By James Anthony

Pregnant and breastfeeding women often have concern that they are losing hair. Women especially experience postpartum hair loss which is completely normal and temporary. This temporary hair loss is completely unrelated to breastfeeding and women usually return to their normal hair growth cycle between 6 to 12 months after birth. It is during these 6 to 12 months that they are also breastfeeding the new born child, which is why they think that breastfeeding is the main cause of hair loss. However, this is never the case. Whether women nurse the child or bottle feed him by expressing milk using an electric or manual breast pump like medela pump in style advanced breast pump, breastfeeding never leads to hair loss.

Hair growth follows a routine, which includes the growth phase and a resting phase. At any time, around 85 – 95% of hair on your scalp is in the growth phase, whereas the rest of it is in the resting phase. During pregnancy and after child birth, a woman’s body undergoes many hormonal changes which stimulate an increase in the percentage of hair in the growth phase. Due to this hormonal change, expecting women usually experience thick and shiny hair during their pregnancy months. Taking prenatal vitamins also helps the hair to grow healthier, but half of them fall out after giving birth. This is due to the fact that pregnancy can trigger all the hair on the scalp to move to the growth phase, so that no hair stays in the resting phase. Most women do not even have a single hair fall during pregnancy and infant they experience new hair growth as well. After the pregnancy is over, all the hair enters the shedding phase, due to which women experience hair fall. Hundreds of hair is lost every day instead of the dozens which fall naturally. This kind of hair loss is called a Telogen Effluvium, which usually occurs 3 to 6 months after birth, when the woman is usually breastfeeding. Women are often under the wrong impression that breastfeeding is the cause of hair loss, which is not the case.

Giving birth is a common cause of hair loss in women, just like undergoing a major surgery, illness, stress or traumatic event in life. In all these cases, hair loss actually occurs 4 – 6 months after the event, and the sufferer is unable to relate the old incident as a cause of hair loss, thinking that it happened too early to cause hair loss now, which is completely wrong. Hair loss follows this delayed pattern due to its slow growth cycle and men and women experience hair fall several months after the actual event.

Women experiencing hair loss after giving birth to a baby can treat the condition by taking Vitamin B12 shots and over the counter supplements including Biotin. Normally, 2.5mg of Biotin is required daily. Women should also continue taking prenatal vitamins along with lactating vitamins after giving birth and should maintain a healthy diet. If the hair loss problem is left untreated, it can last up to 18 months after child birth, which is a significantly long time period. After that, hair will come back to normal and hair loss will stop. The normal growth pattern of hair starts again and women only experience a few dozen hair falling each day instead of a few hundred.

Eating a healthy diet with lots of protein and taking all the essential supplements can help minimize this time period of Telogen Effluvium. However, if other factors like stress, anxiety and neglect in taking care of hair continue with the hair loss problem, it can lead to further hair loss and hair thinning in women. Getting your thyroid levels checked post-partum is also helpful as women experience fluctuating thyroid levels after birth. Drinking lots of fluid and taking enough sleep can also help reduce hair loss and thinning. Some women get a good hair cut which is more manageable and requires less care, so their hair looks short and healthy instead of long and thin. It is important to take the right steps at the right time to reduce hair fall after child birth. If hair loss continues after 12 to 18 months, professional help should be taken from a health care consultant.

The Dunston Baby Language system “Teaches” you the language of your baby. Almost a decade of international research has found all newborn babies use 5 sounds to express their basic needs. Parents around the world are discovering the miracles of the Dunstan System; babies are more content, cry less and settle more easily. Your newborn has a lot to say and now you can learn their language.

Starfall.com is a fantastic (and free!) website designed to help children learn to read. It’s primarily for first graders but I’ve found the site is appropriate and interesting for toddlers to children in third grade. Starfall.com is easy to navigate, even for children. It includes stories, games, songs, activities and movies all designed to teach children the essential skills necessary for reading. The four sections (ABC’s, Learn to Read, It’s Fun to Read, and I’m Reading) increase in difficulty beginning with letter names and sounds, then how to blend sounds and decode words and eventually on to fun stories at independent reading levels.

I would recommend this site to all parents for all children. As a teacher, I’m annoyed by how often educational shows and games mispronounce letter sounds. (Ex. the sound for the letter b is simply /b/ not buh.) This site correctly pronounces each letter sound and it appropriately first introduces short vowel sounds then separately introduces the long vowel sounds.

You will love this site and your child will enjoy it and benefit from it for years to come.

As a teacher, people often ask me what they can do to help their child be successful in school. The answer, I think, is surprisingly simple. Preparing your child for school doesn’t begin (or end) on the eve of Kindergarten. It is a continual process beginning in your child’s infancy and continuing on throughout their schooling.

Essentially it’s being an enthusiastic, life-long learner. This needs to be modeled and encouraged. That means by you. It’s not as intrinsic as you might think and, if it is, then it can be very easily discouraged in our fast-paced lives that are frequently saturated with “educational” television shows and dvds.

So, a few ideas that I think are both critical and simple . . ..

Read, read, read. Read to your child and discuss with him/her the books they are reading. The learning and bonding opportunities are endless. Rereading the same book dozens and dozens of times might drive you crazy, but they’ll love it.

Talk to your child about everything and anything. Even the youngest child can participate in a conversation. When they’ve started school, ask them about the details of their day and really answer them when they ask you about yours. Starting the habit at a young age will pay off when they’re older.

Encourage questions. The more your child wonders, the more their brain is expanding. And, realize there can be more than one answer.

Take trips to a variety of places and be observant when you’re there (and while you’re getting there). The discussions that can develop from some place simple like a park, grocery store or post office when you really paying attention to your surroundings can be startling. Botanic gardens, museums, concerts, and the outdoors provide wonderful learning opportunities.

From a solid foundation, anything is possible. Some parents feel more secure when working with their child if they are creating flashcards or using workbooks. If it’s enjoyable and productive—great! Other parents prefer a looser approach and will work on counting, the alphabet, and science during their daily activities. Finding what works best and is the most enjoyable for both you and your child is what is important.