1) Community News

The new featured article of the month is Breastpumps: A Critical Look at the Pros & Cons of the Top Five Breastpumps Used by Moms Today by Karin Biswas, IBCLC. This is a very informative article with photos included. Check it out!
www.mothersnature.com/babies/info/breastpump.html

For more articles on pumping and breastfeeding check out the archived articles in the Info Alley!
Hope everyone is enjoying their spring! Congratulations to all who have new babies!

Have a question, comment or better yet and article you would like to submit to Mother's Nature?? Email me!
babies@mothersnature.com

Take care all!
Hannah

2) Prevention and Treatment of Dehydration

When my oldest was little, she became dehydrated and had to be taken to the hospital for I.V. fluids. It was very scary for me and I now never overlook the importance of fluid intake, especially with the warm weather here! H.S.)

A small child has little body mass and doesn't have to loose much fluid before she becomes dehydrated. Since dehydration is a serious problem that can lead to health complications, you should monitor your child closely and make sure she is getting enough fluids to replace what she is loosing.

If your child shows any signs of dehydration you should contact your doctor. If she has symptoms of severe dehydration call your doctor immediately, or take her to the nearest hospital emergency room.

Signs of mild-to-moderate dehydration
-dry lips and tongue
-few or no tears when she cries
-will be less active than usual
-infrequent urination
-infants will have less than six wet diapers a day

Signs of severe dehydration
-very dry mouth
-pale, dry and wrinkled-looking skin
-sunken eyes
-no tears when she cries
-may be either very fussy or very sleepy
-hand and feet will be cool and blotchy
-pulse may seem fast and week
-will not urinate for several hours
-in babies, the soft spot will be sunken in

Here are some tips for dealing with dehydration:

*Have your child drink frequent small sips of water or other fluids. Drinking a big glass at one time can cause vomiting.

*Pedialyte, Lytren, Ricelyte, and Resol are some of the special fluids you can buy at drug stores.

*You can give sport drinks, clear broth, and sodas like ginger ale or 7-up. However, don't rely on sports drinks and broths alone to maintain fluid balance. Nutrition should be well-balanced. And be sure to limit the amount of sweetened fluids and juices your child drinks, as they can make diarrhea worse.

*Don't let your child drink beverages that contain caffeine.

*Don't give apple juice.

*Avoid dairy and dairy products during bouts of diarrhea and for about two weeks afterwards.

*Don't give very hot or cold liquids.

*Don't give any over the counter medicines without your doctor's approval, especially if your child is under two years old

For More Information:
Dehydration
http://www.medem.com/search/article_display.cfm?path=n:&mstr=/ZZZ2ZK4H U9C.html&soc=AMA&srch_typ=NAV_SERCH
This article has some basic suggestions of what to feed your child, depending on the symptoms.

Copyright 2001 by Donna Zelzer, all rights reserved.
The individual writers hold copyright to the individual articles.

3)Sites to Browse

Take a look at this photo gallery of breastfeeding babies. I love these photos, especially the first few that show the baby shot by shot latching on to the breast.
www.aitex.com.au/aitexnew/bfphotos.htm

Have a colicky baby? This site has infant massage step by step instructions complete with photos. It says the massage is for a baby with colic, but I think any baby could benefit from a nice massage. Check it out!
www.alternativeparenting.com/health/colic_infant_massage.htm

4)From the Message Boards...

Vaccinations

We have chosen to delay (or not do at all) vaccinations for our 16 month old daughter. We have now decided to move to Ethiopia for two years and are planning to leave one year from now. I am trying to find out what vaccinations we should get for her. I know that yellow fever is required for all of us. Our pediatrician is very pro vaccine and thinks we should get the whole series done, but I am unsure. I know that polio and hepatitis A, B, & C are much more common there, but beyond that I do not know what other threats there are. I am looking for advice from someone who has a more balanced outlook and is not blindly "pro" vaccine, but instead can tell me what the real threats are and which vaccines we definitely need to get. I want to get as few as possible, but do want to protect her from illnesses that she has a reasonable risk of getting.

Thanks, Di