MAMA Blog

Music: A Tool For Connection

The reason I love working musically with families at MAMA is because of the power music has to support bonds within families and the community. I want to empower parents to better understand how to use music to support their child’s development and relationships. Musical interactions support both you and your child, and it’s accessible to anyone!

We connect with others through music across our entire lives, and most of the time we barely realise we’re doing it! As adults, we may also connect with others through verbal language, sign language, written communication, complex body language and facial expressions. Over time we learn to interpret rules, subtleties and social norms to interpret and use these ways of connecting.

Children, however, rely heavily on the way we communicate in order to feel connected to someone. Without thinking too much about it, we naturally change our intonation, facial expressions and movement to make ourselves understood by children. We notice that when we use a higher voice and exaggerated expressions, the child often matches our excited energy. When we use a slow, quiet voice, we can bring a sense of calm to the child. Even when we’re talking throughout the day, we’re using the musical elements of melody and rhythm to communicate.

When multiple people engage in a music together by listening, playing, singing and dancing, we move at the same rhythm. That’s why we feel so connected to others at a concert or in a choir. Movement in kids songs provides this feeling of connection, with the added element of actions! Mirroring someone’s movement strengthens this connection even further, as you’re responding to them in a very explicit way. Kids LOVE this. They can lead and follow within the interaction, feeling both secure and challenged.

The structure, familiarity and additional sensory stimulation of music are also key to connecting. Structure and familiarity are important because almost everything children encounter is new to them, and this can be very overwhelming. By adding a familiar song to a new or confusing situation, you’re showing the child that you can respond to their needs. The additional sensory stimulation of music (instruments, movement, touch, props, etc.) can help kids to focus on the interaction. They will be more likely to notice other people and comprehend the experience when they’re regulated and engaged.

Each week in our group music program for families at MAMA, we focus on a different way we can connect with and support our kids using music. The more we know about it, the better we can use it! We sing new songs to fill your musical toolbox, but never forget the classics of course. The support and social engagement with other families is an invaluable component of the group, and it’s an opportunity to explore together without judgement.

Our next 6 week music program begins on Thursday the 12^th of March! You can sign up for the full 6 weeks at a discount, or choose the flexible 4 session option. If there are any spots remaining and you’d like to try out the program, you also have the option of attending casually. Hope to see you there 🙂

Bookings are available here.

Breastfeeding Your Baby

Once established, breastfeeding is usually easy for most mothers and babies and a very enjoyable experience.

However, in the first few days you both need to learn what to do. We don’t live in a village with other experienced mothers to guide us. You will need to practice and, if necessary, to get help and guidance from your health professional supporters.

Breast milk is a perfect, natural food for your baby and meets most babies needs until they are about six months old. It contains antibodies to protect your baby from infection. Sickness and diarrhoea (gastroenteritis, which may be very serious), chest infections, ear infections and urine infections are more likely in bottle-fed babies.

There are many comfortable positions to breastfeed your baby. Your baby needs to be held close to you and facing the breast without having to twist or turn their head sideways.

So: tummy to mummy, nipple to nose, baby to breast (not breast to baby.) A wide gape is needed for them to attach deeply taking in as much of the breast tissue (areola) surrounding the nipple as possible.

Common issues experienced in the first few weeks are sore nipples, very full breasts (engorgement) and mastitis. These usually occur because the baby is not attached to the breast correctly or not often enough.

Most babies breastfeed 8 to 12 times a day (sometimes even more) and in the early weeks usually for approximately 45 to 60 minutes a time. As they get older,feeds shorten as babies become very efficient feeders.

More feeding = More signals = More milk.

Breastfeeding is very portable – you can go out and enjoy life and even travel. Your milk is the right temperature, with the right ingredients, and is free, safe and clean.

Like us, sometimes we are hungrier and this is true of babies as well! They may be going through a growth spurt or developmental change. Remember More Feeding = More signals = More Milk.

Some mothers need to express milk as well because the baby is not getting enough from the breast or to increase their milk supply. If you think you may benefit from expressing, speak to a support person who is qualified in breastfeeding. You could check in with an experienced friend, chat with your midwife, or contact a Lactation Conultant. There are many options: hand expressing, using a hand pump, or using an electric pump.

