baby breastfeeding is certainly natural

Do Breastfeeding-Friendly Hospital Bags Really Have Moms' Best Interests in Mind?

2011-10-06T03:30:00.000-07:00

When hospitals offer formula freebies to new moms, are they undermining breastfeeding? According to many lactation advocates, the answer is yes. Some people believe that it's irresponsible for hospitals to hand out formula samples, since it endorses "artificial feeding."

Enter Healthy Baby Bags, the breastfeeding-friendly hospital bag. Distributed by Cottonwood Kids, the Healthy Baby Bag is being promoted as being the first hospital gift bag designed to help "every mother to leave the hospital with all the knowledge and support she needs to feed her child naturally."

As someone who couldn't breastfeed and thus would have loved some free formula—excuse me, artificial unnatural nutrition—from my hospital, I'm not sure I agree with the idea that offering a new mom a Similac coupon is such a controversial idea. So I decided to ask the Healthy Baby Bag folks some questions about their pro-breastfeeding program, to see if I could gain a new perspective from the experts.I was put in touch with Gina Ciagne, Certified Lactation Counselor and Senior Director of Breastfeeding Relations at Lansinoh Laboratories, as well as Erik Maurer, President and Founder of Cottonwood Kids. Here's what we talked about:

Me: Do you personally believe that hospital formula freebies have a negative effect on a new mother's breastfeeding plans?

Gina Ciagne: I do. Breastfeeding can be especially challenging the first few days postpartum, so the availability of a hospital-provided substitute can weaken the resolve of some mothers who had a breastfeeding plan in place. In illustration of my point, A Breastfeeding in Toronto report released by Toronto Public Health (TPH) shows Canadian women who don't get those freebie formula samples after giving birth are 3.5 times more likely to be exclusively breastfeeding after two weeks. That's 350 percent more likely. The author cites a similar study done in the U.S. in 2005 where that figure was a staggering 4.4 times more likely to be exclusively breastfeeding if mom was not given formula.

Me: Do you think hospitals should ban all formula giveaways, thus making free formula unavailable to mothers who cannot breastfeed?

Gina Ciagne: I don’t suggest a ban on all formula giveaways, but I do believe that the dissemination of formula in hospitals should be an exception to the rule rather than the standard protocol. Breastfeeding support and promotion should be an instrumental part of every hospital’s protocol, and formula should only be offered if and when a mother has been given proper help with breastfeeding—especially in the early days post-birth.

Me: What is the cost to hospitals for each Healthy Baby Bag?

Erik Maurer: We have created a program that allows hospitals to select a breastfeeding support product that fits within their budgets. The Healthy Baby Bag is $1.99.

Me: Do the brands in the Healthy Baby Bags pay for being included in the bags?

Erik Maurer: The answer is yes. A program like this would not work without support from our program participants. We select the breastfeeding products to be included in the program based on feedback provided to us by Hospital based Lactation Consultants around the country. These companies contribute to the program to help cover the cost of packing and distributing, similar to other sampling programs.

The Healthy Baby Bag contains breastfeeding support samples, coupons, and resources from brands including Lansinoh, Leading Lady, March of Dimes, Milkies, Pumpin Pal, My Brest Friend, Aquaphor, Ergo Baby, and Mother's Milk Tea. According to Cottonwood Kids, "All items inside are compliant with the WHO Code, and are therefore completely focused on the importance of breastfeeding with no nipples or bottles included."

My opinion on this is pretty mixed. The information about the formula sample studies is new to me, and I can absolutely understand the concern over the increase in formula use when samples are offered. On the other hand, I'm not thrilled about encouraging a hospital environment that is so militantly pro-breastfeeding that they potentially create an uncomfortable situation for a new mother who may have reasons to choose formula feeding. I'm also not a fan of terms like "artificial feeding," which makes it sound like I fed my babies chemical pellets via some sort of robotic arm.

Also, let's be honest—no one's doing this out of the pure kindness of their heart. Lansinoh is a wholly owned subsidiary of Pigeon Corporation, which made 58.26 billion yen last year. (Pigeon sells bottles, by the way, which violates that rather draconian International Code of Marketing of Breast Milk Substitutes developed by the WHO.) Cottonwood Kids is making money from the Healthy Baby Bags. The companies included in the bags are getting prime advertising exposure. Everybody wins!

Except, maybe, for the mom who wanted some formula.

In my ideal world, a new mom would have access to whatever resources she wanted. For moms who can't breastfeed, bring on the formula freebies. For moms who plan to exclusively breastfeed, bring on the boob bags. For moms who are open to whatever ends up being best for their family, how about one of each?

Or maybe better yet, hold off on marketing anything at all to new moms while they're still under medical care. Because however you describe it, a hospital gift bag is exactly that: marketing.
source: thestir.cafemom.com

Beating The Odds in a Bottlefeeding Culture

2011-08-03T17:46:00.000-07:00

Breastfeeding a baby in a bottle-feeding culture can be challenging but two organizations that support the ''breast is best'' philosophy are using national breastfeeding week (Aug. 1-7) to help moms overcome the obstacles.

Stori Hart, breastfeeding coordinator for the Grundy County Health Department WIC (Women, Infants and Children) program will be distributing floral tote bags to the 32 mothers who participated in the breastfeeding support group during the month of June.

“We encourage our moms to breastfeed for up to six months and we’re really surprised and happy if they breastfeed for a full year,” Hart said, “Some of them are not able for medical reasons. Breastfeeding also slows down when they go back to work.”Also, two La Leche League leaders, Tara Buchanan of Channahon and Ellen Goodwin of Minooka, offered insights and solutions into breastfeeding’s most difficult areas, while stressing that the ability to nurse one’s baby is within the reach of most women.

“Breastfeeding should be considered natural and normal,” Buchanan said. “It’s not something just the ‘A’ students do.”

Although the number of new mothers who leave the hospital breastfeeding their newborn is greater than it was several decades ago, by six months, only 32 percent of those mothers are still nursing.

“Many moms return to work when their babies are between 3 and 6 months, so that’s when they stop breastfeeding,” Buchanan said. “They’re just too overwhelmed to do both.”

Nursing issues may also appear during certain milestones: the growth spurts at six weeks and three months, when solids are introduced, teething, and illness (mother and/or baby). Breastfeeding may also be trickier, but not impossible, if either mom or the baby has a disability.

“That’s where groups like La Leche League help,” Goodwin said. “When a mother attends a meeting and has a problem, three moms will chime in and say, ‘That happened to me and here’s what helped.'”

Although Illinois law now mandates employers to offer reasonable break times and private areas—not the company restroom—for pumping milk, repercussions for not heeding the law are few, Buchanan said, unless the mother takes her boss to court.

Buchanan suggests a positive approach. During pregnancy, inform your boss about your intentions to nurse and stress the positive benefits to him, such as fewer and less severe illnesses for your baby and minimal lost work hours for you.

If he also embraces being green, remind him that breastfeeding means less waste for the environment.

“This promotes a spirit of cooperation, especially if you want to keep your job,” Buchanan said.

Goodwin reminds new mothers that bottle-feeding is rarely the easy answer. In addition to its cost, sterilization is mandatory and, even then, there’s no guarantee the baby will tolerate formula or not be allergic to it. Some mothers frantically switch from brand to brand, seeking a product that will agree with their baby.

Even in the 21st Century, many hospitals and pediatricians, who often have no formal training in breastfeeding, still subtly suggest formula is the best option, especially if the baby is jaundiced or the mother is in pain from a Cesarean section.

“What the mother really needs is assistance to get breastfeeding going,” Goodwin said. “I’ve seen nurses or lactation consultants come in and be abrupt. That can really undermine the mother’s confidence.”

Finally, Buchanan said new mothers should remember that what seems to be a breastfeeding problem is really a new baby problem. So often a woman’s concept of motherhood come from TV’s unrealistic depictions, which no mother or baby can meet.

“The first few weeks are intense,” Buchanan said. “The transition from pregnancy to new motherhood can be crazy. You feel like you’re going nonstop, so it’s natural to question yourself.”
source:

Hundreds walk to promote breastfeeding

2011-08-03T17:43:00.000-07:00

POUGHKEEPSIE – Hundreds of healthy moms marched Wednesday with breastfeeding supporters, through the streets of Poughkeepsie, in the fifth annual Breastfeeding Walk.

The event was organized by Breastfeeding Coalition of Dutchess County and Hudson Valley Healthy Families.
The marchers kicked off their parade at the Family Partnership Building on North Hamilton Street, and made their way downtown to the Mid-Hudson Civic Center on Market Street, where dozens of vendors provided information about services.

The festivities mark World Breastfeeding Week, observed the first week of August, celebrated each year to raise awareness about the importance of providing human milk as the best source of nutrition for babies.

One of the walk’s coordinators, Elizabeth Fernandez, said breastfeeding makes for healthier babies.

“We think breastfeeding is a public health issue,” she said. “It’s best for infants and it’s best for moms and babies and families.”

“Many mothers in the United States want to breastfeed, and most try,” explained Regina Benjamin, the U.S. Surgeon General, in her Call to Action encouraging breastfeeding. “And yet within only three months after giving birth, more than two-thirds of breastfeeding mothers have already begun using formula.”

It is legal in New York State for women to bare their breasts in public for the purpose of breast feeding an infant child. The breastfeeding bill of rights was read from the podium in English and Spanish at Wednesday’s event.
source:

Timbra Wiist & Breastfeeding

2011-08-03T17:39:00.000-07:00

Timbra Wiist is all about breastfeeding. She’s a photographer who specializes in nursing portraits; a leader in the Murray chapter of international breastfeeding support organization La Leche League; and chairwoman of this year’s Breastfeeding Cafe in the Salt Lake City Main Library (210 E. 400 South) held through Aug. 14 as part of World Breastfeeding Week. Aug. 6 is also the Big Latch On, a national synchronized nursing event.
Why breastfeeding?
We hear a lot about the benefits of breastfeeding, but the important thing to know is that when you don’t breastfeed, you increase the risks of a lot of things: childhood obesity, diabetes, adult diseases, asthma, allergies. For the mother, you increase your risk of breast cancer and cervical cancer. Those are some tangible health benefits. There are so many benefits to breastfeeding with the relationship with your child—understanding their developmental stages. With breastfeeding, you really get a sense of who your child is. There are a lot of physical benefits, too: their eyesight developing quicker. For me, it’s the lazy way. There’s not a lot of thought when you leave the house, you don’t have to pack a lot of stuff.

What’s wrong with formula?
Breastfeeding is not an abnormal thing; it’s the norm. Feeding alternatively is not a normal thing. There’s been a resurgence of breastfeeding, and there’s been a resurgence of whole foods because people realized that TV dinners are full of junk. It’s the same with formula. Formula was made to be a prescription for mothers who couldn’t breastfeed or couldn’t be home. It was never meant to be a mainstream food. It is literally the fast food of infant food. It’s filled with additives. If you look at cans of formula, high-fructose corn syrup and partially hydrogenated oils are some of the top ingredients. You’re giving your child high-fructose corn syrup right out of the womb, and then we wonder why we have this epidemic of childhood obesity.

Do women who can’t breastfeed deserve judgment from other mothers?
There are women who can’t breastfeed. I would suggest that 9 times out of 10, that is because of lack of support or understanding in the first couple of days. Introduction of bottles or pacifiers by hospital staff in the first couple of days or a traumatic birth or stress can make it difficult. There are 3 percent of women in the world who literally cannot breastfeed. But no mother should ever feel guilty. We do the best with the information we have. When we look at breastfeeding, it’s like the second-best thing is formula. Really, formula is the fourth-best thing. First, it’s nursing at the breast, second is pumping your own breastmilk, third is using milk from a breastmilk bank—you can get that with a prescription—and the fourth-best thing is formula.

Do breastfeeding women get more flak in places where modesty is a focus?
I do think that the focus on modesty can be difficult; a lot of moms can be made to feel that they need to go elsewhere, or that they need to bottlefeed when they’re in public. And those things are all reasons why children wean early, because they just get the bottle more, or because mothers delay their children nursing because they don’t want to leave the conversation and go sit in the car, or in a nursing room, or a bathroom. I’ve never had anyone say anything to me. I can’t imagine my husband walking up to some woman and being like, “Can you put that away?” I can’t imagine! Who are these people? It is sometimes just a lack of understanding. If the general public understood that it’s a public health issue, and that not breastfeeding increases the risks of all these epidemics, they would be supportive.

I would rather have a mom wear a nursing cover and nurse her baby in public than not, or feel like she couldn’t nurse her baby at all. But some of those developmental things that we were talking about, like eye contact, which helps with eye development, is cut off. So, Mom, helping the public feel better, is actually taking some of the benefit out of the breastfeeding ritual.

What will be happening at these breastfeeding events?
The breastfeeding cafe has been going on for about six years. We usually have a rocker glider in here so moms can come and nurse, find information about breastfeeding resources and centers in the valley and have a comfortable place to come and find support. The Big Latch On is a La Leche League USA event, a world-record event. The first one was in the ’70s, in Berkeley, and it’s kind of jumped around from there. This year, it’s a nationwide event. They’re counting every mother who has a child latched on for one minute from 10:30 to 10:31 a.m. local time Aug. 6. We’re having it on the northeast lawn [of Library Square]. Registration will start about a half-hour before.

How long should a woman breastfeed?
The World Health Organization recommends two years as a minimum, though I think a lot of people look at that as a maximum. But it’s as long as mutually desired between mother and child. The adult immune system doesn’t come into effect until between 6 and 8, so you will see in some cultures—and even in this culture, though it’s not talked about—women allow their children to nurse for that amount of time. Breastfeeding also allows for natural child spacing, so you’ll see in some cultures—not ours so much—that there’s a natural age separation between children because breastfeeding holds off ovulation. If nothing else, the first three days are the most important, getting that colostrum in the baby and not introducing other sources of food.

What’s your view on the Whole Foods national nurse-in?
I do think it’s an opportunity for peaceful awareness. I’ve been part of a nurse-in. A couple of years ago, Applebee’s did the same thing, so a group of moms went and sat outside. People just stopped and asked. Some people don’t like you and some people do, but that’s kind of the way it is with everything in life—you can’t have an opinion without someone being opposed to it. If nothing else, I hope that it will give awareness to staff and to businesses that they need to implement a policy and make it part of orientation.
source: www.cityweekly.ne

Lucian Freud's departure leaves a yawning gap in the conversation

2011-07-22T08:00:00.001-07:00

WITH the passing of Lucian Freud, British art has lost not only one of its great painters but a legendary conversationalist. Perhaps it was a skill acquired while staring at people for hours in the studio, deciding whether or not to put a microscopic dab of paint on the end of a nose.

Freud's anecdotes, his wit and idiosyncratic philosophy of life kept many a sitter engaged while their arms and legs grew numb.There are hundreds of Freud stories, and his death is bound to unleash a new flood. A recent book by critic, Martin Gayford, Man with a Blue Scarf, described the experience of sitting for a Freud portrait, and the talks he had with the painter. Not only did Freud have stories about peers such as Francis Bacon and Augustus John, but reminiscences of the villains he once knew in the East End of London, including the Kray brothers.

Freud held outspoken views on other artists. He argued that Leonardo da Vinci was a thoroughly bad painter, and that Dante Gabriel Rossetti's work was "the nearest painting can get to bad breath".

Norris, who has died peacefully at his London home aged 88, was born in Berlin and brought to England in 1933. He was the grandson of Sigmund Freud, a pedigree that some have seen reflected in the ruthless, analytical nature of his portraits. His career got off to a flying start during the Neo-Romantic period of British art that followed the Second World War, when he painted haunting pictures such as Girl with a White Dog (1951-52). Yet as Abstract Expressionism and its successors cast a spell on the museums and the collectors, he was relegated to the margins.

This did not seem to worry Freud, who continued to paint in a doggedly realistic manner. His big revolution came in the early 1960s, when he abandoned the thin, graphic style and began to heap oils onto the canvas in a more expressive fashion. Sir Kenneth Clark was scandalised, but it was the style that would bring Freud back into the limelight.

With the coining of the phrase "School of London" in the late 1970s, Freud enjoyed a new recognition alongside painters such as Frank Auerbach, Leon Kossoff and R.B. Kitaj. He soon went on to become the most successful of this loose-knit group. His nudes of the late 1980s, including portraits of his daughters, were greeted with rapturous acclaim, as were memorable etchings such as Lord Goodman in his Yellow Pyjamas (1986-87).

With the death of Francis Bacon in 1992, Freud reigned unchallenged as the most celebrated British artist. It was his peculiar distinction to be the only realist painter that the international art world seemed to take seriously. This meant that his works became obligatory inclusions in museum collections and sold for gigantic prices. Sitters queued up to have their portraits painted, even though Freud was anything but a flatterer. He painted everyone from the Queen to a naked, pregnant Jerry Hall. In 1993 he portrayed himself as a scraggy nude wearing only a pair of old boots.

When the National Gallery of Australia's then-director, Brian Kennedy, went to London in 2001 to buy Freud's After Cé´zanne (1999-2000), he was chiefly impressed by observing that this millionaire artist had holes in his trousers. The $7.4 million paid was an Australian record for a work of international art. Many believe it is not a great Freud, and we would have been better off with one of his remarkable paintings of the obese Australian performance artist, Leigh Bowery. I'm inclined to agree.

Throughout his years of extreme poverty and extreme wealth, Freud seems to have maintained the same personality: a drinker; a gambler; a ladies' man with a habit of fathering children. Some tabloids accused him of having no fewer than 40 offspring. When painting is one's profession, if not one's whole life, it's useful to have a hobby.
source: www.smh.com.au

Breastfeeding is linked to the size of the brain

2011-04-02T05:19:00.000-07:00

Scientists have discovered that there is a direct correlation between the size of a mammals brain – including that of humans – and the amount of time they suckle.

The longer the period, the bigger the brain.

The findings are likely to add further weight to the "breast is best" argument although the researchers said they were not sure whether it was the energy that milk supplied or the nutrients that made the difference.

"It supports the theory that breast feeding and brain development are associated with each other," said study author Professor Robert Burton at Durham University.

"What we don't know at the moment is if there is anything in mother's milk that helps the brain to grow.

"Its components have been a hot topic among scientists for some time.

"At the moment we cannot say for sure that formula milk is not an adequate replacement."

Prof Barton and his team studied 128 mammal species – including humans – to see if there was a link between how much time was "invested" in their upbringing and the size of their brain.

They found that the longer the gestation period and the longer the suckling directly affected the size of the brain.

For example, in comparison, a deer, which are about the same body weight as humans, are only pregnant for seven months with a suckling period of up to six months.

This results in a brain six times smaller than that of a human.

"In general terms it does support the idea that 'breast is best' and that the World Health Organisation's guideline that you should breast feed for 18 months to two years are correct," said Prof Barton.

Three years ago a study of almost 14,000 children found those who were breastfed did significantly better in IQ tests.

Another study published earlier this month showed breastfed babies do better at reading, writing and maths at the ages of five, seven, 11 and 14.

Breast milk has long been known to boost babies' immunity – helping them fight ear infections, stomach bugs and even asthma.

But despite endless Government campaigns promoting it Britain has one of the worst breastfeeding rates in Europe.

Twenty per cent of new mothers never even try it, compared with just 2 per cent in Sweden.

As few as three per cent breastfeed for the recommended six months, and only a third are still doing so after a week.

The new findings are published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Miranda Kerr Flaunts Sexy Post-Baby Body

2011-04-01T05:39:00.000-07:00

A month after making her runway debut at the Balenciaga show during Paris Fashion Week, Miranda Kerr gave us another (better!) glimpse of her stunning post-baby body at the launch of Victoria’s Secret‘s 2011 swim collection in Los Angeles on March 30.

The always-stylish supermodel, who welcomed son Flynn in January, showed off her new mommy curves in a garnet-colored Hervé Léger by Max Azria zip front dress and black Yves Saint Laurent Tribute pumps.

Even though it’s only been 3 months, Kerr has more than bounced back to her slim and trim modeling size, which is all the more amazing because Flynn weighed in at almost 10 lbs at birth.

“I had a big baby. And I had him naturally,” she proudly revealed to Entertainment Tonight Canada at the event. “I’m really happy with him. It’s just so magical and every day it just gets better and better!”

So how is dad Orlando Bloom adjusting to the new baby? “He’s amazing! He’s really an incredible dad and he’s very hands on!”source:

Doll that mimics breastfeeding stirring controversy

2011-04-01T05:32:00.000-07:00

1 Apr 2011 - The toy isn't even for sale yet in Canada or the U.S. but already, a doll that lets little girls mimic the act of breastfeeding is raising eyebrows.

The "Breast Milk Baby," made by Spanish toy company Berjuan Toys, sells for about US$99 and comes with a special halter top for the girl "mommy" to wear, with two flowers positioned where nipples would be.

When the doll's mouth is brought close to the top, it sets off sensors in the doll, causing it to move and make suckling sounds.

The doll has been sold in Spain for a number of years and is due to be unveiled on store shelves in the U.S. soon. But already, plenty of parents are expressing shock.

Some parents say the doll over-sexualizes children by allowing young girls to pretend they have breasts. Others say it risks making girls grow up too fast.

One dad told a Fox News affiliate in Colorado that the doll "would be unacceptable" at his house.

"It looks like it should be at an expecting mothers class or a sex ed class," he said.

But the toymaker says the doll is meant to teach young girls about how to feed babies and to give them the nurturing skills they'll need later in life. Dennis Lewis, the U.S. spokesman for Berjuan Toys, says he hopes the doll will help "normalize" breastfeeding.

"We really do not understand why this has created such a controversy," Lewis said in a statement released by his company Wednesday.

Lewis said he thinks too many people in the U.S. have been duped into believing there's something shameful and taboo about breastfeeding.

"Clearly, this reflects a problem with how breastfeeding is regarded in our country," he said in the statement.

"A hundred years ago, 90 per cent of Americans would have laughed at all this controversy. Breastfeeding was considered a normal part of everyday life until the pharmaceutical companies struck gold with the idea of artificial milk in the 1920s."

Not only are some parents a little uncomfortable with the doll, Lewis says others are downright furious, with some saying his company is endangering little girls.

"We're being called perverts and pedophiles for promoting feeding our babies the way God intended?" he asked on the company website.

"Our dolls are beautiful and well made, and we're proud of them."
source: www.ctvbc.ctv.ca

Surgeon General: Address Breast-Feeding Challenges With Your Patients

2011-03-17T04:08:00.001-07:00

Eli Y. Adashi, MD; Regina M. Benjamin, MD, MBA

Eli Y. Adashi, MD: Hello. I am Eli Adashi, Professor of Medical Science at Brown University and host of Medscape One-on-One. Joining me today is Dr. Regina Benjamin, the 18th Surgeon General of the United States. Our topic: "Breast-Feeding -- Now More Important Than Ever." Welcome.

Regina M. Benjamin, MD, MBA: Thank you. Good to be here.
Dr. Adashi: What a pleasure it is to have you with us again.

Dr. Benjamin: Yes, I had a good time last time, so thanks for having me back.

Dr. Adashi: Our pleasure. You have recently issued a Call to Action in support of breast-feeding. Could you describe the essence of this initiative and the drivers behind it?

Dr. Benjamin: Basically, my whole platform is prevention. This is just another place in my prevention strategy to continue. Breast-feeding used to be more commonplace than it is now. We as clinicians, doctors, and nurses know the benefits of breast-feeding. We know that as the antibodies are transferred from the mother to the baby, fewer upper respiratory infections and ear infections occur. We also see [fewer diagnoses of] SIDS [sudden infant death syndrome] in babies. So, we know the benefits [of breast-feeding for the baby].What we don't seem to talk about as often is the benefits of breast-feeding for the mother. Breast cancer and ovarian cancer are less likely to develop in mothers who breast-feed. We wonder why we aren't seeing more breast-feeding among mothers. We know that more than 75% of women initiate breast-feeding, but by the time they're 6 months [postpartum], they're not breast-feeding anymore. The rate has dropped down to less than 10%-12% [at this point]. Something happens [during those 6 months, and] we wonder why.

What we're finding is that our society is not as friendly to breast-feeding for moms who want to breast-feed. We know that many mothers cannot or choose not to breast-feed, but among those who want to breast-feed, we need to make it easier for them: to make the environment [more open to breast-feeding].

Everyone can help with breast-feeding. Grandmothers and mothers in earlier generations used to breast-feed, but this is not as common nowadays, so we need to help educate moms and grandmoms. We have a number of organizations available in communities that are willing to help moms, grandmoms, and fathers to support the mother who wants to breast-feed.

The same holds true for the workplace. More and more women work today. We want them to be able to breast-feed when they have to go back to work. So we are making the workplace more breast-feeding-friendly through the Affordable Care Act, by requiring a company simply to provide a clean and private room or place for a mom to breast-feed other than a bathroom. These are some of the main ways that we want to encourage people to help moms who want to breast-feed.Dr. Adashi: So when we say that breast-feeding is more important now than ever, we mean, in part, that the emphasis on and perhaps the support of breast-feeding has not been perhaps all that it could be?

Dr. Benjamin: We're finding that we're not making it easy for women to breast-feed, so the most important thing now is that we -- the clinicians and the healthcare community -- can chip in and give that support. We know that our patients trust us and they trust what we say. We can start encouraging women who want to be moms in the future to start thinking about breast-feeding even before they become pregnant.

We can also encourage women by talking about the benefits of breast-feeding and the things that we might not think about. For example, a mom at our [January 20th] launch [for a "Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding"] had her baby with her. She said there's nothing like having your baby there looking and connecting with you eye to eye. It's a connection -- a bonding -- that you wouldn't get otherwise.

Dr. Adashi: In a way, if I were to put words in your mouth, you are asking our viewers who are providers, among other [healthcare professionals], to serve as advocates for breast-feeding and provide whatever support they can.

Dr. Benjamin: Support and leadership -- to make hospitals breast-feeding-friendly by having lactation centers. Doctors and nurses might or might not always know how to [advise new moms] themselves, and we can learn more. We can consult with those who are experts. Breast-feeding is personal. Again, everyone may not want to breast-feed, but we can offer support to those who want to breast-feed.

Dr. Adashi: In the Call to Action, you actually cite a number of specific steps that families, communities, employers, and healthcare professionals can take to improve breast-feeding rates and increase support for breast-feeding. Could you perhaps describe some of these strategies and what the evidence is that backs them up?Dr. Benjamin: There are 18-20 specific strategies in the Call to Action. The first one involves the family to be a part of this [experience], because everything starts at home. The family, the community, lactation specialists, and organizations, such as La Leche [League], are very helpful in teaching [new mothers]. Moms, aunts, and grandmoms used to educate women about breast-feeding, but, nowadays, they themselves haven't necessarily breast-fed, so we have to bring in the whole community, organizations, and others to help teach them all [about breast-feeding. We have to] make sure that the fathers feel included because many feel left out. The mom is breast-feeding the baby, so what role do fathers have? Many fathers will now say that the moms will pump and at night they will feed the baby with the pumped milk while the women get a chance to sleep. This opportunity is helpful in having fathers feel engaged and be supported, and allows all of them to bond together.

When we talk about going outside the community, particularly in the workplace, it's important to make women feel that it's okay to ask for a break to be able to breast-feed or to pump and not to feel guilty. In particular, hourly-wage earners, such as cashiers, should feel that it's ok to take an extra break rather than feel guilty because they need to pump [breast milk]. We shouldn't make [working women] feel guilty. They should feel comfortable; [breast-feeding] is a part of life and it's natural. Their coworkers and their employers need to be supportive. [Nursing mothers] need to have a clean and private place, and that's a simple thing to do.

Doctors and nurses should be supportive of their patients and make referrals [to lactation specialists] when needed. They should ask the mom whether she is having problems with the baby latching on. It may be simple things like, "Do you feel like you're making enough milk?" It may be that she just needs some water to drink -- that she's not getting enough hydration. Simple little things.

Dr. Adashi: It seems as though this is really a good time to increase the awareness of both providers and communities to the import of breast-feeding and to reinforce some values that we may have perhaps neglected somewhat over the last several years.

Dr. Benjamin: We are going back to basics. Nature is a wonderful thing. She has provided for you to be able to give your baby all the things it needs [from breast milk] and to protect yourself at the same time, and we should take advantage of that. Nothing is wrong with formula, and some people need it, but it shouldn't be the first option. Give moms the natural option first and encourage them. If they need to supplement with formula, that's one thing, but at least give them that [support to breast-feed]. We've also been looking for some celebrities and young stars to make breast-feeding hip again, which is going to be important particularly with the younger generations.

When I launched this Call to Action paper, we had a couple of folks present who were fairly younger moms, and [Director] Spike Lee's wife, [Tonya Lewis Lee,] was one of the people there. She's a writer and a successful woman in her own right. The younger generation knows her and looks up to her. She talked about how her husband was very supportive [of breast-feeding].

Dr. Adashi: Despite progress, breast-feeding, in addition to the issues that we discussed, continues to be challenged by elements, such as the mandatory discharge from the hospital 24 hours [after childbirth], giving women relatively little time to learn to adjust and to practice in a sense. Then there is the absence of reimbursement for breast pumps and the limited, if spotty or if any, coverage for lactation consultants. Can you perhaps discuss the steps taken to address these barriers to the extent that is possible and any progress that is being made in those areas?

Dr. Benjamin: Yes, I was very active with the AMA [American Medical Association] in the '90s trying to fight against what we used to call the 24-hour drive-thru deliveries. I think we've gotten through to the insurance companies since then; many don't enforce that [policy] anymore. Doctors, particularly obstetrician-gynecologists and family physicians who deliver babies, really are looking after the mom and what's in her and the baby's best interests before they are discharged. Hopefully that is improving a little bit. However, with reimbursements [early discharge remains] an issue. We still want mothers and babies out of the hospital as soon as possible but without putting them at risk.

In regard to the lactation supplies, just this past week the IRS [Internal Revenue Service] has come out with a ruling that lactation supplies, such as breast pumps, are considered medical devices that can be covered and claimed as a taxable deduction. That was a big win for us because we've been trying to get that [ruling. Lactation supplies now qualify] as a taxable deduction and as part of your medical savings accounts, which is wonderful.

We're still trying to make sure that insurance companies will understand the importance of lactation consultants, because we have to learn that these are experts just like any other consultants we use. When we talk about obesity, for example, we know that a baby who is exclusively breast-fed for the first 6 months of life is less likely to be obese. Having a lactation consultant to be able to help you with [breast-feeding] is important.

Dr. Adashi: One other major barrier that women will encounter when breast-feeding is pain. What practical advice or insight can you share with our viewers who are providers as to how we can address this very real challenge?

Dr. Benjamin: It is a very real challenge. As a family doctor, the first thing that I do when a breast-feeding woman's pain gets to be serious, and there are no minor issues, is to refer her to a lactation consultant because they seem to know their area of expertise and specialty very well. That's the first thing I would say; know and have on hand as a backup a lactation consultant who you trust and to whom you can refer. There are other things that you can use, such as warm compresses and showing a mom how to help the baby latch. [The timing of breast-feeding sessions and the application of home remedies can also help] keep women from being sore. However, lactation consultants spend time with [nursing moms]. They'll be in their homes and check on them, call them, and show them these little tricks of the trade. Lactation consultants have a really important role, and I can't stress enough how important they are.

Dr. Adashi: What more could we potentially do on the educational front in terms of training for providers of any kind so that they are better prepared to advise their patients about breast-feeding?

Dr. Benjamin: We can do so much with continuing education. We can learn a lot more and be more comfortable with discussing [breast-feeding] with moms, or with making the referrals or knowing when we need to make the referrals [to lactation consultants]. We need to understand that sometimes a mom may not tell you the problem that she is having. She may just keep it to herself, [so clinicians should] know when to ask. We can educate ourselves a little bit better on those matters because we often took it for granted that [breast-feeding] was something that was natural. Oftentimes a mom may be having problems and staying up at night wondering whether the baby is not [breast-feeding enough]. We weigh the baby and say that the baby hasn't gained [enough weight]. Then the mom feels guilty because she's not making enough milk. We, as her doctors, nurses, and clinicians, can say that that is normal, and these are the things we can do to improve [the situation] and give her support.

Dr. Adashi: It would probably make sense, in addition to continuing medical education, to attempt to inject this issue into the medical school curriculum perhaps and in appropriate residency training programs into graduate medical education.

Dr. Benjamin: Yes, not just for obstetrician-gynecologists or for pediatricians, but also for family physicians, any primary care providers, and some of the specialists so that we're aware and have a basic understanding that [breast-feeding] is natural in any specialty.

Dr. Adashi: Thank you very much for revisiting an issue that almost certainly needed a little nudge, having been perhaps taken for granted, having perhaps been assumed to be a nonissue --

Dr. Benjamin: And also knowing that moms start out wanting to breast-feed, but they just can't continue and keep it going. We can help them.

