PORTLAND, Ore. - An incident at a Portland Fred Meyer store has the company reassessing its policy on women who breastfeed their babies on store grounds.
Chris Musser, the mother of a 3-month-old infant, says she was sitting on a bench breastfeeding her newborn near the checkout line at the Gateway Fred Meyer store when the store director approached her and asked her to cover up after receiving complaints from customers.
Musser says she complained to the company management about the incident and was contacted by a regional manager who backed the actions of the store director.
She said the incident caused her embarrassment and made her feel ashamed.
Under Oregon law, women can breastfeed in any public place, but the statute does not define what constitutes a 'public place.'
click to read more...
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Breastfeeding Helps Prevent Obesity in Kids (Yahoo! Finance)
Study Shows the Longer a Woman Breastfeeds, the Less Likely Her Child Will Become Overweight Later
Benefits Accrue to Kids of Overweight Women Who Had Gestational Diabetes
ALEXANDRIA, Va., April 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Breastfeeding longer than three months can cut a child's risk of later becoming overweight or obese by more than 40 percent, if the child was born to an overweight mother diagnosed with diabetes during her pregnancy, according to a study published in the May issue of Diabetes Care.
Researchers in Germany found that the longer a woman breastfed, the less likely her child was to become overweight or obese before the age of 8. The study included 324 children born between 1995-2000 to women with gestational diabetes. Gestational diabetes refers to a condition that occurs when a woman who has never been diagnosed with diabetes exhibits high blood sugar levels during her pregnancy. This type of diabetes, which affects roughly 4 percent of all pregnant women, goes away after the baby is born but both mother and child are at increased risk for type 2 diabetes later in life.
click to read more...
Benefits Accrue to Kids of Overweight Women Who Had Gestational Diabetes
ALEXANDRIA, Va., April 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Breastfeeding longer than three months can cut a child's risk of later becoming overweight or obese by more than 40 percent, if the child was born to an overweight mother diagnosed with diabetes during her pregnancy, according to a study published in the May issue of Diabetes Care.
Researchers in Germany found that the longer a woman breastfed, the less likely her child was to become overweight or obese before the age of 8. The study included 324 children born between 1995-2000 to women with gestational diabetes. Gestational diabetes refers to a condition that occurs when a woman who has never been diagnosed with diabetes exhibits high blood sugar levels during her pregnancy. This type of diabetes, which affects roughly 4 percent of all pregnant women, goes away after the baby is born but both mother and child are at increased risk for type 2 diabetes later in life.
click to read more...
Sunday, April 23, 2006
Porbable date for Massachusetts Statehouse Demonstration
The Massachusetts Breastfeeding Coalition is organizing a demonstration at the Statehouse in Boston to show support for the formula marketing ban proposed by our state's Public Health Council.
It is likely to be held on May 12th at 10 AM (details and date/time confirmation will be coming very soon).
If you are able to attend the demonstration, please email MBC at massbfc AT massbfc DOT org.
See you there!
It is likely to be held on May 12th at 10 AM (details and date/time confirmation will be coming very soon).
If you are able to attend the demonstration, please email MBC at massbfc AT massbfc DOT org.
See you there!
Hillcrest collecting breast milk for premature infants (Waco Tribune-Herald)
On behalf of medically fragile infants across the state, officials at Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center are asking local mothers to donate their excess breast milk.
The hospital recently became a “milk depot” for an Austin organization called Mothers’ Milk Bank. It is one of nine places across the country that collect breast milk from mothers who have some to spare and give it to those unable to produce their own.
The milk is only available via a prescription and almost exclusively goes to ill or premature babies, said April Rudge, the Austin bank’s outreach director. In some instances, it is also given to mothers who adopt children, she said, but only when there is enough milk to meet the needs of fragile babies first.
“There is a steady increase in the demand, especially as more hospitals are using donor milk and having success with it,” Rudge said.
click to read more...
The hospital recently became a “milk depot” for an Austin organization called Mothers’ Milk Bank. It is one of nine places across the country that collect breast milk from mothers who have some to spare and give it to those unable to produce their own.
The milk is only available via a prescription and almost exclusively goes to ill or premature babies, said April Rudge, the Austin bank’s outreach director. In some instances, it is also given to mothers who adopt children, she said, but only when there is enough milk to meet the needs of fragile babies first.
“There is a steady increase in the demand, especially as more hospitals are using donor milk and having success with it,” Rudge said.
click to read more...
It’s time to make breastfeeding ordinary again (Sunday Gazette-Mail)
Some of the most serious and costly epidemics facing West Virginia children and women are directly related to a decline in breastfeeding. Children who are not breastfed are at greater risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, diabetes, respiratory infections, allergies and diarrhea. In addition, the longer children breastfeed, the less likely they are to be overweight. Breastfeeding is associated with health benefits for mothers too — reduced risk for ovarian cancer and pre-menopausal breast cancer.
Increasing rates of breastfeeding also reduces health-care costs. The American Academy of Pediatrics estimates that increasing the proportion of American children breastfed in their first few months from 64 percent in 2000, to 75 percent by 2010, would save an estimated $3.6 billion in health-care costs annually. The massive amounts the federal government spends on baby formula would be slashed as well. In 2005, West Virginia alone spent $7.5 million of public funding on formula for low-income families.
Promoting breastfeeding has become a consistent feature of public health nutrition policy. West Virginia pediatricians, backed by the American Academy of Pediatrics, recommend breastfeeding for at least the first year of life, and beyond for as long as mutually desired by mother and child. Despite this, West Virginia breastfeeding rates remain among the lowest in the nation.
click to read more...
