Care Bear Doula Services

12/12/2025

Sleeping close to a parent gives a baby far more than comfort. It provides steady touch that supports healthy development during the earliest years of life. These moments help shape the brain and body in ways that guide long term wellbeing.

Research shows that babies who sleep near a caregiver receive thousands of extra hours of physical contact. This contact helps regulate the nervous system, allowing the baby to settle more easily. Their body learns to calm with support, building the foundation for emotional balance.

Close sleep also gives the immune system helpful signals. Gentle touch reduces stress and supports healthier sleep patterns, both of which strengthen early immunity. These small, repeated experiences create a calmer internal environment for growth.

The developing brain responds strongly to connection. Touch increases feelings of safety, improves bonding, and supports secure attachment. A secure attachment is linked to confidence, resilience, and healthier relationships throughout life. This early closeness shapes how a child understands comfort and trust.

Sleeping near a parent does not create bad habits. It meets the biological needs of a growing child. Through warmth and steady presence, caregivers help build a strong foundation that supports emotional and physical health for years to come.

12/01/2025

Tiny sugar cuts early can shape a lifetime of health

A new study shows that limiting sugar during a baby’s first two years of life can lower the risk of serious health problems later on. Parents who reduce sugar early may help protect their child from type 2 diabetes by 35% and high blood pressure by 20%.

During early development, a baby’s body and organs are still learning how to process food. Giving too much sugar too soon can affect how the body uses insulin and stores fat. Over time, this can lead to chronic illnesses, even if the child seems healthy while young.

Experts recommend avoiding added sugars like candy, juice, and sweet snacks until age two. Natural sugars found in breast milk, fruits, and vegetables are safe and healthy. The key is not to build sugar cravings too early.

When babies get used to sweet flavors, they may crave more as they grow up. That can turn into habits that are hard to break and lead to poor health later. By starting with whole, simple foods, you're helping build a stronger, healthier body for life.

This small choice in early years brings big rewards later. It’s not just about avoiding sweets it’s about shaping your child’s future health from the very first bite.

Early habits last the longest. Start sweet with love, not sugar.

02/13/2025

During pregnancy, a woman's brain shrinks in size.

This is why some pregnant women may experience small, sometimes subtle deficits in tasks, like recalling items from a list they have studied, or remembering to do certain things in the future.

After delivering the baby, it would take up to six months for the mother's brain to regain its original size. The cells in the brain reduce in size without reducing in number. In other words, neuron density remains the same, which is why the brain capacity returns to normal after childbirth.

A study published in Nature Neuroscience revealed that pregnant women experience a decrease in gray matter in specific brain regions responsible for social cognition and forming attachments. However, this loss of gray matter actually enhances a mother's feelings of attachment to her baby and improves her ability to understand their needs and emotions.

Using MRI scans, researchers examined the brains of pregnant women before and after giving birth. They discovered that the reduction in gray matter in specific brain regions actually improves the brain's efficiency in understanding nonverbal cues from newborns.

This change enables mothers to quickly identify potential dangers and enhances their emotional connection with their babies. The first study was published in the American Journal of Neuroradiology, and it’s entitled, “Change in brain size during and after pregnancy: study in healthy women and women with preeclampsia”. The second study was published in Nature Neuroscience and it’s entitled, “Pregnancy leads to long-lasting changes in human brain structure”

Credits: Hashem Al-Ghaili

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