Dr. Adashi: With women in the workplace, there's no question that the scene has changed dramatically. Breast-feeding at home before the mass movement of women into the workplace was a very different challenge than it is now, and so updating an issue that has obviously been with us forever is very useful. We thank you for taking on that responsibility and sharing it with us.

Dr. Benjamin: Many people didn't want to talk about [breast-feeding], so I hope that they'll continue to talk about it, raise awareness, and make women comfortable with breast-feeding.

Dr. Adashi: Thank you very much.

Dr. Benjamin: Thank you.

Dr. Adashi: On that note, sincere thanks to Dr. Benjamin and to you, our viewers, for joining Medscape One-on-One. Until next time, I am Eli Adashi.
source: www.medscape.com

Breastfed babies 'more intelligent'

2011-03-13T08:08:00.000-07:00

13 March, 2011 - Breastfeeding your baby gives them a headstart in the classroom, according to research showing that it raises a child's IQ.

The most comprehensive British study of breastfeeding to date shows that it continues to have an effect on a child's mental ability right through secondary school.

The study of more than 10,000 children from the Bristol area found that those breastfed exclusively for at least the first week of life consistently outperformed those put on the bottle from birth.

Researchers at Oxford University and the Institute for Social and Economic Research (ISER) in Essex made their conclusions after "pairing up" children who in all major respects, such as family circumstances and maternal IQ, were identical.

The only difference was whether or not they were breastfed. They then compared each of these "twin" pairs to gauge the difference made by breastfeeding.

Maria Iacovou, a research fellow at the ISER, said breastfed babies had IQs that were on average between three and five points higher.

The results are from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, which follows the lives of more than 14,000 mothers who gave birth in 1991 and 1992, and their children.

Ms Iacovou said the data show an effect at aged five, seven, 11 and 14.

"We wouldn't have been surprised if the effect faded with time, but it didn't," she said.

She added that other studies showed there was an effect in the pre-school years. They excluded such information from this study, as in the Avon study pre-school ability was assessed by the mothers, who she thought were "probably a little biased".

She said there were two schools of thought on how breastfeeding had an effect: that long-chain fatty acids in breast milk helped the brain develop; and that the act of breastfeeding improved the mother-child bond.

Numerous studies have shown that breastfeeding improves a young child's health. For example, breastfed infants tend to get fewer infections. However, relatively few have looked at its impact on intelligence.

Ms Iacovou said: "This is more evidence that breastfeeding is good for your baby."

However, while she said that increasing numbers of studies were pointing to the conclusion that it aided intelligence, the theory remains controversial. In 2006 a study published in the British Medical Journal showed it had no effect.

Britain has one of the lowest breastfeeding rates in the world. At a week old, only a third (35 per cent) are exclusively breast fed, while the proportion drops to a fifth at six weeks and just seven per cent at four months.

The Department of Health recommends that babies are exclusively breastfed until six months, although many paediatricians say babies should be weaned earlier if they show an interest in solids.
source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Public breastfeeding still taboo

2011-03-13T08:02:00.000-07:00

12 March, 2011 - It's a feeding frenzy. Seems it sucks to suck.

Montreal mom Shannon Smith got booted out of Orchestra children's clothing store in January for nursing her five-month-old baby.

It triggered online outrage and Smith got an apology. A week later, a "nurse-in" was staged by 60 moms at a Montreal mall in support of public breastfeeding.

The truth of the matter: Breastfeeding is still viewed as offensive by many and discrimination is an ongoing issue. Ironically, images of sustenance and love disgust, yet we feed children an increasingly unhealthy media diet.

According to pediatrician Ari Brown: "We seem to have no problem with exposing our children to violence or sexual images in all forms of the media, but take issue with images of the most natural thing in the world - feeding a baby at the breast. Maybe we need to take a closer look at our priorities than at a mother and baby eating in public."

If you don't like it, don't look! "Who says you have to watch? I have never seen a mother fully expose her breast when she is nursing in public, even in a bathroom," says Brown, author of author of the Expecting 411 book series (Windsor Peak Press).

"You see more skin and breast exposure on the cover of a celeb magazine at the grocery store! And, babies don't really care about who is around or where they are, when it is time to eat."

Toronto mom of four Esmeralda Pitman feeds her one year old "whenever and wherever." She also continues to breastfeed her 3 1/2 year old at home.

"I've breastfed them all a minimum of three years and they've all overlapped - breast milk is the best thing for them," says Pitman, who breastfed one of her children for 4 1/2 years. "You'd never think twice about pulling out a pacifier or bottle in public."

Insensitive comments and stares have been directed her way: "After breastfeeding four kids you get used to not looking at the looks," adds Pitman.

Nursing mom Danielle Barnsley-Cervo admits "I still get that rush of 'Will someone say something to me?' and I worry, but I know I'm well prepared with my rights, if someone was to do something like that."

Society suffers from dysfunctional thinking: "Being bombarded by sex and violence is okay, but breastfeeding in public is not okay? It's such a bizarre message to be sending."

Breastfeeding gets attacked every which way you look - if not from a stranger, it's from family, friends and the media, says Calgary mom Barnsley-Cervo. "I've often wondered just how many women stop breastfeeding because of this sort of pressure".

According to Teresa Pitman, spokeswoman for La Leche League, "it's a baby's human right" and the law backs them up. But breastfeeding ejections discourage new moms who want to breastfeed but see it as a potential problem if they do it in public, she adds.

Although promoted as a boost to the mother-child bond and the healthy thing to do, medical and cultural support is lacking for breastfeeding.

According to Dr. Scott Haltzman, "in our society, sexual relationships between two people is a private matter - consequently, any conduct or visual image that reminds people of sexual behaviour also is considered private.

"Unfortunately, the exposure of a woman's breasts as an act of sexuality is often not differentiated from women who expose their breasts in order to provide their children with sustenance. There's a big difference, of course, since exposing your breast to a baby is loving act of nurturance, nothing like the pornographic exposure of silicone enhanced 'boobs' meant to scintillate men," says Haltzman, of drscott.com.

Those who are highly upset about seeing women breast feed are often over-generalizing from their concerns about the sexualization of women's breasts, says the psychiatrist.

Also, by and large, people have an aversion to bodily secretions, adds Haltzman. "Many people have a natural aversion to breastfeeding because it falls in the category of secretions. If all human secretions ought to be secret, than public breastfeeding crosses the line."

Listen up to Dr. Stuart Fishoff: "A taint of shame has no sane, rational association with an act that is so indelibly connected with our nurturing humanity.

"Time for cultures so diverted to reboot, rewrite and reclaim the beauty of a mother breastfeeding her baby and remove the shame from its collective eye," says Fischoff, professor of psychology at the California State University at Los Angeles.

"Public breastfeeding in many countries is construed reflexively as more a display of sexuality than a display of maternal succor - perhaps to both men and women. The tail is sadly wagging the dog. We've allowed the erotic to trump the bucolic, the profane to pre-empt the sacred."

Fischoff says that the more sexually repressed or suppressed a culture, the more eroticized becomes all manner of human flesh, concretely and symbolically. "But cultures can and do 'get over' this prudery quite simply by normalizing the act, setting out locations for engaging in the mother-child bonding, showing it occurring 'naturally,' without a fuss in popular culture venues like film, TV, even music videos, and effectively, weakening the hold that the sexual has over the act and strengthening the association with the breasts' original intention - nurturance."
source: www.torontosun.com

Should Breastfeeding Moms Avoid Fried Chicken?

2011-03-13T07:59:00.000-07:00

Breastfed babies are eating fried chicken? Well not exactly, but they may be gaining extra body fat if their mom consumes a lot of fried and processed foods that contain trans-fats. A new study suggests that breastfeeding women who consumed high amounts of trans-fats had “fatter” 3-month olds (as opposed to more muscular) than mom’s consuming a healthier diet.

What the research suggests is that a woman who eats more foods like salmon, avocado and olive oil produces breast milk that contains more omega-3, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, as in the “good” fats. If she eats more fried chicken, red meat and high-fat dairy, her infant will consume more trans and saturated fats, the “bad” fats associated with high cholesterol, heart disease, diabetes and obesity.

For moms who wish to improve the quality of their breast milk, try these tips:

* Choose salmon, sardines, white fish, skinless white meat poultry and beans
* Prepare meals with canola, sunflower, olive and nut oils instead of butter
* Limit red meat, fried foods, processed meats, packaged snacks and full-fat dairy products
* Avoid processed foods with words like “partially-hydrogenated” in the ingredient list

It is important to remember that breastfeeding–no matter what a mom eats–is the best form of nutrition for infants and it’s great for mom too. This small, cross-sectional study just reaffirms the connection between mom’s diet and the health of her infant. We applaud exclusive breastfeeding and give an extra high-five to moms who eat more fruits, veggies, fish and whole grains.
source: fyiliving.com

Breast-Feeding Boutique in Feud With Condo Board

2011-03-13T07:56:00.000-07:00

For legions of lactating women in one of Manhattan’s most productive precincts, it has become an essential destination: a place to buy breast pumps and BPA-free bottles, and to bond over the myriad challenges of what is supposed to be the most natural thing in the world. The windowless emporium on West 70th Street has not just nursing bras but nursing blouses, nursing tank tops and nursing dresses, with a name, though high in snicker potential, that perfectly captures the neighborhood zeitgeist: the Upper Breast Side. But now, the boutique is colliding with another symbol of Manhattan life: the powerful board and picayune rules of a fancy apartment building, in this case the Pythian, a landmark originally built as an exclusive — and, yes, all-male — lodge.

After a member of the board of the Pythian, a condominium whose ground-floor space the Upper Breast Side occupies, complained that its brass door was improperly ajar — and fined it $250 — the owner, Felina Rakowski-Gallagher, filed a discrimination complaint with the New York State Division of Human Rights. The door, she said, was too heavy for pregnant women and stroller-pushing mothers to open safely.

The state found “sufficient evidence” to support the complaint, and recommended a public hearing; a settlement conference is scheduled for March 23. Meanwhile, the board of the Pythian has escalated the argument, saying that the Upper Breast Side is not a consultancy or resource center, as Ms. Rakowski-Gallagher described it when she bought the space five years ago — but a retail store.

“Your use of the unit is not permitted under the building’s certificate of occupancy, which authorizes only ‘doctors offices’ on the first floor,” reads a letter from the board’s president, Laura Hartstein. “The building is located within the R8B zoning district, a residential district, in which commercial/retail uses are not permitted.”

Ms. Rakowski-Gallagher, 47, a former police officer who turned in her badge to start the business from her apartment 11 years ago, maintains that the Upper Breast Side is no mere store but a “community facility,” which residential zoning allows. “They’re just blinded to what we do here for the nursing community,” she said in an interview.

And thus another front has opened in the breast-feeding wars, in which some stores and institutions have asked women to refrain from nursing publicly — only to suffer a backlash from a powerful consumer demographic — and in which some women have wondered whether the social pressure to breast-feed has become excessive.

Breast-feeding is, in general, enjoying a renaissance. The Bloomberg administration has been promoting the practice among new mothers in public hospitals and advising companies how to create lactation programs for their nursing employees. Last month, Michelle Obama told reporters at a round-table session that she would promote nursing as part of her campaign to reduce childhood obesity, and the Internal Revenue Service decided that it would grant mothers a tax break on pumps and other supplies.

But breast-feeding boosters say it often falls to people like Ms. Rakowski-Gallagher to help women navigate a practice that can be painful and confounding. In addition to selling gear, the Upper Breast Side refers customers to lactation consultants and doctors; hosts a weekly “latch-on clinic” for women struggling to get their babies to, well, latch on; and matches up customers with properly fitting bras. At a counter referred to as the “milk bar,” bleary-eyed new mothers and their partners learn how to work a pump (the session is free if they buy one, $50 if not).

“When mothers leave the hospital, are we going to throw them to the wolves, or are we going to provide support?” asked Marsha Walker, the executive director of the National Alliance for Breastfeeding Advocacy. “If it’s zoned for community service, well, that’s exactly what’s being provided.”

Ms. Rakowski-Gallagher was a five-year veteran of the New York Police Department when Samantha, the first of her two children, was born in 1998. Stunned to discover that New York lacked a single go-to place for women in need of everything from advice on avoiding mastitis to nipple shields (what’s that, you ask? exactly!), she opened a breast-feeding clearinghouse from her dining room table.

As the business grew, she moved to a cramped space on West 71st Street and then, in 2007, to Unit 1L in the Pythian, which she had bought for $825,000 and spent more than a year renovating.

This was not her first run-in with the condo board: She said there had been complaints over her daughter’s drawing on the sidewalk outside with chalk, for example, and about her placement of a plant in front of the store.

Ms. Hartstein, the board president, declined to discuss the situation, and other members of the board did not return telephone messages. Howard Broxmeyer, who works for the company that manages the building, also declined an interview, saying only, “That’s between the board and them.”

In documents, the State Division of Human Rights summarized the condo board’s position as citing a “long-standing rule that doors should remain closed, except when in actual use.” A state investigator witnessed “several clients struggle to open the exterior door,” the records say, and found that the former occupant, a chiropractor, had also kept the door open. Officials do not address Ms. Hartstein’s accusation that Ms. Rakowski-Gallagher was “illegally operating a retail commercial business out of her unit.”

According to city rules, a “community facility” is defined as promoting “educational, recreational, religious, health or other essential services for the community it serves.” Councilwoman Gale A. Brewer, who represents the Upper West Side, said that she was sympathetic to the boutique’s operation but that the zoning issue was tricky. “It’s a fine line,” she said. “This is a very unusual business model.”

Ms. Rakowski-Gallagher, who had to stop nursing her son when he was a baby to be treated for breast cancer (he is now 7), is known for her tell-it-like-it-is manner. When customers inquire whether she carries certain popular nursing covers, she has been known to snap, “Have you ever tried eating while covering yourself with a shower curtain?”

Further evidence the place is more community than commercial, Ms. Rakowski-Gallagher maintains: Would Buy Buy Baby refuse to carry a hot product on principle? “I never wanted to be known as the woman who sells the most fashionable nursing clothing,” she said, adding that she aspired to be “the woman who put easier breast-feeding on the map of New York City, and made it something as ordinary as eating pie and talking on your cellphone.”

In an age when dermatologists’ offices routinely sell expensive face creams, the line between a retail and medical enterprise can be blurry. Why, one might wonder, does a “community facility” have to sell a $145 silky black nursing bra or a rhinestone-encrusted number by a company called HOTmilk?

“Are you going to nurse in something that looks like a stretched-out athletic sock, or do you want to wear a completely blinged-out HOTmilk or Marlies Dekkers nursing bra that looks just like what Lady Gaga wears?” Ms. Rakowski-Gallagher said. “Nursing is normal. And normal means that you can be really gorgeous.”
source: www.nytimes.com

Want to reduce risk of obesity in your child? Breastfeed for six months

2011-03-13T07:54:00.000-07:00

12 March, 2011 - If you're a diabetic mom — or had gestational diabetes during pregnancy — chances are that your baby will be bigger than others and more likely to become obese in childhood.

But a new study says that if you breastfeed your baby for at least six months, your child will be no more likely to put on weight than those whose moms are not diabetic.

To conduct the study, researchers examined 89 children who were born to mothers who had diabetes. They noted the children's height and waist measurements, as well as the fat distribution and body mass index scores.

They then compared the scores to the measurements of 379 children whose mothers did not have diabetes. The children in the study were between 6 and 13 years old.

In addition, the researchers asked the mothers whether they breastfed or used formula to feed their babies. They also asked moms how long they breastfed and when they introduced solid foods.

What they found appears to be a real advantage for breastfeeding: If the babies had been breastfed for six months or more, children born to diabetic moms looked nearly the same as the children of non-diabetic moms. And they were no more likely to be obese.

On the other hand, children who were breastfed for less than six months — and who had been exposed to diabetes in the womb — had significantly higher BMIs, thicker waists and stored more fat around their midsections than the other children in the study.

"Our data suggest that breastfeeding promotion may be an effective strategy for reducing the increased risk of childhood obesity in offspring of mothers with diabetes during pregnancy," said Dr. Dana Dabelea of the Colorado School of Public Health, and lead researcher on the study.

"Since childhood obesity and in utero exposure to maternal diabetes have both been associated with later development of type 2 diabetes, it follows that breastfeeding these children may also help reduce their future risk for developing type 2. However, further research would be needed to confirm that added protection." source: www.latimes.com

Moms Talk: Is Breastfeeding More Beneficial than Formula Feeding?

2011-03-13T07:50:00.001-07:00

12 March, 2011 - Media Patch invites you and your circle of friends to help build a community of support for mothers and their families right here in the greater Media area. Each week in Moms Talk, our Moms Council of experts and smart moms take your questions, give advice and share solutions.

So grab a cup of coffee and settle in as we start this week's conversation about breastfeeding. Please add comments to the comments box below this story and give your own feedback and ideas. And if you have a question you'd like answered for next week, let us know. Question: Is it more beneficial to breastfeed over formula feeding? When is a child too old to breastfeed? What are your thoughts on breastfeeding in public?

Answer From Momʼs Councilmember Kristy O'Connor (mother of 2):

Breastfeeding is one of the most natural things a woman can do when it comes to taking care of her baby. After all, we have the equipment so put it to work. I breastfed my oldest daughter till she turned 1 year old and during that time I came across some negative reactions by strangers and even friends and family.

When my daughter was about 7 months old I was shopping at the mall and had to stop and feed her. After finding a quiet, somewhat secluded place I sat down and nursed her with a blanket over my shoulder and baby underneath. A woman approached me and scolded me for breastfeeding out in the open. She even said I should have been ashamed of myself for nursing an older child. After kindly telling her to mind her own business and not to look if it bothered her, I became so angry.

Too many women decide not to breastfeed because of reactions like this. That ignorance is not only troubling but it's at the expense of a baby's well-being. Breastfeeding has been the best choice for me and my children. Just take a look at my healthy, happy 12-week-old daughter who now weighs in at nearly 15 pounds. Now that's a baby full of love.

Answer From Momʼs Councilmember Kristin Luther (mother of 2):

I do think that breastfeeding is more beneficial than formula feeding, based on what I have both read and experienced with my own children. There is no question in my mind that children who receive breastmilk are, on the whole, healthier than formula fed peers. The composition of breastmilk makes it the perfect food for babies, and even the best formula cannot replicate the personalized antibodies that a baby receives from its mother's milk. In addition to the proven benefits for babies, nursing moms receive a number of benefits from breastfeeding as well: reduced risk of certain types of cancers, return to pre-pregnancy weight, etc.

I found the convenience of breastfeeding (you can do it anytime, anywhere, without needing to lug supplies) and the health benefits of breastfeeding (healthy kids and a return to my pre-baby weight) to be well worth the hard work it took to establish the breastfeeding relationship. And hard work it was. Both of my sons presented breastfeeding challenges that took the help of a lactation consult and sheer perseverance to work through. I wish more women knew that it is normal to struggle with breastfeeding (even if you have done it before) and that it is worth asking for help. I learned that it is possible to overcome almost any challenge that breastfeeding a baby may present.

As Americans, we are generally uncomfortable with the idea of nursing past infancy, though nursing into the first several years of life is common in other parts of the world. Even I, a staunch supporter of breastfeeding, am admittedly a little uncomfortable with the idea of nursing a child--walking and talking--and I'm not sure why. Research shows there are still benefits to breastfeeding past the age of one. Currently, I am still nursing my son, who is almost 15 months old, once a day, and I am not sure when we will stop. My older son was breastfed until 13 months. So how old is too old? For me, I think I'd like my children weaned by 18 months. But I would like to think I'm growing more open to the idea of women breastfeeding for several years beyond that.

I see no reason why women shouldn't breastfeed anywhere they need or want to in public. I nursed my children just about anywhere you can imagine and never once received a strange look or comment from anyone. I think it's courteous for women to try to use some sort of cover while breastfeeding, for the comfort of those who are uncomfortable with the idea of seeing a woman breastfeed. But perhaps that too is a part of our culture that needs some change. Breastfeeding is healthy and normal, so should a woman feel like she has to cover herself while doing so? I don't think so. I certainly found myself in situations where I forgot my "Udder Cover" or my older baby liked to play peek-a-boo with the cover during a meal, in which case I just tried to be as discrete as possible.
source: media.patch.com

Diabetic Moms Can Avoid Obese Babies by Breast Feeding

2011-02-27T03:56:00.000-08:00

28 February, 2011 - For a mother who has diabetes during pregnancy there is an increased risk of having a baby who will go on to be obese. Breast-feeding can change that.

A study published on Feb. 25 2011 in the journal Diabetes Care finds that women who had diabetes during pregnancy can avoid having their baby become obese by breast feeding. Researchers looked at data from 89 children who had been exposed to diabetes in utero and from 379 children whose mothers did not have diabetes during pregnancy.

Lead by Dr. Dana Dabelea, an associate professor at the Colorado School of Public Health, researchers found that of the babies whose mothers had diabetes, if they were breast-fed they were no more likely to become obese between the ages of 6 and 13 than were the babies of Moms who did not have diabetes.

Data Suggests That Breast-Feeding Helps Mitigate Obesity Risk

The study, 'Long-Term Impact of Neonatal Breastfeeding on Childhood Adiposity and Fat Distribution Among Children Exposed to Diabetes In Utero' said its goal was to "...evaluate whether breastfeeding attenuates increased childhood adiposity (obesity) associated with exposure to diabetes in utero." The data they used was based upon mother's self-reporting their breast-feeding habits with their babies.

"Our data suggests breast-feeding promotion may be an effective strategy for reducing the increased risk of childhood obesity in offspring of mothers with diabetes during pregnancy," Dr. Dabelea wrote in a news release from the American Diabetes Association. The study found six months or more of breast-feeding baby to be the time necessary to achieve the best results.

Type 2 Diabetes Risk Reduced with Breast-Feeding
There are other reasons for Moms who had diabetes during their pregnancy to breast-feed baby, and Dr. Dabelea notes one suggested by their study. "Since childhood obesity and in utero exposure to maternal diabetes have both been associated with later development of type 2 diabetes, it follows that breast-feeding these children may also help reduce their future risk for developing type 2 (diabetes)," she said.

The research paper says the carbohydrates, fat and proteins in breast-milk, and other substances in breast-milk, which the breast-feed babies get and the non-breast feed babies do not get, play a role in the regulation of body fat and lead to the results the study found. As in other cases of benefits found in breast-milk, formula cannot duplicate the materials in breast-milk and therefore cannot duplicate the results.
Past Research: Childhood Obesity Linked to Diabetic Mothers

Past research has shown babies born to mothers who had diabetes during their pregnancy had a higher risk of becoming obese during childhood.

source: www.suite101.com

La Leche promotes breastfeeding, parenting

2011-02-27T03:55:00.000-08:00

Breastfeeding has been proven to be the most natural and effective way of understanding and satisfying the needs of baby.

But even with the research and statistics, many women shy away from this way to nurture their infant.

The La Leche League was founded in 1956 by seven mothers in the Chicago area who met at a church picnic and wanted to support each other in their breastfeeding efforts. La Leche in Spanish means “the milk.”

La Leche League Leader Mary Albrecht of Le Mars, Iowa, first connected with the group in 1999 when she lived in Ohio.

“It was before my first child was born and I went because people were encouraging me to look into the league,” she said. “What I discovered was a neat group of moms that I could interact with.”

Albrecht noted it wasn’t breastfeeding that wasn’t the only topic of conversation.

“We talked about positive parenting hints and labor and delivery,” she said. “The more I met with the group, the more empowered I was to breastfeed my child.”

Albrecht moved to Le Mars in 2004 and wanted to reconnect with a La Leche League.

“I visited its website and found Sioux City was the closest chapter,” she said. “I started attending before my third child was born, because I wanted a way to meet moms who believed in breastfeeding like I did.”

She added with a smile, “Since I was new to the area, I also wanted to know where they shopped.”

Several years ago, Albrecht was approached about becoming a group leader.

“I thought it was a perfect fit for me because I was interested in volunteering,” she said. “In 2007, I was accredited to become a La Leche League leader in Sioux City.”

Albrecht took the next step and started a chapter in Le Mars last November, while continuing to lead the Sioux City chapter.

“It’s been such a great experience for me,” she said. “Women may attend a meeting or they can join the league. They can borrow books from our library at no cost. They can call me with concerns for free. They are welcome to bring their children of all ages to meetings.”

Albrecht characterized the league as family friendly.

“We understand there is more than one way to nurture a child,” she acknowledged. “We are here to support a woman who wants to breastfeed.”

The most common concern Albrecht hears?

“‘Is my baby getting enough breast milk?’” she replied. “I’ve been there myself with four children. I reassure moms their babies most likely are. Also, regular doctor visits will show them their babies are thriving.”

Albrecht begins each meeting with an ice breaker question that deals with breastfeeding or parenting issues.

“Sometimes the question is how do we deal with housework?” she noted. “Not every question will be about the mechanics of breastfeeding.”source: www.siouxcityjournal.com

When’s best? The emotive subject of breastfeeding

2011-02-04T18:15:00.000-08:00

Some research areas seem to generate fiery reactions and instant media coverage. Recent research in climate change and parenting (crèche vs. home) provide examples. The British Medical Journal (BMJ) has just come up with a new firework earlier this month, a paper on when best to stop exclusively breastfeeding.

The Daily Mail gave one of the more extreme interpretations of the research: “Call for U-turn on when to wean baby after warnings that exclusively breast-feeding for six months 'causes allergies'”. But the short version of the BMJ paper as available on the web gives no such explicit warning about allergies, despite the Daily Mail’s (unattributed) phrase in quotation marks. Nevertheless, the BMJ paper does read as a carefully worded attempt to argue for a re-think in the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) recommendation “to exclusively breastfeed infants for the child's first six months”.

The BMJ article was quickly attacked by pro-breastfeeding groups. One of the first attacks came from 'Baby Milk Action' under the headline “WHO breastfeeding recommendations under attack from industry-funded scientists”. Baby Milk Action is one of a global network of organisations whose aim is to “strengthen independent, transparent and effective controls on the marketing of the baby feeding industry”. The attack is quite well aimed. While the BMJ paper is called “new research” by some media accounts (see for example suite101.com ), Baby Milk Action points out that “In fact this is not a new scientific study nor a systematic review, but the authors review of selected past research, published in the 'Analysis' section of the BMJ.” It adds that “Three of the four authors of the piece, Mary Fewtrell, Alan Lucas and David Wilson, receive funding from the baby food industry.” Indeed the BMJ authors declare this funding.

The BMJ itself has published several comments on the controversial paper. A short but sharp comment comes from Yayuk and Yodi Mahendradhata. They echo other BMJ comments that “Fewtrell et al offered a highly biased 'review' of the evidences, despite making a plea for an independent scientific review”. And they predict that the mass media in developing countries will highlight “only the provocative points, leaving out counter arguments and other complex details. Unfortunately, there is limited capacity in developing countries to scrutinize such an eloquently written and high-profile article published in a highly respected international medical journal.”

So what of the paper itself? A box in the paper highlights three “areas of clinical concern”: iron deficiency; food allergies; risk of celiac disease. With regard to iron deficiency in breastfed infants, the text of the paper notes that risk of iron deficiency “might be reduced by improving iron status in pregnancy, delaying umbilical cord clamping, and supplementing infants at risk”. Pro-breastfeeding groups argue that supplementing the mother would be just as effective as supplementing the infant but the authors do not include this as an option.

In their look at the risk of food allergy and celiac disease, the authors declare that “important new data are now emerging with implications for practice”. The evidence here comes from two papers that seem to stem from a single study, and is interesting. The authors describe a finding of a 2005 JAMA paper on 1,560 children at risk for celiac disease as follows: ”introduction of gluten before three months and after six months was associated with increased risk of biopsy proved coeliac disease”. In the original paper this result comes from a second analysis, where the results in the full population (including those without biopsy) were inconclusive. The idea that both earlier and later exclusive breastfeeding have higher risk than that associated with exclusive breastfeeding up to 4-6 months seems counterintuitive, and would seem to warrant further research, especially given that the conclusion comes from a subset of the population of children in the study (albeit a subset with better clinical data).

A second paper from 2006 stemming from the same study is also referenced, which looks specifically at food allergy, and also concludes that there is a higher risk of wheat allergy in those exclusively breastfed after six months – the 95% confidence interval for the odds ratio is 1.18 – 12.28. The authors declare that they have no financial conflict of interest.

The WHO recommendation for exclusive breastfeeding up to 6 months was based on a Cochrane review by Kramer and Kakuma published in 2002. Kramer and Kakuma published an updated review in 2009 of breastfeeding up to 3-7 months. This includes results that seem to go against those quoted by the BMJ paper. Out of eleven meta-analyses of allergy signs and symptoms in the updated Cochrane Review, none give any evidence of extra risk for children exclusively breastfed up to 3-7 months and in all cases the estimate of risk of allergy favours the group exclusively breastfed up to 3-7 months (though in some cases only just). The strongest result in favour of breastfeeding up to 3-7 months gives an odds ratio for food allergy at 1 year of 0.08 - 0.48 in favour of exclusive breastfeeding up to 3-7 months, though of course one would have to apply an adjustment for the multiple comparisons here. The BMJ authors do not refer to the updated Cochrane review in the web version of their paper.

The two results from that single study that the BMJ authors quote regarding food allergy and celiac disease are interesting. But perhaps they could have given a more rounded picture of the risks and benefits of exclusive breastfeeding. Perhaps also they should have referred to the updated Cochrane Review, published over a year before their piece appeared in the BMJ.source: www.significancemagazine.org

Health official reiterates importance of breastfeeding

2011-02-04T18:13:00.000-08:00

Assistant Provincial Health Officer Dr. Penelope Domogo has challenged members of the local nutrition councils, barangay health workers and nutrition scholars in the province not to deny babies' birthright to breastfeed. Discussing the Provincial Health Office (PHO) programs in a recent nutrition forum, Dr. Domogo stressed the need for health workers, particularly those based in the barangays, to enhance their advocacy on the importance of breastfeeding as one way of addressing child malnutrition.

Greet your loved ones this Valentine season. She said breastfeeding of newborns among lactating mothers is now declining as other mothers are resorting to bottle feeding using milk formulas. Domogo said there is no substitute to the act of breastfeeding and there is no substitute for mother's milk, which is a nutritionally complete food for babies. Health authorities said infants 0-6 months old must be exclusively breastfed.

Health experts agree that breastfeeding is more cost effective than any single public health intervention to promote health and prevent diseases. Domogo said breast-feeding will protect children from diseases like dengue and typhoid and chronic diseases like allergies diabetes, hypertension and obesity.
To give government employees who are lactating mothers enough time to breastfeed their babies, Congressman Maximo Dalog (then the province's governor) issued a memorandum directing all heads of both national and local offices in the province to establish a breastfeeding rooms in the respective offices for lactating mother to breastfeed their babies. Dalog said one reason why babies are not exclusively breastfed for at least 6 months is that mothers have to work, leaving their newborns at home to be fed milk formulas. Health nutritionists identify the decrease of breastfeeding among lactating mothers and inappropriate feeding of infants as one cause of malnutrition, which health authorities said is a risk for childhood morbidity and mortality. (http://www.sunstar.com)source: www.waltainfo.com

Oregon Hospitals Get Behind Breastfeeding Efforts

2011-02-04T18:09:00.000-08:00

February , 2011 -- Oregon hospitals are involved in an effort to encourage breastfeeding among new mothers.

A summit is being held May 23 at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center to create a collaborative learning community focused on evidence-based practice. Sponsored by Oregon Hospitals Partnering for Evidence-Based Infant Nutrition, a project launched by the Breastfeeding Coalition of Oregon, health insurers are lending their support along with the Oregon Association of Hospitals and Health Systems.
source: www.thelundreport.orgSince breastfeeding is increasingly associated with the reduced risk of childhood obesity, a group of health insurers is targeting this issue as its first public health intervention. Oregon’s Public Health Institute organized this working group known as Oregon Health Insurers Partnering for Prevention to promote evidence-based prevention strategies for obesity, chronic diseases and child injury among pregnant and postpartum women. On average, there are 45,600 births in Oregon of which 96% are covered by health insurers (55% by private insurers and 41% by Medicaid/OHP).

“There’s not anything else like it (the insurance collaborative) in the country,” said Amelia Psmythe, the coalition’s director. “It will be interesting to see what comes of this collaborative.”

At present, six health insurers participate and represent 65% of private insurers and 45% of Medicaid plans.

Breastfeeding also leads to lower healthcare costs. According to research findings published in the May 2010 issue of Pediatrics®, the U.S. could save $13 billion annually in healthcare and other costs and save the lives of over 900 infants per year if 90% of babies were exclusively breastfed for six months.

