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What is Vitamin D?
By Cynthia Sears, MS, BCDid you know that “Vitamin D” is not really a vitamin? It’s actually a steroid hormone produced in the body after direct exposure of the skin to ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation in sunlight. Both the vitamin D that your body produces and the vitamin D from supplements must be changed by…
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Should All Breastfed Babies Have Above Average Weight Gains?
By Nancy Mohrbacher, IBCLC, FILCA Just like in the fictional Minnesota town of Lake Wobegon, where “all the children are above average,” many parents believe there is something wrong if their breastfeeding baby’s weight isn’t above the 50th percentile. While it is human to want our children to excel, the assumption that babies at a…
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Diaper Output and Milk Intake in the Early Weeks
By Nancy Mohrbacher, IBCLC, FILCA Are counting wet and dirty diapers a reliable indication of whether a breastfed baby is getting enough milk? During the first six weeks of life, parents are often encouraged to track daily diaper output (number of wet and dirty diapers per day), but is this an accurate gauge? Science has…
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What About a Sleepy Baby?
By Jacqueline Levine, LCCE, FACCE, CD(DONA), CLC All babies sleep a lot in the first days and weeks of life. Some babies certainly are sleepier than others, so how will you know if your baby is too sleepy? And what does “too sleepy” mean? When you gave birth, there were probably health-care providers around you…