Other reasons to see a Lactation Consultant are to have your position and latch observed if you are experiencing any problems or pain, to make an individual breastfeeding plan or to get all of your questions answered.

Please come to our Breastfeeding Drop in at MAMA in Kensington for support, hosted by Lactation Consultants Lynne and Sarah. We meet every Tuesday from 10am – 12pm and would love to meet you!

Homeopathy for common childhood complaints

Written by Kay Southcombe, Registered Homeopath Practitioner

Over the years that I’ve been in practice, I’ve always enjoyed helping parents learn how to use homeopathic remedies to treat their children for some of the common complaints that occur throughout childhood. By understanding the basic principles of homeopathy and having a range of remedies on hand, you can do a lot to alleviate symptoms in your children and stop mild ailments progressing into full blown illnesses.

And it can be so satisfying! To hear your child developing a croupy cough in the middle of the night and to be able to consult your book, give the indicated remedies, and then to find she is much better in the morning instead of much worse, is immensely satisfying and empowering.

It doesn’t take much to develop confidence in using a small range of common remedies, and the more success you have the more confident you will get.

Of course it doesn’t replace professional advice especially for ongoing conditions or for conditions that aren’t responding to treatment, but many times you will be able to nip things in the bud before they become established. A croupy cough doesn’t need to develop into full-blown croup. A cold doesn’t need to go on for two weeks. Teething pain doesn’t need to be so painfully distressing.

Treating at the first sign of illness is ideal. And the best people for this are you, the parents, because you are right there. And let’s face it – illnesses often tend to start at inconvenient times when practitioners are unavailable, like the end of the day or in the middle of the night. If this happens, you can consult your book, choose the best indicated remedy from your kit and you might even find that by the next morning your child is brighter and better.

This sort of speedy recovery doesn’t always happen of course, especially if you miss the first signs of something developing. Sometimes a cough or cold does get through to the keeper but with continued treatment, it usually results in a milder version of the illness and a quicker recovery.

Such childhood ailments like teething can’t be avoided, but you can do a lot to alleviate the associated pain and discomfort with the remedy Chamomilla, among others.

The same with bumps and bruises; Arnica will become your ally if you have a child who is prone to the odd ‘tripping over’ or ‘falling off’ event. It soothes the pain and helps to heal the bruised tissue.

And Apis will be useful for bites and stings.

You may also be able to calm your child’s over-excited state and help settle them into sleep with remedies like Coffea.

And what is extremely helpful about homeopathic medicine is that children love taking their medicine! It is sweet and palatable, and there is usually no trouble at all in getting your child to take their prescribed doses.

The remedies are derived from many sources but the majority are prepared from plant, animal or mineral base material, which are made into highly dilute substances through a unique method of preparation. They are commonly given in the form of small pillules made from pure cane sugar.

Being a natural, gentle and holistic medicine, homeopathy is ideally suitable for treating children. It aims to promote a return to good health by stimulating the body’s own natural healing ability. And there are no adverse side effects associated with homeopathic medicines and they can generally be taken alongside other therapies.

For a private consultation with Kay, you can book online here.

MAMA’s Homeopathy for Children Introductory Course will be coming up on Saturday 30th November, and during this two-hour intensive session you will learn from MAMA’s resident homeopath Kay, some basic guidelines about homeopathy and how you can help your children through this natural and holistic medicinal practice. Click here to confirm your place!

Birth of Arnhem

Our little baby Arnhem Indigo is sixteen days old today, and I wanted to spend a few minutes writing down my thoughts to express our deep gratitude for MAMA, in particular our incredibly kind and knowledgeable midwife Rachel who I got to know from 20 weeks pregnant.

I fell pregnant with Arnhem in Darwin, where we were living with our two little boys (3.5yrs and 2yrs) and made the decision to relocate to Melbourne quite swiftly, where I knew we would have realistic support of family and friends to welcome a third baby. I flew down at 20 weeks in a mad dash to find us a house and sort out my birthing options. I honestly didn’t know where to start – I’d previously had a home birth and then a hospital birth, so I kind of wanted something in the middle. Naively, I thought I could employ a private midwife, and deliver at hospital. A lovely Melbourne doula, Karli Smith, who I’d connected with on instagram, told me about the MAMA group, and I booked an appointment with both MAMA and a local public hospital. I left the hospital completely deflated, after being told that no private midwife could deliver, and they could be a support but totally hands off. I then met Rachel, at the Hampton clinic, with my good friend and support student midwife, Melissa Humphries – and left the appointment actually excited and confident that I would choose a home birth for this bubba!