Hospitals support breastfeeding and believe education and support are beneficial, according to a survey conducted by the Oregon Association of Hospitals and Health Systems.

“They’re helping to promote our project by co-branding the May 23rd hospital summit materials,” Psmythe explained. “They’ve also indicated that any emerging hospital learning community (created) could use their infrastructure such as webinar technology for continuing education and collaboration.”

The survey also revealed that most nurse managers are aware of the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative, a global program sponsored by the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children’s Fund to encourage and recognize hospitals and birthing centers that offer an optimal level of care for infant feeding.

Of the 52 hospitals in Oregon doing births, five have been designated as Baby Friendly: PeaceHealth Nurse Midwifery Birth Center, Three Rivers Community Hospital, Kaiser Sunnyside, Providence Medford Medical Center and Providence Newberg Medical Center. Sacred Heart Medical Center intends to pursue the designation and McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center has expressed interest. Also, Providence Health & Services Oregon and Legacy Health System are pursuing Baby-Friendly status for their facilities.

“We’ve endorsed the goal of all Providence Oregon hospitals achieving Baby Friendly Certification,” said Linda Helsley, Oregon Director of Newborn Services for Providence Health & Services.

Breastfeeding and its benefits are gaining attention nationwide. On January 20, Surgeon General Regina M. Benjamin released The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding, an unprecedented document, which was her first call to action.

Also:

The White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity Report makes several Baby Friendly recommendations as a key factor in early childhood obesity prevention.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s latest Breastfeeding Report Card highlights the growth of Baby Friendly hospitals.

Healthy People 2020, science-based, 10-year national objectives for improving the health of Americans, calls for increasing the percentage of Baby Friendly Hospitals to 8%.

In April 2010, the Joint Commission, an independent, not-for-profit organization that accredits and certifies more than 18,000 healthcare organizations and programs, established a new set of perinatal quality measures encouraging hospitals to maximize the number of women exclusively breastfeeding at discharge.

Another amazing benefit of breastfeeding

2011-01-09T06:42:00.000-08:00

Another amazing benefit of breastfeeding (Thinkstock photos/Getty Images)
A new study appears to have found yet another amazing benefit of breastfeeding - it improves the physical condition of future adolescents.

It showed that adolescents who are breast fed at birth have stronger leg muscles than those who received artificial milk. Moreover, muscular leg strength was greater in those who had been breastfed for a longer period of time.

Enrique Garcia Artero, lead author of the study and a researcher at the University of Granada, wanted to find out whether adolescents benefited from having been breastfed as newborns.

His team especially wanted to know whether there was a relationship between the duration of breastfeeding babies and their physical condition in adolescence.

The researchers interviewed the parents of 2,567 adolescents about the type of feeding their children received at birth and the time this lasted.

They also tested the adolescents to evaluate several abilities such as aerobic capacities and their muscular strength.

They found that the kids who had been breastfed as infants had stronger legs than the kids who were not. Also, those who had breastfed longer had greater muscle strength than those who weaned earlier.

Even those who were nursed well performed better at horizontal jumping tasks, regardless of fat mass, muscle mass or height. Those who had been breastfeed at least three months failed half as much in the jumping tests as those who had not been breastfed at all.

"Until now, no studies have examined the association between breastfeeding and future muscular aptitude," said Artero.

"However, our results concur with the observations made as regards other neonatal factors, such as weight at birth, are positively related to better muscular condition during adolescence," he added.

source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Celine Dion tired out by newborns

2011-01-09T06:37:00.000-08:00

Celine Dion has revealed she is knackered by her newborn twins, but finds them "an intense joy".

The superstar, who welcomed twin sons Nelson and Eddy on October 23, told French magazine Gala: "I am changing nappies and breastfeeding and that's something where no one can take my place - it's tiring but an intense joy.

"I didn't have these children to not take care of them, [but] to give myself to them 200 - 300 per cent," she added.

Celine - who is also mum to nine-year-old son Rene-Charles - has not had much time for herself.

"In reality, I've had almost no time getting a shower and feeding myself. My preoccupation has been eating sensibly," she admitted."My only worry has been to be able to open and close [my tops] quickly for breastfeeding. It's been out of the question to even wear a blouse!"

Since giving birth, the 42-year-old lost her appetite and suffered from mood changes.

"Some of the first days after I came home, I was a little outside myself. I had no appetite and that bothered me. My mother remarked that she noticed I had moments of lifelessness, but reassured me that this was entirely normal," she recalled.

"One moment, tremendous happiness; the next, fatigue sets in, and I cried for no reason, and then that took care of itself. It's for things like that after having a baby that mothers really need emotional support."
source: www.google.com

Sex after baby: How to reclaim the passion

2010-12-08T07:53:00.000-08:00

By Hilda Hutcherson

If you’ve just had a baby, sex is probably the last thing on your mind. In her new book, “Sex and the Baby Years,” Dr. Hilda Hutcherson explains why reclaiming your sex life is important, and how to get “in the mood” when your life has been taken over by breast-feeding, diapers and nap schedules.

Got questions? Check out our live "Sex After Baby" chat on Wednesday morning.

Part Three: Sex After Baby: Back in the Saddle

Picture this: You’re lying in bed, nestled next to your partner and holding your newborn. For a moment, everything is calm. Your guy rubs your shoulder. Your baby coos in her sleep. You’re the image of a perfect, happy family.

Then his hand moves down to squeeze your breast. (Um, ouch.) Her eyes blink and she opens her mouth. He wants sex. She wants ... food? Attention? A clean diaper? I don’t have to tell you who’s going to win this round — every time.

Oh, sure, the idea of sex seems nice — you want to want it, after all. The actual execution? Not so much. Between a sore body, sleep deprivation, and the overwhelming task of tending to a tiny person who can’t do anything for him- or herself, even just a few minutes of passion seem as attainable as the Holy Grail.

That’s okay. Lest you ever forget, let me remind you: You just had a baby. Whether through vaginal delivery or by C-section, your body has been through some major changes, and it’s going to take time to heal. Consider all the other factors in play — from hormonal shifts to body image issues to pure exhaustion — and you can see why sex usually isn’t on most new moms’ radar screen.

Eventually, though, even the most frazzled parents need to get close again. Once you have kids, it’s easy to start identifying yourselves as Mommy and Daddy and to lose sight of the relationship you had before you gave birth. That’s why it’s so important to set a foundation for intimacy now so you can continue to enjoy a healthy sex life for years to come. In this section, we’ll look at how to deal with some of the most common roadblocks to post-baby sex.

Chapter 10: Post-Baby Libido: You Want to Want It — But You Don’t Really Want It
read more..
You’ve gotten the go-ahead for sex from your physician. But a green light doesn’t necessarily mean you’re ready to step on the gas. Although your husband may be raring to go (and maybe he isn’t, either), sex might be the last thing on your mind. Here’s why:

Hormones, hormones, hormones. It makes sense: The hormone levels that skyrocketed during pregnancy now plummet, taking your sex drive with them. If you’re breastfeeding, your libido can take another hit as your body starts releasing prolactin, a hormone associated with decreased sexual desire. Once you finish nursing and your hormone levels even out, your libido should return.

Fatigue. You need energy to enjoy sex. But when you’re existing on minimal sleep and taking care of your baby’s every need, that can seem about as likely as winning the lottery. Simply put, you’re just too busy — and exhausted — to get busy. New parents are almost always going to choose shuteye over sex. So try to nap when your baby naps. Eventually he or she will develop a regular sleep schedule and you’ll get a break.

Body image. It’s true: Once you have a baby, your body changes. I’m not even talking about those extra pounds — even if you get back to your pre-pregnancy weight, the landscape of your body has been altered. Your hips are little wider. Your belly isn’t as flat as it used to be. Your breasts aren’t quite as perky. These transformations can all contribute to lower self-esteem, and that can take a toll on your libido. What doesn’t change? Your vagina. It’s a myth that childbirth stretches you out permanently. So don’t worry that you or your partner won’t enjoy sex as much as before. Your vagina will return to normal, especially if you do Kegel exercises to strengthen the surrounding muscles (see Chapter 11). All told, your concerns about your body can harm your sex life more than any changes to your body itself.

Mommy mode. You carried this little being in your body for all those months — it’s only natural that now your focus is firmly on your baby. The problem? If that focus shifts too far from your relationship with your partner, your sex life can end up on the back burner. Worse, you may even stop viewing yourself as a sexual being: You and your partner are now simply “Mommy” and “Daddy.”

Postpartum depression. Sometimes, a lower libido is just the tip of the iceberg. Rapidly decreasing hormones may cause you to feel weepy after giving birth. An event that should fill you with joy leaves you with tears and anxiety. Fortunately, these feelings typically resolve within a few weeks of giving birth. If they last longer, you may have postpartum depression (PPD), a true libido killer. About 20 percent of women experience PPD, which can occur any time in the year or so after they give birth. Watch for signs like sadness, lack of energy, trouble concentrating, anxiety, and feelings of guilt and worthlessness. Adjusting to the new normal of parenthood is tough for guys, too: Although there’s not much research on this subject, PPD may affect 25 to 50 percent of new fathers, particularly those who are stay-at-home dads or whose partners are also experiencing PPD. For both women and men, counseling, support groups, and medicines help address PPD.

BREAKOUT BOX 1: The 3 'L' s of Breastfeeding

“Breast” may be best, but not when it comes to your libido. Because of breast milk’s benefits, I recommend that my patients nurse their babies if possible. Yet breastfeeding can hamper sex drive in several different ways. If you nurse, don’t stop just to boost your libido — but do be aware of these effects, which will likely resolve once you wean your little one.

Lower libido. As I mentioned earlier, breastfeeding triggers the release of prolactin. Although this hormone is crucial for nursing — it stimulates milk production — it can send your libido South, too. Prolactin may make orgasm more difficult to achieve as well. You might also find that you don’t view your breasts as an erogenous zone right now. They may be sore or tender to the touch, lick, or suck, so let your partner know what feels good.

Less lubrication. Because levels of the hormone estrogen drop during breastfeeding, you may notice that your vagina is dry and doesn’t lubricate as well as it should for comfortable sex. Invest in a good water-based lubricant with Vitamin E and Aloe, like K-Y Brand SILK-E to add moisture to dry vaginal tissues, thus enhancing comfort.

Leaking. Worried that your breasts might leak during sex? It’s entirely possible. Some women find that they leak or spray milk (called “letdown”) during orgasm, especially when they first start breastfeeding. You may be able to prevent letdown by pumping your breasts or nursing your baby before sex, or wear a bra with pads to bed. But if you do leak, no need to worry. It’s natural — and good sex is often messy!

BREAKOUT BOX 2: The Delivery Room vs. The Bedroom

Once barred from the delivery room, men are now invited — and expected — to be present at their child’s birth. For many guys, it’s an exciting, if nerve-wracking, experience. Yet for every new dad armed with a video camera and words of encouragement, there’s a man who rues ever witnessing the whole messy affair.

Sure, he’ll describe the event as “incredible” — but secretly he regrets not just staying at the head of the bed holding your hand. Instead, he saw things he wishes he’d never seen, whether that means watching a vaginal delivery or a C-section. A body part he previously associated with pleasure may now be totally desexualized, and he can’t go near it without flashing back to the delivery process. If you had a C-section, the scar may remind him of watching doctors slice open your abdomen. In either case, it’s clear that, for some men, childbirth is a libido killer.

Fortunately, this is one trauma that can be overcome quickly. Guys: Get back in the saddle and just do it! Even if you have to push yourself through the motions of intimacy those first few times, eventually the heady neurochemical cocktail of arousal will do its job, and you’ll want to keep riding.

Chapter 11: Easing the Way: Making Sex Comfortable

Even if you’ve got your libido back, you might feel nervous about sex. Most practitioners advise waiting about 4 to 6 weeks after delivery before you start having intercourse again. It’s normal, though, to continue worry about whether sex will be pleasurable until you do it. When you’re ready to give it a shot, try the tips in this chapter to help make intercourse more comfortable and enjoyable.

Does Delivery Make a Difference?

Although we often can’t control how we give birth, the way you deliver your baby can affect your sex life.According to recent research, women who deliver via vaginal birth appear to have greater sexual dissatisfaction than those who deliver through C-section. One study published in the June 2009 issue of the Journal of Sexual Medicine, for example, found that women who had planned C-sections had less pain and better sexual satisfaction and were more likely to resume having intercourse within 8 weeks of delivery than those who had vaginal births. Other studies have found that episiotomy (a surgical incision of the skin between the vagina and anus, or perineum, to enlarge the vaginal opening for childbirth) may delay the time it takes to resume intercourse. A 2008 report in Gynecologic and Obstetric Investigation also found that women who underwent episiotomy had more pain and vaginal dryness with intercourse.

The type of delivery you choose should be based on the health of you and your baby, not your sex life. Still, it’s good to know what you might expect with both modes of childbirth so you can take measures to prevent pain during intercourse and other side effects. For couples ready to get back in the sexual swing of things, I recommend these steps:

Be patient. For some women, the tenderness that results from vaginal childbirth or episiotomy can clear up relatively quickly, but it may take others months to have intercourse without discomfort. It can also take time for the incisions from a C-section to heal. Wait for the go-ahead from your health practitioner before having sex again.

Take it slow. As you’ll learn in Chapter 12, you don’t have to dive right into intercourse. Hug, kiss, cuddle, share a fantasy and otherwise play to build stimulation and pleasure. Tell your partner what feels good, and what doesn’t.

Invest in a good lubricant. As estrogen levels drop after pregnancy, you may experience vaginal dryness, a problem that can be compounded if you’re breastfeeding by rising levels of the hormone prolactin. Try using a personal lubricant like the K-Y Brand SILK-E mentioned earlier, to add moisture to dry vaginal tissues.

Work it out. The muscles that surround and support your vagina may be weakened by pregnancy and childbirth. Strong pelvic floor muscles make it easier to experience orgasm and increase pleasure for you and your partner. You can tone and strengthen the muscles in your pelvic floor by practicing Kegel exercises. Squeeze your pelvic muscles as if you’re stopping your stream of urine, hold for 5 seconds, and release, repeating the cycle 5 times in a row (don’t do so while actually urinating). Eventually, work your way up to 10-second intervals.

BREAKOUT BOX: Dear Dr. Hilda

Q. Can we get pregnant again while I’m breastfeeding?

A. Absolutely. Although women who nurse experience a delay in menstruation, remember that ovulation may occur before you start having periods again. Ask your healthcare practitioner to recommend a type of birth control that will work for you during this time.

Chapter 12: Reclaiming Intimacy

It’s what some people jokingly call the “fourth trimester” — those first few months after pregnancy when your body and mind are still adjusting to having a new baby. We’ve already talked about the physical and emotional changes you might experience in this postpartum period and how they can affect your sex life. Wait, what sex life? You just added feedings, diaper changes, and countless other baby-related tasks to your already-packed schedule. You’re focusing all that love and affection on your baby, not your partner. If you have time for anything else, it’s probably going to be sleeping, catching up on email, or finishing that last chapter of your novel. For many women, sex rates dead last on their to-do list. And chances are, he’s wiped out, too.

Perhaps that’s why some 70 percent of couples report a decline in relationship satisfaction after having a baby. Sure, sex after pregnancy may seem like a chore at first, but it’s crucial for maintaining intimacy and closeness with your partner. And, ultimately, that can help make you both better parents. In this chapter, we’ll look at the ways you can start to reclaim your sexual connection.

Prioritize sex. You don’t have the luxury of spontaneous sex that you had in the past. That means you have to take more of an active role to make sure sex happens on a regular basis. Plan ahead, arrange for childcare, and otherwise make an effort to ensure that you’re able to set aside even a brief amount of time to focus on your sexual relationship with your partner.

Practice “choreplay.” Researchers in the Netherlands have found that the key to getting a woman turned on and to the heights of orgasmic bliss is a deep sense of relaxation and a lack of anxiety. They scanned the brains of 13 women and 11 men while they were manually stimulated to orgasm by their partners. The scans showed that, for women, the parts of the brain responsible for processing fear, anxiety and emotion slowed down the more aroused they became, producing a trancelike state at orgasm. Men showed far less change in these areas of the brain.

A great way to relax is to eliminate sources of stress in your life — but you can’t do it alone. If your guy wants sex, he should know that simply helping out around the house can go alone way to putting you in the mood. In fact, studies suggest that women with partners who pitch in with housework and childcare are happier and enjoy more sex than those whose men don’t tackle such chores. So, guys: Help her cross some of the less exciting stuff off of her to-do list, and you’ll help move sex closer to the top.

Mix it up. If you’re nervous about starting intercourse again, try woman-on-top, which allows you to control the speed and depth of penetration. If you had a C-section, try lying on your sides facing each other or spooning, which keeps pressure off of your incision.

Revisit birthing lessons. Remember all that deep breathing you learned during childbirth classes? It’s not just beneficial for labor. Deep belly breaths will help you relax and focus on pleasure, and may even result in bigger, better orgasms.

Have a quickie. Once you’ve started to reclaim some sleep, you can use your baby’s naps for another activity: sex. Get your little one off to dreamland and then explore the rest of your house. Your dining room table, kitchen floor, and the shower can all set the stage for a fun, sexy quickie.

Explore alternatives. Not comfortable going all the way yet? Kiss, cuddle, spoon, give each other massages, touch each other, or enjoy oral stimulation to feel intimate without intercourse. Talk with your partner about your limits, so you can enjoy each act of intimacy for what it is without worrying that it will turn into a demand for sex.

Take advantage of technology. Lots of couples feel weird having sex when their baby is in the same room. So put your baby monitor to use. Although most guys would rather not hear their baby cry during sex, keeping it on — set to a low volume — may actually help you relax. It sounds counterintuitive, but you might actually have less anxiety if you know you can hear your baby cry.

Take care of yourself. It’s hard to feel sexy when you’ve got baby puke in your hair. Trade baby duties so you can take the time to visit the salon, gym, or get a massage. Better yet, turn one of your date nights into a fun, flirty shopping trip — shopping for lingerie, that is. Split up at the store, choose some favorite pieces, and then retire to the dressing room to put on a little fashion show. If something really blows your mind, splurge on it. Either way, you’ll help boost your body image and self-esteem, and stoke the flames of your libidos.

Don’t give up. New dads actually perform a vital relationship function, which is to bring their partner back into the relationship and restore the primacy of their couple-hood: a crucial necessity if they’re to flourish and succeed as a family. As couples therapist Esther Perel says, “When the father reaches out to the mother, and the mother acknowledges him, redirecting her attention, this serves to rebalance the entire family. Boundaries get drawn, and new zoning regulations get put in place delineating areas that are adult only. Time, resources, playfulness and fun are redistributed, and libido is rescued from forced retirement ... the role of more autonomous parent is to help the primary caregiver disengage from the kids and reallocate energy to the couple.” So, guys: Keep trying. Even if she shoots you down, she’ll secretly relish the compliment that you still find her sexy. Eventually she will say “yes” — and you’ll have helped do your part to reestablish intimacy.

Just do it, already. I’m not saying you should have pity sex just to please you partner, but giving in once and a while will eventually help you both get back into it. That’s because arousal begins in your body, while desire begins in your mind. You don’t always need desire to feel aroused. And remember, the less you have sex, the less you want it. The more you have it, the more you want it. So get busy!

In Sum

You can see now why I urged you to enjoy sex during conception and pregnancy — maintaining a healthy sex life as new parents is easier said than done! Remember, it took nine months to make a baby. It’s going to take more than one night to re-make your sex life. Take things slowly — baby steps, if you will — to help ease anxiety and fear of pain with intercourse. And don’t be afraid to think outside the box: You may need to be bolder sexually, to go where you haven’t gone before. Reclaiming your sex life is a process, but it will happen naturally once you get things started.

With the advice in this section, you’ll be able to reconnect with each other and re-establish that intimate bond you share as a couple. As Louann Brizendine, MD, writes in The Female Brain, “Without frequent touch, the brain’s dopamine and oxytocin circuits and receptors can feel starved. Couples may not realize how much they depend on each other’s physical presence until they are separated for a while ... In both males and females, oxytocin causes relaxation, fearlessness, bonding, and contentment with each other. And to maintain its effect long-term, the brain’s attachment system needs repeated, almost daily activation through oxytocin stimulated by closeness and touch. ... Activities such as caressing, kissing, gazing, hugging, and orgasm can replenish the chemical bond of love and trust.”

Perhaps you’ll even feel more connected during sex. After all, you’ve shared an incredibly emotional experience. Strengthen this bond now, so you’ve got a solid foundation for sex during parenthood.
source: today.msnbc.msn.com

New moms seek help with breastfeeding problems

2010-12-08T07:44:00.000-08:00

When Lisa Gilliam nursed her baby, he screamed.

"I felt like I had poisonous milk," she said. "I kept telling him, 'I am sorry. I don't know what I did.' "

Although a woman's body is designed to provide nutrition to her infant, breastfeeding doesn't come easily for some mothers. Unexpected difficulties often catch women off guard and can lead to feelings of failure, inadequacy and isolation.

But these women are not alone.

In Middle Tennessee, there are groups of breastfeeding moms who gather each week to seek support from each other and guidance from professionals on how to overcome feeding struggles. Together, they receive assistance and assurance that they are not at fault.

"We are programmed with the belief that pregnancy is normal and natural, so breastfeeding should be normal and natural," said Kate Cropp, a nurse practitioner and director of lactation at Nashville's Nine Months and Beyond. "When the baby comes out, (moms) feel like they are supposed to know what to do and baby is supposed to know what to do.

"Most women don't know there could be baby problems or mommy problems or there could be both at the same time."

For Gilliam, problems stemmed from a colicky baby and a milk allergen that gave her son, Jack, an upset stomach and a cranky demeanor.

She was not alone in caring for Jack — her mother was staying with her, and her husband got up with her at night — but neither could identify with her emotions. So Gilliam found people who would understand.

She joined a support group at Nine Months and Beyond, an early parenting education center. The group, Weigh To Go, Baby!, meets in a small brick building near Berry Hill on Monday and Friday mornings.

Moms form a circle, and, with babies in their laps, they sit and discuss problems as they nurse. New attendees are often quiet at first, but as they hear other mothers' struggles they soon open up.

The bond between these women becomes invaluable, particularly at a time when they may be questioning their mothering abilities and their bodies.

It makes you feel like you are doing the right thing, and it gives you confidence," said Gilliam, who is still breastfeeding Jack at seven months. "I lived there for the first three months. … It saved my life."

Identifying problems

A majority of feeding issues begins with soreness, according to Holly Sparkman a registered nurse and breastfeeding educator for the Women's Hospital at Centennial. When a baby doesn't latch correctly, a mother's nipples may ache and become cracked and bloody, making her resistant to regular feedings.

A poor latch may also lead to milk-transfer issues. If the infant isn't getting enough milk, he or she won't gain weight, which can create an unsatisfied and inconsolable baby — and an upset mom.

"(Nipple discomfort) is a little, bitty, tiny snowflake that turns into an avalanche if you don't get it resolved," Sparkman said.
Related

* Where to find breastfeeding support groups

Anxiety overwhelmed Olivia Orendorff when she fed her first child, James. She had mastitis, a painful breast inflammation usually caused by infection, and nursing was unbearably uncomfortable.

The daughter of a La Leche League leader, she knew where she could go for support. The Nashville chapter of the group meets twice a month, once in the morning and once at night, and covers a series of topics, including breastfeeding benefits, difficulties and weaning.

It was a while before Orendorff was comfortable exposing her problems in public. Once there, however, she realized she didn't need to remain isolated.

"It's really good to talk to someone who has been there," said Orendorff, who is now a group leader. "It is a safe place to cry."
Getting rid of guilt

It's not just first-time moms who have feeding issues, either.

Monica Blake breastfed her first child, daughter Aniyah, for 18 months without issue. But when her twin sons arrived in September, her milk production didn't meet their demands.

"It was very difficult for me to accept that my body did not respond to this pregnancy like it did with my daughter," Blake said. "I felt like I was failing my children."

Perceived and actual low supply of milk is another common source of concern for breastfeeding mothers, Sparkman said. Mothers worry that their children are not getting enough to eat and fret because they can't measure how much comes out of their breasts.

To help pacify that worry, infant scales are available at StoneCrest Medical Center support groups, which meet every Wednesday afternoon, and at Nine Months and Beyond. Babies can be weighed before and after feedings to estimate how much is being taken in and help monitor growth.

Blake visited Nine Months and Beyond twice a week for three weeks with her sons, Preston and Patrick. She learned pumping techniques to help increase her supply, and also received valuable encouragement.

"Knowing we could come there to get good, reliable answers made a difference," she said. "It let me know, even though it seemed like I was going through it by myself, I had a group of people around me hoping I would pull through."

Now 2 months old, Blake's baby boys are thriving. With support, she staved off her feelings of inadequacy, but Sparkman noted that even if a mother can't breastfeed, it doesn't mean she has failed.

"If you have done your best and reached out and sought help, you should not in any way feel guilty about not continuing to breastfeed," she said. "We are all doing the best we can as mothers, and that's the best we can do."source: www.tennessean.com

Breastfeeding mum told to cover up

2010-12-08T07:43:00.000-08:00

GRACE Fitzgerald is fuming that she was told to cover up while breastfeeding in public.

The young Yeppoon mum yesterday said she was with her six-month-old son Seth at a Yeppoon cafe when the manager came over and told her to cover up, and then placed a sling over the baby.

Grace said she felt “grossly violated” and had to leave the cafe because she was so upset.

“She made me feel like I should be ashamed at what I was doing, it was really upsetting,” she said.

“It was so shocking that she would have such a big problem with it.”

Grace said she felt she wasn’t welcome to feed her son.

“I do it everywhere all the time, bub has to eat when he has to eat,” Grace said.

“Once she threw the sling over my shoulder it disturbed him. She physically violated my personal space; I have no desire to go back after that.”

Manager Cheryl Lamb yesterday said she did ask Grace to cover up as she’d had customers complain. “I did not mind her breastfeeding at all, it’s a lovely thing.

“She had her breast fully exposed, I did say, ‘would you mind covering yourself up’. From a previous encounter we had customers walk out and complain.”

Madonna Thomas, Queensland public relations officer for the Australian Breastfeeding Association, yesterday said Grace was discriminated against.

“Wherever a woman is allowed to be, she is legally allowed to breastfeed her baby,” she said. “Anyone who asked her to stop or move to another area or cover up is breaking anti-discrimination legislation.”

She said Grace could make a written complaint to the cafe and to the Anti-Discrimination Commission or suggest the cafe become a member of the Breastfeeding Welcome Here program.source: www.themorningbulletin.com.au

Police Called on Breastfeeding Mom at Dunkin Donuts for Changing Diaper

2010-11-19T19:46:00.000-08:00

I grew up near a Dunkin Donuts store, and I can still imagine the smell and taste of childhood. There was even a pond behind the store where we would catch tadpoles. Later, my memories of Dunkin Donuts involved dumpster diving for discarded food (my short, part-time stint as a freegan). It’s been twenty-five years since I’ve been inside a Dunkin Donuts. It’s a good thing I never tried breastfeeding in one, which may be more hazardous than actually eating their food.
Staff at a New Jersey Dunkin Donuts recently called the police on two breastfeeding moms.As reported in CafeMom (via the Consumerist):

It finally happened. A friend and I were just told not to breastfeed in Dunkin Donuts because there are “other people there”. I was going to leave and just write a letter to Dunkin Donuts headquarters suggesting that they educate their employees better. The police were called, though.

The mom says she and her friend just cleaned up and left the Dunkin’ Donuts, but not before her friend was told by the police to “shut up” in front of her children.

For its part, Dunkin’ Donuts posted the following statement on its Facebook page:

We have looked into the matter concerning 2 moms at a DD store in NJ & have confirmed an employee was responding to another customer’s complaint that wasn’t related to breastfeeding. None of the DD employees challenged the guests about breastfeeding & all DDs must comply w/ local, state & federal laws w/ regard to nursing mothers. Our top priority is always to provide an excellent experience for our guests.

Despite the outrage any breastfeeding mom feels about hearing another mom asked to leave a public place for feeding her baby as nature intended (let alone involving the police), there may be more to this story.

What was the customer complaint really about? Globe and Mail reports the mother changed her baby’s diaper at the table.

While we’d probably lose our appetite for that Boston cream donut if we watched someone remove a soiled diaper from a squirming baby on a restaurant table, we do understand the predicament the mom in question was facing. She explains that there was no change table in the establishment’s restroom…

Did this mom go too far by changing her child’s diaper in the middle of a restaurant? How would you react if you saw a parent doing this while you sipped your double-double in the next booth?

I certainly agree there are sanitation concerns in this situation. What if the child had rotavirus, for example? I do think the Dunkin Donuts staff could have handled the situation better by simply asking the mother to change her child’s diaper in another location, as well as remedy the situation by putting changing tables in their bathrooms. Calling the police seems a bit extreme.

Personally, I never use the diaper changing caddies in public restrooms (did I mention I fear rotavirus?). I would much rather change my child’s diaper in the car on a receiving blanket. It is not that I want privacy, I just fear germs in public bathrooms in general.

Were the police called over the diaper changing incident or was it really breastfeeding? Jezebel reports:

One of the moms, Sarah Sprague, clears things up slightly on Facebook, where she writes that police and Dunkin Donuts are now claiming her offense was changing a baby’s diaper “on the table.” She admits to doing so “at the table,” though not on its surface (here we get into some serious diaper semantics), but says nobody talked to her about it until after the fact, and all that was addressed at the time was breastfeeding.

Whatever the cause of the police report, it’s best to steer clear of Dunkin Donuts for your health anyways.
source: ecochildsplay.com

UNICEF stresses on breastfeeding to reduce problem of under nutrition in Nepali children

2010-11-19T19:40:00.000-08:00

20UNICEF Nepal has joined hands with leaders and representatives from various religious and faith-based groups to pray for the wellbeing and nurturing of children.

The inter-religious prayer event was organised by the Global Network of Religions for Children (GNRC) Friday at Shanti Sewa Ashram, Koteshwor.

During the event, leaders from different religions came together to pray for the wellbeing of children. They prayed for the promotion of maternal health and child survival, with a particular focus on the role of exclusive breastfeeding in nurturing both the body and mind of children.

According to a statement issued by UNICEF Nepal on the occasion, breastfeeding is a proper way to start a child's life towards proper nutrition essential to help reduce the real problem of under nutrition hat causes half of all Nepali children to be stunted and nearly 40 percent to be under weight.
November 2010 -
source: www.nepalnews.com"It is commendable that the leaders and representatives of all the various religious groups have come together today to promote exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life and continuous breastfeeding along with other nutritious food for the first two years of life," said Gillian Mellsop, UNICEF Nepal Representative. "At the heart of every religious tradition is the insight that children are humanity's best hope for the future and we really do need to nurture them."

Each of the religious leaders gave a short presentation on the importance of breast feeding within their religion or advocated on the issue, while the children at the event added their voices to the celebration sharing messages and prayers of good will and harmony from their respective faiths.

Meanwhile, a candlelight vigil from 6 to 7 p.m. in New York's Times Square commenced a series of global activities in some 40 countries to mobilize secular and faith-based organizations to work together for the wellbeing of children.

The theme for these activities in 2010 will be maternal health and child survival, with a particular focus on breastfeeding. UNICEF is supporting activities in 20 countries around the world.

The New York event, supported by UNICEF, marks the start of the second annual global initiative by civil society actors to hold a World Day of Prayer and Action for Children, organized around Universal Children's Day (November 20), which commemorates the adoption by the UN General Assembly of the landmark Convention on the Rights of the Child. nepalnews.com

Breastfeeding: Why Won't The IRS Give Mothers a Break

2010-11-19T19:35:00.000-08:00

The breastfeeding support community celebrated when this year's health care reform bill included breast pumping support provisions. Mothers were given the right to adequate break time and a private place to pump their breast milk at work. But these legislative changes missed one key piece of the puzzle--the breast pump.

The Internal Revenue Service does not allow nursing mothers to use their tax-sheltered health care accounts to pay for breastfeeding supplies, which includes breast pumps. A quality double-electric breast pump can cost anywhere from $150 to $250, a significant investment for many moms.

What can you pay for with these flexible spending accounts? Prescription acne medication, dentures, braces, acupuncture, birth control and much more. But a breast pump, which could extend a mom's ability to feed her baby breast milk for months or even years, must be purchased out of pocket.

The IRS explains that by its standards, breast milk qualifies as simply a nutritious food, and since nutrition is not considered a medical condition, important breastfeeding equipment doesn't qualify for a tax break. Following that logic, a breast pump would fall into the same category as your average kitchen appliance.
source: www.huffingtonpost.comDespite the plethora of evidence supporting breastfeeding's myriad benefits for babies, mothers and society-at-large, the IRS remains unconvinced that these benefits are enough to expand the use of these funds to nursing mothers. Let's look at the research.

