Help or not help my baby walk? Walking is a great milestone in a baby’s motor development. On average, babies begin to walk on their own between 9 and 18 months. However, it is important to keep in mind that each baby develops at their own pace, and there can be considerable variations within this age range. Some babies start taking their first steps at around 9-12 months (sometimes even at 8 months), while others may slow down and don’t…
Babies are born to suckle; they expect to breastfeed, and biologically, they need to do so for at least their first year of life. They need to breastfeed to survive, and there is no reason to stop doing so. But there are some babies who suddenly (usually between 8 months and one year of age) stop nursing. Then, they don’t want to even get close to the breast, and they reject it. For any mother, it’s a terrible feeling when…
Let’s talk about the pelvic floor and why pelvic floor health after pregnancy is so important for women. Do you experience urine leaks when you cough or sneeze? Do you feel pain during sex with penetration? Do you have hemorrhoids? All of these, and more, can be symptoms that your pelvic floor is not in good condition. For too long, it has been thought that urine leaks or pain during intercourse, for example, are the price women pay for being…
“I am Esther Leal, mom of Iria, 31 months old, whom I breastfed very happily until she was 28 months old, and triathlete of 11 years. Although this has not been my profession, triathlon is part of my life, and adapting it to my new life as a mother has not been easy. Still, by learning and listening to my body, I have achieved the best results of my life, including first place in the women’s amateur category in the…
What is the one-year breastfeeding crisis? When breastfeeding babies approach their first birthday, they might be entering the one-year breastfeeding crisis. Have you heard about it? At this stage, you might assume that your child will be eating a little more each day and, perhaps, breastfeed a little less. If your baby has already been eating* solids with some ease, he or she may now suddenly refuse to eat or eat very small amounts of only a couple of foods…
During pregnancy, you may have many worries and things you are afraid of, especially if it is your first baby. Everything seems to be a new world, almost a long-distance race in which the pregnant woman seems to have to achieve certain milestones as she goes along: preparing the famous baby’s bedroom, shop for the basics and essentials to survive motherhood, getting all the relevant medical tests, worrying about weight gain and diet, deciding where to give birth. And then,…
Let’s help all those relatives, friends, neighbors, and complete strangers who come across breastfeeding mothers in their lives. It turns out that when they come face to face with a mother, they don’t know what to say and end up saying any nonsense that, in the best of cases, can end up with the mother’s eyes rolling. Here is what you should NEVER say to a breastfeeding mother: 1. “You’re not doing it right.” Here, we include phrases such as…
Much has been written about how to sleep safely with a baby. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) has been, and continues to be, a major fear for families and professionals alike. SIDS is estimated to have an incidence of between 1 and 4 per 1000 live births. The epidemiology of SIDS is still unknown, and its diagnosis is reached by ruling out other causes. Some studies associate how and where the baby sleeps with the increase of this syndrome. For…
Everyone knows that premature babies need a lot of care and attention, but have you ever heard of late preterm babies who are also called near-term babies? When is a baby considered late preterm? Late preterm babies are those born between 34+0 and 36+6 weeks of pregnancy. When they are born at 34-35 weeks, it is possible that they spend a few days in a neonatal unit, but many times, babies who are born close to 36 weeks of pregnancy…
Breastfeeding support groups are a fundamental resource for any mother who wants to breastfeed. They are an important meeting point for mothers in very similar situations. What is a breastfeeding support group? There are many different support groups for mothers, and among them, there are those that are dedicated breastfeeding support groups. There are also more general groups about parenting and maternity. In a breastfeeding support group, you can find: Other mothers like you who are interested in breastfeeding, either…
