Runny Nose Blues

It is that time of year when our little ones are exposed to germs in record numbers, resulting in what I have come to call the runny nose blues (or is it the runny nose greens...eeew). It seems like all winter long we are wiping noses and whipping out the booger snoofer in an attempt to keep baby’s face clean and her nasal airways open.

It doesn't have to be this way. A while back I wrote about Five Great Goops, and today I will add a sixth one... elderberry syrup.

Medicinal use of elderberry dates back to the Greek physician, Hippocrates (and probably back even further) with the good doctor referring to it as his “medicine chest”. Modern studies have shown that he was correct. Elderberries are loaded with flavonoids which boost the immune system and the Elderberry extract, Sambucus is used to treat both bacterial and viral infections.

I had heard about Elderberry syrup from a friend when she noticed my daughter’s non-stop runny nose but being skeptical I had to see it in action to believe it. My answer to runny noses was a trip to the pediatrician, and in my daughter’s case a round of oral antibiotics was prescribed. The antibiotics did clear up her sinus infection, but a week after the treatment ended, the boogers were back. I immediately went out and bought a bottle of Nature’s Way Sambucus for Kids.



A teaspoon a day of Sambucus for a 1-6 year old wards off the common cold, sinus infections, and the like. In our case, with all of my children, it works. If I see a wet nose or I know one of my kids was exposed to a sick child, I give them the “intensive” dose for a couple days.

As with the introduction of any herbal addition to your child’s diet you should talk to your pediatrician first. Elderberry syrup can interact with some medications, and has possible laxative properties (though I haven’t noticed any.)

Breastfeeding Your Baby with Down Syndrome - Part Two

Last week guest blogger Lisa Morguess from Life As I Know It shared her personal story of overcoming several obstacles to develop a breastfeeding relationship with her son Finnian. This week she shares with us some of the tips and resources she found helpful.

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Tips and Tricks
~ First and foremost, if anyone tells you that breastfeeding your baby will not work because she has Down syndrome and you have your heart set on breastfeeding, walk away. Believe it can be done; plenty of moms have successfully nursed their babies with Down syndrome.

~ Find a good lactation consultant, preferably one who has some knowledge about Down syndrome and the unique challenges that can be associated.

~ Experiment with different nursing positions. There is no one position that works for all moms or all babies. I had the most success when Finn was a newborn with the cradle hold, the cross-cradle hold, and the football hold. I found the football hold especially useful when using a SNS/LA, and the cross-cradle hold when using breast compression.

~ Breast compression is an effective way to increase your milk production and increase baby's intake. It works by manually compressing the breast as baby is nursing, slowly and repeatedly, thereby stimulating milk production and encouraging a baby who may have a weak suck to take in as much milk as possible.

Useful Contraptions and Accoutrements
~ A good breastfeeding pillow is a must. A Boppy probably won't cut it, as the low muscle tone associated with Down syndrome necessitates a very firm foundation on which to support your baby. I highly recommend the My Brest Friend pillow.



~ Some babies with Down syndrome do better with the sensory input of the more rigid shape of nipple shields. Using the shields is usually only short-term, while a newborn is learning to efficiently latch and suck.



~ Sometimes it is necessary to use a supplemental nursing system (SNS), also known as a lactation aid. If your baby is having an especially difficult time with latch and/or suck, and because of this she isn't gaining weight appropriately and your milk production is diminishing, an SNS might help. The SNS allows baby to receive supplemental milk while at the breast, and this in turn stimulates milk production. If you need to use an SNS, try making your own instead of buying one. The ready-made systems are difficult to use and they're not cheap. A homemade one is inexpensive, easy to make, and easier to use.