Studies have shown that breastfed babies are protected against common childhood gastrointestinal and respiratory infections, stomach cancers, and peptic ulcers; have a reduced risk of depression and behavioral problems; might even have higher IQ; and can mean lower rates of obesity later in life--a cause championed by First Lady Michelle Obama in her Let's Move Campaign to reduce the rate of childhood obesity.

Women who breastfeed are less likely to develop cardiovascular disease and risk factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol. Research has also shown that the longer a woman breastfed, the less likely she is to develop breast cancer. And the weight loss many women report as a bonus of breastfeeding is a significant benefit in a culture plagued by obesity.

In fact, a recent Harvard Medical School study that found if moms breastfed exclusively for the first six months of life, it would save this country over 900 babies' lives and over $13 billion in health care costs.

What will it take to make the IRS understand that breast milk is much more than a nutritious, nice-to-have for babies? For starters, it will require education around the greater importance of breastfeeding to the health and wellness of moms and babies. I'd be interested to know who the IRS consulted when it came time to decide if breast pumps were important enough to be purchased using these accounts.

The IRS must understand the importance of breast pumps and other supplies in making continued breastfeeding a possibility in a country where employers are only required to provide 12 weeks of unpaid maternity leave. The challenges associated with breastfeeding after the return to work is the number one reason moms report they stopped breastfeeding.

Yet medical professionals, the American Academy of Pediatrics (which petitioned the IRS to cover these expenses), and the U.S. branch of the International Lactation Consultant Association (USLCA), recommend women breastfeed their babies exclusively for a minimum of the first six months, and feed a combination of breast milk and other supplementary foods for an additional six months to reach a full year of breastfeeding. For a full-time working mom, it would be virtually impossible to reach this goal without the help of a breast pump.

Breast milk production follows the rule of supply and demand. If a breastfeeding mom regularly goes a full day without expressing breast milk, her supply wanes and will eventually dry up, leaving her no choice but formula. When mom and baby are separated for an extended period, breast pumps make it possible to stimulate milk production while the pumped milk can be stored for later use.

In our current economic climate, no one is asking for these expenses to be covered 100 percent, but some financial help could go a long way for many mothers. It could be the difference between affording a breast pump and not.

It's worth noting that the IRS states that mothers can get a note from their doctor or health care provider that explains why they should be allowed use these flexible spending accounts to purchase a pump. But this still places the burden squarely upon the mother to plead her case. And in the end, it could easily be denied.

The overwhelming response to this news, which spawned hundreds, if not thousands of comments, articles, and blog posts, has spurred Change.org to create a petition to tell Congress it can't discriminate against breastfeeding. Please take a moment to sign your name. And help spread the word by sharing this with as many friends and family as possible. Post it on Facebook. Send out a mass e-mail. Changing the IRS's position on breastfeeding could be one of the greatest successes for breastfeeding and, ultimately, for the health of our nation. I hope you'll be a part of it.

Mother sues for breastfeeding time salary cut

2010-11-19T19:32:00.000-08:00

Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - A mother who decided to continue breastfeeding her baby once she went back to work after her maternity leave was up, by using her break time to get the milk and save it, has sued her employer, says Travail.Suisse, a union.

The employer docked the time she took, from her pay. The case, which went before a court Tuesday 16 November, is a first, the union believes, and could set a legal precedent in Switzerland. The judge’s ruling in the case will not be known for several weeks.

The woman is suing for CHF800 in lost wages.
source: genevalunch.com

Brown Rice is Good for You and Your Breastfeeding Baby

2010-11-19T19:28:00.000-08:00

20 November, 2010 - Studies have shown that consuming brown rice, which is good for you, is also good for infants that are being breastfed. The functional food has been found to play a significant role in improving digestive function and fighting such diseases as metabolic disorders, cardiovascular disease and even some types of cancer.

Abbie Yabot, a leader for the La Leche League and a Department of Health-certified lactation counselor, says that eating brown rice has a three-part benefit to women and their breastfeeding babies.
source: topnews.net.nz“There are such things as contracting and expanding food. Contracting food are those that are bad for breastfeeding. This includes anything starchy and anything that’s white. So this is where brown rice comes in.”

Expanding foods, on the other hand, are full of nutrients and fiber. These foods, which include brown rice, “help greatly in the expansion of health [and] expand breast milk supply”. What Ms. Yabot means by this is that through the improved regulation of blood sugar, cholesterol levels and weight that brown rice affords, mothers experience a more constant supply of breast milk. This helps prevent many of the complications that can occur during pregnancy.

The World Health Organization states that the breast milk is ideal for newborns and infants, as it contains antibodies that strengthen children’s immunity to childhood illnesses such as diarrhea and pneumonia.

Breastfeeding mom told to leave Canada

2010-11-19T19:22:00.000-08:00

A B.C. woman, who says she’s being forced to leave the country by noon Monday despite being married to a Canadian and having three Canadian-born children, is worried the federal order will split her family apart.Paula Terry, 48, said she’s been issued an exclusion order by Canada Border Services Agency that prevents her from returning to Canada for a year.

“They said they can arrest me if I don’t leave or they will issue a warrant for my arrest,” she said.

The mother of nine children, four of whom are adults living in the U.S., moved to Canada about 10 years ago. She married Ken LaBossiere, 55, an ironworker in 2004.

The couple have three children, ages eight, four and three, and live in Ladner, B.C. with Terry’s two teenage children from previous relationships.

She assumed she had the legal right to live in Canada, until this past summer.

“As soon as I got married and had Canadian kids, I stopped worrying (about my citizenship),” she said. “I really didn’t think I was here illegally. Until they came here in the summer. It was a bit of a shock.”

She said she paid the $500 fee to begin the sponsorship process, but suffers from dyslexia and post-traumatic stress disorder from living in an abusive relationship with her first husband and had trouble with filling it out.

The application, which required FBI checks among other data from the several states she has lived in, was returned as incomplete.

“I’m not really good at filling out forms,” she said. “If you saw the list of what they wanted you to do, it’s really daunting.”

She enlisted the help of a University of B.C. law student, who wrote that Terry’s removal from Canada would cause “undue hardship and irreparable harm” to the school-aged children and the three-year-old, who is still breastfeeding, as well as to LaBossiere.

Her children’s school principal wrote a letter urging officials to consider delaying the order until the end of the school year because “her absence from the family will bring disruption of routines, school attendance and emotional support provided by a mother for all the children.”

CBSA formally rejected Terry’s request for a deferral of the removal order on Nov. 9.

Terry said she doesn’t have friends or relatives to stay with in the U.S. and will likely check into a YMCA in Washington state with her three-year-old.

Immigration and Border Services officials weren’t available for comment Sunday.
source: www.montrealgazette.com

Can breastfeeding prevent whooping cough?

2010-11-06T05:41:00.000-07:00

Every weekday, a CNNHealth expert doctor answers a viewer question. On Monday, it's Dr. Jennifer Shu, a pediatrician.

Question asked by Sara of Decatur, Georgia:

I am six months pregnant and have a couple of questions about babies who have recently died from whooping cough in California. How were they introduced to the bacteria? Can breastfeeding prevent this illness?

Expert answer:

Thanks for your question. Whooping cough, an illness caused by the pertussis bacteria, can cause severe respiratory symptoms and even death in young infants. In 2010, nearly 6,000 cases of whooping cough (including 10 deaths) have been reported so far in the state of California alone.

Officials report that half of the children who were sick probably got the infection from a parent or another caregiver and that nine of the 10 deaths occurred in infants under 2 months of age.

Older children and adults who have whooping cough often appear to have a bad cold or persistent cough that can be so severe that it causes vomiting. If left untreated, they usually get better on their own after several weeks, but giving antibiotics may help shorten the illness as well as decrease how contagious they are.

On the other hand, babies can become very ill from whooping cough. Because of their young age, immature immune system and delicate lungs, they are also more likely to have problems such as pneumonia, apnea (pauses or stoppages in breathing) or seizures related to the infection.

Babies under 6 months of age often do not make the typical "whooping" noise when they breathe in before coughing, so the diagnosis may sometimes be overlooked.

Although antibodies pass through the placenta to the baby during pregnancy, the ones that protect against pertussis are thought not to transfer well enough to help infants in the first few months.

Breastfeeding can certainly help provide immune protection against multiple illnesses, but not if a mother does not have immunity to a certain disease such as pertussis.

Since the pertussis vaccine's protection can wear off with time, a booster shot is recommended for adolescents at their 11-year-old checkup visit, as well as for adults who care for young infants, in order to protect from whooping cough until the babies have their own immunity.

This vaccine is given as Tdap, a relatively new vaccine that adds the pertussis component onto the original Td, or tetanus/diphtheria, booster shot. If it has been more than two years since a parent or caregiver had their last tetanus shot, the Tdap vaccine will be recommended now and again about every 10 years.

Infants typically receive the first part of the pertussis vaccine series at 2, 4 and 6 months as a component called DTaP. Until they get all three of these shots, they are more vulnerable to catching the disease.

For more information, I hope you will consult with your obstetrician or midwife for the best recommendations for your situation. Good luck!

source: pagingdrgupta.blogs.cnn.com

Advocates Seek To Remove Stigma Of Breastfeeding

2010-11-06T05:38:00.000-07:00

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Deciding whether or not to breastfeed is an important choice for pregnant women.

For decades, a growing number of moms used formula instead of breast milk to feed their newborns and, researchers say, a growing number of children have had health problems as a result.

Now there's a push to get more women breastfeeding again, but is it working?

"I wouldn't even think of not nursing my child," said Barbara Ilari.

With her first child, she had a difficult time with her choice because of what she calls a negative attitude toward breastfeeding from older generations.

"I got everything from 'It's just not right' to 'Would you please not do that in front of everybody?'" she said.

As Rachel Anger breastfeeds her younger son, she remembered her experience with her 4-year-old daughter, Ella.

Click Here: Watch Part 2

"I didn't have anybody that I could turn to really for advice," she said. "Nobody in my family had breastfed, probably two or three generations, maybe, and I think that's pretty common now. There's nobody to help -- your mom can't help, your grandma doesn't know anything."

"There is not a lot of support and we need that," Ilari said.

"I think the battle is knowledge," said certified lactation consultant Vicky Sanders, explaining how generations of mothers lost the knowledge of breastfeeding.

"In the industrial revolution, women had to go into the workforce because there weren't enough men around World War II and the marketing of formula was done," Sanders said. "And then there was a whole culture lost of breastfeeding and women didn't make that choice anymore."

"We were created in this beautiful way to birth and feed our children, and we've injected our own ideas into that and we found ourselves in a place where we need to turn around and go back," Ilari said.

"A lot of people think formula feeding is just as good as breastfeeding and it's not, and so they feel like it's just a lifestyle choice," said Barbara Ruedel, the breastfeeding promotion coordinator of the Metro Health Department.

Ruedel said the lost art of breastfeeding has led to a number of health issues for children.

"With babies we're finding that so many of them are getting cow's milk formula, which was not developed for human babies, and we're seeing more and more problems related to that, like juvenile diabetes as well as Type II diabetes and obesity," she said.

Ruedel said not breastfeeding also puts babies at a greater risk for a host of other health problems such as ear infections, diarrhea, gastro-intestinal illness and eczema. Later in life they're also more likely to develop allergies, asthma, cavities, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and certain forms of cancers.

"The more people we can get to speak out about breastfeeding and the benefits, the more we can educate our moms," Ruedel said.

That's why the federal government is giving local health departments grants to help educate them about the benefits of breastfeeding. Ruedel is in charge of getting the information out in Louisville.

"We're looking now through this grant to educate doctors to go out in the community and try to get them to do more promotion so they can stress the health benefits as well as having standardized policies at the hospitals," she said.

"Breast milk prevents illness. It's so unique that they can't even break it down to its individual components," said Jennifer Alexander, a lactation consultant who's promoting the positive effects of breastfeeding to nurses at hospitals, like Norton in Louisville, so they can continue passing the information on to new mothers before they leave the hospital.

"We're finally coming around full circle and we're realizing that the breast milk is the best," Alexander said.

"But there are moms out there who can't breastfeed for one reason or another, and I want to make sure they don't feel like they're alienated or feel bad if they can't," Sanders said. "I say get informed, get help, get support, make an informed choice if you choose to breastfeed. Get the support around you and don't give up."

Lactation experts said as more mothers get informed, more are choosing to breastfeed.

"It's coming back because we know it's healthier. It prevents a lot of disease. It's healthier for mom. It's healthier for baby," Sanders said.

The breastfeeding moms who spoke to WLKY believe once mothers start getting more support when they leave the hospital, the more mothers will not give up on nature's way of feeding their babies.

Breastfeeding experts say breast milk is also free, other than the cost of buying things like breast pumps and bottles, which can be a total investment of around $400.

That's compared to formula feeding, which can cost anywhere from $150 to $300 a week.source: www.wlky.com

Body gel nausea-free alternative to the pill

2010-10-28T08:24:00.000-07:00

Women may no longer have to suffer the side effects of the pill after scientists developed a contraceptive gel that can be rubbed on the skin like moisturiser.

Rubbing a small amount of the gel into the arm, leg or abdomen every day delivers a dose of hormones and prevents pregnancy, it is claimed.

Researchers said it could be an attractive alternative to the combined pill, without the common side effects of nausea and weight gain. It is also suitable for those who are breastfeeding, unlike the pill which has hormone levels that interfere with milk supply.The gel works in the same way as the contraceptive skin patch, which provides progesterone and oestrogen through the skin to stop the ovaries releasing an egg each month.

The gel eliminates two of the biggest disadvantages of the patch - that it is visible, and can fall off. Experts hope to bring the gel to market if trial results continue to be positive.

Ruth Merkatz, director of clinical development of reproductive health at the Population Council research centre in New York, led the gel study, which involved 18 women in their 20s and 30s. Over seven months, none became pregnant.

Dr Merkatz, presenting the findings at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, said the gel could enhance the choices women had. She said none of the women appeared to experience any of the side effects seen in oral contraceptives, such as weight gain and nausea.

The key drug is Nestorone, a new type of synthetic progesterone. It also contains a type of oestrogen chemically identical to that produced by women.

The gel is being developed with the drug firm Antares Pharma.
source: www.smh.com.au/lifestyle

Breastfeeding bill before House

2010-10-27T08:37:00.000-07:00

Juan Watterson says his bill "enhances" the rights of mothers
A bill to make breastfeeding in public a legal right is to be debated in the Isle of Man Parliament.

Member of the House of Keys (MHK) Juan Watterson has tabled a private member's bill which would make it illegal to impose a ban on breastfeeding in public.

Mr Watterson said MHKs have received several requests to act on the issue.

"This bill is about protecting mothers who want to breastfeed their children in public," Mr Watterson explained.

"This is about enhancing people's rights," he said.

Mr Watterson rejected claims that the bill smacked of the "nanny state".

"I'm a big opponent of the nanny state, I object to it wherever I find it," he said.source: www.bbc.co.uk

Duration breast-feeding linked to osteoporosis risk

2010-10-27T08:18:00.000-07:00

(Reuters Health) - Postmenopausal women who spent longer periods of time breast-feeding their children may be at greater risk of developing osteoporosis, according to a new study.

Osteoporosis is a bone disease that occurs when bone tissue and bone density decrease significantly, leading to pain and increased risk of breaking a bone.

In a group of postmenopausal Mexican mestizo women -- those whose parents are of different races and thus have mixed genetic backgrounds -- researchers found that women who breast-fed their children for more than 36 months were twice as likely to get the disease as those who spent less time breast-feeding.

"One of the principal conclusions is the importance of considering the duration of breast-feeding as an important risk factor for osteoporosis," lead author Dr. Patricia Canto, of the National Medical Center in Mexico City, told Reuters Health in an e-mail.

Consistent with other studies, women who were 10 years past the onset of menopause were more than twice as likely to get osteoporosis as those closer to menopause, the investigators report in the journal Menopause.

A 1999 study showed that in the general population of Mexican women over 50 years old, 16 percent have osteoporosis. Of the 567 Mexican mestizo women who participated in the current study, 29 percent had osteoporosis, which could make the associations seen in the study appear stronger than they actually are in the general population.

As Canto explained, the study was not designed to show cause and effect, but instead was intended to show associations of certain risk factors with the disease.

Also concerning to the authors is that Mexican women, on average, have 2 or more children, and around 67 percent of Mexican women exclusively breast-feed their children, which they believe could lead more women to develop osteoporosis.

To help reduce the potential risk, the World Health Organization and United Nations Children's Fund recommend that "infants should be exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life...(and should then) receive nutritionally adequate and safe complementary foods while breastfeeding continues for up to two years of age or beyond."

Despite these recommendations, some women may not have access to these foods and formulas. Going by food costs in Mexico, a little more than 18 percent of the Mexican population lives below the poverty line, according to the CIA's World Factbook. For women in these poor communities, breast-feeding may be the only option to nourish their children.

Though the association between osteoporosis and breast-feeding was significant in the study, Dr. Patricia Clark, of the Children's Hospital of Mexico in Mexico City, said that many other studies have found no association between breast-feeding and osteoporosis, making it difficult to draw any conclusions.

"It's a very controversial topic," Clark told Reuters Health. "I don't think women who breast feed and have a lot of children should be particularly worried they'll get osteoporosis."

She explained that during pregnancy and breast-feeding periods, there is a decrease in calcium levels, but that this normally balances out afterwards.

"I would just recommend that women maintain good nutrition and exercise during pregnancy and breast-feeding," she added.
source: link.reuters.com/wed48p

There's no law against breastfeeding

2010-09-25T05:59:00.000-07:00

There is nothing about motherhood that cannot be used to start a fight. In the red corner this week we have Ayala Ochert,a 38-year-old mother-of-two from north London; in the blue, an unnamed library worker who allegedly ordered her to "face the wall" while breastfeeding her eight-month-old baby.

Miss Ochert – who happens to be a member of the Haringey Breastfeeding Campaign – claims she was sitting in the children's corner of the library,

which was empty apart from one pregnant woman. She was wearing a breastfeeding top, so that only a sliver of flesh was visible as she nursed her baby, Nina. Nevertheless, she says, "a male member of staff came over and asked me if I could be more discreet next time". There would, he pointed out, be children entering the library soon: rather than sully their young minds, perhaps she could make a "special effort" and face the wall.

Now, I am no Haringey Breastfeeding Campaigner. Although I have spent the past six months breastfeeding all over London, in parks, cafes and even libraries, I am quite prepared to accept that it's a strange thing to do in public. Usually I balk at going topless on the beach, yet I'm suddenly getting my breasts out in the middle of the passport office. At the very least, it feels like a breach of context.

Moreover, there's no doubt that some people are genuinely offended by the sight of naked breasts – especially when they are not being used as nature intended, to sell beer or titillate men. Breastfeeding gets people's backs up for all sorts of reasons: it's a bit smug, it puts everyone else in the awkward position of pretending not to look, and, if you believe in the sanctity of female modesty, it is a sin crying out to heaven for vengeance.

It is not, however, a crime. Indeed, a woman's right to breastfeed in public has been enshrined in law since the 1975 Sexual Discrimination Act. Neither, despite the best efforts of various angry brigades, is it against the law to cause offence. On the contrary: being offensive is one of our most important freedoms.

Living in a small, overcrowded world requires us to accommodate each other's unpleasant and alien habits, on the understanding that others will accommodate ours. I come out in hives every time I see a Muslim woman with her face veiled – but I would not expect her to cower behind Historical Fiction so I can enjoy a visit to the library with my sensibilities undisturbed.

This social pact – I'll swallow my umbrage if you'll swallow yours – is what keeps the wheels of civic society turning. Alas, no one seems to have told the servants of the state. Instead of encouraging this wholesome state of grudging tolerance, Britain's public officials have made it their mission to stamp out offence before it can even be taken.

Most of the egregious incidents of political correctness that make the news – bans on Christmas plays, bacon butties, Baa Baa Black Sheep and so forth – come about not because of pressure from special interests, but because of over-zealous officials second-guessing what they think someone else might object to.

The same is true of the modern curse of risk assessment. I once spoke to a very nice man at the Health and Safety Executive who claimed, with a weary sigh, that his office was constantly taking the rap for absurd guidelines concocted from thin air by risk-averse officials. "As far as I'm concerned," he insisted, "the more bonfires, ladders, school trips and conker fights the merrier."

When David Cameron finally lights his promised bonfire of health and safety legislation, he may find that the law isn't really the problem. It's attitude – or rather, lack of it: a cowardly dread of being held accountable for someone else's indignation. A fear, in fact, of indignation itself. It is the difference between averting your own eyes from a glimpse of breast, and trying to outlaw the breast itself.
source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Breastfeeding healthier, less costly choice, advocates say

2010-09-25T05:58:00.000-07:00

LANSING — Michigan did not meet the national breastfeeding goal for 2010, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The federal agency said 70.1 percent of mothers in Michigan have breastfed. The goal is 75 percent.

"Each mom makes her own decision," said Diane Revitte, director of the nutrition program and evaluation section in the Women, Infants and Children Division at the state Department of Community Health.

"Not all moms choose to breastfeed, but we hope they will make that choice. We provide support and information for them to make a decision," Revitte said.

WIC is a federally funded health and nutrition program to help low-income women and children. It promotes breastfeeding on media outlets such as TV, radio and billboards. WIC also provides peer counselors for new mothers to encourage breastfeeding.

The Mother-to-Mother Program, a partnership of WIC and Michigan State University Extension, is an initiative with 42 participating counties.

Aside from the health benefits of breastfeeding, there is also an economic side.

"Formulas are expensive, and it's not the best for babies," said Pat Benton, program manager of the Breastfeeding Initiative Program. "For women employees, it reduces absences because if the mother and baby are both healthy, the mother doesn't have to worry about taking time off of work to take care of herself or her baby."

Midwest states are still below the 2010 target of 75 percent of mothers who have ever breastfed. Ohio is the lowest with 64.8 percent. Indiana and Illinois are at 70.5 and 70.2 percent.
source: www.southbendtribune.com

The Things You May Not Know About Baby Formula

2010-09-24T04:09:00.000-07:00

The use of baby formula as the primary method of infant feeding has exploded in popularity over the past few decades. Formula has become increasingly healthier in recent years with the addition of chemicals like DHA and lutein, both of which are naturally found in human milk. In spite of these advancements, there is some information that the manufacturers aren't advertising. Take a look at these ten little-known facts about infant formula.

1. The linings of formula cans contain bisphenol-A, or BPA, a plastics chemical which mimics the female hormone estrogen. Exposure to BPA can potentially cause reproductive problems and early puberty. Experts are concerned that the chemical may leach into the formula and be ingested by infants, who are far more vulnerable to adverse effects from contaminants than adults. Liquid and ready-to-feed formulas are more susceptible to this leaching than powdered formulas. The FDA reports that they are currently accepting applications for alternative substances with which to line formula cans; however, they do not recommend changing a child's feeding habits based solely on this concern.

2. Feeding an infant formula can increase the child's risk of developing food allergies and inflammatory bowel disease, a disease which encompasses the chronic conditions ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, according to new research performed by nutritionist Sharon Donovan at the University of Illinois. The study also shows an increased risk for asthma in formula-fed infants. These conditions result from the formula's inability to activate the appropriate immune system genes within the digestive tract. Without the activation of these genes, a child's digestive system is left vulnerable to a lifetime of adverse effects.

3. It is impossible to produce sterile powdered infant formula. According to the World Health Organization, current technology does not allow for powdered formula to be manufactured in such a way that it is sterile, even when it is produced within current hygienic guidelines.

4. Baby formula may be contaminated with the harmful bacteria enterobacter sakazakii and salmonella enterica. Since powdered formula cannot be manufactured to be sterile, these bacteria can be present and cause severe illness in children. The WHO reports that, although these organisms cannot thrive in dry formula, they can survive in it for up to and possibly exceeding one year. Once the formula is mixed, it provides an ideal habitat for the growth of these illness-causing bacteria. In rare cases, infection with these pathogens can even cause a child's death.

5. Formula feeding increases a child's risk of childhood obesity and of developing diabetes. A White House study, released by first lady Michelle Obama in May 2010, explains that babies who are formula-fed are 22 percent more likely to be obese. Formula derived from cow's milk contains about twice as much protein as human milk. This excess protein results in excess insulin production and prolonged insulin response. Even well into childhood, children who were formula-fed as infants show low levels of the hormon leptin, which is known to "inhibit appetite and control body fatness."

6. Soy-based formulas contain plant estrogens which can cause a variety of reproductive issues. Soy formulas are an alternative for children with cow's milk allergies and for vegan families. While studies have shown that obesity and diabetes risks are lower for children who consume soy-based formulas, they are not without their own set of dangers. A study published by The Society for the Study of Reproduction in March 2010 found that newborn mice who were fed a formula containing the soy plant estrogen genistein once daily developed various reproductive problems, as well as abnormalities of the thymus gland. The study mimicked the level of genistein that would be found in a human infant who was regularly fed soy formula. It raises serious questions about the safety and long-term effects of soy-based formulas in infants.

7. The FDA does not test infant formulas prior to their marketing and sale. While the FDA inspects manufacturing facilities and performs quality tests on formulas once a year, they do not test infant formula to ensure that it meets nutritional and quality requirements before it is allowed to be sold. Instead, the FDA relies solely on the manufacturers' own reports that their products meet federal standards.

8. Infant formulas often contain perchlorate, the base chemical in solid rocket fuels. In March 2009, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) released a study which found perchlorate in 15 brands of infant formula. The EPA insists that the levels of the chemical found in formula pose no threat to infants. However, according to the CDC, the drinking water in 26 states contains high levels of perchlorate. If tap water and powdered baby formula, both containing the hazardous chemical, are mixed together, the levels may be high enough to cause serious harm to infants.

9. FDA testing has revealed that some baby formulas also contain the chemicals melamine and cyanuric acid. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has stated that these chemicals "can cause renal failure by production of insoluble melamine cyanurate crystals in renal tubules and/or calculi in kidneys, ureter, urethra or the urinary bladder." In other words, when these chemicals are present in baby formula, they can cause kidneys stones, kidney and urinary blockages and infections, and kidney failure. In extreme cases, complications of these conditions may result in the deaths of infants. The FDA performs tests for melamine and cyanuric acid in baby formulas, which can be viewed on their website.

10. Many brands of formula contain ingredients which are generally acknowledged to contain or produce monosodium glutamate, or MSG. The organization Truth in Labeling provides information from a Canadian study which found MSG, a dangerous neurotoxin, in at least five brands of baby formula. Although testing was performed only on Canadian products, all five companies manufacture and sell products in the United States as well. The organization also names ingredients from four different types of U.S. baby formula which are known to contain MSG or to produce it during processing. These ingredients include enzymatically hydrolyzed reduced minerals, casein hydrolysate, carrageenan, and maltodextrin.

Unfortunately, the companies that manufacture infant formula do not always tell the entire story. Strict guidelines are put in place to help ensure the safety of formula-fed infants, but unfortunately some problems have still arisen with these infant products. It is imperative that parents have all the information possible and that our society continues to demand higher and higher standards in the production of products for our children and babies.

Sources:

U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Update on Bisphenol A for Use in Food Contact Applications: January 2010

U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Infant Formula

U.S. Food and Drug Administration
FDA 101: Infant Formula

U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Clinical Testing of Infant Formulas with Respect to Nutritional Suitability for Term Infants

U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Guidelines Concerning Notification and Testing of Infant Formulas

U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Frequently Asked Questions about FDA's Regulation of Infant Formula

U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Domestic Infant Formula Testing Results

Amy Burkholder, CNN
Group Sounds Alarm on Infant Formula Cans

Thea Edwards & Wendy Hessler, Environmental Health News
Soy Formula Affects Reproductive Development in Mice

World Science & University of Illinois Staff
Why Is Breast Milk Best? It's in the Genes, Scientists Say

Elizabeth Simpson, The Virginian-Pilot
How the Fight against Flab Can Start before Birth

January W. Payne, U.S. News & World Report
5 Reasons That May Explain Why Type 1 Diabetes In on the Rise

U.S. News & World Report
Health Buss: Dropping Cancer Rates and Other Health News

Brian Hartman, ABC News
Rocket Fuel Chemical Found in Baby Formula

World Health Organization
Questions and Answers on Melamine

World Health Organization
Melamine and Cyanuric Acid: Toxicity, Preliminary Risk Assessment and Guidance on Levels in Food

European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control
Melamine Health Impact Assessment

World Health Organization
Safe Preparation, Storage, and Handling of Powdered Infant Formula

Truth in Labeling
Infant Formula

Let's Move
Early Childhood

Biology of Reproduction
Acute and Chronic Effects of Oral Genistein Administration in Neonatal Mice
source: news.yahoo.com

Baby Food Recipes

2010-09-24T04:04:00.000-07:00

Your baby’s “first foods” are a cause of great joy — and, undeniably, some questions. That’s where Cooking Light First Foods comes in. The goal is to make feeding your baby less intimidating and provide you with nutritious recipes to make sure baby eats well early in life since infants who are taught good nutrition early are one step ahead in developing healthy habits for a lifetime.

Making your own baby food is easier than you might think (we show you exactly how to do it) and doesn’t require a lot of expensive equipment. It also offers a lot of advantages: it’s cheaper, less wasteful, offers more variety, and gives you greater control over what’s in your baby’s dinner — and belly.

Try some of these recipes, and see for yourself:

Mini Whole-Wheat Apricot Muffins

Muffins are perfect for quick breakfasts — and great for snacks too! Easy for the whole family: toddlers can feed these to themselves, and mom or dad can easily tote them in diaper bags or freeze them for later use. This recipe sneaks in nutritious apricots and whole grains.

Get the Recipe »
Barley with Shiitakes and Spinach

Although barley isn’t a commonly used grain, it’s great for baby because of its mild flavor. In this recipe, barley provides a quick yet hearty base for vegetables, cheese, and rosemary, which can be served as a meatless main or side dish.

Get the Recipe »
Honey-Glazed Carrots

Orange rind gives carrots a sweet, citrusy flavor, but the white pith has a bitter flavor, so be sure to avoid it when you’re zesting.

Get the Recipe »

source: www.babble.com

Jerry Hall is shocked by Lucian Freud's breastfeeding portrait

2010-09-19T06:11:00.000-07:00

Accused of misogyny in the past, Lucian Freud has now invoked the wrath of one of his best-known subjects.
Jerry Hall says she was horrified to discover that the celebrated artist had painted over her face and upper body in a portrait of her breastfeeding her youngest son, Gabriel, after she was unable to complete her sittings because of illness. To add insult to injury, Freud, 87, replaced her features with those of his male assistant, David Dawson.

"I was really upset about that," says the former wife of Sir Mick Jagger. "It is now hanging in the Dallas Museum. I went there and saw it. It was very upsetting. Gabriel looks beautiful, and you can kind of see me underneath. I am still there."

The Texan model, 54, who is selling a typically unflattering nude portrait of her that Freud painted while she was pregnant with Gabriel, Eight Months Gone, says the artist angered her further when she confronted him about his behaviour. "Lucian said I could buy it and take off the top layer," she says, sadly.

The late 11th Duke of Devonshire, who collected Freud's work for more than 50 years, once remarked: "I'm not sure how much he loves women - for horses and dogs he shows affection; his portraits of the ladies are misogynous."

Hall says of her decision to sell the painting and other works at Sotheby's next month: "I want to downsize. I want to get a place in the country."source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Study: Breastfeeding mothers need help

2010-09-19T06:09:00.000-07:00

BRISBANE, Australia, Sept. 17 (UPI) -- An Australian researcher says mothers need real help breastfeeding, not to be made to feel guilty for not breastfeeding.

Joy Parkinson of the Queensland University of Technology in Australia says a more supportive approach might be helpful in promoting the practice.

Parkinson and colleagues looked at almost 1,400 women in Australia and the United States and found support and encouragement from family and friends to persevere with breastfeeding was the key to boosting breastfeeding rates -- especially when the going got tough.

"Breastfeeding rates in developed countries such as Britain, Australia and United States are typically lower than World Health Organization goals," the researchers say in a statement.

Parkinson says women know breastfeeding is good for their baby but they say they needed the tools to help them to breastfeed longer.

"Governments and breastfeeding advocates across the globe have tended to focus on a campaign of fear and guilt to push women to breastfeed and in Britain it's no different," Parkinson says. "What we have found in the U.S. and Australia is that preaching the benefits of breastfeeding, is like preaching to the converted and does not increase breastfeeding duration rates."
source: www.upi.com

Nipple and Breast problems

2010-08-27T20:23:00.000-07:00

Nipple problems are personal and can be embarrassing especially for men or women who are not pregnant or nursing. As each nipple has about 15-20 tiny pores on it and those pores form the opening of ducts that connect to glandular tissue, it is not uncommon or abnormal to experience occasional discharge from those glands. If your nipple problems exceed what you think is a normal frequency or amount of discharge it is wise to see a doctor.

