Breastfeeding in the News March 1st – 8th, 2010

This week’s news certainly had its share of titillation.  From a chef who serves his patrons a cheese made from his wife’s breast milk, the woman in jail who was charged with assault for squirting her milk at a guard, to the mother who admits to breastfeeding her 14 year old.  And let’s not forget that fashion show that Bravado (makers of nursing bras) held in Las Vegas where the pregnant models were banned from walking the runway.

Mixed in with the odd ball articles two very sad stories also caught my eye.  In the Philippines a 31 year old woman was shot dead while breastfeeding her one year old.  The baby was still suckling her breast when they found her.  And in Uganda authorities say they have no proof that a mother who says her husband forced her to breastfeed puppies is telling the truth.  Apparently the scars on her breast were believed to be the result of her epilepsy, and the testimony from her children (ages 5 & 2) was not to be taken seriously because they after all merely children. 

 There were several stories about breastfeeding and the workplace this week and none of it was very encouraging I’m afraid.  Although donating a handmade quilt to a local health department breastfeeding room was a nice gesture of support it appears that combining breastfeeding and work remains a struggle in many places.  Utah failed to pass a bill requiring workplaces to set aside space for breastfeeding.  In Oklahoma where they have a law allowing mothers to express milk at work (during unpaid time) there was no mandate to set aside space to do so.  Officially encouraging businesses to set aside space hasn’t worked either as only 26 offices now have a designated pumping space.  (I find it ironic that the title of this article was “Workplaces Nurture Nursing Moms”.) 

In “To Pump or Not to Pump?” a mother whose office had a designated pumping room explains the dilemma she found herself in when she found it difficult to accept a travel assignment that would have made it difficult to pump.   In Taipei a survey found that less than 4% of businesses had a breastfeeding room and that lack of space was one of the main reasons cited for not doing so.  They too are considering a bill requiring public offices to create such a space which, unlike Oklahoma the bill, includes a provision to fine those who don’t comply.

Meanwhile according to the Wall Street Journal breastfeeding for six months or longer leads to an overall decrease in a woman’s income because they either work fewer hours or they quit.  “We can’t just look at health outcomes. We must look at economic outcomes as well,” says Mary Noonan, an associate professor at University of Iowa’s sociology department and co-author of the paper. “Money also matters for a child’s health.”  I think she has a valid point.  Why should a mother have to decide between her financial security and her child’s health?  Likewise why should business owners have to redesign their workspaces to accommodate the pumping mother? 

To me the answer is obvious.  Women need a nationally guaranteed long term (I’m thinking one year here!) paid maternity leave.  I’m tired of legislators trying to grapple with this problem from state to state with their pathetic attempts to combine breastfeeding in the workplace.  It also annoys me that these laws are promoted as laws to encourage breastfeeding when in reality they are promoting pumping not breastfeeding.  Did you know that Medela’s sales of the “Pump N Style” have quadrupled in the last five years?  Is it any wonder that we now have mothers who plan to “EP” (exclusively pump)?  To really support breastfeeding we need three things; intensive prenatal breastfeeding education, “Baby Friendly” hospitals, and a national one year paid maternity leave.  Work place legislations are a mere band-aid.  And for those of you who feel that I am ignoring the rights of mothers who want to go back to work, yes there should be legislation to accommodate them in the workplace, but I really feel we should be pushing for maternity leave first.  At the very least we should be making a lot more noise about the issue.

And yes I’m totally in favor of legislation to accommodate breastfeeding in public both as way to bring the issue to the foreground and to ensure that no mother ever feels stuck at home because of her decision to breastfeed.  In the Philippines at Manila’s International airport they recently opened a free mother’s breastfeeding room.  I’m so glad it’s free.  They weren’t really thinking of charging mothers for this were they?  Although depending on the price it might be worth it.  The room includes four cubicles each with a bed, a swivel chair, a window, a drawer and a door that locks!  This is the first breastfeeding room that I’ve heard of that offered a bed!  How cool is that?  (Of course the Philippines also have a law preventing companies from promoting formula.  It’s about the culture people!)

OK, let me get off that soap box for a minute.  In other news we can congratulate actress Angela Kinsey for explaining to the female writers of “The Office” the realities of breastfeeding.  And it is interesting to note that one writer found it to be impossible to believe that there could be male lactation consultants or for that matter baby mix ups in the hospital.  While we’re on the subject I want to give a shout out Tom Johnston who is stationed with the army in New York.   Tom is both a Lactation Consultant and a certified midwife.  Tom’s Facebook profile exclaims “I catch babies for the Army!”  

Speaking of midwives a midwife in the UK has been nominated for a national award for her efforts to help a mother breastfeed following a c-section.  In other news a daycare provider resigned after someone gave a baby in her charge the wrong mother’s breast milk.  In Nigeria due to the fall in breastfeeding rates the government has decided to reach out to religious groups (both Muslim and Christian) in an effort to educate parents.  In health news Breastfeeding has been associated with a lower risk of peptic ulcers (caused by H.Pylori).  And in environmental news it has been suggested that the contamination of breast milk with toxins should be considered a “child’s health issue” rather than a “woman’s issue”.

“Dear Prudence” got an interesting letter from a dad who wasn’t sure what to do about his wife.  It seems that because he was a stay at home dad he was better at noticing their baby’s feeding cues than his wife who was primarily pumping.  Apparently she resented him for it.  “Recently my wife blew up at me and said that her breasts are her body and no other person can tell her what to do with her body. From now on I am not allowed to tell her when I see signs that our daughter is hungry because it then would be controlling my wife’s body.”  “Dear Prudence” replied   “Your wife is in the difficult situation of trying to provide nutrition for your daughter while being at work all day. It doesn’t help that when she’s home you indicate you are more in tune with your baby’s needs than she is.”   And she went on to say; “…It will not harm your daughter to let a few lusty cries for milk, instead of having Dad anticipate her hunger. Just relax and let your wife handle it.”

Do you see now what I mean by pumping taking us down the wrong road?  Do we really want women to be mad at their husbands because their hubbies are more in tune with their babies than they are?  I’m going to say it again people – women need long term, paid maternity leave!

As always I love hearing from you & the links to all the article are below.

Kathy Abbott IBCLC
www.BusyMomsBreastfeed.com 

www.TheCuriousLactivist.Wordpress.com 

On Facebook:” Breastfeeding in the News”           

Mothers Who Opt for Breast Milk, Not Breast-feeding (Catherine Sharick – Time Magazine)

Technology has helped fuel the trend. Medela, the Swiss breast-pump maker and industry leader, introduced its first electric-powered, vacuum-operated at-home breast pump in the U.S. in 1991. Five years later, the company launched the Pump in Style, a portable breast pump that comes in a fashionable bag that looks like a purse. Since then, Medela’s sales of the item — not cheap at around $279 — have quadrupled.

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1971243-1,00.html

 Woman Charged in Breast Milk Assault on Jailer  

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OWENSBORO, Ky. — A woman in jail for public intoxication was accused of assaulting a jailer by squirting breast milk at her. WYMT-TV reported that a 31-year-old woman was arrested Thursday on a misdemeanor charge of public intoxication. But as she was changing into an inmate uniform, she squirted breast milk into the face of a female deputy who was with her. …The woman now faces a felony charge of third degree assault on a police officer. Her bond was set at $10,000.

http://www.bnd.com/2010/03/07/1163728/woman-charged-in-breast-milk-assault.html

Nursing my infant child was a gift — to me

Perhaps the favorite piece of advice from grandmothers and random women on the street is that nursing should come naturally. Just let your baby and your body do what they were made to do, they’ll say.

Well, here’s my advice: Look straight in that woman’s face and say, “Nice try, lady. Nice try.”

The truth is — at least for me and every other mother I know — nursing does not come naturally, and you will spend the first month of your child’s life struggling to figure it out.

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700014726/Nursing-my-infant-child-was-a-gift-2-to-me.html

To pump or not to pump?

I was lucky to work for a company that had a designated room for breastfeeding moms, but I couldn’ stick to my routine during my business trip. The courthouse where I was supposed to be covering a story didn’t have a similar room for breastfeeding moms.

I was torn. On one hand, I wanted to tell my boss that I couldn’t go on the trip and that she needed to find someone else. At the same time, I didn’t want to seem incapacitated and incapable of doing my job.

http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/parents/2010/mar/07/pump-or-not-pump/  

Cheers and Jeers: March 8, 2010

CHEERS to the Ladies of the Lake Quilting Club for donating a quilted wall hanging for the Clinton County Health Department employee breastfeeding room. The gift betokens a genuine empathy for motherhood and breastfeeding, certainly both compatible with Health Department goals. Clinton County has taken steps to comply with state legislation to create a space for mothers who are nursing their babies, and the quilt will certainly encourage that activity. For the gesture, the Health Department has presented the club a Community Partnership Award. Through the years, many women and babies will have their experience enhanced by this thoughtful donation.

  http://www.pressrepublican.com/0202_cheers_and_jeers/local_story_066223108.html

Natural Cooking with Human Breast milk Going Too Far

An eco-conscious chef has taken advantage of his wife’s breast, but not in the way my first few words lead you to believe. Instead he is using milk she extracted from her breastfeeding breast and making it into cheese he serves at his restaurant. Shocking? Disgusting? Bizarre? You be the judge.

What if Chef Angerer did not serve human cheese at his restaurant

and instead only served it to his baby? Would that make a difference? Is it less disgusting?

http://inventorspot.com/articles/natural_cooking_human_breast_milk_going_too_far_38543  

WORK PLACES NURTURE NURSING MOMS

BY Paula Burkes – OKLAHOMAN

A 2006 Oklahoma law requires employers to allow nursing mothers the ability to express milk during lunches, breaks and other unpaid times. But there’s no mandate that employers provide breaks or a private room.

In 2008, the state Health Department launched its Breastfeeding Works! initiative to encourage businesses to establish private lactation rooms and policies acknowledging the importance of breastfeeding. But only 26 workplaces, mostly health-care related, have been recognized as breastfeeding-friendly and working moms continue to face difficulties.

http://www.newsok.com/workplaces-nurture-nursing-moms/article/3444530?custom_click=lead_story_title

Nursing: No Free Lunch

“In terms of long-term earnings, women who breastfeed less than six months have similar income trajectories to those who never breastfeed, but those who breastfeed for six months or longer have far steeper declines in income,” mainly due to reduced work hours or quitting, Ms. Rippeyoung says.

Some mothers endure real economic hardship if they miss work hours to pump or breastfeed. “We can’t just look at health outcomes. We must look at economic outcomes as well,” says Mary Noonan, an associate professor at University of Iowa’s sociology department and co-author of the paper. “Money also matters for a child’s health.”

— Ruth Mantell, The Juggle, WSJ.com

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB126791010300157469.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Bosses in Taipei not keen on setting up breastfeeding rooms: poll

Only 3.9 percent of the companies in Taipei City installed breastfeeding rooms on their premises in 2009, according to the Taipei city Department of Labor.

…According to the draft bill, government agencies and business premises with floor space of more than 500 square meters, as well as public service facilities with over 1,000 square meters of floor space, must be equipped with clearly marked breastfeeding rooms.

