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News on breastfeeding in public, tips for soothing a crying baby, and napping and bonding.

Sculpture Stands in Tribute to Maternal Love, Forgiveness
"When I see a pregnant woman, in the ugliness and harshness of this world, I think that in order to make the decision to bring a child in this world, she has probably forgiven humanity for all its sins, for all its cruelty, for all its crimes against the planet and ultimately against itself," the artist Alithinos states.

Children Can Usually Recover from Emotional Trauma
The good news is that most children exposed to trauma will probably heal. Psychiatrists say a supportive family helps.

An Interview with Cara Osborne, Coauthor of The National Birth Center Study II
"The take away messages from this study for expectant parents are that birth center care is safe and minimizes the likelihood that their baby will need to be born by cesarean, and that if hospital care becomes necessary, that transfer is very unlikely (1.9%) to be an emergency."

API Warmline

February 14 - A Day to Warm Your Heart!

API launches the API Warmline to serve families in urgent or distressing situations when information or support is not available on the API Forum or website.

Need urgent help? Nowhere else to turn? API comes to the rescue (again)!

API urges families to first contact their local API parent group for ongoing and local support or seek support on the API Forum. When local support is not available, a message can be left at API's 800 number: 1-800-850-8320 for U.S. families, or a message sent to this email address. The call will be returned by an accredited Leader who can help. (As always, any life-threatening or medical calls should go to your emergency 911 number.)

Donations to support this program can be made on the API website or sent to API, P.O. 4615, Alpharetta, GA 30023.

Breastmilk Reduces Risk of Sepsis and Intensive Care Costs in Very-Low-Birth-Weight Infants
Feeding human breastmilk to very-low-birth-weight infants greatly reduces risk for sepsis and significantly lowers associated neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) costs.

Missouri Senator Seeks to Protect Breastfeeding Moms
A bill introduced in the Missouri Senate would explicitly give women the right to breastfeed in public. Current state law requires that women breastfeed in public "with as much discretion as possible." The proposed bill would remove that phrase from the law. It emphasizes that breastfeeding is not sexual conduct or indecent exposure.

Breastfeeding Is on the Rise in America, CDC says
Good news for babies: The number of mothers breastfeeding is rising across America.

Available Now! The Attached Family: New Baby Issue

What's inside The Attached Family this month?

"New Science on Baby Brain Development and Stress" by investigative journalist Jonathan Cohn
"Navigating the Social Pressures of New Parenthood" with API leader Ingrid Prosch
"Benefits of a Natural Birth" with author Linda Folden Palmer
"Why Early Attachment Matters" with parenting expert, expert witness, and psychotherapist Peter Ernest Haiman, Ph.D.
... and more!

Access your copy today with your API Membership. Members click here (use login information provided in your email notice, or visit the API Member Forum). Not a member? Join today. It's free.

Frustration and Rage
"Just as I'm about the pour a splash of vanilla into the shake I'm making for my son, I hear two blood-curdling screams followed by the sight of my older son, Everest, tearing around the corner with his 3 1/2 year old brother, who has transformed into the Tazmanian devil, close behind. Everest dashes behind my back to create a blockade between him and Asher. Asher runs full-force toward his brother, but finds himself in my arms instead."

The Effect of Maternal Napping on Mother-Child Interactions
Even a few naps per week when you are significantly fatigued can help promote more positive interactions with your baby.

Mother-Baby Sleep Experts Offer Tips for Soothing Crying Babies, Giving Exhausted Mothers Alternatives to Crying It Out
Although having a baby who is "sleeping through the night" is something most parents aspire to, the reality is that most babies wake frequently up to 12 months of age. It is the parents' job to help their babies return to sleep quickly. To achieve that goal, parents are often advised to let their babies cry. Unfortunately, that method is not particularly effective in helping babies settle. Rather, parents who respond to, rather than ignore their babies' cries have babies who go back to sleep more quickly.

Review of Living Hero's Podcast, "It's the Parenting, Dodo"
Reviewed by Stephanie Petters

Arun Gandhi tells a story from his childhood about his parents giving him penance instead of punishment for when he did something wrong, in this case lying to this father. His father said, "There is something wrong in the way that I raised you that you don't feel confident enough to tell the truth to me and instead lie. So I will walk home and think about this instead of riding in the car with you." Arun then followed his father home for the 18 miles in the car and determined that he would never lie again. He learned much more about lying in the way his father dealt with it than if he had been punished. I LOVED this story.

The interview with Marcy Axness covered the following: hour-by-hour changes in the components of breastmilk based upon baby's needs; the constant biological feedback between mother and baby; brains' wiring for self-regulation, empathy, and compassion; brain formation of peaceful traits beginning as early as conception and before reaching school; and seven Principles (PARENTS) - Presence, Awareness, Rhythm, Emulation Worthiness, Nurturance, Trust.

I thought this was a great podcast. Great quality, including the music.

A Positive Family Climate in Adolescence Is Linked to Marriage Quality in Adulthood
Experiencing a positive family climate as a teenager may be connected to your relationships later in life.

Three Core Concepts in Early Development
Healthy development in the early years provides the building blocks for educational achievement, economic productivity, responsible citizenship, lifelong health, strong communities, and successful parenting of the next generation. This three-part video series from the Center and the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child depicts how advances in neuroscience, molecular biology, and genomics now give us a much better understanding of how early experiences are built into our bodies and brains, for better or for worse.

Mouse Study Links Teen Stress to Adult Mental Illness
New laboratory research on rodents suggests an elevated stress hormone in adolescence may be linked to severe mental illness in adulthood. The study points to the need to think about better preventive care in teenagers who have mental illness in their families, including efforts to protect them from social stressors, such as neglect.

Playtime: Affectionate, Less Controlling Mothers Have Strongest Relationships with Their Children
The more directive mothers are during play - the extent to which they try to control the content and pace of young children's play - the less engaged their children are with them and the more negative emotion the children display toward their mothers.