Natural Moms Podcast #68
November 30, 2007 | 2 Comments
This week we are joined by Marni Matyus of Peppermint.com. She is sharing information on babywearing and kangaroo care. If you’ve had a hard time getting your baby accustomed to a sling, she has some great tips for that too.
Download the mp3.
Transcript of the show available here.
Marni Matyus - Babywearing and Kangaroo Care
November 30, 2007 | 7 Comments
Carrie: You’re back with Carrie at Natural Moms Talk Radio and I’m joined this week by Marni Matyus from The Sling Station and Peppermint.com. Good morning, Marni.
Marni: Good morning!
Carrie: How are you today?
Marni: I’m great! How are you?
Carrie: Very good. I think it’s finally cleared up here. We’ve had a couple days of sort of pseudo rain, which is kind of good, but we need so much more. We’re having a bad drought right now. It’s nice to see the sun, but I wish it would just really drench and give us some rain. Well, we’re going to talk about kangaroo care. Now, you’re obviously a baby-wearing expert with your website and your business. First of all, for those who aren’t familiar with you and what you offer on your website, tell us about The Sling Station and Peppermint.com.
Marni: Okay. With both websites, we offer a wide variety of baby carriers. We represent many of the major manufacturers and in addition to all the different types of carriers, we also have people on our staff who are baby sling experts, who have used the carriers with their own children and they are available by phone and by live chat or email to help moms design which carrier is best for their needs and also to use the carriers if they’re having trouble using their carrier after they received it.
Carrie: And I’m sure that’s an issue because I know I’ve heard that from many moms, “Oh, my baby doesn’t like it,” or “I can’t get it to work.”
Marni: Right, right, and that’s what we really try, to provide the service to those moms because when you first get it out of the package, it can be a little intimidating, but if you’ll just step through it and give it a chance and look at our videos on our website and we also have some printable instructions in addition to what’s provided by the manufacturers. Most people, once they give it a try or give us a call and we can give you help based on your baby’s age and your particular situation what carrying position might be best for you or some tips to help you use your carrier.
Carrie: Oh, that’s great. Okay, so on the topic of kangaroo care and I’m sure most of our listeners are familiar with that, but if you want to just explain briefly what kangaroo care refers to.
Marni: Absolutely. Kangaroo care really is skin to skin. What happened is in the 1970s in Columbia, they didn’t have the money to buy incubators and they were having a lot of premature babies that were dying. So they tried using the mother as an incubator, so when these babies were born, they literally put the baby on the mother’s chest, skin to skin, the baby’s only wearing a diaper and actually inside the mother’s gown or shirt and the mothers wore the babies 7 x 24 and they actually slept in a semi-upright position with the babies tied to their chest.
They found that those babies did better than the babies that were in the incubator and the hospital on the top of the hill, they did have money for incubators. Surprisingly, first of all, these babies were surviving and then as we did more and more research and in other countries, kangaroo care is really implemented much the same as it was in Columbia back when it first started where the babies are held for most of the day on the mother’s chest.
So, what we found out is their heart rates are more stable, their breathing is more stable, their cortisol levels and their stress hormone are at the 10x lower than a baby who is in an Isolette or an incubator. The babies that are held skin to skin and held close to their mother were getting out of the hospital faster, they were nursing better, they were gaining weight better, and they have actually a higher survival rate.
Carrie: Wow. You know, I had read about the benefits of kangaroo care before, but listening to you tell that story, it occurred to me I wasn’t aware of the fact that they actually encourage the mothers to have the baby sleep on their chest. It made me think that kind of decries the whole “co-sleeping is unsafe” thing and I wonder how many women have done this. Is it a large enough group of women that we could use those statistics to disprove some of the co-sleeping detractors?
Marni: You know, I’m really not sure. I do know that Niles Bergman who provided most of the information that I know of, they’re very specific on the way that the babies are tied onto the mother when they are sleeping, especially that they want to make sure particularly that the baby’s airway is protected. That is a big concern to them, especially with premature babies.
Carrie: That would be kind of an interesting thing to investigate just as a side point.
Marni: Absolutely.
Carrie: Well, you mentioned some of the benefits to the baby, but what about the moms and dads too? Dads participate in kangaroo care as well, don’t they?
Marni: Absolutely. I mean it’s often focused on the mother because she’s obviously there. She’s nursing the baby in a lot of cases, but when the mother cannot hold the baby or kangaroo the baby, obviously the dad is the natural choice. For the mother particularly — for the mother, for me, it was getting my life back when I’m dealing with a newborn — when I had my first baby it was difficult to even get a bite to eat and with the baby held tight to my body, I could now fix myself a meal, I could actually eat using two hands, walk around, things that were difficult with a newborn that wanted to be held constantly.
Now, with kangaroo care, we’ve actually found out that some mothers have a lower incidence of postpartum depression. Bonding is easier and they are able to get to know their baby’s needs faster to understand what the baby is needing and obviously respond to their cries faster and then obviously just to be able to do some things that they might not be able to do otherwise.
Carrie: Yeah. I know I always felt sorry for moms with preemies and one of the biggest reasons why is because when you see these pictures or footage of babies in these little incubators and the mommies cannot touch them and hold them, it always made me feel so sad for the mom because it’s just an instinct to want to just be close to that infant and protect them and everything and I thought, “Oh, that’s got to have some kind of emotional repercussions.” So, that makes total sense to me that it would impact postpartum depression rate.
Marni: Absolutely. I think we have a physiological need to be with our babies because they have a need to be with us. It’s a very natural phenomenon and it’s so much easier for the moms even in hospital setting if they can use a carrier to kangaroo their babies, they’re more likely to hold them longer to give them more skin to skin time, which the babies really need if they can sit there and read a book or if they can walk around the hospital a little bit. Even if the babies have to be connected to breathing machines or IVs, the mom still has a little bit more freedom with physically having to hold the baby with her arm, so that babies tend to get more mom time, more skin to skin time. Kangaroo care is not just for premature babies. They’re also for newborns. They experience the same benefits for newborn babies, which also have a need to be close to their mother. They actually have the same benefits to a full-term baby as to a premature baby.
Carrie: Right. Well, back to that thing that we were talking about earlier about moms who say, “Oh, well, you know, I tried that (babywearing). My baby just screamed. They didn’t like the sling. They didn’t like the carrier…” What suggestions do you have?
Marni: First of all, starting early. A lot of times, if you carry a baby from their very early weeks, they don’t know any different. It’s very natural to them. That’s a very natural place for the baby to be, so obviously it’s what they are used to.
A lot of babies also are particular about the positioning. So, with the newborn, the best position we found is upright on the mother’s chest. So, with the baby’s head above in between the breasts you want to hold the baby high so that you can reach down to kiss the top of their head. A lot of babies don’t like to have their heads covered and a lot of babies don’t like to be in a reclining position, especially if you have a baby who’s colicky or reflux, it may hurt them to be in a reclining position. They do much better sitting upright and you want the baby to be facing you, so they’re leaning against the mother. That way, they’re not having to support their own weight or their own spine.
You want to fully support them so they’re leaning against you and then usually there’s fabric behind the baby’s back. Now, when you have a little bit older baby and you’re just getting into baby wearing, you may need to show them that the sling is a nice place to be. So, obviously, put them in a carrier and, again, for most babies, we still recommend almost at any age when you’re just starting to wear your baby upright, leaning against the mother, facing the mom. Put the baby in the carrier, make sure they’re comfortable and walk around.
So, the first thing you should do when you get the baby in the sling is take a walk, if the weather is nice preferably outside. I found that just walking around and patting the baby, often they’ll calm down because for an older child that’s not used to being in a sling, it might be just something different, something they’re not used to. So, they may be a little apprehensive. If you can calm them down, they’ll soon learn that that’s exactly where they want to be is in mom’s arms. So, the sling is a way for them to get what they want basically.
Obviously, the other thing to think about is if the baby just is not happy in the sling, put it away and try it another day. The other thing you can do to make the baby more comfortable is to make sure you’re comfortable with the sling before you put the baby in. So, practice with a doll or even with a sack of rice and make sure you understand how the sling works before you actually try it with your baby. That way, they’re not picking up on your apprehension or any insecurities you may have with the sling because they do pick up on our emotions.