Breastfeeding rooms must be established on the premises of such facilities, which include railway and metro stations and airport terminals, within one year of the promulgation of the regulations, the draft bill states

http://focustaiwan.tw/ShowNews/WebNews_Detail.aspx?Type=aSOC&ID=201003070003

New Life for Mother who was Forced to Breastfeed Puppies

… “He added that a test was carried out in Mbale Hospital but it also found no evidence of breastfeeding puppies. “The hospital results only indicated that Ms Alupo suffers from epilepsy illness,” Mr Madiri said

 

…In a separate interview with Mr Awoloyi, he said that his wife Alupo suffered a brain disorder caused by her epileptic condition which could explain the earlier injuries she had suffered on her body and her breasts.

http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/Insight/-/688338/874504/-/7f7ji2/-/

Top Moments: The Office Baby Blues, The Bachelor’s First Dance, and a Monster’s Balls

1. Best Lactation Joke: In the special one-hour Office baby episode, a tender moment in which Pam finally gets the baby to “latch” for breastfeeding is turned on its ear when she realizes that she’s accidentally picked up her hospital neighbor’s newborn. “Wrong baby, wrong baby,” she repeats to panicky dad Jim, who quickly replaces the sated infant in its bassinet before its mother wakes up.

http://www.seattlepi.com/tvguide/416254_tvgif5.html

‘The Office’ Baby — Jim & Pam Welcome Cecilia Marie!

The episode did raise four burning questions, though:

1.) Do hospitals really employ male lactation consultants? Young, handsome ones who offer hands-on breastfeeding counsel to new moms? While new dads watch? Pam accepted the nature of the clinical situation, totally indifferent to anything but the task at hand (getting Cecilia fed) — but we’re with Jim. That’s just not right.

2.) Mistakenly breastfeeding someone else’s newborn doesn’t happen — does it? It seemed beyond credible that Pam would sleepily bring another mom’s baby to her breast, but when you factor in the mind-numbing exhaustion of birthing a child in the first place, it actually makes you wonder how it doesn’t happen more often!

http://www.ivillage.com/office-baby-jim-pam-0/1-a-121935

Angela Kinsey Pitches Nursing Humor to Office Writers

“I … tried to pitch them some breastfeeding jokes,” she revealed to the Toronto Sun, noting that she returned to the set when her own daughter Isabel Ruby, now 22 months, was just eight weeks old.

“Not to over-share, but I had to pump,” she explains. “That’s a working mom’s life if you want to breastfeed.”

“We had to take pump breaks all day. Our female writers on the show don’t have children, so I pulled them aside. I don’t know what they used or didn’t use, but it’s a fun episode.”

http://celebrity-babies.com/2010/03/02/angela-kinsey-pitches-nursing-humor-to-office-writers/

Bridgwater midwife shortlisted for national award  (UK)

Monique Korrs was nominated for The Infacol Baby Bonding Award by Esther Loh, who felt inadequate as a mother after an emergency caesarean last September

More than 150 health professionals across the country were nominated for the award and Monique is down to the last ten.

http://www.thisisthewestcountry.co.uk/news/5045178.Bridgwater_midwife_shortlisted_for_national_award/

Breastfeeding teen

A US woman still breastfeeds her 14-year-old son to “comfort” him.

Jocelyn Cooper, 36, allows her teenage son Billy to suckle on her breasts for 10-15 minutes each day – because it keeps them close.

http://entertainment.stv.tv/showbiz/161459-breastfeeding-teen/  

Daycare director resigns after breast milk mistake

BREMERTON, Wash. – A Bremerton daycare director has resigned after she allegedly gave a baby the wrong breast milk, then tried to hide the mistake.

http://www.king5.com/home/Daycare-director-covered-up-breastmilk-mistake-86111702.html

Pregnant ladies banned for their own Good

Bravado is a company that sells breastfeeding bras for ladies with breasts that are used for breastfeeding babies. But when Bravado goes out to fashion trade shows to have their pregnant lady models model the breastfeeding bras in their pregnant way, can you guess what happens? Yes, they are banned, for their own pregnant good. From a runway show! In a nightclub! At the Wynn Casino, in Las Vegas, the City of Sin!

http://gawker.com/5484608/pregnant-ladies-banned-for-their-own-good  

Breastfeeding facility set up at airport

Manila: Manila’s international airport in Pasay City has opened a private area for breastfeeding mothers, a senior official said, adding it is part of the government’s effort to promote breastfeeding in the Philippines.

“This facility was set up to give mothers a relaxed and secure area where they can nurse their babies free of charge,” said airport general manager Alfonso Cusi.

The 32-square-metre breastfeeding station is located after the immigration area for departing passengers. It has four cubicles, each with a bed, swivel chair, drawer, a window and a lockable door, said Cusi, adding the facility was opened in time for the celebration of International Women’s Month.

The Philippine Congress recently passed a bill that prevents companies from promoting infant formula.

http://gulfnews.com/news/world/philippines/breastfeeding-facility-set-up-at-airport-1.591070

Moms, babies deserved better from legislators

UNEDITED) Sadly, Utah legislators missed an easy opportunity to make life easier for working families last Friday when they defeated House Bill 252, Workplace Accomodation of Breastfeeding.

This bill would have required employers with more than 15 employees to provide unpaid break time and a private location — other than a toilet stall — where a working mother could express her milk for her baby. This is a simple request and would not be a strain for most employers, if they understood the value of providing this accommodation

http://www.standard.net/topics/opinion/2010/03/01/moms-babies-deserved-better-legislators

Slate’s ‘Dear Prudence’: My European coworkers are calling me a cow, my wife is preparing for the apocalypse, my husband has bad teeth, dad’s breastfeeding dilemmas

Stay at home Dad land: I have a question that I do not think a stay at home mom has faced before. My wife works and is also very intent upon breastfeeding our daughter until she is 1 year old. So she pumps for when she is gone and breastfeeds when she is home. The problem has arisen because I tend to see the signs that my daughter is hungry before she starts to cry. I will then suggest to my wife that she feed our daughter. Recently my wife blew up at me and said that her breasts are her body and no other person can tell her what to do with her body. From now on I am not allowed to tell her when I see signs that our daughter is hungry because it then would be controlling my wife’s body. Feeding a bottle at those times is out because my wife does not want to confuse our daughter by feeding her a bottle while she is present.

How do I be a good stay at home dad without suggesting that my wife use her body to feed our daughter?

Emily Yoffe: Have used a breast pump myself, I do not understand why cows seem so contented, because breastpumping is one of the more unpleasant aspects of modern motherhood. Your wife is in the difficult situation of trying to provide nutrition for your daughter while being at work all day. It doesn’t help that when she’s home you indicate you are more in tune with your baby’s needs than she is. Men constantly complain that women want them to do more of the childcare, then micromanage their every action. That’s what you’re doing with your wife. It will not harm your daughter to let a few lusty cries for milk, instead of having Dad anticipate her hunger. Just relax and let your wife handle it

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2010/02/23/DI2010022303485.html

Mom shot dead while breastfeeding baby

MANILA, Philippines—A 31-year-old mother was shot and killed Tuesday morning while she was breastfeeding her one-year-old child inside her home in Manila.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/metro/view/20100302-256267/Mom-shot-dead-while-breastfeeding-baby

Breastfeeding and better hygiene may protect against peptic ulcer bacterium infection.

Young children in developing countries are infected at an early age with the bacterium Helicobacter pylori, which can cause peptic ulcers and stomach cancer. New findings show that childrens´ immune responses help in fighting the bacteria. In addition, breastfeeding and better hygiene appear to protect against infection. The results provide hope for a vaccine, according to research from the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

http://www.news-medical.net/news/20100301/Breastfeeding-and-better-hygiene-may-protect-against-peptic-ulcer-bacterium-infection.aspx

Breastfeeding rates drop in Nigeria

The Federal Ministry of Health plans to engage the participation of religious mothers to stress the importance of exclusive breastfeeding in the first six months of life, so as to reduce the current high rate of child mortalityn

The method, which is to begin this year, is following Nigeria’s poor assessment in the most recent National Demographic Health Survey where the rate of exclusive breastfeeding dropped from 17 percent in 2003 to 13 per cent in 2008.

“We are taking the campaign to them through this channel because we believe that by the time Muslim mothers, and Christian mothers talk to their various women groups, they will listen to them and thus more women will comply.”

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/News/5533490-147/breastfeeding_rates_drop_in_nigeria_.csp

Professors spar about potential risks of breastfeeding

“After her presentation, McKenzie said society is hesitant to address the issue of contaminated breast milk related to environmental pollutants “because it’s still seen as a women’s issue. Maybe we should be reframing it as a child health issue rather than a women’s issue.”

http://news.guelphmercury.com/News/article/603719

Breastfeeding in the News: Feb. 13th – Feb. 19th, 2010

“Her biggest challenge was the mothers’ lack of knowledge – many pregnant and breastfeeding mothers just eat rice and do not make use of their resourceful yards where many nutritious plants grow.   “Sometimes, they just leave ripe papayas in the yard to rot on the trees and be eaten by birds or simply fall to the ground while their children do not consume any fruits,” she  (17-year-old Maria Bere) said.  “This is what I have been trying to change.”

In an unusual program sponsored by the Australian government, teenagers in Indonesia have been recruited as volunteers to assist local breastfeeding mothers.  Even though they are not yet parents themselves they regularly counsel new mothers on the benefits of both a healthy lifestyle, and the importance of feeding babies exclusively breast milk for the first six months.  18 year old Yohanes Bere is a motorcycle taxi driver who volunteers at a local health clinic where he weighs babies and toddlers while dispensing advice about breastfeeding.  His motivation?  To eliminate malnutrition in his village. “I want to see the babies and toddlers I serve one day grow up into healthy generation,” said Yohanes, who learned to do the job through teaching himself and training from health officials and a medical team.  …  “Now we no longer have malnourished babies or toddlers,” he said proudly.” 

Meanwhile here in the United States we can’t even get our high schools to talk to teenagers about the importance of breastfeeding, never mind recruit them to help new mothers.  Not too surprising really in a country whose Army deploys new mothers back into service (often thousands of miles away from their baby) just 4 months after birth.  It’s no matter that the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that babies be exclusively breastfed for at least six months, the Army has their own rules.

Taking a quick look at what else is happening in other countries this week, we are reminded that the Cambodian government requires that every company employing over 100 women have a breastfeeding room on the premises.  The European Parliament is considering new legislation concerning maternity leave specifically because of the effect maternity leave has on breastfeeding.  In Cuba the breastfeeding rate is a low 26% but at least the Cuban article reporting on this had no qualms about including a close up photo of a breastfeeding baby latching on to its mother’s breast.  (Facebook would have deleted this pic quicker than you can say “milk please!”)  And in order to give mother a private retreat from the chaos in Haiti twelve “baby tents” have been set up around Port-Au-Prince providing mothers with a quiet place to breastfeed.     

Meanwhile there was a heartbreaking story from the northern regions of Canada.  Apparently mothers in northern Manitoba have to travel hundreds of miles just to deliver their babies.  They fly alone into Winnipeg shortly before their due date where they wait until their labor begins.  After the birth they climb aboard a bus and begin the eight hour journey home.  Imagine yourself trying to get breastfeeding off to a good start in those conditions.  A few years ago while visiting a Baby Friendly hospital in Norway I remember them telling me about women facing similar conditions.  Any woman from the northern regions of the country with a complicated pregnancy would be sent to a hospital in Oslo to deliver.  But rather than send her right home after the birth they would send her to what they called a “Mother & Baby” hotel.  In all respects it was a normal hotel, except that a nurse would check in with them once a day to check on them until they felt well enough to make the journey home.  I love the idea! Privacy, someone to change your sheets, plus room service and a nurse, I think all mothers could benefit from a little transitional time in a “Mother & Baby” hotel before going home.

The Gates Foundation is seeing some unexpected results from their experiment in providing “Essential New Born Care” training in rural third world areas (the training includes the importance of early breastfeeding).  While there was no change in the number of babies dying in the first week after birth, the number of stillborn births decreased dramatically.   Apparently babies who did not immediately breathe on their own and would have been considered dead before having received the training were now been revived.  The stillbirth rate dropped by an amazing 30%.   We’ll have to wait and see what the long term results of initiating early breastfeeding will be.

