newsletter Feb06

the newsletter, Jan 2007

This is how the breast prepares itself for nursing

Turgid, voluminous...ready to welcome and to feed the child. The breast suffers an unbelievable transformation in the nine months of pregnancy mainly due to the influence of the hormones that modify the breast and they make it suitable for the imminent duty of nursing. A fundamental appointment for the growth of a child that, for this reason, requires suitable preparation. Also at a practical level: the secret of nursing without problems is mainly due to the care that you dedicate to your breasts in the weeks before the birth of the child and those immediately after.

Two particularly important hormones determine the most evident changes in the evolution of the pregnancy:

prolactin, produced from the beginning of the pregnancy and the lactogenic - placenta hormone that only appears at around the 15th week. It is thanks to their timely intervention that the breast adapts to this new condition: adiposity decreases, the glandular tissue increases and lactic ducts, that is the "channels" through which the milk escapes during nursing, begin to branch out and to prepare the connection of "acinar glands", responsible for the production of milk, with the nipple. During the fifth month, due to the increase in blood flow, the areola and nipple also begin to change and respectively become wider and darker in colour. It is during this same phase that the production of "colostrum" begins which is a rich and nourishing anticipation of the maternal milk that will feed the baby during the first few days, until the mammary glands are ready to produce milk.

There is no reason to be alarmed therefore if the breast is not the same as it was before, if the breasts are more sensitive to external stimulation, or if at the end of the pregnancy the sense of heaviness increases in the breast. Everything is perfectly normal: the apparent small inconvenience and transformations, even more important ones, simply respond to an inevitable biological and even propitious change. This doesn't mean however that one should neglect oneself. On the contrary. Preparing the breasts during the nine months of pregnancy is an essential operation both to keep in shape and to prevent possible suffering during the nursing phase. When the breast is more voluminous, it is for instance easy to assume an incorrect posture that can determine an aesthetical change in the breasts: it is advisable therefore to check your posture, walking erect, holding back the shoulders slightly and looking ahead and not at the floor. As soon as the increase in volume of the breasts becomes very evident, it is recommended to buy a good cotton bra to adequately sustain the breasts. The ideal bra has to sustain but not compress, it must be made from natural fibres that allow the skin to transpire, and should be seamless to avoid irritation.

It is particularly important to provide daily care to the entire décolleté area: for instance it is recommended to wash the skin constantly using delicate products that do not contain active surface agents, or substances that tend to dehydrate the skin. After cleansing it is important to pat the skin dry delicately and to smear a good specific moisturizing cream. To soften the breast and to prepare the skin and nipple for the resistance tests that it will have to face during nursing, you can start from the beginning of the eighth month by massaging some cream with calendula or with almond oil. The first can also be applied during the first few weeks after the birth, whilst the second is not recommended during nursing due to the bitter taste it leaves on the skin, even after washing. To help the breast to remain more tonic, it is important to apply a firming and elasticising product every day with a light circular massage in a clockwise and counter-clockwise direction, over the breasts and the entire area up to the neck. Make sure that this "treatment" is started immediately: to prevent the formation of stretch marks and the consequent unsightly scars the treatments should begin from the first months of pregnancy and continue at least until you have finished nursing.

Natural, soft, warm. Caoutchouc, more commonly known as Indian rubber, is the material that best succeeds in satisfying the demands of small babies. For this reason Chicco has produced soothers and teats solely from natural rubber: simple and safe products, designed with the experience and love necessary to assure every child receives all the wellbeing and serenity he has the right to in order to grow.

Caucciu originates from latex which is extracted from the tropical plant Hevea brasiliensis, and represents a natural product which has surprisingly similar characteristics to those of the maternal breast: it is particularly elastic, it extends easily and just as easily it returns to its former shape, which allows the baby to repeat the natural sucking movement. Its extreme softness also guarantees a pleasant and natural contact with the baby's lips, it adapts to the shape of the mouth, whilst the natural ability of caoutchouc to quickly transmit heat makes the feeding moment more pleasant, and does not alter the taste of the milk.

