I have been taking a break from this blog while dealing with a health crisis, but wanted to post and help spread the word - Massachusetts is about to have a breastfeeding in public law!! The bill has made it through the Senate and the House and is now sitting on the Governor's desk waiting for his signature.
It took eight long years of hard work by advocates - congratulations to everyone who signed a petition, spoke at a hearing, attended a lobbying day, called a representative, wrote a letter or otherwise helped move this bill along. We did it folks - at long last, we did it!!!
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Dysphoric MER
There's been a lot of conversation lately on Lactnet (a discussion list for lactation professionals) about depression specifically tied to the milk ejection reflex (MER). This phenomenon has been named dyphoric MER, or D-MER.
I have been following these exchanges with great interest. I experienced what I now realize was D-MER, and these discussions have provided many "a-ha!" moments.
Here's a great personal description of the phenomenon at Law & Motherhood.
And there's a fantastic D-MER website - www.d-mer.org - "Because breastfeeding shouldn't make you feel this way." I strongly urge you to check this site out, and if you have experienced D-MER please fill out their survey!!
Personally, I suspect that prolactin plays a large role in D-MER. Looking at the survey responses thus far, a lot of women have reported having overactive let down and oversupply issues. Both are associated with high levels of prolactin.
And interestingly enough - endometriosis (which I have) is also associated with high levels of prolactin. And every endo patient I know who's breastfed has experienced OALD/OAS.
I have been following these exchanges with great interest. I experienced what I now realize was D-MER, and these discussions have provided many "a-ha!" moments.
Here's a great personal description of the phenomenon at Law & Motherhood.
And there's a fantastic D-MER website - www.d-mer.org - "Because breastfeeding shouldn't make you feel this way." I strongly urge you to check this site out, and if you have experienced D-MER please fill out their survey!!
Personally, I suspect that prolactin plays a large role in D-MER. Looking at the survey responses thus far, a lot of women have reported having overactive let down and oversupply issues. Both are associated with high levels of prolactin.
And interestingly enough - endometriosis (which I have) is also associated with high levels of prolactin. And every endo patient I know who's breastfed has experienced OALD/OAS.
Monday, June 02, 2008
Girls get more protection from breastfeeding than boys?
A new study out of the John Hopkins Children's Center is reported in the June issue of Pediatrics:
Doctors monitored 119 premature babies through their first year of life and found that girls who received formula were eight times more likely to be hospitalised with respiratory illnesses than those weaned on breast milk.
But breastfeeding did not have the same protective effect on boys. Nearly a fifth of boys developed respiratory infections severe enough to need hospital treatment, whether they were breastfed or not. 1
1. Sample, I. (2008, 2 June) Study finds breastfed girls protected from chest illness, The Guardian
Doctors monitored 119 premature babies through their first year of life and found that girls who received formula were eight times more likely to be hospitalised with respiratory illnesses than those weaned on breast milk.
But breastfeeding did not have the same protective effect on boys. Nearly a fifth of boys developed respiratory infections severe enough to need hospital treatment, whether they were breastfed or not. 1
1. Sample, I. (2008, 2 June) Study finds breastfed girls protected from chest illness, The Guardian
Monday, April 21, 2008
In the news
Does breastfeeding protect a woman against breast cancer? The evidence says yes.
This is the quote that really interested me:
The most likely explanation for the reduced risk is that lactation works through hormones to delay ovulation and the return of a woman's monthly cycles, Karen Collins, a registered dietitian and nutrition adviser to the group, said in an e-mail. It has long been known that the fewer menstrual cycles a woman has over the course of her life, the lower the risk of breast cancer.
As someone with endometriosis, the topic of menstrual cycles is also of interest, so when breastfeeding and menses collide in a research paper it really grabs my attention.
This is the quote that really interested me:
The most likely explanation for the reduced risk is that lactation works through hormones to delay ovulation and the return of a woman's monthly cycles, Karen Collins, a registered dietitian and nutrition adviser to the group, said in an e-mail. It has long been known that the fewer menstrual cycles a woman has over the course of her life, the lower the risk of breast cancer.
As someone with endometriosis, the topic of menstrual cycles is also of interest, so when breastfeeding and menses collide in a research paper it really grabs my attention.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Free formula in hospitals is reducing natural breastfeeding
This article on Salem-News.com is notable because Portland, Oregon recently became the first city in the US where none of the major hospitals are giving out those marketing bags of infant formula. I'm following this situation with great interest.
Massachusetts was poised to become the first state in the nation to ban in-hospital marketing by Big Pharma, but the Public Health Council was undermined by our Governor.
Massachusetts was poised to become the first state in the nation to ban in-hospital marketing by Big Pharma, but the Public Health Council was undermined by our Governor.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Australian MPs allowed to vote while breastfeeding
From Australia, we have this bit of news - Parliamentarians no longer have to choose between voting and breastfeeding.
I think this is great! What do you think?
I think this is great! What do you think?
You can't do that in here
Looks like the comic strip Stone Soup is taking on the topic of nursing in public... let's see where it goes...
Thursday, February 07, 2008
Editorial in Brockton Enterprise
There's a great editorial piece in today's Brockton Enterprise on the breastfeeding bill which is currently in play here in Massachusetts.
If you're so inclined, let them know you appreciate the opinion!
If you're so inclined, let them know you appreciate the opinion!
Monday, February 04, 2008
Update on breastfeeding legislation
From the Massachusetts Breastfeeding Coalition:
1) We need your action NOW on a bill in the US House of Reps, by Carolyn Maloney, the Breastfeeding Promotion Act, HR 2236. The bill currently has only 23 cosponsors, and needs about 200 cosponsors to move forward. The only current cosponsors from MA are Reps. Frank and Olver. Please contact your Rep now and urge him/her to cosponsor this bill.
To contact your Representative about this bill, you can either go through MomsRising at:
http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizationsORG/momsrising/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=13731 or the Children's Hospital advocacy page at: http://capwiz.com/childadvocacy/home/
This bill makes breastpumps tax deductible, provides for safety standards for them, and gives incentives to employers to help moms pump. To read the text of the bill, and see a list of cosponsors, go to: http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h110-2236
2) As you may have heard in the news, state Sen. Fargo's bill on breastfeeding in public easily passed the Senate, and has moved on to the House. Her office is currently soliciting letters of support from leading health organizations to help move this bill forward. The bill, formerly S78, has been renumbered S 2438, and no longer includes worksite measures. We support this bill!
The text is at http://www.mass.gov/legis/bills/senate/185/st02pdf/st02438.pdf
Melissa Bartick, MD
Mass. Breastfeeding Coalition
1) We need your action NOW on a bill in the US House of Reps, by Carolyn Maloney, the Breastfeeding Promotion Act, HR 2236. The bill currently has only 23 cosponsors, and needs about 200 cosponsors to move forward. The only current cosponsors from MA are Reps. Frank and Olver. Please contact your Rep now and urge him/her to cosponsor this bill.
To contact your Representative about this bill, you can either go through MomsRising at:
http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizationsORG/momsrising/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=13731 or the Children's Hospital advocacy page at: http://capwiz.com/childadvocacy/home/
This bill makes breastpumps tax deductible, provides for safety standards for them, and gives incentives to employers to help moms pump. To read the text of the bill, and see a list of cosponsors, go to: http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h110-2236
2) As you may have heard in the news, state Sen. Fargo's bill on breastfeeding in public easily passed the Senate, and has moved on to the House. Her office is currently soliciting letters of support from leading health organizations to help move this bill forward. The bill, formerly S78, has been renumbered S 2438, and no longer includes worksite measures. We support this bill!
The text is at http://www.mass.gov/legis/bills/senate/185/st02pdf/st02438.pdf
Melissa Bartick, MD
Mass. Breastfeeding Coalition
Sunday, February 03, 2008
February
My blog has been on hiatus for a while now. The past couple of years have been rough ones in our family. And life, rightly so, has thus taken precedence.
I've also felt that there are a number of blogs out there in the breastfeeding field which are far more interesting and, well, just plain better at what they do. If you're not reading the following blogs, then you really ought to be:
The Lactivist
The Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog
Human Milk Patent Pending
These blogs are written by smart, savvy women who are passionate about their topic. At my best, I've never been as good as they are!
I'd also like to point you in the direction of another blog, that of the amazing and wonderful WhyMommy. WhyMommy is recovering from a double mastectomy, and is a battle tested warrior in the fight against breast cancer. I am especially grateful to WhyMommy, who took the time to discuss inflammatory breast cancer with me last fall when several troubling symptoms presented themselves. At her urging, I pushed my doctor for further tests, and when my first doctor was dismissive I found another. My story has a happy ending - after lots of tests, and more sleepless and fearful nights than I care to recount, I am happy to report that I have nothing more serious than fibrocystic breast disease. I will be forever grateful for WhyMommy, as she gave me the confidence to insist on a doctor who treated me with respect and took me seriously.
Getting back to the topic of breastfeeding... I'm not sure how often I will be posting here, or what direction these posts will take - we'll just have to take it as it comes.
I've also felt that there are a number of blogs out there in the breastfeeding field which are far more interesting and, well, just plain better at what they do. If you're not reading the following blogs, then you really ought to be:
The Lactivist
The Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog
Human Milk Patent Pending
These blogs are written by smart, savvy women who are passionate about their topic. At my best, I've never been as good as they are!
I'd also like to point you in the direction of another blog, that of the amazing and wonderful WhyMommy. WhyMommy is recovering from a double mastectomy, and is a battle tested warrior in the fight against breast cancer. I am especially grateful to WhyMommy, who took the time to discuss inflammatory breast cancer with me last fall when several troubling symptoms presented themselves. At her urging, I pushed my doctor for further tests, and when my first doctor was dismissive I found another. My story has a happy ending - after lots of tests, and more sleepless and fearful nights than I care to recount, I am happy to report that I have nothing more serious than fibrocystic breast disease. I will be forever grateful for WhyMommy, as she gave me the confidence to insist on a doctor who treated me with respect and took me seriously.
Getting back to the topic of breastfeeding... I'm not sure how often I will be posting here, or what direction these posts will take - we'll just have to take it as it comes.
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