Brenda's Blog

Breast Feeding

Submitted by Brenda on Mon, 20/08/2018 - 13:56

Once baby is born and you have decided to breast feed the midwifes at the hospital will talk about the "fore milk and hind milk." This is the way the milk is produced in the ducts of your breast. The fore milk comes first and the hind milk afterwards. What they don't tell you is how long this process takes when feeding baby. Having worked with so many breast feeding mums over the years my judgement is it takes 15 seconds for baby to stimulate and suck before the milk starts letting down, sometimes less if mums has a lot of milk. It takes about another 30 seconds for the fore milk to come and then about another 30 seconds for the hind milk to come. The whole process is very fast and under two minutes. Once your milk has 'come in' at week two or three baby does not need much more than 10 to 15 minutes on each breast which includes burping time before baby has had a full feed.

If baby was given a bottle with a much more controlled flow with a teat size baby would take no more than 20/25 minutes with burping to finish a feed. So it makes sense for breast fed babies to be the most efficient. By 6 weeks babies have become even more efficient and despite drinking more milk at each feed this time is now down to 15 minutes per feed for both breasts with winding. By 4 months of age and baby is taking even bigger feeds, feeding time will be 10/15 minutes for both breasts and includes time to wind. Any longer and baby is dozing or falling asleep or using the mother as a human dummy!

A Shortage Of Space.

Submitted by Brenda on Thu, 20/04/2017 - 16:11

Many families live in flats because of the high cost of housing. They are just as likely living in a flat with neighbours close by to have some ongoing issues with their child's sleep. Despite the restricted space "where there's a will there's a way." A bespoke plan can be adapted to your living situation so your child can be encouraged to sleep better in a shared room or in a room on their own. I have visited many families over the years who live in flats but it seems to have increased more and more. However, sleep training can still be very successful as one mum here explains:

We were experiencing real difficulties getting our 5 ½ month old son to take a bottle and sleep through the night. I am planning to return to work very soon and was experiencing a lot of anxiety about his bottle refusal. This coupled with extreme sleep deprivation was proving incredibly tough, especially given that we are living in a one bed flat.  Within 24 hours of contacting Brenda about our son’s feeding and sleeping issues she had visited us and helped us implement a routine to address both these issues. Within 3 days he was taking a bottle reasonably well and had made huge progress with his sleeping. I was astounded that by us sticking to the simple routine we saw such rapid improvements, particularly given that we are so restricted with space in our one bed flat. I would strongly recommend Brenda’s services if you are struggling with your babies sleep or feeding issues.
 

 

The Difference Between Boys and Girls.

Submitted by Brenda on Tue, 09/08/2016 - 16:08

Having worked with babies and children for many years I have seen clear biological differences. This is my general observation, I am sure everyone has a different view.

  • ​​Baby girls are more independent and reach their milestones quicker. Baby boys are less articulate, take more time to develop skills and are more needy.  
  • Baby girls sleep through the night earlier than baby boys and generally potty train quicker.
  • Baby girls being more articulate will start to spoon feed themselves, baby boys like to sit with their mouths open and be spoon fed for longer.
  • Girls will wake up in the morning in their cot and will entertain themselves. Boys will wake up and shout as they are full of energy and want to start the day.
  • Girls will go off and amuse themselves with different activities. Boys play very well but often have to be directed into play.
  • Girls like to talk and manipulate their way out of trouble. Boys are more likely to hit or run away using their physical strength to defend themselves.
  • Teenage girls can be very moody and argumentative. Teenage boys don't express their feelings so well but enjoy their own company.
  • Both boys and girls want to be independent and enjoy spreading their wings.

A mum said to me once "Boys are like dogs and girls are like cats" how true she was!

Whatever their characteristics we love them all.....

 

Life's Up's And Down's

Submitted by Brenda on Thu, 25/02/2016 - 14:20

While visiting and speaking to parents I hear lots of stories, some sad and some very happy ones. Starting a family and conceiving a child is as we know not always plain sailing. Everyones circumstances are different but I was particularly moved by this story from a family in the Midlands that I was asked to visit this week, which in turn is also Valentines week, so I thought I would  share it with you.
The mum was not able to conceive a baby after several years of trying with her husband. This was due to one of her fallopian tubes being blocked and possible other reasons. So she was admitted to hospital to have the tube unblocked. It was a simple procedure but the hospital managed to make a mistake and admitted the surgery had not been done correctly. The hospital offered the couple one free go of IVF treatment on the NHS to compensate for their mistake but only 'one' egg was saved during ovulation. The couple only had the one attempt at IVF, privately was not an option as they could not afford it. 
Low and behold the egg planted in mum's womb grew successfully and a gorgeous baby girl was born. There were also high's and low's in the first few months because the baby for the first 8 weeks did not put on any weight. 
Now she is 10 months, fully breast fed and looks a picture of health. The problem is she is not eating well and waking several times at night, so that is why they called me. So with the grandparents present I have put a plan in place to sort the issues.
Even though they love their little girl dearly the wakings were taking their toll on the family and unfortunately they could not sustain the current situation like a lot of families. We will correct the eating and sleeping and put her on track, then they can enjoy their most precious daughter even more.