Another key essential feature of products destined to babies is their level of resistance. A quality that comes naturally to caoutchouc something that is even more evident in Chicco products: Chicco soothers and teats achieve higher levels of safety that those provided by the current Standards in force in Europe (EN 1400 and EN 14350) and stand up to the traction and the bites of the babies without tearing, even when their teeth start to come through. It is for these particular and essential qualities that caoutchouc is primarily used by Chicco in their soothers and nursing products, with the objective of making the sucking process more pleasant and at the same time allow them to feed correctly: clinical studies show that the physiological teat of the Benessere baby bottle in caoutchouc is the teat which is the most similar to the natural behaviour of the maternal breast.

The controlled sources of origin of the raw materials, combined with the exclusive production cycle, designed, developed and implemented in Italy, make Chicco caoutchouc and the range of products using this material truly unique. Products which are naturally anallergic, chemically tested in vitro. Indian rubber soothers and teats can be sterilized using either hot or cold methods, and a series of specific products.

The important point is, as for every quality product, to bear in mind some correct "maintenance" rules: a variation in colour or size during use does not interfere with the basic characteristics of the products, but it is always recommended "to support nature" in its progress and to replace the product, which is just as natural, in the event of any evident modifications.

"Bombarded" by 15,000 chemical substances, afflicted by exhaust pipes, poisoned by contaminated food and water. Our children are the ones who pay the heaviest price for pollution. And numerous studies confirm that children, especially those who live in the larger cities, are more exposed than adults to the risks of smog. The harmful effects are in some cases anything but minor: according to the data provided by the World Health Organization one in three children who die in Europe, actually die of pollution. An alarming figure, that invites one to reflect and forces people to review their life habits and priority of choices.

Among the most dangerous substances is, without doubt fine dusts, produced mainly by the traffic and industrial discharges. But not alone. A recent Italian survey conducted on a sample of five European nations has emphasised that more than two out of three children already breathe a high quantity of the incriminated dusts at school. These substances are so dangerous, says the OMS survey, that it kills every year in Europe over 13,000 children of between zero and four years of age. And the numbers rapidly increase if the deaths are combined with physical damages that, even though they may not be fatal, they can become chronic: recent surveys report a constant increase in respiratory illnesses, starting from very young children. According to these statistics, in the 8 large Italian cities taking part in the survey, there were 31,500 episodes of children with acute bronchitis and 30,000 asthma attacks, where 28.6% of the cases of acute bronchitis and 8.7% of asthmatic attacks were all caused by fine dusts.

From whatever angle one looks at the situation, in short, the truth is that the air is increasingly unbreathable and, as always, the children are paying for the lack of responsibility of adults. The reasons are above all of a biological nature. When children breathe they take in, in proportion, more air than adults and they also have greater difficulty in expelling the harmful substances. A further fact is that until eight years of age the children's lungs are not yet completely developed, which means that in a small area of the organism there are a consistent amount of substances which gather and can be very risky. There are also other factors that make children more vulnerable to the risks caused by smog: it has been calculated in fact that, during an hour's walk in a stroller in the city – with the child positioned practically at the exact height of all the car exhaust pipes - a child breathes in up to 6.700 micrograms of carbon monoxide, 36 of dusts, 27 of sulphur dioxide and 75 of nitrogen dioxide.

It is certainly not simple to reduce the problem. It is nevertheless possible to try to limit the damage using common sense, prudence and devices which are available to the "mother". The experts remind us that the face masks are of no use at all, they do not prevent the damages caused by pollution because the dusts are tiny and they equally enter the throat. The masks with active carbons can be effective, but it is often difficult to find them and the solution is certainly not practical – and frankly worrying – when applied to a child. Also keeping children cooped up in the house is not a good idea: children need to go out, to receive stimuli from the outside world and the air in apartments stagnates and good exchange of air is not always guaranteed. It is essential, however, to forego the strollers which are at the levels of exhaust pipes, on particularly bad days, and choose to take children out in pouches or in baby rucksacks. Carrying them in your arms or on your shoulders means in fact that they are not travelling at ground level, at the height of the exhaust pipes and the polluting dusts lifted by the wind. Also avoid going out during rush hours when the traffic is more intense. When travelling by car it is a good idea to keep the car windows and ventilation system in the car shut. To conclude, it is no use resorting to the patch of green near home: in order to find air which is more breathable, one has to leave the city or find shelter in the large green areas, the only areas still capable of guaranteeing a good level of oxygenation... and a truly healthy walk.

