Breast feeding is instinctive and most mothers take to it naturally. However, a lot of mothers switch over to formulae at the slightest problem. One of the most common causes cited for resorting to top feeds is inadequate milk production. Primary lactation failure is an extremely rare event. Usually it is due to secondary causes. In order to understand the …

The overnight bag is by the door. The labour and childbirth book you are reading is open to “Labour.” Your contractions are five minutes apart, and as you climb into the car, you know exactly what awaits you… and pigs can fly. No matter how many books you’ve read or how many hours you’ve spent on pregnancy websites, labour is …

If as parent or teacher you are always the listener, children do not get a chance to show acceptance of you. One sided sharing fosters inequality in relationship. Both sides in a relationship need to be listeners and listened-to. For example, my daughters come home from school tell me all their gripes. It might be that sometimes children feel all …

Help children become as familiar as possible with what is likely to happen in an encounter. Predictability reduces fear of the unknown. Knowing what’s going to happen allows children to prepare themselves for it, and perhaps to be predisposed to find enjoyment in it. In this way, successful self-fulfilling prophecy is built into the experience. This principle applies to parents …

The milk supply increases from about 100 ml on the second day to about 500 ml in the second week and more slowly thereafter. Some mothers get very panicky as to whether the baby is getting enough breast milk. I have known mothers who weighed the baby after every feed or at least every day. Such anxiety may interfere with …

The requirement of iron and vitamins increases during pregnancy and the effort should be to get these naturally by the addition of iron and vitamin rich foods to your diet. After all, the word ‘vitamin’ was invented only in 1912. Most doctors do, however, prescribe some iron and vitamin tablets during pregnancy to ensure adequate amounts, but very concentrated forms …

When your child eats, food passes through the mouth and it meets the germs or bacteria that live in the mouth. These bacteria have sugars and starches found in many foods. If you do not clean your child’s teeth after eating, plaque bacteria use the sugars and starches to produce acid that destroys the hard surface of the tooth. After …

The most likely reason for milk drying up is the inhibition of the ejection reflex (the mechanism by which milk is ejected from the breast). This reduces the production of milk and gradually stops it completely. Often, the drying up has psychological reasons behind it when people ask the mother whether her milk has dried up or is drying up. …

Sleeplessness is a common complaint during pregnancy all through the three trimesters. The problem becomes quite acute in some people during the third trimester due to a variety of reasons – urinary infection, heartburn, backache or increased foetal movement. Since popping a pill is a big taboo during pregnancy, here are some tips to deal with the problem. Insomnia is …

Married children and parents may have different points of view and if they are not dealt with, in a mature manner, they may turn out into stressed in-law relations and conflicts between inlaws, parents and children. Good, strong and healthy in-law relationships are an important factor of the life of married couples and if you have good relations with the …