By Kristin DeJuliis, Times Staff Writer
On the Front Page of the Family Section
Sunday, May 29, 2005
When Colleen Newman had her first child, she realized parenting would be a challenge. Her son, now 2 years old, was an extremely fussy baby
and difficult to calm.
Newman finally found relief when she was introduced to a technique called swaddling, a method of wrapping an infant so that gentle pressure creates
a feeling of security. Swaddling worked so well for her first child, as well as it does now for her infant daughter, that she was inspired to share her
knowledge of it and other techniques with other parents.
To aid parents with any difficulties, Newman is presenting "My Baby & More," a program at the Westminster Branch of the Carroll County Public Library.
Newman has an associate's degree in psychology and early childhood education and is a certified Happiest Baby Educator.
The Happiest Baby program is detailed in a series of books, demonstrations and classes that were created by Dr. Harvey Karp, a nationally-recognized
pediatrician and child development specialist.
Karp, who has been working with children and their families for nearly 30 years, offers techniques for calming infants.
Parents who learn Karp's techniques are introduced to the calming reflex, which all children are born with. When parents recreate the sounds of the
womb, the calming reflex can help stop an infant's crying.
According to Karp's Web site, parents of the 5,000 babies he has worked with became 100 times more successful at calming their children without
using drugs or other unnatural means.
One of the main reasons infants cry is because of a drastic change in atmosphere they endure after they are born, according to Karp's Web site.
Infants are removed from the noisy, comforting womb, and then are expected to lay in silence for hours at a time.
The Happiest Baby techniques help parents and their children through this adjustment by recreating the sounds and movements of the womb.
"It's such a wonderful program, and I just want to share this with all the other parents out there," said Newman.
Newman's demonstration will be a shortened version of the full-length Happiest Baby course and will include discussions of various topics.
The program includes information about Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, a condition when infants die unexpectedly and without explanation, and
Shaken Baby Syndrome, which occurs when an infant's head is violently shaken and damaged.
Newman said she hopes to show parents and expecting mothers how to soothe their babies using Karp's techniques and children's natural reflexes so
both babies and their parents can sleep a little more.
"[Parenting] is a wonderful experience; it's a blessing," Newman said. "It can also bring too many sleepless nights."
Parents who learn the calming techniques experience other benefits as well. Marital stress, postpartum depression and breast-feeding failures are all
reduced when the parent and child are more relaxed, Newman said.
| Ken Koons/Staff Photo Colleen Newman gets a smile from her 3-month-old daughter Claire. |
Keeping babies in parents' bed? It's debatabable
By Kate Shatzkin
Sun Reporter
October 23, 2005
Yes, Megan Humphrey of Annapolis has heard that the American Academy of Pediatrics now recommends that parents sleep separately from their babies.
No, she isn't planning to stop sharing a bed with her 2-month-old daughter and toddler son.
"I couldn't imagine putting a baby in a crib," the 28-year-old mother said. "They expect to be carried and held and to sleep right next to you. This is the
only developed country in the world where we don't sleep right next to our children."
In a policy statement designed to reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDS, a task force of the American Academy of Pediatrics wrote this
month that a number of case studies "suggest that bed sharing is hazardous."
SIDS deaths have dropped by 50 percent since the academy recommended in 1992 that babies be put to sleep on their backs instead of their stomachs.
But the task force said it wants to reduce SIDS even further. Though it has discouraged bed-sharing in the past, this was the group's strongest statement yet
against the practice.
The academy now recommends that babies sleep in the same room as their parents to reduce the risk of SIDS - something advocates of breastfeeding
laud. But the policy, which says putting the baby in his own bed is the best way to reduce SIDS, diverges from the practice of many parents.
As breastfeeding has become more common, more mothers have made room in their beds for little ones, saying it is an easier way to meet their nursing
demands through the night. The family bed also is part of a popular philosophy called "natural" or "attachment" parenting, in which mothers keep their
babies close by wearing them in slings or carriers, breastfeeding and sleeping with them to help infants feel more secure.
The proportion of infants usually sharing an adult bed at night grew from 5.5 percent to 12.8 percent between 1993 and 2000, according to the National
Infant Sleep Position Study. Nearly half the infants in the study had spent at least some time in the previous two weeks sleeping on an adult bed at night.
'Go with the heart'
A number of parents who sleep with their babies said their own instincts should trump the doctors'. Several said they also would disregard a
recommendation that babies use pacifiers at night to reduce the risk of SIDS, saying they would rather nurse the babies through the night instead.
