Breastfeeding in the News March 9th – March 18th, 2010

When the government in Taipei enacted a law mandating breastfeeding rooms in public buildings it was hailed as a symbol for “the enhancement of women’s rights”.  Compare that to here in the US where acceptance of breastfeeding varies widely from state to state.  In New Jersey a council woman was photographed arguing her point as she stood and nursed her attached baby.  Said one politician, “If that’s her forte, God bless her.” Meanwhile in North Carolina a woman who couldn’t afford child care began nursing her baby in an unemployment office.  Despite the fact that North Carolina has a law protecting the rights of mother’s breastfeeding in public she was asked to leave.   According to the NC Employment Security Commission they “do not prohibit a mother from breastfeeding, but do have a breastfeeding policy.” The policy states they will offer private rooms, if available, for the mother. If not, they ask the mothers wanting to breastfeed to cover-up or step outside.”   Never mind the issue of state law versus private policy; this is an employment office we are talking about!  Where is the enhancement of “women’s rights” in this case?

In other world news mothers in Kenya are protesting the withdrawal of free formula, a policy that was instituted when it was learned that the survival rate of babies born with HIV was higher than those who are formula fed.  One mother spoke against the policy “because I cannot generate enough breast milk, I wean my babies at two months. Six months is unworkable.”   Meanwhile in Cuba 98% of babies leave the hospital exclusively breastfeeding!  Down under the Australian Premier has decided that whenever Labor MP Rite Saffioti wants to leave the chamber to nurse her baby a Liberal will be asked to leave as well.  I wonder how the Liberals feel about this.  (Only a politician would come up with such a solution.)

 In the UK a committee is investigating the increasingly blurred line between the marketing of infant formula and so called “follow up” formula.  In Scotland policy makers are taking their cues from the Harlem, New York by adopting a program created there that includes home visits during pregnancy and for the first two years.  I love it when the vision of innovative locals gets the notice it deserves! In France however the land where the “crèche” (daycare) was invented, the concept of the “good mother” does not even exist, and according to one author that is a good thing.  In France it’s wife first, worker second, and mother last.  See what century’s of wet nursing can do to a country. 

In what’s now being called the “Air Freshener” incident a mother in Britain was told she couldn’t nurse in the dressing room of a charity run clothing store because she was told “your breast milk stinks”.  So much for the ‘oxytocin factor’ bringing out the best in people.  Breastfeeding issues made two advice columns this week, the first was a question I certainly had never considered before.  In Backpacker.com a hiker wanted to know if the smell of his wife’s pumped milk would attract bears.  I wanted to know why the baby wasn’t with her, but according to my Facebook friends there are mothers who leave their baby at home and climb a mountain carrying a breast pump instead.  In a UK column advice giver “Claire” bravely takes on the thorny question of breastfeeding a toddler in public. Her answer was a gem, “It pains me to have to break it to you but I’m not, in fact, a world authority on breastfeeding. I’ve never done it and to be honest I find the whole concept quite baffling. I’m not sure why you have written to me or indeed anyone as it is quite clear that no one could convince you that breastfeeding a toddler is a good idea. The puzzle is why it bothers you so much. If your friend ends up standing in the school canteen offering her breasts up as an alternative to mini pizzas then so be it.”

A new issue of La Leche League’s most famous book “The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding” is scheduled to arrive in July!  This will be the first updated edition in six years and from what I hear it will include some major revisions.  There is also a new book out from a different publisher about breastfeeding older children, and by older I mean the 6 years old not the 6 months.  Medela has a new link on their website for those looking for advice on how to get lactation coverage from their insurance companies.    

  In consumer news slings took a hit when the US  Consumer Product Safety Commission announced that in the last 20 years 14 infant deaths had been associated with slings.  According to the report “many of the babies whose deaths they are investigating were either born prematurely, had breathing difficulties (eg because they had a cold) or they were a low birthweight twin.”  A follow up article by the New York Times notes that the number of slings available has exploded in recent years.  We all remember how Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (which includes crib makers) came out with all those studies against co-sleeping, considering how many slings are made by smaller women owned businesses I would hate to see this organization take on slings as well (especially since only one sling manufacturer was implicated).  One way to avoid this is for sling makers to police themselves.  It would not be a bad idea for certain standards to be created and in my humble opinion the best way to do that is to join the American Society for Testing and Materials (http://www.astm.org/ ).  The ASTM is a highly respected voluntary organization that is a well known leader in creating standards around the globe.  Check it out ladies; don’t let the Goliath’s of the world get their way!

In science news  ‘pregnancy brain’ has been associated with a lack of fatty acids (which presumably have been suctioned off by the fetus) and does not return to normal until the baby reaches 6 months.  Whether or not lower levels of fatty acids is a true deficit to a woman’s ability to think I’m not sure.  What I am sure of is that this will be used a new marketing tool for yet another perinatal product shortly.

I have to thank you all for patience in waiting for this latest edition of “Breastfeeding in the News”.  In the past two weeks I have visited five Baby Friendly hospitals in New England for a fascinating look at the process of going Baby Friendly.  When I was done with that I finally caved in to my daughter’s constant request for a dog. (For three years she has added the word “puppy” to every shopping list I have ever written.)  Never mind that we have five cats, never mind that I have never owned a dog before, I caved in and now we have a gentle, one year old, thirty pound, West Virginian, shelter dog who was not house broken and apparently had never seen stairs before.   On the second day we had her she busted out of her crate and chewed the power cord to my laptop clean in half.  And just now while I was writing this she stole and opened up a container of cat food!  If anyone needs a reminder of what motherhood is like in the early days just get yourself a puppy.  I’m exhausted already.

As always I welcome your comments, and if you haven’t had a chance to read my last essay “Wetness is Opportunity” please take a look at it.  I want to send a special shout out to my Facebook friend Effath Yasmin from India for the kind words she sent me about the essay, so nice to hear from you Effath!

 Kathy Abbott IBCLC
www.BusyMomsBreastfeed.com

www.TheCuriousLactivist.Wordpress.com

On Facebook:” Breastfeeding in the News”             

PREGNANCY BRAIN MAY BE FIRST SIGN OF EFA DEFICIENCY DURING CHILDBEARING YEARS

Thursday, March 18, 2010 by: Sherry Rothwell, citizen journalist
…”If not attended to, EFA (essential fatty acids) status in the mother will continue to decline throughout the breastfeeding period, with repercussions to both her breastfeeding baby and subsequent children. Essential fatty acid deficiency has been shown to play a key role in many growth and developmental difficulties such as: learning, behavioral, nervous and immune related disorders.”

…”While “pregnancy brain” is also associated with the “amnesia” effects of the hormone oxytocin and other nutritional deficiencies, science has now shown that a pregnant woman`s brain actually shrinks in size during pregnancy, and then increases again at six months postpartum. It is likely no coincidence that this occurrence co-relates with the time when many women stop or decrease breastfeeding, thus eliminating or reducing the strain on the mother`s EFA stores. Since we know that 60% of the human brain is composed of fat and that a woman’s reserves are most strained during the childbearing years, we have to at least consider essential fats as a significant contributing piece of the “pregnancy brain” puzzle.”

http://www.naturalnews.com/028391_pregnancy_nutrition.html

Deficiency of essential fatty acids and membrane fluidity during pregnancy and lactation

Lactating mothers showed less recovery from the deficiencies than did the nonlactating mothers, but neither approached normal at 6 wk. The changes seen in phospholipid profiles suggest a significant transfer of omega 3 and omega 6 polyunsaturated FA from the mother to the fetus. These FA are essential for normal fetal growth and development; their relative deficiency in maternal circulation suggests that dietary supplementation may be indicated.

http://www.pnas.org/content/88/11/4835.abstract

Hospitals friendly to newborns and their mothers are widely realized in Cuba

By David Koch

SANCTI SPÍRITUS, Cuba, 17 March 2010 – With a history of poverty and political strife, Cubans have experienced much deprivation over the years. But access to basic services, such as healthcare, is available to all – especially children – whose first right is to the best start in life.

   VIDEO: Watch now

In 1991, Cuba ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), which states that nations “shall ensure to the maximum extent possible the survival and development of the child.” And the country vigorously defends a children’s right to health, and hospitals friendly to newborns and their mothers cover the island.

 “Undoubtedly, the reach and quality of child- and mother-friendly hospitals in Cuba sets one of the highest standards in the world.”

Breastfeeding to the fore

Post-delivery care is one of the hallmarks of child- and mother-friendly hospitals like the General Camilo Cienfuegos Provincial Hospital in Sancti Spíritus, the capital of the province of the same name.

“During the first 48 hours, we ensure that the mother is always by the child’s side, that she breastfeeds him or her on demand over the first 15 minutes of the child’s life,” explained Dr. Gladys Figueredo Echagüe, Deputy Director of the hospital’s maternity ward. “We ensure that the families participate in this process, and ensure that 98 per cent of our newborns are sent home breastfeeding exclusively.”

Despite such practices, some experts believe that breastfeeding among Cuban mothers is declining slightly due to an increased reliance on powdered formula.

“I believe that Cuba is an excellent model regarding the protection and best interests of the child,” he said.

http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/cuba_53057.html  

Taipei protects right to breastfeed

Government offices, public venues and most shopping malls must also set up nursing rooms.

Anyone who does not comply with the law will be subject to a fine of NT$5,000-$30,000 (US$157-943).

Catholic hospitals have long promoted breastfeeding and have welcomed the measures.

The law, proposed in 2005, will finally come into force in Taipei on April 1, said Yu Li-hui, head of the health promotion division of Taipei city council.

“This is the first law of its kind in Taiwan. It not only follows the world trend but also symbolizes the enhancement of women’s rights,” Yu told UCA News.

The rate of breastfeeding has dropped since the 1970s when TV commercials created a misconception of healthier babies with formula milk. Breastfeeding draws strange stares from passersby, making it seem that this is not a norm in Chinese society, said Yu.

But Chinese mothers have breastfed their babies publicly in the 1960s when breastfeeding was common.

“The practice has been encouraged since 1980s and now more than 90 percent of mothers breastfeed their newborns in hospitals…”

http://www.cathnewsindia.com/2010/03/18/taipei-protects-right-to-breastfeed/

ASK A BEAR: BREASTFEEDING AROUND BEARS

Q: My wife has been breastfeeding our 3-month-old daughter, and she’d like to get out for her first post-pregnancy backpacking trip this summer. While we cannot take the little one along with us yet, we had planned to take a breastpump and dispose of the pumped milk.

We can’t seem to find any information about whether it is safe to camp in bear country while…uh…lactating. So, how about it? Is it safe to camp in bear country when you are a breastfeeding mom? Thanks! —Mike from Virginia, via email

A: Hey Mike. First of all, congratulations on the new cub—here’s hoping she has two eyes, ten claws, and a shiny fur coat.

Secondly, as long as you dispose of the milk properly, your wife should be good to go on that backpacking trip. There’s no evidence to suggest that lactating females would attract bears any more than those who aren’t. If it’s inside your body, a bear probably can’t smell it; any food or external odors left on your skin or clothes are more likely to attract bears.

As for disposal: You can treat it much the way you would treat dishwater. Scatter it broadly at least 200 feet away from water sources, and well away from your camp (strain it, if need be). This way, impact should be minimal. If you want to truly reduce your impact to zero, however, you should probably wait to go backpacking until your wife stops lactating. It’ll certainly cut down on her discomfort.

http://www.backpacker.com/ask_a_bear_breastfeeding/blogs/daily_dirt/1715

Breastfeeding a risk in bear country?

“ Large food caches, quantities of cooked food, and left-overs are what you worry about, as far as I’ve learned. The bears know where the most food is. If a bear smelled food stains on a person, or smelled the very strong odors of a food cache or a pile of scraps, which way do you think that animal will turn? Bears, black and grizzly, are extremely smart omnivores and scavengers, and they’re inclined to expend the least energy for the biggest payoff. So, attack a human who smells like her own milk (and risk human counter-attack), or sneak in at night, rip open a cooler, and grab and go?”

http://trueslant.com/scottbowen/2010/03/17/breastfeeding-a-risk-in-bear-country/

RIGHT TO BREASTFEED QUESTIONED

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (WGHP) – A woman said she was asked to stop breastfeeding her child while at the Winston-Salem Employment Security Commission Office last Tuesday.

Elizabeth Abbott, a mother of four, said she went to the employment office to search for a job. “I don’t have a job, which means I can’t afford $200 a week in daycare. Which means, when I go look for a job, my child goes with me,” said Abbott. While waiting at the office, she started breastfeeding her infant son when a female receptionist asked her to to stop, stating it was a distraction.