A breast pump is a must for any breastfeeding mom, for those times when you are separated from your baby (for a variety of reasons), and need to keep your milk production “on schedule.” If your baby has any medical issues that require a separation from you, it will be extremely important to establish milk production as soon as possible by pumping your breasts at regular intervals (or if the separation is later, for instance due to heart surgery, it will be important to keep your milk production going). A breast pump is also extremely helpful in establishing and maintaining your milk production while a baby who has any feeding/latch/suck difficulties works out the kinks. Though I won't recommend a particular brand, I do encourage getting an electric double pump, as they are far more efficient and effective than manual breast pumps. You can rent a hospital grade pump from almost any hospital for a nominal cost, or you can buy one new from a variety of websites and baby stores, and you can even buy a used one at a discount on eBay or Craig's List. When you buy a used pump, you're basically buying the motor; you will need to buy your own new, sterile tubing, collection bottles, and breast shields.

Supplements to Increase Milk Production
A well-balanced diet and ample fluid intake are necessary for sufficient mild production. If you find, that your milk production is lacking (which often happens when a baby has feeding difficulties), herbal supplements can help, including fenugreek and blessed thistle taken together. These herbal supplements are available in capsule and tincture form from any health food or whole foods retailer.

If herbal remedies don't do the trick, there is Domperidone (Motilium), a prescription drug whose intended use is treating certain gastrointestinal issues. It has an off-label use of increasing milk production in lactating women. (The FDA issued a warning at some point against using it for this purpose, and I'm not going to go into the ins and outs of that particular issue except to say that it has been used safely by a great many women who may not have been able to successfully nurse their babies otherwise. I used it for over two years and never suffered a single side effect.) If your doctor does not want prescribe it for you to increase milk production, it is available without a prescription from various international pharmacies online. Be assured that this is perfectly legal. The pharmacy I used to obtain Domperidone was inhousepharmacy.biz.

Some Wonderful Resources
International Breastfeeding Centre
Breastfeeding Inc.
Breastfeeding Online
Kelly Mom
La Leche League

Eat Your Choline

Are your pregnant with a baby who has Down syndrome, or nursing a newborn? A recent study performed by Cornell University has shown that more choline given to developing babies with Down syndrome has lasting cognitive and emotional benefits.

Where can you get choline? There is a lot of it in eggs, beef, cauliflower, navy beans, tofu, almonds, peanut butter, and in Nutrivene-D. The recommended daily dose of choline for infants is about 150 mg a day. For pregnant moms it is 450 mg and for lactating moms it is 550 mg.

I am not sure how many eggs or how much beef liver you would have to eat to pass that much choline to your baby through breast milk, so you may want to ask your pediatrician if Nurtivene-D is right for your child.

To get you started eating your choline, here are two recipes:
For baby...
Vegi Puree (32.3 mg total choline)
1 oz. breast milk (4.5 mg choline) or milk (4.0 mg choline)
1oz cooked navy beans, mashed (8.6 mg choline)
1oz cooked cauliflower, mashed (10.9 mg choline)
1oz cooked carrots, mashed (2.5 mg choline)
1oz cooked sweet potato, mashed (3.7 mg choline)
1tbsp melted butter (2.6 mg choline)
Put in all in the food processor or blender and puree it until you reach the consistency your baby likes.

For you... (and baby, lol)
Nigerian Baked Beans whose leftovers become Summer Stew (284 mg total choline)
(from Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian (modified by L.L.Barkat)


(ds.mama substituted navy beans for Great Northern beans and shortened the cooking time.)
Stir briefly over low heat..
1 onion, chopped and already sauteed until light brown (5.7 mg choline)
4 cloves garlic, minced (2.8 mg choline)
1 TB curry powder
Add onion and garlic mixture to...
1 1/2 cups dried Navy Beans, already soaked and cooked until tender (retain cooking water) (144 mg choline)
2 tomatoes, chopped (16.4 mg choline)
1 1/2 TB peanut butter (15 mg choline)
salt and pepper to taste
Bake all together about 45 minutes or until tender and sauce is thickened.

For Stew the Following Evening... ( adds about 100 mg choline)
• cut 4-5 potatoes (22 mg choline per potato) into 1/2 to 3/4 inch chunks, add to beans with enough water to cover, and cook 15 minutes or until tender
• garnish with one onion sliced very thin, browned until crisp
• add a generous scoop of herbed butter (5.2 mg choline) and stir until melted

Picture credit: L.L. Barkat.