Increasing rates of breastfeeding also reduces health-care costs. The American Academy of Pediatrics estimates that increasing the proportion of American children breastfed in their first few months from 64 percent in 2000, to 75 percent by 2010, would save an estimated $3.6 billion in health-care costs annually. The massive amounts the federal government spends on baby formula would be slashed as well. In 2005, West Virginia alone spent $7.5 million of public funding on formula for low-income families.
Promoting breastfeeding has become a consistent feature of public health nutrition policy. West Virginia pediatricians, backed by the American Academy of Pediatrics, recommend breastfeeding for at least the first year of life, and beyond for as long as mutually desired by mother and child. Despite this, West Virginia breastfeeding rates remain among the lowest in the nation.
click to read more...
Mothers donating liquid gold to bank (Journal Gazette)
When Melinda and Steve Connelly lost their infant son in August, they tried like many parents in their position to make sense of the loss.
Melinda Connelly said that the Fort Wayne couple’s Christian faith helped them cope and, in part, led to a decision to donate unused breast milk. The hope was that it could provide nourishment to other premature babies.
Connelly, 37, learned of Indiana Mothers’ Milk Bank Inc., a non-profit that opened the same month her 51-day-old son Jadon died. She donated more than 200 2-ounce bottles – one of more than 100 donors screened and approved by the Indianapolis-based milk bank.
“This was just one way … that he (Jadon) was able to make a contribution even in such a short span that he was here,” Connelly said.
click to read more...
Melinda Connelly said that the Fort Wayne couple’s Christian faith helped them cope and, in part, led to a decision to donate unused breast milk. The hope was that it could provide nourishment to other premature babies.
Connelly, 37, learned of Indiana Mothers’ Milk Bank Inc., a non-profit that opened the same month her 51-day-old son Jadon died. She donated more than 200 2-ounce bottles – one of more than 100 donors screened and approved by the Indianapolis-based milk bank.
“This was just one way … that he (Jadon) was able to make a contribution even in such a short span that he was here,” Connelly said.
click to read more...
Saturday, April 22, 2006
Mothers got wrong advice for 40 years (Sunday Times - Times Online)
BREAST-FEEDING mothers have been given potentially harmful advice on infant nutrition for the past 40 years, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has admitted.
Charts used in Britain for decades to advise mothers on a baby’s optimum size have been based on the growth rates of infants fed on formula milk.
The organisation now says the advice given to millions of breast-feeding mothers was distorted because babies fed on formula milk put on weight far faster.
These breast-feeding mothers were wrongly told that their babies were underweight and were advised, or felt pressured, to fatten them up by giving them formula milk or extra solids.
Health experts believe the growth charts may have contributed to childhood obesity and associated problems such as diabetes and heart disease in later life. A government study has found that more than a quarter of children in English secondary schools are clinically obese, almost double the proportion a decade ago.
click to read more...
Charts used in Britain for decades to advise mothers on a baby’s optimum size have been based on the growth rates of infants fed on formula milk.
The organisation now says the advice given to millions of breast-feeding mothers was distorted because babies fed on formula milk put on weight far faster.
These breast-feeding mothers were wrongly told that their babies were underweight and were advised, or felt pressured, to fatten them up by giving them formula milk or extra solids.
Health experts believe the growth charts may have contributed to childhood obesity and associated problems such as diabetes and heart disease in later life. A government study has found that more than a quarter of children in English secondary schools are clinically obese, almost double the proportion a decade ago.
click to read more...
Friday, April 21, 2006
Short breast-feeding linked to later alcoholism (Reuters.co.uk)
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Early weaning from breast-feeding appears to be one factor that predisposes adults to alcohol abuse and hospitalization for an alcohol-related diagnosis, according to data from Denmark.
Previous research demonstrated a link between short duration of breast-feeding and alcoholism in men. Dr. Holger J. Sorenson and colleagues at Copenhagen University and the US examined this relationship in a larger population sample that included women and took into account other environmental and familial factors.
click to read more...
Previous research demonstrated a link between short duration of breast-feeding and alcoholism in men. Dr. Holger J. Sorenson and colleagues at Copenhagen University and the US examined this relationship in a larger population sample that included women and took into account other environmental and familial factors.
click to read more...
Thursday, April 20, 2006
Breast milk banks: an idea taken to the extreme? (The Student Operated Press)
Our society is accustomed to having things at our fingertips. We shop online, we can pay bills by phone, and we can even stop and play live television in our homes (courtesy of TiVO). We also have at our disposal facilities that harbor a few of the many necessities we need: blood banks for those needing transfusions and sperm banks for those wanting children without the hassle of having to find an appropriate father.
But a fairly new phenom has some questioning whether or not we have taken this idea of for your convenience a little too far. These are breast milk banks. Yes, breast milk banks. Women all over the country are pumping their milk and sending it in to these banks to be processed and sent out to needy families. The idea in itself is noble. The milk feeds infants who have no access to food.
click to read more...
But a fairly new phenom has some questioning whether or not we have taken this idea of for your convenience a little too far. These are breast milk banks. Yes, breast milk banks. Women all over the country are pumping their milk and sending it in to these banks to be processed and sent out to needy families. The idea in itself is noble. The milk feeds infants who have no access to food.
click to read more...
Breastfeeding at Freddies (AlterNet: Blogs: The Mix)
I'm trying to be a patriot and follow our president's wishes about what I should do in the bedroom, but it's getting awfully confusing. First, apparently, I'm supposed to be abstinent. (Or was that obstinate? I always confuse the two.) Then, if I am going to have sex, it best be the married-kind. And then, married or not, if I do get pregnant -- no matter what the situation, no matter how broke I am, how unprepared I am, or how raped I was -- I am supposed to keep the baby.
Alright, suppose I did all that, here comes the kicker. Once I do have the little crying helpless infant attached to my hip everywhere I go (since it's not like there's nationally-subsidized daycare or anything), I'm not supposed to breastfeed it in public, even though breastfeeding is still generally considered to be the healthiest, most economical, and most sanitary way to get nourishment to a newborn.
click to read more...