“She came over and said for the comfort of the men in the office, I need to leave and nurse him elsewhere. I told her I wasn’t going anywhere, and she continued to tell me that the comfort of the men was going to be an issue. I said I really don’t care. My baby is hungry, I’m here to find a job and my baby wants to eat,” said Abbott.

North Carolina law protects mothers and gives them the right to breastfeed their child anytime, anywhere.

“There were other people that heard her comment and actually were upset about the comment she made to me,” said Abbott. “If a man can sit there and feed his child at the ESC with a bottle, then a women should be able to nurse their child the same way.”

A spokesman for the NC Employment Security Commission said: “They do not prohibit a mother from breastfeeding, but do have a breastfeeding policy.” The policy states they will offer private rooms, if available, for the mother. If not, they ask the mothers wanting to breastfeed to cover-up or step outside.

Abbott said she believes no policy should trump state law. “There shouldn’t be a policy. I don’t care what their policy is,” said Abbott.

North Carolina is one of 44 states that have laws protecting mothers wanting to breastfeed in public.

http://www.myfox8.com/wghp-story-breastfeed-policy-100316,0,6082191.story

Suffocation Danger To Young Babies In Sling Carriers: US Consumers Warned (Medical News Today)    

“The commission said many of the babies whose deaths they are investigating were either born prematurely, had breathing difficulties (eg because they had a cold) or they were a low birthweight twin.”

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/182256.php

PARENTING GROWS UP – PUBLISHERS ANSWER MOMS’ AND DADS’ CALL FOR AN INCREASING VARIETY OF CHILD-REARING TITLES

BY GWENDA BOND — PUBLISHER’S WEEKLY

But perhaps the biggest postpregnancy book of the season is Ballantine’s newly revised and updated edition of the classic The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding by the La Leche League. Since the last update to the title six years ago, major changes have created more questions for breastfeeding moms, says Marnie Cochran, executive editor at Ballantine, even as the science has solidified its importance. She cites increases in C-sections and multiple births, improved pump technology that can be overwhelming for new mothers to choose from, and women juggling the return to the workplace and nursing.

“Much like a La Leche League meeting itself, the new book will now meet the urgent needs of women of all ages who choose to breastfeed, and for however long they choose to try to keep doing it,” says Cochran.

http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/452900-Parenting_Grows_Up.php  

Family says accused mother is mentally ill

SARASOTA – Brittany Livingston tried to get help for mental health problems including postpartum depression, but she would not take the prescription medicine while breastfeeding her youngest daughter, worried that it might hurt the child.

On Feb. 26, she showed up at her mother’s Sarasota house in crisis, asking for help and saying she needed to go somewhere for psychiatric treatment, as she had done several times before. But she took off before anyone could help her, family members say.

“She was begging, pleading,” said a family member, who would not give her name. “But that other part of her would not let her sit still.”

That night, deputies say, she tried to drown her two daughters — a 2-year-old and a 9-month-old — in a retention pond in Charlotte County.

On Friday, they charged her with two counts of attempted murder and moved her to the jail.

Her bail has been set at $300,000

Family members say Livingston, an honors student at Riverview who enrolled in State College of Florida and wanted to be a teacher, should be getting psychiatric help, not jail time.

http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20100314/ARTICLE/3141038/-1/NEWSSITEMAP?p=1&tc=pg

Roselle Park councilwoman nurses baby at meetings so other mothers can too (New Jersey)

ROSELLE PARK — The strongest public statement at this month’s Roselle Park council meeting was never entered into the minutes.

Near the end of the meeting, 3rd Ward Councilwoman Larissa Chen-Hoerning brought her 6-week-old son, Enzo, onto the dais with her and began to breastfeed him while the council debated an ordinance regulating overnight truck parking on borough streets.

Chen-Hoerning said that she doesn’t think the act of nursing her baby, discreetly shielded from view by the desk in front of her, should be stigmatized as dirty or shameful.

“I want to help women say ‘Someone else is out there breastfeeding, and maybe it’s OK to do,’” Chen-Hoerning said last week.

Mothers in the United States often face complaints when they nurse in public places like restaurants or stores, according to La Leche League International spokeswoman Loretta

On several occasions since his birth in January, Enzo has dropped into Roselle Park council meetings for a snack. No one on either side of the dais has batted an eye.

“I was telling someone about it the other day, and they said, ‘Do you nurse on camera?’ and I was like, ‘Well, yeah,’” Chen-Hoerning said.

After the meeting, resident Eugene Meola said the baby was so quiet he hadn’t even noticed him during the meeting. Other residents, Chen-Hoerning said, have expressed their support for her. Former councilman Jacob Magiera, who attends many borough meetings, said last week the councilwoman is modest and perfectly within her rights.

“If other council members don’t object to it, she’s entitled to do what she wants to do,” said Magiera. “If that’s her forte, God bless her.”

http://www.nj.com/news/local/index.ssf/2010/03/councilwoman_nurses_baby_at_ro.html

Mo’Nique Portrays a Mother from Hell in Precious

“This neglect begins in infancy,” Dr. Fine warns. “What’s the message mothers give their kids while plopping pacifiers in their mouths? I don’t have time to nurse you. Your needs are not important.”

http://pr-usa.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=350159&Itemid=95

Are French mothers right to put marriage before motherhood? 

It stems from the 18th century, according to Badinter, when French women would give their newborn babies to wet-nurses to save themselves from sagging bosoms. The French maman has long been party to a “woman before mother” policy, she says; it was the French who invented le crèche for children aged two and three.

These days bottle feeding enables French women to perform three roles: wife, professional and mother. More than half of French women choose not to breastfeed; the number of non-breastfeeders rose from 45.6 per cent in 1995 to 56 per cent in 2002. The concept of “good mother” does not exist in France, Badinter says.

But this is not necessarily a bad thing, according to her book Le Conflit, la femme et la mère

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/family/7421368/French-mothers-Maman-knows-best.html   

Barrett Fund Awards $77K in Adams, Cheshire, Savoy

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — The William J. and Margery S. Barrett Fund for Adams, Cheshire and Savoy, a fund of Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, recently awarded grants totaling $77,000 to 12 nonprofit organizations in the three towns.

Berkshire Nursing Families: $10,000 for Breastfeeding Support Services, a program that provides comprehensive breastfeeding support services for families in Adams, Cheshire and Savoy.

http://www.iberkshires.com/story/34263/Barrett-Fund-Awards-77-000-in-Adams-Cheshire-Savoy.html

Dear Claire

It pains me to have to break it to you but I’m not, in fact, a world authority on breastfeeding. I’ve never done it and to be honest I find the whole concept quite baffling.

I’m not sure why you have written to me or indeed anyone as it is quite clear that no one could convince you that breastfeeding a toddler is a good idea. The puzzle is why it bothers you so much. If your friend ends up standing in the school canteen offering her breasts up as an alternative to mini pizzas then so be it.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthadvice/pillowtalk/7428576/Graham-Nortons-problem-page.html

Mothers’ protest at withdrawal of free formula milk (Kenya)

Provision of free formula milk in public health centres for HIV positive mothers has been halted drawing protests from the women.

The government says the move is aimed at promoting exclusive use of breast milk for the first six months. However, the mothers say the directive is impractical because they cannot afford enough food for themselves to generate milk.

The government says it took the decision after studies showed that survival rates of breast-fed babies born of HIV positive mothers is higher than those on formula milk.

“Because I cannot generate enough breast milk, I wean my babies at two months. Six months is unworkable,” said Ms Everlyne Atieno from Mathare North.”

http://www.nation.co.ke/News/Mothers%20protest%20at%20withdrawal%20of%20free%20formula%20milk/-/1056/877918/-/ff2wlb/-/

SHOULD  A MOTHER BREASTFEED A CHILD OF SIX? A NEW BOOK TELLS THE STORIES OF WOMEN WHO DID JUST THAT.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1257327/Should-mother-breastfeed-child-A-new-book-tells-stories-women-did-just-that.html

MEDELA ANNOUNCES NEW WEB LINK

MCHENRY, Ill., March 11 /PRNewswire/ — Medela today announced the launch of an important new resource – www.breastfeedinginsurance.com – where new and expectant mothers can access comprehensive information and tools to help them discover if their breastfeeding related expenses, such as breastpump rental/purchase or lactation consultants, are covered by insurance.

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/medela-announces-launch-of-new-insurance-reimbursement-resource-for-new-and-expectant-mothers-87323922.html

Sibling jealousy (‘Nagje-jelling si Big Sister!)
PARENTIN TALK By Tintin Bersola-Babao (The Philippine Star)

“Whenever she’d see me breastfeeding her baby brother, she’d get jealous. So she’d also insist on being fed. And I allow her to experience it all over again. Funny what she said one time, “Mommy, I don’t like the taste!” Ha, ha, ha. What’s important is that I did not deprive her of the renewed breastfeeding experience. I believe this made her feel that she now has a shared experience with her baby brother but she holds the badge of honor of being the one I breastfed first.”

http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=556895&publicationSubCategoryId=70

Doyle signs measures on breastfeeding, carbon monoxide detectors  (Wisconsin)

12 Comments

“Why do we need breastfeeding detectors?”

“Breasts, if not properly ventilated, give off large amounts of carbon monoxide. This should save hundreds of lives annually.”

http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/87282252.html

Teen pregnancy initiative unveiled in Edinburgh

The £1.6 million scheme to help first time parents has been based on a successful community nursing drive in Harlem, New York.

“The test project, based on a parental support scheme running in Harlem, New York, will provide home visits from nurses to young mothers-to-be throughout their pregnancy and during the first two years of their baby’s life.”

“Lesley Backhouse, chair of the UK-wide Breastfeeding Network, commented: “We know from a similar scheme’s success in New York that a close relationship between a nurse and mother develops ongoing support in best practice for parenting skills – including increased breastfeeding.”

http://news.stv.tv/scotland/east-central/162371-teen-pregnancy-initiative-unveiled-in-edinburgh/

Fiona McCade: Please, let’s not create a breastfeeding frenzy

FUTURE generations will probably call it The Air-Freshener Incident. The unfortunate event happened in Dulwich, south-east London, when a woman taking refuge in a charity shop changing room to feed her baby was sprayed with the aforementioned by the manager, because “your breast milk stinks”.

http://news.scotsman.com/opinion/Fiona-McCade-Please-lets-not.6133609.jp

Mind writes policy on breastfeeding after shopper told her ‘breast milk stinks’

Mental health charity Mind has been forced to devise a breastfeeding policy in its stores after a mother was told her “breast milk stinks” by the manager of its East Dulwich store.

Mrs Baker has subsequently called on the charity to create “a clear policy allowing breast-feeding in changing rooms, and guaranteeing privacy behind curtains” and said she was left feeling “shocked and indignant” by the events.

http://www.civilsociety.co.uk/governance/news/content/6267/mind_write_policy_on_breastfeeding_after_mother_left_shocked_and_indignant

Premier offers breast feeding solution (Australia)

Premier Colin Barnett has moved to head off controversy over breastfeeding in Parliament by guaranteeing new mum and Labor MP Rita Saffioti will be automatically “paired” with a Liberal if she has to leave the chamber to feed her baby. …

http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/breaking/6907561/premier-offers-breast-feeding-solution/

UK investigates baby milk marketing enforcement

By Shane Starling, 16-Mar-2010

Related topics: Omega-3, Regulation, Dairy-based ingredients, Nutritional lipids and oils, Probiotics and prebiotics, Maternal & infant health

A UK government committee looking into European Union baby milk marketing laws has raised issues with local enforcement procedures which it says need to be addressed.

The Independent Review Panel (IRP) voices concerns held by LACORS – the UK local trading standards enforcement agency – that classification of baby milk that often include omega-3s and prebiotics is not clear enough.

“One of the major problems for enforcement officers is the use of advertising and promotional material which blurs the distinction between follow-on formula and infant formula,” the IRP concluded.

BMA criticised the IRP for focusing on potential baby milk-infant formula confusion that may exist among caregivers rather than internet, point-of-sale promotion, baby clubs, care lines, labels and health claims that continue to promote follow-on formula.

http://www.nutraingredients.com/Health-condition-categories/Maternal-infant-health/UK-investigates-baby-milk-marketing-enforcement/?utm_source=Newsletter_Product&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Newsletter%2BProduct

Baby’s snuggled in a sling, but safe?  NY Times.

“At first it was like, ‘Am I trying to be an indigenous tribal woman?’ ” Ms. Ossinova said, noting that she had four other carriers at home. “But I got over that hump, and I’m quite passionate about it now.”

In recent years, the number of carriers has expanded from a handful of styles to scores. “In 2004, there were barely any carriers,” said Bianca Fehn, an owner of Metro Minis. “You had to find these work-at-home moms who made them and go on a waiting list for weeks or even months to get a carrier.” Before opening the store, she started an Internet community called Slings in the City that held regular baby carrier demonstrations around town. The demonstrations are now offered at Metro Minis four times a month, and are usually crowded.