As we prepared as a team for this birth, I felt completely supported, and always left my appointments feeling lighter and more confident – often after a massive laugh and joke about how many legs this child would have, he was such a wriggly little thing! I had fears and anxiety rise to the surface from time to time, I suppose residual fear from my first home birth (it was a very long, exhausting event) – but the beauty of having a private midwife who you get to know, is they learn to know what your fears and worries are, and Rachel kept calmly bringing me back to the here and now, offering me advice, knowledge, options and reminding me I can totally make this the birthing experience I want.

The birth itself was true to Rachel and Jan’s predictions – that third babies can be little tricksters – and it wasn’t the neat little eight hour labour I had visualised – it was nineteen hours from the first contraction until Arnhem came into our world, and it was a journey of peace, mindfulness, rising to my personal challenges, overwhelming support and care from my midwives and Mel, my friend, and my husband. At some point we were all sitting around having cups of tea and cake, in the light of the salt lamp. Things started overnight then stopped when the sun rose and our other two little boys got up for the day, I did go through some disappointment that we’d reached day break already with no baby, but everyone helped me to reset my expectations, to re-focus, to get some rest and it all started again around lunchtime, and Arnhem was born, on the couch, before 3pm.

We are incredibly grateful for our experience, thank you.

Choking Hazards for Kids

Working as a paediatric emergency nurse you have the absolute privilege of sharing and learning from the experiences of countless kids and their families. This tends to make you a cautious parent in some situations, and throw caution to the wind in others. At Save a Kid we share information, so parents can make informed decisions. There are no lectures – we’re parents just like you. In my past 10 years as a mum my kids have rolled off the bed onto the floor (well, 2 out of 3), pulled drawers onto themselves, unstrapped car seats without my knowledge and yes…as you’ll soon see, eaten things they shouldn’t. Fear of not knowing what to do when a baby or child chokes is one of the most common reasons for parents to enroll in a first aid course. In most sessions parents speak of a near miss they’ve experienced, or are about to start solids and want to feel prepared. Babies and toddlers love to explore, and equally love to shove everything they come across in their mouths. This is why children under 5 are at the greatest risk of choking.

Things to consider with food

Kids’ airways are round and narrow. Their teeth pop up slowly over time, and the whole eating thing is new to them – so they can’t chew properly. The shape of foods themselves can pose a danger, particularly if they’re round and narrow (matching the shape and size of their airway). Always cut round and cylinder-shaped foods longways. Grapes, Frankfurts and cheese sticks are good examples. I once discovered my middle son at about 5 months in his bouncer with bulging cheeks. When I squeezed them, out fell a pile of little cherry tomatoes. His big brother fed them to him (siblings can be the biggest hazard going around!).

As well as shape, texture needs to be considered. Soft, sticky or dense foods like marshmallows and meat are more likely to become stuck. Similarly, foods like apples and carrots, that are crunchy and may have a hard skin, can be hazardous. Crispy foods like popcorn, nuts and corn chips can shatter and be inhaled. Consider grating, grinding or cooking hard, crunchy and crispy foods, and chopping dense things like meat up into small pieces. A less common hazard identified by my eldest (again) at age 2, was feeding his helpless baby brother dried dog poo (again, poor boy was strapped into the bouncer).

Non-food hazards

As with food, we need to think about the shape of toys and common household items you have laying around (especially if you have older kids…this makes things tricky!). Coins are one of the most common choking hazards for children, because of their shape and easy accessibility. Often when swallowed kids poo them out, but they can easily become lodged in their airway or esophagus. Just last month my 3-year-old pooed out a glass marble (I did catch him with it, and saw him swallow it, so was on the lookout for it at the other end).