Alright, suppose I did all that, here comes the kicker. Once I do have the little crying helpless infant attached to my hip everywhere I go (since it's not like there's nationally-subsidized daycare or anything), I'm not supposed to breastfeed it in public, even though breastfeeding is still generally considered to be the healthiest, most economical, and most sanitary way to get nourishment to a newborn.
click to read more...
Monday, April 17, 2006
Women with diabetes breast-feed despite obstacles (Reuters.com)
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Mothers with type 1 diabetes are just as likely as other women to be able to breast-feed their babies, despite difficulties with blood sugar levels and health problems in their infants, Danish researchers report.
Dr. Elisabeth Mathiesen and colleagues from Copenhagen University Hospital interviewed 102 women with type 1 diabetes at 5 days after delivery and again at 4 months to investigate the frequency of long-term breast-feeding and possible factors linked to successful breast-feeding.
More than half of the children had a medical complication when they were born, such as jaundice, infection or breathing difficulties. Nonetheless, most of the women (86 percent) initiated breast-feeding, the team reports in the medical journal Diabetes Care.
click to read more...
Dr. Elisabeth Mathiesen and colleagues from Copenhagen University Hospital interviewed 102 women with type 1 diabetes at 5 days after delivery and again at 4 months to investigate the frequency of long-term breast-feeding and possible factors linked to successful breast-feeding.
More than half of the children had a medical complication when they were born, such as jaundice, infection or breathing difficulties. Nonetheless, most of the women (86 percent) initiated breast-feeding, the team reports in the medical journal Diabetes Care.
click to read more...
Women with diabetes breast-feed despite obstacles (Reuters.com)
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Mothers with type 1 diabetes are just as likely as other women to be able to breast-feed their babies, despite difficulties with blood sugar levels and health problems in their infants, Danish researchers report.
Dr. Elisabeth Mathiesen and colleagues from Copenhagen University Hospital interviewed 102 women with type 1 diabetes at 5 days after delivery and again at 4 months to investigate the frequency of long-term breast-feeding and possible factors linked to successful breast-feeding.
More than half of the children had a medical complication when they were born, such as jaundice, infection or breathing difficulties. Nonetheless, most of the women (86 percent) initiated breast-feeding, the team reports in the medical journal Diabetes Care.
click to read more...
Dr. Elisabeth Mathiesen and colleagues from Copenhagen University Hospital interviewed 102 women with type 1 diabetes at 5 days after delivery and again at 4 months to investigate the frequency of long-term breast-feeding and possible factors linked to successful breast-feeding.
More than half of the children had a medical complication when they were born, such as jaundice, infection or breathing difficulties. Nonetheless, most of the women (86 percent) initiated breast-feeding, the team reports in the medical journal Diabetes Care.
click to read more...
Breast-Feeding Display On Campus To Raise Awareness (KXAN.com)
Breast-feeding in public is what six women did Wednesday in a very public arena at the UT campus.
They say, whether you squirm or not, they have the right to feed their children wherever they are.
Forget the argument: is breast-feeding good or bad for a baby? The issue many women have is a baby can get hungry anytime, and if they're breast-feeding, they may just be in a coffee shop or restaurant when they feel the need to feed.
The women who were breast-feeding on campus Wednesday say they shouldn't be made to feel ashamed.
click to read more...
They say, whether you squirm or not, they have the right to feed their children wherever they are.
Forget the argument: is breast-feeding good or bad for a baby? The issue many women have is a baby can get hungry anytime, and if they're breast-feeding, they may just be in a coffee shop or restaurant when they feel the need to feed.
The women who were breast-feeding on campus Wednesday say they shouldn't be made to feel ashamed.
click to read more...
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Senate OKs breast-feeding bill (KPHO Phoenix)
PHOENIX The Arizona Legislature has voted to provide legal protection for breast-feeding in public.
The Senate today unanimously approved a bill which the House overwhelmingly approved last month. The bill now goes to Governor Napolitano.
click to read more...
The Senate today unanimously approved a bill which the House overwhelmingly approved last month. The bill now goes to Governor Napolitano.
click to read more...
Friday, April 07, 2006
Demonstration at Massachusetts State House
I've just received the following message from the Massachusetts Breastfeeding Coalition, and am posting it here with their permission:
From: MBC_Members On Behalf Of Melissa Bartick, MD
To: MBC_Members
Subject: [MBC_Members] statehouse demonstration: RSVP
Hi all,
MBC is planning to have a demonstration at the Statehouse about the gift bag issue. We will likely have banners, and are trying to think of an intriguing visual piece that will get the attention of Romney and of the press. We have been advised that the best time to do this is on a weekday, preferably in the morning, but it could be @ noon.
We will need to get as many folks as possible to come, and we would like mothers with babies as well. It would likely be the week of May 15. Please let me know if you think you can come and if you can round up people to come, as well. Exact date is TBA-- we need to get a sense on attendance, best days of the week, etc. Please let me know!
In other updates, we have not been successful in scheduling meetings with officials-- all the more reason to have a big demonstration to get attention of the press and the Governor.
We have drafted an ad for the Parents' Paper, which will come out in early May. I will send out an HTML email with it shortly, so that people can forward it. In the meantime, I'm attaching a pdf of it now. We would like people to print it out, and post it everywhere: your workplaces, community boards, etc.
Also-- one last thing-- we still need more petition signatures: we have all states represented by West Virginia, North Dakota and South Dakota-- if you know people in those states, please get them to sign!
Melissa
Massachusetts Breastfeeding Coalition
to email: massbfc@massbfc.org
Please spread the word far and wide!!