But as carriers have grown more popular, their safety has been questioned, with particular alarm about bag-style slings, which have contributed to the suffocation deaths of several infants. On Tuesday, Inez M. Tenenbaum, the head of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, announced a forthcoming warning about slings, saying that “we know now the hazard scenarios for very small babies” carried in them. Many specialty stores, like Metro Minis, do not sell bag-style slings whose safety has been challenged, and instructs buyers to position babies in any sling upright and tight against the caregiver.

While most people using baby carriers extol the convenience of having their hands free to steer a toddler, dial a cellphone or maneuver through a grocery store, some see it as an integral part of their parenting philosophy, which holds that babies should be worn on the body to foster a strong attachment to their parents.

Other experts dismiss any suggestion that strollers may be psychologically detrimental.

Claire Moore, 33, nuzzled her 7-week-old daughter, Zoë, while explaining that her carrier had been picked by her husband, Adrian. Walking their dog most mornings in nearby Prospect Park, he had spent months during her pregnancy trying to figure out the most practical, comfortable carrier for them both by surveying the park’s many fathers with babies tethered to their chests. Eventually, Ms. Moore said, he settled on the ERGObaby; they bought one in cranberry.

“He’d been keeping an eye out and knew that was the one,” she said. “All the dads are wearing it.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/11/fashion/11BABY.html?emc=eta1

Breastfeeding in the News: Feb. 20 – Feb. 28, 2010

Trust, the cornerstone of the mother and baby relationship is now on sale in liquid form.  Just spray on a little perfume laden with oxytocin, and voila, instant trust!   “Liquid Trust is the first atmosphere enhancement spray to contain Oxytocin, a human hormone that increases trust between people. According to the company, the user just applies the product in the morning no different than he/she would apply cologne or purfume. Then throughout the day everyone they come in contact with will detect the ingredient Oxytocin in the Liquid Trust causing people around them to have a strong feeling of trust.”  I have to wonder who will be buying more of this –teenage boys trying to get their parents to give them the keys to car or stock brokers trying to lure people back to the stock market?

I’m always fascinated by the way marketers put a spin on their advertising which is why this week I’ve included a press release from a plastic surgeon offering “mommy makeovers” for “military moms” who according to the release might be worried about having lost their “perkiness” after breastfeeding.   But the award for best spin of the week would have to go to Mr. Levitt the MP in England who after it was revealed that he had accepted tickets to Wimbledon and airfare to South Africa for a fact finding mission from infant formula maker Nestles stated: “It is right to have close relations with important local companies.” and “Nestle is amongst the most ethical of traders in this field.”  

While we’re talking about England I found a story about young mothers in prison that is positively medieval. Mothers in chains while receiving ob care?  What century is this?  But I’m not sure what to make of the story about a woman who claims she was thrown off a bus for breastfeeding.  The bus company says it never happened while she stands by her story.  Also from the UK a new study reports that only 44% of mothers think “breast is best” while 19% think the needs of the mother should come first and 16% think it’s the baby’s needs that should be given first priority.  I think the way the issue has been framed “baby’s needs vs. mother’s needs” speaks volumes about why so few mothers breastfeed.  Too many people think of breastfeeding as an all or nothing scenario, while far too few see the possibilities for compromise that make up a mother’s day to day life.

In Ireland a new study found that mothers would like post partum home visits 7 days a week, not just 5.  While many of you may be jealous that they are getting any home visits at all, I think this points to a larger issue that really needs to be addressed.  Babies do not take weekends off!  You can find the same problem here in the United States.  In most hospitals there are very few Lactation Consultants (often none) working during the weekends, especially Sundays.  I’ve had many clients who gave birth late in the week report that there was no LC available to see them before they went home.

In political news the Iowa Senate passed a bill supporting reasonable accommodations in the workplace for breastfeeding mothers, but not without a fight.  Apparently all the republican senators unanimous voted against it.  Talk about your knee jerk reactions, they had absolutely no data to support their argument that the measure would be too costly for businesses and they still voted against it.  Meanwhile on the other side of the world in China the BMAIC (“Bejing Municipal Administration for Industry and Commerce”) have been pointing fingers at companies violating the WHO Code.  Can you imagine if our department of Commerce ever did that here?  What would those republicans in Iowa do then?

While we’re talking about WHO Code violators, in Sri Lanka formula companies are being accused of throwing lavish parties in five star hotels as part of their aggressive marketing of ‘growing up milk powder’ otherwise known as “GUMP”.  I must confess I love the acronym, it makes it sound like a horribly nasty tasting lumpy oatmeal!  Speaking of nasty tasting there is a report from Haiti of starving older children so hungry that they must resort to drinking infant formula.  Says physician Doc Gurley “…any toddler (or older child) who is so desperate for food that they’ll drink a pre-packed bottle of infant formula can have it on the spot (those things taste so gross it’s unbelievable),…”.  For more insight into what is happening in Haiti at the moment read her blog post.  It’s long but rich in detail and incredibly moving! (I hope she writes a book about her experience some day.)

In unhappy news lactivists lost an ally at the UN this week with the passing of Ihsan Dogramaci a man who was a firm supporter of breastfeeding and the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative.  Even worse in Mexico pesticides spraying has been reported to have caused an interruption in the breast development of adolescent girls leaving them unable to breastfeed later in life.  And in a different story one blogger questions the existence of atheists and agnostics in La Leche League, saying she has never found any in the organization.  (You might think about sending your comments to her directly on this one.)

I found two stories to be filled under “can we look at this a different way?”  The first is a glowing article about a study trying to find the connection between breast milk and the body’s ability to change the fatty acids found in flax seed to the more complex acids found in fish oil.  The study’s participants are reported to be extremely happy to be part of study showing yet another advantage of human milk, but I fear they are being duped.  It seems the real purpose of the study is promote the use of flax seed oil not breast milk.  The second article is about the anecdotal reports that women ingesting encapsulated placentas have lower incidents of postpartum depression.  Whether or not there is any truth to this I don’t know.  What bothered me was that this was presented not just as an alternative to taking antidepressant during breastfeeding but that breastfeeding while on antidepressant was not feasible.  “…do you go on medications to deal with your depression? Or do you continue to breastfeed your baby?”   Most antidepressants are safe for breastfeeding mothers, please don’t let this myth continue.

In the “Odds and Ends” department the new documentary about babies coming out in April has been given a PG rating instead of a G because of the breastfeeding scenes (we can’t let our little one see that can we).  An article about the quality of news on the internet posed this question, “Is an expert essay on breastfeeding on iVillage more valuable to someone seeking out that information than a mom of three writing from Des Moines?” And from a blog in the Boston Globe there was another story questioning the need for a mother who was given the wrong baby to breastfeed to sue her hospital.  This no harm done attitude really irks me.  How else do we get hospitals to understand that this kind of mix up is totally irresponsible?  If they had operated on the wrong leg wouldn’t you sue?

This has been a long post so I want to end on a happy note. Dr. Jack Newman wanted to let everyone know about a long term study out of Australia which has found that babies breastfed over six months had lasting benefits to their mental and emotional life that could still be measured at ages 2, 5, 8, 10 & 14 years of age!  Even better, for every month that breastfeeding continued their behavior improved.  Look for more about this story in my column in La Leche League International’s new free online journal “Breastfeeding Today” which will be making its grand debut later this month. 

As always I love to hear from you, and thanks so much for reading my work. (And remember the links to all the stories are below.)

Kathy Abbott IBCLC
www.BusyMomsBreastfeed.com

www.TheCuriousLactivist.Wordpress.com

On Facebook:” Breastfeeding in the News”    

Pesticide exposure deprives Yaqui girls of breastfeeding – ever  (Sonora Valley Mexico)

Guillette’s latest research finds that some pre-adolescent daughters of mothers exposed to pesticide spraying will never be able to breast-feed their babies. With others there is uncertainty. Although there is breast growth, some daughters lacked development of the mammary tissue needed to produce milk, or developed a minimal amount.

As the girls in the exposed group matured, their breast size became much larger than normal, yet they had less mammary tissue and often none at all, while the unexposed girls were normal.

http://www.indiancountrytoday.com/global/latin/85049497.html

Powdered milk giants batter the breast and break guidelines with five-star parties  (Sri Lanka)

The breast vs bottle battle for the “young child” has taken a new turn, with milk giants resorting to various insidious and unethical methods to promote their products, sending shockwaves in health circles.
Such modus operandi by the milk giants in their race to catch the “young child”, especially those who have celebrated their first birthday, includes tamashas at five-star hotels with product launches (euphemistically called introductions) thrown in for eminent gatherings of medical personnel including policy-makers, all expenses paid junkets to foreign destinations to attend medical meetings and misleading advertisements in the media to tempt mothers, the Sunday Times understands.

Even though knowing well that the policy and recommendations of the government are to promote exclusive breastfeeding within the first six months after birth, then begin complementary feeding with such foods as a home-made multi-mix along with breastfeeding and gradually increase the solid food intake of the young child while breastfeeding up to two years, the milk companies are in a race to promote “growing up milk powder” (GUMP) among one-year-olds although there is inadequate scientific evidence of their usefulness, lamented a respected paediatrician.

http://www.sundaytimes.lk/100228/News/nws_22.html

This film is rated B – for babies

The 80-minute documentary is almost entirely without dialogue, meaning that babies themselves might even like it. The film is rated PG, mainly for nudity related to breastfeeding (Whether a breast-at-work merits a PG is quite another story).

http://www.app.com/article/20100228/ENT01/100227020/This-film-is-rated-B—for-babies

Do placenta pills beat back the baby blues?

Wendy Gordon told KATU News that “there’s a decision that has to come up often; that do you go on medications to deal with your depression? Or do you continue to breastfeed your baby?”

Many women who go on medication for depression stop breastfeeding in order to not pass the medication onto their child through breast milk. But with placenta pills, there’s no risk to the baby

http://www.katu.com/news/problemsolver/85558897.html

Statement by UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman on the death of Professor Ihsan Dogramaci

A paediatrician by profession, Professor Dogramaci was both a man of science and of deep humanity. For the past half century, he has played a key role in global efforts to improve child survival, in particular as a staunch and vocal advocate of immunization, breastfeeding and baby- friendly hospitals.

http://www.webnewswire.com/node/509820

Breastfeeding Bristol mother ‘made up story she was thrown off bus’

When the Post visited Miss Wootten, 25, yesterday to ask her to explain the CCTV footage from the bus she was adamant that the incident had happened the way she had originally recounted it.

http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/homepage/Breastfeeding-Bristol-mother-story-thrown-bus/article-1871417-detail/article.html

Haiti Faux Pas

“…any toddler (or older child) who is so desperate for food that they’ll drink a pre-packed bottle of infant formula can have it on the spot (those things taste so gross it’s unbelievable),

Translation, especially in medical settings, is a tricky business. You, the doctor, depend completely on that person’s ability to not filter at all what you say, but to also re-phrase it in a way the person can understand without losing any of the meaning or nuance. Classically, when it doesn’t go well, medical translation can be almost a joke – like when a provider gives a full, detailed explanation of the intricacies of breastfeeding, then pauses to wait for the translation, and hears the translator convert that five-minute-long, medical short-story full of caveats, warnings and physiology into one brutally blurted phrase (presumably “feed it. lots.”).

She leaned forward to say, again in English, “diarrhea is not something anyone wants to admit they have. Perhaps you could ask another way?” Diarrhea, like not speaking French, was apparently another sign of poverty, of lack of class, of lack of education.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/gurley/detail?&entry_id=57949

MP Tom denies Nestle job claim

Since 2005, Mr Levitt has received three donations from Nestle – all properly recorded in the Register Of Members’ Financial Interests.

He accepted hospitality and tickets for the Ashes Test Match in July 2009 and the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in June 2005.

He also went on a fact-finding mission looking at corporate social responsibility in South Africa in February 2008. Nestle funded flights, accommodation and other costs during the seven day trip.

Mr Levitt said: “It is right to have close relations with important local companies.”

But Mr Levitt said: “Nestle is amongst the most ethical of traders in this field.

http://www.buxtonadvertiser.co.uk/news/MP-Tom-denies-Nestle-job.6108297.jp

Just 44% of UK moms believe that breastfeeding is always best.

Over 1000 mums took part in the survey, which revealed that less than half of UK mums believe that breast is best and that 19% of UK mums feel its important to put their own wellbeing first, 16% believe mums should always put their babys needs first, while 13% feel its important to research all the arguments in favour of breastfeeding and bottle feeding before making a decision.

A further 8% argued that no one had the right to tell them how to feed their babies.

http://www.prfire.co.uk/press-release/just-44%20percent%20-of-uk-mums-believe-that-breastfeeding-is-always-best-7800.html

Mommy Make Over for the Military Mom

Mommy Makeover surgery helps the Military Mom regain her confidence after having children and breast feeding. Mommy makeover can include breast surgery and body contouring surgery. Usually the abdominal muscles are separated after pregnancy and the breasts sometimes lose the fullness and perkiness they once had. Dr. Pousti can help moms get their pre-baby bodies back.

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/mommy-make-over-for-the-military-mom,1179087.shtml

China’s Beingmate Violates Dairy Product Sale Rules

According to BMAIC (Bejing Municipal Administration for Industry and Commerce), investigations by the Consumers’ Association have shown that Beingmate has seriously broken “The International Code for Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes: and China’s rules on the sale of breastmilk substitutes. In addition there are problems with the promotional information on the company’s packaging.

http://www.chinacsr.com/en/2010/02/25/7196-chinas-beingmate-violates-dairy-product-sale-rules/

‘Humiliated’ mother forced off bus for breastfeeding

Amy Wootten, 25, was travelling home from Bristol city centre on the busy bus when her six-week-old daughter Emily needed a feed.  The driver pulled up the number 54 First Bristol bus and asked her to stop, saying that a passenger had complained.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/humiliated-mother-forced-off-bus-for-breastfeeding-1910528.html

‘Enjoy the baby, feed the baby’

Posted by tmatt

Surely, somewhere in America or the world at large there are a few atheist or agnostic women who are active in the La Leche League network that encourages modern women to breastfeed their babies. There must be a few.

http://www.getreligion.org/?p=27181

Feeding mothers want more home visits (Irish Times)

PUBLIC HEALTH nurses (PHNs) should provide early and more regular home visits to support breastfeeding mothers and the PHN service should be extended from five to seven days a week, according to a new study.

Ms Mulcahy said the authors of the study had made 19 recommendations, almost all of which could be addressed with the implementation of an initiative based on the WHO/Unicef Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/health/2010/0223/1224265028287.html

GOP  LAWMAKERS VOTE UNAMIOUSLY AGAINST BREASTFEEDING BILL

Liberal blog Bleeding Heartland took exception to unanimous Republican opposition last week to a bill in the Iowa Senate promoting workplace accommodations for employees who express breast milk.

The bill passed 29-15

http://iowaindependent.com/28420/gop-lawmakers-vote-unanimously-against-breastfeeding-bill

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) — Did the internet kill quality? Or just redefine it?

Old media faces some confusing competition in this new world. Is an expert essay on breastfeeding on iVillage more valuable to someone seeking out that information than a mom of three writing from Des Moines?

http://adage.com/digital/article?article_id=142235

Liquid Trust – Does It Really Work?

Vero Labs dedicates themselves in researching and developing innovative products that help enhance human relationships. Their flagship product, Liquid Trust seems to be a very hot item…does it work?

 

Liquid Trust is the first atmosphere enhancement spray to contain Oxytocin, a human hormone that increases trust between people. According to the company, the user just applies the product in the morning no different than he/she would apply cologne or purfume. Then throughout the day everyone they come in contact with will detect the ingredient Oxytocin in the Liquid Trust causing people around them to have a strong feeling of trust.

http://www.officialwire.com/main.php?action=posted_news&rid=100517

Born behind bars

Being pregnant and in prison forces a woman to prepare for the worst. Will she receive the treatment she needs? Will she be able to get out of her cell if labour starts? And, most poignantly, will she be able to keep her baby? Four new mothers tell their inside stories

“I didn’t want her to go into care. Besides, I wanted her with me. I was still breastfeeding. It was the waiting that was horrible. I was separated from her for three weeks while the prison decided whether I could keep her.”

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/feb/21/pregnant-women-in-prison

Brain power linked to mother’s milk?

Researchers had collected breastmilk from Perkins and saliva from Lincoln three months earlier….

Cheatham and others scientists in Kannapolis want to understand the human body’s apparent ability to change the essential fatty acid found in flaxseed oil — alpha-linolenic acid or ALA — into the superior fatty acid found in fish oil — docosahexaenoic acid or DHA.

“This is important because flax is a plant which we can grow,” Cheatham said. “It is cheaper, safer and more readily available than fish.”  It’s also easier to get children to eat flaxseed, which has a nutty flavor, than salmon and sardines.

“This could affect the standard of care, what doctors recommend to their patients,” she said. “We have the ultimate goal of giving every baby a fighting chance for success.”

But the only benefit they’ve been able to prove is DHA’s ability to support brain development in premature infants. It also helps treat heart disease.

http://www.salisburypost.com/NCRC/022110-Brain-net-NCRC-Study-needs-babies-to-determine-benefits-of-fatty-acids

Would you breastfeed someone else’s baby?

“A Chicago couple is suing a hospital for negligence after the new mom was handed the wrong newborn to nurse. …Awkward? Sure. Awful? Possibly. But worth suing over? I don’t think so.”

http://www.boston.com/community/moms/blogs/child_caring/2010/02/would_you_breastfeed_someone_elses_baby.html

Breast feeding for over six months could aid mental health

A study by the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research in Perth looked at 2,366 children born to women enrolled in a pregnancy study in the state of Western Australia.

Each of the children underwent a mental health assessment when they were aged two, five, eight, 10, and 14.

The researchers found that breastfeeding could help babies cope better with stress and may signal a stronger mother-child attachment which could provide lasting benefits.

“Breastfeeding for a longer duration appears to have significant benefits for the onward mental health of the child into adolescence,” researcher Dr. Wendy Oddy, who led the study, wrote in The Journal of Pediatrics.

Of the children in the study, 11 percent were never breastfed, 38 percent were breastfed for less than six months, and just over half were breastfed for six months or longer.

The mothers who breastfed for less than six months were younger, less educated, poorer, and more stressed, and were also more likely to be smokers than the mothers who breastfed longer.

They were also more likely to suffer from postpartum depression and their babies more likely to have growth problems.

At each of the assessments, the researchers found children who were breastfed for shorter periods of time had worse behavior which could translate into aggression or depression.

But for each additional month a child was breastfed, behavior improved.

The researchers said breastfeeding for six months or longer remained positively associated with the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents even after adjustments for social, economic and psychological factors as well as early life events.

“Interventions aimed at increasing breastfeeding duration could be of long-term benefit for child and adolescent mental health,” the researchers concluded.

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE60B63220100112

Breastfeeding in the News Dec. 15th – 25th, 2009

Hello All,

The good people of Nashville Tenn. have decided against putting a new WIC (Women, Infants & Children) office in a downtown mall for fear that it would affect “the safety of those who work and shop in the Antioch area”, that, and they were worried it would undermine property values.  Right, I guess having all those breastfeeding peer counselors running around would be scary; after all they might throw someone up against a wall and threaten to attach them to a breast pump and turn the suction up really high.  Yes, I’m sure that’s what they were worried about, because they couldn’t possibly be worried about the impact of mothers in need getting help for their babies.

If that isn’t enough to get your blood boiling listen to what the food giant Nestle is up to these days.  Having decided that they are the best nutrition experts around, Nestle has taken it upon themselves to start educating doctors on the needs of people requiring enteral nutrition therapy (think premmies & coma patients).  No doubt their year long clinical program will focus primarily on their own products (I can’t imagine them putting in too many plugs for breast milk).   But as we can see from the author of “Parenting Perspective: Figuring out how to feed your baby!” formula is not always the easy answer that everyone thinks it is.  Individual babies react differently to each brand (her baby had constipation with one brand and diarrhea with the next). 

While here in America mothers worry about the consequences of switching brands of formula in some parts of the world, a bigger fear is switching mother’s milk.  In Dubai recently a mother was horrified to find a nurse feeding her pumped milk to someone else’s baby.  “In Quran and Hadith a child who has nursed from a woman becomes not only a blood relation to the nursing woman, but also a milk sibling to others who shared her breast, a relationship that prevents future marriage to a complicated array of “relatives”.”  Such an act is simply “unacceptable” in a Muslim country.  Muslim or not, I think such a major screw up should be unacceptable in any country.

Cultural beliefs play a big part in whether or not a society supports breastfeeding.  The myths covered in this week’s news ranges from gender specific “boys may be introduced to camel milk early as a rite of initiation so they will like the animals they will herd in future,” he said. “The belief is that if the male child is first introduced to his mother’s milk, he will become a useless boy.” (Kenya) to the more common “A mother should not breastfeed if she has cold.” to more localized beliefs, “Squeezing breastmilk in ant’s nest or fire will dry out the mother’s milk.”  to this colloquial gem “Extensive breastfeeding will give the mothers ‘slipper titties’” (Jamaica). 

But let’s keep in mind that some countries that we tend to think of as being less developed are actually far ahead of us.  In the Malaysian Parliament building there is now a room for nursing mothers and more importantly there are at least two legislators who will be using it, while in Indonesia students hit the streets for a peace rally on Mother’s Day (which is in December for them) distributing flowers to every mother and demanding that the government give more support to mothers and babies.   They also “called on the government to set up a space for breastfeeding mothers and a crèche for working mothers.”  How’s that for a mother’s day present?  Young people who care enough to demand more rights for mothers!

Here at home, another California county is attempting to support breastfeeding mothers in the workplace.  It’s good to see local governments taking the lead on this.  Meanwhile Sen. Merkley  

Is taking credit for the addition of an amendment covering lactation support in the workplace (“I led the fight”) but not everyone is happy with the good senator.  “sorry,” comments one blogger, “ the fact that male Senators are supporting the right of women to breastfeed their infants (which is already legal in Oregon) does not make up for government intrusion on women’s right to choose. In fact, that male Senators selectively support women’s rights that benefit their infants more than their rights to control their own bodies is frightening, not reassuring.”

While we are on the subject of “comments” check out some of the reaction to an article (“Breastfeeding in Public?”)about the mother who was caught breastfeeding in the electronics aisle at Target and given a police escort out of the building.  Here’s just one example:  “Couldn’t she go out in the car to do it? This is so Third World.”  Right, didn’t that mother know that real Americans breastfeed in their cars!  And while I’ve got you all riled up you may be interested to learn that one newspaper listed an article about breastfeeding as being one of the top ten articles of the year.  The article?  It was about a poster put up in doctor’s office of a toddler breastfeeding a doll, apparently the story “provoked a passionate debate among readers.”

There was some good news.  Medela gave out some cash awards to five US hospitals, and Julie Wood (one of our Facebook “Breastfeeding in the News” members) was elected to the board of directors to the US Breastfeeding Committee (congratulations Julie!).  Also one of our local Boston area hospital has initiated a return to sanity by introducing a “no visitor” period from 2 -4pm.  The folks at Newton-Wellsley hospital did their homework and when they discovered that “staff and visitors interrupt new moms more than 50 times on average in a 12-hour period.” They decided that enough was enough.  Kudos to the Lactation Consultants at Newton-Wellsley for leading the charge on this fight!

Thanks to an article by our own Kathy Kendall-Tacket in the International Journal of Breastfeeding, inflammation is now being recognized as a significant cause of depression.   And according to foodconsumer.org:  “In the case of post partum depression, breastfeeding is the most obvious remedy of choice as it naturally eases stress and modulates the inflammatory response.”  While we’re on the subject of PPD, a new study about the effects of Hurricane Katrina revealed that although the trauma had a negative effect on breastfeeding over all most mothers came through just fine.  In fact, “many women are capable of surviving and thriving in post disaster environments”.

I hope some one tells that to the women in Figi.  After Cyclone Mick left them with no clean water for at least three days Unicef was ready to step in to distribute “Emergency Hands” – communication materials promoting key sanitation and hygiene behaviours, posters promoting hand washing and breastfeeding, collapsible water containers and water purification tablets”.   With that in mind, even though the holidays are officialy over you might want to look into buying someone a “Mercy” breastfeeding kit ($75) the gift that “can make a difference in the lives of others in need around the world.” The money goes towards training a breastfeeding counselor in another country.

That’s it for now.  Next week I’m off to Florida where I’ll be giving a talk at the Healthy Children conference in Orlando (wish me luck!).  Hopefully I’ll be able to find a little down time while I’m there so that I can be a little more up to date with the news.  As always I love to hear from you.  If you want to leave a comment just scroll way down to the very end & you’ll find the comment box. 

Kathy Abbott, IBCLC

www.BusyMomsBreastfeed.com

On Facebook: “Breastfeeding in the News”

My Blog:  http://TheCuriousLactivist.wordpress.com/

Nestle to train doctors about tube-feeding nutrition

For some hospital patients, the nutrients delivered to the body through a tube feeder can make the difference of a speedy recovery.  That is why Nestle Nutrition, part of Nestle U.S.A., which manufactures products ranging from baby formula to chocolate and is considered to be the world’s largest food company, is working to ensure doctors nationwide better understand how to prescribe the right mix of proteins, carbohydrates, fats and other essential nutrients for patients requiring extra help eating, said Sally Steele of Nestle HealthCare Nutrition. “The right food can positively influence a patient’s outcome, heal wounds, nurse a premature baby to health,” Steele said.

