Breastfeeding:
Best for You and Your Baby
By Nancy Brent, M.D. IBCLC

Everyone will tell you that breastfeeding is best for babies, but have you ever wondered why?
Is it really that different from infant formula? The answer is yes, it is remarkably different and better than formula. And that’s true not only for babies, but for mothers too. What makes breastfeeding unique? For infants, it is the ideal form of nutrition. Although the formula industry does a fairly good job at imitating breast milk, it can never do so completely, because breast milk keeps changing. It changes depending on how old the baby is, whether or not he or she is premature, time of day, and even from the beginning to the end of a single feeding. In the beginning of the feeding, it is high in protein, but at the end, it is creamier and helps to fill the baby up. Perhaps because it is the ideal infant food, toddlers who were breastfed have a lower incidence of obesity than those who were artificially fed.
In addition, there are many diseases which are decreased in breastfed infants. These include infections, ranging from ear infections to meningitis. Allergic disorders, such as asthma and eczema are also decreased in breastfed babies. Children are also protected from a long list of conditions with unknown causes, such as diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, cancer and sudden infant death syndrome. Breastfed infants even have an IQ advantage over formula fed infants.
What parents wouldn’t want to give their child a few extra IQ points? And what effect would it have on society if everyone were just a little bit brighter?
What are the effects on mom? Breastfeeding helps you lose weight faster after the baby is born. It also serves as a natural form of birth control. In the long term, it will protect you from uterine and pre-menopausal breast cancer. It is also free, doesn’t need refrigeration, is there whenever and wherever you need it, and doesn’t require any preparation in the middle of the night. It brings a closeness between mother and baby that cannot be compared to anything else anyone can do. This is a special and precious time for just the two of you.
So why doesn’t everyone breastfeed? There are several myths that tend to scare women away from nursing. The first is that it hurts. The truth is that it only hurts if something is going wrong. If the baby is nursing correctly, mother will feel a tugging sensation that is not painful.
Another misconception is that it ties a mother down. In reality, mothers can learn how to nurse their babies discretely in public. Mothers can pump their breasts when away from their babies and let another caretaker give that milk in a bottle. Many working women who have no time to pump can still breastfeed their babies when they are home, and have the babies take formula during working hours.
One more concern is that breastfeeding will negatively change the appearance of the breasts. This happens, if at all, due to pregnancy and not due to breastfeeding.
Breastfeeding is most definitely the best way to feed babies, for all concerned. It is a learned art, and it may take some time and attention to get started. But don’t get discouraged. With a little attention in the first few weeks, your baby will be off to a great start in life, and all thanks to you.

For more information, contact The Breastfeeding Center of Pittsburgh, Pediatric Alliance, P.C. at (412) 246-4726 or visit www.breastfeedingcenterofpittsburgh.com or www.pediatricalliance.com