Carrie: That’s right. You know, my oldest was a very high need baby and I picked up a sling when he was about 5 weeks old at a consignment shop and it was the worst sling for my body that I could have chosen. That was one thing. It was the wrong kind of sling for me because he was tiny and I’m kind of petite and I got a NoJo at a consignment shop. I didn’t know that there was a difference among all the slings and it just so happened that the NoJo is about the worst possible sling for my frame. I needed a Maya or something that I could adjust the tail independently to get him nice and tight, so that was one thing. Secondly, for me, what worked with him was I had to put him in it and immediately start moving, almost be bouncing while I’m adjusting it and take off walking.
Marni: Absolutely.
Carrie: And that really helped us, but it was a lifesaver for me. I always say that I was blessed with a high need child first because everything after that seems easier. It was trial by fire.
Marni: That’s absolutely correct.
Carrie: Oh boy. The sack of rice thing, I’ve not heard that. I’ve heard of using a Cabbage Patch doll, but I think a sack of rice is better because it’s heavier and fluffier.
Marni: Absolutely and if you’re afraid of your baby falling out of a sling, when you put a sack of rice in there, it’s slippery and it’s heavy and it has no arms and legs and if you can keep the rice in there, it probably is not going to be an issue to keep your baby in a sling or a wrap.
Carrie: Right, yeah. The thing about going outside is great. Sometimes I would have to do that too. I can immediately walk outside because most babies tend to calm down the moment they get outside in the fresh air. Yeah, that was a great tip too.
Marni: Absolutely.
Carrie: Well, you actually had an opportunity to educate some folks in Dallas, medical staff, about kangaroo care. Tell us about that.
Marni: I did and it was a fantastic opportunity actually and we had nurses, physical therapists, midwifes, like patient consultants and a few doctors that actually came to our workshop. Obviously, most of them know about kangaroo care in general because they have lots of workshops. They understand the value of kangaroo care for the baby, so we were able to show them how to use a carrier to implement kangaroo in there in a hospital setting and they are working with not only premature babies, but also special needs children.
So, in the child life centers, they’re dealing with children that may have cancer, may have breathing difficulties, may have brain damage or brain trauma, and they found that the carriers are very calming to the babies that when they’re held, when they’re carried they’re much happier. It’s sometimes easier to work with them with certain physical therapy activities or when they undergoing medical treatment. We have had a great response. The staff was very encouraged about what we had to show them and made it easier for them and easier for some of the parents and they are able to now go and teach the parents how to use baby carriers and to encourage them to do more kangaroo care with their babies.
Carrie: That’s great! You know, I’ve never thought about that, babies with special needs and how they could also benefit from baby wearing. That’s great. Well, what kind of slings or carriers do you recommend for that?
Marni: Well, I showed them all of the carriers and my suggestion is typically a wrap and without fail, that’s always their first choice to use once they see the benefits and learn how to use it. Some people are a little bit intimidated by a wrap at first, but really we find that the easiest carrier for moms to get the babies in comfortably and securely is also the most versatile when dealing with babies with special needs because you can position the baby exactly where you need them and then tighten the wrap around them. You can also vary the carrying positions depending on the baby’s needs.
Carrie: Well, that’s really interesting. That’s good to know. Well, Marni, thank you so much for coming on the show and sharing that with us. I know I’ve seen your banners from Peppermint.com, especially all over the Internet, especially the blogosphere, and you’ve got just a wonderful variety and great articles and stuff on your site, so I encourage our listeners to check you out and see what you have to offer. Thank you so much for sharing this information with us today.
Marni: Thank you for having me.
Giveaway of the Week: $20 off Senseo Coffee Coupon
November 28, 2007 | 4 Comments
Do you drink coffee? Considering buying a Senseo for yourself or as a gift for someone who drinks coffee?
I got one last week and I loooove it. It’s nice to be able to make just ONE perfect cup. It tastes creamy and hot and wonderful, and there are pods in all kinds of varietals and types including decaf, cappucino, Kenyan, etc. And if you don’t drink coffee, they even have tea pods.
The pods mean no wasted coffee. They’re wonderful for throwing into the compost pile too. Your plants looooove coffee grounds you know.
The giveaway for the week is a $20 off coupon for a Senseo coffee system. The Senseo isn’t cheap, and this is a huge discount! I’ll mail it out to you if you win, it’s a real coupon not a code. So here’s the rules:
Leave a comment below and let me know who the Senseo would be for and what kind of coffee you (or they) drink. Ok? I’ll pick a winner on Sunday. 
Bad Mastitis Advice
November 28, 2007 | 5 Comments
Susan over at 5 Minutes for Mom blogged about her bout with mastitis last week. She mentioned that her Doctor told her to stop nursing on the affected side and to pump and dump… and that made me really mad. She got a ton of comments to that post from other mad mommies who knew that was bad advice.
So I decided that since this bad advice was still being proferred by medical folks who don’t have a clue, and to participate in the Motherwear Carnival of Breastfeeding, I would share some mastitis tips here. Mastitis is very common at this time of year, for reasons I’ll mention below.
To treat mastitis, it’s important to get lots and lots of rest. If at all possible, go to bed with baby for a day or two. Get help with your other children if you can. Increase your fluid intake and sleep and nurse as much as baby will let you.
It’s important to keep nursing, offering the affected breast first. This might be a challenge because the affected side will be sore. If you can’t bear to nurse on that side first, then don’t, but make sure you nurse on that side often enough for it to stay soft. You may want to hand express or pump if baby is unwilling to nurse. While you nurse, try to massage the sore area if you can feel a plugged duct.
The reason to keep breastfeeding is because weaning now will only make you much more uncomfortable, and it’s an extreme measure for a simple problem. If you got a cold, would you cut off your nose? Didn’t think so. 
Breastfeeding improves the flow of blood to your breast, and the presence of your milk itself also helps to clear milk ducts of infection. Your baby will not be harmed by your milk when you have mastitis. Your baby has already been exposed to whatever caused the infection in the first place, and if you wean her, you’ll deprive her of the antibodies that are present in your milk and the other benefits of nursing.
Before putting baby to the breast, use a warm compress and massage the affected area which will help with milk flow. Try the same treatments mentioned for clogged milk ducts. Nurse baby soon after you do this, and don’t worry about baby getting the thickened milk, it won’t harm her! Using these self care measures usually means you’ll be feeling better in a day or two.
If you call your Doctor s/he may prescribe antibiotics, which is fine (although unnecessary). Most antibiotics are safe for nursing Moms, but double check with your health care provider, La Leche League leader, Lactation Consultant or Poison Control Center. It’s also ok to take a Tylenol for the body aches and discomfort you feel during mastitis.
Another thing: Often mastitis happens around busy time (like the holidays) when you’re busy, distracted, and running around. Baby might not be nursing as frequently, leading to a plugged duct which can get worse, causing mastitis.
Be sure to take nursing breaks when you are traveling or enjoying company! If baby won’t settle down easily, take her into another room away from the hustle and bustle, use a sling or a nursing cover to help her focus. Mastitis is especially common at around 9 months when babies start getting more interested in crawling and discovering their surroundings, so take precaution.
Another common problem is when other family members develop colds and flus. For some reason, the nursing mom in the family will sometimes come down with mastitis. So be sure to drink fluids, eat well, sleep enough, etc and take care of yourself. If you get mastitis frequently, suspect underwire bras. Some nursing moms just can’t wear them, so find a good softcup bra that’s supportive. I hope those tips are helpful. To recap:
Avoiding Mastitis:
- Nurse often
- Drink and eat well
- Get enough rest
- Avoid underwire bras
Treating Mastitis:
- Nurse often, on the affected side first if possible
- Massage
- REST REST REST
- Warm compresses
More on mastitis: What is mastitis? What are the symptoms of mastitis? Pretty nursing bras that come in soft cup, not underwire.
Parenting Your Teen
November 27, 2007 | 2 Comments
Aurelia Williams is a Moms Talk Radio show host. Her show is Parenting My Teen. Aurelia has been a guest two times on my show and I’ve always appreciated her no-nonsense wisdom. I decided to ask her a few questions about her podcast.