Nestle Nutrition, based in Florham Park, is launching an Enteral Nutrition Fellowship Program this year that will offer physicians and surgeons hands-on experience and information about enteral nutrition therapy.

Enteral nutrition is a milkshake-like mixture of necessary nutrients given through a tube in the stomach or small intestine. It differs from parenteral nutrition, another type of nutrition therapy, which is delivered to patients’ bloodstream using a needle.

People requiring enteral nutrition therapy range from premature infants to someone in a coma or those diagnosed with a chronic illness such as advanced dementia.

Research has indicated that the addition of certain nutrients and amino acids to formulas are associated with the reduced risk of infection in surgical patients and those who are immune-system compromised. These nutrients can help decrease antibiotic use, reduce ventilator use and the incidence of pneumonia, and reduce surgical complications.

Nestle’s yearlong program will offer offers fellows the chance to work one-on-one with a mentor and a month in a clinical rotation to learn tube-feeding-related procedures, shining a light on a component of patient recovery typically left for specialized dieticians or certified nutrition support clinicians.

The aim, Steele said, is to create a network of nutrition physician leaders that will return to their hospitals, nursing homes and other facilities to spread the word. Some will go on to further research the benefits and effects of nutrition therapy, thus helping to save more lives, she said.

http://www.dailyrecord.com/article/20100103/BUSINESS/91231017/1003/Nestle-to-train-doctors-about-tube-feeding-nutrition

Women warned about morning sickness remedy

Women who are in the throes of morning sickness are often willing to try almost anything to ease the queasiness and vomiting that accompanies those first months of pregnancy.

Some herbal or traditional remedies work like a charm and are innocuous, but pregnant women in particular need to be sure of what they are ingesting.

The Texas Department of State Health Services issued a warning this week that pregnant and breastfeeding women should avoid using of a product called “Nzu,” also known as Calabash chalk. The product is a traditional remedy for morning sickness used largely by Nigerian and West African women. It can also be used as a cosmetic.

Laboratory analysis in Texas, mirroring earlier findings in the UK and Canada, show the products contain high levels of lead and arsenic. According to the state’s press release, the product was found by food inspectors at two African specialty stores — one in the Dallas area and one in Houston.

The product generally resembles balls of clay or mud and is also called Calabar stone, Mabele, Argile and La Craie.

The Nzu may be covered in a brown or white dust and is usually sold in small plastic bags with a handwritten label identifying it as “Nzu” or “salted Nzu.”

Anyone who has been ingesting the product should contact their health care provider. The source of the product in Texas is not yet known, but inspectors are continuing to investigate.

http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/mamadrama/entries/2009/12/24/women_warned_about_morning_sic.html?cxntfid=blogs_mama_drama

An Imperfect Stride Towards Justice – Sen. Jeff Merkley

At 7 am this morning, a short time ago, I voted for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. It passed.

If you are like me, it is hard to respond with uninhibited celebration. It is hard to celebrate when you are mourning. I am mourning the loss of the national public option. I am mourning the infringement on women’s constitutional right to choose.

…One of my favorites–in part, I confess, because I led the fight for it–is the amendment that guarantees every mother returning to work the privacy and flexibility in break time needed to nurse her child or pump breast milk. Breastfeeding is great for the baby’s and the mother’s health, and is a big factor in emotional bonding as well.

Comments:

“Senatpr Merkley, Your “mourning” the restrictions on women’s choice does not make up for the fact that you nevertheless voted for them…..

And sorry, the fact that male Senators are supporting the right of women to breastfeed their infants (which is already legal in Oregon) does not make up for government intrusion on women’s right to choose. In fact, that male Senators selectively support women’s rights that benefit their infants more than their rights to control their own bodies is frightening, not reassuring.”

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeff-merkley/an-imperfect-stride-towar_b_402959.html

Council says no to WIC clinic in Metro Nashville

While some say opening a WIC clinic at the Hickory Hollow Mall in Metro Nashville would have meant a boost in sales for local business owners, council members voted “no” to the plan during Tuesday night’s Metro Council meeting. The plan in consideration targeted residents specifically in southeast Nashville (Antioch) to receive the assistance WIC provides. According to the official WIC website, “WIC provides federal grants to states for supplemental foods, health care referrals, and nutrition education for low-income pregnant, breastfeeding, and non-breastfeeding postpartum women, and to infants and children up to age five who are found to be at nutritional risk.” Although 43 percent of Davidson County’s WIC participants reside in Antioch justifying the location for the program, other factors swayed the vote.

Protesters concerned about the WIC clinic opening in the Hickory Hollow Mall were relieved with the council’s decision. Property values in the already unstable market remain unaffected as a result of the vote. Patrons and employees directly affected by the decision were pleased when they heard the official ruling that businesses would not be driven out of the mall, and the safety of those who work and shop in the Antioch area continues to be a top priority.

Those in the community targeted councilman, Sam Coleman, for not communicating the plan to open a WIC clinic in the Hickory Hollow Mall to the public. Officials from the health department and Coleman’s supporters insist that bill readings about the plan were advertised appropriately. Coleman stated, “I apologize, but sometimes these federal grants, they come at such a pace and then you have to act upon them. That’s what happened here.”

http://www.examiner.com/x-33945-Nashville-Headlines-Examiner~y2009m12d24-Council-says-no-to-WIC-clinic-in-Metro-Nashville

Milk of Woes for New Mother

DUBAI – A UAE national woman who gave birth to a boy in a Dubai hospital said a nurse fed her milk to another baby and another woman’s milk to her son, adding it is against Islamic beliefs.

The mother, who asked not to be named, said she had been ill after delivery and was not breast feeding. “The nurse pumped the milk from my breast to feed my baby,” she said.

“All of sudden I saw her holding a bottle with my name and the name of my baby written, and feeding another baby.” The mother said she shouted at the nurse and called the doctor, claiming the nurse had not been paying attention to her work.

“The nurse was not aware such a thing is against our religion,” she said. “It was shock for me and I couldn’t do any thing after my baby had someone else’s milk.”

… Al Marzouqi said it was believed that breastfeeding established a biological link that would not have been present otherwise.

“In Quran and Hadith a child who has nursed from a woman becomes not only a blood relation to the nursing woman, but also a milk sibling to others who shared her breast, a relationship that prevents future marriage to a complicated array of “relatives”,” Al Marzouqi said.

“There is some indication in early medical thought that a woman’s milk is a product of her blood, and so by ingesting it, a blood relationship is created.”

Al Marzouqi said the alleged act by the nurse was unacceptable in a Muslim country adding that training and religious programmes should be provided for non-Muslims who work in the health care establishments.

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?xfile=data/theuae/2009/December/theuae_December674.xml&section=theuae&col=

People in the News 

AAFP member Julie Wood, M.D., of Lee’s Summit, Mo., has been elected to the board of directors of the United States Breastfeeding Committee and began serving a two-year term in August. She also serves as the nonprofit organization’s membership committee chair.

The United States Breastfeeding Committee is a coalition of more than 40 organizations — including the AAFP — working to improve the nation’s health by protecting, promoting and supporting breastfeeding.

Wood recently completed her term as chair of the AAFP Commission on Health of the Public and Science. She is a board member of the Missouri AFP.

http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/inside-aafp/20091222pplinnews.html

Government Urged to Assist Breastfeeding Mothers  (Jakarta Indonesia)

Mother’s Day in Makassar yesterday was commemorated by students and mothers from various organizations with a peace rally in front of the Mandala Monument
Scores of female students from the South Sulawesi and West Sulawesi Coordination Agency of the Muslim Students Association (Kohati) demonstrated by distributing flowers to mothers on the street.

 
The students, mostly wearing kebaya and South Sulawesi’s traditional bodo dress, called on the government to set up a space for breastfeeding mothers and a crèche for working mothers. There are only two rooms reserved for breastfeeding mothers in Makassar, at the Global Trade Center Mall and the Panakkukang Mall.
They also called on the government to encourage policies that support mother and child’s interest as well as to pay more attention to Mother’s Reproduction Health Program. “Mother and child mortality rates continue to rise,” said Arlina, rally coordinator.
At the same location, youths and mothers from the Indonesian Poor People Union and the National Student League for Democracy also demonstrated to demand that mothers be given bigger roles.

http://www.tempointeractive.com/hg/nasional/2009/12/23/brk,20091223-215353,uk.html

The ten most read stories of 2009

8. ‘Breastfeeding’ tot storm A story on May 20 told how a poster had been put up in Rochdale Infirmary showing a toddler breastfeeding a doll. The article provoked a passionate debate among readers.

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/1186981_the_ten_most_read_stories_of_2009

The Links Between Sugar and Mental Health

Published in the International Breastfeeding Journal, the study entitled “A new paradigm for depression in new mothers: the central role of inflammation and how breastfeeding and anti-inflammatory treatments protect maternal mental health” discovered that inflammation may be more than just another risk factor. It may in fact be THE risk factor that underlies all others.

The researchers’ stated:

“The old paradigm described inflammation as simply one of many risk factors for depression. The new paradigm is based on more recent research that has indicated that physical and psychological stressors increase inflammation. These recent studies constitute an important shift in the depression paradigm: inflammation is not simply a risk factor; it is the risk factor that underlies all the others.

Moreover, inflammation explains why psychosocial, behavioral and physical risk factors increase the risk of depression. This is true for depression in general and for postpartum depression in particular.

Puerperal women are especially vulnerable to these effects because their levels of proinflammatory cytokines significantly increase during the last trimester of pregnancy–a time when they are also at high risk for depression. 

Moreover, common experiences of new motherhood, such as sleep disturbance, postpartum pain, and past or current psychological trauma, act as stressors that cause proinflammatory cytokine levels to rise. “

In the case of post partum depression, breastfeeding is the most obvious remedy of choice as it naturally eases stress and modulates the inflammatory response.

http://www.foodconsumer.org/newsite/Non-food/Miscellaneous/sugar_and_mental_health_2212090659.html

 Hospitals change policy on maternity visiting hours. 

---

After customer satisfaction concerns led them to transition from specific visitation periods to open-door policies more than a decade ago, some hospitals are now drifting partway back, finding new families have become too busy to rest, bond with their babies and take in lessons on providing care.

“It’s an overwhelming experience in a very positive way,” said Virginia Prout, director of maternal and child health at Newton-Wellesley. “I think families need time to process what has just happened to them.”

Prompted by comment cards from patients and concern from hospital lactation consultants rest periods boost milk production a team of Newton-Wellesley nurses studied the issue, finding national data that staff and visitors interrupt new moms more than 50 times on average in a 12-hour period.

While noise and action on their unit hadn’t hit circus-like proportions, nurses realized there was room for improvement. Patients were seeing a constant flow of birth-certificate preparers, hearing testers, photographers-for-hire, housekeepers, dietitians and other staff, as well as a parade of well-meaning family and friends.

On top of that, hospital maternity stays have been shortened in recent years to two days for vaginal births and four for C-sections.

“That doesn’t really give new families a lot of time to absorb what we want to teach them,” Prout said, with sessions devoted to bathing, breastfeeding, holding and bonding.

So last month, Prout’s unit introduced a new daily “quiet time” from 2 to 4 p.m. While essential medical care is still provided new moms, especially those coming off C-sections, require a lot of monitoring other staff are asked to make way for family rest or lessons from nurses.

http://www.dailynewstribune.com/homepage/x1599182795/Hospitals-change-policy-on-maternity-visiting-hours

Breastfeeding in Public? 

Mother of three Mary Martinez was ousted from a Target store in Michigan earlier this month, after she began breastfeeding her hungry 4-week –old daughter in the electronics section.

Though there were few other shoppers in the area, Target security approached Martinez and her husband, Jose, and told them to leave.  “He said, ‘It’s against the law.  Tou have to go,’” Josr Martinez told Fox News.

The police were called, and even after an officer admitted that breastfeeding in public was not, in fact, against the law, the family was escorted out of the store.

Comments:

1. 8.     I fully support the rights of nursing mothers to feed their babies in public. But this situation creates a scene in my mind of a mother walking around shopping and nursing the baby at the same time.

Even though I nursed both of my babies, and on occasion in public places when necessary, I can see myself (and DEFINITELY my husband) doing a double take at someone breastfeeding alongside me as I browse the Wii games through the glass case in the electronics section at Target. It’s unlikely that either of us would complain about it to store management or security, but we’d definitely shake our heads and laugh over dinner later at how some people just have no sense.