Sibling Rivalry:
Opportunity for Learning
by April Terreri

Sibling rivalry can often mean headaches for parents. But the good news is that sibling rivalry offers a great learning lab for young children to develop the skills to get along better with other people they will meet throughout their lives.
“Whenever you have a family with more than one child, there will always be some conflict, which is absolutely natural,” explains Dayna Jornsay-Hester, community education coordinator at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. “Sibling rivalry is the commonly used phrase for sibling conflict.”
The manifestations of sibling rivalry vary from family to family and child to child, explains Jornsay-Hester. Manifestations also depend on the ages of the children, their temperaments, and their personal situations. “Kids, like everyone else, demonstrate conflict when they are sharing space with others. Kids are also vying for the attention of their parents and for autonomy.”
The good news is these natural and inevitable conflicts provide opportunities for children to learn strategies to resolve conflicts. “They learn how to get along with others, how to share and take turns, and how not to be the center of the universe all the time,” says Jornsay-Hester. “What is important to remember is how we as parents respond to sibling rivalry.”
Parents should not get into the habit of interacting with their kids in a negative capacity of becoming judge and jury, she cautions. “What kids are often fighting about is an attempt to get their parents’ attention. The focus should not be on who started the conflict or who is right or wrong. The focus should be on helping your children come to an agreeable resolution.”
You can achieve this by separating the kids and allowing them some time to calm down and cool off. “This is a good parental response,” says Jornsay-Hester. “These inevitable outbreaks can be used as ways to teach our kids healthy and appropriate ways to resolve their differences. Nobody learns anything in the heat of passion. So it’s a matter of helping them cool down and then figure out what went wrong to cause the problem. In many cases you will find that after they have calmed down, they have already forgotten what the conflict was all about.”
Parents should not want to eliminate sibling rivalry. This is an unrealistic expectation that overlooks the opportunities for developing skills to resolve conflicts. Parents must set the ground rules for acceptable behavior during disagreements – such as no hitting, yelling, name-calling, or cursing – and enforce consequences if the rules are broken. But what happens when things get out of control? “If siblings are fighting so severely to the point that it is causing emotional and psychological damage to any member of the family – or if it is causing marital problems – you might want to seek a family counselor.”
Families should realize that many of the problems caused by sibling rivalry are common issues. But if you are unable to manage them in a way that is healthy for all members of the family, there are people who can help. “The thing I tell parents to remember is as soon as you have a second child, you immediately have sibling rivalry,” Jornsay-Hester says. “The older children realize they have to share the love, attention, and time of their parents.”
Among some of the best ways to keep sibling rivalry in check is to do things as a family. “Play games and have fun together. Sometimes kids will begin fighting with each other just out of boredom or because they want their parents to interact with them. Try doing things with each child individually while your other child is at a play date.”
By using these conflicts as opportunities to help our children learn, we are acting as coach and mediator to help them develop the skills to resolve conflicts that will last them throughout their lives. “Research shows that in families where kids were taught to peacefully resolve their differences, they ended up having closer lifelong relationships with their siblings,” Jornsay-Hester says.
For more information, you can reach Dayna Jornsay-Hester at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh at (412) 692-5325.

Removing Tonsils Can Benefit
Children With Sinus Infections

Lettie Cowie, 6, suffered for most of her life with recurring strep infections, bronchitis and sleep problems. Her parents, Lori and Jim, made multiple trips to the doctor’s office and pharmacies, desperate to find some way to alleviate her suffering. They decided to make an appointment with Dr. Louis Felder, ENT, who is now seeing patients in Waynesburg.
Dr. Felder joined the SRMC medical staff in 2007. He is also on staff at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, UPMC and West Penn Hospital. He is medically and surgically trained to treat disorders of the ear, nose, throat, head and neck in both adult and pediatric patients. Surgically he performs such procedures as removing tonsils and adenoids.
After consulting with Dr. Felder, the Cowies decided to remove Lettie’s tonsils and adenoids. On the day of her procedure, Lettie was registered to the short term procedure unit. Her parents were able to stay with her until the time the surgery started. The procedure took about an hour and soon after it was over, her parents were called back to be with her. Lettie, like most patients, returned home the same day. Her only restriction after the surgery was to take it easy for a few days.
The improvements in Lettie were noticeable almost immediately. She feels better, sleeps better and has not had any additional infections.
“Her dad and I looked at each other amazed to find that she was breathing better in her sleep on the same night as her surgery,” shared Lori.
Lettie can now stay focused on things she enjoys such as spending time with her friends, dancing, camping and swimming as opposed to fighting infection after infection.
When asked about the success of Lettie’s surgery, Dr. Felder shared, “Kids who suffer from recurring sinus infections, colds, strep throat, breathing or sleeping difficulties may greatly benefit from having their tonsils removed.”
Dr. Louis Felder is now seeing adult and pediatric patients at the Central Greene Professional Plaza located at 236 Elm Drive in Waynesburg. For more information, you can reach him at (724) 627-3877.


Know the Facts:
Tonsils and Tonsillitis
Tonsils are clumps of tissue on both sides of the throat that trap bacteria and viruses entering through the throat and produce antibodies to help fight infections.
Tonsillitis occurs when tonsils become infected and swell. If you look down your child's throat with a flashlight, the tonsils may be red and swollen or have a white or yellow coating on them. Other symptoms of tonsillitis may include:
• sore throat
• pain or discomfort when swallowing
• fever
• swollen glands (lymph nodes) in the neck
But enlarged or swollen tonsils are a common finding for many kids. Left alone, your child's enlarged tonsils may eventually shrink on their own over the course of several years. Don't rely on your own guesses, though — you might not be able to judge whether your child's tonsils are infected. If you suspect tonsillitis, contact your doctor. Recurrent sore throats and infections should also be evaluated by the doctor, who may order a throat culture to check for strep throat.
Source: www.kidshealth.org

For more articles, download the Fall '08 issue (PDF)