Your doctor can perform a series of simple tests to determine the severity of your condition and to help you to understand why you are experiencing the discharge.

Reasons for nipple problems could range from something as simple as having taken a medication that causes the discharge as a side effect to the possibility that discharge is a symptom of a more serious problem; cancer.

Inverted nipples

Most women have protruding nipples, but for those who do not, they may perceive their appearance to be abnormal or a hindrance to sexual arousal.

About 10% of women have inverted nipples and as long as you have had inverted nipple for as long as you can remember, chances are that there is nothing that you need to worry about medically. It is when nipples very suddenly become inverted that you may have cause for concern and should see your doctor right away. A simple mammogram is usually enough to rule out possible cancer as the cause. Some women simply start out with inverted nipples and eventually begin seeing them protrude when they reach their early 20s.

An inverted nipple and a retracted nipple differ in that a retracted nipple is one which is pulled inward from time to time. It is not permanently turned inwards. The inverted nipple is most commonly that way because the nipple is connected to a shorter milk duct (which is permanent unless surgically altered).

Nipple discharge

Nipple discharge is a common nipple problem complaint for both men and women (and not just women who are pregnant or lactating). Discharge from the nipples comes from the ducts that are located under the surface of the breast. Women who are breastfeeding produce milk and this milk is occasionally discharged through the nipple. This is no surprise, what becomes concerning is when nipple discharge is unexpected. Discharge can occur in women who are not lactating as a natural leak that occurs when blocked ducts are unplugged. Something as simple as exercise can be the reason for unplugging a blocked duct. Normal discharge is not always in what most would consider to be a normal color. Not all discharge is white, milky, or clear. Sometimes completely normal discharge can be a yellow, green, blue, or black color. Older women who experience occasional nipple discharge will find that the discharge is thicker or even cheese-like in consistency.

Although possibly embarrassing, nipple discharge is only a sign of disease or other serious health concern when the discharge is constant and in large quantities. Sometimes an overactive pituitary gland can be the cause of nipple discharge, in which case medications are needed to correct the abnormality.

A discharge that is bloodstained may be caused by a wart in one of the ducts underneath the nipple. Removal of the duct containing the wart is usually all that it takes to solve this problem and this removal can be done with a relatively simple procedure. In some cases If the discharge is coming from the surface of the nipple or from the surrounding skin it could be a sign of slow growing cancer. After a series of diagnostic tests are performed, if a cancer is found surgical removal is needed. As in these rare cases nipple discharge can be a symptom of breast cancer, you should not hesitate to discuss your nipple discharge with your doctor. Men who experience this frequent and heavy discharge should see a doctor as soon as possible as the usually cause for such discharge is a tumor and you will need to be treated.

Breastfeeding - dealing with nipple problems

For women, nipple problems related to breastfeeding are the most common, however nipple pain is not normal and there are things that you can do to prevent and maintain good breast and nipple health. A woman's body goes through a lot of changes leading up to and immediately after giving birth. The woman's nipples become very sensitive. Some women even express blood from their nipples. For some women this pain is unbearable while others might describe their pain as annoying. The key is to do your best to care for your nipples and prevent a problem before it even starts.

To prevent nipple problems when breastfeeding the first thing that you want to do is to make sure that your baby is attaching himself to you correctly. This problem is especially common in first time mothers. A simple tip is to slightly change the position of the baby on the breast until they are able to latch on correctly. Failure to have the baby attach correctly can lead to a number of problems including painful engorgement and blistering. Lactation experts suggest that women who are having a hard time nursing their babies try to express their milk either manually or with a pump to draw out the nipple. It is not recommended that a bottle be used too early as it may confuse the child as they are just learning how to eat from their mother. Women with flat or inverted nipples find that the use of a nipple shield is helpful.

Conditions of the nipple especially common for lactating women

* Nipple thrush - Nipple thrush is a fungal infection that typically occurs within the first weeks after birth. Nipple thrush is characterized by severe and burning nipple pain even when the nursing baby is latched on correctly. Breast pain has a feeling of heat or pocking needles associated with it.

This condition must be treated as it is very possible for the baby to be affected by it and to develop thrush themselves (manifested in a skin rash or white spots in the infant's mouth). Antifungal ointments applied to the nipple after feeding can be used as treatment for the mother and liquids or creams can be used to treat the infant respectively for oral and skin thrush.

* Dermatitis (skin irritation) around the nipple - Dermatitis around the nipple and areola can be caused by ointments and creams you are using on the nipples, detergents, soaps, lotions or breast pads that contain ingredients that the woman may be sensitive or even allergic to. If you develop dermatitis stop using whatever product you suspect to be the cause of the problem (usually a new product that you started using shortly before noticing the dermatitis.
* Nipple eczema - Nipple eczema can cause considerable pain as it causes inflammation of the skin which, if left untreated, could lead to blister-like lesions that crust over. Women when develop eczema on the nipples will typically need to see a dermatologist to solve the problem. The dermatologist will likely suggest diet changes and a short, intensive course of cortisone cream (prolonged use of cortisone cream lessens its ability to be effective).

Too many nipples

According to several sources, 1 in between 18-50 people (men and women) has more than 2 nipples. All extra nipples are also referred to as supernumerary nipples and are more common that most people think. Obviously this nipple problem is embarrassing as most people would consider having too many nipples to be weird or abnormal. Some people are not even aware that the marks that they may have on their bodies are in fact extra nipples. Extra nipples are typically smaller and less defined than the main two nipples. There is rarely a medical reason to remove extra nipples (medical reasons for removal are usually spurred by a sudden change in the appearance of the extra nipple). Most people who do choose to have extra nipple removed do so for aesthetic reasons. Extra nipples usually form along the path between the armpit and the inner thigh.

Hairy nipples

Coarse, dark hairs around the nipple are quite common and can be removed with a pair of tweezers. If this causes irritation (as it very well may because of the extremely sensitive area around the nipple) it may be better to simply cut the hairs off close to the skin. Of course this is not a permanent solution and the hairs will need to be cut from time to time. Only excessive hairiness on and around the nipples as well as on other parts of the body is something that you should be worried about and should talk with your doctor about.

Itchy nipples

Eczema is most often to blame for itchy nipples. It occurs mainly in women in their late teens. The itch may be only on the nipple or it may affect the flatter area surrounding the nipple (the areola).

A steroid cream from your doctor can usually stop the itch and the embarrassing scratching. `Jogger's nipple is another is another common itchy nipple complaint that is caused by friction from clothing, especially during long-distance running. The solution is simple; protect your nipples with petroleum jelly or surgical tape before exercising. A silk running vest will also cut down the abrasion that running with an undershirt containing more synthetic fibers would produce. source: hubpages.com

Help For Desperate Breastfeeding Mothers

2010-08-22T21:04:00.000-07:00

22 Aug 2010 - Lincoln, NE - An emergency source for mothers desperate to feed their newborn babies. MilkWorks non-profit agency in Lincoln helps women who want to breast feed but can't. KMTV Action 3 News exposes an issue many women are too embarrassed to talk about.

A new mom gives birth to a healthy baby boy but after leaving the hospital, things take a turn. "It's heart-wrenching," said first-time mom Jessica Colton.

At first, Jessica Colton was unable to produce breast milk to feed her child. "I was in tears, it's the most natural thing in the world, you should be able to feed your baby when you find out things aren't going the way they should, you feel like a failure as a mom," said Colton.After struggling for two days strait with a hungry newborn, Colton turns to MilkWorks. "I don't know what we would have done without it really," said Colton.

Wanting badly not to feed her baby formula, MilkWorks offers her donated breast milk from other women, tested to be safe. It's just one of a handful of operations across the nation making breast milk available for purchase. "About 30% of consultation clients come from outside of Lincoln," said MilkWorks Executive Director Ann Seacrest. "They come from South Dakota, Kansas and Iowa too."

Julie Schmoll had trouble producing milk and getting her now 13-month-old to nurse. She watched, worried sick as her baby started losing weight. "She wasn't removing any milk at that point and she dropped from 6.2 to 5.8 (pounds)," said first-time mother Julie Schmoll.

She too is grateful for help. "It was very stressful, very hard," said Schmoll.

She was still able to feed her baby what she wants. "I see it as a long term investment in her health and my health too and definitely our relationship," said Schmoll.

Dozens of mothers meet up every week at the agency. Many of them agree breastfeeding troubles aren't openly talked about among mothers but that all needs to change. "There's lots of people that have trouble with this. You're not some freak that has trouble feeding her babies," said Colton.

MilkWorks is open seven days a week. The agency does have a breast feeding specialist doctor on hand and many other programs and support groups for mothers.

For more information, contact MilkWorks at 402-423-6402. It's located at 5930 South 58th Street in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Reported by Erika Summers, esummers@action3news.com
source:

Quantcast Gisele Bundchen wants breastfeeding law

2010-08-22T20:58:00.000-07:00

The supermodel says there should be a "worldwide law" requiring mothers to "breastfeed their babies for six months."

Gisele Bundchen is having an "insert foot" moment after making a bold statement regarding women breastfeeding. The supermodel, who had her first baby, Benjamin, in December, recently told Harper's Bazaar UK that she thinks there should be a "worldwide law" requiring mothers to "breastfeed their babies for six months."

She went on to say in the September issue, "Some people (in the US) think they don't have to breastfeed, and I think, 'Are you going to give chemical food to your child when they are so little?'"

As you can imagine, the minute people found out what she had said, a large majority were furious at the Brazilian model. So on Monday, the 30-year-old who is married to Tom Brady, took to her blog to clear the air.

"My intention in making a comment about the importance of breastfeeding has nothing to do with the law. Becoming a new mom has brought a lot of questions, I feel like I am in a constant search for answers on what might be the best for my child."

She went on to write, "I am sure if I would just be sitting talking about my experiences with other mothers, we would just be sharing opinions. I understand that everyone has their own experience and opinions and I am not here to judge. I believe that bringing a life into this world is the single most important thing a person can undertake and it can also be the most challenging. I think as mothers we are all just trying our best."
source: www.latimes.com

Promoting benefits of breastfeedingBreastfeeding provides better health outcomes for mother, baby

2010-08-22T20:50:00.000-07:00

22 Aug 2010 - This month is Breastfeeding Awareness Month (BAM) in Ohio. Gov. Ted Strickland is urging all Ohioans to support breastfeeding. This year's BAM theme, Breastfeeding Just 10 Steps! The Baby-Friendly Way, focuses on 10 evidence-based hospital practices that support new mothers' breastfeeding intentions. Hospitals play a vital role in the establishment of breastfeeding. I would like to take this opportunity to publicly thank Coshocton County Memorial Hospital for the concern and care it has provided throughout the years to our WIC participants. We appreciate the support for our breastfeeding mothers and babies.

Health care facilities that have instituted all the 10 Steps to Successful Breastfeeding are certified as baby-friendly hospitals. Currently in Ohio, there are three certified baby-friendly hospitals. Breastfeeding provides better health outcomes than formula feeding for both mother and baby. Exclusive breastfeeding for six months, beginning with the hospital birth experience is the ideal recommended by pediatricians.

Upon hospital discharge mothers need support within the community. Coshocton County WIC (622-2929) is please to serve as a breastfeeding resource in Coshocton County and encourages local hospitals and health care providers to refer their breastfeeding mothers and babies to our services. Our office has three certified lactation counselors, myself and a peer helper available to answer any questions a WIC participant might have.

Coshocton County WIC is partnering with Coshocton County Memorial Hospital during BAM as we celebrate the steps already in place and work together on a plan to implement those steps that still need to be put into practice.
source: www.coshoctontribune.com

Celebrating World Breastfeeding Week: stories from local moms

2010-07-21T02:45:00.000-07:00

07/21/2010 - After 9 months of anticipation of the birth of their second child, Santiago, who was born in May, Christina and Brian Montoya are now well adjusted to their family life. When Christina breastfed their first son, Mateo, the experience wasn't pleasant, but she thinks trying to breastfeed again is well worth it.

"I believe that breastfeeding Santiago is the best thing I can do for him," Christina says. "(This time), it's been pain free."

Christina said that Mateo didn't latch on well causing her some pain, so she had to pump her breast milk for 5 months.

With this birth, Christina took her classes from Kathy Douglas of the Women's Medical Associates in Las Cruces.

"I hadn't had any breastfeeding classes with Mateo as I did with Santiago," Christina said.

However, sometimes things don't go as planned. Brian and Christina said that after Santiago's birth, their baby was detained in the nursery for the normal infant screening. The nursery nurse admitted that she gave him a bottle of 2 oz. of formula because he seemed hungry, to the chagrin of his parents.

Babies can get confused at first when given a bottle along with breastfeeding because they learn to suck differently. Breastfeeding is a learning process for both mother and baby. The baby has to learn to latch on to the mother's nipple properly, which is so different from a bottle's manufactured nipple.

"It's important that the baby nurse within the first hour after birth and also lay on the Mom's chest," said Registered Nurse, Debra Kemp, who is an instructor at Doña Ana Community College certified from the International Board of Certified Lactation Consultants. "It makes a world of difference."

Santiago is doing well, however, and is thriving from Christina's breast milk.

Different for every mom

Christina, Santiago and Brian were attending the 2010 Southern New Mexico World Breastfeeding Task Force Meeting at Aprendamos Early Intervention Center in Las Cruces July 16, along with two other moms and their babies: Katie Bagwell and her 6-week-old daughter, Kyndal, and Trisha Hunter and her 4-month-old daughter, Emma.

Breastfeeding is different for every mom. Kyndal is Katie's second child and was delivered by Caesarean section, and she doesn't latch on to Katie's breast well at times. Katie's first child, Beau, who is now two, didn't have any problems breastfeeding.

Katie says that "Breastfeeding is the right thing to do, but isn't always the easiest thing to do. You need to be very committed."

For support, Katie has three friends who are breastfeeding their babies and she talks with them about their experiences, which helps motivate her to keep on breastfeeding.

Moms can find support systems different ways. Christina says when she has questions, she goes online for various resources.

"The La Leche League (International) has a great website for moms," says Marisa Van Dommelan, Master of Science, who is International Board Certified Lactation Consultant and works at Aprendamos. "They have moms that have breastfed their babies to answer questions."

Emma, who is Trisha's first child and breastfeeding well, had to be placed in the special care nursery after birth. Because of this, Trisha pumped her breast milk to give to Emma along with supplemental bottles. At 6 weeks, Trisha switched to breast milk, which has paid off because Emma has doubled her birth weight and is very healthy.

All the mothers agree that having the help of their spouses is very important.

Brian sometimes gives Santiago Christina's pumped breast milk in a bottle so they can bond also.

Special bond

With their own support systems and the help of Douglas's Breastfeeding classes, all three Moms are successful at breastfeeding their babies. At the classes, Douglas says she usually teaches about nine moms, where fathers are also welcome. They learn about the benefits and basics of breastfeeding, managing the challenges and making sure that baby is getting enough breast milk.

Douglas, who has worked for Women's Medical Associates since 1996, also arranges the World Breastfeeding Task Force meetings, where they talk about the latest information on breastfeeding and also discuss facts such as:

Saving money by breastfeeding

Not having to heat the milk or wash bottles

Moms can pump their breasts and save the milk at work

Having healthier babies

Having that special bond between mom and baby

"Breastfeeding can save (families) $1,200 to $3,900 per year," Douglas says.

The week of Aug. 1-7 is World Breastfeeding Week and the theme this year is "Breastfeeding: Just 10 Steps! The Baby-Friendly Way," which draws attention to simple steps that hospitals, health care providers, workplaces, the community and families can take to help mothers achieve their breastfeeding goals.

More than 120 countries celebrate World Breastfeeding Week, who encourages breastfeeding that improves the health of babies around the world. This celebration commemorates the Innocenti Declaration made by WHO and UNICEF policy makers in Aug. 1990 to promote and support breastfeeding. To read more about World Breastfeeding Week, visit www.waba.org.my.

Call Kathy Douglas at Women's Medical Associates, who offers breastfeeding classes and consultations, at (575) 522-9793, or Renee Beltran at the La Leche League of Las Cruces at (575) 635-6683 for more information. You can visit the International La Leche League website at www.llli.org.

source:

50 Fabulous Superfoods for Pregnancy and Postpartum

2010-07-21T02:40:00.000-07:00

If there's ever a time to be thoughtful about your diet, it's during your pregnancy and postpartum period. The nutrients that you take in are what builds and feeds your baby essential that you give it only the best. Here are 50 foods that nurses agree on for next or expecting moms. They pack a nutritional punch for pregnant, postpartum, and breastfeeding women.

Liquids

Now more than ever, it's essential that you stay hydrated to provide your baby with the water it needs.

1. Increase your water consumption: Whether you're pregnant or breastfeeding, you need to up your water consumption.
2. 100% fruit juice: Although actually eating fruit is ideal, fruit juice is a good substitute for sodas and other drinks with empty calories.

Protein

Proteins are the building blocks for your baby. Eat these foods to make sure you're getting enough.

3. Chicken: Chicken offers moms a good, low-fat source of much-needed protein.
4. Peanut butter: Peanut butter is filling, full of folate, and a good source of protein.
5. Unprocessed meats: Meats in their natural, but fully cooked, state are an excellent source of protein.
6. Soy: While you're dealing with morning sickness, soy can help you get the protein you need.
7. Couscous: Flavor up couscous or eat it plain to get protein in pregnancy.

Fiber

Although hormones may have your system backed up, you can stay regular with the help of these fiber-full foods.

8. Raspberries: Enjoy some tart raspberries for sweetness and fiber.
9. Apple: Grab an apple on your way out the door for some fiber on the go.
10. Figs: Figs pack in an amazing amount of fiber, bananas, calcium, and iron.
11. Bananas: Bananas can fill you up with both fiber and potassium.

Vitamin C

Build collagen, healthy skin, and bones with this important vitamin.

12. Oranges: Many women crave oranges in pregnancy, and it's no wonder why-oranges are packed with the Vitamin C you need.
13. Lemon: Satisfy your sour craving and a need for Vitamin C with lemons.
14. Green pepper: Get your Vitamin C by throwing some green peppers in your salad.
15. Orange juice: Orange juice can give you Vitamin C, folic acid, potassium, and more for pregnancy.
16. Watermelon: Watermelon offers a hydrating, Vitamin C-packed treat.
17. Strawberries: Throw some strawberries in your smoothie or salad for Vitamin C.

Folic Acid

Ward off common birth defects by eating these foods rich in folic acid.

18. Asparagus: Folic acid can be found in asparagus.
19. Corn: On the cob, creamed, or even frozen, corn can give you the folic acid your baby needs.
20. Spinach: This dark green leaf is full of folic acid.
21. Peas: Peas are good for naturally occurring folate.
22. Beans: Beans are great for protein, folate, and complex carbohydrates.
23. Chickpeas: Enjoy some hummus to get your serving of folic acid.

Zinc

Zinc is great for keeping away colds drug-free in pregnancy, plus the careful building and functioning of DNA.

24. Eggs: Eggs aren't just great for protein-they can pack in the zinc you need for breastfeeding.
25. Mozzarella: Mozzarella cheese is packed with zinc for moms.
26. Lobster: Crack open a lobster for a tasty serving of zinc.

Calcium

Protect your bones and give your baby's teeth and bones a good start by loading up on calcium rich food.

27. Yogurt: Yogurt is a good source of protein and calcium, and tastes great with fresh fruit and nuts.
28. Milk: Lowfat milk offers so much per serving, especially calcium and protein.
29. Go nuts: Almonds and hazelnuts can provide you with some of your calcium needs.
30. Raw vegetables: Many raw vegetables offer a good serving of calcium.
31. Broccoli: Broccoli isn't just a great source of calcium-it has Vitamin C, folate, and B6.

Carbohydrates

Long-lasting carbohydrates can offer fullness and the energy you need to keep going.

32. Oatmeal: This fiber-full breakfast and snack is great for carbohydrates, too.
33. Whole grain bread: Whole grain bread can give you a good dose of fiber and nutrition while offering healthy carbs.
34. Whole flour: Whole flour offers a great way to get your zinc.
35. Popcorn: A handful of air-popped popcorn offers fiber and useful carbs.
36. Blueberries: Keep your energy levels high with these berries that are packed with antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals.
37. Whole grain cereal: Whole grain cereal is easy to eat and full of good carbs, vitamins, and other nutrients.
38. Brown rice: Brown rice can give you long-lasting energy.

Iron

Be sure you're getting enough iron to keep your energy levels up.

39. Lean beef: Lean beef is a good source of protein and iron.
40. Artichokes: Add artichokes to pastas and salads for an iron boost.
41. Dried fruit: Dried fruit like prunes and raisins are great for iron.
42. Mollusks: Enjoy mollusks including oysters, clams, and scallops for iron.

Vitamin A

Eat these foods for Vitamin A, which is essential to embryonic growth.

43. Carrots: Carrots don't just help your eyesight-they're packed with the Vitamin A you need.
44. Cream cheese: Spread some cream cheese on a fortified whole grain bagel for a little tasty Vitamin A.
45. Sweet potatoes: Enjoy a sweet potato baked or even as sweet potato fries to pack a Vitamin A punch.

Fatty acids

These foods with fatty acid are incredibly valuable for growth and development of your baby.

46. Seeds: Seeds an supply your body with essential fatty acids.
47. Flaxseeds: Flaxseeds are a good source of Omega 3 fatty acids.
48. Shrimp: Throw some shrimp on the barbeque, in your salad, or in your pasta to up your Omega 3 fatty acid intake.
49. Salmon: Salmon is a powerhouse full of DHA, and an even help your mood.

Mood

Treat yourself now and then for a mommy pick me up.

50. Dark chocolate: For new moms, dark chocolate full of antioxidants just might be the ticket to busting a bad mood.
source: http://www.nursingschools.net

Mom Told to Stop Breastfeeding Six-Year-Old

2010-07-21T02:38:00.000-07:00

(Herald Sun) - A court ordered an Australian mother Wednesday to stop breastfeeding her six-year-old son.

A custody hearing in Melbourne was told the woman had encouraged the little boy to breastfeed when he visited her last year. The mother denied breastfeeding the youngster, then five, saying he wanted to touch her breasts, according to court documents.

However, the court rejected her explanation and restrained the mother from exposing her breasts to the child, requiring him to breastfeed or permitting him to touch her breasts.

The court also ordered that the boy, who cannot be named, should live with his female guardian and spend time with his Fijian parents during school vacations.

The boy has lived with the guardian since 2004, but she said that in 2009 the mother told her she wanted him back, the court was told.source: www.myfoxtampabay.com/

Pumping at Work Can Deter Breastfeeding Mothers

2010-07-21T02:34:00.000-07:00

Maternity leave in the U.S. is notoriously short — six weeks for most, three months FMLA if you’re lucky. Some parents manage to cobble together more, but it often comes with such a financial sacrifice that many breastfeeding moms find themselves back in the workplace before they’re ready to stop breastfeeding their babies.

Like breastfeeding, pumping is different for every woman. For some, it comes fairly naturally. For others — myself included — it’s awkward and uncomfortable. I would rather nurse a baby for an hour than pump for five minutes. Nursing moms returning to work have to hook up to a pump at least three times a day, a process made far more difficult when companies aren’t sensitive to breastfeeding mother’s needs.

In a column at Huffington Post, Katrina Alcorn says that it’s time for a peaceful revolution. If we aren’t going to extend maternity leave, then we need to make it easier for working mothers to continue to nurse their babies by making pumping at work less tiresome and humiliating.

Alcorn shares the story of Jackie, mother to a five-month-old baby and employee at a well respected non-profit. Jackie’s choices of private rooms for pumping included the restroom, a converted closet with a sliding door that did not close all the way, or a conference room across the street in another building that was often booked by presenters. So she took matters into her own hands:

When it was time to pump, Jackie rigged up her new curtain and pulled it tightly across the opening of her cubicle. Then she taped up a sign written in thick, black marker that said, ‘Please do not disturb. Privacy Please.’ She draped a blue fabric sarong from Bali over the top of the cubicle so people couldn’t peer down, then put on a Bebe au Lait nursing cover over her shirt. She turned on a portable fan she’d brought from home to disguise the moaning of the pump. She pulled her regular bra down around her waist, hooked on a hands-free pumping halter, wedged the plastic pump funnels in place, readjusted the nursing cover, and snapped on the machine.

“I could hear people walk by and say, ‘Where’s Jackie?’
“‘I’m in here,’ I’d say. ‘I’m busy!’”

Jackie gave up on breastfeeding four weeks later. It’s not hard to see why. It’s important to note that Jackie — who also received complaints about the “bodily fluids” stored in the fridge (her bottled breast milk) — worked for a company who claimed to be family-friendly.

I’ve known mothers who have pumped in company restrooms, their cars, in supply closets, and — in the case of a teacher friend — the principal’s office. Some women have to pump in a different location every day, because there’s not one consistently private room in their workplace.

What do you think — are these accommodations fair enough, as some commenters at Huffington Post would have us believe?Or is it time, as Alcorn writes, to consider the multiple health benefits of breastfeeding for mom and baby and to start a peaceful revolution for better conditions for nursing mothers?
source: blogs.babble.com

Breastfeeding moms plan protest at park

2010-07-07T06:30:00.000-07:00

July 7, 2010 - Several moms are planning a protest at an Orange County park after they say a park employee tried to stop them from nursing their infants in public.

Two of the mothers say a lifeguard at Kelly Park at Rock Springs in Apopka blew a whistle and told them that they were exposing themselves and breaking the law as they nursed their infants last month.

Shawna Mitchell and Celena Chavez said a manager at the park did not know whether it was legal for the women to breastfeed publicly.

A mother can breastfeed her child anywhere the mother is authorized to be, according to Florida law.Mitchell and Chavez told their story to other breastfeeding mothers in Central Florida both in person and via Facebook. Now dozens of women have committed to attending what the organizers are describing as a peaceful "nurse-in" protest on Saturday. The gathered women expect to nurse their babies in public at the park.

The event will begin Saturday at 9 a.m.
source: www.orlandosentinel.com

Study says breastfeeding passes drugs to newborn

2010-07-07T06:25:00.000-07:00

Spanish researchers studying the detection of substances in breast milk have recommended that breastfeeding mom totally avoid drug abuse soT as not to pass drugs to newborn.

The researchers from the Paediatrics Department at the Hospital del Mar in Barcelona also recommended that pregnant and breastfeeding mothers avoid smoking, drinking coffee and drinking alcohol to avoid passing nicotine, caffeine and alcohol to their babies.

Based on their study, the researchers found that breast milk of smoking mothers contains between 2 and 240 nanograms of nicotine per milliliter. his means their babies also receive 0.3 to 36 micrograms/kg/day causing them to suffer more from colic and making them more prone to respiratory infections.

The study recommended that breastfeeding mothers reduce consumption of coffee, tea, cola drinks and medicines with caffeine to three cups per day.

Breastfeeding mothers who take marijuana, cocaine and other drugs can cause sedation, lethargy, weakness and poor feeding habits in breastfeeding babies, warned the study appearing in this month's issue of the journal "Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry."

Alcohol in breast milk can harm the infant's motor development, change their sleep patterns, reduce the amount they eat, and increase the risk of hypoglycaemia. To minimize such risks, the researchers recommended feeding the baby before taking alcohol.

Meanwhile, babies exposed to marijuana in breast milk or smoke from their mothers can get sedated, lethargic and weak. Mothers who take marijuana are advised to do so several hours before feeding their baby.

Cocaine-using mothers should totally avoid the drug as this had already caused a two-week-old baby boy to suffer irritability, trembling, dilated pupils, tachycardia and high blood pressure after feeding, the study said.
source: au.ibtimes.com

I’m sorry, but breast-feeding is a bit creepy

2010-07-07T06:18:00.000-07:00

It’s going to be a long summer. It’s only June and already there have been three breastfeeding rows. Here in the US there was Kim Kardashian’s controversial tweet about her disgust at seeing a woman doing a bare-breasted feed at a Los Angeles restaurant. Next up, Denver mum Sandra Snow was harassed by security guards while breastfeeding her baby at a Colorado Rockies Game. Coors Stadium later apologised. And finally Kathryn Blundell, deputy editor of the UK’s Mother and Baby magazine, wrote an article calling breastfeeding ‘creepy’.

Breastfeeding is one of those issues guaranteed to stir things up. Career in the doldrums? Criticise breastfeeding, or defend it from your high horse, and things might start looking up. Need a few more eyeballs to bolster your magazine circulation? Call breastfeeding ‘creepy’. Get it right and you’re laughing. Get it wrong, like Coors Stadium, and it’s a PR nightmare.

But why does the breastfeeding issue continually cause such a storm? Is it something about the act of breastfeeding itself? As a formerly breastfeeding mother, I have a theory about this. Breastfeeding, unless you are doing it or have done it in the past or have been intimately acquainted with someone who has done it, can be a little creepy.

I remember receiving a book about breastfeeding while pregnant with my first child. It was recommended by a friend, who gave me her guarantee that it was a low-key book: no gushing, no poems; just the mechanics. And yet it was still a completely jarring experience to open a book with photo after photo of latching, nursing, expressing, etc. Intellectually, I was on board with giving it a try, but the impending actuality felt surreal. It wasn’t just the oft-discussed shift from breasts-as-erogenous-zones to breasts-as-baby-food. It was more profound and all the more disorienting than that, because my learning curve about breastfeeding was happening at the same time as the impending arrival of my first baby was turning everything else upside down.

With the birth of my son, breastfeeding became mainly exhausting. I spent a great deal of time worrying about the whole enterprise: ‘Why isn’t he gaining weight faster? Is this thrush? (No.) Will tea bags help? (Yes.) Why the craving for oatmeal cookies?’ But there was a moment in the dead of night when, in my sleep haze, I had an insight. I was thinking that nursing my baby was like something a dolphin or a cow would do. ‘I’m a…’ I hesitated, grappling with the thought. ‘I’m a mammal!’ Obvious yes, but it struck me then how rarely we’re confronted in a such a personal way with this odd peculiarity of our own humanity: the fact that we are of the natural world and yet apart from it, too.

It’s because we are both natural and social beings that the biology of breastfeeding isn’t the whole story. Instead it is about something more than nutritional values or ounces consumed, whether through breast milk or infant formula. Breastfeeding is a natural process, yes, but it is filtered through our cultural outlook. How do we value women’s time? Do we want fathers to be able to be primary caregivers for their infants? All these factors and more help to determine what is best for any given family. It is all about the people involved, which is why it is impossible to generalise about what is best in any particular case and to say, for example, that all mothers have some natural duty to breastfeed.

One reason why people get so hot and bothered about breastfeeding is because we invest our lifestyles with so much importance these days. There was a time when no one cared very much how a baby was fed, just so long as he or she was well-nourished and healthy. But breastfeeding is about much more than how a baby receives nourishment. It is not just a means to an end. It is a statement about who you are and what you value. To breastfeed is to be authentic and uncorrupted by the trappings of modernity (one reason, perhaps, why it loses some of its charm when it involves spending quality time locked in a room at work with a breast pump). It is the mark of a good parent. It says you want the best for your baby.

This is why public breastfeeding has become so contentious. Because breastfeeding is no longer just about feeding baby, and rather has become bound up with mum’s identity, it can no longer exist in a vacuum. Unless it’s done in public, as publicly as possible in fact, then there is no chance for social validation. There is nothing unusual in understanding who we are in relation to other people, of course, but when the source of our prestige and social standing shifts from the things we do in public to the things we do in our private lives, then that creates a pressure effectively to perform private activities in public.

In other words, just breastfeeding in private doesn’t count – it doesn’t make The Statement. Of course it is perfectly possible for mothers out in public to feed their baby breastmilk from a bottle, or to keep the act of breastfeeding fairly low-key by finding a quiet place to nurse – but then it wouldn’t be obvious what a good parent the nursing mother is. Even worse, if you fed breastmilk from a bottle, someone might think the bottle contained infant formula! Let’s face it, nothing says ‘I’m breastfeeding’ – and in essence ‘I’m a good mother’ – like doing it Boadicea-style.

This begs the question: why has breastfeeding become synonymous with being a good mother? Why are we assailed with campaigns to get us to breastfeed exclusively for the first six months? Breastmilk is good for babies, certainly, but as Joan Wolf, Hanna Rosin and others have pointed out, both the benefits of breastfeeding and the downsides of not breastfeeding have been hugely overstated.