Purees, the First Foods

Stage two feeding is so exciting... it’s the introduction of real foods. Mushed up, watered down pureed foods, but cereals, fruits, and vegies just the same. Really, who isn’t totally psyched to run out and buy that first box of rice cereal and a couple teeny tiny jars of apples and sweet potatoes?

You don’t have to limit yourself to the baby food aisle though... you could make your own purees. It is easy and cheap. It is also healthier since the high heat processing in commercial baby food depletes the nutrient levels in those jarred foods. The best reason to make your own is because it tastes better and it tastes like real food... the real food your baby will be feeding herself in a few months.

A Few Guidelines
When introducing a new food, wait three to four days before introducing another. Having your baby eat the new food for three days will help you to figure out if your baby is going to react to it. Allergies will show up as a rash, hives, diarrhea, gas, congestion, or puffy, watery eyes.

Always cook vegies and fruits before you puree them, with the exception of bananas and avocados. Why? Because it makes the food easier for your baby to fully digest it.

What is a proper serving size for a baby? The first couple times you introduce a new food, do not give your baby more than two tablespoons per serving. Once you know your baby is not allergic to the food, you can feed her a serving somewhere between an 1/8 to a 1/4 cup, which is 2–4 tablespoons, or 1-2 ounces. However, if your baby turns away or acts disinterested, trust that she is done eating and do not push her to eat more. In this beginning phase of eating real food, it is more about exposure and practice rather than nutrition and calories. Your baby is still getting her nutritional and caloric needs met through nursing or bottle feeding.

To make some of these recipes it would be helpful to have a steamer basket and a food processor of some sort... a blender will work too.

5 Yummy First Purees
Baby Rice (15 servings, can freeze) B&T
1/4 cup white rice (short-grain like Basmati)
breastmilk or formula
Rinse the rice under cold water. Put it in a pan with just enough water to cover it. Bring it to a boil and stir it. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan, and let it simmer for 20 minutes. Puree the rice in a blender with the breast/formula milk until smooth.

Pear Puree (2-3 servings, can freeze) B&T
1 small, ripe pear
2 tbsp. water
Wash, peel, core and cut up the pear. Put the pear chunks in a pan with the water and bring to a boil. Cook for about 5 minutes until the pear is tender. Cool and then puree using a little of the cooking liquid.

Carrot Puree (1-2 servings, can freeze) B&T
1 small carrot
1-2 tbsp water
Wash, peel (or scrape) and slice the carrot. Steam the carrot for 10 minutes. Cool and then puree in a blender with a little of the cooking water.

First Applesauce (8-10 servings, can freeze) MM
3 Medium sized Golden Delicious apples (or other low acid mild apples)
water as needed
Wash, core and slice apples but leave the skin on during cooking. Place slices in a steamer basket and set in a pot of already boiling/steaming water. Cover tightly and steam for 10-12 minutes (add more water as necessary). When the apples pierce easily they are done. Set them aside to cool and save the cooking water. Scrape the skins off and puree the apples with a tablespoon of cooking liquid for each apple.

Avocado Puree (1-2 servings, doesn’t freeze so you can eat the extras ;-) B&T
1/2 small avocado
Peel the avocado and remove the pit. Scoop out the flesh and cut out any dark spots or hard spots. Mash until it is smooth and creamy. Serve right away.

5 Combo Purees
Pear, Apple, and Banana Combo (4 servings, doesn’t freeze) HB
2 tbsp. pear puree (see above)
2 tbsp. apple puree (see above)
1/2 small ripe banana, mashed
Mix all three ingredients together and serve immediately.

Broccoli and Pea Puree (2-3 servings, can freeze but is better fresh) B&T
3 broccoli florets
small handful of fresh or frozen peas
a little breastmilk or formula
Steam the broccoli for 7-10 minutes, adding the peas 1 or 3 minutes (depending on if they are fresh or frozen) before broccoli is done. Cool and then puree in the processor, adding a little bit of breast/formula milk to counter any possible bitterness from the broccoli.

