I've been so honoured to be able to interview one of the fabulous women who wrote Mother Rising - The Blessingway Journey into Motherhood by Yana Cortlund, Barb Lucke and Donna Miller Watelet.  Donna graciously took time out of her busy life to answer a few questions that I emailed to her about the Blessingway and how it can significantly empower a woman as she prepares for labour, birth and ultimately, motherhood

(Mother Rising Cover and it's authors: Yana Cortlund, Barb Lucke and Donna Miller Watelet.)

Donna, do you have any advice for women who are having a difficult time embracing their upcoming motherhood?

Yes, and let me say that I had my own concerns that left me feeling disconnected from my son’s up-coming birth at the time. I highly recommend getting yourself a copy of our book; “Mother Rising: The Blessingway Journey into Motherhood”, (Celestial Arts Press, 2006, available on  www.blessingwaybook.com). Then ask one or two of your best friends to throw you a blessingway and hand them the book. If you’ve never experienced a blessingway ceremony for an expecting mother, you will find it to be a very empowering experience for everyone present, especially the expecting mom. And Mother Rising outlines step by step how to put together a blessingway designed to serve many different kinds of women as they approach motherhood whether for the first time or not.

In your words, what makes a blessingway ceremony so special?

A blessingway serves to reconnect the mother-to-be to her innate ability to mother and to the various gifts and talents she possesses that will help her in her new or expanding role once she gives birth. It is a sacred and joyful ceremony designed to support a mother-to-be in unburdening her heart, gaining confidence and celebrating her innate gifts. The pleasure for a pregnant woman in sharing a blessingway ceremony with a carefully chosen group of women, who support her vision of birthing and mothering, is profound. 

I've noticed that Mother Rising includes women who are adopting their babies in the blessingway circles and I just love that!  Do you have any stories or insights for women who are about to adopt a baby? 

Yes! I had the pleasure and honor of planning and facilitating a blessingway for a  woman friend of mine who was in the process of adopting a child she and her husband  had already been introduced to through letters, emails and pictures from the orphanage he lived in for his first few months. The ceremony gave her the opportunity to talk about and release some pent up emotions driven by unexplored fears she had been holding about adopting a child. It also helped her connect with the women present and them to her in a  very personal way that created for her a circle of women she knew she could trust to  support her even in the hardest times as she labored to bring her new son home and as all three of them adjusted to life as a family. 

Can you tell us about how a blessingway ceremony helps a woman to address any fears that she might have?

Certainly. A blessingway and most rituals can be constructed to include both an emptying out portion and a filling back up portion, with room left over for the unknown to be allowed to reveal itself as things move forward. The emptying out portion or “Releasing of Fears” in a blessingway is designed to help each particular mother-to-be to release old beliefs, fears and habits that no longer serve her through introspective sharing and compassionate guidance from a facilitator. Whether through a guided, eyes closed exercise, by hearing an experienced mother share about an issue, doing  a journaling piece, through a release to fire of symbolic items, whatever makes sense for that mother-to-be, releasing fears is powerful work that opens women up to the highest and best selves that are often buried beneath the surface.

You touch on blessingway themes: bonding with the new baby, preparing for successful breastfeeding relationships, family unity and maintaining a close bond with an older sibling.  Would the person leading the blessingway weave these themes into the ceremony, or are there other ways to introduce them?

Great question. And there are any number of ways to do that especially since my co-authors and I agree that there is no right or wrong way to do a blessingway or any other ritual. That said, over the years we have refined and expanded the way in which we create the blessingways that we have been a part of with greater and greater success in creating more powerful and more deeply meaningful rituals. But in the beginning our blessingways were still powerful and joyful events so trust that using Mother Rising as a guide the special circumstances of any mother-to-be can be enriched and empowered.

Regarding how various themes become a part of a blessingway, it all centers around the mother-to-be and her situation and specific needs, so we start by having a sit down chat with the mother-to-be. Bearing in mind how personal things like birthing, feeding, toilet training and sleeping arrangements after birthing can be, we start by asking simple questions about her likes and dislikes related to possible blessingway elements and whether she has any favorite elements she’d really like to have in her blessingway. Then, we gradually begin asking some questions in a very sensitive way about any concerns she may have about pregnancy, birthing, mothering, and family dynamics… whatever seems right for her particular situation. (We included a list of possible questions for a mother-to-be in “Mother Rising” that you can work from too.)

