Why so many moms quit breastfeeding?

What the #1 reason moms quit breastfeeding? Not enough milk. It is the most common reason for stopping nursing and introducing formula in the first two weeks of a baby's life.

Why so many mothers struggle with something their bodies designed to? 

                                 

                                          What Nursing Moms Need

Here's what helps:

Skin-to-skin-contact 

Being skin to skin with mom right after birth helps a baby get ready to suckle for the first time. " Early skin-to-skin contact - ideally for at least an hour immediately  after birth - seems to help the baby's ability to latch properly," - Beverly Chalmers, an independent Ottawa researcher and lead author of the Maternity Experiences Survey.

No formula (unless absolutely necessary)

Any bottle of formula(or water) in the first days of a baby's life disrupts the establishment of the mother's milk supply. " If you give the baby formula, she will drink less mother's milk. If the baby drinks less breast milk, the mother makes less milk." Plus, the baby misses an early opportunity to learn to suckle, and make no mistake, the baby's skill at nursing is part of the milk-making equation.

The mother will also have to express milk, so her brain keeps getting the signal to make it. But if she's not shown how, has no encouragement from family or friends, goes home with a sample of formula, and then can't find help if she runs into problems, it can be the beginning of a serious milk supply problem. 

Rooming-in and feeding on demand

Having babies and moms together 24 hours a day, and feeding the baby whenever she(he) wants - even if she(he) just nursed a half an hour ago - are strategies that go together because both lead to more frequent nursing, which is what helps a moth make milk. 

Frequent nursing is not only normal, it's necessary. 

Yet how many mothers have heard someone say, "You're feedim him again already? He can't be hungry yet! Does that kid ever stop nursing?"

Frequent nursing is not only normal, it's necessary because it stimulates the breast to make milk. This is particularly important in the early days when the milk supply is just being established. 

Showing moms how to breastfeed

Milk supply isn't just about the mother's body making milk; it's also about getting it into the baby. A good latch is key. If the mother is making milk, but the milk is not flowing to the baby properly - often because of latch problems - then the milk gets stuck in the breast. So the baby isn't getting milk, the breasts swell and get sore, and nursing becomes uncomfortable and discouraging. On the other hand, the baby's efficient sucking because of a good latch signals the mother's breast to make more milk.

More challenges

Here are the basics of a good latch:

• It's not just sucking on the nipple. The baby's mouth is wide open and nipple is at the back of his mouth. 
• His chin will be pressed against the breast, and his nose, though close to the breast, will not be pressed in like the chin.

Oball Toys Support and Stimulate Infant Growth & Development

Like many great brands, Oball™ started out as a single product developed by a company called Kids II.  The company has been in business for four decades producing innovative baby products. 

The original Oball™ was, as its name suggests, a ball-shaped toy, now called the  Oball™ Classic.  The soft, flexible moulded sphere consists of what look like fused rings, resulting in 32 holes that create a tactile experience that babies love.  Each ball is multi-coloured in various bright shades, adding another sensory element to this toy that is simple in its complexity. 

Tactile sensation is critical to the process of developing motor skills in babies, both gross and fine.  Oball™ places a great deal of emphasis on the tactile experience, incorporating a variety of tactile sensations into each toy they make.  Designing each toy with bright colors helps to stimulate the brain, develop eyesight and encourage color differentiation.  Some Oball™ toys also add the element of sound by incorporating rattles.  Babies quickly learn that shaking the object produces sound, which, among other things, helps babies to discover the principle of cause and effect.

The popularity of the original Oball™ lead the company to develop more toys based on the original concept.  Fuzzy Freckles Children's Store and online catalogue carries several of these fantastic developmental toys.   Take a look at some of our favourites:

* The  Oball™ with Rattles:  This is a new take on the Oball™ Classic.  Four inches in diameter, this award-winning design provides the same great tactile experience, but with the added element of rattles.  The rattles are small beads safely contained inside of transparent round cases mounted inside some of the Oball's™ rings.  The rattles add another sensory factor, sound, as well as enhanced tactile experience.

* The  Oball™ Rattle and Roll: This design is destined to become baby's first toy car.  The sturdy, moulded design is safe for play, tactile, and brightly-coloured.  Each wheel contains a bead rattle similar to the ones in the Oball™ with Rattles.  The car has a "roll cage" made of…. naturally…. soft, flexible moulded rings just like the original Oball™.

* The Oball™ Mini Beebo: Similar to the original toy, this design features twisted spindles instead of circles.  Small beads can be moved over the spindles for even more sensory stimulation.

* The Oball™ FlexiLoops: This toy consists of a solid spherical core with semi-circular rings attached.  Each toy is multi-coloured and made of the same flexible material as the original Oball™ toy.

* The Oball™ Clickety Twist: This fun design has a sphere-shaped core, similar to the Oball™ FlexiLoops toy.  Sprouting from the core are spindles of different textures: smooth, ridged and coiled.  Each one provides a different tactile sensation.

All of the Oball™ toys that you'll find in our children's store are PVC, BPA and phthalate free, which is perfect for parents who worry about the chemicals that may leach from toys into baby's mouth.