1. 5.      If the bfeeding is so discreet that I don’t know about it–then I personally don’t care — feed away!
   However, there are bfeeding women who are essentially exhibitionists and they rightfully should be shown the door. I once saw a young woman walking the aisles of a supermarket with a baby attached to her completely exposed breast. Another time a mother was sitting in a waiting room of a post-secondary school with her baby attached about a foot and a half away–her breasts were that enormous– and the one in use was completely exposed. She made a roomful of people very uncomfortable. Oh I know, they were all in the wrong while she alone was in the right.
3. 6.      Why cause drama? I used to pump, put the goods in a baby’s bottle, and pack the bottle with the rest of baby stuff.
   Fed baby where-ever and when-ever. So simple. sheesh!

Posted by Electra December 18, 09 10:15 PM

1. 34.   Couldn’t she go out in the car to do it? This is so Third World.
2. 35.   Could racism also be a factor here?

Posted by Liz Pakula December 19, 09 10:07 PM

1. 21.   I breastfed my daughter but I think it’s odd to do it in the middle of the electronics aisle. Find a chair someplace! I think some mothers get righteous on this topic–sure, it’s your ‘right’ but be discreet about it.

Posted by anna74 December 19, 09 02:03 PM

30.  I breast fed in public with both of my kids. People should focus on the “feed” but not the “breast” part of breast feeding. Maybe we should call it biological feeding or natural feeding so that people won’t be get nervous with the “breast” part.

http://www.boston.com/community/moms/blogs/child_caring/2009/12/breastfeeding_in_public.html

Malaysian women lawmakers get enclosure to nurse babies

Malaysian women parliamentarians now have a special area in the VIP restroom at the Parliament building to nurse their infants. The move comes as breastfeeding by women lawmakers, and by women at workplaces in general, are issues being debated in many countries. In some places, women have been banned from nursing their infants. In 2003, the Victorian state parliament in Australia ejected a new mother, Kirstie Marshall for breastfeeding her baby in the chamber, according to The Age newspaper. The first Malaysian lawmaker to benefit from this enclosure divided by a curtain is Nurul Izzah Anwar, an opposition lawmaker who uses it to feed her five-month-old baby, The Star newspaper said Saturday.

Deputy Health Minister Rosnah Abdul Rashid Shirlin, who is seven-and-a-half-months pregnant, said she plans to use the facility after her baby is born.  The facility was made available since the opening of the current Parliament session in October. Nurul Izzah, 29, requested for a nursing room when she gave birth to her second child five months ago. Her child was only a few months old when Nurul Izzah won the Lembah Pantai parliamentary seat in the March 8 general election last year.

http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/health/malaysian-women-lawmakers-get-enclosure-to-nurse-babies_100291713.html

What do Pokwang and Cory Aquino have in common?

MANILA, Philippines – Former president Corazon “Cory” Aquino was recently feted a posthumous Lifetime Achievement award by Lifestyle magazine “Working Mom.”

According to a press statement by the magazine, Aquino was awarded at the 2009 Working Mom Balance Awards as “one of the greatest working moms the country has ever known.”

The annual awards event, which started in 2003, recognize women who excelled in their respective careers but still “maintain a healthy balance in facing the demands in their personal lives.”

This is the first time that Working Mom gave a posthumous award.

The magazine also honored 5 women who each won a “Balance Award” for 5 categories: Educator, Entrepreneur, Health and Well-being, Public Service and Corporate

… Public Service awardee Anna Lisa Dee, meanwhile, was honored for her breastfeeding advocacy as co-founder of the non profit group Lactation Attachment Training Counseling and Help (L.A.T.C.H.).She works as a breastfeeding counselor, resource speaker and contributing writer to various “mom and baby” publications and web sites. Dee is also a loving wife to her high school sweetheart Dudu and a doting mother to her children.

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/lifestyle/12/17/09/pokwang-cory-aquino-cited-working-mom-awards

KENYA: The role of culture in child nutrition

MOYALE, 18 December 2009 (IRIN) – Two-year-old Safia Emoi is weak, thin and listless. She has just arrived at the Heillu Health centre with her mother Amima Mohammed, who set off early to make the 4km trek to the clinic in the outskirts of the upper Eastern Province town of Moyale. Safia is enrolled in a programme for severely malnourished children.

“Up until recently, things were a bit better for me and my family,” Amima Mohammed, 35, said. However, a prolonged drought has killed livestock, in turn affecting children’s nutrition and milk consumption.

“We are hungry most of the time. I make some strong tea in the morning and then we have one meal of maize during the day,” said the mother of six.  
 
There are dozens of children enrolled in a supplementary feeding programme run by Concern Worldwide in Moyale; in the past three months, the NGO recorded an average of 70 to 80 admissions per month. “I have seen other children getting better when given ready-to-eat therapeutic food, so I know Safia will too,” said her mother.

According to the Arid Lands Resource Management Project (ALRMP), agro-pastoral and pastoral communities are among the worst affected by food insecurity after four consecutive rainy seasons failed.

Despite ongoing mid-October to December short rains, drought-related stress, such as inadequate food and pasture, remains high in Moyale and other Eastern Province Districts such as Isiolo, Garbatulla, and Marsabit.

The proportion of children classified as “at risk” of malnutrition (mid-upper-arm circumference, MUAC, less than 135mm, in ages 6-59 months) in October remained higher than respective five-year averages in the districts, according to ALRMP surveillance data, stated a Kenya Food Security Update for November.

An MUAC of less than 110mm indicates severe acute malnutrition; between 110mm and 125mm moderate acute malnutrition, while one between 125 and 135mm shows that the child is at risk of acute malnutrition and should be followed up for growth monitoring.

The wrong kind of food

Another nutritional problem in this region is a widespread tendency not to breastfeed babies during their first six months. According to the UN Children’s Fund, exclusive breastfeeding is the perfect way to provide the best food for a baby’s first six months as breastfed infants are much less likely to die from diarrhoea, acute respiratory infections and other diseases.

But Humphrey Mosomi, a nutritionist with World Vision Kenya in Marsabit district, said some 60 percent of mothers gave their babies additional food as well as water within two weeks of birth.

Improving pastoral community awareness of better child-feeding practices was vital, Mosomi told IRIN.  

“For example, boys may be introduced to camel milk early as a rite of initiation so they will like the animals they will herd in future,” he said. “The belief is that if the male child is first introduced to his mother’s milk, he will become a useless boy.

“There is also influence from grandmothers. They say the children are dying of thirst and that they must be given water,” he said. In an effort to improve the situation, traditional birth attendants, who, as older women, enjoy respect in the community, are being educated about the importance of exclusive breastfeeding.

Challenges

Cultural beliefs also fuel poor child health, noted Mosomi. “It takes a long time to convince someone to sell a cow or a goat to buy food. [People refuse] to sell so as not to be viewed as poor or to look cowardly. If, as a leader, you sold off your cows during the drought, people may refuse to vote for you.

“Sometimes, the cows are there, the milk is there, but it is not available to the children. The herders are ‘favoured’ and allocated the bigger share of milk, for instance,” he noted, adding that there was a need for advocacy.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=87454 

Medela Announces Virtual Human Milk Collection Campaign

MCHENRY, Ill., Dec. 17 /PRNewswire/ — Medela announced today the award recipients from its November Virtual Human Milk (breastmilk) Collection Campaign in honor of the March of Dimes’ National Prematurity Awareness Month. More than 4,100 participated in the campaign, voting for their preferred Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Each of the following hospitals will receive $5,000 in neonatal human milk support products from Medela:

* Memorial Hospital at Gulfport, Gulfport, MS. * St. John Medical Center, Tulsa, OK. * The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA.* University of New Mexico Hospital, Albuquerque, NM.

“We are very pleased with the participation in our Virtual Human Milk Collection Campaign. The intent was to help raise awareness of the importance of human milk which works like a medicine to help protect premature babies from many serious complications during and after their hospital stay,” says Carolin Archibald, vice president, professional business at Medela Inc. “We’re thrilled to be able to donate products to our award recipients that will support feeding more human milk and improving outcomes for their vulnerable patients.”

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/medela-announces-virtual-human-milk-collection-campaign-award-recipients-in-honor-of-2009-prematurity-awareness-month-79531102.html

Study data from E.W. Harville and colleagues update understanding of depression

“We reviewed the literature on the effects of Hurricane Katrina on perinatal health, and providing data from our own research on pregnant and postpartum women. After Katrina, obstetric, prenatal, and neonatal care was compromised in the short term, but increases in adverse birth outcomes such as preterm birth, low birthweight, and maternal complications were mostly limited to highly exposed women,” investigators in the United States report (see also Depression).

“Both pregnant and postpartum women had rates of post-traumatic stress disorder similar to, or lower than, others exposed  to Katrina, and rates of depression similar to other pregnant and postpartum populations. Health behaviors, such as smoking and breastfeeding, may have been somewhat negatively affected by the disaster, whereas effects on nutrition were likely associated with limited time, money, and food choices, and indicated by both weight gain and loss,” wrote E.W. Harville and colleagues.

The researchers concluded: “With a few specific exceptions, postdisaster concerns and health outcomes for pregnant and postpartum women were similar to those of other people exposed to Hurricane Katrina. In such situations, disaster planners and researchers should focus on providing care and support for the normal concerns of the peripartum period, such as breastfeeding, depression, and smoking cessation. Contraception needs to be available for those who do not want to become pregnant. Although additional physical and mental health care needs to be provided for the most severely exposed women and their babies, many women are capable of surviving and thriving in postdisaster environments.”

Harville and colleagues published their study in Birth – Issues in Perinatal Care (Hurricane Katrina and Perinatal Health. Birth – Issues in Perinatal Care, 2009;36(4):325-331).

http://behavioralhealthcentral.com/index.php/20091216156741/Clinical-News/study-data-from-ew-harville-and-colleagues-update-understanding-of-depression.html

Unicef Ready To Support Flood-Affected Fijians

Friday, 18 December, 2009 – 16:48

UNICEF estimates that at least 17,500 people in the area were affected by severe flooding causing extensive damage in housing areas and to water mains and supplies.

Three days after category 2 Cyclone Mick hit major islands of the Fiji Islands group, the affected population still does not have access to safe drinking water and proper sanitation.

UNICEF stands ready to distribute “Emergency Hands” – communication materials promoting key sanitation and hygiene behaviours, posters promoting hand washing and breastfeeding, collapsible water containers and water purification tablets at the request of the Government.

http://www.voxy.co.nz/national/unicef-ready-support-flood-affected-fijians/5/33810

Monterey County eyes breastfeeding policy for workers

Monterey County is working toward becoming just the third county in the state to have a breastfeeding policy for employees. The policy is currently being test-driven in the county’s Health Department.  “I anticipate that this policy will benefit both the Health Department and the community,” said Dr. Lisa Hernandez, the county’s deputy health officer.

The plan sets aside space other than a restroom for breastfeeding mothers to pump breast milk. It also allows for flexible schedules so women can continue both work and feeding. If it moves forward, Health Department officials will work with leaders in each county department to find appropriate spaces to designate for nursing moms.

http://www.thecalifornian.com/article/20091216/NEWS01/91216024/1002/Monterey+County+eyes+breastfeeding+policy+for+workers

Parenting Perspective: Figuring out how to feed your baby!

December 16, 2009 (WPVI) — One of the surprises for many new mothers is how hard breastfeeding can be. Something that seems so natural often comes with a lot of frustration, anxiety and concern. But if you find yourself struggling with it, there are books, videos and support groups, not to mention a cadre of other women who have negotiated the difficult moments of “latching” and “supplementing.”

So, I thought I’d have it a little easier since our son is bottle fed. I have rheumatoid arthritis, and the drugs I take to combat are toxic and make it impossible for me to breastfeed. (I stopped the drugs while pregnant and resumed them about a month after delivery). Bottles also would mean that I could share feedings with my husband and not have to contemplate cover-ups whenever we wanted to take the baby out for a while.

Not so fast.

For the past three months, we have been taxed trying to find the right formula. The first one made him constipated. The second one gave him explosive gas and diarrhea, even as he spit up ounces. A third mix led to thick chunks on his bib. Another variant turned him off, pushing away from his bottle. Our solution this week is to mix two different brands together. He seems to keep them down without much wear on his system.

There are some other things I’ve been taught to do to try to keep his formula in his system, not spit up on my shoulder: I hold him at a 45-degree angled as he feeds, rather than letting him lay back. He doesn’t always burp, even though I try, but I make sure he at least sits upright for 30 minutes, which half the time means an upright snooze on my shoulder. Another thing you can try: burp after half or even thirds of the bottle.