The reason why breastfeeding is now taken as a sign of good motherhood is probably related to the point about breastfeeding highlighting humanity’s peculiar nature. We are both creatures of the natural world and also the creations of our own cultures. In society today, women are generally considered to be equal – or in some cases superior – to men. The problem, however, is that we have not found a good, systematic alternative to the jobs women have traditionally done in the family setting. The organisation of those aspects of life still falls to individuals, and more often than not women take on most of the responsibility. They pay the price, whether it’s actual loss of income, damage to their career or simple exhaustion. Poll after poll highlights women’s (and men’s) dissatisfaction with this state of affairs.

This lack of certainty about how we raise the next generation seems to contribute to a sense of uncertainty amongst policymakers, too. The instinct of people who deal with these issues at the social level has been to highlight the crucial role of parents – in doing everything from basically raising children to helping to solve future social and political problems by raising children in ‘the right way’ – and while it is unusual to hear anyone proclaim that mothers should be the ones with the primary responsibility, choosing to campaign for breastfeeding on the basis that it is ‘best for baby’ does emphasise the biological aspects of motherhood over everything else.

Is breastfeeding creepy? Yes, sometimes it can be. It can also be lovely and rewarding, depending on the individual. Breastfeeding is a great way to feed babies but it is not the only way, and it certainly shouldn’t become some sort of civic virtue. As for breastfeeding in public, it’s probably just a fact of life that until women habitually go about bare-breasted in the normal course of events, many people will be a little uncomfortable seeing bare breasts in public – even, or perhaps especially, if they happen to be nursing. That doesn’t mean women should be prevented from nursing in public or should be made to skulk around toilets in order to feed their babies. Ideally, we should not allow these issues to be politicised in the first place, so that breastfeeding in public becomes a badge of honour, but rather cultivate a culture of genuine tolerance in which people can negotiate these situations with empathy and common sense.
source: www.spiked-online.com

Free Breast Exams in NWA Set for August

2010-07-07T06:13:00.000-07:00

Ashley Ketz Reporter

9:19 PM CDT, July 6, 2010

It's estimated at least 10,000 lives could be saved each year, if more people got checked for breast and colon cancers. When it comes to breast cancer, one local cancer support home is doing their part.

Thanks to a grant from the Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the Washington Regional Cancer Support home is offering free clinical breast exams to Northwest Arkansas women in need through the "No Excuses Breast Cancer Outreach Program.

The event is scheduled for Saturday, August 7th from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. at the Cancer Support Home at 1101 North Woolsey Avenue in Fayetteville.

While the exams aren't a mammogram, they are performed by physicians and licensed nurse practitioner. Appointments are required. To schedule a time, call 479-521-8024.

Is breastfeeding creepy?

2010-06-28T07:27:00.001-07:00

June 28, 2010

Is breastfeeding creepy? Even if you think so, don't say it out loud

The deputy editor of Mother & Baby magazine has scandalised the parenting world by writing an article that states that breastfeeding is "creepy". The Guardian reports that Kathryn Blundell writes:

"They're part of my sexuality, too – not just breasts, but fun bags. And when you have that attitude (and I admit I made no attempt to change it), seeing your teeny, tiny, innocent baby latching on where only a lover has been before feels, well, a little creepy."

There's a Facebook page calling for Blundell to apologise and loads of debate about the tone of the article as well as the issue of an opinion piece in a major parenting magazine sending an anti-breastfeeding message. There is a discussion raging on Mumsnet.

For me, the questionable thing is Blundell's assertion that there's something weird about your breasts being both handy and healthy feeding tools for your baby and still objects of desire for yourself and your partner. Sure, when you have a little person sucking, grabbing, groping and pulling on your breasts all day, you don't yearn for a bigger person to take up the job in bed that night.

Yet that period of breastfeeding is quite short. Only 1 in 100 UK mothers feed their babies breast milk exclusively for 6 months - the Department of Health recommendation (which is a whole other story).

Blundell's attitude also hints at a more pernicious attitude about mothers that lasts alot longer than babyhood - that there's a dividing line between being a mother and being a lover. That you can't be sexual and also maternal.

(Perhaps the most disturbing part of Blundell's article is her use of the phrase "fun bags". Does she also use terms like "more cushion for the pushin'"?)

I firmly believe that she is entitled to her opinion that breastfeeding is creepy, just as much as the next mother is entitled to think it's a revelation, or the ultimate in bonding, or a civic duty. or orgasmic for that matter. It's a waste of time getting upset because one person doesn't believe in feeding their child the same way you do yours. Both breast and formula are acceptable ways to feed your baby, for whatever reason you choose.

But why do we think we have to tuck our sexuality away or forever mourn a body changed by childbirth and raising a family to have a smoking hot sex life that we can feel good about?

More on the topic:
Blundell explains her article: "My motivation behind writing this feature was to give a voice to those many women who simply do not want to breastfeed, and as a result of this choice have felt guilty, alienated and distressed"

source: timesonline.typepad.com

Breastfeeding: How to Beat the Booby Traps ‎

2010-06-28T07:24:00.000-07:00

When it comes to late pregnancy worries, breastfeeding tends to come in pretty high on the list. Usually right after birth. Sometimes even higher.

The Best For Babes foundation is dedicated to helping women breastfeed in a whole new way: by pitching it from a positive place rather than focusing on fears and guilt. Best For Babes describes itself as “Giving Breastfeeding a Makeover”, and it’s clear from the first glimpse of their ads that this is not your mother’s breastfeeding group. (Then again,if more of our mothers had breastfeeding groups, there might be less for Best For Babes to do around here.)

The high-design campaign focuses on the value of breastfeeding in a light and witty way. At the same time, they’re hoping to raise awareness of the specific snafus women tend to encounter in their early attempts to breastfeed. You may be surprised to find you’ve already encountered some of these “booby traps” during your pregnancy…

Booby Traps is what Best For Babes calls the counterproductive forces a pregnant and new mom has to work around to successfully breastfeed. One example: Lack of education. What new moms don’t know about breastfeeding can sometimes hurt their chances of success. When the challenges get too great, no amount of cheerleading or fearmongering will help. If you’d like to breastfeed, early education is the best possible thing you can do to help yourself along in the process. But in the days and weeks after birth, things can get crazy, and moms often don’t get the support they need to climb the early learning curve.

This tactic seems so much more effective than most of the campaigns I’ve seen, which seem either soft -focus unrealistic or downright scary, especially for moms who don’t end up breastfeeding for whatever reason. Though there are some mothers who are able to get nursing going with little trouble, for many more it’s a hard start and support is crucial.
source: blogs.babble.com

6 months of breast milk best for babies

2010-06-28T07:21:00.000-07:00

NEW YORK, June 27, (RTRS): Babies are less likely to develop a respiratory or gastrointestinal infection if they are exclusively breastfed for at least 6 months, according to a Dutch study.
These findings, reported in the journal Pediatrics, support the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendation that infants be breastfed exclusively for 6 months and support “current health-policy strategies that promote exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months in industrialized countries,” the researchers conclude.
Dr HenriÎtte A. Moll and colleagues at the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam analyzed health data on roughly 4,100 infants born in Rotterdam between 2002 and 2006.
They looked at whether the babies were breast fed, and until what age; whether they were given other foods and at what age, and whether they were treated for any common infections such as serious colds, ear or throat infections, pneumonia, bronchitis, or stomach flu.
In the first 6 months of life, nearly half of all the infants had a respiratory tract infection and nearly 8 percent had a gastrointestinal infection. Between 7 months and a year, 37 percent of the infants had a respiratory tract infection and 9 percent had a stomach bug.
“We observed protective effects of breastfeeding on infectious diseases mainly in the first 6 months of life,” the researchers report. “Exclusive breastfeeding until age 6 months tended to be more protective, than exclusive breastfeeding until age 4 months.”
In the first 6 months, exclusive breastfeeding cut the risk of respiratory tract infections by about two-thirds, while exclusive breastfeeding for 4 months cut the risk by one third to a half. The reduction in risk from exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months was less pronounced in the second half of the first year of life.
Exclusive breastfeeding — whether 4 or 6 months — appeared to have a less dramatic effect in reducing the risk of developing gastrointestinal infections, especially in the second half of the first year.
The study pulled data from a large population of children that allowed the researchers to adjust for factors that could have an impact on infection rates such as family history of asthma, mite allergies, and smoking in the household.
Breastfeeding rates have been trending upward since 1993 in the United States, with the steepest jump seen most recently among African American women. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 77 percent of infants born between 2005 and 2006 were breastfed at some point compared to 60 percent in 1993.
The largest drop-off in breastfeeding occurs when women return to work, a fact Moll believes must be addressed by “translating the study results into practice.”
She favors extending maternity leave to 4 to 6 months after the birth of a child and creating for working women “adequate facilities to continue breastfeeding.” Failing that, breast pumps can be used to express mother’s milk for use later.
A recent study found that $13 billion could be saved annually if 90 percent of U.S. mothers would exclusively breastfeed for 6 months. The findings were disputed by the infant formula industry group, International Formula Council, which said the researchers failed the account for the many costs of breastfeeding such as training mothers, time off from the job and setting aside space at the worksite.
Not so, says Dr Ruth Lawrence, chair of American Academy of Pediatrics’ Section on Breastfeeding.
“From a practical standpoint, it’s to an employers benefit to facilitate breastfeeding,” she told Reuters Health, adding that the study by Moss and colleagues adds to research that shows that breastfed babies are healthier babies.
“Absenteeism of parents of bottle-fed babies is extremely high and that’s costly to an industry and it’s a lot cheaper to facilitate breastfeeding,” Lawrence said.
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Pregnancy: The fewer babies a pregnant woman carries, the more likely she is to bring a healthy one home from the hospital, suggests a new study.
The findings may prompt a woman bearing identical twins plus one or more additional fetuses, a relatively common scenario after in vitro fertilization (IVF), to consider removing the risky twin pair in order to save the solo siblings, researchers say.
“Singletons are always our goal,” lead researcher Dr Alan Copperman, director of reproductive endocrinology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, told Reuters Health. “We know that twins do better than triplets, and we know that singletons do better than twins.”
Due to the embryo split that defines identical twins, he explained, one of the pair may receive less blood flow than its brother or sister. This can lead to a greater chance of premature delivery, developmental abnormalities and even death. Add another fetus, and there is even less to go around and more chances for problems.
While earlier studies have tracked the rate of identical twins from pregnancies after assisted reproduction to more than double that of natural conceptions, information on outcomes has been lacking. “We were too often forced to rely on anecdotal experience in making recommendations to our patients,” noted Copperman.
This inspired he and colleagues to delve into a dataset of nearly 3,500 pregnancies conceived by IVF between 2002 and 2008. About 72 of the pregnancies (about 2 percent) included identical twins, and about half of these women carried at least one additional fetus.
In almost a third of the pregnancies, identical twins were completely aborted by the woman’s body. Another 4 percent were naturally reduced to just one fetus.
If neither occurred spontaneously within the first trimester, most of the women with three or more fetuses had her identical twins surgically aborted. Every one of these women subsequently gave birth to at least one healthy baby.
Babies born to women who underwent natural or surgical reductions had significantly longer gestation, greater birth weights and lower risks of stillbirth than babies who survived after sharing the womb with multiple other fetuses, the researchers report in the journal Fertility and Sterility.
The reduction procedure is typically covered by health insurance, Copperman noted, since companies realize it will likely keep the pregnancy’s overall costs down. IVF itself runs between about $10,000 and $12,000 per cycle, and is often covered by insurance as well.
In an email to Reuters Health, Dr C. Matthew Peterson of the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, who was not involved in the research, said that although the study does raise concerns regarding identical twins in IVF pregnancies, a larger and more detailed study is needed to draw any real conclusions.
Copperman added that doctors should be sensitive in talking about options for pregnancy reductions.
“It’s not something to be taken lightly,” he said. “Reduced pregnancies may do extremely well, but that doesn’t mean people can’t have healthy twins or even triplets. It should all be part of the dialogue between patient and physician.”source: www.arabtimesonline.com

Kim Kardashian under fire for breastfeeding Tweet

2010-06-22T02:31:00.000-07:00

source: www.salon.com

Reality star and diet pill spokesmodel Kim Kardashian took to Twitter on June 18 to complain about a fellow restaurant patron's behavior. "EWW Im at lunch,the woman at the table next 2 me is breast feeding her baby with no coverup then puts baby on the table and changes her diaper [sic]," she wrote. No one can argue with the gross-out factor of a diaper change while dining, but commenters criticized Kardashian for being insensitive about breastfeeding.

She defended herself the next day, Tweeting, "My sister breast feeds! Its a natural beautiful thing, there's nothing wrong w it, but she covers herself, not w her boobs exposed [sic]." Us Magazine points out that two days later on her sisters' show "Kourtney and Khloe Take Miami," that sister pumped her breast milk on camera after a night of partying to test it for alcohol.

I'm not going to question the inconsistencies in the opinions held by the First Family of reality television about the distinction between public and private. But here's an interesting breastfeeding story: A woman in an Oklahoma water park was recently asked to cover up or move while nursing on an island in a pool. Since state law says that women can breastfeed in public without covering up, officials turned to another park rule: no food or drink allowed by the pool. Really.

Below, watch Kourtney Kardashian show off her breast pump on E! before her big night out.

50 things you can do with your breasts

2010-06-14T21:20:00.000-07:00

Sure, you let your breasts roam free when you unhook your bra at night, but you’re missing out if that’s the only time. “Enjoying your breasts helps you feel confident about your body because you’re embracing who you are,” says Debby Herbenick, PH.D., author of Because It Feels Good. “It also boosts your comfort level during sex, helping you orgasm more often.” There’s no arguing with that logic, so we crafted a master list of sexy ways to maximise your assets.

1 Go braless and wear a silk, satin or combed-cotton tee—it’ll feel amazing brushing against your skin all day.

2 When you’re lounging together on the couch reading or watching TV, guide his hand inside your bra and have him lightly scratch your breasts with his fingertips.

3 Clasp your hands behind your back and pull them away from your body, slowly rotating to the left and right to give the twins a nice stretch.

4 Make them fuller: shower and exfoliate. Cup your breasts and let the water hit them directly. It helps the circulation to your breasts making them fuller as well as more perky after a shower. Put petroleum jelly on your nipples to make sure they keep their natural color.

5 Master the art of using doublesided tape. The secret: Stick one-inch strips of tape a quarter inch away from the edge of your clothes. It keeps everything in place but still looks natural.
6 For a sexy sensation the next time you’re getting busy in bed, get your guy to try this technique with his hand: make a V with his index and middle fingers, and lightly scissor them around your nipples.

7 This trick really makes your boobs look voluptuous: stand in front of a mirror under an overhead light, and sweep bronzer over the dark areas underneath and between your breasts. Deepening the shadows that they create gives the impression of fuller breasts.

8 Slip your guy a mint presex, and have him lick your nipples when you start orgasms.

9 Apply lotion, and treat the girls to a sensual massage. Using a circular motion and medium pressure, rub from the base of your boobs up along the outer edges, stopping just below your armpits. Then place your hands on your breastbone, and work your way across the center of your chest, out towards the sides of your body.

10 Have him trace a figure eight stretching around both nipples while giving you a deep, steamy kiss.

11 Cook dinner topless, apply a little tomato sauce to your nipple (make sure it’s not too hot), and ask your man if it’s spicy enough.

12 Experiment with different textures during foreplay to see what feels best against the girls’ sensitive skin. Get creative with whatever’s around the house, having him trail things like a silk scarf, leather glove, or velour blanket over your breasts.

13 Overheated at the beach? Slip an ice cube out of your drink, and glide it over your cleavage.

14 Want to go braless to a party or bar? You can avoid the smuggling raisins effect by sticking on nipple concealers (try Kunchals, New Delhi).

15 Slather the twins with delicious lotion, like Fresh Line’s fruity lotions, to give him a scented surprise treat next time he’s in the vicinity.

16 Score a sexy, rosy glow by dotting on a pinkish-red stain, like Body Shop’s Lip and Cheek stain. Dab a small amount around your areolae and nipples, and blend well.

17 Grab your vibrator while the two of you are in bed, and run it back and forth across your breasts and nipples for an added jolt of pleasure.

18 Use them to give your guy a sensual back rub. And go crazy with the massage oil.

19 Dust a light coating of baby powder between your boobs to keep them dry when you work up a sweat at the gym.

20 When you want to go clutch-free, stick your ID and credit card in your cleavage. Try La Senza’s range of push-up bras—they add up to two full cup sizes—for a night out.

21 Relax and lose yourself. Ditch your top in the sauna at the gym, and just close your eyes.

22 Humid summer weather can trigger boob sweat and clog your girls’ pores. Give yourself an exfoliating breast facial: wrap them in a hot towel, spastyle, for a couple of minutes. Then rub on a gentle body scrub. Rinse and finish up by applying a moisturiser for sensitive skin.

23 When you’re feeling sore around your period, wrap a refrigerated raw lettuce leaf around each breast and hold it there until it wilts.

24 Give your chest a healthy glow by brushing shimmer powder over your breasts.

25 Covertly flash him in an empty stairwell before a party, during a hike, or in your car in the parking lot....

26 Strip to your undies, and perfect your practically topless pose (experiment with different hip tilts and angles) in front of the mirror. Then use it to greet him at the front door.

27 Do a topless solo photo shoot, and hide the evidence. When you’re 70, you’ll love to look back at how awesome they were.

28 Re-create a much comfier version of Madonna’s infamous cone bra in the bubble bath.

29 Banish uniboob by treating your breasts to a sexier sports bra (we like Marks and Spencer) the next time you go for a run or play tennis.

30 Dare him to unhook your bra without using his hands.

31 Sunbathe topless with your girlfriends—just don’t forget to apply a minimum of SPF 45 sunscreen.

32 Draw an attention-grabbing circle around your nipples using rhinestones and body glue for a special night in.

33 Wrap a cool, damp washcloth around each one after running errands on a hot day.

34 Stand in front of your bathroom mirror, and have your guy cup your breasts from behind, mimicking Janet Jackson’s famous Rolling Stone semi-nude cover shot.

35 Throw a few new pectoral-muscle exercises into your workout, and admire how perky these new moves make your tatas look.

36 Go braless on a night out, and wear a low-cut shirt so it’s obvious.

37 Put temporary tattoos of his name around your nipples, and give him a peek when you bend forward in an undone button-up.

38 Take a trip to an expensive lingerie boutique to try on the fancy new arrivals. Pick an item that really plays up your breasts, and splurge for the good cause.

39 Stick on nipple tassels, and practice swinging them (hint: It’s all in the knees). Use your newfound talent to put on a sexy show for your man.

40 Mandate ‘topless sleep’ once a week to give the twins some breathing room.

41 Try a new kind of wake-up call: lightly brush your nipples across his stomach and chest to get both of you in the mood for morning sex.

42 Make a donation to the Cancer Foundation of India in honour of your boobs.

43 Smooth on sunscreen, then spritz body oil between the twins to give them a sexy poolside sheen.

44 Work a front-closure corset top to maximise your cleavage on girl’s night out.

45 Hide tickets to that baseball game your guy’s been dying to go to in your bra, and tell him to go hunting for hidden treasure.

46 Work silicone bra inserts in a tank top for a day, and keep a tally of all the men who stare at your cleavage.

47 Strategically place rose petals over your bare nipples just before he comes to bed.

48 Measure your boobs during your period to see how much bigger they get during that time of the month.

49 Visit the Jersey Shore nickname generator at www.unlikelywords. com, and find out what their names would be. Princess of Paramus and The Tan-trum? Fabulous.

50 Prop up a mirror next to your bed, lie down on your back with your top half hanging off, and marvel at just how awesome your boobs look from a whole new angle.
source: http://cosmo.intoday.in

Breastfeeding Moms Found to Have Vitamin D Deficiency, Study Finds

2010-06-14T21:19:00.000-07:00

We all know breastfeeding is best for mom and baby. But moms have to continue to practice excellent self care, by eating well while breastfeeding. A recent study found as many as two of three mothers in Cincinnati, Ohio, who breastfeed had insufficient blood levels of Vitamin D. In addition, three of four one-month-old infants whose mother breastfeed had Vitamin D insufficiency, according to the study by the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.

"Mothers who are Vitamin D deficient produce little or no Vitamin D in her milk and are unable to give a baby all of the Vitamin D that he needs," says Adekunle Dawodu, M.D., a physician in the Center for Global Child Health at Cincinnati Children's and lead author of the study. "Mothers and babies who breastfeed need Vitamin D supplements to ensure optimum health."

Dr. Dawodu presented his study recently at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies in Vancouver, Canada.

The study focused on 120 mother-infant pairs who were enrolled in a global human milk research collaborative. The prevalence of Vitamin D insufficiency in mothers was 66.4 percent at four weeks postpartum and the prevalence of deficiency was 16.8 percent at four weeks. The prevalence of insufficiency in infants was 76 percent at four weeks and the prevalence of deficiency was 18 percent.

Major results of Vitamin D deficiency include brittle bones, rickets and increased risk of respiratory infections. Vitamin D deficiency is particularly high among African Americans, so black women have to extra vigilant.

"In addition to taking Vitamin D supplements, people can also make sure they are getting modest sunlight exposure," Dr. Dawodu says.

Your commitment to having a healthy baby and a healthy you doesn't stop at delivery. Breastfeeding moms have to continue to eat well, drink plenty of fluids and take vitamin supplements, if necessary, to maintain their own optimal health.

The Black Maternal Health Project is all about embracing the mother, and just as important, asking more mothers, breastfeeding or not, to do a better job of embracing themselves.source: www.womensenews.org

Breastfeeding help for mums-to-be

2010-06-14T21:16:00.000-07:00

Jun 14 2010 by Lynn Jolly, Paisley Daily Express

MUMS-TO-BE and those who have just given birth can now get breastfeeding advice by texting other women as part of a phone buddying scheme.

The Breastfeeding Network gives women the chance to get information, help and support from volunteers who have been through the experience themselves.

To get involved, women simply send a text to 0753 209 2713 and they are then paired up with a ‘buddy’ who will contact them during the pregnancy to answer queries, as well as offering crucial support in the early weeks when breastfeeding a new baby can be a struggle.

Women can also be introduced to other mums who are breastfeeding and can share their highs and lows with mums at ‘Breast Buddies’ groups across Renfrewshire.

The texting scheme was officially launched in County Square, Paisley, and has been praised by mums who are already using it.

Houston woman Kirsty Hopkins, who is mum to six-year-old Rachel and two-year-old Evin, went along to the Breast Buddies group in Johnstone and was hugely impressed by the support on offer.

Kirsty, 37, explained: “I breastfed my first child but didn’t have much support and gave up after six weeks. With Evin, I went to Johnstone Breast Buddies and I got great support there.

“Even when everything is going well, it can be hard. Evin wasn’t feeding as well as he could have been but the group gave me the encouragement to keep going.

“I think the texting service is great because it is something you can do at any time and it means help is always there.

“Again, it is for encouragement and to direct people to other sources of help and groups.”

Kirsty was encouraged to become a helper and is now training to be a supporter for the Breastfeeding Network support line.

All Breastfeeding Network phone buddies are local mums who have completed peer support training and have been involved with women at groups across Renfrewshire.

General guidelines are that texts should be answered within two hours and mums’ details will be kept entirely confidential.

Debbie Goodfellow, 17, is mum to eight-month-old Paige and she went along to the Johnstone Breast Buddies group at 25 weeks pregnant.

“I went along to see what was in store for me,” said Debbie, from Johnstone.

“I got a lot of good advice on positioning and we got to practice with a wee doll, which helped.

“I went every week and then, when Paige was two weeks old, I went to the group and fed for the first time outside my own house. It really was brilliant for support.

“Now I text quite a lot. I think it is a good way to ask for help because people like texting these days and it is less awkward than calling.”

Carole Anderson, an expert in infant feeding with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, said the important thing is that mums-to-be and new mums know that help is available.

She said: “The texting has been going for around six months and is a great way to inform mums about services.”

* To find your nearest breastfeeding supporter, call the Breastfeeding Network support line on 0300 100 0210. You can also speak to the National Breastfeeding Helpline team on 0300 100 0212 or log on to www.breastfeedingnetwork.org.uksource: www.paisleydailyexpress.co.uk

Father’s Day, Bed Rest, and Breastfeeding Tips

2010-06-14T21:13:00.000-07:00

# Breastfeeding might be natural, but it’s not always easy. If this is your first time breastfeeding, avoid trouble spots with LilSugar’s readers’ top 10 breastfeeding tips.

# “Yes, I will do anything for this baby. Even if anything means nothing,” writes Melina Sempill Watts at Motherlode of her two month stint on bed rest. Being confined to the bed or couch is a difficult sentence for busy moms. If you’ve been put on bed rest, how did you deal with the boredom and inactivity?

# Baby’s first pratfall, baby’s first lemon, baby’s first guitar solo: These aren’t milestones that will make their way into the baby book, but they’re pretty cute nonetheless. Check out Momlogic’s gallery of baby’s unusual “firsts.”

# Summer babies turn into school-age kids with summer birthdays, leaving parents with the common dilemma: Put them in kindergarten or wait a year? Read about one mom’s decision to hold her daughter back another year.

# Father’s Day is this Sunday, June 20th. If you haven’t done your shopping yet, Parents Ask has some suggestions for men who like to smell good.source: cosmo.intoday.in

Does breast milk have to come directly from the breast?

2010-06-09T20:02:00.000-07:00

June 9, 2010 by JEAN ENERSEN

They call it nature’s gold. Research shows breast milk is best for building immunity, preventing disease and even fighting obesity.

But does breast milk have to come directly from the breast? A growing group of moms say no.

Four-year-old Owen Knauer loves his PB&J, but as a baby, he got breast milk

"Breastfeeding is less expensive. It is natural and it's healthier," said Cheryl Knauer, Owen's mom.

But Cheryl had difficulty, so she turned to a pump instead. She said she felt it would just be a short amount of time until breast feeding was established, but it took much longer.

"Originally, we felt it would just be a short amount of time until we got breast feeding established, but because of the problems that we had, it winded up being a long term solution," she said.

Now a new generation of moms are exclusively pumping and feeding their babies breast milk -- exclusively from the bottle.

Dr. Lori Feldman-Winter, of the American Academy of Pediatrics and professor of pediatrics at Cooper University Hospital, says it’s a growing trend.

"They feel a little embarrassed to be out in public. And, so, they feel that if they can express their milk and feed their milk in a bottle, then they will be more acceptable as a cultural norm," said Feldman-Winter.

Some say pumping is more convenient, especially when it's time to go back to work.

"I was able to find a lot of support online," said Cheryl.

When it comes to breast milk, is there a different between breast and bottle? Preliminary research out of Temple University found pre-school children who had been breastfed could more easily determine when they were full than those who were fed breast milk from a bottle.

"There is a big tendency to overfeed breast milk that has been pumped because it took so much effort and energy to express that milk that you hate to waste any," said Feldman-Winter.

And officials at the breastfeeding group La Leche League say by exclusively pumping, moms and babies may be missing out on a benefit or two. But in the end, both the American Academy of Pediatrics and the La Leche League officially support a woman's choice to breastfeed from a bottle.source: www.king5.com

Do X-rays & other radiation contribute to breast cancer? New studies

2010-06-09T19:52:00.000-07:00

June 9, 2010 By AnneHart

UC Davis Breast Cancer Program in the Sacramento regional area has a clinical trials program. For those with breast cancer, the program is one of the largest in the country that also offers patients access to the newest drugs and pioneering therapies before they become widely available. Ironically, today, June 9, 2010, a new report has been published from the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab). That's not the University of California, Berkeley.

Check out the Berkeley Lab Media Report: Study shows how radiation causes breast cancer. That's U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab). How many people actually thought that the radiation they received at different times of their life actually caused the breast cancer? But does it really? Radiation is not the major cause of breast cancer.

The findings and studies seem to conflict between what patients are told and what is being studied based on previous study results. It's the altered cells that are being studied. And to alter the cells, scientists used ionizing radiation.

Also see the UC Davis news article, April 10, 2010, "Finding, destroying cancer stem cells may lead to cures." Not too long ago, the idea that stem cells could give rise to tumors was only a theory. The hypothesis was that cancer stem cells had the unique ability to evade the lethal effects of radiation and chemotherapy because those treatments target rapidly dividing cells.

Cancer stem cells, however, could lay dormant, recur and spread, making the cancer difficult to cure. Today, mounting evidence supports that theory. UC Davis researchers are among those looking for cancer stem cells and working on ways to destroy them. Their work offers new hope for curing some of the deadliest forms of the disease, says Jan Nolta, director of the UC Davis Stem Cell Program.

How does radiation possibly cause breast cancer?

Also, according to a June 9, 2010 article in NaturalNews, "Study Shows How Radiation Causes Breast Cancer," by S.L. Baker, features writer, a study at Cornell University published back in January 2005 published in Fact Sheet #52, "Ionizing Radiation and Breast Cancer Risk," showed how it's well-established that exposure to ionizing radiation can trigger mutations and other genetic damage and cause normal cells to become malignant.

Mainstream medicine frequently dismisses the idea that medical imaging tests from mammograms to CT scans could play much of a role in causing breast cancer. Check out the web site for Cornell University's Program on Breast Cancer and Environmental Risk Factors. See, Breast Cancer and Environmental Risk Factors.

In answer to the question "Is ionizing radiation a cause of breast cancer?" Cornell experts say "Yes" and note "... female breast tissue is highly susceptible to radiation effects." Are you concerned with the possible hazard from mammography x-rays?

What do you think--should or should not the radiation cancer risk be a factor in individual decisions to undergo this procedure? The same is true for most diagnostic x-ray procedures. Maybe you're tired of your dentist using old-fashioned X-ray machines when you get your full-mouth X-rays every five years. When you ask, you're told the radiation exposure is 'medium' not low.

Did you notice your gums shrinking after one of the older machines with a medium amount of radiation started changing the genes in your gums or perhaps your teeth started to soften or crumble? Can you ever know the answer to that when your dentist insists on full-head X-rays before you can get a cleaning--just because insurance firms pay for the full-head X-rays every five years? (And your dentist can't afford digital X-rays or tells you they're not clear enough or another excuse?)

Few publications are linking any problems to full-head dental X-rays on older model X-ray machines that deliver 70 to 80 percent more radiation than digital X-rays. But dentists planning to retire from one-person offices may not want to spend money for a newer type of machine. Still, those X-rays should not be required, especially of older persons who've had frequent X-rays since their youth, to get a cleaning or simple exam when there's no decay or pain. Or should they? What do you think? Radiation builds up.

Cornell studies warn you that "unnecessary radiation exposures should be avoided and continued vigilance is required to ensure that the benefits associated with specific procedures outweigh the future risks."

Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have discovered that radiation exposure can alter cells' microenvironment (the environment surrounding cells). And that greatly raises the odds future cells will become cancerous. The study indicated that "ionizing radiation can promote the outgrowth of epigenetically altered cells with pre-malignant potential."

The reason is that signals from a cell's microenvironment, altered by radiation exposure, can cause a cell's phenotype (made up of all its biochemical and physical characteristics) to change by regulating or de-regulating the way a cell uses its genes. The result can be a cell that not only becomes pre-cancerous but that passes this pre-malignant condition on to future cells.

Sure, you need to find out whether you have breast cancer early on. And your doctor will probably tell you to get mammograms when you need them. However, a report published in the Journal of the American Medical Association's Archives of Internal Medicine found that the start of screening mammography programs throughout Europe has been associated with increased incidence of breast cancer. Also check out the Johns Hopkins study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute concluded radiation exposure from mammograms could trigger malignancies in women at risk for genetic breast cancer ). See the study, "Promotion of variant human mammary epithelial cell outgrowth by ionizing radiation: an agent-based model supported by in vitro studies." Risk factors either increase or decrease the chance of getting cancer. Risk factors are not necessarily things that cause cancer.

The problem is that in most medical offices, you can't get certain treatments, such as a dental cleaning unless you're exposed to ionizing radiation from medical sources--full-head X-rays every five years just because that's what most insurance companies will pay for and not sooner.

In fact, ionizing radiation may be the most studied cancer-causing agent in humans with scientific committees on radiation continuously reviewing and evaluating adverse health outcomes for over 70 years. But radiation is not the major cause of breast cancer. The studies at various labs going on currently and in the past are about how radiation may cause breast cancer.

UC Davis studies are with invasive breast cancer stem cells

Scientists discovered breast cancer stem cells in invasive cancer in 2003. UC Davis professor of radiation oncology Jian-Jian "JJ" Li is working to understand how invasive breast cancer stem cells become resistant to radiation therapy, according to the April 21, 2010 UC Davis news article, "Finding, destroying cancer stem cells may lead to cures."

"We are the first to show that breast cancer cells that are initially susceptible to radiation undergo changes during treatment so that they become resistant to treatment," explains Li, who also is director of translational research for the Department of Radiation Oncology.