From there, the mother-to-be is invited to step back and trust her facilitator(s) so that she can be led through the experience, not lead it, much like the need to trust the support of others as we birth and learn to mother. Often some or all of the participants help plan the blessingway. Using the expecting mother’s answers to the questions asked, in conjunction with the invited circles members’ set of skills and talents, the blessingway takes shape often with many women leading various parts of the ceremony. 

One of your ideas in Mother Rising is to send participants home with candles to light when the woman goes into labor and blow them out once the baby is born.  What a beautiful thing to do!  Have you had any other suggestions like that since you've written the book? 

Hmmm, I have seen women go home with prayer ties and small scrolls they made while  together at the blessingway to place somewhere they will see them and remind them to meditate on their expecting friend and touch base with her before, during and after  birthing whether directly or spiritually.

I’ve recently thought that sending everyone home with a copy of a prayer or visualization printed on beautiful paper along with an agreed on time to meditate or pray on the mother-to-be and her journey’s well being, would be powerful for everyone and relatively easy on our busy schedules. The mother-to-be can simply open herself to receiving from them at that same time. Ideas like these are limited only by one’s imagination and its sense of what can hold meaning for those involved. And the  time between blessingway and birth is a time that she needs your support to bridge this new state of mind and heart to last until labor and beyond.

Rituals for women seem so important, even if we don't have so many of them in North American society.  We live separate lives; many of us are so busy.  I'm thinking about having a blessingway ceremony for my daughters when they have their first menstrual cycles to celebrate womanhood.  Do you have any advice or thoughts for me about this?

In “Mother Rising”, the word “blessingway” with a small “b” refers to the passage ceremonies that we create in our part of the country for a woman preparing to give birth. In some Northern Native American traditions, (and perhaps others), the English word “Blessingway” with a capital “B” relates to passage ceremonies at numerous points in life. The Five Stages of Ritual in “Mother Rising” are the perfect out line for any sacred celebration.

Simply use those pieces from the book that fit your goals just as they are written, adapt them to fit your needs, search the web for inspiration or create new pieces yourself using things you find as models. A rite of passage into fertility for a girl is an opportunity to gather a strong circle of adult women, (and perhaps one or two girls who have yet to menstruate), to impress upon the girl-in-transition - perhaps through dance, song, poetry, art, whatever speaks to her - the magnitude of the gift and the responsibility she now hold in her body, as well as to honor the girl’s particular gifts and talents that will support her in making good choices with her body, mind, heart and soul as she grows and matures.

What is the most important thing you would want every pregnant woman to know? 

That we each hold within us the value, power, beauty and grace we need to walk this and any other women’s journey, and that even when it appears that we walk it alone, we are walking the well worn path of women’s wisdom traveled by women everywhere for  hundreds and hundreds of years, and that an open heart and mind can feel that  connection and the sense of limitless possibilities it offers. How do we access that? A  blessingway would absolutely create that sense of connection, but I would want to  encourage every woman preparing to birth to set aside time in some way to consider what she knows about birthing and mothering to be clear what she wants to happen with her body and her baby as well as identifying any concerns that stand between her and her  confidence. Whether it’s through a blessingway, a trusted women’s circle, a group of trusted friends, some private counseling with a good therapist… take the time to clear the path to your own unique journey into motherhood.

What is the one thing that you wish could be done differently with regards to birth?

I am always happy to see new free standing birthing centers open up. My feeling is that the rotating staff in hospitals’ birthing programs can bring with them varied levels of openness to a woman’s preferences when birthing. Now I’m sure that it is better in some  places than others, but in my experience the smaller free standing facilities with their  own internal staff generally have a better track record in honoring a woman’s birthing choices as well as being trusted by their patients, thanks to the patient’s familiarity with the whole staff, enough to feel confident about taking any advice from them instead of feeling the need to advocate for themselves while giving birth!  Where trust and  confidence exist, whether giving birth in your own home, a birthing center, hospital or any other setting, a woman will be better able to focus herself on guiding the intensity of  her birthing energy during labor which creates healthier outcomes for mothers and  babies alike.

Donna, thank you again for spending time with us.  Hopefully women will be inspired to buy your book and create beautiful blessingway ceremonies of their own. The world cannot have enough empowered mothers.

It was my pleasure. This project was a gift to me since I believe in the power we each have inside us to change our future by truly understanding our present state of self. I am uplifted by the knowledge that this information can inspire women to open themselves to making deeper, more conscious choices about birthing, mothering and how they live the rest of their lives.  Thank you so much for the opportunity to share what I believe in so passionately  ~Rev. Donna Miller Watelet

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Especially if you are having a medical birth, hiring a doula can be the easiest thing you can do to positively affect your labour and birth.  Many women don't know what doulas do, so here's an excerpt from Getting Ready for Baby to help get you started...

