Whether you are a mom-to-be, planning to be a mom, or maybe you want to support your wife (huge brownie points to you), this post is for you.
Did anyone else feel scared, stressed, and confused when it came to feeding your baby after birth? No? Just me? Well honestly, I was freaked out! Was she getting enough? Was she eating too much? Am I doing this right?
The best way I can describe birth is- full of surprises. Many of us mothers think we can plan our births, but little do they know you can’t plan much!
Selecting the right pediatrician for your baby requires a lot of careful consideration and research. However, once you’ve found the right one, it’s equally important to know the right questions to ask.
By now you’ve probably seen the Luvs diapers commercial showing the first-time mom totally over-reacting and sanitizing everything, and then the second-time mom hands her kid off to the dirty mechanic.
Every day I tell patients that we are living through the fourth great revolution in medicine. The first three revolutions had to do with killing the fairly small number of viruses, fungi, and bacteria that harm us (pathogens).
It’s common to assume that if a baby is growing well, gaining weight appropriately, and reaching all of their developmental milestones, they are “perfectly healthy.” However, some health issues aren’t necessarily visible from the outside, especially
As a new parent, I feel like I’m learning new things constantly. There is so much to learn in the world of babies, it can feel a bit overwhelming!
Nine months into breastfeeding my third baby and I’m all sorts of emotions about it all. Part of me can’t wait to be done, but there’s a small part that’s sad that the baby phase of raising my little boys is almost at an end.
So many questions from all of you mamas about baby’s tummy, including, “Should I give my baby any supplements or a probiotic?” Today I’ve partnered with Evivo to answer that question, as well as let you know a little bit more about how baby’s gut health
As a doula who supports new families in making healthy choices, I find that there are critical moments during pregnancy and the postnatal period that are not commonly addressed but have great impact on maternal, fetal and newborn
Many moms start worrying about their babies health before their baby is even born. They want to start doing what they can as soon as possible to make sure their baby is happy and healthy.
No matter how prepared I think I am this third time around, there are still moments where I don’t know what the heck is going on. When Alice decided to quit being such a good sleeper and only wants to sleep on the boob.
Becoming a mother has been one my of greatest achievements thus far. As great as it has been on this journey through motherhood, there have been many trial and errors.
Since becoming a mom, I spend a lot of time thinking about the best ways to keep my baby healthy.
Every parent celebrates a healthy baby who’s gaining weight and thriving, but new science suggests ways that we can also be thinking about internal milestones and how they might affect our babies for their entire lives.
Breastfeeding greatly benefits your baby’s immune system.
It’s true: Breast milk is quite the superfood. What other form of nutrition automatically changes with baby’s needs and comes absolutely free? But even Mother Nature’s genius can be improved upon now and again.
Breast milk is the best thing you can feed your baby, but what can moms do to make it even better? Proper nutrition and storing breast milk correctly can make a difference.
Your baby is the cutest little thing you’ve ever seen—and she’s covered with bacteria. Don’t worry, everyone is! Your microbiome is the collection of tiny organisms that live all over us.
Breastfeeding offers the best source of nutrients during the first year of your baby's life. That's why the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends breastfeeding exclusively for the first six months.
Today while I was getting ready it hit me. I’m preparing to have my third baby. Woah. Like that’s so crazy. It’s still hard to believe I’m a mom sometimes, much less a mom of three.
The first few months of parenthood come with a handful of unknowns. Is my baby healthy? Is my baby growing, gaining weight, and developing appropriately?
Now that Alice is 5 months, I can confidently say that we’ve made it past the hardest part of breastfeeding. And of course, now that we’ve figured out her gas issues and have breastfeeding down, she’s teething. Of course.
In concentrating on my health the past few years, one of the things I’ve really been looking at is gut health.
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Human Milk Oligosaccharides (HMOs) are special carbohydrates that are food for baby’s gut bacteria. One key beneficial bacteria, B. infantis, is unique and able to capture all these carbohydrates that might otherwise be wasted, consuming them fully allowing B. infantis to grow and protect baby’s gut, and convert them into essential nutrients that are critical for baby’s developing metabolism and immune system.
Probiotics are ‘good’ bacteria that help keep your gut microbiome healthy. Historically, probiotics have been taken with the hope to relieve symptoms such as gas, bloating, or other digestive issues. However, new research has found that gut health is connected to other conditions such as colic, eczema, allergies, diabetes, and obesity and may have a much larger impact on overall health, beyond only symptomatic relief.
Prebiotics are carbohydrates that cannot be digested by the human body. Instead, they are ‘food’ for the gut microbiome. For babies, the most important prebiotics are found in breast milk and are called Human Milk Oligosaccharides (HMOs). HMOs are the third most abundant nutrient in breast milk and are critical to ‘feed’ good bacteria in baby’s gut.
A gut microbiome is a collection of trillions of microorganisms, or bacteria, that live in our intestines, or gut.
By nature’s design, beneficial and protective bacteria are passed from mom to baby during the birthing process, creating baby’s unique gut microbiome. However, the unintended consequences of modern medical practices such as antibiotics, c-sections, and formula feeding have led to a decrease in this mom to baby transfer.
In collaboration with the University of California Medical Center, we completed a clinical trial in which breast fed babies were given Evivo once a day for a month and were compared to breast fed babies who didn’t receive any probiotic. After a month, Evivo babies had significantly higher levels of the key good bacteria, B. infantis, in their gut compared to babies who didn’t receive any Evivo. This good bacteria is critical for proper immune system and metabolic development during the first six months of life.