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Peggy O'Mara

A Quiet Place

Michel Odent Conference in Hawaii

March 29th, 2012

If you saw The Business of Being Born, you will well remember the charming French physician, Michel Odent, who spoke eloquently of the connection between our capacity to love and our earliest imprinting. Odent originally became known for his pioneering work at the Pithiviers hospital in France. (1962-1985). He authored the first article in the medical literature about the use of birthing pools. (The Lancet, 1983) and introduced the idea of birthing pools and home-like birthing rooms to maternity units.

Odent is the author of 12 books in 22 languages, including Birth Reborn, The Caesarean, The Functions of the Orgasms, and Childbirth in the Age of Plastics and co-author of five academic texts. He reminds us that, like all animals, we want privacy during birth: a birthing women needs to feel safe and free from dogma. For more of Odent’s writing, see his website Womb Ecology and search the Primal Health Research Databank that he created.

Ina May Gaskin

This fall, Odent is hosting a conference in Hawaii. The Mid-Pacific Conference on Birth and Primal Health Research will be held at the Honolulu Convention Center October 26-28, 2012.; Odent calls this conference The Honolulu Great Wake-Up Call. It follows the 2010 Mid-Atlantic Conference, which attracted 1250 participants from 39 countries. The purpose of this conference is to present an overview of current technical and scientific advances in childbirth and, in response, to ask new questions about its future.

The conference program will bring together an impressive group of speakers, including Michael Stark, MD, considered to be one the most influential surgeons of our time and “father” of a simplified cesarean technique; Kirstin Uvnas-Moberg, MD, professor of physiology at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, and author of The Oxytocin Factor; and Susan Wickham, RM, PhD, founder  of Midwives Information and Resource Center (MIDRS) and editor of Essentially MIDRS, a monthly midwifery journal.

Sarah Buckley

Several Mothering contributors and experts will also be presenting: Robbie Davis-Floyd on Birth Across Cultures; Ina May Gaskin (and Michel Odent) on Unusual Routes to Midwifery and Obstetrics; Cathy Daub and Elizabeth Davis on Transcendant Emotional States in Childbirth.

I will participate in a roundtable on Writing about Mothering with Jan Tritten from Midwifery Today and  Sarah Buckley, Australian obstetrician and author of Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering.

The conference is $220. It would be great to see you there.

 

 

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Natural Products Expo Update

March 14th, 2012

 

When I first attended Natural Products Expo West 14 years ago, I was moved by the realization that such a huge industry had been germinated by my generation as we figured out how to lead a natural life in the sixties and seventies. That industry is even bigger now. In fact, The Natural Products Expo West is one of the biggest trade shows in the world; 50,000 people attended the first day.

One exciting trend I saw at the Expo was the move toward labeling of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) food. Ronnie Cummins and the Organic Consumers Association has been working on this issue for years and it’s finally getting some momentum. People at the show were gathering plenty of signatures from California voters to put a GMO labeling bill on the California ballot in November. Just this week, 55 members of Congress asked the FDA to label GMO foods. Here’s an Infographic from Just Label it that gives background on GMO Foods. If you want to find out more about the California Ballot Initiative, see California Right to Know.

As the natural products industry grows, I wonder how one can tell what are the best quality products. How can you differentiate between a good product and simply a well marketed one?

A banner at the B Corporation booth addressed my question. (see at right) 500 Certified B Corporations have voluntarily met high standards of transparency, accountability, and performance. They hope to redefine  business success to include not only high growth, but also high impact.

I tend to trust a company with a long history and a commitment to an educational mission and/or a social cause. Melinda Olson of Earth Mama Angel Baby has long been committed to truth in labeling and to purity of ingredients. Her products are literally good enough to eat. Suzanne Siemens and Madeleine Shaw of Lunapads help to support Pads4Girls, an African charity that provides cloth pads for African girls.