Doulas are women (angels, really) who are comfortable with birth and physically comfort both the labouring woman and her partner during this time of intense emotional stress and physical strength. Doulas are there for you throughout your entire labour and birth. They come to your home early in your labour (or later, if that is your preference) and they help you decide when is the best time to go to the hospital, if you are planning to have a medical birth. If you are having a midwifery birth at a hospital, your midwife will come to your home when you are in active labour and will know when is the best time to leave.

The presence of a doula at your birth is proven to make a significant difference in your birthing experience.  Hiring a birth doula is one of the simplest and most effective ways to help you achieve:

• A shorter labour and birth.
• Reduced need for pain medication.
• Fewer Caesarean births.
• Less frequent use of oxytocin (a drug used to speed up labour).
• Less frequent use of forceps.
• Fewer complications.
• Greater success with breastfeeding and breastfeeding for a longer time after birth.
• Greater satisfaction with your birth.

Without doubt, your birth experience will be better because of a doula. Doulas provide physical and emotional reassurance as you labour along and they include your partner and help him (or her) to help you. Doulas provide comfort measures such as touch, gentle massage, movement, warm showers, baths and much more. Many doulas will take pictures for you and write a birth story, if you’d like them to.

For more complete information about the positive effects of doulas on labour and birth, The Doula Advantage by Rachel Gurevich or The Doula Book by Marshall Klaus, John Kennell and Phyllis Klaus are absolute must reads. To find a doula in your area, please refer to www.dona.org. You may need to interview many to find the one who will be your best fit.

Getting Ready for Baby is Dr. Melanie's latest book, designed to help pregnant moms organize theirselves and their homes for life with baby.  For more information click here.

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As new parents, it can be so frustrating to try to soothe a baby when they fuss and cry.  Here are some ideas that might help you to calm a fussy baby, they have certainly worked for us!

1. Dance together.  Gentle music soothes babies rather than fast music with a lively beat.   By swaying and humming to the music, you can entertain a baby enough to help him relax and stop crying.  If you can, make a tape or CD of your favourite slow songs and enjoy some bonding time together.

2. Carry your baby with you wherever you go.   Babies calm down when they feel you close and hear your heartbeat; a baby sling or a baby carrier will support your back and make it easier to do this.  Newborn babies aren’t able to support their own body weight, so a baby sling works best for the first few months.  Once your baby is able to sit up on his own, a baby carrier is a great choice as it allows him to face outward and see the world. 

3. Swaddle your baby before you rock him to sleep.  New babies like to feel snug and cosy, and swaddling can create that feeling for them.  If you would like more information on how to swaddle a baby please visit www.drmelaniebee.org, click on the Pregnancy and Breastfeeding button, and look for Simple Ways to Calm a Baby on the left side of the web page.

4. Skin-to-skin contact can help.  One of the nicest ways to accomplish this, especially in the evening, is to run a warm bath, light a few candles and turn off the lights.   Sit in the tub, place your baby on your chest, and cover his back and legs with a warm facecloth.  Babies like the feel of the close contact, the warm water, and the pretty lights.  Bath time is an excellent way for dad to have special bonding time and it gives mom a bit of a break.

5. Infant massage provides much relief for babies, as it helps to promote bonding, relaxation and brain stimulation.  It also helps to improve digestion and results in a deeper sleep for your baby.  For more information about infant massage, please visit www.iaim.net.

6. Wrap up your baby warmly in your baby stroller and go for a walk.  Especially if you walk on a sidewalk, the rhythmic bumping movement can soothe a baby quickly.  You both get some fresh air and you benefit from adding exercise to your day.

7. Go for an evening drive.  Some babies find the hum of a running engine to be soothing.  I found that if I placed two rolled up burp cloths on either side of my baby’s head and then tucked a blanket firmly around him as he sat in his car seat, it helped him to feel more comfortable and secure in the car. 

8. Rock your baby to sleep.  Rocking provides gentle movement that can calm a fussy baby.  Either hold your baby in the crook of your arm with pillows for support, or hold your baby on your chest as you rock back and forth. 

9. Vacuum the floors of your house.  Some babies find the hum of a vacuum to be calming.  Place your baby in a sling or a baby carrier and start vacuuming.  If your baby does calm down with vacuuming, you benefit in two ways: you end up with a calm baby and a clean floor.