In medical news a baby in Brazil has contracted yellow fever vaccine virus after its mother was vaccinated.  This is the first report ever of something like this happening.  The antidepressant drug Paxil has been shown to potentially delay the onset of stage two lactogenesis (mature milk).   There is some good news however; a new study shows that premies who are fed at the breast on demand actually leave the hospital sooner than babies fed a schedule.

Don’t reach for that Kit Kat bar just yet.  Even though Nestle’s has given their Kit kat bar a new “fair trade” stamp of approval, Mike Brady of “Baby Milk Action” insists the candy should remain on our boycott list.   And speaking of marketing spins, Lansinoh has a new breast pump that it claims cuts the time spent pumping in half.  I just want to remind people that while I consider pumps and formula to be necessary in certain situations I find the way they market their products to be quite frightening.  Both formula and pump companies would have us believe that it would be unwise to have a baby without at least one of their products in your home, preferably before the baby even arrives.         

In the “this makes me mad” category this week is the article suggesting that the couple who are planning to sue the hospital who mistakenly gave the mother the wrong baby to breastfeed were included in a column called “Worst People in the World”.  And another article that like many started out informing the reader about the benefits of breastfeeding but then included this little tidbit; “It is highly necessary that you follow the advice and information provided by your pediatrician and that any changes in your diet is authorized by him, so as not to cause gastric disorders.”  Excuse me?  You need your pediatrician’s approval to change your own diet?? Did I read this correctly?  All too often I find articles like this, they start out on a positive note and then they say something that makes me cringe.

Okay, time for more good news.  A “Baby Friendly” hospital in Hawaii has been awarded some money as part of a wellness initiative.  Just another good reason to go “Baby Friendly” folks!  And in New Zealand a breastfeeding photo contest was held recently.   Again – Facebook management, please take note, not everyone thinks breastfeeding photos are obscene.

And finally last week we looked at the French attitudes towards breastfeeding, this week “Equality Begins in the Creche” sheds a little more insight into the reasons behind some of those attitudes.  For one thing, in an effort to boost the country’s fertility rates all French mothers are provided with affordable early childcare.  Apparently it is the desire of the French government to increase the native population while keeping women working outside the home.  So much for the idea that you can have it all, you just can’t have it all at the same time.  The French government believes women can. 

As always, I love hearing from you – so post a comment or drop me an email.   (And remember, the links to all articles are listed below.)

Kathy Abbott IBCLC
www.BusyMomsBreastfeed.com

www.TheCuriousLactivist.Wordpress.com

On Facebook:” Breastfeeding in the News”            

Stillbirths Drop Dramatically After Newborn-Care Training in Developing Countries

The rate of stillbirths in rural areas of six developing countries fell more than 30 percent following a basic training program in newborn care for birth attendants, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The study tracked more than 120,000 births.

The study tested the efficacy of a three-day Essential Newborn Care training regimen that covers basic newborn care techniques, the importance of early breastfeeding, how to keep infants warm and dry, and signs of serious health problems.

“The study authors found that the overall rate of infant death during the first 7 days of life did not change among infants who had been administered the essential newborn care regimen. However, the rate of stillbirths dropped sharply — from 23 per 1,000 deliveries to 15.9 per 1,000. The researchers believe these improvements were seen in infants who had not drawn a breath on their own and would have been considered to have been born dead by birth attendants who had not received the early newborn care training.”

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100217171919.htm

Lansinoh promotes new breastfeeding product with Principles

“The consumer press campaign is intended to appeal to busy mums on the go as the new product claims to express milk in half the time.”

http://www.thedrum.co.uk/news/2010/02/18/12821-lansinoh-promotes-new-breastfeeding-product-with-principles

Mum Wins Breastfeeding Photo Competition (New  Zealand)

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK1002/S00282.htm

Teenagers lend a helping hand to fight malnutrition

“Yohanes Bere is an 18-year-old ojek motorcycle taxi driver. But he is often busy assisting mothers who took their babies and toddlers to an integrated health service post in Kekirence village in Belu regency, East Nusa Tenggara.

Without hesitation, he helps weigh the babies and toddlers, and provides breastfeeding mothers with knowledge about healthy lifestyles, including the importance of giving breast milk exclusively to newborn babies until they are at least six months old.”

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2010/02/19/teenagers-lend-a-helping-hand-fight-malnutrition.html

Breastfeeding Wars

“The thought of lifting my shirt in public was terrifying — especially after years of struggling with eating disorders. And yet I was being told that I should do it anywhere at anytime. (If not, I apparently wasn’t a “real” breastfeeder.)”

http://www.momlogic.com/2010/02/breastfeeding_in_public.php

Equality begins in the creche

The debate over motherhood is missing the point – British mums should be fighting for the French model of childcare

“For some decades now, the French government has pursued, with considerable success, a far-reaching policy aimed at boosting the nation’s fertility rate, and increasing the number of women in the workforce. It did this by ploughing millions into subsidised, readily available, and easily affordable childcare.”

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/feb/19/france-motherhood-childcare-equality 

“ ’ Baby tents’ offer Haitian mothers a safe place to breastfeed”

“PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, 18 February 2010—Amidst the collapsed buildings and temporary camps of this battered city stand 12 special tents dedicated to providing mothers and their infant children a safe and calm place to breastfeed.”

http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/haiti_52797.html

EPHA calls on the European Parliament to support breastfeeding in Maternity Leave Directive

A key piece of legislation, relating to maternity leave, has the potential to impact upoin levels of breastfeeding and therefore public health outcomes. EPHA sent a letter to the Members of the European Parliament Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality, calling for measures to safeguard and encourage the uptake and continuation of breastfeeding for young infants.

The letter was sent in relation to the work currently being undertaken by the committee on the improvements to the safety and health at work of pregnant workers and workers who have recently given birth or are breastfeeding.

http://www.epha.org/a/3874

Govt. urged to increase maternity leave, Malaysia lagging in Asean

“He said in Cambodia, it was mandatory for companies with more than 100 women workers to provide breastfeeding rooms and childcare centres. Similar facilities were also provided for mothers in Indonesia.”

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/2/17/nation/20100217142047&sec=nation

Fed When Hungry, Premature Babies Go Home Sooner

““This review very clearly highlights the paucity of truly good feeding studies in which mothers and infants were allowed or encouraged to establish breastfeeding ‘rhythm’ early in life,” said Jay Gordon, M.D., attending pediatrician at Cedars Sinai Medical Center and associate clinical professor of pediatrics at UCLA Medical School.”

http://www.cfah.org/hbns/archives/getDocument.cfm?documentID=22228

Is Fair trade Chocolate Fair Enough?

“Mike Brady, Campaigns and Networking Coordinator at Baby Milk Action, has added Nestlé’s fairtrade Kit Kats to its list of boycotted products in an effort to promote change for people in developing countries. His organization believes that all Nestle’s products should be fair trade – not just chocolate.”

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/02/is-fair-trade-chocolate-fair-enough.php

Sunday’s worst people in the world

“It seems that at 4 a.m. on a January morning two years ago,  an Evanston Hospital employee woke up new mom Jennifer Spiegel to breastfeed her baby. Shortly thereafter, a nurse came into the room and explained there’d been a mistake, that wasn’t her baby.

And while no one was injured or sickened, the Chicago couple says the hospital should be held responsible for the mix-up. They are seeking at least $30,000 in damages “

http://blogs.chicagotribune.com/news_columnists_ezorn/2010/02/sundays-worst-people-in-the-world.html

Benefits of Breastfeeding

“After six months, infants commonly begin to prefer more solid foods than breast milk. After one year, the baby will opt more for the same solid food. Remember that the digestion of your baby is in training so no need to hurry in switching to food. Not everyone has the same metabolism and in the case of babies this applies. It is highly necessary that you follow the advice and information provided by your pediatrician and that any changes in your diet is authorized by him, so as not to cause gastric disorders.”

http://www.ozcarguide.com/health/parenting-pregnancy/newborn-baby/677-benefits-of-breastfeeding

Harper lectures the G8, but what about northern Manitoba?

Most mothers-to-be must fly hundreds of miles into Winnipeg to deliver, leaving behind their husbands and kids for weeks on end. They stay in boarding homes waiting to go into labour, often with no immediate family by their side.

Getting home can mean an eight-hour bus ride with a newborn, making breastfeeding tricky and embarrassing

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/The-motherhood-issue-84268037.html

Breastfeeding Benefits Both Mothers and their Children  (Cuba)

“At present, scarcely 26% of women feed their babies exclusively with their milk during the first six months of their lives.”

http://www.cubaheadlines.com/2010/02/14/20144/breastfeeding_benefits_both_mothers_and_their_children.html

Breastfed baby picks up yellow fever virus

“A breastfed baby contracted the yellow fever vaccine virus in Brazil a week after its mother was immunised against the disease, report health officials today in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. The case is the first of its kind to be confirmed anywhere in the world.”

http://www.eht-forum.org/news.html?fileId=news100212060907&from=home&id=0

Paxil May Cause Lactation Problems

A new study indicates that new mothers who take Paxil may experience problems lactating. The study, published in the February issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, found that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) like Paxil could cause a delay in the start of full milk secretion.

http://www.lawyersandsettlements.com/articles/13589/interview-paxil-side-effects-lawsuit.html

Hawai‘i awarded $912,713 as part of recovery act community prevention and wellness initiative

DOH was awarded $428,713 to apply sustainable policy and systems changes in the areas of physical activity, nutrition and tobacco. Funded projects include:

Baby Friendly Hawai‘i Project, DOH will work closely with the Breastfeeding Coalition of Hawai‘i to increase support for breastfeeding by changing policies in hospital maternity programs statewide, to increase the likelihood of sustained exclusive breastfeeding after birth, a protective factor from obesity and diabetes.

http://www.hawaii247.org/2010/02/12/hawai%E2%80%98i-awarded-912713-as-part-of-recovery-act-community-prevention-and-wellness-initiative/

How Well Does the Military Treat Single Mothers?

“No Wonder the U.S. Is Known for Inadequate Maternity Leave, writes The American Prospect’s Gabriel Arana, when its own military ships women to war before they’re finished breastfeeding. The Army deploys women as little as four months after they give birth, Arana writes, which “isn’t enough of a grace period for deployments–many women are still breastfeeding then. Returning to work after four months might not seem so bad, but it’s a huge burden when work is thousands of miles away.”

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/opinions/view/opinion/How-Well-Does-the-Military-Treat-Single-Mothers-2519

Breastfeeding in the News Oct 5th – Oct. 11th, 2009

Hello All,

What on earth is going on in Canada?? Last week they wouldn’t let breastfeeding mothers get together for a breastfeeding challenge in Montreal because of concerns about H1N1 but the Calgary challenge went off without a hitch. But get this, due to fear of an H1N1 pandemic in Saskatoon the Canadians have cut back on other services, specifically “breastfeeding support services have been consolidated from two locations to one, and prenatal classes have been temporarily shelved”. No prenatal classes?! Not to mention regular seasonal flu shots have been cancelled. By the way “The CDC says that infants who are not breastfeeding are more vulnerable to infection and hospitalization for severe respiratory illness then infants who are breastfeeding.” Reducing breastfeeding support might be a little counter productive don’t you think?

While we’re talking about the Canadians I found two articles this week that were straight out of the formula company handbook. In “Have a baby feeding backup plan” pediatrician Dr Susan Russell who is expecting her first child advises parents to make sure to have some formula in the house when they bring the baby home because “Otherwise, you could find yourself running to the grocery store in a panic the second night you’re home with a new baby who’s starving and screaming — which is not the best case scenario for choosing a formula.” To make sure that doesn’t happen to her she has decided to stock her cupboards with formula, and not just any formula. “And so, I’m going to, if I need to, definitely start with the (Nestle) Good Start (formula) and see what happens.” Finally I get it! This is why it is so vital to the formula companies that moms leave the hospital with samples of their formula; they don’t want them choosing a competitor’s brand at 2 am.