From: MBC_Members On Behalf Of Melissa Bartick, MD
To: MBC_Members
Subject: [MBC_Members] statehouse demonstration: RSVP
Hi all,
MBC is planning to have a demonstration at the Statehouse about the gift bag issue. We will likely have banners, and are trying to think of an intriguing visual piece that will get the attention of Romney and of the press. We have been advised that the best time to do this is on a weekday, preferably in the morning, but it could be @ noon.
We will need to get as many folks as possible to come, and we would like mothers with babies as well. It would likely be the week of May 15. Please let me know if you think you can come and if you can round up people to come, as well. Exact date is TBA-- we need to get a sense on attendance, best days of the week, etc. Please let me know!
In other updates, we have not been successful in scheduling meetings with officials-- all the more reason to have a big demonstration to get attention of the press and the Governor.
We have drafted an ad for the Parents' Paper, which will come out in early May. I will send out an HTML email with it shortly, so that people can forward it. In the meantime, I'm attaching a pdf of it now. We would like people to print it out, and post it everywhere: your workplaces, community boards, etc.
Also-- one last thing-- we still need more petition signatures: we have all states represented by West Virginia, North Dakota and South Dakota-- if you know people in those states, please get them to sign!
Melissa
Massachusetts Breastfeeding Coalition
to email: massbfc@massbfc.org
Please spread the word far and wide!!
Mum left 'humiliated' by breastfeeding ban (Leeds Today)
A MOTHER was forced to leave the family area of a health club's restaurant – for breastfeeding her baby son.
Lindsay Cooper was feeding 10-week-old Calum at Esporta in Cookridge yesterday when the manager told her she had to move to a different room.
The incident took place in full view of the restaurant and Mrs Cooper described the experience as 'humiliating' and 'upsetting'.
According to the 30-year-old PE teacher, there were only other women present at the time but when confronted, the manager said that it was 'against company policy' to allow breastfeeding in that section of the club.
click to read more...
Lindsay Cooper was feeding 10-week-old Calum at Esporta in Cookridge yesterday when the manager told her she had to move to a different room.
The incident took place in full view of the restaurant and Mrs Cooper described the experience as 'humiliating' and 'upsetting'.
According to the 30-year-old PE teacher, there were only other women present at the time but when confronted, the manager said that it was 'against company policy' to allow breastfeeding in that section of the club.
click to read more...
Thursday, April 06, 2006
Mystery of 'nuns' disease' (The Star Phoenix)
OTTAWA -- Breast cancer used to be known as "nuns' disease." As far back as the 14th century, the disease affected nuns more than any other group of medieval women. Studies since have continued to confirm high rates among nuns. The breast cancer rate in 19th-century nuns was 6.3 per cent -- about the same as it is today among Western women. In 1968, a U.S. National Cancer Institute study of 31,658 nuns from 41 religious orders found dramatically elevated levels of breast cancer in the women.
Why? Numerous researchers say it's because the nuns did not give birth or breastfeed. Today the breast cancer rate in nuns mirrors the rate in modern women, who frequently delay or forgo childbirth and infrequently choose to breastfeed their babies.
click to read more...
Why? Numerous researchers say it's because the nuns did not give birth or breastfeed. Today the breast cancer rate in nuns mirrors the rate in modern women, who frequently delay or forgo childbirth and infrequently choose to breastfeed their babies.
click to read more...
Breastfeeding in Public (SearchMothers.com)
Over the last few years many words have been spoken and written about nursing in public. I think this is good. Better to work out this problem of competing rights through civil dialogue and not in confrontations between a stressed mother whose child is crying and an embarrassed lifeguard, flight attendant, or store manager.
In the basic "public nursing" problem scenario there are three roles: a child, the child's breastfeeding mother, and an observer. The child indicates a need. The mother responds to the need by giving the child her breast to suck. The observer complains.
click to read more...
In the basic "public nursing" problem scenario there are three roles: a child, the child's breastfeeding mother, and an observer. The child indicates a need. The mother responds to the need by giving the child her breast to suck. The observer complains.
click to read more...
Infant formula warning: The poisoning of infants with formula products, and why breastfeeding is best (News Target)
Over the years, countless studies have shown that when it comes to infant nutrition, breast milk is best. This fact remains true, as there is simply no infant formula product on the market that can match the superior nutrition of mother's milk. In fact, some infant formulas actually contain ingredients that can be harmful to your baby.
Although some formula recipes have improved over time for mothers who must rely on formula to feed their new baby, many products are still loaded with unhealthy and even dangerous ingredients, making breastfeeding the best way to go for new mothers who have the option.
click to read more...
Although some formula recipes have improved over time for mothers who must rely on formula to feed their new baby, many products are still loaded with unhealthy and even dangerous ingredients, making breastfeeding the best way to go for new mothers who have the option.
click to read more...
New Mississippi Law Affirms Rights Of Breast-Feeding Mothers (WLOX-TV)
Getty Israel knows firsthand the benefits of breast-feeding: It's one of the ways she provided nutrition to her son when he was a baby. She hopes a new Mississippi law will help raise awareness of the health benefits of nursing, while also giving support to moms as they try to care for their infants and toddlers.
"We still have a lot of work to do,'' said Israel, a Jackson State University student who helped lead lobbying efforts to push the bill through the Legislature this year.
Gov. Haley Barbour signed the bill this week, and it became law immediately.
"It's one thing to sign the bill. It's another thing to really promote breast-feeding,'' Israel said Wednesday.
click to read more...
"We still have a lot of work to do,'' said Israel, a Jackson State University student who helped lead lobbying efforts to push the bill through the Legislature this year.
Gov. Haley Barbour signed the bill this week, and it became law immediately.
"It's one thing to sign the bill. It's another thing to really promote breast-feeding,'' Israel said Wednesday.
click to read more...
Vote shields moms' rights (The State)
The sight of little children playing in the lobby of the State House isn’t all that unusual during the legislative session.
