "vintage" name...or do you plan to? What's the reaction been from family and friends? Inquiring minds want to know!

Advice & Comfort for New Mommies: This, Too, Shall Pass

My new little great-niece, Brooklynn Nevaeh


My niece Lindsie and baby Brooklynn

Tonight I'm going to a baby shower for my beautiful niece, Lindsie, and her adorable firstborn baby, Brooklynn Nevaeh.

I can't believe Lindsie is a mommy. It seems like just yesterday she was born herself. I remember it very clearly, because Lindsie was my sister-in-law Sherrie's first daughter after having two boys.

I myself had two boys, Jonathan and Justin, and although I was crazy about them, I longed for a baby girl. Little did I know that, probably at the very time I was attending Lindsie's baby shower, I was carrying Elizabeth Ashley in my womb.

Nine months after Lindsie's birth, Elizabeth arrived. And those two have always loved each other. Lindsie and Lizzie. They were so cute together as little girls.

My advice for new mommies

I'm going to be sharing a devotional at Lindsie's shower tonight, and I'm not going to share that here right now. But I will impart some of my advice for new mommies.

Not too long ago, Ann-Marie, whose blog I love, had her first baby. After the initial joy of Sam's birth (she had pretty much given up on being able to have a baby), real life set in, as it has a tendency to do.

Real life, with the attendant lack of sleep after being up all night with a screaming baby.

I wrote this in her comment section after a post in which she poured her heart out about new-baby difficulties:

First of all...he is ADORABLE!!!! I love that picture of him smiling with his eyes closed.

Second of all--all the craziness you're going through right now--this, too, shall pass. And very soon. With every week, you'll be more confident with him, and he will get easier to figure out.

He'll also grow, so he won't need to eat so often. And he'll sleep more.

The day will come when these rough days will only be a fuzzy memory. And you WILL get to write more.

In the meantime, just enjoy...because in two seconds, he'll be 29 years old (like my firstborn Jonathan), and you'll say, "What happened!?!"

SO true. No, you'll never stop worrying about your baby, even when he's 30, 40, 50 and beyond.

But these difficult baby days will pass--and though they seem like an eternity while you're experiencing them, in retrospect it will seem they went by so fast they made your head spin.