Here's a start anyway.  Do any of you have great ideas to calm fussy babies?  I'd love to hear from you!

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Recently I was able to meet with Jana Sinclair, one of the co-creators of the HealthPod Baby.  It was a great discussion for both of us and I was able to learn a bit of the story behind the Health Pod Baby’s creation.

HealthPod Babys, for those of you who are unfamiliar with them, are zippered organizers that you use to keep track of your child’s health information from birth (or from whenever you start using them).  HealthPod Babys have tabs for you to keep your information readily available: your child’s pertinent health information, a record of prescriptions and immunizations, questions for your health care providers, and more!  HealthPod Babys even have note paper and a pen handy for you to use. Just take it with you when you travel, or visit your health provider and everything that you need to know will be at your fingertips.

Melanie: Jana, tell my how you got the idea to make the HealthPod Baby.

Jana: Well, it really started with Nancy.  Her son was going through a tough time with chronic ear infections — they would become a problem at various times and Nancy found it difficult to keep up with which antibiotics worked and which caused problems for her son.  It was especially problematic when they were travelling and they had to see a new doctor who wanted to know her son’s history. She began keeping his prescription history and details of his symptoms in a book – which essentially became the first prototype of the HealthPod Baby!

Also, with my first baby, I had a problem where she was weighed with a scale that wasn’t calibrated properly and was diagnosed as failure to thrive (although she was healthy!).  I had to go in to have her weighed quite frequently for a few weeks.  I had scraps of paper falling out of my diaper bag and it was difficult to keep track of the measurements they were taking.

So, one day over breakfast Nancy, myself and our friend Marci were talking about how we needed a place to keep health information together and the idea of the HealthPod Baby began.

Melanie: Sounds great!  But how did you go from the idea to having an actual HealthPod Baby in your hand?

Jana: Well, we knew what we wanted, but we needed to know if other moms would use it and how they wanted it to function..  We put together a few focus groups and had some great input from moms.  Things like it needed to have lots of pockets and be hard enough to be able to write with it on your lap.  It also needed to be able to be customized to a child’s specific needs, etc.

Melanie: Did you have any other help?

Jana: Yes, we asked 20 different health professionals for their input on what the most important information was that parents should keep on their childʼs health and we put it in a really simple format thatʼs easy for parents to use.

Melanie: So you’ve got the idea and some great input, what was next for you?

Jana:  Our biggest challenge was finding a manufacturer that would make the product to our specifications.  Once we sourced a manufacturer, the rest seemed to come together fairly easily.   With a product finally in our hands, we had to figure out how to sell it and market it –and how to run a company.

The three of us started b.l.i.s. (because life is special) inc. and we all take turns at getting things done within the company.  We seem to share a lot of the responsibilities – kind of a divide and conquer scenario when it comes to delegating tasks.  We meet once a week and talk about the opportunities coming up and the direction that we want to go. 

Melanie: So what has been your response so far?

Jana: Absolutely wonderful.  We have HealthPod Babys in about 90 retailers throughout Canada,  including the Alberta Children’s Hospital.  The doctors and health professionals there just love them.  We also promote them in child and parenting fairs, and through partnerships with doulas and midwives.

Melanie: What are some of the great things about having a HealthPod Baby?

Jana:  You donʼt need to be an organized person or someone who loves to journal.  The HealthPod Baby was designed so that it takes minimal work to keep the most important information about your child.  If you ever need to relay your childʼs health information in an emergency or to a new doctor, everything you need will be in the HealthPod Baby.  It`s also a great place to store all the information you collect from the doctors, encourages you to write down your questions before your health visits to help you optimize the time you have with your doctor, and also creates a lasting record of your child`s early years.  Essentially, it’s a place to keep all the important information together so its easy to share with others, its easy to find, and nothing gets lost.

Melanie: So how can someone get a HealthPod if they can’t find one?

Jana: People are welcome to visit our website at www.healthpod.ca for a list of retailers or to purchase a HealthPod Baby on-line.  We ship HealthPod Babys all over the world.  And if people want to send a HealthPod Baby as a gift, we can ship it directly to the recipient along with a gift card!

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Cheryl Peddie, from Emerge Creative has kicked off a new website that I'm sure you'll just love.  It's called Pink Paws and it offers artwork for children that you can customize for your baby or child. Currently, there are mainly birth announcements available, but soon you'll be able to customize artwork for your child - and celebrate what makes them truly unique.