In “Breast vs. bottle” the formula companies whine that they are “tired of accusatory fingers being pointed at them. They say they actually support breastfeeding and don’t want to compete with mother’s milk. … when breastfeeding advocates talk about the “risks” of formula feeding, it’s not only unfair but does a disservice to women.” And “If women have trouble breastfeeding at home, they might use the sample. “But it doesn’t mean … that you’re going to completely abandon breastfeeding,” she says. “I don’t think a can of formula will completely derail their nursing. “It’s easy to blame us and point the finger.”

There is also worry that mothers are not getting enough prenatal education on how to prepare formula. “She worries that in the push for breastfeeding, educating women who choose formula on how to safely prepare it has been neglected. “That puts a child at risk,” she says.” Hmm, this is the same argument we heard at the Massachusetts State House two weeks ago where they were considering a bill making it a law for hospitals to offer education on preparing formula. The bill also stated that formula samples should be given out (but not to breastfeeding moms of course). Thankfully when I brought this to the attention of my state Rep. Mary Grant she said “But aren’t the instructions right on the can??” Good point Mary, and let’s not forget, unlike formula breastfeeding does not come with instruction. On the other hand an infant feeding course that included the risks of formula might be just the ticket.

This article also specifically mentions Nestle’s Good Start formula pointing out that it is the only formula with probiotics. (For those of you who heard my talk on “Breast Milk: The Original Probiotic” last spring you will remember that I warned you we would be hearing a lot more about pre & probitiocs in formula!) This is all about marketing people. They also make a big deal about the fact that their formula contains whey protein because it is smaller than casein protein. “The smaller the protein, the easier it is to digest. And the smaller a foreign protein you put in your body, the less likely your body is to develop an allergy to it.” How’s that for marketing – you are less likely to develop an allergy from our formula than from our competitors, well isn’t that lovely.

Happily a different Canadian article states that most mothers don’t need to be convinced to breastfeed any more. I particularly liked the quote from a La Leche League Leader who said she “doesn’t offer is any hard, fast rules for breastfeeding. Every mom and baby are unique and every mother is the expert of her own situation.” Well said.

Enough about Canada, let’s check out what’s happening here in the US. The CDC has posted the results of a new study about what influences a woman to breastfeed here in the US. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again “Baby Friendly” hospitals and realistic maternity leave should be at the top of our list! Check out these numbers:
• 4 out of 5 mothers want to breastfeed
• Mothers are 8 times more likely to quit if their hospital uses unsupportive practices
• 83% went home with formula/coupons in their “gift” bag
• 57% received free formula samples at home
• only1/3 of mothers were eligible for fully paid maternity leave
• only 1/5 of mothers were eligible for partially paid maternity leave
• on average fully paid maternity leave only lasted 2.2 weeks
• on average partially paid maternity leave only lasted 1.5 weeks

In legal news the mother who was kicked off the Delta flight in Vermont is now suing Delta. Florida is considering a bill to excuse women breastfeeding a child up the age of two from jury duty. And Gov Schwarzenegger in California must decide whether or not to sign a bill requiring state agencies to inform their employees about the rights of breastfeeding mothers. And while we are talking about breastfeeding mothers in the workplace Starbucks the same company that only makes accommodations for mothers who happen to work at their corporate headquarters apologized to a breastfeeding mother in England for asking her to leave by saying, “At Starbucks, not only are we welcoming of all customers in our stores but we’re also committed to making a positive impact on the community beyond our stores.” Are they sure about that?

In other news the comparisons of breast milk to caffeine continue. This week breast milk is described as the “natural equivalent of Latte in the morning and de-caff tea at night.” In Belfast the movement to release moms from the hospital a mere 6 to 12 hours after birth has been decried by a pediatrician insisting it will interfere with breastfeeding. Another story I posted touches on breastfeeding after breast cancer. And last but not least, my favorite story of the week is about Julie Bowen the actress in that new TV show “The Modern Family” (I love this show!) who says that she manages to keep up with the needs of her breast feeding twins by pumping while driving. In fact she does it so routinely that she forgot she was pumping on the day that she stopped and asked a police officer for information. Talk about multitasking! Go to https://thecuriouslactivist.wordpress.com/todays-poll/ to answer his week’s poll question: Multitasking is great, but is pumping while driving a “do” or a “don’t”?

That’s it for this week. But before I forget I also want to congratulate Robin Snyder-Drummond for passing the IBCLC exam. Good going Robin! And thanks to Angelique & Nancy for sending me some articles – I hope to post them next week.

Once again I always look forward to hearing from you (especially the Canadians!)
Kathy Abbott, IBCLC
http://www.BusyMomsBreastfeed.com
On Facebook: “Breastfeeding in the News”
My Blog: http://TheCuriousLactivist.wordpress.com/

Rachael Price told to stop breastfeeding her four-week-old baby by staff at Starbucks in Coney Street, York (England)
STARBUCKS bosses have apologised to a young mum who says she was asked to stop breastfeeding her four-week-old baby in one of the chain’s York cafés.
Rachael Price, who lives in The Groves, York, said the incident at Starbucks in Coney Street reduced her to tears.
She said a member of staff approached her at the table she was sitting at with a friend and asked her to stop breastfeeding her daughter, Grace, because it would upset other customers.
Rachael, 21, said: “I was told that if I wanted to carry on I would have to leave. I couldn’t believe it.
“It was the first time I had breastfed Grace in public and I was being pretty discreet about it because I was quite self-conscious myself.
“I definitely wasn’t sitting there with anything on show and the lady even had to ask me if I was feeding Grace, because she couldn’t actually tell.”
Rachael, who works as a customer service representative for Aviva, added: “I don’t think there is anything wrong with breastfeeding in public. It’s one of the most natural things in the world.”
A spokeswoman for Starbucks said the company had no issue with women breastfeeding their babies in their coffee shops.
She said: “We’re terribly disappointed that this customer has had this experience in our store, which we believe is an isolated occurrence. “Our partners in our Coney Street coffeehouse, many of whom are working mums themselves, would be grateful for the opportunity to welcome this customer back to their store so that her concerns can be addressed.
“At Starbucks, not only are we welcoming of all customers in our stores but we’re also committed to making a positive impact on the community beyond our stores.”
She said staff in the Coney Street coffee house had recently supported the city’s Just Women Conference and would also be taking part in Breast Cancer Campaign’s Wear It Pink Day on October 30.
http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/4675380.Rachael_Price_told_to_stop_breastfeeding_her_four_week_old_baby_by_staff_at_Starbucks_in_Coney_Street__York/

Have a baby feeding backup plan
Be prepared! Moms and pediatricians agree: Don’t wait until your baby is born to educate yourself about breastfeeding and formula feeding. New parents should do themselves — and their baby — a favour and have a plan before the baby is born.
“So it’s not your second night home from the hospital, and it’s 3 o’clock in the morning, and the baby is screaming, and you can’t get him to latch on. And now what do you do?” cautions Ottawa-based pediatrician Dr. Susan Russell, who is expecting her first child this month. “It’s good to be prepared before you run into that.” Prior to birth, feeding a baby is something soon-to be parents rarely think about, Russell says. But after birth, it’s their biggest concern.
“I see babies their first visit after being discharged from the hospital.
I’ll see them their first week of life. And it’s the No. 1 concern that parents have then,” she points out, adding that feeding challenges often leave new moms in tears.
Melissa Parsons can relate. Before the Calgary mom gave birth to her daughter Maiya three months ago, she took prenatal classes.
But the focus was on labour and delivery issues, not lactation.
“We never really discussed the feeding. It never really crossed my mind,” she admits.
Parsons tried to breastfeed Maiya. But there were problems.
“It was really challenging, really stressful for me — just because it wasn’t working,” she recalls.
When Maiya was about a month old, Parsons was still having problems breastfeeding her.
So she decided to formula feed her instead.
At first, she felt guilty about it, Parsons says.
But not anymore.
“You have to get past that. You have to do the best you can with what you have,” she explains. “And make sure the baby’s happy.
And really, she is happy now, and she’s growing.” “As a pediatrician, I would 100-per-cent promote exclusive breastfeeding,” Russell says.
But that’s not always possible, she’s quick to add. “A lot of moms run into problems.
“Although we think that breastfeeding is natural, it’s not always easy,” she points out.
There are no guarantees that breastfeeding will work for a new mom and baby — even if the new mom happens to be an educated pediatrician, Russell admits.
“In my case, neither I nor my baby has ever breastfed before. We’re both on a steep learning curve,” she explains.
Moms can run into problems. Sometimes their milk doesn’t come in, or they don’t get a large amount. Sometimes they get sore or cracked nipples.
Babies can run into breastfeeding problems, too. Sometimes the baby doesn’t have a good latch.
“So there are lots of things that can come up,” Russell points out.
And if those issues arise, then it’s time to supplement with formula.
Formula also provides a convenient backup, as Shannon Fitzpatrick of Newmarket, Ont. has learned. Fitzpatrick admits she was surprised to discover how time-consuming breastfeeding is. So, about five times a month, she supplements breastfeeding with formula for her 51/2-monthold son Keaton. It allows Fitzpatrick and her husband to go out for an evening, for example, while Grandma cares for Keaton.
Before Keaton was born, Fitzpatrick says she was hoping to breastfeed him exclusively.
“I didn’t really have a backup plan in place,” she says, admitting it’s a decision she regrets.
Fitzpatrick’s breast milk took 51/2 days to come in — during which both mother and baby were extremely upset.
“Those five days were just kind of crazy.
And there was some crying because I didn’t really have a backup plan,” she recalls.
She warns other new parents not to make the same mistake. “Have a backup plan!” she insists.
Have some ready-to-go formula in your cupboard that you can grab quickly if need be, she recommends.
If she had done that, “it would have eased a lot of the stress in the first couple of days,” Fitzpatrick says.
Russell stresses that new moms shouldn’t feel guilty if they can’t breastfeed.
“I think it’s important for people to recognize that formula is a healthy and a really nutritious alternative to breast milk,” Russell emphasizes. “We would always say breast milk is best, but the formulas we have today on the market really are as close to breast milk as you can possibly get. So I have no problem with supplementing with formula if need be.” Make sure you have formula in your house before you come home from the hospital with your new baby, Russell recommends.
Otherwise, you could find yourself running to the grocery store in a panic the second night you’re home with a new baby who’s starving and screaming — which is not the best case scenario for choosing a formula.
“In Canada we’re lucky, because all formulas are regulated by the federal government and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency,” Russell points out.
“We know that the formulas that are out there on the shelf are safe. But they do vary somewhat in their components,” she adds.
All formulas sold in Canada are iron fortified unless otherwise noted. (Low iron formulas should only be used for babies with specific health concerns.) The other things to look for in formulas, Russell recommends, are Omega 3 and Omega 6.
“Those are just fancy names for fat,” she explains. “Basically, they’re fatty acids. And those specific forms of fat we know promote brain and eye and neurological health. So the children that have formula or breast milk that has extra Omega 3 and 6 have improved brain development and neurological development.” The other thing to look for is the type of cow milk protein that’s in the formula. There are two common types: casein and whey.
“What you want to look for is a formula that has a large percentage of whey protein as opposed to the casein, because the whey protein is smaller. The smaller the protein, the easier it is to digest. And the smaller a foreign protein you put in your body, the less likely your body is to develop an allergy to it.
So that’s why we like the whey protein,” Russell explains.
“We do find babies who are fed formula high in whey protein tend to be less fussy and less gassy because it’s just easier to digest,” she says.
The latest development in baby formula is the addition of probiotics, used to improve the immune systems of babies. Nestle Good Start Natural Cultures, for example, is enhanced with a probiotic.
“It’s certainly a good idea to feed your baby a probiotic,” recommends Russell, who did research on probiotics during a fellowship in neonatal intensive care.
“There certainly is some really good scientific evidence out there — some really good medical literature — that does show and does prove the importance of probiotics and how beneficial they can be,” she says.
“And so, I’m going to, if I need to, definitely start with the (Nestle) Good Start (formula) and see what happens.” Irene Seiberling blogs about Anything & Everything on leaderpost.com. BLOG MORE AT LEADERPOST.COM
© Copyright (c) The Regina Leader-Post

http://www.leaderpost.com/health/Have+baby+feeding+backup+plan/2090003/story.html