But on Wednesday, their doting mothers seemed particularly happy, too.
The state Senate gave final approval to a House-passed bill protecting a mother’s right to breast-feed her child in public places without violating the law.
“It’s done!” said a jubilant Lin Cook of Charleston, a breast-feeding counselor and doula, who spent a number of days at the State House this year, attending meetings and hearings in support of the bill.
“We focused on the health of the baby, but those babies grow into (larger) people, so we feel like we’ve raised the health of all South Carolinians today.”
Simple in tone, the bill states a mother can breast-feed children in any location she is authorized to be and that the practice cannot constitute indecent exposure.
click to read more...
But on Wednesday, their doting mothers seemed particularly happy, too.
The state Senate gave final approval to a House-passed bill protecting a mother’s right to breast-feed her child in public places without violating the law.
“It’s done!” said a jubilant Lin Cook of Charleston, a breast-feeding counselor and doula, who spent a number of days at the State House this year, attending meetings and hearings in support of the bill.
“We focused on the health of the baby, but those babies grow into (larger) people, so we feel like we’ve raised the health of all South Carolinians today.”
Simple in tone, the bill states a mother can breast-feed children in any location she is authorized to be and that the practice cannot constitute indecent exposure.
click to read more...
Retention plan targets breast-feeding mothers (Arizona Daily Wildcat)
A grant from the Commission on the Status of Women is funding a new UA program that offers lactating mothers a discount when buying or renting a breast pump at University Medical Center.
The program, Mommy Connections, is an extension to the UA Life Work Connection services geared toward recruiting and retaining a diverse student/employee population on campus, said senior coordinator Caryn Jung.
Renee Palting, a board certified lactation consultant at University Medical Center and for Mommy Connections, said the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that babies receive breast milk for at least the first year of their lives.
click to read more...
The program, Mommy Connections, is an extension to the UA Life Work Connection services geared toward recruiting and retaining a diverse student/employee population on campus, said senior coordinator Caryn Jung.
Renee Palting, a board certified lactation consultant at University Medical Center and for Mommy Connections, said the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that babies receive breast milk for at least the first year of their lives.
click to read more...
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Human milk still best bet for premature newborns’ survival (The Columbus Dispatch)
Before the 20 th century, many newborns died if they could not breastfeed because of the widespread infectious diarrhea that plagued bottlefed infants. The advent of refrigeration and changes in the protein of formulas cut mortality rates, but many premature babies could not tolerate the cow-milk formulas.
It was not until the late 1940s that scientists began to study the factors and components in milk and determine the best course for small or sick newborns.
click to read more...
It was not until the late 1940s that scientists began to study the factors and components in milk and determine the best course for small or sick newborns.
click to read more...
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Ariz. bill on public nursing advances (www.azstarnet.com)
PHOENIX — Mothers would not have to leave public places under threat of arrest if they breast-feed their children under legislation approved unanimously Monday by the Senate Judiciary Committee.
The legislation would give women breast-feeding rights that would mean a business owner could not ask someone to leave for that reason.
The proposed law also would create an exemption from state laws that make it a crime for a woman to expose a nipple whenever anyone else is present and a reasonable person would be "offended or alarmed."
The measure, which already has been approved by the House, now goes to the full Senate.
click to read more...
The legislation would give women breast-feeding rights that would mean a business owner could not ask someone to leave for that reason.
The proposed law also would create an exemption from state laws that make it a crime for a woman to expose a nipple whenever anyone else is present and a reasonable person would be "offended or alarmed."
The measure, which already has been approved by the House, now goes to the full Senate.
click to read more...
Massachusetts Breastfeeding Coalition: Petition
Help us fight formula company gift bags.
The Massachusetts Breastfeeding Coalition has set up a petition on their website:
Should hospitals allow big drug companies into hospital rooms to market their products to patients? Governor Romney says yes. If you disagree, please consider signing a petition to support a ban against marketing of infant formula by hospitals. About 80% of formula in the US is sold by large pharmaceutical companies...
click to view!
The Massachusetts Breastfeeding Coalition has set up a petition on their website:
Should hospitals allow big drug companies into hospital rooms to market their products to patients? Governor Romney says yes. If you disagree, please consider signing a petition to support a ban against marketing of infant formula by hospitals. About 80% of formula in the US is sold by large pharmaceutical companies...
click to view!
Monday, March 20, 2006
Don't be boobs (The Anniston Star)
Legislators on Goat Hill may soon face a true dunderhead test. A bill working its way through the House would allow new moms to breast-feed their babies in public. Anyone with sense should vote for it; those who reject it rightly deserve to be tarred "anti-mother" and "anti-child."
Rep. Laura Hall, D-Madison, was moved to sponsor the legislation after hearing stories of mothers being asked to leave places where they were breast-feeding. Some folks need to grow up, it seems. There’s nothing remotely sexual about breast-feeding. It’s simply nature’s way of providing babies with the best possible nutrition and protection against disease.
click to read more...
Rep. Laura Hall, D-Madison, was moved to sponsor the legislation after hearing stories of mothers being asked to leave places where they were breast-feeding. Some folks need to grow up, it seems. There’s nothing remotely sexual about breast-feeding. It’s simply nature’s way of providing babies with the best possible nutrition and protection against disease.
click to read more...
Sunday, March 19, 2006
Breast-feeding a baby in public shouldn't be such a big deal (Huntsville Times - al.com)
The baby cried. The mother tried. In fact, she tried every trick in the book. The mother cuddled her child, jiggled her up and down, and offered her the plastic car keys she loved. Still, the baby cried. So, the mother, having used up all her ammunition, pulled out the big guns, so to speak.
The mother breast-fed the child, right there in the coffee shop. The effect was immediate. The baby hushed, then nursed, making those soft cooing noises young creatures make when they eat.
Safely hidden under her mother's red poncho, the child took her meal at a back booth. The mother and the child were discreet. Well, the mother was, anyway; the child had not yet learned about discretion. She just knew she had been miserable and now she was happy.
click to read more...
The mother breast-fed the child, right there in the coffee shop. The effect was immediate. The baby hushed, then nursed, making those soft cooing noises young creatures make when they eat.
Safely hidden under her mother's red poncho, the child took her meal at a back booth. The mother and the child were discreet. Well, the mother was, anyway; the child had not yet learned about discretion. She just knew she had been miserable and now she was happy.
click to read more...
Monday, March 06, 2006
Governor signs breast-feeding bill (AP Wire)
TOPEKA, Kan. - Gov. Kathleen Sebelius has signed legislation making it clear that a mother has the legal right to nurse a newborn in public.
"We all want children to have the opportunity to grow up happy and healthy," Sebelius said in a written statement Monday. "By reaffirming that mothers can breast-feed anywhere they have a right to be, we can help mothers and their babies."
The new law, which takes effect within two weeks, says a woman can breast-feed in any place she has a right to be.
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"We all want children to have the opportunity to grow up happy and healthy," Sebelius said in a written statement Monday. "By reaffirming that mothers can breast-feed anywhere they have a right to be, we can help mothers and their babies."
The new law, which takes effect within two weeks, says a woman can breast-feed in any place she has a right to be.
click to read more...
Thursday, March 02, 2006
Breastfeeding should not be an issue in 2006 (The Courier)
IT IS hard to believe that, in 2006, we still squabble over the right of a woman to breastfeed in public.
Australian netballer Janine Illitch's request that she be allowed to express breast milk to feed her six-month-old son, Heath, during the Commonwealth Games was initially greeted with indecision.
Okay, expressing is a little different to breastfeeding, but it shouldn't be any more of a problem.
Janine will be staying with her team-mates at the Commonwealth Games Village, while baby Heath will be with family elsewhere.
Naturally, she is keen to provide her child with the ongoing nourishment that breastfeeding is - benefits espoused and encouraged by health authorities around the world.
Thankfully, Netball Australia has seen fit to allow Janine to express milk while she is away from her baby, but not before the issue created a mini-storm.
What should have been a straight-forward "no problem" response to her request turned into a debate about the rights of other athletes.
"There's not a lot of room (at the village) and the players might need their rest and she is in there expressing," coach Norma Plummer was quoted as saying.
click to read more...
Australian netballer Janine Illitch's request that she be allowed to express breast milk to feed her six-month-old son, Heath, during the Commonwealth Games was initially greeted with indecision.
Okay, expressing is a little different to breastfeeding, but it shouldn't be any more of a problem.
Janine will be staying with her team-mates at the Commonwealth Games Village, while baby Heath will be with family elsewhere.
Naturally, she is keen to provide her child with the ongoing nourishment that breastfeeding is - benefits espoused and encouraged by health authorities around the world.
Thankfully, Netball Australia has seen fit to allow Janine to express milk while she is away from her baby, but not before the issue created a mini-storm.
What should have been a straight-forward "no problem" response to her request turned into a debate about the rights of other athletes.
"There's not a lot of room (at the village) and the players might need their rest and she is in there expressing," coach Norma Plummer was quoted as saying.
click to read more...
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
Big win for Ilitch (Herald Sun)
AUSTRALIAN netballer Janine Ilitch was relieved last night to gain the full backing of Netball Australia in her quest to continue breastfeeding during the Commonwealth Games.
Netball Australia has bowed to public outrage over pressure to stop Ilitch from breastfeeding before the Games begin.
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Netball Australia has bowed to public outrage over pressure to stop Ilitch from breastfeeding before the Games begin.
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Breastmilk storm: netballer gets the OK (smh.com.au)
Netballer Janine Illitch will be allowed to express breastmilk in the Commonwealth Games village, despite reports team officials opposed the plan.
Netball Australia chief executive Lindsay Cane today said issues remained as the association had not yet seen the Games Village facilities, but coaches, support staff and players were united in supporting Illitch.
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Netball Australia chief executive Lindsay Cane today said issues remained as the association had not yet seen the Games Village facilities, but coaches, support staff and players were united in supporting Illitch.
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Village breastfeeding dilemma (Herald Sun)
TOP medal hope Janine Ilitch is under pressure to stop breastfeeding her new baby before the Games begin.
The netballer is due to move into the Commonwealth Games village soon.
But even though six-month-old baby Heath won't be with her in the village, the dual Commonwealth gold medallist is determined to continue breastfeeding -- by using a breast pump -- throughout the 10-day tournament.
Team officials have voiced concerns to her. However, the mum of two said it was her right and was prepared to take her own expressed milk into the village.
"I'm sure there's a way to do it," she said.
"I feel very strongly that I want to continue breastfeeding. It's my right.
"I'm just an ordinary woman who likes feeding and I want it to be my decision when I stop."
But Australian coach Norma Plummer said facilities may not be appropriate.
click to read more...
The netballer is due to move into the Commonwealth Games village soon.
But even though six-month-old baby Heath won't be with her in the village, the dual Commonwealth gold medallist is determined to continue breastfeeding -- by using a breast pump -- throughout the 10-day tournament.
Team officials have voiced concerns to her. However, the mum of two said it was her right and was prepared to take her own expressed milk into the village.
"I'm sure there's a way to do it," she said.
"I feel very strongly that I want to continue breastfeeding. It's my right.
"I'm just an ordinary woman who likes feeding and I want it to be my decision when I stop."
But Australian coach Norma Plummer said facilities may not be appropriate.
click to read more...
Can Breast Milk Help Treat Cancer? (Click2Houston.com)
BALTIMORE -- In the war against cancer, chemotherapy is often the weapon of choice. But one woman believes an unconventional and controversial therapy has added months to her life, Baltimore television station WBAL reported.
