I should have written this post weeks ago and I apologize for my slack. Thank you all for your prayers and words of encouragement! I had my biopsy and found that it was a benign “galactocele” which is basically a big word for a clogged milk duct. Hooray! Despite what many doctors warned, I have continued breastfeeding my son without a hitch. However, it was no easy task to find a doctor who was willing to work with me in order to minimize complications.

After three consultations, I found a doctor who was willing to start with a fine needle aspiration and work up to a radial cut (as opposed to lateral – doing greater damage to the milk ducts).  I encourage any one going through this same situtation  to ask your doctor a lot of questions and don’t hesitate getting a second, third and even fourth opinion. In my case, I decided on a younger, female surgeon – one that just weaned her son. She was empathetic and willing to try new techniques that would minimize breastfeeding complications.

On a positive note, since I am one of the (apparent) rare few that had a biopsy while breastfeeding, I had the opportunity to participate in a breast milk study through the University of Massachusetts. Below is an explanation of the study, in their own words:

Our hope is that by examining molecular changes in cells found in breastmilk associated with various breast problems, we will be able to develop a specific, individualized tool for assessing an individual woman’s risk of contracting this disease.

Knowledge of the molecular changes in the breast cells that occur may be helpful in developing preventative and therapeutic strategies for all women.

I simply sent them a sample of breastmilk (they made this very easy) and will follow up with my biopsy report. I was glad to be a part and I’m writing this so other women in the same situation can perhaps do the same!

Last week, I went in to my OB/GYN complaining of pain and a lump I thought was associated with breastfeeding .  I’ve had them come and go before and just figured they could tell me the best way to avoid/get rid of them altogether. The nurse set me up to get an ultrasound – just to be on the safe side.

Last Wednesday, I went in for my ultrasound – an appointment I nearly blew off since I was beginning to feel better. I was certain the pain was from having to pump instead of nurse, as I’ve had to go back to work full time.

When I arrived, the nurses decided I needed a mammogram too since I am over 30. I thought nothing of it, but after a third round of pictures, I began to wonder.

“Oh, we just see some scattered microcalcifications and want to make sure we are extra cautious”, the nurse said. I begin to sweat a little, watching every emotion on her face in order to interpret what she might see. In her face I saw disappointment.

“Just sit outside and wait for your ultrasound, ma’am”, she says with a forced smile. I sheepisihly waited while they interpreted results of my mammogram. 

A few minutes later, another lady walks me back in a dark room to do my ultrasound. The first go around, she didn’t find anything. Clean slate.  A few minutes later, however, the radiologist asked that I have another ultrasound, in a different location of my breast. I watched as she moved the wand and then I saw it clear as day. Amongst a backdrop of white tissue, there was a round, black spot. I stopped breathing.

The nurse fiddled around in that area, taking lots of pictures while I didn’t speak. I was afraid to ask any questions. She didn’t speak either. When she was finished, she asked me to wait for the radiologist to come in and give me a consultation.

I waited in the dark room for about 5 minutes which seemed like hours. Dr. Silver came in and handed me a sheet of paper with a check by “suspicious lump”, indicating that I need a follow up biopsy.

Every negative emotion ran through my body: fear, skepticism, anger, sadness. I just want to me a mom to my kids; I have too much to lose! Between this, having two kids, nursing, and a stressful full-time job, I was certain I’d lose my mind.

I went in for my first consultation Friday and found that doctor to be a total goon, so I’m getting a second opinion Monday. He did tell me that I would likely have to stop nursing, as the biopsy incision will cause a “milk fistula” (in other words, milk pouring out from the incision site) which will inhibit healing. Being incredibly stubborn, I knew there would be a way to continue nursing after having a breast biopsy.  Either that, or maybe I should delay the biopsy? Would that be incredibly stupid? Probably.

In all my research, I’ve decided that I will continue to nurse Bennett, but wean him from the affected side – just until things heal. I can then begin the process of “relactation”. (Yes, this is possible and moms can even nurse their adopted children with a lot of patience and persistence.) I have meanwhile called every lactation specialist within a 100 mile radius, plus another located in Canada. Looks like I will be a “case study” in this situation, as there apparently aren’t many moms that have biopsies while nursing.

My gut tells me that everything will be fine, that I will have the biopsy and results will come back as negative. But I please ask for your prayers. I am scared and completely overwhelmed between working and trying to be a good mommy and wife. It’s just too much to handle sometimes. Thanks you for your support and concern and I will certainly keep everyone updated. If anyone has experienced anything like this, I’d love to hear from you!!

Hello, world! It’s been entirely too long since my last post!  Frankly, I’m a little embarrassed, but we’ve had a lot going on.  

In March of this year, we welcomed our sweet baby boy, William “Bennett” Babb, into the world. He came out with a head full of dark brown hair and dark eyes just like his sister. In fact, you’d be hard pressed to tell their baby pictures apart!

We’re calling him “Bennett” (my maiden name) to honor my dad who passed away July 2009. Bennett definitely has my dad’s face shape; I hope that he also grows up to have the same kind spirit, tenacity,  godly character and integrity that my dad had. We’ll be sure to teach him all about his Didaddy - Bennett would have loved him so much. (and vice versa!)

Outside of a few rough weeks of reflux, he’s been a pure delight. He’s nursing well, napping well, and (almost) sleeping through the night! He loves to coo at momma and already laughs at his crazy big sister. Now, if we could only get him to tolerate the car. (Oh, those dreadful car rides!)

I’ve been taking this precious time to love on my little ones as much as possible, as I am going back to work the week after next. As most working moms can relate, I am both thrilled and heartbroken. It will be tough and I will probably cry the entire way (that’s an hour and a half commute!)  to work for the first few weeks, but we will make it work as best as we can. I have an incredible network of family and friends watching my little ones while I’m away. I could not be more confident with their care.

In this economy, I am thankful for a job and we really need it to help replenish the losses we’ve taken the last few years. Plus, it’s a fabulous place to work and I love the people and atmosphere. It will be nice to have a little “adult time”, but I will deeply miss the time with my little ones. Praying God’s grace and protection on them while I’m away. 

Anyway, hopefully it won’t be so stinkin’ long ’til my next post. Thanks to all of you for reading!

Originally featured as a guest post on Simple Kids…..

Every parent intuitively knows that the more your child is personally invested in a project, the more likely he is to learn and apply the knowledge gained. One of our many jobs as parents is to foster fun learning experiences that will encourage critical thinking and creative expression. If you are anything like me, sometimes it is hard enough to get through the day without adding another “to-do” to my list. However, when I decide to make an otherwise humble, everyday task a learning opportunity for my child, both of us are deeply enriched by the experience, creating a wonderful memory together.

Today, the featured recipes are in honor of St. Patrick’s Day. These recipes create an opportunity to teach your child a little bit about St. Patrick’s Day along with some hands-on-cooking techniques.  Cooking can be an exciting and powerful teaching tool for your child. You can be creative with any of your favorite recipes, applying information about family heritage or religious faith, for example.  As a bonus, your child will be more apt to eat the healthy foods he’s helped prepare!

 Recipe: Irish Flag Stew

Encourage your child to help you prepare this recipe, even if it is as simple as pouring the cut vegetables in the pot. Make sure that you point out the orange carrots, the white potatoes, and the green peas in the recipe – symbolizing the colors of the Irish flag. Your child’s involvement will help encourage healthy eating. Paired with the following kid-friendly recipe, Whole Wheat Soda Bread, your entire family will delight in this wholesome and delicious meal.

2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 lb. lean stew beef
1/4 cup All Purpose flour
1 large onion, peeled and diced into 1″ pieces
5-6 medium carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
5 small red potatoes, roughly chopped
1/4 cup pearled barley
6 cups homemade chicken stock or low-sodium boxed variety
1 cup frozen green peas
1 tsp. dried thyme
Kosher salt + pepper to taste, if desired

Heat oil in large stock pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Dredge beef chunks in flour and place in hot pot. Sear beef for about 3-4 minutes or just until just browned , remove from heat, and drain on a plate covered in a paper towel. (Beef does not have to be cooked through as it will return to the pot at a later time.)

Add onion and carrots to pot; you may need to add a little more olive oil to the pot, depending upon how “dry” it looks. Cook on medium heat until onions are translucent and carrots are “crisp-tender”.  Add barley, potatoes, seared beef, chicken stock, green peas and dried thyme.  Bring to boil, then reduce heat to low, allowing the stew to simmer until vegetables are fork tender (about 25 minutes).  Add salt and pepper to taste, if desired.

