Born to be Breastfed

Ever since 2005, when the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released their first statement on sleeping with your baby, we’ve all wondered: Is the AAP right? Do I risk having my baby die if I sleep with him? And some of us have asked the much more difficult question: Is there real data for this, and if there is, does it apply all babies, or is it okay for breastfeeding babies to sleep with their mother??

Join Marie and her guest, James McKenna PhD, internationally-recognized infant sleep expert and author of over 180 peer-reviewed articles and chapters on SIDS and related topics. Unquestionably, safe sleep practices are paramount. But “safe” does not necessarily mean putting the baby to sleep in a crib. Learn how Dr. McKenna’s research sheds a light on newborn/infant sleep in terms of what’s normal, what’s safe, and what parents really do. And, gain a perspective for how parents can be empowered to make their own decisions about where to sleep.

We all agree on the importance of support for breastfeeding mothers. But how can we get—or give—that support? You might not need a one-on-one appointment and expertise of an IBCLC. A support group run by La Leche League or Breastfeeding USA might not appeal to you. Yet, you’d like a little more than good advice from a friendly neighbor. Is there any other option? Yes! You could drop into a Baby-Café! With multiple locations throughout the United States open one or more times a week, this model has a proven track record for good outcomes.

Join Marie and her special guest, Lucia Jenkins, founder of Baby-Café USA. See why the Baby Café model works in many settings and is flexible enough to accommodate different community profiles. Learn how you can get support from specially-trained staff, share experiences and make friends, and engage in open-forum discussions. Or, if you want to start a Baby Café, find out how little time, effort, and money it takes to get it up and running.

We all know that a “cue” is a signal for someone to do or to say something. But what, exactly, is cue-based feeding? Is cue-based feeding the same as demand feeding? Is cue-based feeding the same or different from infant-led feeding? Have volume-based feedings become outdated for preterm infants? Are cue-based feedings appropriate for preterm infants? Preterm infants are often more sleepy than communicative, so how will you recognize cues that they are hungry? Join Marie and her guest, Tena Fry RN, DNP, as they talk about cue-based feeding for preterm (and late-preterm) infants. In this episode, you’ll learn how to differentiate among early, mid and late hunger cues and gain confidence on how to respond to those cues. On the flip side, you’ll learn to recognize important cues that preterm babies feel full, or overstimulated, and want to discontinue a feeding. You’ll also see how cue-based feedings have been shown to benefit the baby, the parents, and even the hospital’s bottom line.

No doubt, you’ve heard someone say that babies lose weight after birth but need to surpass their birth weight by 7 days, or 2 weeks, or 3 weeks. Similarly, you’ve probably heard that babies who have a 10% weight loss in the first few days require formula supplementation. But is this “decaphobia” justified?

Join Marie and her guest, clinical pediatrician and expert researcher Dr. Ian Paul, who says that these numbers and assumptions have been based on anecdote, not evidence. Dr. Paul has given us the NEWT, i.e., the nomogram which represents the new and evidence-based standard to understand newborn weight loss. Whether you are a parent or a provider, you’ll learn the who-what-where-when-why of the NEWT, the research from 160,000 babies that propelled its inception, how it compares with expert recommendations, how weight loss in babies born by vaginal compares to cesarean birth, and how 36-weekers compare to 37-weekers. Don’t miss this exciting episode!

You’ve had your cesarean surgery and your baby is born at 35 weeks’ gestation. The doctor, the nurse, the lactation consultant and seemingly everyone says, “Oh! He weighs five pounds! That’s great!” But you’re thinking…if everything is so great, why is his body floppy? Why is he so sleepy? No, he didn’t go to the NICU, but he’s not giving feeding cues, and his suck is really weak. What will it take for him to start…and continue breastfeeding? Meanwhile, you’ve already realized there’s little information and support for breastfeeding a late preterm infant.