Colleen Newman, a Westminster mother of two who sleeps with her 8-month-old daughter Claire and runs a parent coaching business, said she is telling
mothers in her classes to "go with their heart" in deciding how their babies should sleep.
"If we tried to do everything we are told, we'd be running around in circles," the 28-year-old mother said.
Dr. William Sears, a pediatrician who sparked the attachment parenting movement with a series of books, said he thought the academy should have issued
guidelines on how adults and infants can safely share a bed.
He advises parents to avoid soft sleeping surfaces and soft bedding for babies such as pillows or comforters; not to use alcohol, drugs or any
over-the-counter medications that might cloud their awareness of the child; and to fit mattresses securely against headboards to keep infants from falling
into a gap.
Sears and James McKenna, a biological anthropologist who directs the Mother-Baby Behavioral Sleep Laboratory at the University of Notre Dame, said
parents will continue sleeping with infants. "It makes them go underground," said McKenna.
Inherently unsafe
But John Kattwinkel, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Virginia School of Medicine who led the academy task force that issued the policy, said
the group felt there was enough evidence for a categorical statement that infants should sleep separately.
"It's hard for me as a physician to make recommendations to people about how to make something unsafe a little less unsafe," he said. "There are
absolutely no studies showing how to share beds safely."
The academy warns in particular against adults sleeping with an infant on a couch.
Dee Dee Franke, a registered nurse who runs a mothers' discussion group at Greater Baltimore Medical Center, said many parents don't plan to sleep with
their children - it just happens.
"I think a lot of parents are very sleep deprived and pretty desperate, so a lot of kids are sleeping on their chests," she said.
When Jeanette Guy of Hunt Valley has her third baby next spring, the 38-year-old mother intends to do what she did with the first two - bring the child into
bed for nursing, then back in a nearby bassinet. But Guy said that sometimes, it's hard for mother and baby to keep from falling asleep together in the bed
during breastfeeding - even if it's only for an hour or so.
Bethany Beecher-Thomas of Roland Park, 28, said she never intended to sleep with her baby, "but my son would not sleep any other way."
The academy's statement notes that while so-called "co-sleepers" - infant beds that attach to parent beds - can be handy for nighttime breastfeeding, the
Consumer Product Safety Commission has yet to establish standards for them.
But while parents should know that such standards haven't been set, Kattwinkel said the attached infant beds "make a lot of sense" to achieve closeness
while giving baby his own space.
Gina Webbert Pendry, an Annapolis mother of four who still shares her bed with her 5-year-old daughter and 8-month-old son, wonders how the
recommendation will affect new mothers.
"They see a statement like this and get scared about something that might come very naturally to them as a mother," said Pendry, 40.
kate.shatzkin@baltsun.com
http://www.baltimoresun.com/features/custom/modernlife/bal-ml.relate23oct23,1,2406782.story
Copyright © 2005, The Baltimore Sun
By Kate Shatzkin
Sun Reporter
October 23, 2005
Yes, Megan Humphrey of Annapolis has heard that the American Academy of Pediatrics now recommends that parents sleep separately from their babies.
No, she isn't planning to stop sharing a bed with her 2-month-old daughter and toddler son.
"I couldn't imagine putting a baby in a crib," the 28-year-old mother said. "They expect to be carried and held and to sleep right next to you. This is the
only developed country in the world where we don't sleep right next to our children."
In a policy statement designed to reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDS, a task force of the American Academy of Pediatrics wrote this
month that a number of case studies "suggest that bed sharing is hazardous."
SIDS deaths have dropped by 50 percent since the academy recommended in 1992 that babies be put to sleep on their backs instead of their stomachs.
But the task force said it wants to reduce SIDS even further. Though it has discouraged bed-sharing in the past, this was the group's strongest statement yet
against the practice.
The academy now recommends that babies sleep in the same room as their parents to reduce the risk of SIDS - something advocates of breastfeeding
laud. But the policy, which says putting the baby in his own bed is the best way to reduce SIDS, diverges from the practice of many parents.
As breastfeeding has become more common, more mothers have made room in their beds for little ones, saying it is an easier way to meet their nursing
demands through the night. The family bed also is part of a popular philosophy called "natural" or "attachment" parenting, in which mothers keep their
babies close by wearing them in slings or carriers, breastfeeding and sleeping with them to help infants feel more secure.
