The Birth Lounge Blog

Bed Sharing with Amanda Jansen Today we're talking about bed sharing with Amanda Jansen, who is a registered nurse and IBCLC. She has eight years of L & D and postpartum experience as a nurse.  (This blog is pulled from a The Birth Lounge podcast interview with Amanda Jansen.) So let's start off with the basics.  What is Bed Sharing?  If you get online, you'll realize there's not a set definition. Just to make it clear bed sharing, obviously infants in the bed with you. Co-sleeping, you know, there's something right beside the bed, like kind of like an arms reach but not necessarily, you know, right next to mom.  And then there's room sharing, which could just be a crib in the same room with you.  So those are the three levels parents should be informed of, and then of course the independent sleep in a separate room, that a lot of families choose to do. So a little bit more of my history. I did bed share with my first as a postpartum nurse, you know, I'm...

Sleep Routines with Anna McMillian Sleep Routines vs. Sleep Training When we are talking about sleep routine vs. sleep training we are discussing totally different choices. You've got to look at the foundations because if you are going to sleep train and you don't have your foundations sorted- it's not going to work anyway. There are things that need to be in place regardless of how a child gets to sleep. So sleep training is looking at how the child is getting to sleep. This is what I need to go to bed. For an adult that might be like turning off the lights, locking the front door, brushing your teeth. When we look at a child's sleep routines and health what we're looking to do is actually set up healthy habits. If you think about the habits that are gonna last a lifetime, those are the things that we really want to concentrate on as a newborn. We're looking at how we are communicating with our baby? How are they communicating with us? They're actually t...

How to Get Your Baby to Sleep Through the Night with Eva Klein (Taken from The Birth Lounge Podcast with Eva Klein, Certified Sleep Consultant) So I am a certified infant and child sleep consultant. I help exhausted moms get their little ones consistently sleeping through the night so that they can be functioning humans again. And I got into this business because of my middle child. So, um, I'm a wife and a mom of three. I live in Toronto, Canada and I, my kids are 10, almost eight and almost three. Um, and so it was my middle child that got me into this business because interestingly, I'm actually a lawyer by training. So my previous lifetime, um, which wasn't, which was you about 10 years ago now I was working as a lawyer. I basically finished law school, had my first baby. Um, that first baby was like this unicorn baby that made me look amazing and was just so easy and happy all the time and you know, slept amazingly. And then a couple of years later when I was done law ...

What You Really Need to Know About Formula and How to Choose the Right One for Your Baby Ignore the labels, it’s all about the ingredients The red-bolded words “anti-colic remedy” on the front of a formula tub can seem pretty promising when you’re standing in the formula isle of Target after several evenings with a fussy baby. This is exactly what the manufacturer intends when marketing their formula brands to parents. They knowingly get paid by targeting vulnerable new moms who are sleep deprived and desperate. Formula brands will advertise products made specifically for things like reducing spit up and gas or to help improve sleep. But, like most things baby related, it’s not a “one size fits all” solution. The ingredients and how they react to your baby’s specific dietary and digestives needs are most important to understand when you’re in the process of choosing a formula. And I say process because you are most likely going to need to change formulas at least once or twice, and t...

Breastfeeding your baby is no easy feat! No matter what society tells us, learning to breastfeed does require patience. 1. Haakaa: This thing will honestly change your life. Not only is it a hand pump, but it can be a total game-changer for building supply! The Haakaa is a silicon bottle shaped hand pump that attaches to your breast by suction and that’s how it removes your milk.  I’ve seen nursing parents say things like, “This boob just can’t make more than an ounce,” but when we put the Haakaa on, 3 ounces collected! It takes a time or two to learn how to attach it, but once you master it, you’ll never forget.  2. Hand Pump: I know, I know, the Haakaa is a hand pump so why do you need this? Well, because I suggest using this over an electric pumps for so many reasons like you’re in much more control and the convenience factor is through the roof. You can easily stick a hand pump in your purse and that’s not true about an electric pump. 3. Breastfeeding pillow: ...