Lightlife is partnering with the non-profit, Urban Farming, to help end hunger. Gaia Herbs, grower and manufacturer of organic herbs, just introduced an industry-first program called Meet Your Herbs. Each product has an ID number by which you can track the story of your herbs from “seed to shelf.”

Nordic Natural (NN) continues to be the leader in the industry with their superior standards of safety, purity and sustainability. NN has research supporting their claims on their website; they host a separate website entirely for research, omega-research.com, and research on third party sites supports their claims. This type of redundancy is something to look for in a top company.

Blueberries and hemp were big at the Expo. Elderberry looks to be the next big immune booster. Coconut was everywhere and especially great mixed with peanut butter, which is expected to be at a premium this year. Here are a few products that stood out to me.

Artisana has a raw, superfood called Berry AntiOxidant Nut Butter made from raw organic cashew butter, raw organic almond oil, raw organic goji berry powder, raw organic blueberry powder, raw organic agave, and raw organic stevia. It comes in packets that can be mixed together before spreading and would be perfect for lunch boxes.

ChildLife has a new product called Toothpaste Tablets for children. Instead of a tube of toothpaste, one chews a tablet, brushes one’s teeth and rinses. I think children would like this product and it was named the Most Innovative Dental Product in 2011. ChildLife products are developed by Dr. Murray Clarke,ND, D.Hom, LAc, the author of Natural Baby–Healthy Child: Alternative Health Care Solutions from Pre-conception Through Childhood.

Maggie’s Naturals are natural food colorings that come in Pink, Green, Blue, Orange, Brown and Yellow. The colors look bright and rich and the ingredients are vegetables, seeds, extracts, glycerin, and citric acid. Green, for example, is made from gardenia extract, spinach, parsley, organic vegetable glycerin, citric acid. The food colorings are organic and gluten free. I would have loved these for holidays when my children were small.

Even though I’m scent sensitive, I can’t stop smelling the samples of Zum Bar goat’s milk soap. The colors and scents are extraordinary. They use goat’s milk, 100% pure essential oils, veggie oils, herbs, natural glycerin, and natural mineral pigments.

I hope to write a series of blogs on how to read a label and what qualities to look for in a top natural products company. Labels can contain the word “organics” and not be organic at all, for example. New labels come into the marketplace every year. This year Gluten Free was popular, sometimes with companies that were never full of gluten in the first place. It makes sense for us to reduce, reuse, recycle and when we buy new to buy the best products from the best companies. I hope I can help us figure this out.

 

 

 

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Diapers and The Bottom Line

February 29th, 2012

 

The Triple Bottom Line is a standard used to measure a company in terms of its total cost of doing business. There are three standards that comprise the Triple Bottom Line: profit, people, and planet. The first standard is the traditional business one of overall profitability, or how financially responsible is a business; The second standard relates to people, or how socially responsible is a business; and, finally, the third standard refers to the planet, or how environmentally responsible is a business.

It is an awareness of this total cost of doing business that, in recent years, has made the public increasingly critical of companies and individuals who only value the bottom line of profit. It is this awareness that fuels critics of offshore oil drilling, fracking, and other technologies that take large environmental risks. And, it is this awareness that has many of us buying local food, shopping at Farmer’s Markets and thinking about backyard chickens.

THE REAL DIAPER INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION AND BUMMIS

Cloth diaper manufacturers are also concerned about the Triple Bottom Line. In fact, The Real Diaper Industry Association, includes it in its mission. Betsy Thomas of Bummis is exemplary among cloth diaper manufacturers for producing most of her products in her own factory in Montreal using mostly North American components. When products and components are unavailable in North America, Betsy and her team work with long-time reputable partners in the UK and Pakistan. Everything is tested for non-toxicity and biodegradability and cloth diapers are made of Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) certified cotton.

According to Betsy Thomas, founder of Bummis, “We also believe that the bottom line is not only about money and profit – but that it is also about the well being of our company and the people who work in it, our suppliers, our clients, and our community – both our local community and our industry. We believe that the way we do business matters, and that business can be an important vehicle for social change.”

REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE

The Triple Bottom Line is especially relevant to diapers because there is so much controversy about the environmental impacts of diapers. Small cloth diaper manufactures were the original advertisers in Mothering magazine and as the industry grew rapidly in the late eighties and early nineties, Proctor and Gamble retaliated with false advertising and Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPP) that virtually decimated the burgeoning cloth diaper industry. Today we are still victims of the misinformation from this era.

It doesn’t seem to take any sophisticated skills of analysis to determine that something that is reused is more environmentally responsible than something thrown away. In fact, at the height of the cloth diaper renaissance, Landbank Consultancy, a London-based independent environmental agency, concluded that, compared to cloth diapers, throwaway diapers use 20 times more raw materials, three times more energy, twice as much water, and generate 60 times more waste.

WHAT IS BIODEGRADABLE?

The waters are again muddied in regards to diapers. New products, like throwaway inserts recommended for cloth diaper systems, confuse the consumer. They appear to be innocuous because they are advertised as biodegradable and easily compostable in your own compost pile, but these claims are misleading.

The Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI),  for example, only certifies products that will biodegrade in municipal and commercial facilities that meet the requirements of the USCC’s Field Operator’s Guide. Regarding  home composting, the BPI says, “…home composters, their pilles or composting units typically do not generate the temperatures needed to assure rapid biodegradation…”

And, claims that these so-called biodegradable inserts are flushable has been questioned by the city of Vancouver, Washington, which recommends that they be treated as solid waste and not flushed down the toilet.

SUPPORT THE TRIPLE BOTTOM LINE WITH YOUR PURCHASES

Choosing cloth diapers is an environmentally responsible decision. Taking that choice a bit further and looking for cloth diaper companies that also share your values is a logical next step. Just as we want to know where our food comes from, we also want to know where our diapers come from, how the workers are treated and where the materials are sourced. This is the evolution of business, especially in post-Occupy society: Money cannot be the only bottom line.

More soon on The Great Cloth Diaper Change, coming up April 21st. Help us break the world’s record!

 

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The Connected Baby

February 27th, 2012

We’re streaming the connected baby exclusively on Mothering.com from Tuesday, February 28 through Thursday, March 1. This fascinating film illustrates the fact that babies come into the world already able to communicate. Contrary to the outdated notion that a baby’s movements are just random firings of reflexes, in fact, 76% of his or her movements are perceptually controlled. Infants direct their own bodies.

the connected baby shows how outrageously expressive are an infant’s hands, how each hand works in rhythm with the other and how the infant’s movements are coordinated with the sound and energy of the mother’s voice. In fact, the conversation of mother and baby makes music, quite literally; it’s pitch, key and intervals can be plotted on a musical scale.

the connected baby: A Film Conversation by Dr. Suzanne Zeedyk and Jonathan Robertson is divided into five chapters: The Dance of the Connection, The Dance of the Nappy, The Dance of the Air, The Dance of the Big Sister, and The Dance of the Mirror. Suzanne Zeedyk, PhD, commentates the film.

Zeedyk is a developmental psychologist and prominent researcher into the communication between parent and infant; she is based at the University of Dundee. Jonathan Robertson is a film maker based in Fife, Scotland as well as an Associate Researcher at the University of Dundee. You can watch the connected baby trailer on You Tube.

This is a film put together by people vitally interested in the study of knowledge, and Zeedyk does an excellent job of demonstrating and explaining the consciousness of the baby. the connected baby was shown at the Scottish Parliament earlier this month; educating the public about the consciousness of babies is a goal of the filmmakers. The contributors to the connected baby are impressive and the film is enhanced by haunting Scottish lullabies sung by Sheena Wellington.