Mom sues Delta Airlines over breastfeeding
A New Mexico woman has sued Delta Airlines over being thrown off a flight in Burlington, Vt., for refusing to cover herself while breastfeeding her baby.
Delta and Freedom Airlines Inc., which operated the Delta Connections commuter flight, are both named as defendants, The Burlington Free Press reported Thursday. Emily Gillette’s lawyer filed the suit this week in U.S. District Court in Burlington.
In court papers, Gillette said flight attendants ordered her off the plane when she refused to cover herself with a blanket while nursing her 22-month-old daughter. She said her breast could not be seen and she did not behave belligerently.
Gillette said the incident, three years ago, made her feel “shamed and humiliated” and she continues to suffer anxiety about breastfeeding her second daughter in public places.
Elizabeth Boepple of Portland, Maine, Gillette’s lawyer, said Vermont law on nursing in public is the strongest in the country.
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/10/09/Mom-sues-Delta-Airlines-over-breastfeeding/UPI-21591255067399/

PAINT THE TOWN PINK: Breast cancer an equal opportunity disease
Six years ago, she noticed a dog scratch on her right breast had refused to heal. She was raising three small children at the time, including a baby.
Her doctor said there was only a 1 percent chance of a malignancy but did a biopsy “because of Helena,” Costa said.
She was told she had Paget’s disease of the nipple – a rare cancer that accounts for less than 5 percent of all breast cancers.
Most patients are over 50.
Ana was 37.
“They told me by the time I found a lump, I would have had six months to live,” Costa said.
The odds are slim – only one in 11,000 – for any woman under 40 to develop breast cancer.

There’s not a lot of data on breastfeeding after cancer but an infant can’t “catch” cancer from breastfeeding, Duggan said.
Many women choose to feed from only the healthy breast. For some women, it just doesn’t feel right.
http://www.wickedlocal.com/mattapoisett/news/lifestyle/health/x1128398193/PAINT-THE-TOWN-PINK-Breast-cancer-an-equal-opportunity-disease

Questions & Answers: 2009 H1N1 Nasal Spray Vaccine

From the Centers for Disease Control
Are there any contraindications to giving breastfeeding mothers the 2009 H1N1 vaccine?
Breastfeeding is not a contraindication for the nasal spray flu vaccine. Women who are breastfeeding can get the nasal spray vaccine, including 2009 H1N1 vaccine.
http://www.montgomerycountynews.net/index.php?module=article&view=916

Breastfeeding? Milk It For All It’s Worth
Wednesday, October 07, 2009 6:16:11 PM
Tools: E-mail | Print | Feedback |
TALAHASSEE — Two Florida lawmakers want to let mothers use breastfeeding as an excuse to skip jury duty.
Legislation introduced in the state House and Senate would exempt women from jury duty if they’re breastfeeding a child up to the age of 2.
One of the two lawmakers says he thought of the idea when a woman e-mailed him to say she was berated at court for bringing her child with her.

If approved, Florida would join 12 other states that allow breastfeeding mothers to be exempt from jury duty.
________________________________________

What do you think? Should breastfeeding mothers be exempt from jury duty?
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http://www.cfnews13.com/Politics/FloridaDecides/2009/10/7/breastfeeding_milk_it_for_all_its_worth.html

Health region cuts services to battle flu
The Saskatoon Health Region confirmed Tuesday it will scale back public health services in order to do mass immunizations for the H1N1 influenza.
Deputy medical health officer Dr. Ross Findlater said details are still being finalized but the services affected will be similar to those announced Tuesday by the Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region — child health clinics, prenatal classes, breastfeeding support and immunizations for children.
In Regina, children due for the regular two-, four-, six- and 12-month immunizations will still receive them on schedule, but the 18-month and four-year booster immunizations will happen at a later date. As well, breastfeeding support services have been consolidated from two locations to one, prenatal classes have been temporarily shelved and a travel health clinic will offer reduced services after Oct. 26
Judy Junor, the Opposition NDP’s health critic, said this week she’s concerned the provincial government isn’t doing enough to provide assistance to the health regions around mass vaccinations.
“It’s all going to be done by public health, which is woefully understaffed. And they’re going to deal with potentially a million immunizations? And now I’m seeing that public health is getting direction they’re to cancel a lot of their programs, programs that deal with pregnant women. Well, that’s one of the demographics that are going to be hit. So you should be reaching out to them. You shouldn’t be cancelling your ordinary programs,” she said.
“I think the biggest problem for health regions is we just don’t know, they don’t know, what the uptake of the H1N1 vaccine will be because there’s certainly lots of numbers thrown out there. We’re ready for 75 per cent of the population but there are some numbers saying it may only be 40 per cent, so the (human resources) requirement is a tough one to hit,” he said Tuesday, adding the province is prepared if and when an influenza pandemic hits.
Findlater said recruiting for an unspecified number of temporary public health nurses has taken place in Saskatoon but there aren’t sufficient numbers of retired nurses “to be a big part of any solution here.”
Doctors’ offices, which normally give seasonal flu vaccinations, will also be given the H1N1 vaccine, he said.
The province announced last month that regular seasonal flu vaccinations will not take place, except for people aged 65 and older and those living in long-term care homes, because of the greater threat of H1N1.

http://www.thestarphoenix.com/health/Health+region+cuts+services+battle/2074221/story.html

Veto pique
Mindless veto threats do not constitute leadership. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s frustration with legislators’ intransigence is understandable. But he should act on pending bills based on their merits, not out of pique.
Schwarzenegger has until the weekend to sign or veto more than 700 pieces of legislation now on his desk. He is threatening a mass veto of those bills if the Legislature does not strike a deal to make improvements in the state’s water system.
Granted, California would hardly collapse into disorder if the governor vetoed such bills as AB 37, which would grant an honorary degree to Japanese Americans interned during World War II. Or SB 257, which would require state agencies to notify their employees about the rights of breastfeeding mothers. Or SB 169, which would authorize police agencies to issue honorary badges to retired peace officers.
http://www.pe.com/localnews/opinion/editorials/stories/PE_OpEd_Opinion_S_op_08_ed_vetothreat2.38309dd.html

Discharging mums hours after birth is dangerous, says GP

Plans to discharge new mothers from a Belfast hospital hours after they give birth will put women and babies at risk, a leading GP has warned.
As part of a swathe of cost-cutting measures currently under consideration by the Belfast Health Trust, women would be sent home from the Royal Victoria Jubilee Maternity Hospital between six and 12 hours after labour.
“Under these plans they would be transferred to general practice which raises workload issues as well. Don’t forget, we are discharging two people, the woman and her baby,” Dr Dunn said.
Nowadays, breastfeeding is recommended as the healthiest option but some women experience difficulties trying to feed their babies in this way.
Dr Dunn said allowing women time in hospital where they can receive help and advice on how to bond with and breastfeed their baby is vital.
“It can be very distressing for mums if they have problems breastfeeding and I think the plans will mean that post natal depression is more likely,” he said.
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/health/discharging-mums-hours-after-birth-is-dangerous-says-gp-14523179.html

Breastfeeding stigma breaking down slowly
It brought unnecessary humiliation to a new mother recently at a popular Vancouver attraction, and other moms are constantly embarrassed and discriminated against for doing in public what nature intended.
Breastfeeding is creating a buzz.
Although health professionals recommend it and the number of advocacy groups supporting breastfeeding are thicker than hair on a newborn’s head, there is still a stigma attached to nursing a baby in public.
Health Canada recommends breastfeeding continue for two years and beyond.”
Savjord says that interestingly enough, they don’t often have to convince moms to breastfeed.
“Most moms want to do it, but that wasn’t the case several years ago. Now, people have heard enough that breastfeeding is the best and there’s no comparison. In my mind, it’s a human right to breastfeed anytime, anywhere. It’s a human right to eat and that’s how babies are fed,” she adds.
For Kelly Rutledge, breastfeeding her first-born, Maddy, 12 years ago was painful to the point of tears.
“It’s not as easy as it looks. The advice I’d give to a new mom is take all the help and advice as you can get.”
Kjersten Dunk, the 100 Mile House La Leche League leader, agrees. She has passionately held that position for 13 years after moving to 100 Mile to find there was no local organization.
Dunk travelled back and forth to Williams Lake to attend La Leche League meetings for some time before taking leader’s training and starting the local chapter.
What she offers the two dozen moms she sees each year is a chance to discuss issues common to breastfeeding families, along with a combination of wisdom and experience.
What she doesn’t offer is any hard, fast rules for breastfeeding.
“Every mom and baby are unique and every mother is the expert of her own situation.”
http://www.bclocalnews.com/bc_cariboo/100milefreepress/lifestyles/63643732.html

Another reason for pregnant women to get H1N1 vaccine
It turns out children born to women exposed to the 1918 Spanish Flu were at high risk for health issues, later in life.
The Spanish Flu of 1918 killed more than 50 million people worldwide.
“It was a horrible flu, and even the people who survived were incredibly ill,” said Dr. Richard Wallace who is board certified in infectious disease.
But, he says that just because new research finds that unborn fetuses exposed to the Spanish Flu were more likely to develop heart disease, the same is not true for H1N1.
“At the time, we didn’t know what a virus was,” said Wallace. “There were no vaccines.”
Dr. Wallace says it’s important that pregnant women get the shot, especially those in early pregnancy.
“You can have very serious malformation defects, abnormalities, such as seen with congenital rubella,” said Wallace. “So, it is a significant concern, the more developed the fetus, the more protected it is against getting some sort of illness.”
The CDC says pregnant women shouldn’t get the flu-mist because it’s a live-virus. But, outside of an allergic reaction, if you’re with child, get the shot.
The CDC says that infants who are not breastfeeding are more vulnerable to infection and hospitalization for severe respiratory illness then infants who are breastfeeding.
http://www.kltv.com/Global/story.asp?S=11268657

Julie Bowen Confesses to a Breastfeeding Blunder
After expanding her family with husband Scott Phillips by three — sons Oliver McLanahan, 2 ½, and twins John and Gus, 5 months — in a matter of two years, Julie Bowen told the ladies of The View that she’s skilled when it comes to baby business.
“I’m good at making babies.”
While her many talents extend to filming her new series Modern Family while 8 ½ months pregnant with twins — “I’m behind everything, I’m behind people, cakes,” she explains – one of Julie’s greatest feats since welcoming her sons may be her dedication to breastfeeding the boys. “It is tricky,” the actress admits of juggling her working schedule with that of nursing.
Fortunately, Julie seems to have found the answer when it comes to managing her time wisely: she pumps milk while she drives! “You slap it on, turn on the machine and you drive along. I’m so used to doing it that I don’t even think about it anymore,” she laughs.
Case in point? Stopped and forced to make a road detour, Julie — simply wanting to get home to her family — rolled down the window and asked a nearby police officer for help, oblivious to the fact that she was still connected to her pump.
“I said, ‘Officer, what’s going on?’ and he starts walking over to the car. I realize I’ve got an air horn attached to my boob and all of a sudden [I said], ‘Oh, no! No, no, no, stay away, I’m fine, really, please don’t come over to the car,’ because I didn’t want him to think I was drunk or something!”
The act of breastfeeding twins takes time — and patience! — notes Julie, 39, who profusely thanked her baby nurse Sharon for teaching her the ropes of the double football hold. And while many may marvel at a mother’s ability to simultaneously feed two babies, Oliver is far less impressed. “[He] comes up and he gets mad [and says], ‘Mommy, mommy, mommy,’” she shares.
“He just stands there and throws things…looks at me defiantly.”
Modern Family airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. on ABC.
http://celebrity-babies.com/2009/10/05/julie-bowen-confesses-to-a-breastfeeding-blunder/