Butternut Squash and Pear (4 Servings, can freeze) HB
1 medium butternut squash
1 ripe pear
Peel the squash, cut it and take out the seeds. Chop it up and steam the pieces for about 12 minutes. Peel, core, and chop the pear. Add it to the steamer pot and cook for 5 minutes longer, or until the squash is tender. Puree in the processor.

Mashed Banana Flambe (2 servings, doesn’t freeze) HB
1 tsp. butter
1small banana, peeled and sliced
a pinch of cinnamon
2 tbsp orange juice, fresh if available
Melt the butter in a small skillet. Stir in the sliced banana, sprinkle with cinnamon and saute for 2 minutes. Pour in the orange juice and cook 2 minutes longer. Mash with a fork and serve once it has cooled enough.

Sweet Potatoes with Cinnamon (7 servings, can freeze) HB
1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into chunks
pinch of cinnamon
3 tbsp breastmilk or formula
Put sweet potato chunks in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and simmer for about a half hour or until tender. Drain and puree in processor with cinnamon and breast/formula milk until smooth.

Baby Cookbooks
These recipes come from a few of my favorite baby cookbooks. I can’t fully endorse any of these books because in each there are some suggestions that I personally don’t agree with for babies with Down syndrome or typical kids, but every one of them has an array of super recipes and food ideas for little ones.

Mommy Made, Home Cooking for a Healthy Baby & Toddler by Martha and David Kimmel (MM)

The Healthy Baby Meal Planner by Annabel Karmel (HB)

Wholesome Meals for Babies & Toddlers, Parragon Books (B&T)

Supplements—DHA & EPA

What is it?
Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is an omega-3 essential fatty acid derived from fish oil. Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) is another omega-3 fatty acid and it is often found in products that contain DHA.

Why would I want to give it to my child?
DHA is required in high levels by the brain and retina as an essential nutrient to provide for optimal neuronal functioning (learning ability, mental development) and visual acuity.

Studies have been done on children with autism and with other developmental differences, and the results showed that after 3 months of taking DHA & EPA, there was a 6 month improvement in reading and spelling levels, as well as significant behavioral improvements.

When I asked our developmental pediatrician about omega-3 oil, he said that there is proof that it has positive impact on brain development in infants and children. I had already been using it for a while but this was reassuring to hear.

Where can I get it?
Moms can start introducing omega-3 during pregnancy by taking fish oil supplements. Then later your baby can continue to receive DHA & EPA through your breast milk. Some formulas are enhanced with DHA, (but as far as I know, only Baby’s Only by Nature’s One derives the DHA from eggs. More on this topic under side effects.) Omega-3s can also be found in enhanced milk as well as in enhanced eggs (I wonder what those chickies eat).

The easiest way to get it, and one of the safest, is through Nordic Naturals Children's DHA which has the highest omega-3 level of any cod liver oil. Nordic Naturals products have consistently high standards and test under the maximum allowances for toxins and heavy metals.

There is also a plant derived omega-3 fatty acid, a-linolenic acid (ALA), but the metabolic conversion of ALA to DHA/EPA (combined) by metabolism is very limited in humans and certain forms of ALA have risks associated with taking them.

What are the side effects and risks?
One of the positive side affects of taking omega-3 oil is that it helps to keep your baby from becoming constipated. Like some other oils, it helps to keep things moving along.

The Nordic Naturals website lists possible repeating (or spitting up) as a side effect. It says if this happens it could be because, “your body may not be manufacturing enough lipase, the digestive enzyme our bodies make to digest fats and oils. If you haven't ingested fish oils for a long time, it might take a week or so for your body to adjust and make more of this enzyme.”

Aside from that, I have found no other negative feedback associated with the Nordic Naturals omega-3 fatty acids, DHA & EPA.

Mercury and other toxins are a risk associated with some brands of omega-3 oils so do brand research before you purchase an omega-3 supplement.