Colwyn Trevarthen is Professor Emeritus of Child Psychology and Psychobiology at the University of Edinburgh. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and a Vice President of the British Association for Early Childhood Education.

He is currently researching how rhythm and expressions of musicality in movement help communication with children and may help parents, teachers and therapists care for young children.

 

 

Jonathan Delafield-Butt is a neurobiologist and psychologist at the Babylap of the University of Copenhagen. He is currently a research fellow with the Perception, Motion, Action (PMA) Research Consortium at the University of Edinburgh.

In writing about his fellowship, Delafield-Butt says, “…I will build on a metaphysic that places feeling at the heart of mind…”

 

 


Vasudevi Reddy is Professor of Devlopmental and Cultural Psychology at the University of Portsmouth, UK. She is a chartered member of the British Psychological Society and Director of the Centre for Situated Action and Communication.

Reddy is the author of How Infants Know Minds. This book demonstrates compelling evidence that babies can tease, pretend, feel self-conscious, and joke with people in the first year of life.

 

 

In viewng the connected baby I feel that I have stumbled upon perhaps the most original research on babies being done on the planet today. The interactions depicted in the film are familiar but Suzanne Zeedyk’s narrative puts them in a new context of music and rhythm and shows us how much earlier our babies are communicating with us than we think.  Enjoy the film. You can stream it live here. Please add  your questions and remarks to the Comments section for the live streaming. We want to know what you think and feel!

 

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Our Favorite Board Games

February 22nd, 2012

I love board games, always have. We played cards and board games when I was growing up and the tradition has continued with my own family. When my children were teens, I made Sunday a mandatory family day and we would often play board games. Even now when they are all grown up, they come up on Sundays to eat and play board games and we especially love to play games during the holidays when everyone is together. I’ve done a lot of research on the best board games because I wanted to add something new to our repertoire and was looking for more games that two people can play. Here are some of our family’s favorites.

CLUE

My favorite classic game is Clue. I prefer the 50th Anniversary edition because it has metal characters and weapons and the board is attractive. I’m partial to games that are beautiful and that have visually pleasing components. The newest Clue has the clever addition of a swimming pool in the center of the board where players have to go before making an accusation, but the characters, weapons and the Clue Detective Sheets are poorly designed. The 50th Anniversary Clue Deluxe Edition in Metal Tin is a Parker Brothers game and retails for $79.

 

 

TICKET TO RIDE

Our current favorite game is Ticket to Ride Europe. I love it! It can be played with two or more players and can get really exciting. One chooses destination cards and then uses small plastic trains to complete the various routes, getting points along the way.

There’s enough variety, aesthetic satisfaction and strategy to make Ticket To Ride a top game. There are several versions. We’ve played both the USA and the Europe editions and though we like both, we prefer the Ticket to Ride Europe because it seems to require more strategy. Ticket to Ride is a Days of Wonder game and retails for $36.00.

NEW GAMES

Several new games, including Small World and Tobago are beautiful and clever but take too long to learn. Just reading the instructions of Small World took us three hours. From this experience, we decided that one criteria of a good game is a one-page instruction sheet. I bought another new game, Settlers of Catan, but we haven’t yet played it. It also takes a while to learn but has been named a top game.


We like two games new to us: Scattergories and Balderdash. Balderdash is better with more than three people and Scattergories is great for the English majors in the crowd.

A really beautiful new game is Dixit. The cards you use to play are colorful and evocative and I think this would be a great game for families with young children as the game encourages the imagination. Cranium is a really fun game to play with a bunch of people, especially if you want to laugh a lot!

 

MORE CLASSIC GAMES

I love the classic games of Chess, Backgammon, Go and Mahjong and would play Mahjong a lot more if it wasn’t a game for four players. I found one site online that ranked Risk as the number one most popular game and it can be fun too though I think the older versions are more visually satisfying.

Another classic is Chinese Checkers and we got a wooden and glass bead set from Melissa and Doug for ourselves for Christmas. Chinese Checkers is a surprisingly elegant, fast paced and heart pounding game, especially when played on such a visually inspiring board.