Breast vs. bottle
In Canada, 75 per cent of women initiate breastfeeding in hospital. But by six months, just 11 per cent are exclusively breastfeeding.
Why? The reasons are complicated and often depend on whom you ask.
Breastfeeding advocates blame formula companies with big marketing budgets for luring women away from breastfeeding. Others suggest breastfeeding women need better support to get through the first couple of weeks after the baby’s birth — an emotional time when new moms often encounter breastfeeding challenges and formula seems like an easy solution. They also believe society needs to better accept women nursing older babies.
Meanwhile, the formula industry is tired of accusatory fingers being pointed at them. They say they actually support breastfeeding and don’t want to compete with mother’s milk. Formula, they say, is the only safe alternative for non-nursing women. And when breastfeeding advocates talk about the “risks” of formula feeding, it’s not only unfair but does a disservice to women.
By the 1950s and ’60s, formula was the flavour of the day.
Initiation rates for breastfeeding were as low as 20 per cent in some parts of Canada, she says.
In Niagara, Brock University and the Niagara Region public health department teamed up to study breastfeeding. They wanted to understand a woman’s breastfeeding experiences, duration and intentions, says Lynn Rempel, chair of the nursing department at Brock and the study’s lead investigator.
The study recruited 90 breastfeeding moms in 2007 and 140 in 2008. The moms were surveyed at 48 hours, two weeks, two months and six months.
At 48 hours after being discharged from the hospital, 70 per cent of breastfed babies had received some formula
In Niagara, hospitals do many things to encourage breastfeeding right from the moment of birth, says Heather Gallagher, clinical manager of maternal, child and pediatrics at St. Catharines General Hospital.
The first is skin-to-skin contact, as soon as possible after the birth. Once the umbilical cord is cut and clamped, and mom and infant are stable, the baby is placed on the mother’s chest and covered with a blanket. They remain together for about an hour, she says.
When baby shows signs of hunger, nurses can help mom get baby latched on.
If a woman has a C-section, all this happens as soon as possible in the recovery room, she says. And if mom chooses to formula feed, they, too, experience the skin-to-skin contact.
Breast or bottle, all mothers are supported in their choices, says Gallagher.
“We respect their wishes,” she says.
In St. Catharines, a lactation consultant is at the hospital five days a week. At the Welland hospital and at Greater Niagara General Hospital in Niagara Falls, they’re available part time. All nurses are trained to help breastfeeding moms, she says.
If a mom wants to breastfeed, baby is never given formula unless a doctor says it’s necessary, says Gallagher.
That usually happens if baby’s blood sugar is low, or if he or she has lost too much weight, she says. It’s usually a small amount of formula, given only after the mother has already breastfed.
Free formula samples are never sent home with any breastfeeding mom, unless under doctor’s orders, says Gallagher. Mothers who are bottle-feeding are usually given a bottle or two of formula, already mixed.
Do free samples undermine a woman’s desire to breastfeed? No, says Marisa Salcines, manager of communications with the International Formula Council, an association that represents infant formula companies.
Research shows that moms have already decided how they will feed their baby before they get to the hospital, she says.
Yes, formula companies do put together “discharge gift bags.” Typically, they’re filled with items including information on breastfeeding, coupons for diapers and information on how to prepare formula. A small sample of formula is included, usually enough for about two days, Salcines says.
If women have trouble breastfeeding at home, they might use the sample.
“But it doesn’t mean … that you’re going to completely abandon breastfeeding,” she says.
“I don’t think a can of formula will completely derail their nursing.
“It’s easy to blame us and point the finger.”
In fact, there’s too much finger-pointing going on and moms are caught in the middle, Salcines says.
When breastfeeding advocates talk about the “risks” of formula feeding, it’s like telling women who use formula that they’re “bad moms,” she says.
“It’s terrible there are moms who feel guilty” for using formula, she says.
“It’s not something that’s going to poison your child.”
Many times, women choose to do both. She worries that in the push for breastfeeding, educating women who choose formula on how to safely prepare it has been neglected. “That puts a child at risk,” she says.
Formula is used for many reasons, Salcines says. Some women simply choose formula instead of breast milk. Others can’t breastfeed. Even more choose to breastfeed and supplement with formula, or introduce formula if they stop nursing before the baby’s first birthday.
There’s no arguing that breast milk is best. “Infant formula is not in competition with breast milk,” she says.
“Breast milk is the gold standard.”
The formula industry actually supports breastfeeding, Salcines says. One company even has an instructional how-to-breastfeed video on its website.
In fact, breast milk is the model companies use when they’re developing a formula. The idea is to make it “as close as possible to human milk,” she says.
Infant formula keeps up with advancements in the science of infant growth and development, she says. One of the more recent improvements is the addition of DHA and ARA, otherwise known as Omega 3 and 6.
“We use the science of breastfeeding to come up with the next best alternative to breast milk,” says Andrea Papamandjaris, the head of the medical and scientific unit at Nestle Nutrition Canada, based in North York.
She cites its newest formula, Good Start Natural Cultures, as an example. It includes probiotic B. lactis, part of a group called bifidobacteria. It’s the most prevalent culture found in the gut of healthy breastfed babies and contributes to good digestive tract flora, she says.
It’s also made with 100 per cent whey protein, broken down. It’s easier to digest than formulas with whole cow’s milk protein, and babies have stools similar to the soft and watery consistency of breastfed babies, she says.
Bhetasi, the Welland pediatrician, gives this advice to women who choose to formula feed. Make sure it’s iron fortified — all the other innovative claims of new ingredients simply don’t have the backing of independent, scientific research, she says.
And choose a brand name. Others might not have enough iron, she says.
And remember that while breast milk has less iron than formula, it’s more easily absorbed, so you don’t need as much, she says.
http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1974390
Moms gather to promote breastfeeding
Public health officials cancelled a breastfeeding challenge in Montreal over H1N1 flu concerns, but a possible pandemic couldn’t keep Calgary moms from gathering downtown to promote breastfeeding this weekend.
Calgary’s official participant count was 72 mothers breastfeeding 78 babies.
Due to flu concerns, the Quintessence Foundation, which sponsors the event, allowed for concerned mothers to breastfeed at home, said White.
“We have not heard anything from anyone in Calgary who was concerned at all. For me, it was never really an issue. It crossed my mind only when I learned Montreal had cancelled,” White said.

http://www.calgaryherald.com/business/Moms+gather+promote+breastfeeding/2064740/story.html

Breastfeeding varies between Latte and tea for babies
Babies who are breast-fed receive a different milk throughout the day. Scientists say it’s the natural equivalent of Latte in the morning and de-caff tea at night.
Mothers who express milk for feeding from a bottle should make sure it is given to baby at the same time it came from the breast or potentially disrupt sleeping patterns.
http://www.babychums.com/2009/10/breastfeeding-varies-between-latte-and-tea-for-babies/
CDC Features

New Data Reveal Insight into Moms’ Complex Infant Feeding Decisions
CDC’s data from the Infant Feeding Practices Study II illustrate several factors that influence pregnant women and new moms when they make decisions about feeding their babies. These factors, such as policies and environments within hospitals, businesses, and communities can all support—or limit—mothers’ choices.
More than 4 out of 5 pregnant women wanted to breastfeed. However, obstacles (i.e., hospital maternity care practices and limitations on maternity leave) made it much harder for them to start and maintain breastfeeding long enough to provide the health protection and benefits babies derive from breastfeeding.
• Moms who gave birth in hospitals whose policies and environment were unsupportive of breastfeeding were 8 times more likely to stop breastfeeding early compared to moms who gave birth in hospitals whose policies and environment do support breastfeeding.
83% of new mothers received infant formula or coupons for infant formula in a gift or diaper bag from the maternity hospital or birth center, and 57% of new mothers received free samples of infant formula sent by mail directly to their home
• Only about one-third of women were eligible for fully paid maternity leave.
• Partially paid leave was an option for only about 1 of 5 women.
• On average, fully paid leave was only 2.2 weeks long, and partially paid was only 1.5 weeks
As moms became more experienced with breastfeeding, they grew more comfortable doing so around other people. By the time their baby was 7 months old almost all (80%) of breastfeeding moms felt comfortable breastfeeding among close women friends, more than half (56%) felt this way among friends that are men and women, and more than one-third (34%) felt comfortable breastfeeding among men and women who were not close friends.
http://www.cdc.gov/Features/BreastFeeding/?s_cid=fb111

Breastfeeding in the News

September 10th – September 15th, 2009
Hello All,
My goodness, I came across some interesting stories this week. For the first time a woman pumped her breasts on live TV (and she was a doctor!). And while we are on the subject of pumps Hygeia has a new pump that lets mothers record their baby’s cry to make it easier for them to let down when pumping. So this is where technology has led us, not only are mothers expected to separate from their babies, they will actually be expected to listen to their baby cry while they sit at their desk. How cruel is that? Can we talk again about the need for a long term maternity leave?

A woman on the police force in Australia “was forced to work overtime for every minute she spent expressing breast milk for her child.” What kind of horrible boss would make a mother do such a thing? A female boss of course, one who was herself “the victim of a male-dominated culture” and was “over compensating to fit into a blokey culture”. (But there is some good news from Australia. The Liberal Party is now supporting legislation protecting breastfeeding mothers.) Meanwhile a college student here in the US who was asked to do her pumping in a men’s room wonders why “the school can accommodate someone with learning disabilities but can’t accommodate me for 15 minutes.”

I also came across some interesting numbers this week. Apparently more people are interested in the issue of breastfeeding in public than in Obama’s effort to secure national healthcare. In NewHampshire the story of a woman who was asked to cover up while nursing in an ice cream store received 290 comments, while a story on Obama’s health care plan only drew a measly 114 comments. In Canada a new study revealed that “among the top concerns for expectant moms, feeding the baby ranked at 20 per cent; labour and delivery at 80 per cent; life after the baby at 77 per cent, and sleepless nights at 56 per cent.” Even more disturbing, ”only 24 per cent of moms are concerned about how they will feed the new baby”. And despite all the marketing by the big formula companies “38 per cent of moms thought all formulas were basically the same.” And here we thought that those mighty marketing experts in the formula companies really knew what they were doing. If 62% of mothers can’t distinguish one formula brand from another than it’s no wonder they prefer to compare themselves to breast milk.

Speaking of formula, ABC reported that because of a new study showing that the adding DHA to formula makes babies smarter experts fear “that the study may be the first test toward marketing a replacement for breast milk.” Okay, okay, after you finish groaning let me point out that even though we’ve all been warning people about formula marketing practices for years, this is the first article from a big time news source that I’ve seen which has pointed the finger of truth at formula advertisers. The story even includes a comment from Hannah Rosen (well known for her Atlantic article questioning the pro-breastfeeding evidence) who says “advocates would need to emphasize other parts of breast-feeding, such as spending time and cuddling with the infant, if they want to discourage choosing formula over breast milk”. “The formula companies can never say it’s just like breast-feeding,”

In other news WIC is no longer giving out “just in case” samples of formula to exclusively breastfeeding moms. And making a come back in tennis 26 year old Kim Clijsters just scored a grand slam after stopping her career to start a family. She was still breastfeeding when she was invited back to Wimbledon.