The proportion of infants usually sharing an adult bed at night grew from 5.5 percent to 12.8 percent between 1993 and 2000, according to the National
Infant Sleep Position Study. Nearly half the infants in the study had spent at least some time in the previous two weeks sleeping on an adult bed at night.
'Go with the heart'
A number of parents who sleep with their babies said their own instincts should trump the doctors'. Several said they also would disregard a
recommendation that babies use pacifiers at night to reduce the risk of SIDS, saying they would rather nurse the babies through the night instead.
Colleen Newman, a Westminster mother of two who sleeps with her 8-month-old daughter Claire and runs a parent coaching business, said she is telling
mothers in her classes to "go with their heart" in deciding how their babies should sleep.
"If we tried to do everything we are told, we'd be running around in circles," the 28-year-old mother said.
Dr. William Sears, a pediatrician who sparked the attachment parenting movement with a series of books, said he thought the academy should have issued
guidelines on how adults and infants can safely share a bed.
He advises parents to avoid soft sleeping surfaces and soft bedding for babies such as pillows or comforters; not to use alcohol, drugs or any
over-the-counter medications that might cloud their awareness of the child; and to fit mattresses securely against headboards to keep infants from falling
into a gap.
Sears and James McKenna, a biological anthropologist who directs the Mother-Baby Behavioral Sleep Laboratory at the University of Notre Dame, said
parents will continue sleeping with infants. "It makes them go underground," said McKenna.
Inherently unsafe
But John Kattwinkel, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Virginia School of Medicine who led the academy task force that issued the policy, said
the group felt there was enough evidence for a categorical statement that infants should sleep separately.
"It's hard for me as a physician to make recommendations to people about how to make something unsafe a little less unsafe," he said. "There are
absolutely no studies showing how to share beds safely."
The academy warns in particular against adults sleeping with an infant on a couch.
Dee Dee Franke, a registered nurse who runs a mothers' discussion group at Greater Baltimore Medical Center, said many parents don't plan to sleep with
their children - it just happens.
"I think a lot of parents are very sleep deprived and pretty desperate, so a lot of kids are sleeping on their chests," she said.
When Jeanette Guy of Hunt Valley has her third baby next spring, the 38-year-old mother intends to do what she did with the first two - bring the child into
bed for nursing, then back in a nearby bassinet. But Guy said that sometimes, it's hard for mother and baby to keep from falling asleep together in the bed
during breastfeeding - even if it's only for an hour or so.
Bethany Beecher-Thomas of Roland Park, 28, said she never intended to sleep with her baby, "but my son would not sleep any other way."
The academy's statement notes that while so-called "co-sleepers" - infant beds that attach to parent beds - can be handy for nighttime breastfeeding, the
Consumer Product Safety Commission has yet to establish standards for them.
But while parents should know that such standards haven't been set, Kattwinkel said the attached infant beds "make a lot of sense" to achieve closeness
while giving baby his own space.
Gina Webbert Pendry, an Annapolis mother of four who still shares her bed with her 5-year-old daughter and 8-month-old son, wonders how the
recommendation will affect new mothers.
"They see a statement like this and get scared about something that might come very naturally to them as a mother," said Pendry, 40.
kate.shatzkin@baltsun.com
http://www.baltimoresun.com/features/custom/modernlife/bal-ml.relate23oct23,1,2406782.story
Copyright © 2005, The Baltimore Sun
Nursing moms can't shake stigma
By Janie Fichter, Times Staff Writer
On Front Page of the Carroll County Times
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
Last week, Colleen Newman, of Westminster, was breastfeeding her 81/2-month-old daughter at Babies "R" Us when a woman stopped and told her there
was a mother's room at the store were she could nurse her child.
She nodded and smiled at the woman, but she didn't move.
Even though there are laws giving women the right to breastfeed in public, women are still confronted if they nurse in public, she said.
In 2003, the Maryland General Assembly adopted a law that allows a woman to breastfeed in any public or private place where she's allowed to be.
Almost 40 states have such laws.
The laws make women more comfortable when breastfeeding their children in public, said Newman, owner of My Baby and More Parent Coaching and
Educational Services in Westminster. Newman offers breastfeeding support and parent education classes.
"It's just such a natural thing, and it's healthy," she said.
Research suggests that breast milk boosts immunity and decreases risk of infection and illness in infants. Essentially, breast milk is a super food for
children. And recent research by the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine suggests that breastfeeding lowers the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.
More American women are breastfeeding their children, Newman said, and disregarding the stigma that breastfeeding in public is indecent.
