It is what it is

Sure! I breastfed for 45 months- It was so beneficial and look what I just read....

 

WASHINGTON (May 6) - A new study provides some of the best evidence to date that breast-feeding can make children smarter, an international team of researchers said on Monday.

Children whose mothers breast-fed them longer and did not mix in baby formula scored higher on intelligence tests, the researchers in Canada and Belarus reported.

About half the 14,000 babies were randomly assigned to a group in which prolonged and exclusive breast-feeding by the mother was encouraged at Belarussian hospitals and clinics. The mothers of the other babies received no special encouragement.

Those in the breast-feeding encouragement group were, on average, breast-fed longer than the others and were less likely to have been given formula in a bottle.

At 3 months, 73 percent of the babies in the breast-feeding encouragement group were breast-fed, compared to 60 percent of the other group. At 6 months, it was 50 percent versus 36 percent.

In addition, the group given encouragement was far more likely to give their children only breast milk. The rate was seven times higher, for example, at 3 months.

The children were monitored for about 6 1/2 years.

The children in the group where breast-feeding was encouraged scored about 5 percent higher in IQ tests and did better academically, the researchers found.

Previous studies had indicated brain development and intelligence benefits for breast-fed children.

But researchers have sought to determine whether it was the breast-feeding that did it, or that mothers who prefer to breast-feed their babies may differ from those who do not.

The design of the study -- randomly assigning babies to two groups regardless of the mothers' characteristics -- was intended to eliminate the confusion.

'MOTHERS WHO BREAST-FEED ... ARE DIFFERENT'

"Mothers who breast-feed or those who breast-feed longer or most exclusively are different from the mothers who don't," Dr. Michael Kramer of McGill University in Montreal and the Montreal Children's Hospital said in a telephone interview.

"They tend to be smarter. They tend to be more invested in their babies. They tend to interact with them more closely. They may be the kind of mothers who read to their kids more, who spend more time with their kids, who play with them more," added Kramer, who led the study published in the journal Archives of General Psychiatry.

The researchers measured the differences between the two groups using IQ tests administered by the children's pediatricians and by ratings by their teachers of their school performance in reading, writing, math and other subjects.

Both sets of scores were significantly higher in the children from the breast-feeding promotion group.

The study was launched in the mid-1990s. Kramer said the initial idea was to do it in the United States and Canada, but many hospitals in those countries by that time had begun strongly encouraging breast-feeding as a matter of routine.

The situation was different in Belarus at the time, he said, with less routine encouragement for the practice.

Kramer said how breast-feeding may make children more intelligent is unclear.

"It could even be that because breast-feeding takes longer, the mother is interacting more with the baby, talking with the baby, soothing the baby," he said. "It could be an emotional thing. It could be a physical thing. Or it could be a hormone or something else in the milk that's absorbed by the baby."

Previous studies have shown babies whose mothers breast-fed them enjoy many health advantages over formula-fed babies.

These include fewer ear, stomach or intestinal infections, digestive problems, skin diseases and allergies, and less risk of developing high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that women who do not have health problems exclusively breast-feed their infants for at least the first six months, with it continuing at least through the first year as other foods are introduced.

I am pissed! Pissed off at all the moaning and crying about what goes on in Philadelphia! Actions speak louder than words people! Doesn't anyone get that yet? Talking about gun gun control, our officers being shot and killed- Children being caught in the cross fire of a gun fight because of drugs or whatever- A Joke to say otherwise- Well let's see- Who are the shooters? KIDS!

 Do they think that they have to be tough like thugs because it's their lifestyle?  Their music sure reflects it! Many songs consist of abusing women, killing cops, doing drugs- The kids hear this and think it's actually okay- And again, let's blame this bleep on the parents- Probably getting to high to know where their kids are anyway! And if not, where are you? Do you know where your kids are? NO! You don't and that makes you the cause!

ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS AND THERE ARE  NO EXCUSES! TAKE IT FOR WHAT YOU WANT!

 

Just got back from Chase Stadium! What a blast- Had some Philly fans around us- Stadium was dead though but the Phillies wern't

 :D

Hiya Folks- Back in Arizona- Traveling with 3 kids, they were so good- 10 States all together and 3924 miles- What a trip-  We saw so many things and had a lot of fun- The kids are back in school and it's a good thing! 3 weeks left of school soooooo....