As interesting as all these stories are, my favorite part of doing this is stumbling across the occasional beautiful piece, the story worth reading because it is so incredibly well written. This week there were two stories that I recommend reading in their entirety (just click on the links for the full story). I simply loved this line from “Still Got Milk?” as she described her experience with post partum depression, “Her strong suck seemed to pull the sadness out of my veins.” What a memorable image! The other story I loved was sent to me by a reader. “Breastfeeding in the Land of Genghis Kahn” is an amazing reminder of how much our attitudes are shaped by our particular culture. Imagine a world where mothers breastfeeding in public get a constant thumbs up, wrestlers boast that their strength comes from years of breastfeeding, and adults drink breast milk not just because it has medicinal properties but merely because it tastes so sweet!

I want to especially thank of all you who went to my blog and took my poll (I especially liked Nancy Terres insightful comments. Thank you, Nancy!). In answer to the question “Do you think that men are more supportive of breastfeeding than women?” 87% of those who answered said “Some men are supportive, others are just clueless.” 13% said “Absolutely! We women are our own worst enemies.” No one said, “Men just don’t get it the way women do.”Do you think that more men are supportive of breastfeeding than women?”

This week’s poll question is “Is it time to stop talking about the superiority of breast milk? Breastfeeding is supposed to be about a mother and child being together.” To place your vote visit: https://thecuriouslactivist.wordpress.com/todays-poll/
Kathy Abbott, IBCLC
http://www.BusyMomsBreastfeed.com
On Facebook: “Breastfeeding in the News”
My Blog: http://TheCuriousLactivist.wordpress.com/

The Liberal Party has bowed to pressure and will support a bill aimed at protecting breastfeeding mothers from discrimination.
The Attorney-General last week told Parliament the government would not support the Opposition’s private members bill because the protection for women was already enshrined in law.
However, after an emotional debate the government backed down and adjourned the matter so it could be discussed in the Liberal Party room today.
The Minister for Womens Interests Robyn McSweeney has told a rally of about 40 breastfeeding mothers outside State Parliament that the bill now has the government’s support.
“What we will also do is work with the hospitality industry to make them aware, to raise awareness amongst staff,” she said.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/09/15/2686424.htm?site=perth

WIC gets healthy, finally
After 30 years of serving the usual fare, WIC food packages are finally getting their own version of health care reform. Starting October 1, the new menu for the USDA’s Women, Infants, and Children nutrition program will introduce whole grains, low-fat dairy, infant foods, and finally, fruits and vegetables
While WIC has always been a major promoter of breastfeeding, the new food packages will make it tough to say no. To help establish her milk supply, WIC will no longer provide mom with “just in case” cans of formula during Month One; she must choose either exclusively breastfeeding or formula feeding. The mom who chooses to exclusively breastfeed will then receive the most food dollars — $62 a month for herself for a full year, and $38 a month for her infant. Starting in Month Two, moms who choose “mostly breastfeeding ” will receive $49 a month, her infant will get $21 a month. Those who choose the formula package will get $38 a month for mom (but for only 6 months), and $21 for infants. The choice seems obvious — especially when WIC throws in free breast pumps, education classes, and peer counselors.
The WIC changes have the potential to make huge health strides, but moms will have to take advantage of the opportunity.
According to the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District, only a paltry 297 moms were classified as “exclusive breastfeeders” last month. It’s about time for change.

http://www.mysanantonio.com/health/59175427.html

Still got milk?

There were certain things I thought I’d never do when I became a mother. I wouldn’t yell at my children, share my marital bed or nurse through toddler-hood. As my husband said with authority when we first discussed breastfeeding: “If you can ask for it, then you’re too old for it.”
Never say never when it comes to parenting. Fast-forward four years, and I’m still nursing my 2-year-old. She’s evolved out of her sweet baby-word for milk (“Nigh-nigh?”) into a precise verbal demand: “Me want some bubbies, Mommy. Right now.” Even in liberal Vermont, where lactation activism is a thriving movement, I worry what others will think.
For me, nursing made every challenge worthwhile. It was also the only thing in the continuum of pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum that had come easily. While pregnant, I struggled with depression and succumbed to its downward pull during the third trimester. Both my labors had been long and excruciating, complicated by mechanical difficulties that resulted in two emergency Cesareans.
Recovering in bed with a painful, puffy abdominal incision, I grieved my lost dream of natural childbirth. I imagined that other women were fulfilled and empowered by their birthing experiences. I’d envisioned a candlelit home water-birth, a fantasy derived from Ina May Gaskin’s orgasmic stories in “Spiritual Midwifery,” as well as my own sister’s birth in a wilderness cabin, by candlelight during a thunderstorm when I was 10. Weepy with postpartum hormones and exhaustion, I felt I had failed some female rite of passage.
But I cradled my baby and fed her, and she grew plump from my milk. Her strong suck seemed to pull the sadness out of my veins.
http://www.reformer.com/ci_13320659?source=most_emailed

ER Doctor Demonstrates Breast Pump on Live TV with Patented New Freemie Hands-Free System
A physician inventor shows a morning television audience how they can use an electric breast pump in public with her new patented device that allows a woman to collect milk with her clothes on. The device promises to be a game changer for breastfeeding mothers in the workplace, as anchorwoman attests, “It works!”
Sacramento, CA (PRWEB) September 15, 2009 — In what may be a first, an ER Doctor demonstrated a breast pump – on herself – on live television in full view of the camera during a morning interview. And no, it wasn’t cable.
The Freemie devices connect to an electric breast pump and are held in place by a woman’s regular bra under her clothing while she collects milk
The interview with Dr. Stella Dao by local CBS morning anchor Lisa Gonzales took place on affiliated station CW31’s Good Day Sacramento, the largest morning show in central California. But the interview is unlikely to generate any complaints to the station, since Dr. Dao, the inventor of a patented new system called the Freemie, was fully clothed during the entire interview. (Watch the interview with Dr. Dao on the show’s Momtrepreneur$ feature page.) The patented features of the Freemie system make it possible for a woman to comfortably pump hands-free, with her clothes on, at her desk or workstation or some other non-private setting, if she prefers or must.
During the live television interview, Dr. Dao was giving an overview of how the system works. When she connected to the pump’s tubing, Gonzales asked, “Should I turn it on?” Dr. Dao replied, “You could!” So she did – possibly making history for both of them. The Freemie was just unveiled late this summer but has already been described as “brilliant” by medical professionals.
In preparation for the live interview, Gonzales, who has a baby at home, pumped with the Freemie system and collected milk on camera while reviewing it for the TV show’s internet audience. She enthusiastically concluded, “It works!”
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2009freemie/9system/prweb2883704.htm

Video of woman pumping on live tv
http://gooddaysacramento.com/momtrepreneurs

Baby Formula Study a Marketing Cover, Researchers Say
Doctors Say Breast Milk Still Tops, Despite Study Finding a Formula Raises IQBy JOSEPH BROWNSTEIN
ABC News Medical Unit
Sept. 15, 2009

15 comments
A new study shows benefits in adding the omega-3 fatty acid, DHA to infant formula, but breast-feeding experts say they will still advocate a more natural source of DHA: breast milk.

A woman is shown breast-feeding her child, left, and another giving her baby a bottle with formula, in these file photos.
(Getty Images)
The study, appearing in the journal Child Development, indicates that infants receiving formula supplemented with DHA performed better on a cognitive test than infants who were given formula without it. DHA occurs naturally in breast milk.
But while doctors say the evidence may support formula containing a DHA supplement over formula without one, they are concerned that the study may be the first test toward marketing a replacement for breast milk. The formula used in the study was provided to the researchers by a manufacturing company for free.
One pediatrician notes that in her own practice, some mothers are convinced that formula with DHA can be superior to breast milk.
“The marketing has actually dissuaded mothers from choosing exclusive breast-feeding, which is preferred from all the outcomes that we understand,” said Dr. Lori Feldman-Winter, a pediatrician with Cooper University Hospital in Camden, N.J.
She noted that simply adding DHA — while it may top other infant formula — would not make it superior to breast milk.
“There are many other factors in human milk that also support neurocognitive development and visual acuity,” said Feldman-Winter.
And she was not alone in her skepticism for the apparent reasons behind the study.
“It is clear that the food industry fascination with nutraceuticals (strategically fortified food products) is now spreading into infant formula,” said Barbara Moore, president and CEO of Shape Up America!, in an e-mail to ABCNews.com. “This is a disturbing new development. We have parents thinking that sticking their tiny infants in front of a Baby Einstein video will improve their child’s mental development when the data suggest that parent-child interactions (and plenty of them) are the most critical factor for such development. Moore said in the e-mail. “Now parents will be encouraged to forego breast-feeding — which is optimal for both mothers and babies — in favor of a hyped up infant formula.”
Breast milk has other benefits not related to mental development, Moore said. “Breast-feeding confers protection against infection, including viral infections, and the CDC promotes breast-feeding to confer maximal protection against swine flu and other infections.”
Rosin said that after having her third child, she looked at evidence for breast-feeding and did not find it to be as strong as she would have believed. Despite the fact that she herself continues to breast-feed her third child — “I actually don’t hate it,” she told ABCNews.com, countering assumptions many reading her article had made — she has received a backlash of comments criticizing her, including some from the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Action Over Substance
Rosin said the mistake breast-feeding proponents made was focusing on the substance, rather than the act.
“The formula companies tend to advertise their formulas by saying as close to breast milk as possible,” she said. “Everyone accepts that breast milk is the standard.”
Adding DHA would just be the latest attempt to supplement formula by adding a substance from breast milk.

“By turning breast milk into a magic vaccine, the breast milk people made themselves vulnerable to that,” said Rosin.
Instead, Rosin said advocates would need to emphasize other parts of breast-feeding, such as spending time and cuddling with the infant, if they want to discourage choosing formula over breast milk.
“The formula companies can never say it’s just like breast-feeding,” she said.
Formulaic Infant Food
Dr. Miriam Labbok, a professor of public health at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, expressed some skepticism with the findings.
“It might be reasonable from these industry-funded studies to consider that this would be a good additive to formula if you are forced to stop breast-feeding,” she said in an e-mail. “However, 1) none of these studies compare to continued breast-feeding, 2) you could also get these [nutrients] from other sources if you stop breast-feeding, and 3) there are hundreds, if not thousands, of other components in human milk that cannot be replaced.”
Dr. Ruth Lawrence, a neonatologist at the University of Rochester Medical Center and the American Academy of Pediatrics pokeswoman on breast-feeding, said that DHA may contribute to better formula, but that won’t replace breast milk.
“The important point is not let mothers think it’s as good as their milk,” she said
James Drover, the study’s lead author, did not respond to a request from ABC News for comment.
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/WellnessNews/researchers-formula-study-marketing-cover/story?id=8573263

Clijsters rewrites grand plan by winning U.S. Open
It was not part of Kim Clijsters’s grand plan, and that made her U.S. Open victory feel surreal to the Belgian.
“I can’t believe this happened,” the 26-year-old Clijsters told reporters following her grand slam triumph Sunday after taking more than two years off to start a family.
“It still seems so surreal that in my third tournament back I won my second grand slam.
“As a woman, I came to a stage in my life, too, where I wanted to get married. We wanted to start a family, and I was glad. I feel very lucky that I got this chance to be back here now and that I made that decision, because it’s obviously been a good choice.
“Being a mother is obviously my first priority and being a wife … I’m just very lucky that I’m able to combine both and that my family supports me in doing this.”
Clijsters said tennis was the furthest thing from her mind until she got an invitation to help unveil the new retractable roof over Center Court at Wimbledon.
“There were so many things going on with the wedding, and I was pregnant, and I was breastfeeding and everything. (I) didn’t get into the whole training routine until at the start of this year when I got the invitation to Wimbledon again.”

http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE58D1HO20090914?pageNumber=1&virtualBrandChannel=10522

Breast-feeding mom, Obama speech top list
EDITOR’S NOTE: A story about a mother nursing her baby inside a local ice cream shop and another based on watching President Barack Obama deliver his nationally televised back-to-school address at Nashua High School South were popular this week among our online contributors.