"You see more when you go to the beach than when you nurse," she said.
Katy Lebbing, manager of the Center for Breastfeeding Information at La Leche League International, said more women in America are accepting
breastfeeding as a healthy choice and are discreet about breastfeeding in public by wearing a shirt that covers them while nursing.
La Leche League provides information, education and support to mothers who breastfeed. The organization's U.S. headquarters are in Illinois.
"Women are very educated. Breastfeeding is so much healthier for children," she said.
Joyce Tierney, director of the Carroll County Family Support Center, said about 95 percent of young mothers who come to the family center choose not
to breastfeed. The family center provides child day care, support groups, parenting classes and other programs to Carroll County's low-income families.
She said the mothers are not necessarily reflective of the population of Carroll County, though.
Reach staff writer Janie M. Fichter at 410-857-7890 or fichterj@lcniofmd.com.
On the Net
For more information on the National Breastfeeding Awareness Campaign or breastfeeding, visit:
By Janie Fichter, Times Staff Writer
On Front Page of the Carroll County Times
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
Last week, Colleen Newman, of Westminster, was breastfeeding her 81/2-month-old daughter at Babies "R" Us when a woman stopped and told her there
was a mother's room at the store were she could nurse her child.
She nodded and smiled at the woman, but she didn't move.
Even though there are laws giving women the right to breastfeed in public, women are still confronted if they nurse in public, she said.
In 2003, the Maryland General Assembly adopted a law that allows a woman to breastfeed in any public or private place where she's allowed to be.
Almost 40 states have such laws.
The laws make women more comfortable when breastfeeding their children in public, said Newman, owner of My Baby and More Parent Coaching and
Educational Services in Westminster. Newman offers breastfeeding support and parent education classes.
"It's just such a natural thing, and it's healthy," she said.
Research suggests that breast milk boosts immunity and decreases risk of infection and illness in infants. Essentially, breast milk is a super food for
children. And recent research by the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine suggests that breastfeeding lowers the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.
More American women are breastfeeding their children, Newman said, and disregarding the stigma that breastfeeding in public is indecent.
"You see more when you go to the beach than when you nurse," she said.
Katy Lebbing, manager of the Center for Breastfeeding Information at La Leche League International, said more women in America are accepting
breastfeeding as a healthy choice and are discreet about breastfeeding in public by wearing a shirt that covers them while nursing.
La Leche League provides information, education and support to mothers who breastfeed. The organization's U.S. headquarters are in Illinois.
"Women are very educated. Breastfeeding is so much healthier for children," she said.
Joyce Tierney, director of the Carroll County Family Support Center, said about 95 percent of young mothers who come to the family center choose not
to breastfeed. The family center provides child day care, support groups, parenting classes and other programs to Carroll County's low-income families.
She said the mothers are not necessarily reflective of the population of Carroll County, though.
Reach staff writer Janie M. Fichter at 410-857-7890 or fichterj@lcniofmd.com.
On the Net
For more information on the National Breastfeeding Awareness Campaign or breastfeeding, visit:
- La Leche League: www.lalecheleague.org
- Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine: www.bfmed.org
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: www.4woman.gov/breastfeeding/
 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |
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Mama Knows Best
05/10/06
By Kym Byrnes
Westminster Eagle Reporter
Loud screams, sleepless nights, spit up and chaos - the reality for many new parents.
Westminster mom Colleen Newman, founder and owner of My Baby and More Parent Coaching and Educational
Services, says that with some coaching and training, the screams can be quieted, sleep can be had for all ... and
chaos can be calmed.
With a degree in early childhood education, several years of experience as preschool teacher and two children of
her own - Claire, 14 months, and Wes, age 3 - Newman brings education and experience to the table when working
with parents.
Newman's latest offering to new and expecting parents is the Happiest Baby Class at Carroll Hospital Center.
Based on the "Happiest Baby on the Block" book written by Dr. Harvey Karp, the class offers hands-on instructions
to calm, soothe and care for newborns.
The class is taught by instructors who have completed a specialized training program, and is designed to help new
parents and even moms-to-be.
" 'The Happiest Baby on the Block' book and DVD are very helpful, but most new parents don't have the time to
read," said Newman, "The class offers a hands-on approach to learning techniques, and gives attendees someone
to bounce questions off of."
In addition to the Happiest Baby class, Newman also teaches a positive parenting workshop for parents of toddlers.
