I am sure you have heard of the term Green Washing. Well, I am starting to believe that a new term is in order, the term Breastmilk Washing. Though there are marketing guideline mandates which prevents companies from calling their product better than breastmilk, many companies are heavily emphasizing their products closeness to breastmilk. In cases where these are formula brands, I do believe there is room to develop the science of getting formula as close to breastmilk as naturally possible and encourage more bonding with infants (though I strongly believe that breastmilk is the best method for infants ideally up to the first 6 months to 1st year of their life). Today though as I was getting acquainted with some new Facebook friends and groups, I came across a group called “No, Baby Yoplait… Your Yoghurt is NO WAY NEAR Close To Breastmilk”. I saw this picture on their site and was dumbfounded.

I headed over to Yoplait’s site and it is in fact true that they are trying to position Baby Yoplait yogurt from the standpoint that it is close to breastmilk. How did the yogurt category even come to dare to enter the conversation of breastmilk? I have never heard of any particular culture fermenting breastmilk and serving it to babies on a spoon. It is quite ballsy for a dairy company to make such a claim and association. What do you think of this marketing tactic?

I have just recently come across this delightful California based on-line store named Sprout Baby. It is a one-stop URL destination for all thing eco-friendly baby, parents and home. Next time you are shopping for yourself, friends or families, add this site to your bookmark of favorites.

SproutBaby also features a new EcoPass ($99.00) that grants customers:

• Free Shipping on every order
• 15% savings on every product we sell
• Advance looks at new products.
• Exclusive offers and promotions.

Click on the images below to read more about a few of my favorite products from the site

Grass Countertop Drying Rack $19.99

Organic Diaper Clutch $62.00

Sweet Knee Bun Glaze $9.95

Boon Mini Bath Goods $10.99

Sprout Foods Variety 12-Pack for Babies Seven Months and Older $15.49

I’ll be honest, for the most part, when I heard the name Jaime Oliver in the not so recent past, I thought of the charismatic “Naked Chef” on the Food Network. Now I hear his name and I think of a courageous and passionate man/father with the drive to change the health and well-being of this country. Coming March 26th on ABC, Jaime will be kicking of his new show Jaime Oliver’s Food Revolution, a new series shedding light on our country’s epidemic of obesity and declining children’s health. While listening to Jaime speak on TED, I could not help but think I must share this with parents and future parents. It’s an eye opening, motivating clip for everyone to watch or listen to.

His message is very clear and true. We need to re-educate ourselves and most especially our children ( yours, our nieces,nephews, god children, all of them) on food, how to prepare it, where it comes from, quality-vs- additives and its effects on our health. These are essentials survival skills which are lacking. As new parents start fresh and instill these lessons within your children from the beginning.

Join his revolution!

I have read that when a baby appears to be in the transverse position, that this symbolizes the baby’s comfort and desire to be close to their mother’s heart. While this is a sweet notion, when it comes to birth, the transverse position is problematic for a desired vaginal birth.

If after 30 weeks your baby is still presenting itself in a transverse position and your care provider and your self are concerned, it is helpful to incorporate some of these natural ways to encourage the little one to turn:

• Have either your partner or friend speak to the baby, shine a flash light, or place ear phones at your pubic bone area
• Contact a homeopathic doctor to give see if Pulsatilla in 200C potency or higher will work for you
• Pelvic rocking and exercises to strengthen muscle tone.
• Drink plenty of fluids.
• Have a chiropractor perform the Webster technique
• Try an inversion such as the one below:

DO do the inversion if you feel strong enough and it does not cause you discomfort for 2-3 times a day. DON’T do it if you have trouble breathing. As with any exercise, ask your caregiver if there is any medical reason why you shouldn’t do this. DON’T do this inversion if the case is your baby was in a breech position and has already turned head down.

1. Have a helper to brace your shoulders so you don’t come down from the couch too fast.
2. Have your knees on the edge of the couch.
3. Come down slowly.
4. Brace yourself on your forearms.
5. Relax your belly.
6. Relax your neck and head.
7. Hold the pose for 30 seconds for a head down, posterior baby, or a minute for a breech or transverse baby, if you can. Start with shorter times in the pose and work up to 30 seconds.
8. Crawl forward, bringing one knee down to the floor and then the other.
9. Come to your hands and knees.
10. Sit up, on your heels and catch your breath.
Crawl around the room helping the weight of the womb settle forward.

(above directions from Spinning Babies)

At the same time, I found this statement via Birth Naturally

Less than 20% of the babies who are transverse at 37 weeks will remain transverse when labor begins, so another option is to wait for labor to start and attempt to turn the baby or perform a cesarean if it is still necessary.

Speaking from within the context of the statement directly above, your doula and midwife can work with you to suggest various positions during your labor to encourage the turn of your baby. Using gravity and motion can potentially save you from unnecessary internal interventions.

For whatever reason, I had a craving for raw asparagus today. Since I have been trying to focus on my physical health of late, my muscles are screaming loud and clear for potassium. While eating the asparagus I became curious to see what other benefits were attributed to it. Low and behold I found some wonderful benefits that are actually tailored for mothers-to-be and new moms. Here they are for you:

5 BENEFITS

• Eaten during the early stages of pregnancy, it helps the body to fight against certain birth defects such as spina bifida (a neural tube defect)

• A cup of asparagus provides around 263 mcg of folate (Vitamin B). Folate is very important for the synthesis of DNA. Its absence or inadequate supply causes the improper division of fetus’ nerve cells, in turn leading to birth defects

• Stimulates milk production in nursing mothers

• Has very high levels of folic acid which is known to make conception easier

• Controlling blood sugar levels and therefore, is very beneficial for people with diabetes

As a majority of my viewers are women and parents, I feel this an important message for all. Activist, Warrior, Playwright and founder of V-Day, Eve Ensler asks us all to “Embrace our Inner Girl”

Don’t forget to participate in my fundraiser this month to help contribute to V-day’s City of Joy

I often check out the many innovative and inspiring videos over on TED. Today I saw this amazing project and innovation created by Jane Chen. Her invention can keep millions of infants warm as the heal from premature birth — a design that’s safe, portable, low-cost ($25) and life-saving.