HEADLINE: Breast-feeding mom asked to cover up gets much support

SUMMARY: Breast-feeding advocates are rallying behind an area woman who says she was asked to cover up or leave after she began nursing her infant daughter inside a local ice cream shop. The woman contacted the La Leche League and the Hillsborough County Holistic Moms group, complaining that while she and her family were sitting at a table inside Jake’s Old Fashioned Ice Cream, a manager harassed her for breast-feeding her 2-week-old baby.

COMMENTS: 290
HEADLINE: Obama speech yields reflection, few complaints
COMMENTS: 114
http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090912/OPINION04/909129983/-1/OPINION02

Factors to consider when you can’t breastfeed
Most expectant mothers assume they will breastfeed their babies, which may explain a recent Leger poll that revealed only 24 per cent of moms are concerned about how they will feed the new baby. In fact, among the top concerns for expectant moms, feeding the baby ranked at 20 per cent; labour and delivery at 80 per cent; life after the baby at 77 per cent, and sleepless nights at 56 per cent. The national survey showed that, in Alberta, moms were more concerned about which clothes to buy for their new baby than what to feed the infant.
The Leger poll also showed 38 per cent of moms thought all formulas were basically the same –a startling discovery for many clinicians, considering all the competition and marketing methods employed by various makers of baby formulas in an era known as the information age
http://www.canada.com/life/parenting/Factors+consider+when+breastfeed/1979605/story.html

Research Confirms Baby’s Cries Trigger Breastmilk Letdown

Hygeia II Medical Group has found new research showing what many breastfeeding moms already know: the sound of their crying baby can trigger milk letdown. Hygeia breastpumps feature a unique “cry button” which allows the mother to record her own baby crying, and then play back the sound before pumping so she can trigger the letdown.
Mothers tell us that the pump’s ability to ‘cry’ or play back other sounds is helpful for milk letdown and efficient breastpumping.

Carlsbad, California USA (PRWEB) September 11, 2009 — Hygeia II Medical Group has found new research showing what many breastfeeding moms already know: the sound of their crying baby can trigger milk letdown. Letdown or “milk ejection reflex” is critical for transfer of the breastmilk from the breastfeeding mother to baby. Conventional thinking has postulated that the baby’s suckling leads to the letdown, but this newly discovered study shows that the crying of the baby triggers a letdown in most mothers BEFORE suckling begins.

This paper was published by McNeilly, et. al. in the British Medical Journal. It demonstrates that the initial rise in maternal oxytocin, the hormone associated with birth and breastfeeding, is caused by cues from the baby such as crying, as opposed to actual suckling. This implies that baby’s cues are critical to milk letdown, and that the use of a crying stimulus may enhance breast pumping.
Hygeia breastpumps feature a “cry button” which allows the mother to record her own baby crying, and then play back the sound before pumping so she can trigger the letdown. This pump feature is called “C.A.R.E”., an acronym for Customized Audio Recording Experience.
Other pump companies have attempted to elicit milk letdown after pumping begins. Only Hygeia offers mothers a way to stimulate the milk letdown with auditory cues like crying before pumping begins. Hygeia CEO, John Estill says, “Mothers tell us that the pump’s ability to ‘cry’ or play back other sounds is helpful for milk letdown and efficient breastpumping.”
The study by McNeilly, along with other supporting documents, is available as free downloads on the website. http://www.hygeiababy.com/support.php
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2009/09/prweb2865544.htm

Healthy living and breastfeeding reduce cancer risk
Scientists have found eating healthily, drinking less alcohol, being active and breastfeeding their children reduces the risk of breast cancer for women.
http://www.inthenews.co.uk/news/health/healthy-living-and-breastfeeding-reduce-cancer-risk-$1323777.htm

Working mother’s breastfeeding ordeal
A WOMAN employed by the New South Wales Police Force was forced to work overtime for every minute she spent expressing breastmilk for her child.

The police intelligence analyst, who can only be identified as Sarah for security reasons, was also banned from using morning and afternoon tea breaks because they were “discretionary” and she was denied the use of accumulated leave.

Complaint documents obtained by The Daily Telegraph claim Sarah’s repeated requests for hours that suited her childcare needs were rejected and she had to record the time spent expressing milk at work on her timesheet.
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,26053114-421,00.html

NSW Police Boss Involved in Breastfeeding Ban is a Woman
The New South Wales Police boss, who forced a breastfeeding
mum to work overtime for every minute she spent expressing milk, has been reported to be a woman.

The revelation came as Women’s Minister Verity Firth told all public service agencies to review practices to ensure they were providing support to breastfeeding mums.

The female sergeant told her civilian employee that she was not entitled to paid breaks, and denied her access to a private room, all in violation of an official State Government policy that is ignored throughout almost all of the public service.

However, it is suspected that the woman officer may have been overcompensating to fit into a blokey culture, with experts likening aggressive women in uniform to “religious converts”.

Feminist Eva Cox said the sergeant herself was probably the victim of a male-dominated culture, suggesting that she was trying so hard to fit in that she was tougher on women than her male colleagues.

“The women who get up through the system are the women who are really supportive of the system – they’re like religious converts,” the Daily Telegraph quoted Cox as saying.
“They’re scared to behave in any way soft or feminine and it makes them harder on other women than blokes,” she stated.

However, NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Jenkins said that both genders were always treated equally in the Force.

“Police who rise up through the ranks of the NSW Police Force do so because they are the best people for the job. Gender is irrelevant,” he said.

NSW Police is now developing a new breastfeeding policy, and is taking steps to address the employee’s complaints – including a request that all the overtime she worked be reinstated.

The Public Service
Association has lodged an action in the IRC seeking to enforce the Government’s
12-year-old policy supporting new mums

http://www.medindia.net/news/NSW-Police-Boss-Involved-in-Breastfeeding-Ban-is-a-Woman-57991-1.htm

Breastfeeding proves difficult for CSUF mothers
The first day of school for Sirena Ramirez proved to be filled with long hours and pain as she struggled to find a designated area at Cal State Fullerton to utilize her breast pump.
Ramirez, 28, a senior at CSUF and a public administration major, is the mother of an eight-month-old son, and she spends eight hours a day on campus. She was quick to find out that pumping her breast milk while on campus would be a more difficult task than she had anticipated. Ramirez called the Disabled Student’s Center and the Health Center inquiring if there were any facilities on campus that they knew of where she could use her pump. With no luck, she was directed to the Children’s Center.
Although the Children’s Center accommodates breast-feeding mothers with a room with rocking chairs, there are no proper outlets available for the breast pump. However, Ramirez was offered to use the men’s restroom inside the center where there is no proper place for her to sit, and where there may or may not have been a proper lock for privacy.
“What was I supposed to do,” said Ramirez, “Sit in the stall and pump the milk?”
She was also offered a source of ‘privacy’ by putting a chair in front of the restroom door.
“It was a little bit discouraging,” said Ramirez, “I was kind of upset because the school can accommodate someone with learning disabilities but can’t accommodate me for 15 minutes.”
After being given the run-around on the telephone, Ramirez reached out to her former professor, Pamela Fiber-Ostrow, who is the assistant professor for political science, for help. Fiber-Ostrow, who has a 17-month-old son herself, understood the physical pain Ramirez was experiencing, so she took sympathy on the student’s situation.
“I just want to be able to go and ask a question and be sent to the right place,” said Ramirez.
Fiber-Ostrow offered Ramirez her office as a private and safe space, but with conflicting schedules, she instead looked into the Women’s Center on campus. When that didn’t work, Fiber-Ostrow reached out to other faculty mothers who lent leads on other avenues of help for Ramirez.
“I think … as new moms who breastfed, we have a better understanding of the physical pain of not being able to express milk and needing to pump,” said Fiber-Ostrow.
The problem was addressed within 24 hours once Ramirez got in contact with the Dean of Students, Kandy Mink Salas, Fiber-Ostrow said.
“I think there needs to be a more permanent and generally available option for students,” Fiber-Ostrow said.
A more general and permanent option would be helpful since Ramirez hasn’t been the only student-mother on campus that inquired about this matter. Fiber-Ostrow isn’t the only faculty member that believes there should be a solution in this matter for the students either.
Betsy Gibbs, the director of the Children’s Center, said, “I really see this as something the students, faculty and staff should work on to find a solution.”
Gibbs added that she believes that faculty members should lobby for the notion as well since the matter affects them just as much, if not more, than students.
In regards to the importance of benefiting the students of CSUF, Salas was able to step in and quickly find a private office on campus for Ramirez.
“(If there is) any student that needs help and wants to facilitate their education, we will find a place to accommodate them,” said Salas.
As far as some of the established resources CSUF has, Salas and other faculty members don’t see the Health Center, in particular, as an ideal place. The brand new mothers that are breast-feeding or using the breast pump need to be exercising these processes in a more sanitary environment, and with ill students in and out of the Health Center, that could pose possible infection.
However, Salas encourages students with similar issues as Ramirez, or other unresolved complications, to reach out to her for help.
http://www.dailytitan.com/2009/09/breastfeeding-proves-difficult-for-csuf-mothers/

Mongolia : Breastfeeding in the land of Genghis Kahn
In Mongolia, there’s an oft-quoted saying that the best wrestlers are breastfed for at least six years – a serious endorsement in a country where wrestling is the national sport. I moved to Mongolia when my first child was four months old, and lived there until he was three.

Raising my son during those early years in a place where attitudes to breastfeeding are so dramatically different from prevailing norms in North America opened my eyes to an entirely different vision of how it all could be. Not only do Mongolians breast feed for a long time, they do so with more enthusiasm and less inhibition than nearly anyone else I’ve met. In Mongolia, breastmilk is not just for babies, it’s not only about nutrition, and it’s definitely not something you need to be discreet about. It’s the stuff Genghis Khan was made of.
When I walked through the market cradling my feeding son in my arms, vendors would make a space for me at their stalls and tell him to drink up. Instead of looking away, people would lean right in and kiss Calum on the cheek. If he popped off in response to the attention and left my streaming breast completely exposed, not a beat was missed. No one stared, no one looked away – they just laughed and wiped the milk off their noses.
But if weaning means never drinking breastmilk again, then Mongolians are never truly weaned – and here’s what surprised me most about breastfeeding in Mongolia. If a woman’s breasts are engorged and her baby is not at hand, she will simply go around and ask a family member, of any age or sex, if they’d like a drink. Often a woman will express a bowlful for her husband as a treat, or leave some in the fridge for anyone to help themselves.
While we’ve all tasted our own breastmilk, given some to our partners to try, maybe used a bit in the coffee in an emergency – haven’t we? – I don’t think many of us have actually drunk it very often. But every Mongolian I ever asked told me that he or she liked breastmilk. The value of breastmilk is so celebrated, so firmly entrenched in their culture, that it’s not considered something that’s only for babies. Breastmilk is commonly used medicinally, given to the elderly as a cure-all, and used to treat eye infections, as well as to (reportedly) make the white of the eye whiter and deepen the brown of the iris.

But mostly, I think, Mongolians drink breastmilk because they like the taste. A western friend of mine who pumped breastmilk while at work and left the bottle in the company fridge one day found it half empty. She laughed. “Only in Mongolia would I suspect my colleagues of drinking my breastmilk!”
http://drmomma.blogspot.com/2009/07/breastfeeding-in-land-of-genghis-khan.html