Should you breast feed or bottle feed. Most experts recommend breast-feeding. This is because recent research has shown that babies who are breast-fed have higher intelligent quotient scores (ICQ’s) then children who were bottle-fed. So if you want a smart kid you better bottle-feed because the average boost in IQ for breast-feeds babies over non breast-fed was ten points. This difference in points could make the difference between your child being a worker in a car wash or a brain surgeon. Many studies of thousands of children have also show that those who were breastfed consistently get better marks in school.

The reason kids get smarter if breast fed is because breast milk contains a brain-boosting fat called DHA (docasahexaenoic acid). This is an omega-3 fatty acid. DHA that is crucial for the growth and development, of brain tissue. The brains of breastfed babies have a higher concentration of DHA. There is no DHA in milk unless it is added as a supplement.

By the way soymilk is the worst thing you can bottle feed a baby as it is missing this essential nutrient and also causes your baby to have gas. Babies are carnivores and need their mother’s milk.

DHA levels are highest in babies who are breastfed the longest, which also creates an argument for feeding a child for as long as possible. Infant formulas made in the United States do not contain DHA, which is why bottle-feeding is frowned upon. You are basically feeding your child’s body and not their brain.

Babies also need lots of cholesterol for their brains to grow. Breast milk contains a lot of cholesterol, while infant formulas currently contain none. “Low in cholesterol” may be good news for adult diets, but this is not true for babies! Cholesterol helps cells grow essential nerve tissue in young brains.

Children that are bottle-fed may also be more nervous or sensitive than children who are breast-fed. This is because both DHA and cholesterol are the building blocks of a substance called myelin. Myelin acts as insulation for nerves, making it possible for nerves to carry information from one part of the brain or body to another.

Breastfeeding can also help your baby build healthy fat and tissue. The skin of babies who are breast-fed is nicer, softer and firmer to the touch. The skin of bottle fed babies can be rough, scaly and have red patches

Yet another benefit of breastfeeding is that it produces less foul smelling feces in the diaper. The stools of a bottle fed infant tend to be more smelly because cow’ milk does not contain enough lactose to allow the infant to digest the milk properly. A baby that is breast-fed may also have less gas, colic, and struggles with burping and as a result be more good-natured and sleep better at night. The bottom line is that breast fed babies is just smarter and healthier in every way.

The first thing you need to realize about newborns and sleep is that they do not necessarily need sleep! They don’t have biorhythms like we do or need eight hours sleep at night. It is very abnormal for a newborn to sleep all night so you might as well see it as a natural process that can’t be helped. No matter what you do your baby is going to wake up in the middle of night anywhere from once to several times and demand to be fed, changed or simply patted on the back.

The key to managing a newborn is to relinquish fantasies about being in control of the situation. Sleeping like eating or defecating is not something you can force a little person to do. However you can make your baby more comfortable by teaching the child positive attitudes towards bed. One way is to feed it just before bed so it thinks of the bedroom and crib as positive. This also helps the child get rid of any separation anxiety and associating bedtime with being abandoned.

There is no set rule or guide about how a newborn should be sleeping. Some are more active then others and most kids just don’t do what you read in books.

If your current daytime or nighttime routine is not working for you, think about what changes you can make in yourself and your lifestyle that will make it easier for your baby to get to sleep. This is a better approach than trying to change the behavior of a newborn. It may seem like the newborn is suddenly controlling your schedule and sometimes even your entire life but that is the way it is when you have a baby. Accept it. And stay away from books that try to liberate you by telling you to ignore your own biological cues. Your instincts know best how to calm your child and make it feel secure and safe so it will sleep.

If you change your behavior to fit in with your babies you accomplish several important things. First of all you build your baby’s trust in you. A baby that understands that you comprehend his or her needs is less likely to scream and cry in the first place. If you opt for traditional baby training methods such as letting the kid scream it out then you might be creating a more neurotic individual. Be careful before you choose a baby training method as many of them teach you to mistrust your own instincts. Don’t forget that as the mother of a newborn that you possess natural abilities to understand your newborn and all of his or her needs whether it be for food, comfort or sleep.

Bottom line is that all you can do is go with the flow for a while. Yes you will lose sleep. However sleep deprivation is all part of having kids. Above all don’t take it personally. Your kid has no idea what he or she is doing to you.