One of my favorite games is Mancala. This is a deceptively simple game employing glass beads moved around a board; it involves quick thinking and sophisticated strategy.

Another beautiful game that would be great for home schoolers is Bird Watching Trivia Game. Even the beginner questions are difficult, but the game would be a great way to learn about birds.

What are your family’s favorite games?

Here are some board game links to check out:

2010 Mothering Community Thread on Board Games for Younger Children

Best Board Games of All Times

Beyond Monopoly: The 15 Greatest Board Games of All Times

Top Board Games 2011-2012

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When Do Babies Sleep Through the Night?

February 15th, 2012

 

Babies don’t sleep through the night until between two and three years of age. I wish this weren’t true. I wish I had a magic wand that would take away the challenge of night waking, but I’m afraid it comes with the territory. The good news is that it does get better; the bad news is that it’s not over as soon as we’d like.

My personal experience with four children tells me that it takes about two years for the nervous and immune system of a child to mature enough to foster the ability to sleep through the night. Sleep has developmental milestones such as the progression from sleeping more in the day to sleeping more at night and the progression from waking during the night to sleeping through the night.

SLEEP STUDIES

Informal and formal research confirms this. kellymom has a great page on her site listing several studies of normal sleep. Here are some provocative quotes from the abstracts of these studies. Quotes link to the study:

84% were not sleeping through the night at six months.

…night waking at the end of the first year is a common developmental phenomenon.

The increase in night waking towards the end of the first year coincides with significant socio-emotional advances which characterizes this developmental stage.”

It is not until after 24 months that regular night waking (requiring attention) becomes much less common.

Babies who slept well at night were exposed to significantly more light in the early afternoon period.

“Infants who were breast-fed into the second year did not develop sleep/wake patterns in conformance with the norms. Instead of having long unbroken night sleep, they continued to sleep in short bouts with frequent waking…The sleep/wake development accepted as the physiologic norm may be attributable to the early weaning and separated sleeping practices in western cultures…As prolonged breastfeeding becomes more popular in our society, the norms of sleep/wake patterns in infancy will have be be revised”

WHAT CAN WE DO?

If our culture appears to be in a state of illusion regarding babies’ sleep habits and parents’ ability to control them, it is because we are a bottle feeding culture. A breastfeeding culture has different norms. On good days, we know this. On bad days, we want to make sure we’ve tried everything we can just in case there is something to be done about night waking. Here are some things to consider:

Is your baby hungry?

Is the room too hot or too cold? Is the baby’s clothing right for the temperature of the room?

Is your baby overstimulated? (Does your baby feel, see and hear things more acutely than other babies? Those with low sensory thresholds wake more at night.)

Is your baby teething?

Is your baby sick or getting sick?

Is your baby getting bit by bugs or does your baby have pinworms?

Could your baby be having dreams or night terrors?

Is your baby overtired?

Is your baby active enough during the day?

Is your baby sensitive to anything in his or her diet?

Unusual things that could keep a baby awake at night include: inadequate cortisone levels, cerebral allergy, allergic-tension fatigue syndrome, low blood sugar, central nervous system, glandular or mineral imbalance, mold in mattresses, petrochemicals, down comforters, or sleeping bags. These, of course, are things to talk about with your health care practitioner.

GRACE

The vast majority of the time, however, night waking is perfectly normal. All we can do is change ourselves: don’t take night waking personally;  stop feeling sorry for yourself; make time and space to have a nap; practice relaxation techniques and keep everyone’s blood sugar up. The rest is grace. May you have that grace.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[ 37 comments ]

Apocalypse Not

January 16th, 2012

 



Because optimism is a job requirement for parents, I look for ways to interpret life that do justice to the hope implied by my children’s existence. Yet, pessimism tempts me every day.