To rest and...to learn. This is what the afternoon nap is for, a "right" of every child, at least until he shows he needs it. And, up to three years of age, the need is indeed physiological: the nap after lunch, paediatricians explain, allow the child to recharge his energy and to re-elaborate the information and the emotions he has lived during the day. It is wrong to try to eliminate it, it is useless to try to manage it with excessive schedules and duration: obligations and constraints are not easily reconciled with the correct psycho-physical development of a child. It is better, where possible, to comply with the individual personal sleep requirements.

Children generally regulate the duration of their nap on their own: some are already "recharged" after an hour, and some would blissfully keep on sleeping the entire afternoon. It all depends on the energy needs of each child. A need that should nevertheless be manage in a way which avoids the afternoon "siesta" from interfering with his night-time sleep. The first rule is therefore not to close the room in an artificial dark, to help the child distinguish his nap during the day from the long sleep at night. It is also preferable, that the nap begins immediately after lunch, in the first hours of the afternoon: if the child has a late lunch, there is the risk that he will collapse even before he is seated at the table. It is a good idea therefore to anticipate his meal time and respond to his immediate need to rest. It is never recommended to put a child down for a nap after four thirty in the afternoon, as it is also better to avoid that his nap continues beyond this time : too much sleep will jeopardize his evening rest. When you want to wake him, if he is sleeping more than the acceptable limit, it is best to use as less a traumatic approach as possible: open the door of the room and allow the child to be woken by the noises in the house: this is usually sufficient to avoid him being irritated or getting into a bad mood due to a forced awakening.

The important thing, in any case, is not to wake him up suddenly: sit down next to him, cuddle him, caress him, in short, give him time to slowly adapt to the passage from his land of dreams to the real world.

Whilst it is certainly useful, especially in this phase, the nap should however not become an obligation. Generally children up to three years of age still feel the need for a nap after meals, but there are children that stop before this time and others who still need it further on. If, when the child reaches a certain age, he shows he no longer needs his nap, it is useless to force him to sleep in the afternoon, contradicting what is a natural physiological change. It is possible to try to encourage his nap with a series of actions and rituals (saying goodnight to his toys or singing him a lullaby) that, if repeated, allow the child to understand that it is his nap time. Or you can leave the child to rest, simply, playing in his bed or on the couch...with the television switched off: numerous research studies show that excessive time spent in front of the television jeopardizes his sleep, both in the afternoon and at night. No reason to worry also if, on exception, the child misses his nap: simply give him his supper an hour earlier to allow him to go to bed and make up for his lack of sleep.

The sport that helps to grow

It contributes to a healthy physical development, it reduces the risk of obesity, it helps them socialize, it nourishes their self-confidence. There is no doubt about it, sport can do nothing but good for children. Even the very smallest. According to recent surveys, 20% of all three year-old children regularly take part in sporting activities and this percentage rises to 70% if the age range up to five years is considered. "A healthy habit", paediatricians and sport physicians emphasis: the organism during this phase quickly develops and there is no reason "to protect" children in preschool age from physical activity. On the contrary. You should allow them to experiment conditions which can increase their motor skills with various sports. What is important in this phase however, is that it remains a "game". Something that helps them learn, to socialize... and to have a good time.

Swimming, dance, individual or team sports. The choice is entirely personal. The main point is that the sporting activity is adequate where possible to the psycho-physical requirements and age of the child. For this reason swimming is certainly among one of the ideal sports: it not only involves all the muscles in the body, it also holds the risk of scoliosis at bay and it stimulates the respiratory apparatus and the cardio-vascular system. Some "water-game" lessons with little balls and floating objects are usually enough to amuse the child and introduce him slowly to swimming that, the experts say, can commence without problems of any kind at around 3 years of age. The only side effects for children can be due to allergies to the chlorine, or rheumatism, sinusitis, rhinopharyngitis and otitis where the dampness of the water can increase the problems rather than bring any benefits.

An alternative solution to swimming can be gymnastic courses studied ad-hoc for children in preschool age: these usually take place once a week and turn physical activity into an amusing game with the help of toy balloons, ropes, hoops, mattresses and rubber cubes. To increase strength in children, cycling and trekking are particularly suitable, ideal for all ages and there is no need for them to attend a school: in order to go for a nice ride on a bike, a mother and father are enough to spend a lovely day outdoors. This is followed by all the most favourite sports, rhythmic gymnastics and dance activities can begin at around 4-5 years and they bring a series of benefits: they help to correct postural defects, to coordinate and to refine movements and to acquire confidence in their abilities. Equally advisable, again at around 4-5 years of age, are martial arts.