The baby shower is a great venue for which to solicit funds for a new mom.
Sometimes the mother-to-be is strapped for cash, in which case you can set up a donation station at the event.

There are several fun ways to set up a donation station that is fun and makes people smile as they hand over their dollars or their checks.

One suggestion would be to create a Money Tree. This is a branch or small coniferous tree that is set up near the doorway. As guests leave or come in, they are encouraged to attach paper money to the tree with clothespins. You can also provide small envelopes for them to put cash in and hang on the tree if that is preferable.

Your could also try stringing a Money Clothesline across one of the main rooms. Guests are encouraged to attach paper money with regular clothespins so that it dangles like laundry. You can also supply a pen so they can write messages of good will to the mom on the money.

A traditional bank for the new mom at a shower is the paper pail. T he pail is clearly labeled as Mommy Fund and guests are encouraged to step on the pedal and drop money in the bucket.

Another tradition is to take money is collected from guests by an appointed friend and gathered into a diaper, pinned and presented to the mother

Baby Bulletin Board - A bulletin board is set up with a picture of the mother along with a sign that encourages guests to pin money to the bulletin board

You could also try making a Money Daisy-.Cut a circle of cardboard (with a picture of the mother in the center if you like) and decorate the fringes with dollar bills. Encourage others to make the daisy “bloom”

More discreet methods of collecting money for the expectant mother include:
Buying a teddy bear or other stuffed toy that zips up and asking people to stuff it with paper bills or doing the same with a beautiful cushion and calling it The Financial Cushion.

One way to really surprise a new mom is to collect the money in an envelope and tucking it under her pillow in her hose or in her purse for her to discover later.

Opening a bank account in the mother’s name and then handing her the account book at the end of the party might also be a very charming idea. Package the bank book in a card or wrap it up to make this more of a ceremonial gesture.

At any rate this is certainly a gesture that would be appreciated by any new mother unless they are quite independently wealthy.

Calcium is one of the most important nutrients for a woman especially as you age and your bones start losing mass Taken in the right ratio with magnesium calcium also contributes to the health of tendons, the heart muscle and the nerves.

One of main benefits of eating calcium rich foods, especially for women, is that it can help prevent the development of osteoporosis. This is a condition where bones become porous as the result of aging. It is a silent disease that progresses slowly through the years with no symptoms. Over time all of the bones may become fragile but usually the hip, spine and wrist are especially affected.

Dairy products are the highest source of calcium with evaporated milk being the richest source at 675 mg per cup. One ounce of Parmesan cheese is a distant second at 390 mg of calcium. One cup of ordinary 1% milk has 297 mg of calcium per cup.

In the greens department, collards are the highest source of calcium at 357 mg per cup. Kale follows at 206 mg and 1 stalk of broccoli at 158 mg. Iceberg lettuce is the lowest source at 27 mg of calcium per cup.

A cheap and abundant source of calcium is canned fish. A three-ounce can of sardines contain 372 mg of calcium, which is, much more than a glass of milk.

There are also many treats that are loaded with calcium. For instance the reason pizza can be so healthy for you is because 1 ounce of Mozzarella cheese has 207 mg of calcium per ounce. Ordering your pizza with double cheese is not such a bad idea.

Another great source of calcium is nut. An ounce, which equals roughly a handful of almonds, has a whopping 307 mg of calcium. Hazelnuts are also a rich source at 240 mg an ounce. If you must buy your kids cookies, make sure they have nuts in them (unless of course your child has allergies!)

If you love soft ice cream then you will be glad to know that it is one of the riches sources of calcium clocking in at a delicious 237 mg of calcium per one cup serving. Regular hard ice cream is also a good source at 1276 mg per one cup serving.

Although the levels of calcium found in raw vegetables and fruits are much lower than other foods there are still some decent sources as long as you eat a lot of them. One of the richest sources is carrot. One medium carrot is 27 mg. Grapefruit is also a fairly rich source of calcium at 20 mg.

There is a lot of debate about whether you should take calcium supplements or not. Like any nutrient, calcium is best absorbed if it is eaten as a food. If you are going to take it as a supplement it is best to take coral calcium, which comes from a living source as opposed to calcium that is sourced from a quarry.

So to avoid becoming the incredible shrinking woman or man as you age, make sure you get as much calcium as you can from your diet!