- Tell me what you hope parents will gain from your show
First and foremost I want parents to gain the feeling of SUPPORT! I find that a lot of parents of teenagers feel so helpless and very alone when it comes to issues surrounding parenting their teens so I really want all parents to gain some support from the show. That feeling of “Wow, I am not alone” or “Wow, I know just how that person feels” is really comforting to any parent and it is something that I pride myself in providing. Knowledge is also something that I want all parents to gain. I love being able to share my expertise and have other experts on the show to really tackle some of the tough issues. It is with support and knowledge that parents grow and learn in order to better raise their children.
- What is the biggest challenge parents face raising teens?
The Biggest (wow that’s a hard one). While there are many challenges to choose from I would say Understanding your teen would be the biggest challenge. It truly is hard to watch your teenager make choices that are just “out there” and still try to understand them. It really is hard for a lot of parents to think back to their own teenage years and remember how confusing, hormonal and pressure-filled those tender years were.
Many times parents really think their teens are just crazy.. and at times, they may act that way (LOL) so understanding the “How’s and Why’s” of your teen I believe is the biggest challenge.
- How can a parent of young kids like myself pave the way now for a healthier teen/parent relationship?
I love this question because that means that you (and other parents) are looking towards the future. I would say that from the very beginning to always allow your child to come to you and just be themselves, talk, ask questions..etc. Raising your child in an open and loving way automatically opens the lines of communication and as your child grows, so does that communication. So I would suggest asking your children questions, showing them you are concerned and that their likes and dislikes are also important to you.
For instance if you have a little boy that just LOVES the Power Rangers, get on the floor and openly play and talk to him. It seems like such a small thing but really, open communication and letting your child know that you are always there is key. That’s something that will stay with your child until adulthood.
- What is one thing parents can do daily to establish good communication with their teen?
Listen Daily. Yes, just listen. When your teen comes to you with a problem, please be open to listen, hear them out and not interrupt their flow of the conversation. What this does automatically is let them know that you are there and you are willing to hear them out. This then encourages them to talk more and open up more to you. Try not to belittle and criticize at all, that is very damaging and to be honest teens do that far too much on their own so, as a parent we should steer clear from it.
Letting your teen know you are there to talk/listen in a non-judgmental way is the best thing that you can do. Daily I would suggest that you ask your child how their day was, sit down and talk about “their world”, have a one on one “fun day” with your teen. You’ll be surprised how much they open up when they are comfortable.
- We always hear negative things, what’s one of the positives of raising teenagers?
The fact that you are preparing a young adult for full adulthood is positive! That is the one thing that gets me through parenting my 2 teens. Knowing that everything thing I do, say and portray to them will have a lasting impact into their journey to adulthood is a HUGE positive for me. That means to me that I am contributing to the Universe the way that God intended me to do. Teens are fun, loving and very complex but with the right parenting you have the absolute joy of seeing them off into the “real world” of life.
Thanks Aurelia! Check out Aurelia’s ebook on Family Time here.
Tuesday Tidbits: Don’t Make Me Open a Can Of….
November 27, 2007 | 3 Comments
…. batter?
- Something just isn’t right about this organic pancake and waffle batter “blaster“. You gotta watch the video!
- I am love love loving this Rachel Perry Lip Lover Balm - Grape Juice - it takes just like grape Bubblicious gum, and the ingredients are 100% natural. I am in lip blam heaven - and I’m an addict so it’s not easy to please me. This one has the perfect consistency - not sticky or waxy, but substantial enough to last for several hours. It doesn’t make my lips peel or dry them out. The scent and flavor are divine, the price is so right. I want it in all the flavors now. See? Doesn’t take much to make me happy.
- Don’t forget to enter the Blogging for Chocolate contest. You can interview little ole me and be entered to win a ton of free chocolate, which as I mentioned before, is practically a health food. If you’re not sure how to do the interview, look at Cara’s and Barbara’s.
Will you Win!!
November 23, 2007 | 2 Comments
Hello ladies, just writing to let you guys know that I that I have a contest going on at my blog, where I will be giving away some free gifts to one lucky mom. In order to win you have to listen to the show; to find out how to win at allnaturalwahm.com
The prizes include a $25.00 gift card to Victoria secret and $75.00 in free gifts to from my store. The contest ends next week so hurry up and listen to get your entered to win.
See you there.
Moms, What’s On Your Wish List?