Several sites mention dangers in the processing of ALA oils, Mortierella alpina oil and Crypthecodinium cohnii oil (sometimes listed as M. alpina oil and C. cohnii oil). These oils are extracted from fermented fungus and algae with a neurotoxic chemical solvent. The C. cohnii oil (algae) & M. alpina oil (fungus) used in many infant formulas are treated with hexane solvent, acid, and bleach. Some infants have experienced serious adverse reactions to these additives. Hmm, I wonder why.

Based on my research I did when choosing a formula and supplements, I found that Baby’s Only formula and Nordic Naturals omega-3 oil were the safest ways to get DHA & EPA into my babies. All of my children are still taking one or both of these products.

Your Turn
Is your child taking some form of DHA supplement? If so, what are you using and what results are you seeing if any?

Sources
DHA/EPA Omega-3 Institute
Omega-3 Fish Oil Blog
Nordic Naturals
The Cornucopia Institute

What's In Your Baby's Bottle?

There are lots of good reasons why you might be buying formula for your baby. Some babies need extra calories added to breast milk, some babies have swallowing difficulties and need thicker food, others may be drinking more than you are able to produce. Maybe you’ve gone back to work or maybe pumping just wasn’t working out too well. No matter the reason, choosing a formula can be confusing.

Beyond deciding between the brands there are the questions... soy or dairy? Organic or conventional? Iron or DHA fortified or neither? And let’s not forget that formula is expensive, so the choice must be something we can afford.

No, I am not going to compare and rate baby formulas. In fact this post is going to be completely biased but when I am done, I hope you’ll understand why.

Five years ago when it was time to go back to work after my first baby, it was my turn to wander the baby food aisles of my local markets in search of the best formula I could find. Back then (seems like the dark ages) there was not one organic style of formula on the shelf. So I chose the brand they had given me samples of in the hospital. My son never ended up getting any of it because after taste testing it, I threw it out (in a fit of tears, which I am sure was a combo of hormones and going-back -to-work blues.)

What do you do when you don’t know what to do? Google the internet. Online I found an organic baby formula fortified with iron called Baby’s Only and developed by Nature’s One. I researched their nutritional information and found it to be comparable to the brands I had seen in the grocery store. It looked good but I still had questions... It said right on the can that it was a toddler formula and my son was just a 5 month old infant. And, what if after I spent the money on a can and shipping, I found out that it tasted as bad as the others? What if it caused the constipation I had been warned about?

I contacted the company and spoke with their nutritionist. She explained that the formula is labeled “toddler formula” because the company promotes breastfeeding for the first year of life. She told me it was perfectly safe to use the formula for my infant but to take the nutritional information to my pediatrician for his blessing. I asked for a sample and within days, a can of dairy-based powered formula appeared on my doorstep. I mixed some up and took a swig. Dare I say it was yummy? It was pretty good, with no metallic aftertaste. Our pediatrician approved it and so, I used Baby’s Only with my first two children.

Then along came baby #3 complete with Down syndrome and a broken heart. From birth she was fluid restricted to ease the work load on her heart. Within weeks the neonatologists were talking about fortifying her milk to add calories. I took it hard. I was obsessed with giving her only the best. I explained that I was concerned about using conventional formula, so they offered me Similac Organic.

But I was unsure. I knew that a lot of the food giants had jumped on the organic train in the past few years but that didn’t guarantee their product was as good as Baby’s Only. I brought an unopened can into the NICU and pled my case to the hospital’s nutritionist. She lifted it skeptically from my hands and agreed to research it. She said she would let me know within a few days whether or not their highly-respected children’s teaching hospital would approve this formula.

Slight digression here... You may be wondering what was happening in the meantime with my daughter’s need for more calories. I had found a tip in a breastfeeding book for naturally adding calories to your bottled breast milk. It said to pump hind milk and let it cool in the refrigerator. The cream will rise to the top. Scoop (or syringe) the creamy upper layers and mix it into 2 ounces of regular breast milk. The nurses jokingly called it “high-test’. I wasn’t allowed to do this as a longterm solution because there was no way to know how many calories I was actually adding and in the NICU things have to be exact.