British Summer Time Ends

Submitted by Brenda on Sun, 18/10/2015 - 10:25

 
 
Another summer gone and the clocks change once again. Mums are always asking how they can manage this with the routine. This means next Sunday, as it is early Sunday morning when we change the clocks, bedtime will come round an hour earlier because we have put the time back an hour but everyone will have got up later on the old time so you can extend your child's day. An hour's clock change doesn't seem much when we travel so frequently over time zones. Its like jet lag, just follow the new time on the clock and your child's natural body clock will adjust.
The day will start as usual for most children but bedtime will come round sooner. So I suggest you make that hour up in the day by 'tweeting' the routine slightly here and there through the day by 5/10 minute changes so everything is slightly later. Adjust your baby's naps slightly so the bed routine starts later. Older children from 2 years can manage better with a later bedtime. To adjust to the new time and get the routine on track start the routine Monday morning as usual on the new time. Don't let your child sleep later. Monday morning everyone has to wake up on the new time, and by Tuesday we have forgotten the clock change and our bodies have adjusted.
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British Summer Time Ends

Bringing Up Britain

Submitted by Brenda on Sun, 27/09/2015 - 08:42

Last week Radio 4 broadcast the final programme of a very interesting series. I totally agree with the discussion that parents should not feel uncomfortable about asking for help when it comes to parenting. It's a very lonely job when you are at home on your own with your children and it can be a very challenging one. It's like driving a car, some perople take to it straight away and have more confidence while other people take longer to build their confidence up. Today there is help available if you look for it and nobody should feel uncomfortable seeking the advice to better their family life and parenting skills. The great thing is you are doing something about it and that is the best investment you can make. Here is the link http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00jj0s5/episodes/guide

Constipation In Babies And Children

Submitted by Brenda on Tue, 25/08/2015 - 08:45

 Constipation is a very common problem in babies and young children. I would say all babies at some point suffer from constipation for a number of reasons. Some are listed here:

  • Babies with Reflux are often prescribed Gaviscon to thicken the milk or a formula that has a thickener in it. While this helps stable the problem of Reflux it also creates the problem of constipation.
  • Breast fed babies can become constipated when formula is introduced.
  • Too much UHT formula may impact on their bowel movements.
  • If your breast fed baby has not moved their bowels for several days this does not indicate they are constipated. Breast milk, which is naturally prepared, is absorbed through the body and babies therefore do not have very much waste.
  • The process of weaning can cause constipation as the gut gets use to solid food.
  • Babies often get all the fluids they need from breast or formula but beyond 6 months if they do not drink water they can become constipated.
  • Children need to eat a balanced diet so there is a good variety in their diet and not too much repetition of one food.
  • If a child is unsettled emotionally or is going through an anxious period it could have an impact on their bowel movements.
  • A child who has been unwell especially from a gastro illness may have become dehydrated and this can lead to constipation.

What you can do to ease the constipation:

  • ​​Switch to a different formula powder.
  • Massage your baby and rotate their legs as if they were riding a bicycle.
  • Give your child water or diluted juice, freshly squeezed orange juice to 3 parts water works well.
  • Use powdered formula not UHT.
  • Lots of fruit, vegtables, and other fiber in your childs diet.
  • You can buy lactolose from the chemist, no perscription needed, but seek advice from the doctor first.

 

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Constipation In Babies And Children

Swaddling

Submitted by Brenda on Wed, 12/08/2015 - 11:32

If there is one word I could summarize all my work as a night nanny and sleep trainer it would be "Swaddling." 

This has been absolutley key to my work experience and success. When baby is inside the mother's womb it is wrapped tightly in a warm cosy comfortable ball. Then baby's are born not knowing how to cordinate their limbs. They are born with the 'startle reflex' which they cannot control for many weeks and have to get use to changes in temperature, light, noise, touch, and everything else going on in the world around them. They loose the security of being in the womb and the protection it gives. So it goes without saying that babies respond well to being wrapped up. They fall into a much 'deeper' sleep if swaddled and tend to stay asleep longer because moving their limbs uncontrollable does not wake them up. If your baby cries when they are swaddled this is not an indication that they do not like it. Mums often read this wrongly but it is your baby just moving about and finding a comfortable position to settle into, just like we do when we go to bed. The best place to swaddle the baby is on a firm surface, the bed can be too soft. I find the floor works well and its safe. Another little tip is to fold a muslim up and put it under babies cheek when you put them in the basket or crib. Babies like the sensation of something next to their cheek like we do when we lie on a pillow. I always place the baby halfway between being on their back and on their side and this is helped with a rolled up towel or blanket behind babies back.

I recommend swaddling up to 3 months and beyond. When you are ready to stop the swaddle you can do this by wrapping your baby less tightly so they start to adjust gradually to being unrestricted. After a few days of this you can change to a sleep sack or bag.

There are plenty of swaddle blankets on the market but the swaddle blanket I like the most is http://www.amazon.co.uk/Miracle-Blanket-Swaddle-Wrap-Natural/dp/B00350O4PE?

How To Overcome Jet Lag

Submitted by Brenda on Sat, 08/08/2015 - 15:27

 
Its that time of year when we are often flying off to an overseas location. If you want to conquer the jet lag with your baby or child then the best way to do this is to put your child onto their routine as soon as you arrive, local time. Take into consideration what has happened on the flight and what your child has done the previous 8 hours or so before and follow their routine on the new time. This may mean an extended nap, later bedtime, etc. but then the next day start their routine at the usual time around 7am local time, don't sleep in. The first day will be tiring but it will mean everyone adjusts quickly within 48 or less.

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