November 21, 2007 | 11 Comments
Hey moms, do me a favor will you? Leave me a comment below and answer this question:
If someone gave you a $200 Amazon.com gift certificate, what would you buy?
What’s on your wish list and why?
One rule: it has to be for YOU. No getting groceries or socks for the baby ok?
Thanks! As you leave comments, I’ll add to this post and link to your site.
Ok I’ll go first! I covet a Scooba. Floor cleaning is the one thing I just can’t seem to get to, housework wise. They go waaaay to long between cleanings. Vacuuming is easy, plus the oldest two kids can do a decent job, but mopping? Not so much.
Speaking of, I love practical gifts. I know a lot of women would want diamonds or whatever, but not me. A gift certificate to Starbucks or Barnes and Noble float my boat. And so would a Scooba.
I would also love to have a solar charger for my laptop. I’m doing mental calculations to see how long it would take for this little number to pay off, money wise.
- Lynette at MomGadgets wants a Scooba too. Or a Palm Centro. (Lynette, you need this red one.)
- Tsoniki at MeBeingCrafty wants books. (Then she’ll need some babysitting to get all her reading done. A woman after my own heart!)
- Tiffany at NatureMoms wants the Excalibur 5 Tray Dehydrator (Tiffany, are you going to make some jerky and invite me over?)
- Jenny aka Green Mommy wants this Blendtec KTEC Kitchen Mill - Grain and Flour Mill (Ooh, nice pick! I can smell the bread baking already…)
- Amy the Crunchy Domestic Goddess wants cast iron pans (Amy I also have a son named Julien - and you should just buy yourself some pans. Once I learned that I couldn’t use coconut oil in mine, I loved them. Coconut oil strips the seasoning. Learned that the hard way!) She also yearns for a Kitchen Aid mixer.
- Roberta has a craving for this whiz-bang bread machine. It even makes cake and jam. Wow!
- Nell wants an iPod so she can listen to my show on the go.
- Your wish here…
CBCs: Catching Up!
November 21, 2007 | 10 Comments
I’ve been a bad girl and gotten behind on my cross blog conversation updates, so I’m going to tackle two at once. I hope that doesn’t break some cross blog conversation etiquette!
First, Alyssa answered my question about how motherhood had changed her life here. Then she asked me:
“What did you see yourself becoming as an adult, as a teenager, and are you where you thought you’d be today?”
This question gives me a giggle because people who knew me as a child and teenager say I was the last person they ever saw having kids, much less 4! I’m not sure how to take that actually… but I think I know what they mean. I was never into babies. If someone I knew had a baby, it was like, big deal. I didn’t ooh and aah over them. I didn’t do any babysitting. I was into other things. Like boys. And my ministry. And music. And reading books. Not in any particular order.
So my life is quite different than I imagined. I also didn’t think I would be single, but here I am. So. That was brief! My question for you Alyssa is, What do you do for fun? If your babies both napped at the same time or if you went out for the evening, what would you do?
Now it’s Nell’s turn. She answered my question, What would your life look like if you had not had kids here. Then she asked me:
“What are your dreams for your girls when they grow into adult women?”
I can sum that up in 5 words: Value themselves and be happy.
Honestly, it’s that simple. Because if they value themselves they won’t do stupid things like give too much to a boy, or marry a guy who doesn’t treat them like they’re a Queen, or worry too much about silly things like what they look like or (gasp!) what the heck other people think or say.
Mostly I just want them to be happy, whatever that looks like for them.
So my question for you is, What kind of woman do you hope your sons grow up to marry?
Free Natural Toy Guide - 4 Tips for Choosing Safe Toys
November 20, 2007 | 6 Comments
I’ve just put together a free 6 page special report called
“The Natural Toy Guide - 4 Tips That Will Help You Choose Safe, Classic Toys For Your Kids.”
In it you’ll discover:
- The 4 questions parents should ask before buying a toy for their child
- How you can choose the safest toys
- Are “educational” toys best?
- How to find non-toxic toys for babies and toddlers
- The benefits of classic, heirloom quality toys
- Why less is more - and passing along values to your kids through the toys you choose
Download the free Natural Toy Guide here.
You can also pass it along to friends and relatives who might buy toys for your kids. Enjoy