Recipe: Whole Wheat Soda Bread

This recipe is based off the traditional Irish Soda Bread, but incorporates whole wheat flour for a healthier alternative. Unlike most bread recipes, this one is super simple so be sure your kids roll up their sleeves and get their hands in the dough! (I let my three year old “paint” the egg-wash on the dough.)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

4 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup bread flour
1/3 cup rolled oats
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. kosher salt
2 tbsp. honey or agave nectar
2-1/2 cups of buttermilk*
1 egg + tsp. water (whisked together for egg wash)

*You cannot substitute regular milk for buttermilk. Buttermilk has a greater acidity level than regular milk and therefore reacts with the baking soda to give the bread it’s “rise”.

Mix first 5 dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Add buttermilk and honey/agave nectar and mix with a wooden spoon  just until combined. Do not over mix. Divide dough in half and mound oval-shaped loaves onto a cooking stone or metal sheet pan covered with parchment paper. “Paint ” egg wash onto bread. Bake for 45-50 minutes until outside crust is a crunchy, dark brown. Serve warm with Irish Flag Stew.

While eating your Irish inspired meal, encourage your child to recall what he learned about St. Patrick’s Day. You might be surprised at how much he remembers!

What about you? What ways do you encourage your children to help in the kitchen?

Today, we are only a few weeks away from the birth of our little boy. Feeling overwhelmed by my lack of blog posting, I have finally come to the conclusion (with good conscience!) that I need to take full advantage of these few weeks to spend quality time with my oldest while continuing to nurture this little one still growing inside me.

While anxiously awaiting the birth of our son, there’s part of me that’s a little bittersweet. I love spending days with my three-year old girl — building tents, learning to read, cooking together, etc. I know all of that will change – at least temporarily. Tired (and HUGE!)  as I am,  I am trying to soak up every precious minute with her until her sweet little brother arrives.

I have heard from many parents-of-two (or more) that it’s natural to feel apprehensive about adding an additional child, but in the end,  your heart expands to equally love all your children. While I am certain this is true, I’d  love to hear how it applied to all of you in real life. Please share your thoughts! In the meantime, I’ll be sure to post pictures of the little one when he’s born and get back to blogging as soon as the time is right.

Anxiously awaiting this baby boy!

Christen

As originally featured in Simple Kids, I have written a  few guidelines for parents struggling to get their children to eat healthy. You can see the original post and comments with this link.

Many parents struggle to teach their children healthy eating habits, especially in today’s world laden with overly processed, heavily sweetened foods.

It used to be so easy. As a baby,  junior gobbled up his vegetables to his little heart’s content. You were certain he would happily snack on organic carrot sticks while his preschool buddies scarf down snack cakes. However, as he’s establishing greater independence, he’s beginning to turn his nose to healthy choices.

So, what’s a mom to do?  First of all, take heart knowing you are not alone. Establishing healthy eating habits takes a lifetime. It’s a continuous journey involving creativity, gentle persistence, and encouragement.  Listed below are some ways to successfully implement healthy food habits that carry into adulthood.

1. Start Early
2. Make It a Game
3. Be a Role Model
4. Use Consistency and Gentle Perseverance
5. Offer Non-Food Rewards

1. Start Early

The most important step to creating healthy food choices is starting early. It’s important to  offer a wide variety of nutrient-dense fruits and vegetables starting in infancy, perhaps even flavors and textures that are unfamiliar to you. I am personally an advocate of homemade baby food. It tastes better, costs significantly less, creates less environmental waste ,and you control the ingredients.

However, whether you choose to feed your baby homemade baby food, conventional store-bought food, or a combo of the two – consistently offer him a wide variety of nutrient dense foods, steering away from sweet treats for the first year. Your child’s tastes are developed early in life. The earlier the exposure to a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, the more apt he will be to eat them later in life.

Photo by Cozy Memories

2. Make it a Game

I’ve never been into the “deceptive” technique of sneaking vegetables into your child’s diet. It’s seems a little, well, deceptive. As a parent, it’s important to teach honesty and integrity in all walks of life.  This includes making healthy food choices.

Fresh fruits and vegetables come in a wide variety of colors and delicious flavors. Instead of sneaking spinach into a pan of brownies (yes, this is recommended by some nutritionists) why not use food as a teaching tool – encouraging children to eat foods that represent all the colors of the rainbow? We recommend using a fun chart like this Nutrition Checklist.

This exercise  encourages children to make healthy food choices while also providing a guideline for parents to ensure optimal nutrition. For example, if your child eats a serving of spinach, have him check off one green box in the vegetable category.  Do this after every snack time or meal so he soon associates healthy eating with positive parental feedback.