She has presented on the topic to organizations including the Maryland Infants and Toddlers Program and the
Carroll County Public Library system. Newman also offers one-on-one consulting that can be done in person, over
the phone or via e-mail.
"The best part of my job is helping parents find solutions that work; solutions that are loved-based and gentle,"
Newman said. "I love to see that sigh of relief, it's like a light bulb that goes off and the parents say, 'Oh, this really
works.' "
For the past six months, Newman has also been working to write a book, "Near Mama's Heart, about breastfeeding.
The book is a resource for parents who want to explain breastfeeding to toddlers and younger children.
Newman said that when she was pregnant with her second child, she wanted her son to understand breastfeeding.
Because she was unable to find a book on the subjecct, she decided to author her own. (The book is available on
her Web site, www.mybabyandmore.com at a cost of $14.99 plus shipping.)
Newman teaches that the best way to get that "happiest baby" is with a love-based, not fear-based, style of
parenting and dealing with children.
She feels that a gentle approach is best for both parents and children.
"The best thing I've learned to do as a parent is to relax - to take a deep breath before I approach any situation
and have the confidence that I can handle the situation," Newman said.
"Relaxation is the key to a calm environment."
Newman offers a few simple tips for new parents - be confident, trust your instincts and love your baby as much as
you can.
"That's all that matters," she said.
To contact Colleen Newman, visit www.mybabyandmore.com or call 443-605-8313. The Happiest Baby class is
about 2.5 hours long and the $70 fee includes a copy of "The Happiest Baby on the Block" book and a soothing
sounds CD. To sign up for the next class, scheduled for May 25 at Carroll Hospital Center, call 410-848-2244.
05/10/06
By Kym Byrnes
Westminster Eagle Reporter
Loud screams, sleepless nights, spit up and chaos - the reality for many new parents.
Westminster mom Colleen Newman, founder and owner of My Baby and More Parent Coaching and Educational
Services, says that with some coaching and training, the screams can be quieted, sleep can be had for all ... and
chaos can be calmed.
With a degree in early childhood education, several years of experience as preschool teacher and two children of
her own - Claire, 14 months, and Wes, age 3 - Newman brings education and experience to the table when working
with parents.
Newman's latest offering to new and expecting parents is the Happiest Baby Class at Carroll Hospital Center.
Based on the "Happiest Baby on the Block" book written by Dr. Harvey Karp, the class offers hands-on instructions
to calm, soothe and care for newborns.
The class is taught by instructors who have completed a specialized training program, and is designed to help new
parents and even moms-to-be.
" 'The Happiest Baby on the Block' book and DVD are very helpful, but most new parents don't have the time to
read," said Newman, "The class offers a hands-on approach to learning techniques, and gives attendees someone
to bounce questions off of."
In addition to the Happiest Baby class, Newman also teaches a positive parenting workshop for parents of toddlers.
She has presented on the topic to organizations including the Maryland Infants and Toddlers Program and the
Carroll County Public Library system. Newman also offers one-on-one consulting that can be done in person, over
the phone or via e-mail.
"The best part of my job is helping parents find solutions that work; solutions that are loved-based and gentle,"
Newman said. "I love to see that sigh of relief, it's like a light bulb that goes off and the parents say, 'Oh, this really
works.' "
For the past six months, Newman has also been working to write a book, "Near Mama's Heart, about breastfeeding.
The book is a resource for parents who want to explain breastfeeding to toddlers and younger children.
Newman said that when she was pregnant with her second child, she wanted her son to understand breastfeeding.
Because she was unable to find a book on the subjecct, she decided to author her own. (The book is available on
her Web site, www.mybabyandmore.com at a cost of $14.99 plus shipping.)
Newman teaches that the best way to get that "happiest baby" is with a love-based, not fear-based, style of
parenting and dealing with children.
She feels that a gentle approach is best for both parents and children.
"The best thing I've learned to do as a parent is to relax - to take a deep breath before I approach any situation
and have the confidence that I can handle the situation," Newman said.
"Relaxation is the key to a calm environment."
Newman offers a few simple tips for new parents - be confident, trust your instincts and love your baby as much as
you can.
"That's all that matters," she said.
To contact Colleen Newman, visit www.mybabyandmore.com or call 443-605-8313. The Happiest Baby class is
about 2.5 hours long and the $70 fee includes a copy of "The Happiest Baby on the Block" book and a soothing
sounds CD. To sign up for the next class, scheduled for May 25 at Carroll Hospital Center, call 410-848-2244.