Guess what? The nutritionist approved the formula and we started adding it to my baby’s milk. As with my other children, there was no constipation, no refluxing, no refusals to drink it. Now when she doesn’t nurse, she gets straight Baby’s Only dairy formula. (I always start my babies on a half breast milk, half formula bottle and then over a few days move to just formula.)

So it’s a great organic formula, so what... ? It is a great company, too, because they believe children with Down syndrome should have the best in life. To this end, they have a Medical Hardship program that provides you with a 30% discount on their products for children with Down syndrome (or any other medical hardship diagnosis). All you do to enroll in the discount program is fill out the form and have your baby’s doctor sign it, and send it in to them. You can order your formula from their online store.

The discount price of around 6.95 per can for the dairy formula (with free shipping on case orders) puts the cost at about .09 cents per prepared ounce. Similac Sensitive is about .13, Similac Organic is about .14, Earth’s Best Organic is about .14, and Enfamil Lipil is about .145 cents per prepared ounce. All I can say is “Wow, thanks Nature’s One!”

Um, ok, I can also say they give out free samples and they ship product super fast (ahem, for those of us who forget we’re on the last can.) Go get your sample and see what your baby thinks.

Breastfeeding Basics

You’ve decided to nurse your new baby. Well that’s good news because there are many benefits for you and your baby that come along with breastfeeding. Breast milk is filled with antibodies that will help protect your baby from illnesses, is easy for your baby to digest, and is priced right. Breastfed babies develop fewer allergies, have improved oral motor tone, and may even benefit with a boost in cognitive development.

Feeding Styles
There are two schools of thought when it comes to feeding your new baby... on demand or on a schedule. I am a proponent of combining the two methods. I fed my babies when they wanted it and woke ‘em up if they slept through a feeding time (evident by the leak tracks on my shirt.)

On-demand feeding is offering your baby the breast whenever he shows signs that he is hungry. Consider that anytime your baby is indicating that he would like to eat, he is communicating with you and it is important to validate that communication with a response.

If you spend any time in the NICU, you’ll learn all about scheduled feedings... you might even think you’ve signed up for baby bootcamp. The nurses will feed your baby (or have you feed him) according to a strict schedule that they will determine for you. Because it takes a little longer to feed a baby with low tone, you may find the NICU schedule hard to keep. At home, it might be easier to let your baby determine when he should be fed, unless of course, he would be content to sleep through feedings. If you find that your baby is sleeping for more than two hours during the day or three hours at night since his last feeding, you should rouse him and feed him.

Baby Math 101
How much milk is enough? A newborn baby should eat approximately 90-100 calories per kilogram of body weight per day. There are 20 calories in one ounce of breast milk, which means your baby should drink 4 1/2 to 5 ounces of milk per kilogram per day. For a 7 pound baby this equals about 14 1/2 to 16 ounces of breast milk per day. Take heart, that’s only 2 oz. (or 60 ml.) per feed (every three hours)!

Huh? How do you figure that out? Take your baby’s weight in pounds, convert it to kilos, multiply it by 100 (or 90, your choice) and then divide it by 20. That number is the total ounces of milk your baby needs per day at his current weight.

You will know that your baby is getting enough to eat by:

• 
  the number of wet diapers he produces. Your baby should have between 5-6 wet diapers per day (after your milk comes in). You can also weigh your baby’s diapers on a small scale. By subtracting the diaper’s dry weight (say 22 grams for a Pamper’s Swaddler #2) from the weight of the wet diaper, you will get an indication of how much your baby is taking in. For liquid volume, one gram is equal to one milliliter (ml) and 30 ml is equal to one ounce of milk.
• 
  the number of poopy diapers he produces. In the first few days there are usually only a couple tar-like (meconium) poops per day, however, by the end of the first week he should be pooping 3 or 4 times per day. Some babies poop after every feed!
• 
  the weight he gains. For the first three months of life, a new baby will gain just about an ounce a day, adding up to about 6-7 oz. per week. This can be difficult to measure at home so if you are really concerned with weight gain, you may want to rent a baby scale. Some insurance companies will cover part of the rental fee if your pediatrician writes a script for this. Another option is to get a script for a visiting nurse who can come weekly to weigh your baby (and do vitals and other routine checks). Remember, as your baby gains weight, his caloric needs go up accordingly.

