By Guest Blogger, Melissa Cole, IBCLC, RLC, 1. Your goals matter As a parent, you probably have some thoughts to how you envision feeding your baby. Your goals matter, whatever they may be! If you feel that you feel that lactation or feeding is not going how you envisioned, please reach out for support. There are many ways to love and feed a baby. You deserve personalized care. Whether it
Eat
September 14, 2021
By Carol Gray, LMT, CST, RPYT, ERYT-200 Parents ask me about solid food introduction all the time. Here’s my take on it. Babies Need Iron Babies store iron in their bodies while they gestate. Milk has next to no iron in it. At some point after birth, babies’ iron stores begin to diminish. This is often when they show signs of interest in iron-rich solid food. Hopefully, this occurs around
The Developmental Derby
August 18, 2021
By Carol Gray, LMT, CST, RPYT, ERYT-200 In 1975 I moved back to LA. My first husband and I had spent three years away while he fulfilled his military obligation. Army life was hard on me. We lived in officer’s housing on an Air Force base in an isolated desert location. My husband was a research engineer assigned to NASA. He never wore a uniform. I was a misfit among
Things We Do (After Birth) to Prevent Babies From Moving
August 10, 2021
By Carol Gray, LMT, CST, RPYT, ERYT-200 I can’t leave The Stuck Baby Series without describing baby immobilization and container lifestyle. In this article I outline the most significant ways in which we prevent our babies from moving after they are born. It seems like the perfect preparation for a sedentary life in a recliner in front of a screen. Developmental delays are on the rise. It’s estimated that 15%
How Fetal Constraint Affects Babies: Things We Notice After Birth
August 3, 2021
By Carol Gray, LMT, CST, RPYT, ERYT-200 This is part six of the six-part Stuck Baby Series. In part one, My Baby Dropped!, I explain why engagement is pathology. In part two, Why Did My Baby Get Stuck?, I describe the maternal factors that cause babies to get stuck. Part three is Fetal Factors: How Babies Get Themselves Stuck. Part four explores Fetal Constraint: How Culture Immobilizes Babies. Last week,
How Fetal Constraint Affects Labor and Birth
July 27, 2021
By Carol Gray, LMT, CST, RPYT, ERYT-200 This is part five of a six-part series. In part one, My Baby Dropped!, I explain why engagement is pathology. In part two, Why Did My Baby Get Stuck?, I explore the maternal factors that cause babies to get stuck. Part three is called Fetal Factors: How Babies Get Themselves Stuck. Last week I wrote Fetal Constraint: How Culture Immobilizes Babies. Today’s post
Fetal Factors: How Babies Get Themselves Stuck
July 13, 2021
By Carol Gray, LMT, CST, RPYT, ERYT-200 There are many things that contribute to fetal constraint (stuck babies). Any one of them can operate independently, but usually there are multiple causes for less than optimal fetal positioning that have synergistic or additive effects. As I continue to explore the multiple causes, I will provide examples of how these things can work in concert to prevent babies from moving into more
My Baby Dropped!
June 29, 2021
By Carol Gray, LMT, CST, RPYT, ERYT-200 “My baby dropped!!” People usually say this with great enthusiasm when it happens. I’ve never really understood why people rejoice about their babies dropping. Why Do They Think This Is So Cool? Do they think that this is proof they won’t be pregnant until the end of time after all? Do they think that their labors will be shorter because the baby is
Flat Spots
June 22, 2021
By Carol Gray, LMT, CST, RPYT, ERYT-200 I see lots of babies who have flat spots on their heads (plagiocephaly) in my Craniosacral Therapy practice. Container-Baby Culture and Flat Heads The most common garden variety is the broad flat spot on the back of the head – an artifact of the Back to Sleep Program, swaddling for sleep and time spent in car seats, baby seats and swings that have
Feeding The New Family
February 23, 2021
By Guest Blogger, Kimberly Bepler, IBCLC, CPD, CLE, CNPE Who has time to make nutritious food when you have a precious new baby? Real food takes time to prepare. Newborn families have little time to spare. As a postpartum doula I love creating food for hungry and tired parents. Over the years, I’ve developed a few winning approaches to help the families I serve get nourishing food into their bellies.