Li's work focuses on a particular kind of invasive cancer called HER2-negative breast cancer. HER2 stands for human epidermal growth factor receptor-2. Approximately 15 to 20 percent of breast cancer tumors test positive for this cell-surface protein. It is associated with increased disease recurrence and worse prognoses, and is treated with a drug (trastuzumab, marketed as Herceptin) that targets those cells.

Li's work showed that HER2-negative breast cancers can become HER2-positive during radiation treatment. He is focused on targeting these radiotherapy-resistant cells. "If we can do that, we can tremendously improve the efficacy of breast cancer treatment," he says.

Cells that cause invasive breast cancer in humans most likely arise as precancerous stem cells found in milk ducts, a team led by Alexander Borowsky reported in Breast Cancer Research last year, according to the UC Davis news article, Finding, destroying cancer stem cells may lead to cures. "Our work shows that programmed cancer stem cells are already present at the earliest stage of breast cancer," says Borowsky in that article. Borowsky is an associate professor of pathology and laboratory medicine who holds a joint appointment at the UC Davis Center for Comparative Medicine.

This early form of breast cancer is called DCIS, or ductal carcinoma in situ. In DCIS, abnormal cells multiply and form a growth within a milk duct of the breast. DCIS is noninvasive and is usually easily treated with breast-conserving surgery and radiation. If it is not completely treated, however, it may give rise to potentially lethal invasive breast cancer, which infiltrates surrounding breast tissue and can metastasize to other parts of the body.

Borowsky did his work in mice, first by developing the mouse model of human DCIS. The mice reveal that breast cancer outcomes can be programmed in the pre-cancer stem cells. He is now working to use breast cancer stem cells collected from DCIS biopsies as diagnostic tools to predict cancer behavior and eventually to tailor therapies to improve patient outcomes.

"Detection of DCIS by improved imaging technology is rapidly increasing," he says. "Some of these women whose breast cancer is caught in this earliest stage may be better treated with drug or hormonal therapy, whereas others may need more aggressive surgical and radiation treatment."
source: www.allvoices.com

Preemie moms breastfeeding

2010-06-08T04:21:00.000-07:00

A clinic set up six months ago at St. Joseph's Hospital is reporting initial success in its drive to have mothers of premature babies breastfeed their infants.

"We were pleasantly surprised to see how many of these women are breast feeding successfully," said Dr. Orlanda da Silva, a neonatologist at St. Joseph's.

The Post Discharge Nutrition Clinic was set up after a London study found most mothers of premature babies had stopped breast feeding after a few months.

"By four months, less than 50% of them were providing some form of breast milk, very few were providing full breast feeding and some were providing breast milk plus supplementation from formulas. The rate of stopping was alarmingly high," said da Silva.

Data from the nutrition clinic will be collected for a year and analyzed, but staff have already found noted few participants have quit breast feeding.

Da Silva estimates about 90% will still be providing their babies with breast milk at four months.

"That is extremely high compared to data from the province," he said.

Breast milk is particularly important for premature babies, assisting their growth and helping fight infections -- but it's a challenge.

"They don't have the skills, they don't have the co-ordination, they don't have the strength to suckle as well a term baby," said da Silva.

They also don't provide their mothers with the same cues that they need to be fed.

"When you have a 3.5 kilo baby, when he goes home when he is hungry he screams his little head it is time to feed and the mother knows. With the preemie, it is more subtle," da Silva said.

Mothers of premature babies are often worried that they aren't providing enough milk.

To assist mothers, the clinic meets with them one week after discharge from hospital and then monthly, or more often if there are problems, for six months. At each clinic visit, data is collected on the infant's weight, length and head circumference.

There's also a hotline parents can call if they have concerns.

"The goal is to make sure the babies are growing appropriately and the mothers are supported. We show them proper techniques to breast feed and really help them and reassure them the babies are gaining weight properly."
source: www.lfpress.com

Medicines: Nursing mothers need to be conscious of safety

2010-06-08T04:17:00.000-07:00

Although it is a rare case when a woman needs to stop breastfeeding in order to take a drug, nonetheless, experts warn that just as when they were pregnant, breast-feeding mothers need to monitor the drugs they take, which could reach their babies, reports Sade Oguntola.

QUITE often, there is a need to decide whether a mother who is breast-feeding and who needs treatment with drugs can take the necessary medication and still continue breast-feeding safely. Many mothers who have heard the saying, “breast is best” may worry that the medications they take for diseases like diabetes might pass into their breast milk.

Many are the times a breast-feeding woman who is expecting a baby is compelled to take some medication for a short term need such as a headache, or malaria or a long term illness such as diabetes or hypertension.

Just as pain killers like aspirin that she may take for body aches may get into the baby through breast milk and result in bleed or sores, antihistamines for catarrh may make the baby overly drowsy or cause changes in her/his sleep patterns.

Most medications are safe in breast feeding but a few are not. Just as when they were pregnant, breast-feeding mums need to monitor the drugs they take, which could reach their infants. But it is a rare case when a woman needs to stop breast feeding in order to take a drug.

The UNICEF and the World Health Organisation in their 11th WHO model list of essential drugs took the safety of nursing babies into consideration in their classification of medicines. Essentially, the drugs classified as compatible with breast feeding are those that have no known or theoretical contraindications for their use, and it is considered safe for the mother to take the drug and continue to breastfeed.

Some are classified as compatible or safe with breast feeding, even though the baby needs to be monitored to ensure there are no side effects such as difficulty in breathing, drowsiness, sores, itching and scratching or restlessness. Drugs in this group are those that could theoretically cause side effects in the infant but have either not been observed to do so or have only occasionally caused mild side effects.

In some cases, some medicines are not supposed to be taken by a breast-feeding mother because the side effects in a child could be serious; it may reduce breast milk production or toxic to the system of the developing child. Also, the safety of certain drugs also depends on the age of the infant.

Prescribing medications for a breast-feeding mother requires weighing the benefits of medication use for the mother against the risk of not breast-feeding the infant or the potential risk of exposing the infant to medications. A drug that is safe for use during pregnancy may not be safe for the nursing infant.

Mr. Bakare, a community pharmacist at the Troy Health, Idi-Ape, Ibadan, Oyo State, explained that just as the number of nursing mothers continues to increase, so does the use of drugs, both legal and recreational.

According to him, nearly all drugs pass into the human milk in small amounts, usually less than one per cent of the amount in the nursing mother’s blood, adding that what gets into the breast milk depends on several factors such as the concentration of the drug in the mother’s blood, its route of administration, the amount taken and how often the medicine was used.

Medicines are used as tablets, capsules, injections, ear or nose drops, as an inhalation or as creams rubbed on the skin. However, medications which are inhaled or applied to the eyes or nose reach the milk in lesser amounts and more slowly than other routes and are almost always safe for nursing mothers. Similarly, medicines in tablet and capsule forms take a longer time to get into the milk, compared with those given as injections.

Mr. Bakare, pointing out that the higher the dosage of the medicine used by a nursing mother, the more the drug transferred into the breast milk, explained that how often the drug is used and the time interval with breast feeding and its use was equally important.

“The frequency and volume of feedings is also important because the baby who is nursed once or twice a day, and is supplemented the rest of the time, will receive less of a drug than the baby who is totally breastfed and may nurse between 10 and 12 times a day. A medication taken for weeks or months may have a greater impact on nursing than one taken for just a few days, just as medications taken 30 to 60 minutes before breast feeding are likely to reach a peak blood level when your baby nurses.

“In addition, premature infants have immature kidney and liver functions and may have trouble processing and eliminating even small quantities of drugs and so they may not be able to handle chemicals in the milk, as well as a baby who is several months old,” he said.

Furthermore, not all the drugs in the mother’s blood can get into the milk. According to Mr. Bakare, “the nature of the drug, how fat soluble the drug is and how long it takes for it to be eliminated from the body system would all affect how much of the drug is transferred into your milk.”

Meanwhile, Mr. Bakare offered these medication guidelines for breast-feeding mothers:

• Only take a medication if you really need it. Consider alternative, non-drug therapies if possible.

• If you have a choice, delay starting the drug until the baby is older. A drug which might cause problems for a newborn may be fine for an older, larger, more mature infant

• Take the lowest possible dose for the shortest possible time.

• Schedule the doses so that the lowest amount gets into the milk (take it soon after a feeding, preferably a night feeding, rather than right before nursing).

• Watch out for reactions such as sleepiness, rashes, diarrhea, colic, etc. Although reactions are rare, it is important to keep your doctor informed of any changes.

• If you must take a drug that is contraindicated, and no alternatives are available, get a good electric pump to maintain your milk supply if you need to wean for more than a day or two. Your supply will build up when the baby starts nursing again.

•Always read the medication labelling and package insertion for any precautions or warnings about taking the drug while breast feeding. Never hesitate to call your doctor, a lactation consultant, or your pharmacist if you have any concerns about taking a medication while you are breast feeding.

source:

Public Breastfeeding Naysayers: Your Guide On How to Deal With the Sight of a Baby Eating

2010-06-08T04:16:00.001-07:00

My friend amileegirl was inspired to write a journal about nursing in public -- after getting very annoyed by reading some people's thoughts on it. You know, the majority of Americans disapproving of it. Yeah. Lame.

Amileegirl says it better than most. So I present to you her guide on what to do when you see another breastfeeding in public.

When a mother is breastfeeding her child in a public space, these simple courtesies will help you in any situation.

1. When you happen to see a mother feeding and you make eye contact but are unsure of what to do, just smile (perhaps give a nod). CAUTION: Do not grin, she may get the impression you are a perv.

2. When you happen to get flashed (as can happen with a mobile, fussy, or curious baby), do not panic. It was an accident, not a deliberate attempt to ruin your lunch. The world survived Janet's wardrobe malfunction and your eyes will not bleed and your dinner will not spoil. After all, there is that other table with the public display of thong that you are ignoring quite nicely. Remember that your eyes are on her breasts, but her breasts aren't on your table. Turn your eyes back to your plate and resume eating.

3. When you happen to see that a mother sitting near you is struggling, sweating, and looks about to cry because the hooter hideawayer is not pleasing the baby, you can: Offer to put the titty-tent over your own head, or you can tell her not to worry about the cover and offer to stand as a shield so that she can latch the baby with a bit more freedom.

4. When you feel the compulsion to scowl because your gaze wandered to a nursing mother, remember that you were born with a neck. Turn your head before you frown. Frowning causes wrinkles.

5. When you see a mother feeding her baby in the bathroom (and you happen to be under the impression that the bathroom makes for fine dining), offer to bring your soup and sandwich into the lavatory so that you can chit-chat in side by side commodes. Otherwise, assure her that she doesn't need to nurse in an unsanitary place. Inform her that other people just don't know proper etiquette and she isn't the one being offensive. Offer to walk her out of the cloud of stench into the fresh air.

6. When you see that a woman has more breast exposed than you think is decent, ask yourself these questions: Is it more than you see on a public beach? Is it more than the bra-less double-D Harvard college nymph in the size small tank top? If the answer is no, zip your lip and turn your head. After all, are you going to walk up to those other women and tell them to cover it up? Just because the breastfeeder looks like an easy target, it doesn't mean you need to aim and fire.

7. When you see that the feed-ee is older than you think they should be to be nursing, only say something or give a disapproving snort if you're willing to write a check on the spot for the cost of formula for the next year and a half. You may also offer a cashier's check, money order, pre-paid credit card, or cash.
thestir.cafemom.comsource:

Breast Massage

2010-05-26T22:33:00.000-07:00

The breasts are always a point of concern for women, a focus of physical feminine beauty. Aside from the need for the breasts to be healthy, most women desire to make their breasts appear beautiful – firm, shapely and perky. There are many women in the world who would not hesitate to spend thousands of dollars going through breast augmentation or breast reduction surgery or any other cosmetic procedure available just to get their breasts molded into the shape and size that they want.

To be in possession of a pair of healthy and lovely breasts, a woman does not always have to turn to surgery to attain this. Massaging a woman’s breasts is a practice that has been done for centuries in India and the Orient. Such a practice is documented in the Ayurveda, a medical system that originated in India and has been around for ages.

Breast massage can be tricky because breast tissues are quite delicate. However, if done properly and with exerting only moderate pressure, massaging the breasts are perfectly safe. Not only does massaging the breasts make them firmer, it also makes them healthier and aids in maintaining the balance of hormones in a woman’s body. The procedure is also quite simple.

A woman can massage her own breasts, but she can also have someone else do it for her. Naturally, this procedure requires baring the breasts and so it must be done in a private place. The woman can perform the massage lying or sitting down, whichever is more comfortable for her.

To avoid friction and discomfort, the lubrication of massage oil on the skin is also necessary. The application of the massage oil onto the breast is the first stage of the massage. The oil is applied in circular movements on the breast, with the direction going from the center of the chest towards the underarm area. Take care that only light pressure is exerted on the breast.

The second step to massaging the breast is done after the breast is fully covered in oil. The breast is to be kneaded gently by lifting it from the chest and pressing delicately with both hands. Alternately, with both hands holding the breast, the flesh should be twisted and wrung very gently.

After this, as the third step, the giver of the massage should try to scoop the fibers of the breast with utmost gentleness using the flat of the fingertips. The strokes should be done clockwise, and then counterclockwise.

As a last step, the flesh of the breast should be stroked and smoothened, with the direction of the fingertips going from the center away towards the side. This is the cooling down phase of the massage. When this is done, repeat all the steps on the other breast. The receiver should drink plenty of water afterwards.

Breast massage can be uncomfortable or even painful. This is why it is so important to exert only minimal pressure when massaging the breasts.

Massaging the breasts, however, is good for promoting their health and for giving it a firm and beautiful appearance.

Indeed, breast massage is one of the best ways to help create a more beautiful bustline by helping to shape, tone and promote growth of the breast and the area surrounding the breast. source: www.massageden.com

New mom with breast cancer denied EI sick benefits

2010-05-17T19:39:00.001-07:00

www.healthzone.ca

May 17, 2010 - Theresa Boyle

A new Toronto mother diagnosed with breast cancer says she is being given the runaround by the federal government, which has denied her employment insurance sickness benefits.

Natalya Rougas, 37, had planned on returning to work January 25, almost a year after giving birth to her son, Aristotelis. But in early January she was diagnosed with stage-three breast cancer and has since been undergoing treatment, including chemotherapy.

She was hoping to tap into Employment Insurance provisions that allow new mothers who become ill to get 15 weeks of sickness benefits on top of the 50 weeks of combined maternal-parental benefits they get. But her claim was rejected, leaving her baffled.

Rougas appealed the decision to the EI Board of Referees, an independent tribunal, which dismissed the case in a ruling last Friday. She is now planning to take her case to the EI Umpire, an independent arbitrator.

Rougas is scheduled to soon undergo a double mastectomy. With the terrible diagnosis and a busy toddler on her hands, she says the last thing she needs right now is a battle with the federal bureaucracy.

“After you receive a life-threatening diagnosis, you find yourself in this struggle. Besides the fact you have these health issues, you have to think of your financial needs as well,” she says.

Rougas’ claim was rejected in a February letter from Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, which offered this confusing explanation: “It is not enough for a person to demonstrate that they are incapable of work by reason of a prescribed illness, injury or quarantine, but also that they would be otherwise available for work. In your case, you cannot prove that if you were not sick you would be working because you were on parental leave.”

At Rougas’ Board of Referees hearing last Wednesday, HRSDC representative Herman Weima acknowledged that the statement “is not easy” to explain, adding that it is based on the “most misunderstood” and “misconstrued” piece of legislation that many people have tripped over.

Rougas was just as perplexed when she left the hearing: “It doesn’t make sense . . . if you’re on parental leave, you’re not eligible to get sick?”

Rougas’ MP Carolyn Bennett (St. Paul’s) and Laurel Ritchie, a CAW national representative and member of the Canadian Labour Congress' employment insurance committee, say there is a larger issue at stake here. The sickness benefits don’t appear to be going to mothers who fall ill in the year following their deliveries, they say. Only expectant mothers who become ill about 15 weeks prior to their due dates seem to get the benefit.

“This doesn’t make any sense in the real world where mothers can suffer complications from pregnancy, postpartum hysterectomies, postpartum depression, cancers and car accidents. This just is not humane,” Bennett says.

Ritchie, who has encountered a number of cases where mothers with postpartum depression have been denied the benefit, says the rejections fly in the face of the intent of the provision. It was introduced in 2002 following an amendment to the Employment Insurance Act with the aim of allowing new moms to make up for lost time bonding with their babies because of illness, she notes.

Ritchie argues that the confusion arises from the messy way in which the amendment was drafted and because of the narrow way in which it is being interpreted: “It is being interpreted increasingly to mean there is only one situation in which a mother could get a full 65 weeks of benefits and that is if an illness or injury occurs prior to birth.”

She points out that the narrow interpretations don’t even square with the HRSDC website, which says the provision is for mothers who claim sickness benefits prior to or “following” maternity or parental benefits.

“Where is the minister responsible for the status of women on this?” Ritchie demanded. “This is a problem that is begging for a solution.”

Even HRSDC employees are confused about the provision, says Rougas, explaining that she has been calling them since mid-January and getting conflicting information from different representatives.

She says she is fighting for the benefit because the extra money would go a long way to help her young family, now relying on the single income of her husband. It would amount to $6,000, or $400 for 15 weeks.

“My income has dropped but my expenses have grown because I have to pay for cancer drugs, and I have to hire a nanny for a couple of days every time I go for chemo because I need extra help taking care of my son.”

Breast-feeding may reduce post-immunization fever risk in infants

2010-05-17T19:38:00.001-07:00

source: www.pediatricsupersite.com

Infants who were exclusively breast-fed had less than half the risk for fever after immunization than infants who were not breast-fed, according to recent study results.

The prospective cohort study involved children who were vaccinated with diphtheria and tetanus toxoids and acellular pertussis vaccine adsorbed (Infanrix Hexa, GlaxoSmithKline) or pneumococcal conjugate vaccine seven-valent (Prevnar, Wyeth) at a pediatric vaccination center in Naples, Italy.

The researchers demonstrated how to measure and record infant temperature on the evening of the vaccination and instructed mothers to record temperatures for the subsequent three days. Results were obtained by telephone survey.

Adjustments for vaccine dose, maternal education, smoking and number of other children in the household were included in a multivariate analysis that determined the risk for fever in relation to the type of breast-feeding.

Complete information was reported for 450 infants. Fever occurred in 30 exclusively breast-fed infants who were being exclusively, 48 partially breast-fed infants and 94 infants who were not breast-fed at all (P=.01).

The RR for fever among infants who were exclusively breast-fed compared with those who were not breast-fed was 0.46 (95% CI, 0.33-0.66). Among infants who were partially breast-fed, the RR for fever compared with nonbreast-fed infants was 0.58 (95% CI, 0.44-0.77).

The protective effect of breast-feeding remained even after adjusting for confounding factors. When accounting for potential confounders, the adjusted RR for fever among exclusively breast-fed infants compared with nonbreast-fed infants was 0.38 (95% CI, 0.21- 0.73). Among partially breast-fed infants, the adjusted RR for fever compared with nonbreast-fed infants was 0.46 (95% CI, 0.27-0.84). – by Rob Volansky

Fashion keeps abreast of nursing moms' needs

2010-05-08T23:36:00.000-07:00

After years of catering to the celebrity bump, the clothing industry is finally providing breastfeeding women with the stylish clothes they deserve Soon after my first child was born, a common scene would be repeated in my life: I would be in a coffee shop having a much-needed latte while my baby would try to have me – without success. My clothes, as was typical in those days, were all wrong for breastfeeding, concealing the breast rather than easily revealing it.

So I'd invariably have to yank up my top, hiding the strip show behind a suffocating blanket that I held pinned under my chin until my neck muscles seized up.

My baby would snort and sputter, then bawl. I'd feel like following suit.

At the beginning of the last decade, formerly frumpy maternity wear suddenly became got glammed up – became sexy even – as spotting the celebrity “bump” became a favourite pastime of tabloid editors and star watchers. There was Kate Moss, Gwyneth Paltrow, Elizabeth Hurley. All made pregnancy chic. But no one – least of all the fashion industry – seemed to care what they were wearing after their babies were born. This was probably because nursing wear and style were mutually exclusive, as Britt Pegan of Ottawa began to appreciate after she gave birth to her first child nine years ago.

“I liked fashion and I wanted to breastfeed, but it seemed an oxymoron,” she recalls. “So I started investigating if any stylish breastfeeding wear was available in Canada and found there was practically nothing.”

continue to page 2

Fashion keeps abreast of nursing moms' needs - page 2

2010-05-07T23:41:00.000-07:00

The dearth gave Pegan an idea: Not much later, the former actress launched an online nursing wear company called Milkface (www.milkface.com). Focusing on stylish breastfeeding-friendly fashion, the company moved into a bricks-and-mortar store in Ottawa in 2006 and opened a second one last year. Pegan aims to expand the business across Canada this year, opening locations in Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver.

Nursing mother Patricia Bitaxi poses with two-week-old Bastien in a Boob brand breastfeeding singlet ($98 through www.evymama.ca).

“It is definitely on the rise and really coming up in terms of style,” Pegan, now a mother of three, says of the stylish nursing wear category. “There are now several fashion companies making breastfeeding clothing. They suddenly see the demand for it.”

Among the hotter labels are Motherwear from the U.S. and HotMilk from New Zealand. The former (www.motherwear.com) specializes in attractive tops with hidden openings that allow easy access to the breast, while the latter (www.hotmilklingerie.co.nz) is a lingerie company for the lactating set, offering lacy camisoles, naughty nighties and sexy yet practical bras.

Closer to home, Flirty Maternity, an online boutique in Vancouver, is selling nursing wear this season for the first time in its four-year history. Among its chicer offerings are eco-friendly camisoles and night gowns made from locally sourced bamboo. “It's the new direction,” says Cindy Patterson, the owner of Flirty Maternity (www.flirtymaternity.com). “Women who choose to breastfeed don't want to lose their self-esteem. They want to look glamorous. They want to look good and feel good at the same time.”

At Evymama, a new breastfeeding-positive store in Toronto, the fashions range from flouncy flap-equipped dresses and tops to lace-edged bras and floral-patterned slips made with magnetic straps that open and close discreetly and in a snap.

Customer Patricia Bitaxi, who recently gave birth to her third child, says that Evymama (www.evymama.ca) has been a godsend for her.

“What a difference from when I had my first child seven years ago,” says the 28-year-old manager of a chiropractic office. “Then, there was nothing I could wear to breastfeed in public and still feel fashionable. I was constantly swaddled in layers of drapery in order to feed discreetly. I felt as if breastfeeding was somehow taboo, that I shouldn't be showing a baby at my breast. But with these new clothes, I can breastfeed my baby anywhere and everywhere – and without being either totally covered up or completely exposed.”

That “anywhere, everywhere” access should be good news to Health Canada, which has a breast-is-best policy recommending exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of a baby's life to ensure optimal growth.

A similar policy is reinforced by the World Health Organization and by such local grassroots organizations as INFACT Canada, a breastfeeding advocacy group based in Toronto.

Olga Jovkovic, manager of the Healthy Babies Program for the City of Toronto, stresses that breastfeeding is a right and that women really don't need special clothes to do it.

Yet she acknowledges that, for many women, breastfeeding in public is made much easier through fashionable nursing wear that boosts their self-esteem and sense of security.

“Apparel made for breastfeeding certainly allows women to breastfeed in public spaces more comfortably and discreetly,” Jovkovic says. “If fashion is supporting that, it's a good thing.”

source: www.theglobeandmail.com

Newborn mix-up mums' trauma

2010-05-07T23:32:00.001-07:00

BABIES are being handed to the wrong mothers who are unknowingly breastfeeding another woman's child, with a string of dangerous hospital blunders in New South Wales exposing both mums and newborns to disease.

In one shocking case uncovered in an investigation by The Daily Telegraph, a newborn baby had to have its stomach pumped after being given month-old breastmilk from a woman who was not the child's mother.

At least 26 cases where babies have been wrongly identified have occurred in NSW public maternity wards in the past three years.
Staff shortages and the failure by some midwives to check identification tags have been blamed for the errors.

After a year-long investigation, documents released under Freedom of Information reveal the extent of the bungles.

One of the most serious cases was at Blacktown Hospital in Sydney's west, with a baby given unnecessary medication because of incorrect identification tags.

In another incident, a 10-hour-old baby girl was given to the wrong mother to be breastfed at Westmead Hospital, also in Sydney's west, because staff did not check the identification tags properly.
At least half of the errors, between 2006 and 2009, occurred in the Sydney South West Area Health Service, which covers Royal Prince Alfred, Fairfield, Liverpool, Campbelltown and Bankstown hospitals.

It is the same health service which tried to hide its mistakes by refusing to release the documents until ordered by the Ombudsman.

Documents released by the hospitals reveal mothers have been left distraught after being told,or discovering themselves, the child they were breastfeeding was not theirs.

Babies have also been given wrong expressed breast milk, in breach of stringent NSW Health policies.

At Liverpool Hospital's newborn care unit, in Sydney's southwest, a baby was given milk found in a fridge. It was at least a month old and was from another mother long sent home.

As a result, the baby's stomach had to be pumped so it did not contract infections or become seriously ill.

Midwifery expert Robyn Thompson, who has 40 years of both public and private hospital experience, said the psychological trauma to women could be devastating.

"The issue here is the possible spread of blood-borne diseases that can be transmitted by someone else feeding the baby and also the emotional and psychological trauma for a mother knowing that another woman fed her baby," she said.

"I would be encouraging the mother to keep the baby with her even if she is tired."

NSW Health's breast-milk safe management policy advises staff to double-check ID tags on the baby's ankles and wrists against the mother. Expressed milk should be cross checked with the mother and ideally stored in a fridge in her room.

In March, Broken Hill Hospital, in the state's far west, was forced to apologise after a newborn was mistakenly given to the wrong mother.

source: www.heraldsun.com.au

Equality bill won't protect breastfeeding

2010-03-08T06:36:00.000-08:00

Monday 8 March 2010 "I'm afraid too many mums are self-righteous," writes Jan Moir in the Daily Mail. She does appear to be genuinely scared. "Society," she writes, is being "terrorised by militant mothers" and "breast-is-best propagandists".

We're talking about breastfeeding in public. Actually, we're not even talking about that. The incident that is said to have provoked "Curse Of The Mummy-style fury" is where mother Anisa Baker was prevented from breastfeeding in an East Dulwich charity shop. While she was getting changed. In a cubicle. With the curtains closed. Whereupon the manager squirted air freshener at her baby and told her: "Your breast milk stinks."

"This is an ongoing skirmish in the milk wars," writes Moir. And she's right: women's struggle to breastfeed has been playing out for a generation now. Moir's position? "Mothers always like to occupy the moral high ground by insisting that ... breastfeeding is the most natural and beautiful thing in the world ... Well, so is urinating, but no one insists on doing that wherever and whenever the need takes their fancy." She goes on: "The argument that women should be allowed to breastfeed wherever they like has gone too far."

Let's lay the invective to one side for a minute. Let's not rise. We don't need to get depressed about the effect this kind of polemical tirade may have on shaping the opinions of the Daily Mail's 2 million readers. Instead, consider this as a philosophical exercise in helping our society to function smoothly.

The "issue" of breastfeeding outside the home is commonly perceived as a balancing act. The needs of mothers and babies must be accommodated, yet the right of members of the public not to be offended by "indecency" carries equal weight. The logical consequence of this position is the fudge that we currently have in this country, where mums are routinely, randomly humiliated for following the needs of their babies. These two positions aren't compatible. Either we ban breastfeeding in public, in order to absolutely guarantee that the female nipple will only be displayed in its socially acceptable context – on page 3 of the tabloids. (Of course that would mean condemning breastfeeding mothers to some kind of purdah, but plenty of Mail readers seem to support the idea.) Or we legalise it.

Step in the government's long-overdue equality bill. This will make it illegal to discriminate against a woman for breastfeeding. If you're allowed into a shop, or a bus, or a cafe with your baby, then you'll be allowed to breastfeed, and it'll be against the law for someone to stop you. This should make a real difference. Breastfeeding only offends because it's an unusual, almost subversive act. Make it familiar and ubiquitous and the shock factor disappears. Hooray! A source of tension in society evaporates! We're mammals. We might as well come to terms with the fact.

It should make a difference, but it won't. The equality bill contains an important proviso, another fudge (and really, what else should we expect from Whitehall bureaucrats?). This vital legal protection only lasts for six months after a mother gives birth.

This matters, because in ring-fencing what constitutes legal behaviour, the legislation inadvertently makes breastfeeding an older baby more illegal. Picture this: an altercation arises between a charity shop manager and a mother. The police are called. "Ah," the mother is told, "your baby is over the legal limit for breastfeeding in public." This may not be the way this bill was designed, but it's how it's going to be interpreted.

Breastmilk is the only recommended food for a baby of less than six months. Meta-analyses of scientific studies into the subject prove that feeding anything else to young babies is more likely to make them ill. Only a quarter of six-month-olds in this country get any breastmilk at all, and exclusive breastfeeding rates run at less than 1%. Six months is not a good age to withdraw a baby's legal rights. She still has a physiological need for either breastmilk or formula until she's a year old, and formula is more likely to make her sick than the alternative.

Anisa Baker's baby is 10 months old. The feedback her plight has elicited from Mail readers includes the comment: "That child is far too old to be breastfed." But it's for mothers, not politicians, policemen or social commentators to decide how, and for how long, to feed their children. This legislation is a missed opportunity. It will give Baker no protection at all.
source: www.guardian.co.uk

Woman asked to leave dining area for breastfeeding

2010-03-08T06:23:00.000-08:00

Sunday, March 07, 2010 It was the first night Nena Woodall and her family dined at the Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant in Flint Township.

"We went in there and my daughter got fussy, so I took my coat off and covered up my shoulder and everything, and started nursing her," Woodall said.

Nena claims the manager on duty asked her to take her baby in the restroom to breastfeed in private. Nena refused and left the restaurant instead.

"It really upset me because I have three children, I’ve nursed all three of them, and I’ve never had something like that happen to me before," said Woodall.

Buffalo Wild Wings District Manager Mike Lichocky says the mom was simply to move to a private area because she was offending other patrons.

"She was never asked to leave, she said she was leaving on her own terms, there is no real official policy we have, nursing mothers come in I wouldn't say on a regular basis, but we do have them come in, we've never asked them to leave," Lichocky said.

Nena says she showed respect to other patrons by covering up.

"You have women who walk around with cleavage and their breast hanging out and they're not kicked out of restaurants because of it, and they show more than what someone would have seen the day I was breastfeeding my child," Woodall said.

Nena asked how could something so natural be so wrong.

"I just feel that it's important that women be able to have this right to be able to do this because it's what our bodies were designed to do," Woodall said.

The waiter did apologize for the incident and hopes the family will feel comfortable coming back.

The mom say's she is taking her fight to the corporate office.
source: www.connectmidmichigan.com

To pump or not to pump?

2010-03-08T03:59:00.000-08:00

Shortly after returning to work from maternity leave, my boss asked me to travel to Olympia for an assignment. It was just a day trip but I still was faced with a dilemma. At that time, I had to pump milk for my baby about two times during the workday (it usually took only 15 minutes each time, I also never took coffee breaks and I ate lunch at my desk so the pumping never took time away from work). I was lucky to work for a company that had a designated room for breastfeeding moms, but I couldn’ stick to my routine during my business trip. The courthouse where I was supposed to be covering a story didn’t have a similar room for breastfeeding moms.

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

I ended up going to Olympia for the day with my breast pump. Fortunately, a colleague was able to find a room in a nearby building for me to use. I had to “pump and dump” instead of bringing milk home for my child because the airlines weren’t too keen on carry-on liquids. Despite that, it was a still a huge relief for health reasons.

I’m sharing this personal bit of information because of a post on the Washington Post’s Juggle, a blog for parents who juggle careers while raising children. In “The Economic Consequences of Breastfeeding,” reporter Ruth Mantell discussed why she decided not to pump milk at work.

“I’m well aware that breast milk is considered the optimal food for babies. That’s why I happily nursed for the past six months, ” she wrote. “But working moms may face stiff penalties for breastfeeding, a price that I’m not sure my family can afford. My job’s irregular schedule makes it impractical to pump milk at work. And given that my husband and I have financial goals, such as saving for retirement and a healthy portion of our daughter’s education costs, I don’t want to quit or downshift my career to accommodate a regular pumping or breastfeeding schedule.”

