Breast Feeding or Bottle Feeding?

Should you breast feed or bottle feed. Most experts recommend breast-feeding. This is because recent research has shown that babies who are breast-fed have higher intelligent quotient scores (ICQ's) then children who were bottle-fed. So if you want a smart kid you better bottle-feed because the average boost in IQ for breast-feeds babies over non breast-fed was ten points. This difference in points could make the difference between your child being a worker in a car wash or a brain surgeon. Many studies of thousands of children have also show that those who were breastfed consistently get better marks in school.

The reason kids get smarter if breast fed is because breast milk contains a brain-boosting fat called DHA (docasahexaenoic acid). This is an omega-3 fatty acid. DHA that is crucial for the growth and development, of brain tissue. The brains of breastfed babies have a higher concentration of DHA. There is no DHA in milk unless it is added as a supplement.

By the way soymilk is the worst thing you can bottle feed a baby as it is missing this essential nutrient and also causes your baby to have gas. Babies are carnivores and need their mother's milk.

DHA levels are highest in babies who are breastfed the longest, which also creates an argument for feeding a child for as long as possible. Infant formulas made in the United States do not contain DHA, which is why bottle-feeding is frowned upon. You are basically feeding your child's body and not their brain.

Babies also need lots of cholesterol for their brains to grow. Breast milk contains a lot of cholesterol, while infant formulas currently contain none. “Low in cholesterol” may be good news for adult diets, but this is not true for babies! Cholesterol helps cells grow essential nerve tissue in young brains.

Children that are bottle-fed may also be more nervous or sensitive than children who are breast-fed. This is because both DHA and cholesterol are the building blocks of a substance called myelin. Myelin acts as insulation for nerves, making it possible for nerves to carry information from one part of the brain or body to another.

Breastfeeding can also help your baby build healthy fat and tissue. The skin of babies who are breast-fed is nicer, softer and firmer to the touch. The skin of bottle fed babies can be rough, scaly and have red patches

Yet another benefit of breastfeeding is that it produces less foul smelling feces in the diaper. The stools of a bottle fed infant tend to be more smelly because cow' milk does not contain enough lactose to allow the infant to digest the milk properly. A baby that is breast-fed may also have less gas, colic, and struggles with burping and as a result be more good-natured and sleep better at night. The bottom line is that breast fed babies is just smarter and healthier in every way.

History of the Baby Shower

Nowadays it is customary for the Baby Shower to be thrown before the birth of the baby. These events are planned anywhere from six-months to just a couple of days before the blessed event. Probably the optimum time to throw a party is in the third trimester of pregnancy, but not too close to the actually expected birth date. This spares the mother undue stress, as even happy stress can take its toll. It also gives her time to sort out and put away her loot.
Then of course there are those babies that arrive early and show up as an unexpected guest at their own baby shower!

Although it is traditional to throw the baby shower before birth, it is still perfectly acceptable to suggest that a baby shower be thrown after the baby is born. It is especially acceptable to suggest this if for some reason, nobody else has volunteered to engineer the event. Showers are also thrown after the adoption of a child and in this case, the child can be much older than an infant.

The baby shower has come along ways from the days when it was never thrown before the baby’s birth. This presumption was based on an old superstition, that all of the presents and celebration might attract they eye of Lilith, an evil angel, who may spirit the baby’s soul away. The sad truth is that most babies did pass away during birth so nobody wanted to celebrate something that may not happen.

Showers have also mutated over the years into Jack and Jill events, where both sexes, including the father of the child and his friends, are invited to celebrate along with the girls. Unlike women’s baby showers, which have a focus on games, these showers are more about circulating with family and friends and sharing a good meal in honor of the expectant mother. It is the most contemporary way of holding a shower and furthermore there does not have to be a diaper pin or baby shower game in sight!

It is also traditional to throw the shower at a best friend or relative’s house, rather than at the expectant mother’s house to spare her the hassle of a mess to clean up the next day. It also gives her privilege of being able to say good-bye and leave the party. She may feel the need to rest, rather than feel pressured to entertain guests who are in no hurry to leave. However some mothers do feel more comfortable at home and throwing it at her house may save her a lot of transportation and the hauling around of her goodies. Rule of thumb — when in doubt be sure to ask the mom to be if she wants a shower at her house. The answer could be no!