Children

Victorian Maternal Child Health Nurse System

Jackie Arbuckle Leave a comment Children, Pregnancy & breast feeding

I came across a post this morning on FaceBook in a very large babies/kids group I am in. I was touched by her experience of the Maternal Child Health Nurse (MCHN) service in Victoria, as mine was similar. No chopping and changing of appointments, but the nurse that I had was focused on so many micro details, that she failed to see I had a happy healthy baby on my hands. I was given very poor advice on numerous occasions, and I ended up changing nurses. I too made a complaint but it was not even followed up with a phone call. But how many mums would actually take the time to complain when they are sleep deprived and juggling new motherhood The system needs an overhaul. We need support at times like this, more than ever.

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What milk should my kids drink?

Jackie Arbuckle Leave a comment Children, Food

A really common question I get asked as a naturopath is what sort of milk is best for my child to drink or have on their cereal. It often sparks vigorous debate among those who are in favour of plant based milks and those who prefer animal sources.

There are a few options and I will go through the pros and cons below so you can make up your own mind.

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Reflux in babies

Jackie Arbuckle Leave a comment Children, Health Issues, Pregnancy & breast feeding

If you have a baby with reflux your life can almost be a living hell. They scream, they are very unsettled and unhappy, and they don’t sleep. They also like to be held upright which (although cuddles are wonderful) is exhausting when it is 24/7.

I had one of these babies and It was very difficult until I figured out how to fix it. For my experience, within 24 hours I had a very different baby. No screaming, no crying, and more sleeping. Within a couple of months it was totally gone.

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Help me Jackie the naturopath! My baby has a head cold

Jackie Arbuckle Leave a comment Children, Health Issues, Nutrients & Herbs

One of the most common questions I get as a naturopath and a mum is how to get rid of a cold/cough/runny nose in a sick child. It actually sparked me to create my Toddler and Kids Immunity program, as it is a common issue in families, particularly coming into winter.

The problem is, the younger the child, the trickier it can be to help with “home remedies” as they are not on solids, so cant take over the counter nutrients and herbs. When younger babies are sick, OR if your older child is catching everything that goes around, and is sick more then they are well, it may be better to bring them in for a naturopathic consultation. However if your child is eating solids and gets the occasional head cold then you may find the following advice helpful.

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The best advice I received when I was pregnant ~ part 2

Jackie Arbuckle Leave a comment Children, Pregnancy & breast feeding

The best thing I read while I was pregnant was shared on facebook. The actual post I can no longer find but it was written by a mum and was along the following lines. The baby has gone from the womb, which is warm and dark, and funnily enough, reasonably noisy (with the mothers breathing […]

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The best advice I received when I was pregnant ~ part 1

Jackie Arbuckle Leave a comment Children, Pregnancy & breast feeding

Those of us who have had the privilege of being pregnant and having a new born baby, know that it is open house for advice on EVERYTHING pregnancy and child related. Most of it I listened to. I took on board what resonated with me, and what I didn’t like, I discarded (politely!). Of everything that I heard, read, and saw, there were two gems of info that stuck with me. It was something my husband said when we finally had our beautiful son, and something my sister shared on Facebook when I was pregnant. (And I do realise the irony of giving advice through this blog post, even though I have just said that EVERYONE loves to give unsolicited advice!)

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