If you are looking for something truly wonderful for a new baby or a special child in your life, visit Cheryl's website!

It is surprising for me that many women do not know that chiropractic adjustments can help them to have an easier pregnancy and quite likely, an easier birth. The truth is that chiropractic care facilitates a more comfortable transition from early to late term pregnancy and through to postpartum recovery. 

As Chiropractors, we assess your spine and pelvic joints to see if there are certain areas that are not moving as easily as they could.  We perform many of the same tests that your physician does to determine that you are in perfect health: a complete history, orthopedic exam, neurological exam, and a postural exam to see how your body is adapting to your pregnancy. If we find that you have areas in your spine or pelvic joints are not moving properly, we usually adjust them.  The choice is yours as to whether we adjust or not. What is important to remember is that a chiropractic adjustment will allow the areas of your spine that are stuck to move again, which will relieve your discomfort. 

The pelvic area is of great concern to Chiropractors.  The pelvis is essentially a ring made up of four bones: the sacrum, which is the triangular bone at the base of your spine, the tailbone that is attached to your sacrum, and the two hipbones of your pelvis.  These four bones are held together by many ligaments and connective tissue.  Relaxin, the hormone of pregnancy, is released in the body from early on in the pregnancy to soften these ligaments to allow better passage of the baby during labour and birth.  What can happen later on in the pregnancy is that the ligaments stretch quite a bit, to the point of overstretching.  The sacroiliac joints (where the sacrum meets the pelvis) can become quite moveable and walking can become a challenge.  The “pregnant waddle” can be noticeable as a woman walks because, at this point, the sacroiliac joints move too much and the body locks the sacrum into place by causing the woman’s feet to turn out and for her to lock her knees.  With a Chiropractic adjustment, the sacroiliac joints are able to move in a more normal position and the woman is able to walk more easily.

The goals of Chiropractic care throughout pregnancy are to ease the pregnant woman’s areas of discomfort and to help promote a more stable pelvis. A study done in 1990  showed that women who were under Chiropractic care throughout their pregnancies had reduced labour times.  First time moms experienced 25% less time in labour and birth and moms with previous babies averaged 31% shorter labour times.  Also, another study done in 1991 showed that women who experienced back pain during their pregnancies had a 72% chance of having back labour during labour and birth.  Back labour isn’t pleasant and Chiropractic care can help ease back pain.

Chiropractors are interested in relieving your aches and pains throughout your pregnancy and during your postpartum period.  Immediately after birth, your body experiences another great posture change and your back needs to adapt to not having a pregnant belly anymore.  The posture of breastfeeding can cause great discomfort in the midback, especially between the shoulder blades.  There is the constant lifting, bending, stooping, carrying the car seat about, rocking, walking and so on.  Life with a new baby is definitely another time where chiropractic care can help your body more easily. Once again, we keep the fixed or subluxated areas of your spine moving smoothly.

After birthing a baby, your body continues to produce relaxin for approximately the next four months, but in a gradually decreasing amount.  This process helps the ligaments to slowly tighten back around the spine and the rest of the joints in the body.  Chiropractic care can keep the joints in your spine and pelvis in optimal alignment as your ligaments pull back into place around the joints of your spine.

To find a chiropractor near you, Canadians can visit www.ccachiro.org or www.icpa4kids.org.
Americans can visit www.amerchiro.org or www.icpa4kids.org.

For More Information on pregnancy and breastfeeding please click to visit Dr. Melanie's webpages.

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When babies cry for hours on end, their parents (especially first-time parents) can be driven to distraction. It is quite clear that something is bothering the baby. What is not obvious is how to relieve the baby’s pain. The result is that someone walks with the crying, fretful baby for hours on end hoping to calm him or her, so that the house can be peaceful and that everyone has a hope of getting a decent night’s sleep. The parents are exhausted. The baby is exhausted. Each day blends into the one before, with fussiness and crying as the grand finale to really long days.

There is hope. There is a reason why the baby is fussy. Many times, the reason for the fussiness at night is that a breastfeeding baby is reacting quite negatively to what his or her mother is eating. During the first months of life, a newborn’s digestive system is quite porous, which allows larger particles of foods through the lining of the digestive system into the blood stream. Little bits of food particles normally found in a breastfeeding mom’s breast milk can actually irritate the baby’s digestive system, and can cause pain. Also, the food bits that cross the lining of the digestive system can create slight allergic responses that become either frank food allergies, or food intolerances. Both can result in the baby experiencing gas, pain and/or discomfort.