We’re not sure whether our current solution will be the final call. We ruefully look at the barely used cans of formula – they are not cheap – sitting around our kitchen. But then we try to keep it all in perspective: Before we know it, our little guy will be on to cereal and solids.

Here’s to Mother Nature and hopes our little guy fares better with strained sweet potatoes, peas and pears!

http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/parenting&id=7174378

Pregnant and breastfeeding women exposed to workplace hazards  (Spain)

A new study shows the employment and sociodemographic characteristics involved in the exposure of pregnant women to workplace hazards. Of these, 56% say they often work standing up or have to lift heavy objects, 63% are exposed to workplace stress and 62% say they are frequently exposed to some physical risk in their place of work.

“Pregnant and breastfeeding women are especially sensitive to exposure to workplace hazards”, Mª Carmen González, lead author of the study and a researcher at the Higher Centre for Public Health Research in Valencia, tells SINC. “Certain workplace pollutants and working conditions can have negative impacts on pregnancy and the development of the foetus”, she says.

… Almost one-quarter of the women (22%) said they were exposed to some chemical agent, particularly cleaning products, and 6% to biological risk factors, such as in jobs involving the care of others.

The conclusions show that it is the youngest, least-educated and non-Spanish women, who are self-employed or working on temporary contracts, who are most likely to report being frequently exposed to workplace risks.

…
“Although Spanish legislation regulates the protection of pregnant or breastfeeding women in their places of work (Law 31/1995 and Organic Law 3/2007), the conclusions of this study indicate that this legislation is insufficiently implemented in Spain”, concludes the Valencian researcher.

http://www.news-medical.net/news/20091217/Pregnant-and-breastfeeding-women-exposed-to-workplace-hazards.aspx

What to Give to the Person Who Has Everything

When confronted by malls full of frantic holiday shoppers and barraged with advertisements promising the perfect gifts, we’re sometimes overwhelmed. We realize we’re very fortunate to be living somewhere that has so much available, while many others have very little. That’s why Mercy Kits — symbolic humanitarian gifts that support the health and education programs of Mercy Corps — are perfect for the person who has everything.

Since 1979, Mercy Corps has been helping individuals, families and communities hurt by economic crisis, armed conflict and natural disasters around the globe, from the United States to Kyrgyzstan. The organization, based in Portland, OR, started offering the tax-deductible Mercy Kits in 2003. “With Mercy Kits, gift-givers can make a difference in the lives of others in need around the world,” says spokeswoman Joy Portella. Proceeds from most of the kits go to where Mercy Corps determines it is most needed, though the following support specific projects: Breastfeeding Kit ($75), Climate Change Kit ($150), Fuel-Efficient Stove Kit ($45), Send an Orphan to School Kit ($100), Plant a Tree Kit ($55) and Play to Heal Kit ($75).

http://mercycorps.org/inthenews/17036

Push for exclusive breastfeeding

MOST Jamaican mothers are not practising exclusive breastfeeding as it goes against their belief that babies require water or tea. So says Dr Pauline Samuda, a nutritionist, who is calling for greater education on exclusive breastfeeding and its benefits.

“[But] it’s very difficult in a hot country, when a mother is hot to tell her that her baby is not hot, although you’re trying to say to them, ‘look at what you have eaten versus what the baby has eaten, you have eaten pure solids while the baby has had only liquid, so you’re thirsty, the baby is not’,” Dr Samuda said. “It’s very difficult but it is something we have to work on.”

In addition to the mother’s misperception of what the child requires during his or her first six months, Dr Samuda said that a large number of public health care workers were also making the task difficult as they themselves were not aware of the correct definition of the term ‘exclusive breastfeeding’ and at times misinform the mothers about the baby’s diet and the appropriate time to introduce additional food.

Dr Samuda was speaking against the background of a recent study she conducted in St Catherine and Clarendon, where she found that over 90 per cent of the mothers in the survey had never heard the term ‘exclusive breastfeeding’, while 80 per cent were introducing supplemental food such as tea, formula, porridge and irish potato between one to three months after the baby’s birth.

Popular myths surrounding breastfeeding

• Infants needs bush tea to clear their stomach in the mornings.

• Babies need water to quench their thirst.

• Expressed milk is not good for the baby.

• Squeezing breastmilk in ant’s nest or fire will dry out the mother’s milk.

• Feeding young babies tomato leaves will help with gripe.

• Mothers do not produce enough milk, hence the reason for additional food.

• Extensive breastfeeding will give the mothers ‘slipper titties’.

• A mother should not breastfeed if she has cold.

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/magazines/allwoman/push-for-exclusive-breastfeeding

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

Breastfeeding in the News: Aug. 11th – Aug. 17th, 2009

Hello all,

Not as many stories this week, but a lot to think about.  An evolutionary psychologist has come up with an interesting theory that mothers are “hard-wired to go into a mourning period if breastfeeding does not follow delivery of a child” as an explanation for post partum depression.  “And it’s not just choosing formula over milk that may cause the separation. Hospitals’ policies of keeping newborns in nurseries may instigate a mourning process in new moms as well, regardless of how they feed their newborns.”  Immediately after that article you will see an interview with a British midwife who says “Following the birth of my second child, I was deeply affected by her puzzling inability to breastfeed. Subsequently, I found it very hard to bond closely with her as every bottle feed brought a sense of rejection.”   

A new study shows that breastfeeding reduces the risk of breast cancer for women with an immediate relative with breast cancer by 59%!  That’s wonderful news but I was also intrigued by another little tibit in this story. Mothers who took lactation suppression drugs (as opposed to those who neither breastfed nor used lactation suppressing drugs) also lowered their risk.    One group was protected via lactation while the other was protected by making sure the body never lactated. Hmm… I would certainly like to know more about this.

Nancy Terres sent me a response in a nursing journal (JOGNN – sorry there is no link to with it) about a study on the need to educate parents on the risks of bed sharing.  The long response (I’ve only posted a little snip of it) from Tom Johnston (a male IBCLC?? Good for him!) & Elizabeth Johnston was terrific (lots of data & great perspective) but of course it didn’t make a dent in the thinking of the original authors of the study.  But still it was wonderful to learn that there is some dialogue going on.

Norma Ritter tells me that the survey mentioned last week “in which mothers said that regardless of how they fed their own baby, many moms believe infant formula is a safe alternative to breast milk.  You might be interested to learn that this survey was conducted by a group called Mom’s Feeding Freedom.
http://www.momsfeedingfreedom.com/general/page/about-us  According to their website:  MomsFeedingFreedom.com was made possible by a grant from the International Formula Council. The opinions and views expressed on this web site are of Kate Kahn who independently manages and controls the editorial content contained on the web site. Their interpretation of government policy is somewhat, shall we say, inventive?  For example: did you know there are some government officials around the country, including in New York, Massachusetts and California, who are trying to withhold information and support from new moms who choose to bottle feed their babies? The campaign is promoted as an effort to ban the marketing of infant formula in hospitals. However, it really is an attack on women’s access to information to make a legitimate choice.”  Thanks Norma!

In other news the mom in Grand Forks did not get sent to jail for breastfeeding her baby while drunk (she did get sent to rehab) but unfortunately she has been arrested twice since that incident on other charges (like slashing tires out in the parking lot after being told she couldn’t see her baby).  There was a nurse-in at a Chick-o-Fil in Florida.  And there is a new breastfeeding friendly hospital discharge bag out on the market. 

And once again the dirty truth comes out about nipple shields.  Not only do they have to be washed constantly, it can take forever to wean from a shield, in this case five months (I once worked with a mom who was still using a nipple shield at three months – she hated it and the baby refused to nurse without it).  So if you know anyone who is still handing out nipples shields as a  “quick fix” please let them know the truth.  Unless you show the mom how to wean from the shield and follow up to make sure that she does, you are doing her no real favor.

Lastly a special thanks to Debra Berube Dwyer, Nicole Deggins, Rebecca Hains, Sharon Bo Abrams,  Norma Woolf Ritter, Ruth Lackie, and Nancy Terres for sharing your thoughts with me.  I loved hearing from you!

Kathy Abbott, IBCLC

www.BusyMomsBreastfeed.com

On Facebook: “Breastfeeding in the News”

My Blog:  http://TheCuriousLactivist.wordpress.com/

 

 

On Bed Sharing (from JOGNN)

Finally, we have to take issue with the assumption that it is incumbent upon us as health care professionals to continually educate new parents in regards to separate sleeping as ‘‘safe sleeping.’’ If 89% of respondents in this study reported knowing the ‘‘risks’’ of bed sharing, yet 72%reported engaging in that ‘‘risky behavior,’’ we can only come to one conclusion: parents know that many health care professionals believe that bed sharing is risky, but parents do not actually believe that we are telling the truth. In other words, they aren’t buying what we are selling. The problem, if you can call it that, is not the one of ignorance, it is the one in which nature and common sense tells parents that the ‘‘experts’’ are wrong.

Jarold (Tom) Johnston, CNM, IBCLC & Elizabeth A. Johnston, BSN

 

Response from authors: Our position was and is that new parents, in particular, should be informed that bedsharing has documented risks and that even if safety precautions are taken to try to practice safe bedsharing, the reality is that not all the risk factors can be readily addressed. Specifically, being overtired is virtually unavoidable for a new parent, and bedsharing is most likely to occur within the first 3 months after birth (during which time infants have limited mobility). These are two of the risk factors associated with bedsharing. We understand and respect that perspectives on the practice of bedsharing are polarized. However, our position and reason for the study was based on the increasing evidence that bedsharing has risks for young infants in particular. Despite the fact that this perspective may be controversial, we believe that parents should be informed of these risks.

 

Christine A. Ateah RN, PhD, and

Kathy J. Hamelin RN,MN

 

Is postpartum due to not breastfeeding?

Postpartum depression has been linked to choosing bottle feeding over breastfeeding, according to an evolutionary psychologist’s research.

The fields of evolutionary study goes beyond how birds got their wings. Evolutionary psychology, one subfield, tries to understand humanity’s instinctual actions based on a long view that goes back to our hunter-gatherer ancestors. And new moms, one new theory goes, may be hard-wired to go into a mourning period if breastfeeding does not follow delivery of a child.

Back then, there would be one main reason why a woman would deliver a baby and then not breastfeed: the baby had died. Untold generations of that, lead researcher Gordon Gallup posits in the August issue of Medical Hypotheses, may have imprinted a biological trigger of grief when that separation happened. It would even kick in when the baby was just fine.

This theory was tested in a small study, researchers noted. A group of about 50 mothers of 4- to 6-week-old infants were examined for postpartum depression. Age, income, relationship statues and education were not contributing factors in who was more likely to be clinically depressed. But breast or bottle was: breastfeeders were less likely to have the baby blues, as it’s sometimes derisively called.

And it’s not just choosing formula over milk that may cause the separation. Hospitals’ policies of keeping newborns in nurseries may instigate a mourning process in new moms as well, reagrdless of how they feed their newborns.

http://contemporarypediatrics.modernmedicine.com/contpeds/Child%20Behavior%20&%20Development%20Top%20Story/Is-postpartum-due-to-not-breastfeeding/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/619258?contextCategoryId=40137

Inside Medicine: Breastfeeding lead midwife

In a series focusing on medical specialties, the BBC News website meets Suzanne Barber, an infant-feeding adviser midwife.

Her speciality is helping mothers breastfeed their babies and deal with any problems they have.

My biggest challenge is when there is unintentional undermining of breastfeeding, from well-meaning others, by recommending supplementation with formula milk.

So often it is said that a baby is “starving” and “the mother hasn’t got enough milk” or “the milk isn’t good enough”.

It takes patience and sometimes courage to re-educate those who have unintentionally been given poor advice and education when they had their babies and to convince such mothers that the baby’s behaviour is normal and that the mother will be able to provide for all the baby’s nutritional needs.

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THIS SPECIALITY?

Following the birth of my second child, I was deeply affected by her puzzling inability to breastfeed. Subsequently, I found it very hard to bond closely with her as every bottle feed brought a sense of rejection.

I have since been driven towards supporting others both in the teaching and promotion of practice, which maximises success in breastfeeding wherever possible.

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7635212.stm

Breastfeeding moms state ‘nurse-in’

Breastfeeding mothers had a “nurse-in” Friday at a fast-food restaurant in Orlando, Fla.

The protest was inspired by a woman who said an employee at the Chick-Fil-A had told her to cover her breast and offered her a towel as she fed her baby Florida law allows women to breastfeed almost anywhere at any time and specifically says the nipple does not need to be covered. The woman said she tried complaining to the manager and to Chick-Fil-A’s head office, but to no avail. The restaurant now says it’s educating employees about the breastfeeding law and considering door stickers to tell guests it’s a “mom-friendly” place

http://www.timesoftheinternet.com/101316.html

Grand Forks mother in drunken breast-feeding case arrested again

A Grand Forks mother who pleaded guilty in a case of breastfeeding while drunk has been arrested again, making it two times that she’s been locked up since her sentencing Friday on a child-neglect charge.