Keeping Track
For some of us (and we all know who we are) keeping track of exactly how long the baby nursed, on which breast, and at what time can become a bit of an obsession. Print off a couple copies of this handy chart to facilitate your record keeping. You may find that your baby has a preference for one breast over the other, or has certain nursing patterns.

Dang, This Just Isn’t Working
Not all babies take to nursing right away. Check out my post, Nursing Tips, in which I share some ideas that might make a difference for your baby.

Supplements, Should We?

Right up front let me say that no amount of supplements is going to "fix" your baby’s Down syndrome. That said, can they help your baby be all he can be?

NuTriVene - D Supplements
The Trisomy 21 Research Foundation recommends a daily set of supplements for people with Down syndrome. These supplements can be given to infants. When you google the foundation you will see that it seems to exist only to support the NuTriVene online company that sells the recommended supplements. This in itself doesn’t make the product bogus but it does make one question the foundation’s recommendations. After all, they are self-serving.

The NuTriVene website does have a page with some interesting research about the effects of an extra 21st chromosome on free radicals and proteins in the body. How much of this research can be independently supported elsewhere? Um, I couldn’t find much. Because it is a supplement, it doesn’t need FDA approval and the FDA site has zippo information about it. But, then again, the FDA doesn’t say anything about Flinstones either.

Taking a Chance
I grew up on vitamins, cod liver oil, and anything else my mom believed was healthy for me. So after some prompting from her, which I overtly rejected, I secretly popped for the $56 powdered stuff and tried it out.



Ok, now I hear some of you drawing in your breath, and thinking loudly, "How could she give her baby some who-knows-what concoction?" On all other counts, I am an organic ds.mama and nothing questionable goes in or on my babies. However, my youngest baby, who has Down syndrome, spent 16 weeks at birth in the hospital and you should have seen the stuff the medical community gave her. Drugs upon drugs, intravenous plastic tubing, iron supplements, and conventional creams and baby care items. They even tried to feed her corn oil but I stamped my foot down on that one. After all that, I figured what’s one more thing?

The Process
I measure a little less than the recommended amount of the orange powder (still wary, I guess) into about 2 ml of baby formula and suck it up into an oral syringe. Getting it into her is tricky and I do it on her changing table with a washable mat under her. I do this when she is wearing her birthday suit because the supplement leaves bright orange stains on any material. I squirt the awful tasting stuff (at least I thought so) into her cheek pocket a tiny bit at a time. She doesn’t complain.

The Fuzzy Results
After a couple weeks of this, my mom (who I hadn’t told yet) asked me if I was doing something new because my daughter was "so alert" and seemed to be progressing faster. This was hardly a scientific study but it was a hmm... moment. Since I started Omega 3 oil (more on that another day) at the same time, I can’t say one or the other was responsible for any perceived results.

I can say that my daughter left the hospital at 16 weeks old, after major heart surgery, not even able to hold her own head up or reach for a toy. She had also been sick with multiple bacterial infections in the hospital. She made it through last winter with no ear infections, no bacterial infections, no respiratory infections, nothing but an occasional cold. There are lots of other factors that can account for her good health and strong development since then. She is primarily breastfed, she had a visiting nurse administer the RSV vaccine every month, I am a Purell junkie (16 weeks in NICU/PICU will do that to you), she has the benefit of wonderful Early Intervention therapists, and her heart fix was perfect.

Still, it’s possible the supplement is beneficial to her. So, I give it to her whenever I remember and have the energy for the mixing, delivery, and clean-up process.

Your Turn
Am I the only mom out here using this stuff? If you have used it, can you comment on your experience with it, good or bad?

Read Beth's post: Targeted Nutritional Intervention--Vitamins