With every delivery of human breast milk comes a package of hope for Dorothy and Liston George. Dorothy was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in January 2005.
"We were told, initially, that the chemo would give us a few months," Liston George said.
"At that point, I was ready to change anything," Dorothy George said.
WBAL reported the milk is prescribed from the Breast Milk Bank at Christiana Hospital in Delaware, where it is screened and processed for safety.
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With every delivery of human breast milk comes a package of hope for Dorothy and Liston George. Dorothy was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in January 2005.
"We were told, initially, that the chemo would give us a few months," Liston George said.
"At that point, I was ready to change anything," Dorothy George said.
WBAL reported the milk is prescribed from the Breast Milk Bank at Christiana Hospital in Delaware, where it is screened and processed for safety.
click to read more...
Proposal Seeks To Ease Workplace Breast-Feeding (ChannelOklahoma.com)
OKLAHOMA CITY -- Most Oklahoma newborns aren't getting the best nutrition possible.
Local experts say that's because many mothers stop breast-feeding too early or never start all so they can go back to work. However, Oklahoma lawmakers want to make breast-feeding in the workplace more comfortable for mothers.
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Local experts say that's because many mothers stop breast-feeding too early or never start all so they can go back to work. However, Oklahoma lawmakers want to make breast-feeding in the workplace more comfortable for mothers.
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Monday, February 27, 2006
An oddly timed aside in debate over formula (The Boston Globe)
(Letter to the editor)
THE PIECE by Joanna Weiss (''Lactation nation: A few things I wish the breast-feeding advocates had told me," Ideas, Feb. 19) was interestingly timed, as debate rages over whether Massachusetts should reverse the Public Health Department's restriction on manufacturers' so-called gift bags of infant formula, which are given out to new mothers at hospitals (''Romney to undo ban on formula," City & Region, Feb. 18).
click to read more...
THE PIECE by Joanna Weiss (''Lactation nation: A few things I wish the breast-feeding advocates had told me," Ideas, Feb. 19) was interestingly timed, as debate rages over whether Massachusetts should reverse the Public Health Department's restriction on manufacturers' so-called gift bags of infant formula, which are given out to new mothers at hospitals (''Romney to undo ban on formula," City & Region, Feb. 18).
click to read more...
Sunday, February 26, 2006
Public breast-feeding is toplessness next? (The Sun News)
(A letter to the editor)
I strongly disagree with the S.C. House of Representatives approving a bill allowing women to breast-feed their infants in public places. This is not only disgusting, it is also a wedge into our society allowing such lewdness, only one step away from the final goal of allowing topless bathing on our beaches, like uncivilized countries now do. Anybody can see this creeping toplessness is their final goal.
Mothers have been bottle-feeding their infants for over a century. For the S.C. House to fall for this creeping toplessness is absurd.
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I strongly disagree with the S.C. House of Representatives approving a bill allowing women to breast-feed their infants in public places. This is not only disgusting, it is also a wedge into our society allowing such lewdness, only one step away from the final goal of allowing topless bathing on our beaches, like uncivilized countries now do. Anybody can see this creeping toplessness is their final goal.
Mothers have been bottle-feeding their infants for over a century. For the S.C. House to fall for this creeping toplessness is absurd.
click to read more...
Power of moms moves through halls of Legislature (The Post and Courier)
Their rallying cry for breast-feeding rights: It's all about the babies
Among regular citizens who dig in their heels to lobby the state Legislature, members of the South Carolina Breastfeeding Action Committee are a different breed. They don't have a beef about property taxes, they're not especially concerned about where the Confederate flag flies and although they like open spaces where their kids can run and play, they're not there to fight for environmental conservation.
This is just about the babies.
It started with just one baby, a hungry, howling 2-month-old girl. In a lingerie store. And a mom who got mad when the store refused to allow her use of a dressing room to nurse the baby.
Then, there were dozens of other moms, feeding their babies in protest under the store's pink and white awnings. A movement was born, a bill was authored, suggesting that women have a right to breast-feed in public whenever they need to, and now, it's partway to becoming a law in the Palmetto State.
click to read more...
Among regular citizens who dig in their heels to lobby the state Legislature, members of the South Carolina Breastfeeding Action Committee are a different breed. They don't have a beef about property taxes, they're not especially concerned about where the Confederate flag flies and although they like open spaces where their kids can run and play, they're not there to fight for environmental conservation.
This is just about the babies.
It started with just one baby, a hungry, howling 2-month-old girl. In a lingerie store. And a mom who got mad when the store refused to allow her use of a dressing room to nurse the baby.
Then, there were dozens of other moms, feeding their babies in protest under the store's pink and white awnings. A movement was born, a bill was authored, suggesting that women have a right to breast-feed in public whenever they need to, and now, it's partway to becoming a law in the Palmetto State.
click to read more...
Friday, February 24, 2006
Hathor- The Evolution Revolution
Oh, I think I will be getting this one as a print, thank you very much... I could laugh if I weren't so sad about it.
click to view
click to view
Thursday, February 23, 2006
Does Free Baby Formula Discourage Breast-feeding? (ABC News)
A Government Study Suggests That a Federal Program Designed to Aid Low-Income Mothers May Inadvertently Discourage Them From Breast-Feeding
Feb. 23, 2006 — While it has been a common practice since the beginning of time, breast-feeding has also been a source of constant debate and discussion. The latest controversy is no exception.
A new study by the Government Accountability Office suggests that a federal program designed to aid low-income mothers may inadvertently discourage them from breast-feeding because it provides them with free infant formula in hospitals.
While the U.S. government encourages mothers to breast-feed their infants, the study reports that low-income mothers who participate in the federal Women, Infants and Children health and nutrition program have significantly lower breast-feeding rates than the rest of the population.
click to read more....