3. Be a Role Model

As much as we hate to admit it, children imitate their parents’ behavior. If you yell and scream at your child, he will eventually yell and scream back at you. The same principles are true for food . You can’t expect your child to happily eat his broccoli while you scarf down a plate full of french fries.

As parents, we need to be role models who inspire healthy food choices. If your child sees you consistently making healthy food choices, he is more apt to do the same.

4. Use Consistency and Gentle Perseverance

If you have a picky eater, do not expect overnight change. Children can learn to eat healthy foods, but it can take eight to ten tries. The key is not to use force. Force will ensure in your child’s mind that healthy food must be bad .

Instead, let your child consistently help you with meal planning, grocery shopping, and even the food preparation if he is old enough. This allows a choice in the matter, and he will be more apt to eat the foods that included his input. If your child is still belligerent, be persistent and encourage him to eat only as many bites as he is old. For example, ask your three year old to eat only three bites of broccoli.

If your child still refuses, let him go hungry. This sounds harsh, but he won’t starve. If the healthy food is replaced with something he prefers, he quickly learns that persistent refusal ends in his favor. Don’t give in. It will only harm him in the long run.

5. Offer Non-Food Rewards

Let’s be honest. Most of us prefer double-chocolate cake over a plateful of steamed broccoli. It doesn’t matter how often you eat the broccoli. Human taste buds are genetically wired to prefer sweet foods. It is the same with our children. Even breast milk and infant formula are quite sweet, so our little ones begin life with a predisposition for sweet foods.

With this in mind, it’s important not to provide sweet rewards for healthy eating. Every parent (I’m included!) has been guilty of saying something like, “Aimee, you may have a cupcake for dessert if you finish all your broccoli.”  We bribe our children to eat their vegetables, thinking that if they eat their broccoli enough times, they will eventually do so without negotiation.  This is not an effective way to teach healthy food choices, as Aimee will eventually assume the cupcake is superior to the broccoli because it is used as a reward.

Instead of sweet treats, offer physically active rewards –  such as extra playtime with mommy or friends, a fun day at the park, or a new CD so they can dance to the music. Get creative and implement your child’s unique personality into his rewards.

And for the record, there is nothing wrong with sweet treats on occasion. Some of my best memories as a kid involve baking goodies with my mom. Just avoid using them as a bartering tool. Enjoy them for what they are in moderation, and your child will eventually learn to have an appreciation for all foods!

Photo Credits: vkp.me

From now on, I’m letting Friday be my repost day. This new weekly task was inspired by Simple Kids’ latest post: More Than Words: Simple Ways to Show Your Kids You Love Them.

This post comes in perfect time for Valentine’s Day – especially those of us living on a tight budget. Forget the fancy gifts, just let the holiday (and every day of the year for that matter) be about L.O.V.E. It’s what our kids really want, anyway.

Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone!

I’d be hard pressed to call these cupcakes “healthy”…but it is Valentine’s Day and your sweetie(s) deserve something, well, sweet!

These cupcakes incorporate whole wheat flour and have a hearty texture. You could skip the icing altogether and eat them as breakfast muffins. After all, who doesn’t like chocolate for breakfast?

For Valentine’s Day, however, I decided to ice them with my Mom’s famous Seven-Minute Frosting, topped with a variety of sprinkles for aesthetics’s sake.

Whole Wheat Chocolate Cupcakes

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

½ cup 100% whole wheat flour
¾ cup All-Purpose flour
¼ tsp. kosher salt
½ tsp. baking soda
1-¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted
½ cup plain or vanilla Greek yogurt* (2% or full fat recommended)
½ cup hot water

*Greek yogurt is recommended, as it has a much richer consistency. If you can’t find Greek yogurt, you can substitute with sour cream.

Mix flours, salt, and baking soda together in a medium-sized bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, combine oil, sugar, eggs and vanilla and whisk until golden brown. Add melted chocolate and stir until well blended. Add flour mixture, alternating with yogurt. Stir just until combined and then add hot water a little bit at a time. Mix thoroughly and dole into lined cupcake tins.

Bake for 19-22 minutes and make sure not to over bake, as the cakes will dry out. Eat warm as a muffin, or ice with following recipe once cooled.

If you decide to ice the cupcakes, we recommend this Seven-Minute Frosting recipe. It’s light and sturdy texture provides for pretty peaks – perfect for topping with sprinkles.

Mom’s Seven-Minute Frosting

1-1/2 cups sugar
2 tbsp. corn syrup
6 large egg whites
1 tsp pure vanilla
1/4 cup water

In a metal bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, combine sugar, corn syrup, water, and egg whites. Cook over medium heat for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Once mixture begins to foam and registers at 160 degrees, remove from heat.