The word apocalypse is often used to describe our times and to frighten us into believing that the end is near. I don’t want to believe this so I looked up the word apocalypse in the dictionary and found, to my surprise, that the word does not mean the end of the world at all. The word has come to be associated with the end because The Apocalypse of John, the last book in The New Testament, and other Christian and Jewish texts, contain prophetic visions of imminent destruction.

Apocalypse comes from the Greek word, “apokaluptein,” which means to uncover. According to Wikipedia, apocalypse means “a lifting of the veil or revelation, a disclosure of something hidden from the majority of mankind in an era dominated by falsehood and misconception.”

One could interpret this to mean a new beginning, a fresh start.

The Mayan Calendar ends in 2012, but it also begins again in 2012. Do we see the end or do we see a beginning? We make the choice every day.

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Toys with a Conscience

December 13th, 2011





The holiday season can be a tough time for the conscience. We want to give presents to our children, but we don’t want to overwhelm them with consumerism. We’re concerned about fair trade and how things are made, but we don’t always know how to determine this. Plus we have a limited budget for presents so price is also a consideration. We have to get creative.

First, it’s good to remember how little children really want. A ball in a big box wrapped with lots of paper (could be newspaper) to rip off is always a hit. In a great column from last year, GeekDad identified the 5 Best Toys of All Time:

A Stick

A Box

String

Cardboard Tube

Dirt

I would add toilet paper, pots, pans and wooden spoons to this list.

For great ideas on handmade gifts, check our community thread on The Annual Mothering Homemade Gifts Ideas Contest. It’s six pages and still going. Come vote for your favorite idea.

If you have a budget for store bought gifts, take a look at Mothering’s Natural Toy Review Guide 2011. It includes reviews of Dolls and Doll Houses, Baby Toys and Rattles, Art Supplies, Push, Pull & Ride, Games & Puzzles, Educational and Imaginative Play and Blocks and Stackers.

This is the criterion we used for selecting toys to review:

Must be designed for use by children ages infant-16 years.

Must be made of at least 80% natural or recycled materials.

Must be manufactured in the US or Canada or in a facility outside the US that is proven to provide fair working conditions.

Must meet all current US testing standards.

Toys like these contrast with what the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC) calls the Nagging Nine, toys and games most advertised on children’s cable television networks during “Black Friday” week. According to CCFC, “Lego Building Sets, which lead the list, were advertised 415 times during these seven days. “If we want companies to stop advertising to kids, we have to stop rewarding the ones that do,” said CCFC director, Susan Linn. The Nagging Nine is a play on the title of Mothering’s article, Why They Whine by Gary Ruskin, an exclusive report on how advertising to children is designed to make them whine for new toys.

If you want to support artisan toy manufacturers who “preserve unique handmade and small batch toys, clothes and all manner of children’s goods in the USA,” check out the Handmade Toy Alliance. Make a donation to the organization or support the members with your purchases.

See the natural wooden toys that we just added to the Mothering Shop. The educational toys, arts and crafts and kids room furniture are made by Guidecraft, a 40-year-old company and leader in the industry.

Buying with a conscience doesn’t have to be cumbersome. There are plenty of companies deserving of our respect and our patronage. We just have to know where to look. Let me know how you keep your integrity intact during the holidays.

 

 

 

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Vaccines for Pregnant Women?

December 7th, 2011

 

I’ve been receiving unsolicited emails from a neighbor telling me where I can get the flu vaccine. Last week when I went to Walgreen’s there were signs up all over the store urging me to get vaccinated. The excessive marketing of the flu vaccine can make it hard to know your own mind.

This is especially true for pregnant women. Up until recently pregnancy was a contraindication to the flu vaccine; now it is recommended for pregnant women. Generally when we are pregnant we want to refrain from ingesting drugs or receiving invasive procedures. The current flu recommendation can seem contradictory.