Join Marie and her guest, Bianca Wooden, DONA, IBCLC, as they talk about the capabilities and limitations of the late preterm baby as he tries to breastfeed in the initial phases and after hospital discharge. You’ll feel validated that your questions and worries are real, get plenty of tips about how to make breastfeeding work for the late preterm baby, and empower yourself with some insights that Bianca learned along the way.

Feeding babies is just…feeding, right? Whether they breastfeed, bottle-feed, use a cup or a spoon, they just need to breathe and take in food and drink, right? Um, no. Babies don’t come fully grown, so it makes sense their bodily structures will grow, and then develop different skills at different times. But do we watch how our own skills and interactions affect the babies? Oops! Maybe not!

Join Marie and her guest, Diane Bahr, MS, CCC-SLP, CIMI. As a speech-language pathologist, Diane explains how early feeding experiences help babies to gather information about their world and learn to express themselves. You’ll start to watch how you position your baby at breast, how you offer a bottle, and how you wield your baby’s spoon. Learn how pacifiers and sippy cups can impact feeding and speech skills, why it’s important for a baby to breathe through his nose, and other technical and practical aspects of oral activities that have long-term consequences. (Get glossary at MarieBiancuzzo.com)

Admit it. There’s a tiny part of the holiday season that you dread. You’ve got a few relatives who always poke their noses into your parenting business, and you never know exactly how to handle their comments. Should you just put up and shut up? Or should you lash back? Or is there perhaps a better solution that might help to avoid all of that negative energy floating around in the room?

Listen as Marie and best-selling author and top psychotherapist Sandra Reich talk about why topics like breastfeeding are so likely to bring on criticism, and how the “crab mentality” works overtime—and is often contagious among family members—at holiday time. Ask yourself what story is playing in your head. Heed Sandra’s warning that negative emotional energy has been scientifically linked to physical disease, and get her tips on how to create appropriate boundaries and avoid unwanted consequences.

If you’re the parent of a preterm infant, you probably feel stressed and worried about your baby. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you could use a simple, free, noninvasive technique to help your baby—and help yourself at the same time? And wouldn’t you love to confidently touch your baby, even as he is tethered to so many tubes, leads, and lines?

Join Marie and her guest, psychologist, researcher and author, Tiffany Field, PhD. Dr. Field has authored over 400 journal articles and 38 books about the efficacy of infant massage for premature infants. In this fascinating episode, you’ll discover multiple short-term and long-term benefits for preterm infants who have been massaged, the type of touch to use, the relationship between breastfeeding and massage, and how to get started doing infant massage on your baby, even if he was born many weeks before term. You’ll also begin to understand how massaging your preterm infant can actually help you to relax and avoid postpartum depression.

You may have already figured out that having a new baby during military service brings up some issues you would not have encountered in civilian life. You might need to deal with giving birth while your spouse is deployed half-way around the world. Or, you might find yourself giving birth in a hospital where staff speak a language or have birth practices different from your own. How can you get help?

Join Marie and her special guests, DONA-certified birth doula Amanda Dodson and postpartum doula Kari Haravitch, both having served in the military. Kari explains how families value her ability to help them make the transition to parenthood, while Amanda gives a behind-the-scenes description of starting a business and an educational facility in Okinawa. Whether you’re a parent or a doula, whether you’re military or civilian, you’ll want to hear how the role and creativity of the doula can be a game-changer for you and your family.

So, you’re a nursing mother and you need to travel by plane—with or without your baby. You need to generate some obvious and some not-so-obvious questions before you take off and get the right answers! The first hurdle is having paperwork in order and items to pack for yourself or your child—including critical parts, and their replacements. Are you better off pumping or nursing in the airport? What does it mean if the airport says they have a lactation room? What about pumping on the plane? How many actions can you take to have an almost hands-free experience? And, what about all of those TSA rules? Is it really true that you need to dump your milk before going through security? Does the fate of the milk depend on whether or not the baby is with you? How much milk can you take, and can you carry an ice pack? Whether you’ve flown many times or never before, you’ll want to hear this episode where Marie gives dozens of tips to make it a less stressful experience.