By eliminating certain foods on a short term basis, many breastfeeding mothers find that their babies’ crying time decreases dramatically. It can take up to two weeks of diet modification before results are noticed (many notice changes right away!) Many mothers notice that if they cheat and eat the foods of concern, their babies cry and fuss throughout the evening. When they follow the breastfeeding elimination diet, their babies hardly cry at all! By about the fourth month, the lining of the baby’s digestive system matures and many of the foods can be eaten with no ill-effects.

Here is one of the delicious breastfeeding-friendly recipes found in The Calm Baby Cookbook. It is delicious way to use up any holiday leftovers that you may have:

Waldorf Turkey Sandwiches

½ cup sunflower seeds
½ cup chopped walnuts
1 cup diced turkey
½ cup diced apple
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
¼ cup raisins
½ cup Lite Miracle Whip or mayonnaise
1 tsp. grated lemon peel
Sea salt and pepper to taste
Lettuce leaves
Whole wheat rolls

Preheat a non-stick frying pan to medium-low and add the sunflower seeds and walnuts. Stir often until they are toasted evenly. Remove from the burner and let cool.

In a bowl, combine the Lite Miracle Whip or mayonnaise, lemon peel, sea salt and pepper. Add the remaining ingredients and stir to coat. Spoon onto fresh rolls and top with fresh lettuce.

Enjoy!

For more information about the foods that cause a baby’s discomfort, please visit www.drmelaniebee.org.

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After a baby is born, her brain and her nervous system get to work learning about how her body works and the world that she live in.  Despite the fact that a newborn sleeps quite a lot of her day, a baby’s brain and nervous system are incredibly busy.  If fact, from birth to 2½ years old, a baby’s brain is the busiest that it will ever be in her entire lifetime as it learns to process information and to develop new skills. A baby learns that this is mom and that’s dad and how to move her body in space.  She learns how to recognize important people in her life and what certain words mean.

From the age 2 ½ to 5, to improve efficiency, a child’s brain starts to prune down connections (the technical term is synapses) that aren’t used much.  If parents play and engage with their babies, they help to strengthen synapses within the brain, and reduce the pruning process.

In summary, from birth to 5 years old, parents have a great opportunity to stimulate their child’s brain to ensure that its connections within the brain and to the body are strong.  Here are some easy things that you can do to stimulate your child’s brain:

1. Delay returning to work for as long as possible.  The first year of life is really important to establish the bonding and attachment process between a baby and her parents, especially with her mom.  If mom or dad can be at home that first year, your baby will have more secure relationships with you and everyone else in her life.
   
2. Carry your baby around with you, wherever possible.  The physical act of moving back and forth as you walk and bend stimulates the part of your baby’s brain that tracks balance and position of the body.  Babies who are carried usually walk faster than babies who are not.
   
3. Breastfeed your baby as long as possible.  Breastmilk contains all that a baby needs to support her developing brain and nervous system.  It gives a baby immunity from viral or bacterial infections, it provides comfort and enhances the mother/baby bonding and attachment process.  Studies have shown that babies who are breastfed have relatively higher intelligence than babies who are not. 
   
4. Touch your baby whenever possible.  The physical act of touch is a great way to stimulate your baby’s brain.  Infant massage is especially beneficial because it provides the positive benefits of relaxation, improved digestion and an enhanced quality of sleep.  You can learn infant massage from a certified infant massage instructor, or you can read books or watch videos.  An added bonus is that the people who are giving the baby massage have improved health, reduced stress, and they sleep better, too!
   
5. Respond to your baby’s needs in a timely manner.  When a baby cries, she is communicating a need for something that almost always is comfort, food, or a diaper change.  The saying that “you’ll spoil a child if you go to her whenever she cries” is simply incorrect.  When you respond to your child’s needs, your baby learns that mom and dad can be depended upon.  She also learns that she has value as a person.
   
6. Read and sing to your baby.  Language and music are great ways to stimulate a baby’s brain.  We have a specific place in our brains that processes language and music and the more that you talk to your baby, the more stimulation that her brain will receive.  Classical, country or light rock music are the best choices as their beat is stimulating, but not overly so.  It is important to realize that television or radio programs are not a good substitute for a real conversation.  A baby is not able to follow a television or radio’s message, and most babies tune out television or radio sounds because they over stimulate a baby’s brain.

The underlying principle is that the more time you spend with your baby in play and with one-on-one interactions, the more you stimulate your baby’s brain.  Add some of the above suggestions to your day and everyone benefits from time spent together because it’s just plain fun!

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