One of the contradictory things about the flu vaccine is that it must be created newly every year in anticipation of the upcoming flu season so it is, by nature, not that effective. The CDC says that the influenza vaccine is 60% effective for all age groups combined. The swine flu vaccine only has an overall efficacy of 40 to 45%.  In addition, 80% of illnesses that appear to be flu are not, in fact, flu and of the 20% that are, most resolve on their own.

Another concern for pregnant women considering the flu vaccine are its additives. Flu vaccines still contain mercury in the form of the preservative thimerosal, which has been taken out of vaccines for children due to health concerns. In addition, flu vaccines can contain adjuvants, an additive that primes the immune system. Adjuvants have not been tested on pregnant women and many contain squalene (shark liver oil), implicated in autoimmune disease in animals and/or polysorbate 80, implicated in infertility in animal studies. In addition, flu vaccines are recommended for pregnant women after 14 weeks because of fear of possible miscarriage.

I’m old fashioned and want to inform pregnant woman. I asked Jennifer Margulis, who wrote The Vaccine Debate, to investigate flu vaccines for pregnant women. We’re featuring her hard hitting, exclusive article, What You’re Doctor Isn’t Telling You About the Pregnancy and the Flu Vaccine in a Vaccination Special Report that includes other articles and resources.

Some of you may have already gotten the flu vaccine; others may still be debating. As long as you are informed about your options, whatever decision you make will be right. I hope that you find our new article helpful in making your decision.

 

 


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Swaddling: A Second Look

November 9th, 2011

 

 

 

Harvey Karp’s book The Happiest Baby on the Block has changed the landscape of parenting in the US. As a result of its irresistible title, easy to learn method and national network of 2500 teachers, most new parents in the US today are instructed to swaddle their babies. Despite this popularity, there are growing concerns that swaddling is not the cure-all parents hoped it would be.

Since the publication of the book in 2003, I have increasingly heard reservations from health professionals about its recommendations. A nurse practitioner wonders if the shushing sound recommended in the book can hurt the baby’s ears. A renowned neonatologist worries that preventing a baby from flapping his or her arms to cool down might hurt temperature regulation. And, more recently I began to hear that routine swaddling had adverse effects on breastfeeding.

As a result of these concerns, I commissioned Gussie Fauntleroy to write an article on swaddling, which we’re releasing today. It is accompanied by a piece by renowned lactation consultant, Nancy Mohrbacher. And, our web editor, Melanie Mayo, has put together a special report on swaddling.

For even more coverage of the subject, read Mohrbacher’s exceptional critique of swaddling and debate with Dr Karp on its merits in the International Journal of Childbirth Education. She looks at alarming research: Swaddling newborns delays the first breastfeeding and leads to less effective sucking. Swaddling during the early months puts an infant at risk for respiratory illness, hip dysplasia, overheating and SIDS. And, finally, a small, 2010 study showed The Happiest Baby interventions ineffective in reducing crying.

Take a breath. Many parents have found swaddling helpful and these articles are not meant to discredit their experience. This research comes as shocking news to us all. We do not mean to offend other parents; we all want our babies not to cry. Rather, we hope to shed light on a practice that has benefits, but that has become dogmatic and thus may interfere with parental instinct.

 

The first question one certainly asks is, “If I don’t swaddle, what else will I do.” Here are some things that have been shown to be highly effective:

Hold your baby.

Breastfeed your baby.

Walk around holding your baby.

Rock your baby.

According to neurologist Richard Restak, MD, “Physical holding and carrying of the infant turns out to be the most important factor responsible for the infant’s normal mental and social development.” Neural and neuroendocrine functions underlying emotional behaviors are responsive to early experiences in enduring ways. For example, the anthropologist Margaret Mead found in her research that the most violent tribes were the ones that withheld touch in infancy.

I realize that these swaddling articles are provocative; I hope they will also be helpful. We’ll be talking more about their findings in the community and on Facebook. Please join us to share your comments, concerns and suggestions.

 

 

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