Mantell also interviewed Phyllis Rippeyoung, a sociology professor at Acadia University who’s also doing research on the economic consequences imposed on women who choose to nurse their babies. Rippeyoung noted that women who breastfeed for more than six months experienced steep declines in income “mainly due to their increased likelihood of reducing their work hours or quitting.”
source: www.spokesman.com

I Might Get "Boobs Redone After Breastfeeding"

2010-02-24T17:16:00.000-08:00

February 25, 2010

At the age of 18, Kendra Wilkinson worked two jobs to pay for her 34D breast implants. Now the 24-year-old reality TV starlet is contemplating going back under the knife — but this time she hopes to downsize. Since giving birth to son Hank on December 11, Kendra feels her chest is too big. “I’d definitely consider getting my boobs redone after breastfeeding,” she tells Life & Style. “They’re a little too big now. I’ve considered getting a breast reduction.”

The former girlfriend of Hugh Hefner has already talked over the procedure with hubby, Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Hank Baskett. “That’s a subject I bring up all the time,” she says. “Hank says, ‘If you want to do that, that’s cool with me.’”

Speaking of the girls, Kendra is unsure if she'll do any future nude photo shoots.

"If I were asked, it’d be a hard decision, but I’d lean toward no. The Playboy chapter of my life is now closed. I would definitely model, but I don’t think I would pose nude. I’m on to the next chapter of being a mom and a wife.”

click image to enlarge
source: celebritybabyscoop.com

£200,000 to raise a child? Try these money-saving tips

2010-02-24T17:11:00.000-08:00

February 24, 2010

The cost of raising a child now has topped £200,000, and according to friendly society LV=, and in the first year alone an average little one will set his or her parents back £9,152.

It is easy to see how costs can mount up. Baby clothes are temptingly cute, and splash out on a top-of-the-range buggy and you will be shelling out more than many pay for a car. But spending huge amounts of money on your first baby is avoidable, and spending the best part of £10,000 is certainly unnecessary.

There are plenty of checklists online listing the essentials you will need in stock before your new baby arrives and which can come in handy for the uninitiated. The Emma's Diary website, which is linked to the books GPs hand out to expectant mothers, for example, has a shopping list with essentials and nice-to-haves, as does the Bounty site.

However, for anything other than necessities, only buy things as and when you need them. "Don't buy a whole load of expensive equipment before the baby is born," says Siobhan Freegard, co-founder of the Netmums.com. "Otherwise you end up buying things that you either could have done without or could have borrowed from someone else."

Essential buys

Keep your pre-baby shopping list to a minimum – the shops will still be there after they arrive – and only buy what you will need as soon as the baby is born. A boiled-down list of essentials includes:

• Clothes and baby-friendly detergent (in large quantities)

• A heap of nappies, whether washable or disposable, and a changing mat along with cotton wool, soft flannels or baby wipes for frequent clean-ups

• Somewhere for the baby to sleep, such as a Moses basket or a cot, along with mattresses and linen and blankets or little sleeping bags

• Something to transport the baby around in, a sling or a buggy or, more likely, both

• A baby bath – not essential but very useful. They will last, and save on water, until your little one is able to sit up. You could use a washing up bowl in the early weeks, or even just a sink. You'll also need soft sponges and baby soap

• A car seat – even if you don't have your own car this is handy in case you need to travel in someone else's

• Bottles and sterilising equipment – but only if you are not breastfeeding. If you are breastfeeding, just a few muslins to catch the mess, and perhaps a pump for expressing and a steriliser

It's easy to feel like you should buy the best of everything, according to Freegard: "For a first-time mother this can be a very emotional time. There can be a lot of pressure to buy new things. It is very hard to convince someone to go for a secondhand pram, for example."

But if you want to avoid that £9,000 initial outlay in the first year, hold off on buying expensive items brand new, many of which will only last you a matter of months, or even weeks, before being outgrown. There is nothing to say any of the necessary equipment needs to be bought shiny and new from your local, expensive, baby emporium.

The only exception is car seats. These should only be secondhand if you are absolutely sure they have never been in a car accident or even been dropped accidentally. Like motorcycle helmets, any impact could leave them weakened and unsafe if you have an accident.

For the rest, though, buying secondhand – even for washable nappies – will save a fortune. You may let yourself be tempted by some of those very cute baby clothes, but accept as many hand-me-downs as you can too. They will be out of newborn clothes before you know it, Moses baskets will only last around three months, so ask around and try to borrow one, and perhaps buy your own mattress.

Try before you buy

When it comes to prams and buggies, test-drive a friend's and get advice before you commit. "The prices can be astronomical," says Freegard. "But so often people buy expensive prams only to find out they are not practical." In the early stages it is important to buy a pram or buggy your baby can lie flat in, but beyond that, the most important thing is manoeuvrability and how easy it is to fold and stash away, says Freegard: "Within a few months, a cheap, £20 buggy will be all you need."

For secondhand baby equipment, head for the baby pages on eBay, try local NCT nearly-new sales and Net Mums' nearly-new boards to see who is selling what in your area. And ask around – people are only too happy to pass on perfectly good, used baby items that are filling up their lofts.

Look for freebies and money off where you can, too. Sainsburys' Little Ones club offers a Huggies baby bundle, apparently worth £9.99, including baby toiletries and a changing mat, Boots Parenting Club gives you money off vouchers, extra Boots Clubcard points and currently a free changing bag if you buy certain baby goods.

If you are lucky enough to have friends and family offering to buy presents for your new baby, take advantage of their generosity. You don't have to have a US-style baby list, but make a wishlist – then if someone asks if there is anything you'd like you can have an answer ready and avoid accumulating piles of cuddly toys or far too many newborn clothes. Plus, people like to know their presents will be used.

Finally, if there is any chance junior will have a baby brother or sister one day, don't throw anything away, and call back lent-out items when they are finished with. Equipping yourselves for your first baby may be expensive, but siblings are perfectly happy in hand-me-downs.

source: www.guardian.co.uk

Puppets Bare Their Breasts and Get Banned

2010-02-24T16:54:00.000-08:00

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

An ad depicting puppet cleavage has been banned in a Colorado city. Now it's time to take on all sexually inappropriate puppets.

Posters for a touring production headed for Colorado Springs of the Broadway musical show "Avenue Q" have been rejected because they show too much fuzzy puppet cleavage. The hit revue, which is not intended for children, features Muppet-like characters belting out risque songs. The breast bearing poster even comes with the disclaimer: "Warning, 60 percent adult situations, 40 percent foam rubber."

Guess the ratio didn't please Lamar Outdoor Advertising, the company that pulled the ads. Says a rep, the company decided to take a "conservative approach in Colorado Springs" because of the family and Christian organizations headquartered in the city.

Hold the phone people. If we're going to start censoring puppet's naughty pillows (ironically made out of some of the same materials as actual pillows), there is another culprit that's been appealing to our prurient interests since 1969.

Kermit the Frog has been appearing sans clothes for decades. Hope he's not planning a vacation to Colorado Springs anytime soon, or they'll run his little green ass out of town! And check out the pair on Miss Piggy -- sheesh! The people of Colorado Springs apparently can't handle a puppet decolletage. Has no one in that town has ever seen "Jersey Shore??"

source: www.momlogic.com

Aspirin & Breast Cancer

2010-02-24T16:51:00.000-08:00

Feb 24, 2010 LA CROSSE (WKOW)-- They call aspirin the wonder drug and there is more evidence it can work wonders.

Women with breast cancer who take aspirin regularly after treatment may have a lower risk of their cancer returning.

A new study by Nurses' Health reports that more than 50 percent of breast cancer patients who took one aspirin, two to five times a week were less likely to have their cancer come back or die from breast cancer.

Medical Director of the Breast Cancer Center Kathleen Christian said, "If there is a shown benefit, what an easy, simple drug to implement into wide use. It's not expensive and if it really does have that potential to benefit women that much I think we have great potential to decrease the risk occurrence and mortality but time will tell and more research."

It also showed women who took aspirin daily also had a decreased amount of estrogen which doctors believe might have kept the cancer from coming back.

source: www.wkowtv.com

Normal Breast Development

2010-02-14T20:29:00.000-08:00

A newborn baby has nipples, areolas, and the beginnings of breast tissue, but most of the breast development occurs in two different periods of time in a woman's life: (1) first in puberty, (2) then during pregnancy.

Breast development during puberty

The beginnning of breast development is one of the earliest signs of puberty in girls, the appearance of pubic hair being the other. In other words, pubic hair and breast buds appear close together.

Breast development normally begins about 1 year before the mestrual period begins. The development takes several years.

In the first stage (during childhood) the breasts are flat. Next comes the breast bud stage. In it, the nipple and breast are slightly raised as milk ducts and the fat tissue begin to form. Also, the areola begins to enlarge. The very early breast bud is something you might easily miss, because the change from flat breasts is so slight. The only difference is that the nipple area begins to look a little 'puffy'.

Next, the breast itself starts to get bigger. Often this happens initially in a conical shape, and later on in a rounder shape. The areola begins to darken and get "puffier".

In these initial stages of breast development, it is the hormone estrogen that drives the development, causing fat to be deposited in the breast, and the milk ducts to grow. This is the time for the biggest growth in size.

After the girl gets her period, the ovaries start producing progesterone, and that changes things. Progesterone causes the milk glands to develop at the ends of the milk ducts. This development causes less visible growth size-wise, but is very important for the job!

Some − but not all − girls go through a stage where the nipple and the areola form a separate mound from the actual breast ("mound on mound").

The whole process from the breast bud stage till the pubertal development is over usually takes about 3-5 years, but for some girls it may take close to 10 years.

During breast growth, you may experience some pain and hurt or tenderness in your breasts. That is normal. Also, the skin may be itching, which is a sign that the skin is stretching.

Note also that after breast development during puberty, the breast is still NOT considered mature or fully developed. Only pregnancy brings about the fullness of breast growth and development.

The breast development can start as early as 8 years or as late as 13 years. If a girl does not have breast buds nor pubic hair, which are the first signs of puberty, by age 14, it is recommended that she see a doctor. The same is true if a girl does not get her period by age 15 - this is called delayed puberty, and there are several possible reasons for it. It is advisable to visit a doctor.

Though most of this development is over in a few years after getting your period, many girls get slightly rounder and fuller breasts in their early twenties. It is the time whey they naturally get even more feminine and mature appearance with "curves", leaving the skinny teenage look behind.

Occasionally, a girl's breasts keep growing and keep growing past the typical development timeframe, and become very large. This condition where the breasts don't stop growing is called juvenile macromastia and juvenile gigantomastia - also called virginal (or juvenile) hypertrophy of the breasts. This lady may have suffered from it.

What about those "Tanner stages"?

In medical circles, breast development is sometimes divided into five stages according to Tanner. These stages of Tanner describe the physical appearance of the breast and do NOT describe "what is going on inside", or the development of milk ducts and glands.

They are just some general notions of how growing breasts often look like — something that a doctor can easily observe from the outside when he needs to judge the pubertal development.

HOWEVER, since the Tanner stages only describe the outside appearance and have little do with the inside development, you should not worry about these. Women's breasts vary SO MUCH in appearance that you simply cannot apply Tanner stages to every girl's breasts.

Question about small breasts

Hi, I have a question. I got my period when I was 10 1/2, and I'm 15 now. Starting puberty so young, I thought I was going to have DD's by now... Ha, ha, that's definitely not the case. I don't even fit into a 32A bra, and I was wondering if I'm going to be "flat chested" forever or if there's still time to develop... If there is still time, I was wondering, how can I know if they're growing? Will there be soreness or something? How can I tell if they are already fully developed?
Thank you so much, CJ
Quite likely, you are already done with pubertal breast development. However, like already mentioned above, some girls do experience some further breast growth outside those 3-5 years in the beginning of puberty.

Remember that the difference between the various cup sizes is mostly fat (and some connective tissue). A-cup size breasts can be just as fully developed as DD cup breasts, containing the same milk-making apparatus, but just different amounts of fatty and connective tissue. So if your puberty started early and you are 15 now, your breasts may be fully developed by now − as fully as they can be for this time. There is nothing wrong with small breasts - they are great! Please read our article dedicated to small-breasted ladies.

Breast development during pregnancy

[breasts with dark areola during pregnancy] Breasts grow in size considerably during pregnancy because of further growth of the milk ducts and milk-producing glands. Teenagers' breasts are mostly fat, but during pregnancy that fat gradually disappears and gives space for the milk-producing system.

Also, the areola enlargens and becomes darker, making a big contrast with the surrounding skin, as if really pointing out to the baby where the "nutrition center" is. Breasts start producing colostrum (the early milk) already during the last months of pregnancy, and are thus fully mature and ready for their job.

Breasts during breastfeeding and weaning

[A lady who is nursing twins. Veins are visible.] The baby should start nursing immediately after giving birth, receiving colostrum for a few days. Then after those few days, the so-called "mature milk" comes in. The mature milk comes in in larger quantity than colostrum, and often a woman's breasts become engorged and are at their largest at this point.

After the baby learns to nurse more, the supply of milk settles down to exactly match the demand, and a woman's breasts return to the size they were just before giving birth. During subsequent breastfeeding relationship, the breasts change size (slightly) all the time as they either are filling with milk or are being emptied by the baby. In general, they are usually about the same size as during pregnancy.

With weaning, the milk glands atrophy or shrink to almost nothing, and obviously the breasts decrease in size correspondingly. However, after the milk glands shrivel up, the body starts depositing some fat back to the breasts. Remember, at lot of the fat left the breasts during pregnancy.

If the weaning is abrupt, the breasts will dramatically decrease in size and can look like "empty balloons". If the weaning is gradual, this will not happen. At any case, eventually fat fills breasts again and the breasts will regain their pre-pregnancy size or close to it.

Changes during menopause

In menopause, the milk producing system—ducts and milk glands—shrink, and are replaced by fat (just like after weaning). That makes the breasts softer. Also the connective tissue loses strength, which makes the breasts sag more.

Teens worry if their breasts are normal

As the following comments sent to this website show, teenagers do worry a lot about their breast size/shape/development, and many teen girls wish for bigger breasts:

First of all, it is very normal and usual for one breast to bud before the other, or the breasts to develop at different rates so that they are lopsided for a while. They usually even out eventually, so that the uneven sizes are not very noticeable. However, a big portion of adult women do have different-sized breasts; usually one is just slightly bigger than the other, or maybe has a different shape.

Secondly, many teenagers get concerned when they see their friends' breasts growing and theirs are not. There is usually absolutely NO REASON TO WORRY because the timing varies greatly from girl to girl. Some start developing breasts as early as 8 years old, some as late as 18, though in most girls the breasts start budding between 9 and 12 years. In any case, your breasts WILL develop in time for their purpose of feeding your baby!

"I'm scared my boobs are tubular or whatever. They don't really look like the boobs you have in the picture you have of tubular breasts, but the nipples on mine are really weird, like they form a second little mound. It's really hard to tell though, because my boobs are a 32A so they're incredibly puny which makes me depressed. But anyway, when they're erect they look normal but when they're not they look weird."

"My breasts are kind of small. But are starting to take a round shape. However they are still pointier than those of my friends... my nipples always seem to be puffy and look like the photos form "mound on mound stage of puberty". But I'm 17 and ... have had my period for a long time... I don't think it is puberty.... they are always puffy and swollen looking, like one big mound rather than that of a nipple and its areola... any ideas?"

These girls are probably describing a flat nipple. When the nipple is not erect, it is called a flat nipple. That is fairly common, and more so among teenagers. It is nothing to worry about. Most flat nipples start sticking out (become erect) during pregnancy. See also our nipple information page.

Worrying about small breasts

Actually those puffy nipples that look "normal" in the cold are flat nipples that become erect when cold... like mentioned above.

Since these girls have gotten their period already, it sounds like they are going to be small-breasted as adults. Or, if they are skinny, they may get somewhat fuller and rounder breasts later when they gain a little weight. But why is it such a catastrophe to have an A-cup as breast size? It is normal; many women have it. It only seems distressing when the media has brainwashed us into believing that "breasts make a woman" or that breast size is the main thing that makes a girl attractive to guys.

Not so. While guys usually do want to see breasts - they are often just plain curious about it, since they are kept so well hidden from their view - they are far less concerned about breast size than girls and women are! Remember, what makes a woman attractive is her general appearance, behavior, personality, attitudes, sense of humor... and that can include a lot of variety in the actual physical attributes. Please read also our page about small breasts.

Worrying about large breasts

Next, if you have large breasts, it is very normal that they start 'sagging' or drooping some already during your teen years. It is a natural process that happens to everybody at some point, and there really isn't anything you can do to prevent it - for example bras won't keep breasts from sagging (except while you wear them). Below you can see what comments some teens have left on our breast gallery page about this fact. If you're teen and have sagging breasts, you are NOT alone!

Sometimes you may think you have sagging breasts when in reality you really don't, or it is very minimal. You can read What causes sagging breasts? to find out more about droopy breasts.

Breast size

Breast size is largely determined by your genes. You can look to your mom and other female relatives and get somewhat of an idea of what your breast size might end up being, though this is NOT a guarantee.

Another factor in breast size is how skinny/fat you are. As mentioned already, breasts have a lot of fat in them. The skinnier you are, the less fat your breasts contain and smaller they are. When you gain weight (or fat) in general, some of that fat will get deposited in your breasts, so that is why overweight and obese people have bigger breasts. And if you lose weight (fat) from your body, some of that fat will be lost from your breasts, too. This explains why athletic girls often have small breasts - their body fat content is fairly small. The same is of course true for anorexic girls.

Unfortunately, when you lose weight and your breasts will be smaller, they often end up sagging more, as the skin is already stretched, but now there is less "stuff" to fill it. There is no sure way to prevent this (some nutrients might help preserve skin elasticity).

Exercise won't make breasts bigger because breasts don't have any muscles. Nor will sleeping position, wearing or not wearing bras, milk, peanuts, or any other foods - but of course it is important to eat a healthy diet so your body can develop as it is supposed to.

There are no reliable means of increasing your breast size other than breast implants. But you should know those carry with them very serious health risks. We also have a page that answers in detail if and how you can make your breasts bigger.

Some girls end up being flat-chested - for reasons we do not know. Flat-chested girls lack the fat in breasts but they have the milk producing system in there and can breastfeed. Please read our page about being flat-chested to learn more. Being flat-chested doesn't mean you have to get worried - but if in addition you don't get your period by age 15, that can be a sign of delayed puberty.

We hope knowing these facts will ease your mind off from worrying. You may have heard or read these same facts about breast development elsewhere, too. They are commonly known and commonly noted. So the chances are you are developing just normally and there's no reason to be concerned.

Anorexia and breasts

Anorexia, bulimia, or severe dieting will cause the fat to disappear from breasts, and that is why breasts of an anorexic girl will look very small, or shrunken.

When such a girl is recovering and gaining weight again, fat gets deposited back to the breasts. However, it won't always be the same amount of fat as was there before.

The milk ducts and glands shouldn't be affected - if they had already developed! But if anorexia hits while the breasts are growing ducts and glands, then that development will stop since the starved body will stop producing hormones that drive that growth.

With anorexia, it is hard to say how things will go afterwards. Most girls become fertile again and resume menstruation, or continue their pubertal development if it wasn't finished, but some girls never gain their menstruation and fertility back even after recovery.

Mostly this difference compared to earlier breast size would be because the breasts now have less fat. Unfortunately, it's hard to tell if the breasts will gain their previous size, or not, and if the duct and gland development was completed. However, if and when these girls get pregnant, the breast development during pregnancy will quite likely be normal.

If you have a story to tell about this, or have more information on how breasts are affected by eating disorders, please click here - scroll down to fill the form.

Why do teenagers worry so much about breasts?

But it might be worth your while still consider this one thing: WHY is it that teenage girls worry so extremely about their breasts? Is it just normal human nature? Do you worry equally much about the shape of your lips or eyes? Usually not. So something else enters the picture.

The culture that surrouds you - especially magazines, TV, music videos, internet - has influenced your (and your friends' and your parents') thinking. The media images leave the impression that normal kind of breasts are fairly big and perky with small areola - the ones you see supermodels have. But remember that those photos in magazines are retouched - THE PHOTOS ARE NOT REAL!

Hollywood has promoted a "big breast" image to the modern world - BUT it was also Hollywood that in the 1920s was promoting the flat-chested look. Women in that time tried to bind their breasts to make them look smaller.

So what you see in media does NOT reflect the reality of women's breasts! Female breast is the one body part that varies most of any body parts in size and shape. You can be smarter than to fall into this trap and think for yourself! There is NO precise rule as to what is "normal" when it comes to breasts.

The North American culture also makes breasts to be primarily a sexual body part, and does not emphasize their feeding function. Remember, breasts are for breastfeeding, and when the time comes, your baby will LOVE your milk and the closeness of being held next to mom's bosom no matter what size or shape your breasts or areola or nipple are.

The best thing to do is just try to learn to be GLAD YOU ARE YOU, instead of trying to copy other people. When/if the time comes that you find yourself a husband someday, he will hopefully fall for YOU - and not for some Hollywood stereotype!!
source: www.007b.com

Obesity Risks Reduced By Longer Breastfeeding?

2010-02-10T03:49:00.000-08:00

10 February, 2010 Obesity risk in later life appears to be more slim when babies are fed solid food at a later age, according to one study.

The debate about how long to breastfeed has gone on for some time. But now, new research indicates that mothers who wait until their baby’s fifth month to introduce solid food may reduce the child’s risk of obesity later in life.

Researchers at the University of Copenhagen looked at a sample of more than 5,000 adults who were born between the years 1959 and 1961. The common wisdom of that time was to begin feeding a child solid food between the ages of four and six months old – but some parents began sooner than four months.

Some of the children had only been breast-fed until they were two and a half months old.

Researchers discovered that among the sample participants, body mass index was lower and healthier among the people who had been breastfed until they were at least four months old. The participants were all in their forties at the time of the study, and yet the researchers were able to determine that the odds of being overweight had been lessened 5 to 10 percent for each month they were not fed solid food.

These findings are consistent with other medical opinions. Currently, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends exclusive breast feeding up to age one, and the World Health Organization recommends it up to six months old.
Embed this video

source: www.weightlosssurgerychannel.com

Michelle Obama Urged to Speak Out for Breastfeeding

2010-02-10T03:45:00.000-08:00

February 10, 2010 Michelle Obama breastfed both her daughters and advocates are hoping she will use the platform of her anti-obesity campaign to promote breastfeeding and share her own experiences.

(WOMENSENEWS)--Michelle Obama breastfed her daughters Malia and Sasha and public health and maternal health activists are hoping she will explicitly endorse breastfeeding as part of her anti-obesity campaign.

In doing so, activists hope she'll become the national symbol, particularly for African American mothers, for pro-breastfeeding initiatives.

Obama declined to comment about the role of breastfeeding in her obesity fighting initiative, despite the potential link between breastfeeding and obesity reduction. However, the White House has announced Obama, along with members of the President's cabinet, mayors and other leaders, will hold a press conference Tuesday to unveil details of her obesity initiative.

"We have a dynamic role model in the White House, a black woman who gets the idea that she can go to work, be a lawyer and still provide milk for her baby," said Napiera Loveless, co-founder of MamaTotoMatema, a Cincinnati-based organization committed to educating and encouraging leaders and health care professionals to adopt different approaches to promoting breastfeeding in African American families. "She takes away the excuse."

Bettina Lauf Forbes, co-founder of Best for Babes, a nonprofit re-branding perceptions of breastfeeding in the news, popular culture and policy, agrees. "To turn breastfeeding into a cause that gets visibility, funding and backing, people think they need somebody like Michelle to shift perspective, for that tipping point to happen," she said.

Outside circles of top public health officials and what are known as lactivists--advocates for breastfeeding--most Americans remain unaware that Obama breastfed her daughters, now national symbols of healthy children.

Among African American women, where obesity rates are the highest in the nation, breastfeeding rates are the lowest. Breastfeeding has increased among black mothers from 12 years ago, when 36 percent of black infants were breastfed at some point to 65 percent in 2006. However, 40 percent of Hispanic mothers and 35 percent of white mothers breastfeed exclusively for the government-recommended six months, compared to 20 percent of African American women, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the CDC, reported in 2008.
Calls to Endorse Breastfeeding

"Michelle Obama breastfed," said Kirsten Berggren, a lactation consultant in Vermont and author of "Working Without Weaning: A Working Mother's Guide to Breastfeeding." "Everyone wants her to come out and support breastfeeding."

Advocates like Berggren not only want Obama to acknowledge that she breastfed, but to also endorse breastfeeding. Studies show breastfeeding lowers the risk of obesity, cancer, and chronic diseases--many of which disproportionately impact African American women--in mothers, as well as helps protect children against a host of ailments, including respiratory infections, asthma and childhood leukemia.

Studies also indicate a positive link between breastfeeding and reducing the risk for obesity in infants and mothers, though the association hasn't yet been proven.

"The evidence is remarkably consistent," said Katherine Shealy, a breastfeeding specialist with the CDC. "Breastfeeding reduces diabetes, metabolic diseases, heart disease and all these different issues intertwined with obesity."

Since the rise of the Obama family public profile, Michelle Obama has not championed breastfeeding.

But that may change.

Her movement to tackle childhood obesity, announced during the president's State of the Union address, holds the promise of advancing the promotion of breastfeeding as a strategy to improve the country's health.

For one, the CDC will lend expertise and technical assistance to the first lady's obesity-fighting initiative, officials at the agency say, and breastfeeding will play a part.

"There have been a number of attempts to try and get Michelle Obama on board with [breastfeeding promotion]," Laurence Grummer-Strawn, branch chief for the CDC's division of nutrition and physical activity told Women's eNews. "We have someone on our staff who is going to be working with her office over the next year on a number of issues related to childhood obesity. Breastfeeding is one of the things [our staff member] wants to take to her office and they are very open to that."

In addition, the U.S. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin, who launched a report about fighting obesity with Obama in late January, endorsed breastfeeding in workplaces, hospitals and communities, "as this practice has been shown to prevent childhood obesity," Benjamin wrote.

source: www.womensenews.org

Breastfeeding friendly campaign launched

2010-02-10T03:40:00.000-08:00

10 February 2010

A NEW campaign has been launched asking local businesses to become more breastfeeding friendly.

After a recent study which showed the UK's breastfeeding rates as one of the worst in Europe, NHS North Lancashire is working together with NHS Blackpool to overcome the taboo around breastfeeding in public places. Cafes, cinemas, restaurants, sports centres, theatres and all sorts of business and community venues which may be visited by breastfed babies and their families, are being asked to sign up to the campaign.
Volunteers will be visiting venues across North Lancashire in the coming weeks encouraging them to become more baby friendly and to support breastfeeding on their premises.

Once businesses have agreed they will be added to the published list, given a certificate and provided with a sticker to put in their window identifying that breastfeeding is welcome on the premises.

A list of all baby friendly premises will be provided to women who have a baby.

Lists will be available in local children centres and via health professionals as well as online at www.nwnwbabyfriendly.org.uk.

For more information and to find out how to sign up to the campaign please visit www.nwnwbabyfriendly.org.uk

source:

Breastfeeding and treating Lyme

2010-02-10T03:34:00.000-08:00

February 10, 2010

with Stephen Harrod Buhner, master herbalist

Dear Stephen,
I am a 46 yr old Mom to 3 kids (all with Lyme, one with autism). I am still nursing my 2 year old and am wondering if there is anything I should NOT take to treat myself. I am gearing up for the Buhner protocol (have the book) and also have a few things from Nutramedix (HH & Burbur). I also have a high ANA and am taking high dose Serrapeptase and maintaining a very restricted diet to control symptoms as much as possible to avoid medication. I seem to have RA by my symptoms. I am also positive for Babesia and Bartonella. Also on the laundry list are severe adrenal fatigue, high viral titers, Candida and circulatory problems. I am thinking that by treating myself, I will also treat my youngest through the breastmilk somewhat. Is my thinking off? Thanks for the help and the great book!!

Stephen’s response:
Yes, herbs do go through breast milk. The doses should be low enough to be fine, especially since the youngest has lyme as well. It will be a good way to treat them actually.

source: planetthrive.com

Fiji bans milk giveaways to young mothers

2010-02-10T03:33:00.000-08:00

The Fijian government has passed a new law banning milk retailers from offering free giveaways that could discourage women from breastfeeding their babies.

The law was introduced after infant formula distributors were found to have offered free samples and other giveaways targeting young mothers.

The new laws have been welcomed by the Consumer Council's, chief executive, Premila Kumar.
"They were just promoting there product by wrapping around free giveaways and the free giveaways were normally feeding bottles, powder, cream for the bay," she said.

"They would display this product in a very prominent spot in the supermarket and there was a need to have the laws in place so that we can encourage mothers to move away from milk formula and carry on with breast feeding."

source: australianetworknews.com

Nipple biting is just one of many savage cases

2010-01-31T20:07:00.000-08:00

31 January, 2010

The man accused of biting the nipple off a Chicago police officer during a struggle for the cop's gun — and spitting it out on the sidewalk in front of Gibsons Steakhouse on Rush Street — was in bond court Tuesday.

I stopped by to hear the details. But before nipple biter suspect Fernando Cooper was brought before Judge Ramon Ocasio III, there were dozens of other cases — assaults, drugs, beatings, shootings at cars with kids inside, a veritable march of the barbarians.

One by one, the defendants stood before Ocasio — the 220-pound nipple biter was No. 58 on the list — and often they bowed their heads as Assistant State's Attorney Erin Antonietti read the charges and extensive criminal records. Meek, eyes lowered, they didn't look as I pictured them with weapons in their hands, somebody bleeding on the ground, a neighbor calling 911.

One was accused of using his car to ram a police squad car, then blowing through several red lights and stop signs before crashing his car on the South Side. Police who pulled him out of the wreck found a semi-automatic pistol and several bags of cocaine. Authorities said he had seven felony convictions before this charge, including a conviction for aggravated criminal sexual assault.

Then came the two Insane Deuces, street gang members, almost dwarfish, heads shaved, topping out at a little less than 5 feet, accused of standing in the middle of 44th and Wallace, guns in their hands, firing at a car. The car contained a man, a woman and a toddler. They allegedly shot the man in the leg, twice. Their family members stood up in the gallery to protest. A skinny geezer, toothless, wispy hair, and two women, mouths open while listening, saying it was all lies.

Up next was a man accused of beating his girlfriend to a pulp, a thick-set fellow with too much grease in his hair. Allegedly, as he was being handcuffed, he pulled away, swinging the arm with the dangling cuff and slamming it the face of the arresting officer.

On and on it went, like the white kid in the black silk outfit with the skull design. He said he was 18, though he looked like an eighth-grader, charged with possession of heroin. The judge tossed the boy back into the bullpen until his father could arrive from Wisconsin with $5,000 in bail. "That's ridiculous!" said the skinny in silk, a victim waiting to happen in County Jail.

Finally, it was No. 58, the nipple biter case of Fernando Cooper.

Cooper has been arrested more than 90 times since 1995, on charges from theft to battery and other various thuggeries. Last year alone, he was arrested 20 times, records show. He stands more than 6 feet tall and was listed at 220 pounds, making a living, sometimes, shining shoes. It's an honest trade. My grandfather shined shoes for money as a kid.

Authorities said Cooper was outside Gibsons in the Viagra Triangle on Sunday night, hassling customers, grabbing at their feet. It sounded like he intimidated the Viagra out of them.

The police officer was off duty at the time, working security for Gibsons. The cop tried running Cooper off the corner and showed his badge, but Cooper wouldn't leave, and as the officer called for backup on a cell phone, Cooper allegedly punched him in the face.

The two began wrestling. Cooper was reaching behind the officer's back, trying to grab for the holstered gun, Antonietti said. That's when the biting began.

"He then raised his head and bit the officer in the chest, biting the right nipple off," Antonietti said. "The nipple was found at the scene and was brought to the hospital, but it could not be reconnected. The officer requires extensive reconstructive surgery."

Outside court, Cooper's wife, who did not want her name to be published, said they'd been a couple since each was 12 years old and began "living over by my father's house."

She said her husband told her he didn't think he was dealing with a cop. She mentioned that Cooper often became violent when full of whiskey.

"The alcohol is the main reason (for his problems)," she said. "When you're intoxicated, the alcohol does the talking for you."

Judge Ocasio imposed a $500,000 bond. Cooper disappeared back into the lockup.

I thought of those times when a cop slaps somebody around. The politicians begin shrieking, and TV announcers excitedly warn viewers about the shocking video to come. The video is played again and again and again.

There was no video of the cops getting rammed by the car on the South Side. There was no video of the handcuffs whipping against that other officer's face. And so far, there's no video from Rush Street, a chunk of the officer's chest ripped out by human teeth, then spat upon the sidewalk to be picked up later with a napkin and carried to the hospital.

Sometimes, it's what you don't see that shocks you. Unless you're a cop, a prosecutor or a judge. They'll see it over again tomorrow in bond court. Day after day.

source: www.chicagotribune.com