Ingestion of a button battery can be fatal as little as 2 hours, if it becomes stuck. Be aware of things like remotes, toys, scales and thermometers that may use them. It’s best not to store button batteries at home, rather purchase singularly when they need replacing, and dispose of the old one carefully. If parents ever suspect a child might have swallowed a button battery, they should take them to the nearest Emergency Department to check immediately. Plastic shopping and dry-cleaning bags should be tied in a knot before storing them to stop kids putting them over their heads (or even better – ditch the plastic all together!).

Most importantly, remember choking is silent. So, supervision whilst eating and playing is really important. It’s tempting to get things done when kids are settled and eating in their highchair (i.e. trapped and can’t interrupt you), but someone with a complete airway obstruction can’t make a sound – so they can’t call out for help.

If a child is choking, you need to be able to act immediately. Make sure that not just you, but anyone looking after your kids know choking first aid, and how to do CPR. If you know the hazards, the signs of when your child is choking, and how to act, choking shouldn’t be something that you fear.

Megan is the founder of Save a Kid Infant & Child First Aid, paediatric emergency nurse of 16 years, and mum of 3 wild boys. Save a Kid run public sessions at MAMA Kensington every 8 weeks, and also take private group and corporate bookings.

Breastmilk Microbiome; All you need to know

The Microbiome is a buzz topic for a reason. The trillions of microbes that live in and on us impact our health and function on many levels.

The microbiome is usually discussed in context of the GUT (as that’s where the greatest concentration of microbes live), but MOST body sites have their own microbiome – including breast tissue & breast MILK – and it’s super important for breastfeeding outcomes!

Let me explain; Third Trimester Microbiomes
In third trimester the microbiome across the different body sites change in preparation for birth and breastfeeding;

• The vagina microbiome increases its levels of lactobacilli (the good bugs) for the ‘exposure’ during a vaginal birth
• The gut microbiome changes to increase fat and sugar uptake and storage (to increase energy stores for birth and breastfeeding)
• Even the oral microbiome changes
• And breast tissue begins to build up microbes in preparation for breastfeeding

The body uses the lymphatic system to ‘transport’ microbes (from the other major reservoirs around the body) into breast tissue. This not only looks after the health and function of the breast tissue and breastmilk, but it is also one of the main ‘colonisation’ pathways of microbes from mum to baby.

Breastmilk is one of the major contributors to baby’s microbiome.

Breast milk not only contains the ‘live bacteria PRObiotics’ that help to support & develop the babies immature digestive & immune system but also ‘PREbiotics – Human Milk Oligosaccharides (HMOs)’ that feed a specific type of microbiome in a developing infant’s gut.

HMOs are pretty amazing, they’re probably my FAVORITE part of human physiology!

Not only do they govern the ‘type’ of bacteria that grows in bubs gut, they’re incredibly individual (to the needs of each baby), anti-inflammatory AND they can act as ‘decoys’ to pathogens (bad bugs) so they can protect a bubs little delicate tummy while it’s getting used to the world outside mum…
How amazing is that!

Formula companies have tried to ‘mimic’ the functions of the HMOs, but they can’t make them do what human milk does – especially the way breastmilk changes in response to the baby’s needs via the ‘backwash reflex’. It’s not just the HMO profile that changes either, it’s also the other components of breastmilk that are crucial to optimal growth & development – immune cells, antibodies, growth factors, stem cells and hormones etc. Again – how amazing is that!!

The Microbiome & Breastfeeding Outcomes;

Dysbiosis is the term that describes the ‘imbalance’ in our microbiome, this can happen in any body site and commonly occurs in breastmilk. Typically, it looks like a loss of ‘good bugs’ and/or overgrowth of the ‘bad bugs’.

Unfortunately, it’s very common to have dysbiosis as many of our daily activities & components of our ‘modern lives’ impact our microbes;

• Diet – high sugar & processed foods, low nutrients & fibre content
• Environmental toxins, Herbicides, Pesticides, Chlorine etc
• Stress
• Common Medications – acid reflux meds, steroids, anti-inflammatories, antidepressants, – even paracetamol!
• Antibiotics

If you have dysbiosis at any point from pre-conception to birth (in any body site), chances are you will bring this into breastfeeding. And if you end up with a UTI, GBS positive, or having a C-section delivery, that means more antibiotics, and more dysbiosis!

