A Mother's Haven

When you are breastfeeding and pumping with the Medela Symphony , Pump-In-Style, or Freestyle breastpumps, you want to make sure that you carefully clean all of your pump parts after every pumping session. (If you don't have access to water and a sink after each session, you can use the Medela Quick Clean Wipes to clean as much as you can during the day, and then do the full water cleaning when you get home.) After each time you pump: 1. Detach the breastshield connectors and your bottles or storage bags from your tubing.  Keep the tubing attached to your pump, and allow your pump to run for a few minutes to help get rid of any humidity or condensation in your tubes.  It's great to do this while you're storing your breastmilk (fridge, freezer, etc) 2. Once your milk is stored, take apart all of your pump parts.  Make sure that you disassemble the valve , the membrane , the PersonalFit connector , and the PersonalFit breastshields so that you can clean in all ...

Just imagine the unthinkable. Your infant or toddler is found unresponsive, in an apparent lifeless state. Whether a drowning, choking, or other life-threatening event, the time to act is NOW. Survival for your infant or child during such an event requires immediate action on the part of those present, typically you as the parent. We often push these frightening thoughts to the back of our minds as they seem almost too much to bear. Yet, statistics are clear and tell us that parents who have training and act quickly are more likely to affect a good outcome during a health crisis. The notion of the "first-responder" was greatly popularized after the events of 9-11-01 where the bravery and unquestioned commitment to life saving was there for all to see. Although extremely capable, paramedics cannot act until they are present to do so. In the meantime, many victims are suffering the effects of lack of oxygen, which can have devastating consequences. T...

Many breastfeeding moms worry about whether or not they are making enough milk for their new baby.  One thing that you can do to help with improving your milk supply is to take the More Milk supplements from Motherlove .  But which of the different supplements to take? First Decision - Capsules vs. Liquid Drops - Moms tend to agree that the liquid drops taste horrible!  So most people do buy the capsules, for ease and convenience. - But the liquid drops are slightly more effective because the herbs are able to get into your system faster and more directly, so if you can handle the taste, you might want to buy the liquid. Second Decision - More Milk Plus vs. Special Blend - Both the More Milk Plus and the More Milk Special Blend contain fenugreek seed, blessed thistle, nettle, and fennel seed - all of which are galactagogue (or milk-increasing) herbs.  The More Milk Plus works for most women whose milk supply has decreased due to growth spurts, separation, il...

We get a lot of moms coming in asking about cleaning their Medela breastpump tubing , whether for the Symphony hospital-grade rental pump , the Medela Freestyle pump or for the personal-grade Pump In Style Advanced breastpump. One thing to note, milk shouldn't normally be going into your Medela tubing when you pump.  If you see milk coming back into the tubing, make sure of two things: 1. Your pumping bottles are upright while you're pumping and 2. Your valves and membranes are attached fully, and that they don't have any holes or cuts.  Only air is supposed to go through the tubes. Every time after you pump, disconnect (and clean) all of your pump parts, but leave the tubing connected. Let your pump keep running for another 5-10 minutes with just the tubing connected - this will usually get rid of any little bit of milk or condensation. If you do see some milk in your tubing after letting the pump run, you can clean your tubes by: 1. Holding the tubing upright ...

The recommendations include moderate to vigorous exercise through your pregnancy, including cardio and some weight training.  Prenatal yoga and pilates are wonderful ways to start (or continue) working out while you are pregnant. Our current Prenatal/Postnatal Yoga  schedule is: Mondays 7pm Thursdays 6pm Call us at (818) 380-3111 to reserve your spot in class! Visit us at: 16101 Ventura Blvd. Suite 230 Encino, CA. 91436 p. (818) 380-3111 w.  shopthehaven.com

As the weather heats up in Southern California so does the risk of drowning. Drowning is the second leading cause of fatalities in the pediatric population and it is well known that about 20% of these drowning occur in the presence of an adult or care provider. The overriding emphasis should be focused on primary prevention.  Should these measures fail, the immediate focus is on CPR, well before the arrival of the paramedics. A recent study, published by the Department of Emergency Medicine at The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, Sydney, NSW, Australia tends to confirm what is already well established.  Bystander CPR is a major factor for a good outcome in near-drowning episodes. During an 11 day period in January, 2007 (their Summer), eight children experienced drowning or near-drowning events.  Four of the victims received CPR within 5 minutes of immersion and survived with good functional neurological outcomes (no brain damage).  The other f...

One of the best baby products when your baby is starting solid foods is the Baby Safe Feeder .  It's a little mesh bag with a handle for your baby to hold.  You can put all sorts of different foods in the mesh bag (fruit, veggies, even frozen breastmilk!), and your baby can gnaw away without you worrying about him choking. The BabySafe Feeder is wonderful - but it can be kinda hard to clean the mesh bag.  While you can buy extra bags for the BabySafe Feeder , here are some tips and tricks to keep your mesh bags a bit cleaner and help them last longer... - As soon as your baby is finished 'eating', immediately rinse out the bags.  If you have a kitchen sink sprayer, that can help. - You can also use a soft toothbrush with a baking soda & water paste to really get into the mesh and clean out the tiny holes. - Want to whiten your BabySafe Feeder bag?  Soak it in white vinegar!  You might want to do a quick water wash after the vinegar soak - the vine...