Life Before Birth: Physical Development and Characteristics of Your Unborn Baby
BC Women’s Hospital & Health Centre
Whether you are a first time mom with questions about feeding your baby or a seasoned veteran, read on to learn more about organic baby food and the benefits for your baby and the environment.
Head nutritionist for Sweetpea Baby Food, well-known author and mom, Dr. Joey Shulman has compiled the Top 10 Reasons to Feed Your Baby Organic.
Top 10 Reasons to Feed Your Baby Organic
1. Reduces your infant’s exposure to harmful herbicides and pesticides
2. Protects your child’s developing immune system
3. Improves the quality of your baby’s nutrition
4. Provides your baby with better tasting food
5. Helps protect your baby against the onset of future illness
6. Reduces the amount of harmful residue found in the meat your baby eats
7. Decreases soil erosion, thereby enhancing the nutrients in your baby’s food
8. Organic certification is strictly monitored to ensure your baby is receiving the highest standard of food
9. Protection of future waters through use of natural ingredients in the soil
10. Protects the environment for the next generation
Reprinted with permission from Sweetpea Baby Food www.sweetpeababyfood.com
This is the big decision that causes more stress on a family than a new car or even having a child in the first place! Here are a few tips on how to hire a great nanny.
START EARLY . The number one cause for stress and panic when hiring a nanny is an imminently approaching deadline and no great candidates in sight. Starting to interview two or three months ahead is a good idea. Keep in mind September is the busiest month for nanny turnover.
Explore ALL of your options. Craigslist, community posting boards, word of mouth, Facebook, school newsletters, or use a reputable established nanny agency.
Be honest with YOURSELF about what your priorities are. HONESTLY are you looking for one on one play time, educational stimulation, outdoor activities and planned daily outings, or light housekeeping including all of the children’s laundry done. Keep in mind I too would like an ECE graduate, with 10 years nanny experience who will lesson plan, teach piano, do my laundry, wash my floors and do meal prep every night of the week…for $10.00 an hour…but I probably won’t find her. Choose your priorities, write them down in order of importance and then evaluate candidates accordingly. Be hopeful as well as realistic.
Open your mind. What points CAN you be flexible on, or what can you offer that you may not have considered before. Being; flexible with hours or days, willing to pay a nanny as an employee, able to offer a car for her personal use etc. are all great job perks a nanny would appreciate. Have you thought about a nanny share? Longer hours but less days? A bonus for loyalty or completing the contract. The more flexible you are the more nannies may be interested in what you have to offer.
CHECK, CHECK, CHECK. References (plural) get written ones and then verify them verbally, check for a criminal record, check his/her driving record, and check that all certifications are current and real. (First Aid, CPR, Food Safe, etc) Treat your reference checks as if they too are interviews!!
Put it in writing ! Write up a legally binding work agreement. Treat this as you would expect ANY job to be treated. Be specific about holiday time, holiday pay, exact responsibilities, overtime rates, and any added benefits or bonuses. There should be no questions about job description and therefore less chance of ugly surprises down the road. (“Oh I thought that vacuuming was light housekeeping….??)
Schedule time to communicate. Provide on the job orientation where the nanny has an ease in period when you provide clear on the job guidance over the course of a few days. At the very outset schedule a performance review date where you both agree to sit down and discuss how the experience is going. (Three weeks into a contract is a good time for this) Also, be sure to budget at least 15 minutes every day of paid time when you and the nanny communicate about the children’s well being, and voice any questions or concerns either one of you are having. Communication and clarification are more likely to happen if no one is running out the door at break neck speed.
Make a “high level” choice. Choosing a nanny out of a pool of one after one interview is NOT a high level choice. Choosing a nanny out of a pool of four candidates after a four first interviews and two second interviews is.
Plan for your interviews. Have a list of well thought out questions ready and make sure you ask them all. Open ended questions are an important part of all interviews. Make some of the questions specific to the applicants past work history (be sure to read her resume ahead of time) Take notes and wait for the applicant to answer hard questions. Do not rush this part of the process. If you feel you need a second interview or a trial day ask for those.
When in doubt go with your gut. We are all born with instincts, especially where our children are concerned. If everything is checking out and you still don’t feel quite right or aren’t quite sure…move on. This is the benefit of not being in a hurry (go back to step number one)
Your children’s safety and well being is worth working at. Like any important undertaking… planning ahead, doing your homework and following through will make the search less stressful and ultimately more successful. Good luck finding your families’ perfect nanny!!
By Leanne Hume
Leanne Hume has been an on call and placement nanny, a teacher, is a mum and is also the nanny recruiter for Nannies on Call, http://www.nanniesoncall.com/
You’ve decided to breastfeed your baby, congratulations! Now comes all the questions. How long does breast milk last in the freezer or on the counter? What kinds of containers can I use to freeze or store breast milk? We answer those nagging questions on safely storing breast milk.
Expressing and storing milk:
Hygiene
- Wash hands well with soap and water
- Clean under your nails
- Dry hands with paper toweling
Containers
- Use small, clean, glass or plastic containers with a solid lid or bottle liners/milk storage bags
- Double bag when using bottle liners/milk storage bags and use twist ties to close the bags
- If adding milk to a container, chill the fresh milk first then add to the cold milk
Labeling
- Write date on tape and attach to container
Storage
- Do not store milk in the door of the fridge or freezer
- Store milk in the back of the fridge or freezer
- Leave space in the container for expansion when freezing milk
- Package expressed milk in feeding size portions
To store or freeze breast milk at home:
| 6 hours | 72 hours | 1 month | 2 months | 6 months | 6-12 months | |
| Room Temperature |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
| Refrigerator (0-4C) |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
| Freezer compartment in fridge |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
| Freezer with separate door as part of fridge |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
| Deep freeze (-20C) |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
To Use:
- Warm chilled milk by holding under running warm water
- Keep cap out of water
- Defrost by holding container under running warm water, standing it in warm water or placing frozen milk in fridge
- Shake gently to mix separated milk
- Use thawed milk within 24 hours if refrigerated after defrosting
DO NOT!!
- Refreeze milk
- Use a microwave to thaw or warm milk
Shipping Milk
- If shipping/carrying milk for longer than 3 hours, pack containers tightly in a sturdy cooler using Styrofoam chips or crumpled newspaper to fill extra space. This will keep milk frozen for about 20 hours
- If shipping for a longer time add dry ice. If using dry ice please check with the shipper for specific instructions
- Containers with dry ice should not be transported by car as dry ice is a hazardous substance
- The cooler should be sealed with packing tape
- Weather temperatures should be considered when packing milk for a shipping
- When milk is shipped, it must be shipped frozen overnight by courier or bus
Storage of Breast Milk
Developed by C&W Lactation Services
Approved by: BC Women’s Family Education Advisory Committee, October 1991
Revised: June 2005
Find out what our Fit Mommy 2008 winner is up to at the gym! Mixx Co Fitness has Jennifer working on stabilization exercises to help improve her core strength.
“Rebirthing Traditions”, Prenatal, Infant and Childhood Health
The Roundhouse Community Centre
March 10th, 7pm-8pm
There is perhaps nothing as sacred and beautiful as mother and child, which in their very essence represent the cosmic unfolding of the universe, and our deepest relationship to that which nourish us.
By three or four days of age your baby:
- Has wet diapers at least 4-5 noticeable times (looks or feels wet) in twenty-four hours (pale and odourless urine)
- Has at least 2-3 bowel movements in twenty-four hours (colour progressing from brownish to seedy mustard yellow and at least the size of a loonie)
- Breastfeeds at least eight times in twenty-four hours
- Is content after most feedings
For all you interested parents, British Columbia creates an annual list of baby names to help identify current trends that may assist you in choosing a name for your baby. These lists are compiled each year from birth registrations, with names given five or more times. This one was from 2006. Check back often for updates, and be sure to see our unique baby names as well.
| BOYS | GIRLS |
| 1. Ethan 2. Jacob 3. Matthew 4. Joshua 5. Nathan 6. Liam 7. Benjamin 8. Ryan 9. Logan 10. Daniel 11. Alexander 12. Noah 13. Lucas 14. James 15. William 16. Owen 17. Nicholas 18. Samuel 19. Tyler 20. Jack |
1. Emma 2. Emily 3. Ava 4. Olivia 5. Hannah 6. Sarah 7. Sophia 8. Ella 9. Isabella 10. Madison 11. Grace 12. Chloe 13. Abigail 14. Samantha 15. Taylor 16. Brooklyn 17. Maya 18. Sophie 19. Julia 20. Lauren |
Pain is a normal part of labour and birth and there are many methods available to your to soothe your pain. Breathing techniques, comfort measures and supportive coaching are essential throughout. If labour becomes difficult, extra relief may be needed from medication.