Let’s be honest - there’s nothing quite like the excitement of brand new baby rolling into town. Whether it’s a friend, family member, or neighbor who has added a new tiny human to their home, you may be waiting on the edge of your seat to meet the new babe. Before you go running to get your share of baby snuggles, there are a few unspoken rules you should keep in mind when it comes to visiting a newborn and we’re going to break those down for you today. - First of all - when exactly is it okay to come knocking on their door? Ask when it would be a convenient time for them and never come over unannounced.  - Definitely come with a practical gift in tow - you can never go wrong with food for a busy new family! Maybe pick up some fruit or something else fresh as they’re probably relying on the freezer for most of their meals. - Always lend a helping hand during your visit. Offer to take care of those dishes in the sink or throw in a load of laundry or even just to wipe down the count...

Respecting the Golden Hour The time immediately following your birth is crucial to the well being of our child. Research says that respecting what is called “The golden Hour” can help give your child the best possible start. If it is possible, requesting that your medical staff and birth team respect this time can help your baby adjust to life on the outside before they are poked and prodded with newborn tests and passed from person to person for birth stats.  The way in which the golden hour mentality is carried out varies from culture to culture. In some cultures an extended golden hour called “lying in” is a practice in which women are waited upon and only allowed to do minimal tasks such as getting up to use the bathroom, but not to shower. It is said to be supportive of postpartum healing and mother-child attachment. However, in some cultures, parents aren’t afforded any paid time off of work to recover from birth and bond with their baby.  Visitors are no exception to th...

How to Pick the Best Baby Bath  There's a few things to know about bath time with children! First and foremost, babies don't like baths to begin with. Some do, but for the most part babies less than 8-12 weeks don't love bath time. With that being said, bath time plays a crucial role in your routines. First, it is an anchor. An "anchor" is a point in time of day or an action that happens at the same time each day. For example, when a child eats lunch, they come to learn and expect that nap time follows. If there is one parent in the house who returns home at a similar time each day, that will become an "anchor" for the children in the home and they will learn that this anchor means the day is coming to a close, dinner is next, and bedtime is soon.  Bath time will serve this same purpose for your child. Not necessarily a newborn, but whether you take a full-blown bath every night or not, having your child's body safely submerged in warm water will do ...

When Things Are Bigger Than You Recently, I have been truly connecting with the approach of "Is this bigger than me?" to try to combat what I call "The Guilt of Saving the World." This is where someone has such strong feelings about helping others that it sometimes inhibits them from seeing the limitations of their help or that they may not be able to remedy certain situations at all. I became acutely aware of this guilt that I so often encounter when I first moved to Boston. The homeless population around Newbury Street and the Back Bay area absolutely break my heart. They do. It makes me feel so deeply sad. I without fail will always purchase food and drink for someone when we go walk around that area. I won't give them money because I want them to be fed and hydrated more than I want [insert whatever their sign says]. I can't help them get a job, or help them get to their destination, but I can feed them and I can give them water. I can give them a ...

(HeHe's article is published for Mama Goose HERE in its entirety.) Traveling over the holidays can be a struggle when you have tiny humans. Kids seem to add so many new layers to traveling…more than I even knew was possible. I am an avid traveler and have been supporting families with small children for nearly a decade. Through this, I have learned many tricks to making life simpler and smoother for parents. One of my favorite “life hacks” to share with parents of little ones is how to travel light.  There’s no doubt that traveling with kids with inevitably create the need to travel with more stuff, but it doesn’t have to be a painful as many of us would image. I have put together a packing list for new parents that will help make traveling with kids much less of a headache! This podcast lays out tricks to make traveling with young children easier! Here is a list of clothing to pack for your baby, sleep necessities and helpful hints to minimize the “stuff” you have to b...

 (HeHe's article is published for Birch Baby HERE in its entirety.) The time immediately following your birth is crucial to the well being of your child. Research says that respecting what is called “The Golden Hour” can help give your child the best possible start.  If it is possible, requesting that your medical staff and birth team respect this time can help your baby adjust to life on the outside before they are poked and prodded with newborn test and passed from person to person for birth stats.  The way in which the golden hour mentality is carried out varies from culture to culture. In some cultures an extended golden hour called “lying in” is a practice in which women are waited upon and only allowed to do minimal tasks such as getting up to use the bathroom, but not to shower.  It is said to be supportive of postpartum healing and mother-child attachment. However, in some cultures, parents aren’t afforded any paid time off of work to re...