These sports, on the contrary to certain beliefs, do not develop aggressiveness in a child but they educate him to respect his opponent and they help him to increase his sense of balance and level of reflexes. Football is usually best at around six years of age: it is an activity that teaches children to socialize, to collaborate, to learn but, above all, develop the muscles in the lower part of the body which requires constant work on compensatory exercises. A commitment that children, in this phase of life, are not able to sustain either physically or psychologically. The same concept applies to tennis, but with inverse reference to the possible muscular consequences. There is no age limit for aerobic running, on the contrary, it can be a particularly effective activity especially where there are risks of obesity. The only problem can be boredom: without a game component, a child has difficulty running for a long time.

And if the child is not having fun, there is the risk that sport will become boring and a self-defeating obligation. Before choosing the activity for our child therefore, we have to put aside our own interests, our own unaccomplished dreams and also our cultural preconceptions that foresee a distinction, incomprehensible for children, between female and male sports: the adults simply have to propose the choices, without forcing any decisions, that, in any case should where possible be left up to the child. A final suggestion: try to avoid transforming what should primarily be a game for children, into a competition in which the results become more important than the learning or fun factor. Psychologists and trainers have no doubts: when a child or a teenager gives up a sporting activity, it is often due to a parent who is full of expectations, demands and anxiety. Running, jumping, having fun: these are the only "exercises" that children should have to expe riment in order for physical activity to become a truly educational part of their growth. Sport, at least for children, should continue to be a game and nothing more.

Children of a multicoloured society

Multiracial, multiethnic, multi-cultural: this is the society of the future. That which our children will be assigned to make increasingly modern, more advanced not only technologically but also at a social and cultural level. Because progress and modernity also include and give importance to the ability to look ahead, to overcome prejudice, to accept "differences". Those same differences that for the children of the new millennium are already something of the present: according to recent statistics there are around 150 thousand foreign pupils in Italy, representing 182 different nations. If it were not for the "discussions" of the adults, the children would not notice enormous differences: yellow, white or black they are in the end just schoolmates, with the same abilities to learn, to play, to make themselves loved. Nobody is born racist. Racist, however, one can become: according to the environment in which one lives, to the education one receives, to the induced fears , to the type of personality.

It is around five years of age that the first signals of prejudice generally appear. Signals which are destined to grow stronger when the family "atmosphere" is incapable of accepting the changes in society. The result is, almost always, a refusal of the "difference" in name of religious and cultural convictions that risk contradicting the profound values that are at the base of all civil cohabitations: peace, tolerance, mutual respect. The risk that intolerance marks the conviction of a child and above all of a teen-ager is high: the increasing need of "affiliation" with a group can lead to a searching for reassurance in confinements and barriers that, on one side create divisions, but on other confer identity. This is a natural process, of course, where however it is possible, and necessary, to intervene in order to correct extremism and distortedness.

The reasons that lead men and women to abandon their own Countries in search of a better life should therefore be explained to children – poverty, wars, persecutions. To help our children also understand the value of the changes in progress it is important to emphasise, when possible, the aspects of other cultures that already belong to our social and family life: a non Italian food that we cook, a music that we listen to together and that it is enjoyable, an item of clothing, a knickknack or an object that we have in the house, a foreign word of common use. Children must, in short, have the chance to learn to grow up in a multicoloured world, to listen to the reasons of others, to tolerate differences. Which does not mean forgetting their own origins or disowning their own truths. It simply means recognizing a true opportunity to enrich their knowledge, to enter into contact with histories and experiences which are rich, as ours, in emotions, convictions and memo ries in the relationship between different human and ethnic realities. Values which in any case are to be respected and from which they can reap benefits to grow up and become aware and, above all, serene adults: it is difficult for a child who has been brought up to be suspicious towards "foreigners" to face without fear a study or work experience abroad when he is an adult. The most immediate risk is that the certainty of the dogmatic convictions that we have given our children can, one day, turn into a boomerang or, even worse, an anchor which limits a free and serene growth. The responsibility of a parent boils down to this, the awareness to being for his or her children, the daily filter through which their correct knowledge of the world passes. That world that is the same for everybody and of which we are all citizens. With the same right to be able to experiment the value of a freedom that doesn't know boundaries, of a serenity that doesn't know time.

Of a respect that doesn't know colour.