Back home and it feels real good- I am glad that I was able to share my cross country trip with ya'll- It was hard leaving my parents and Pennsylvania but my husband got an offer for a job that was better and it's working out well-

I'll be updating everything later and look for new pictures-

 

Take care

Rita,   MUAH

Hiya folks- With sean's brother and wife and having fun- Have 5 kids to deal with but it's  worth it despite of one person who says that they cannot handle young kid- I think that those people who can't handle the youngins are, uh, IDIOTS- I mean why have kids lol .......... AD lady

tomorrow- No more driving for a LONG TIME! 

 

I'll be checking in later

Peace

 

TT

Hiya folks- We arrived in Los Angeles around 12:30 pm- We took the coastal highway, route 5, and the scenery was INSANE! Unreal- California is a beautiful State! We stopped off at Mission Beach this am and the kids had a blast- The Pacific Ocean is simply beautiful!

The temp right now is about 85- The kids are in the pool and I am typing this- I never swam in April before! SO WEIRD!

 Waiting now on my husband's brother and can't wait! Having a BBQ tonight- Finally some home cooking- Total miles driven so far- 3643 miles :D

Bye for now

TT

The bread here STINKS! Nothing like Gino's or Pat's- Heck, I will take any sandwich that comes from philly these days- I found a place that delivers the meat and the rolls for out of staters like me- I am going to try them-

Good Morning from San Diego- It's cold out there! I am sitting here in my hotel room watching the news- And I thought that bowtie man was bad! UGH! Talk about vying for attention!

 

Anywho, driving here from Phoenix was pretty cool-  Talk about being out of this world- Some parts were so baron, it looked like a different planet- Boulders, the size of houses, perched so high, you wonder how it sits up there without tumbling down- In some places you could see where very large landslides occured-  Like someone reached down from the skies with a giant shovel.........

 

What was really cool were the rolling mountains that seemed like forever to reach but when you did, boy what a rollercoaster of a ride- We'll be heading up to Los Angeles to see my husband's brother later in the week- He retires this year-  He is a marine who has put in his 20th year- Kudos to him!

 

However, I am still not used to the time change- I am up at 4:30 every am.... AHHHH!

 

Hubby gets to go to San Diego, work related, and we get to go... We are being put up in a sweet hotel with a view!!! Being in Arizona with the heat and all, I am looking fwd to a break- Get to see the Pacific Ocean for the first time too :D

This is fun...

 

Peace

 

TT

Hiya folks.... I just added some pictures- I think that the most profound are of the mighty Mississippi and how it flooded everything out, as far as the eye could see-  All along our 7 hour trek, the highway we traveled on was mostly affected with water on either side- 

More to come

Peace

TT

Hiya.... Greetings from Arizona! Well, we finally made it- 4 days of driving and encountering wicked weather, I have to say, the trip was insane- Three kids, a jam packed car, 2900 miles later, I am now in Arizona- My feelings.... Well, being a life long resident of Pa,, I have to say that Arizona is an interesting state-  Days of sun without a cloud in sight- Weird going from winter to heat! 93 degrees yesterday! Now if it was in Pa., think of the humidity, lol- The humanity!

 

That is all for now

 

 

TT

The first leg of my long journey begins here, tonight at my mothers- Spend about a week here and then it's off to Dallas- Will be leaving updates- Pictures should be coming soon-

I'll be leaving Pa.... Going to Dallas and then to Arizona... We will have some time to travel and will be going through a lot of states- The kids are very excited for this new adventure- Also, I have only been out of Pennsylvania 5-7 times-  I am excited and nervous- I plan on continuing to blog here, get a little peice of home, where ever I may roam. Leave a story or two, especially about the weather- I LOVE SNOW!!! I can't imagine moving to a State that has 300 days of sunshine! Seven inches of rain per year- But that's where beautiful Colorado comes in :)

I will also be posting Pictures here... Hope to catch a Tornado along the way!

Ciao Folks!

Nefertiti_Jaquez's Blog

Rubber found in a hotdog! Okay, I know that is gross but do we really know what we are eating when we are looking for a quick meal? Anyone who has had children knows that there is going to be a night where mommy or daddy does not feel like cooking. So mommy or daddy finds an easy dish or decides on take out. There is nothing like biting into a peice of chicken to find pink meat- (KFC) Hearing that McDonalds is now using "real chicken" ...  If you think that your eating real chicken, think again. If you think your eating real beef, think again. If you knew how these meats were prepared, you would never eat fast foods again. Put it this way... It would be beneath your best pals choice in food. FIDO!

 Stick with your local pizzaria. It's worth 20 minutes.

The month of March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb...