NEWSLETTER

September 2009

It seem traditional to do a "Back to School" Theme in Septemeber. As someone who homeschooled my three children for a large part of their education I don't usually go along with the educational mainstream but this time I am. I want to focus on Education and offer a few specials for the Fall. Educating families about breastfeeding and parenting is my passion. Unfortunately, I do too much of my education at post partum visits where we are trying to sort out the mess that started with a mixture of good, bad and awful learning in the hospital. The first question I often get from new moms is "why did everyone at the hospital tell me something different". Having good information and confidence going into one's birth can go a long way in making the early days smooth and enjoyable instead of fraught with stress. See our class special offers for the Fall below and if you aren't expecting a new baby, pass them along to a friend who is.

Educate yourself and your family by reading the the articles and one excellent video referenced below and take a trip to a musuem this month for a real fun learning experience.

Karen

Drop In Groups

South Jersey Baby's Drop in Group took a hiatus in August with so many people on vacation. We will restart this Friday, September 11th and hold our next meeting on September 25th. Come by, bring a friend who is a pregnant or new mom. Shared wisdom among women has been the best learning tool since the beginning of time. Help carry on this tradition. More details

Is our Turnersville location to far for you? I am filling in for a friend at the Mullica Hill La Leche League group this Thursday morning. Or check out a La Leche League group in your area.

Breastfeeding Success Classes - Fall Specials

As I said above I am offering several specials for the Fall. I learn too each time I teach a class and am reworking the structure of my private classes and packages shortly. In the meantime take advantage of these offers or tell a friend about them.

Group Classes - Receive $5.00 off any of our group classes or register with a friend and both receive $10 off the single class price. That makes either Breastfeeding Basics or Breastfeeding Success just $20-$25 a couple. You must register by October 31st to take advantage of this offer. A number of classes have been scheduled already, more will be soon. Visit our schedule page if you don't see something that's right for you fill out our contact form or call and we will see what we can set up.

Our other special is on a "private class plus", in your home. Sign up now and receive a Private Class of 1 1/2 hours geared toward your needs and questions. Includes the material from Breastfeeding Basics and Breastfeeding Successfully. In addition you will receive a private review of your history to look for risk factors to Breastfeeding Success and discuss recommendations for your specific situations. Also included a $10 gift certificate toward the purchase of any of our recommended Breastfeeding / Parenting Books or any of our other services (except our special offers) for you and a friend. The cost of this "private class plus" for you and a partner is $95 if you sign up before October 31st. Fill out our contact form or call to set up your class..

Give a call and find out about our gift certificates 609-560-2218.

September is Museum Time

A lesson I learned from homeschooling is September weekdays are the best times to visit Museums and other tourist sites. Most travelers have ended their vacations, class trips are not yet begun and the places are near empty. So if you have homeschooled children, preschoolers or just want to take your children out of their programs for a day you might get some extra treats. The staff at these sites tends to have lots of extra attention to pay to the few visitors and you might learn something extra or get to try hands on activities that they can't do when the crowds are there. Check out this great site for places to visit.

http://www.fieldtrip.com

If you are interested in learning more about homeschooling you can read my blog at www.snj.com/homeschool

Reducing Infant Mortality

Those of you who are Facebook fans of South Jersey Babies may have watched this already. If you haven't seen it you should. This well done video with great professionals in their fields talk about the impact of medicalized births and poor breastfeeding management on infant mortality. Did you know that the US has one of the worst infant mortality rates in the world? You should and we should all be working toward change. Sharing the messages in this video is one step in that direction.

See the Video

The First Hour Following Birth: Don’t Wake the Mother!

The hour following birth is undoubtedly one of the most critical phases in the life of human beings. It is not by chance that all human groups have routinely disturbed the physiological processes in this short period of time, via beliefs and rituals. Our cultural milieus are to a great extent shaped at the very beginning of the mother-newborn interaction.

The first hour following birth may be looked at from a multitude of complementary perspectives. My objective is to catalogue 12 such perspectives to demonstrate the real dimension of this enormous subject.

So what should that first hour look like? Read the article

Car Seats are for Cars
(except from Mothering Magazine.com - link to full article below)

No longer just a safety device for automobiles, portable infant car seats are now an important part of “travel systems”—sets including an in-car base, a stroller, and a car seat that snaps into both. They’ve been called the SUVs of the stroller world, and a quick glance in any baby store will show you how popular they’ve become.

Many parents don’t think twice about using an infant seat as an all-purpose baby carrier. But is there any harm in relying so heavily on a single piece of baby gear? Do the portability and convenience come at a price? As it turns out, there are good reasons why you should consider leaving the car seat in the car.

Reasons to Leave the Car Seat in the Car

• The Rise of Flat-head Syndrome
• Poor Positioning For Infants
• Physical Strain for Parents.
• Adds to the Burden of Baby Baggage
• Lack of Touch

Breastfeed to protect newborn's fragile intestines

Pregnant Women Consuming Flaxseed Oil Have High Risk Of Premature Birth