Babies born April 2008 #4

[bellelass]

Grubi- I take the flaxseed oil in capsule form. My skin is crystal clear all of a sudden, no blotches or anything. I think I'll keep taking it. A bit of poking around on the net and I turned this up about it, wish I'd found it sooner...

The brain is about 60% fat by weight, and DHA and other omega-3 fatty acids are very abundant in it. A lot of the fat is in the cell membranes of the neurons and in the protective myelin sheath that covers them. The types and proportions of fats in the cell membranes determine how effectively the brain cells communicate. A diet deficient in omega-3 fats also alters brain's energy metabolism [11].

Scientists are now revealing how all kinds of mental disorders including Parkinson's disease, depression, Alzheimer's disease, dementia, and schizophrenia are connected with deficiencies in the essential fatty acids, and with an imbalance between omega-6 and omega-3 fats (see The Human Brain - Fats and [10]). For example, children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADD/ADHD) have been shown to have low levels of DHA in their blood...
In a study from Connecticut, it was found that babies of mothers with higher DHA levels showed significantly more quiet sleep and less active sleep, and less sleep-wake transition than those of mothers with lower DHA levels. In other words, they slept better. This was interpreted as indicating greater central nervous system maturity in the higher DHA group [4]. That is very interesting news for all pregnant and nursing mothers, since the baby's sleeping pattern has such an effect on everybody in the family.

Another important note for pregnant women is that women who develop postpartum depression have lowered levels of DHA. The developing fetus has drawn a lot of the maternal sources, and if the woman does not eat foods rich in omega-3 fats, she risks not only the baby's health but her own mental health.

Sorry if that's long, just found it very interesting indeed.

Having a little trouble with the bfing. No more bloody milk thank God. She attaches well, but its hard for me to get her attached and me sitting in a comfortable position. And she will feed while its easy, usually starts faffing around after 10-15 minutes or so and I top her up with EBM. Then I express the breast she was mucking around with and there was still 40-50mils left of good rich hindmilk. Bah. We'll get there. I refuse to give up. I've put in so much work getting the breastfeeding going that I'll be doing it for years just so as to not waste the effort..