Attach the metal bowl to mixer fitted with whisk attachment. Beat the mixture for 5 minutes, until glossy and volumous. Mix in vanilla. Use immediately.

Here are some other NurtureBaby sweet treat ideas, yummy year round. How about you? What tasty treats do you plan to make your sweeties this Valentine’s Day?

On February 8, 2010, my favorite inspirational-parenting blog will transform into a full-fledged media network, Simple Living Media. This network will include the already beloved Simple Mom,  Simple Kids, and Simple Nest  blogs while adding Simple Bites, Simple Organic and Simple Homeschool. Each blog will be completely separate, yet unified together under one look and mission – all to encourage the art of simple living.

So, what does this have to do with NurtureBaby?

I have been asked to be a regular editorial contributor to Simple Kids, starting in Mid February!

And in case you were wondering, NurtureBaby will not go away…we are simply joining the ranks of this incredible network while simultaneously managing our own site.

As an avid reader of Simple Mom and Simple Kids, it’s a true joy to be a part of this launch. Over the past year,  I have had the pleasure of networking with and getting to know the incredible women on the Simple Living Media team and I am truly humbled and honored to be a part of it.

Stay tuned for the launch on February 8 and NurtureBaby’s first editorial contribution February 16. I’ll be sure to remind you, as well!

The last post discussed  introducing dairy products to babies under 12 months of age.  In that post,  I briefly touched on food sensitivities and their possible correlation to autism spectrum disorders (ranging from ADHD to autism). I will attempt to further explain that relation  today.

Since autism was first diagnosed in the United States, the occurrence has climbed to an alarming one in 150 people across the country. With autism spectrum disorders dramatically on the rise – parents are desperate to understand the why’s and how’s of this mysterious disorder and more importantly – how to treat it. This post will not attempt list all of its  potential causes; and frankly, there is no one treatment or cure. However, this post will discuss one of the many ways parents and doctors have been able to improve symptoms, and that is with the gluten free/casein free diet.

Scientists have discovered that many of the children suffering from an autistic spectrum disorder have problems with the digestion and absorption of certain foods. These children commonly suffer from food sensitivities and/or intolerances that can often times be difficult to detect. Most often, these sensitivities are to complex proteins such as gluten (wheat), casein (milk) and sometimes even soy.

How Proteins Act in the Digestive System

Proteins, such a gluten (wheat) and casein (milk) are complex little creatures. To understand their complexity, imagine all the English words that can be formed from the 26 letters of the alphabet. Instead of 26 letters, proteins have 20 “letters” or amino acids, but there are no spelling rules or proper combinations of vowels and consonants that need to be followed to create “words”. Therefore, these 20 “letters” or amino acids can be arranged in an infinite number of “words”, known as peptides.

Peptides

The arrangement, number, and sequence of amino acid letters to create these “words” or peptides ultimately determine their form and function. Gluten and casein  proteins contain a complex chain of amino acids and therefore can be the culprit of many digestive issues.

The “Leaky Gut” Syndrome

A normal digestive tract has a healthy intestinal lining -  one with no “leaks” or permeations. This healthy lining inhibits food substances from entering the blood stream too early – before they are properly digested. Once the food substances are properly broken down into peptides, they are released into the bloodstream. These “words” or peptides transmit important messages to the brain and are also used to help build and replenish important structures in the body, such as muscles, skin, blood, etc.

Many children suffering from an autistic spectrum disorder lack sufficient digestive enzymes and/or have a damaged intestinal lining, AKA a “leaky gut”. The “letters” (amino acids), especially in complex proteins like gluten and casein, cannot be properly broken down into recognizable “words” (peptides) in the intestines. They are prematurely released in the bloodstream, sending confusing messages to the brain.

When these messages are not recognized by the brain, the body sends specialized cells to destroy them. Or, sometimes these “misspelled” messages are improperly received in the brain causing it to ”short-circuit”. This results in many of the neurological problems commonly associated with autism spectrum disorders, such as:

• “Zoning Out”
• Decreased Attention Span
• Hyperactivity
• Anxiety
• Social Withdrawal
• Repetitive Behaviors, etc…

Many doctors and parents of children with an autism spectrum disorder have found that the elimination of wheat and milk products can wildly improve these symptoms. Our next post will discuss the gluten free/casein free diet and how it will both positively and negatively affect you and your child.  Stay tuned!!