Friday night, just hours after her sentencing…Officers arrested her that night after receiving a complaint that she had slashed the tire of a pickup in the parking lot of her apartment building.

Friday, a state District Court judge allowed Anvarinia to serve at least part of a six-month sentence in a substance-abuse treatment facility, but she must complete the program to get credit for time served. She was also sentenced to three years of supervised probation. 

http://www.grandforksherald.com/event/article/id/129680/group/Local%20News/

More than 200 hospitals across the US to give out free breastfeeding discharge bags

soon more than 200 hospitals across the country will be giving out new breastfeeding discharge bags called the ‘Healthy Baby Bounty Bag’ to moms who want to breastfeed instead.

It is an insulated bag you can use to store pumped breast milk. Inside it has samples of products, coupons, and resources – all that can help breastfeeding mamas succeed plus a few other goodies.

In my bag was Lansinoh milk storage bags and disposable nursing pads, Boogie Wipes samples, SaniHands for Kids hand wipe samples, an Aquaphor sample, even some Traditional Medicinals Organic Mother’s Milk tea bags (my fav part!) and a card with a code to redeem a free gift from Cottonwood Kids.

http://www.examiner.com/x-608-Early-Childhood-Parenting-Examiner~y2009m8d10-More-than-200-hospitals-across-the-US-to-give-out-free-breastfeeding-discharge-bags

Breastfeeding 101: What the heck is a nipple shield? + information about other nursing supplies

My first born was a bit jaundice and therefore extremely lackadaisical about nursing. I.e. he was lazy. I was determined to breastfeed, and much to the horror of any true La Leche League Leader, the lactation specialist at the hospital gave me what she called a “nipple shield,” probably the most controversial breastfeeding aid on the market. 

 

A plastic shield that fits right over your nipple, it makes your breast more “user-friendly” and baby may just latch right on. My son sure did. It took me five months to wean him off the thing. (So not only was I washing my reusable nursing pads, I was constantly sanitizing the darn nipple shields.  At times I thought using formula would be less work.)

 

http://www.examiner.com/x-5177-Rochester-Parenting-Examiner~y2009m8d10-Breastfeeding-101–What-the-heck-is-a-nipple-shield–information-about-other-nursing-supplies

New York Times: Breast-Feeding Linked to Lower Cancer Risk

Although several studies have found that lactation is protective against breast cancer, the new report found little effect for premenopausal women over all. But for women with an immediate relative, like a mother or a sister, who had breast cancer, those who breast-fed had a 59 percent lower risk of premenopausal breast cancer. That is closer in line with the risk for women who had no disease in the family, the study found.

The new study, published in The Archives of Internal Medicine, used information from 60,075 participants in the second Harvard Nurses’ Health Study. More research is needed to replicate the findings and to show that the reduced risk is the result of breast-feeding, rather than some other factor common to women who breast-feed. But Dr. Stuebe suggested that breast-feeding may prove just as effective a strategy for high-risk women as the use of Tamoxifen, a drug that interferes with estrogen activity and is often used in high-risk women to reduce breast cancer risk.

Interestingly, women who took drugs to prevent the formation of milk were at lower risk for breast cancer than those who refrained from breast-feeding but did not use lactation-suppressing drugs, the study found.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/11/health/research/11cancer.html?_r=1

Breastfeeding in the News: July 4 – July 10th, 2009

July 4^th – July 10^th, 2009

Hello All,

We have a mish mash of stories this week.  There’s the odd (placenta sandwiches & a grandma giving “titty”), the sad (2 in 3 moms fear stares when breastfeeding in public in the UK, a weaning leads to depression – we heard from this same mom last week by the way), the interesting (fish oil taken while pregnant & breastfeeding reduces food allergies & excema), the say again?? (breastfeeding moms at pool must stand behind the line), and the slightly outrageous (bottle feeding is easier for working moms).

But I’m giving two awards for the most outrageous, dunderheaded stories this week.  The first is to the ABC reporter who led a story by saying “A two minute procedure may take the agony out of breastfeeding for a lot of moms.” Turns out she is talking about a frenotomy which is a rare procedure that is used only on tongue tied babies.  The second award goes to the report from Minneapolis stating that the clinical term for accidental smothering of infants is, wait for it… “co-sleeping.”  Both cases mentioned in the story involved either alcohol or drugs, and as the story says charges are seldom made so statistics on the real reason for these tragedies (impaired care takers) is often obscured.  Instead “co-sleeping” has become a catch all for cause of death, but to call it a clinical definition for accidental smothering??  Don’t you think that’s going too far?

Until next week. 

Kathy Abbott, IBCLC

The Curious Lactivist

www.BusyMomsBreastfeed.com

on Facebook: Breastfeeding in the News

       

 

David Sedaris takes over Barnes Noble in Winston

He enjoys hearing stories about breast feeding and, with his encouragement, several people share personal experiences they have their books signed. He jots some of them down in a miniature green notebook he keeps in his shirt pocket, his favorite being a story about a woman whose nipple fell off from an infection she contracted from breast-feeding.

“This is the most I have taken out my notebook throughout this whole book tour,” Sedaris says as he jots. Once the clock hits midnight the conversations become a bit more racy. Sedaris tells a story about a mother and daughter who end up pregnant at the same time and once the daughter’s son hits two years old she refuses to breast feed him anymore, so he goes to his grandmother.

“The kid told his mom, ‘My grandma gives me titty,’ and you can’t get much more white trash than that,” Sedaris said. He tells one tattooed lady a story about another woman he met on tour whose grandmother had a tattoo of a mouse tail coming out of her pubic hair and would show it to people and say “I have a mouse down here…oops! My pussy ate it.” By 3 a.m. the crowd dwindles down to the last 50 people who have endured the wait. Sedaris keeps his good humor and enthusiasm up until the very last person and hundreds of satisfied fans go home happy.

http://www.yesweekly.com/article-6580-david-sedaris-takes-over-barnes-noble-in-winston.html

Accidental smothering of infants rarely results in charges

A Lakeville baby’s death puts new focus on rarity of criminal charges in accidental smothering of infants

The issue was raised afresh in May when, police say, a Lakeville grandmother mixed alcohol and pills, then accidentally slept on her 6-week-old grandson and killed him.

Several county attorneys said it is difficult to prove that a person intended to hurt a baby or acted recklessly. Medical examiners almost always rule such deaths accidental or undetermined. And the caretaker’s grief is sometimes considered punishment enough.

 

On average, about 20 infants die each year in Minnesota from suffocation when sleeping with their caretakers, yet such cases are rarely presented to prosecutors to review for child neglect or manslaughter charges.

Whether the Lakeville case prompts charges, nearly every such infant death — the clinical term is “co-sleeping” — could have been prevented, said Linda Thompson, a pediatrician at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis. Statewide, it’s the third most common cause of death in babies less than a year old, behind premature births and birth defects.

http://www.startribune.com/local/49985722.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUUsA

Glamourmom(R) Donates 200 Nursing Tops to NYC Non-Profit Baby Buggy in Celebration of Breastfeeding Awareness Month

During Breastfeeding Awareness Month, Line Rothman will donate 200 Glamourmom(R) Nursing Tanks to the Baby Buggy organization. Baby Buggy, a non-profit organization founded in 2001 by Jessica Seinfeld, is dedicated to providing New York City’s families in need. Baby Buggy will distribute the Glamourmom Nursing Tanks through their collaboration with Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP) as well as other NYC-based agencies helping families in need.

http://news.prnewswire.com/DisplayReleaseContent.aspx?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/07-09-2009/0005057469&EDATE=

Health and medical news from abc12.com

 (07/09/09)– A two minute procedure may take the agony out of breastfeeding for a lot of moms.

HealthFirst reporter Leslie Toldo explains that doctors can stop the pain and bruising that keeps many women from breast feeing their children.

It’s a procedure that takes a few minutes, but it will save mom Shani Haden from months of pain.  “I would’ve thought it was normal. I would’ve thought that breastfeeding is supposed to be painful, but it’s not.”

Dr. Earl Harley puts a little topical anesthetic in Devin’s mouth and then snips the membrane under the tongue called the frenulum.  It loosens and lengthens the tongue, so he can latch on without hurting mom.

Just a couple snips, and it releases the tongue. It’s very simple, takes a matter of a minute, two minutes at the most,” Harley explained.

The goal is to prevent more moms from giving up on breastfeeding. A recent survey shows breastfeeding in the U.S. is at an all-time high. Seventy-seven percent of new moms are doing it compared to 60 percent 15 years ago.

Dr. Harley says he sees one to three babies a week for breast-feeding problems related to “tongue tie.”

http://abclocal.go.com/wjrt/story?section=news/health&id=6906857

Drinking and breastfeeding

Either the alcohol is or isn’t passed on to the baby while breastfeeding. If there’s no science on this, the woman has been convicted based on speculation, fueled by antipathy to drinking and being drunk. I’m not a fan of drunks but whether drunk mothers endanger their babies certainly wasn’t laid out in that article.

 

http://overlawyered.com/2009/07/drinking-and-breastfeeding/

The End of Breastfeeding: Depression After Weaning

It was easier to stop breastfeeding my son than I thought it would be. I wasn’t expecting that it would be worse for me than him.

It was sometime around when I started dropping feedings that I felt different. I was sad and I didn’t know why. I was irritable and seemed to have less patience than usual.

It feels like the worst PMS that I have ever experienced. Emotionally, I feel like I did right around the time when I became pregnant. As I researched this topic, I found that it was more common than I knew.

http://www.empowher.com/news/herarticle/2009/07/08/end-breastfeeding-depression-after-weaning

Why Bottle-Feeding is Easier for Working Moms

The constant pumping is more of a chore than a benefit to the baby or life in general to many women. If a busy mom does wish to breastfeed, and she still requires assistance from daddy every now and again, she must pump. Even breast milk only keeps in the refrigerator for so long, so pumping often is necessary, particularly in the beginning stages of newborn development.

 

http://www.examiner.com/x-14457-Rochester-Working-Moms-Examiner~y2009m7d7-Why-BottleFeeding-is-Easier-for-Working-Moms

New Momma eats afterbirth, to new Daddy’s dismay

Time magazine columnist Joel Stein, a new dad, wrote about how his pregnant wife wanted to save their baby’s placenta so that she could eat it.

Eating the placenta is supposed to have many benefits, including bringing your milk in for breastfeeding and preventing postpartum depression. It’s also a practice that tends to gross out new fathers.

The woman who prepared the placenta told Stein she has already cooked up about two dozen this year and that her business is picking up. Recently, some other new Mommas bragged about serving up their babies’ placenta on pasta and even on a sandwich!

 

http://blogs.tampabay.com/moms/2009/07/new-momma-eats-afterbirth.html

Ore. moms protest pool breast-feeding restriction

A group of mothers has staged a “nurse-in” at a public pool in Eastern Oregon.

At issue was whether the state’s law favoring breast-feeding conflicts with the state’s law requiring food and drink at public pools to remain four feet from the pool’s edge.

The mothers who nursed in protest Friday kept behind the blue line.

 

http://www.ktvz.com/Global/story.asp?S=10644674

Two mothers in three ‘fear stares if they breastfeed’

Nearly two in three mothers believe the UK is “not breastfeeding-friendly”, prompting concerns from nursing mums that they would struggle to breastfeed while out and about. Miranda Levy, Mother & Baby’s editor, said: “Every mum we questioned understood the health benefits of breastfeeding, but a huge percentage were put off even trying because of the fear of people staring.”

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/two-mothers-in-three-fear-stares-if-they-breastfeed-1732181.html

Fish oil during pregnancy may slash infant allergy

Supplements of omega-3-rich fish oils during pregnancy may reduce the risk of food allergy and eczema in children, according to a new study from Sweden.

The occurrence of eczema and food allergies was 16 and 13 per cent lower, respectively, in infants of mothers receiving the fish oil supplements during pregnancy and the early months of breast-feeding, compared to placebo, according to findings published in the journal Acta Paediatrica.

“This randomized placebo-controlled double-blind study shows that omega-3 supplementation during pregnancy and lactation may reduce the risk of developing allergic sensitization to egg, IgE-associated eczema and food allergy during the first year of life,” wrote the authors, led by Catrin Furuhjelm from Linkoping University.

 

http://www.nutraingredients.com/Research/Fish-oil-during-pregnancy-may-slash-infant-allergy/?c=ei8s7T8XuY5YvNgbVMSczA%3D%3D&utm_source=newsletter_weekly&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Newsletter%2BWeekly