Very commonly we come into this stage with a compromised microbiome and this can GREATLY IMPACT our breastfeeding outcomes.

Research shows dybiosis can contribute to increased risk of breastfeeding complications such as;
• Breast pain
• Nipple pain, nipple thrush, oral thrush (baby)
• Inflammation and/or Infection – mastitis
• Blocked ducts
• Colic / ‘Refluxy’ / Unsettled babies

How do I ensure my microbiome will support better breastfeeding outcomes?

As mentioned, the breastmilk microbiome is contributed to by other body sites – so it’s best to begin looking after your microbiome as early as possible (even from pre-conception) and across all body sites – but this definitely begins in the GUT.

Diet is the single most effective intervention we have over our microbiome so it’s crucial to get this right;

• Lots of plant-based, colourful, polyphenol rich (plant chemicals) whole foods – we should be aiming for a predominantly PLANT-BASED diet with good diversity & variety. Aim for 30 serves of DIFFERENT plants foods per week.
 Veg, fruit, nuts, seeds, herbs, spices, legumes, pulses, wholegrains – lots of options!
• Low / no sugar or processed foods (these feed the bad bugs)
• PREbiotic foods – the undigestible fibres in plant food that FEED the live bugs
• PRObiotic foods – foods that actually contain LIVE bugs – yoghurt, kefir, kombucha, kimchi, sauerkraut etc

Lifestyle is also important – reduce stress, reduce environmental toxin exposure, sleep well, be active, minimal medications, practice mindfulness etc.

Pre & Probiotic Supplements;

Even when you are eating well, living well & avoiding medications – it’s still REALLY hard to avoid things that cause dysbiosis.

I take an ‘optimise & protect’ approach with my client’s breastmilk microbiome care. Along with diet & lifestyle interventions, I employ the help of good quality prebiotic & polyphenol supplements and specific probiotic strains that have direct positive impacts on the microbiome during breastfeeding.

The most difficult bit here for mums is choosing the right supplements, so I ALWAYS recommend getting the advice of a qualified health professional.

Unfortunately in Australia labelling is ‘not great’ when it comes to probiotics. TGA (Therapeutic Goods Administration) doesn’t even require manufacturers to put the strain on the product, which is crazy because it’s the STRAIN that determines a probiotics function. Go figure!?

Great news though – there is a well-researched probiotic strain that has strong clinical evidence for restoring the breastmilk microbiome, treating & preventing mastitis & improving breastfeeding outcomes (1-4).

Lactobacillus Fermentum CECT5716 is a probiotic strain that was originally isolated from healthy human breast milk (as opposed to food or bowel flora as in other probiotics), so not only does it have scientific research & proven clinical efficacy, but it also ‘makes sense’ for supporting breastfeeding, and that’s something we can relate to as mums!

To better understand what happens when we take a probiotic, let me explain Clinical Efficacy;

The probiotic strain has shown proven ‘mechanisms’ (effects) that ‘have a beneficial impact on the host’ (that’s us!). Some of these effects are;

• Ability to kill pathogens like Staph (most common mastitis bacteria), Strep, E.Coli & Candida while protecting the good flora – works like a ‘selective antibiotic’
• Helps restore mums indigenous good flora in gut & breastmilk
• Maternal transfer – actually gets into breastmilk when taken orally
*this is crucial we need it to get to the breast if it’s going to do the jobs there, right? It does this because it’s a BREASTMILK STRAIN. Makes sense again, yes?!
• Reduces inflammation (in gut & breast tissue)
• Strengthens immune system
• Improves gut lining integrity

So thinking about those mechanisms you can see why this strain can be so beneficial for ALL breastfeeding outcomes; from Mastitis treatment and prevention to thrush, to blocked ducts, to pain, to supply issues.

Breastmilk microbiome is an essential thing to consider when supporting better breastfeeding outcomes, not just for the health of the breast & breastmilk – but also for the optimal colonisation, growth & development of the infant and their microbiome.

Speak to the health professionals at MAMA for more advice. Lactobacillus Fermentum CECT5716 is found exclusively in the Qiara probiotic range made in Australia and is stocked at MAMA.

By Emma Park
Functional Medicine Nutritionist
Health Professional Educator

References;

More feeding = More signals = More milk.

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