Yes, we are still in business … (with today’s economy one never knows)!  It’s the “spread too thin” syndrome of motherhood that has kept me from tending to my blog.

But this is news I knew I must pass along.  Yes, last Spring with the sharp drop in the value of the US dollar against European currencies and the rise in freight costs, we were forced to increase our prices.  But this year the dollar is stronger and fuel costs are less, so we are actually able to REDUCE prices.  Yes!

So please check out our website, www.danishwool.com and keep your eye out for any sales that may pop up!

One day soon, sooner than my mind can contemplate, my kids will be off to college and my blog will be my baby that I can attend to affectionately every day.  But until then, I will continue nurturing those things that are near and dear, and enjoy my children while they’re here.  I’ll attend to my blog when time and energy allow.

So when you turn off your computer for the night, peek into the room of your slumbering children, before dropping into your own bed for (hopefully) a night of restful sleep, remember to stop and savor the moment… those little children will be grown before you know it!

One such thing is the importance of skin-to-skin contact between mother and baby directly after birth.  In Sweden, where I practiced and where my children were born, it was natural and expected that the baby was placed directly onto the mother’s belly after birth.  The parents themselves were able to explore the baby and find out, on their own, which gender it was, rather than someone announcing it for them.  The moment belonged to the mother, to the parents.  Emphasis and honor was on the mother and baby.

While parents were getting to know their baby and calling family to announce the arrival, a festive tray of open-faced sandwiches & sparkling cider, served in champagne glasses, was prepared and presented to them to celebrate the birth of their baby.  Baby breastfed freely, and only after all of this did the parents join in on the weighing of the baby, and dressing it for the first time.

One important “function” of this initial prolonged skin-to-skin contact, which often is not mentioned, is one that is even less easily seen.  When the baby is placed on the mother, the baby’s skin is then colonized with the same bacteria as its mother, a protective barrier.  Within her milk circulate all the antibodies she’s developed based on what is in her environment … a second layer of protection for her baby, perfectly matching what her baby may face.

Just think of hospitals whose procedure it is to whisk the baby away,  weigh it, bundle it, while the mother is being sutured, thinking they’re being helpful and efficient.  Which bacteria have just made a home on your baby’s skin?  The hospital’s!

In our haste and belief in technological advances as the only answer to improving birth statistics and babies’ health, we often overlook the intricate systems developed in nature to promote the survival of our species.  Simplicity can be grand!

With infant formula, 2 ounces equals 2 ounces equals 2 ounces (if you mix it properly).  With breastmilk, what 2 ounces contains in one feeding is not necessarily equal to what 2 ounces equals during another feeding.  The dynamic interplay between mother and child goes well beyond simple actions; it goes as deeply as the content of your breastmilk!

The number of calories in breastmilk is not necessarily defined by the number of milliliters and ounces.  Just as one ounce of skim milk contains fewer calories than whole milk…  Mix the two types of milk together in any combination and the calorie content will change with each combination.  Or, you might try to add a protein shake into the mix.  Your body is capable of doing this, and does it all day long, without your knowing it, to perfectly suit your baby’s needs.  Not only from day to day, but from month to month.  A premature baby’s needs are different than a 6 month old baby’s needs, and your body knows this, on some amazing level, and sorts it all out to produce exactly the milk your baby needs for it’s developmental level. Use that bit of knowledge to boost your self-confidence as a mother!

Another quality of breastmilk that people don’t even think about is taste.  What you eat can change the flavor of your breastmilk.  So your baby is getting a different meal and taste sensation, just as you eat different types of food at each meal.  Breast milk provides your baby with a symphony of flavor – compare that to the bland, unchanging taste of infant formula.   Just think what you have to offer your baby in comparison!

How does the saying go? … Variety is the spice of life!

Many people, whether or not they choose to breastfeed, are aware that breastfeeding is beneficial in ways that bottle-feeding with formula simply can’t match. But beyond that, the details can become a bit fuzzy.

Here are some breast milk facts, as outlined by the United States Breastfeeding Committee (www.usbreastfeeding.org) in their publication Benefits of Breastfeeding.

Breastmilk…

- contains an ideal balance of nutrients that the infant can easily digest
- changes over time, and even over the course of a day, to meet the changing needs of the growing child
- contains substances essential for optimal development of the infant’s brain, with effects on both cognitive and visual function
- supplies growth factors that combine to mature the infant gut
- provides the infant with immune factors manufactured to fight allergens and illnesses specific to the mother’s and infant’s environment.

Quite miraculous when you think of it!

With life spinning around us at a chaotic and hectic pace, it’s often necessary to just stop and find repose – in the simpler more natural things of life.  Spending a quiet winter night by a crackling fire, taking notice of the wonders nature has to offer, like a lunar eclipse and star-filled skies, just stopping and noticing that there is stillness around us that provides peace and refuge.

Breastfeeding a baby can bring that same peace and repose - a reason to stop all else, sit down and relish in the wonders of nature.  With each breastfeeding moment, the hormone oxytocin flows and fills mother and baby with the wonder of love – the feeling of being in love, compounded thousands of times.  Those who have breastfed a baby know that it is so much more than simply feeding your baby with food.  It’s nourishment for both mother and baby on a physical, emotional and even spiritual level.  A symbiosis that nature has created to assure survival of our species – perfected over eons of time.

So next time your baby’s crying and life is screaming and all seems overwhelming – welcome the moment you’re being given to just stop, sit down, look lovingly into the eyes of that little being demanding all of life from you … and feel the peace breastfeeding can bring you; let go and listen … and find the wisdom and peace in the stillness.

Did you know? … Breastfed children score higher on cognitive and IQ tests at school age, and also on tests of visual acuity.

For more info see United States Breastfeeding Committee.

The following products are currently on sale – some as greatly as 30-40% off! LANACare Overalls (outerwear), Bedsocks – keep those feet toasty warm on these cold mid-winter days! – Riding Hats and Mattress Pads. HOCOSA wool/silk underwear shirts in tank-top style and short-sleeves are on sale 25% off!

Come take a look!