Feb. 23, 2006 — While it has been a common practice since the beginning of time, breast-feeding has also been a source of constant debate and discussion. The latest controversy is no exception.
A new study by the Government Accountability Office suggests that a federal program designed to aid low-income mothers may inadvertently discourage them from breast-feeding because it provides them with free infant formula in hospitals.
While the U.S. government encourages mothers to breast-feed their infants, the study reports that low-income mothers who participate in the federal Women, Infants and Children health and nutrition program have significantly lower breast-feeding rates than the rest of the population.
click to read more....
Formula is a poor substitute for breast-feeding (The Patriot Ledger)
READER'S VIEW: Formula is a poor substitute for breast-feeding
In regards to hospitals stopping the practice of giving infant formula to new mothers, the risks of feeding babies with anything other than the milk nature designed for them are real.
Pick up a can of formula and read the ingredients to see that it is quite inferior to breast milk. It is mainly made up of sugar and oils and a protein, such as cow’s milk, soy or whey. It does not contain antibodies, digestive enzymes or immunoglobulin.
Babies that are fed formula are 14 times more likely to be hospitalized in their first year. These babies are more prone to respiratory illnesses, ear infections and diarrhea, according to the book, ‘‘Ultimate Breastfeeding Book of Answers,’’ by Jack Newman, M.D.
click to read more...
In regards to hospitals stopping the practice of giving infant formula to new mothers, the risks of feeding babies with anything other than the milk nature designed for them are real.
Pick up a can of formula and read the ingredients to see that it is quite inferior to breast milk. It is mainly made up of sugar and oils and a protein, such as cow’s milk, soy or whey. It does not contain antibodies, digestive enzymes or immunoglobulin.
Babies that are fed formula are 14 times more likely to be hospitalized in their first year. These babies are more prone to respiratory illnesses, ear infections and diarrhea, according to the book, ‘‘Ultimate Breastfeeding Book of Answers,’’ by Jack Newman, M.D.
click to read more...
School group wary of breast-feeding bill (Lexington Herald-Leader)
FRANKFORT - The Kentucky School Boards Association is concerned about a bill the Senate approved yesterday that would permit a mother to breast-feed her baby in any location, public or private.
"We're concerned about the possibility of nursing mothers in classes with other students," said Brad Hughes, spokesman for the association. "We don't want to kill the bill but we don't want a school to be in a sexual harassment lawsuit for not letting a mother nurse her child in a classroom with other students."
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"We're concerned about the possibility of nursing mothers in classes with other students," said Brad Hughes, spokesman for the association. "We don't want to kill the bill but we don't want a school to be in a sexual harassment lawsuit for not letting a mother nurse her child in a classroom with other students."
click to read more....
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Hospital gift bag ban put on hold - The Boston Globe
The panel that sets public health policy in Massachusetts today put on hold a ban against the distribution of gift bags containing infant formula that are routinely distributed to new mothers in hospital maternity wards.
Governor Mitt Romney, who said he believes mothers should have a choice over how to feed their infants, had asked the Public Health Council to repeal the prohibition, which was set to go into effect in July. The panel voted unanimously to suspend its December approval of the ban while directing public health authorities to further review the proposal and report back in three months.
The board's action assures that the controversy over the gift-bag ban will remain alive at least until May, with proponents of breast-feeding and formula makers preparing for further battle.
Advocates of the prohibition maintain that formula giveaways discourage mothers from breast-feeding. Medical studies have shown that breast-fed children are less likely to suffer respiratory and gastrointestinal ailments, and that women who nurse have lower rates of breast and ovarian cancer.
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Governor Mitt Romney, who said he believes mothers should have a choice over how to feed their infants, had asked the Public Health Council to repeal the prohibition, which was set to go into effect in July. The panel voted unanimously to suspend its December approval of the ban while directing public health authorities to further review the proposal and report back in three months.
The board's action assures that the controversy over the gift-bag ban will remain alive at least until May, with proponents of breast-feeding and formula makers preparing for further battle.
Advocates of the prohibition maintain that formula giveaways discourage mothers from breast-feeding. Medical studies have shown that breast-fed children are less likely to suffer respiratory and gastrointestinal ailments, and that women who nurse have lower rates of breast and ovarian cancer.
click to read more...
Romney rebuffed on hospital gift bags - The Boston Globe
Governor Mitt Romney was rebuffed today in his effort to assure that new mothers in Massachusetts can continue receiving traditional parting gifts when they leave the maternity ward: a bag filled with infant formula, coupons, and other goodies paid for by the formula companies.
The rejection came from a panel appointed by the governor that establishes policy for the state Department of Public Health. That board, the Public Health Council, in December had embraced a prohibition on formula marketing in maternity wards, including the distribution of gift bags that contain breast-milk substitute. The ban was scheduled to take effect in July, though some hospitals already refuse to hand out formula to new mothers unless women or their doctors request it.
The Romney administration asked the board to reverse its stance. Instead, the Public Health Council ordered the department to review the formula ban and report back in three months. Advocates of the prohibition maintain that formula giveaways discourage mothers from breast-feeding.
click to read more...
The rejection came from a panel appointed by the governor that establishes policy for the state Department of Public Health. That board, the Public Health Council, in December had embraced a prohibition on formula marketing in maternity wards, including the distribution of gift bags that contain breast-milk substitute. The ban was scheduled to take effect in July, though some hospitals already refuse to hand out formula to new mothers unless women or their doctors request it.
The Romney administration asked the board to reverse its stance. Instead, the Public Health Council ordered the department to review the formula ban and report back in three months. Advocates of the prohibition maintain that formula giveaways discourage mothers from breast-feeding.
click to read more...
Sunday, February 19, 2006
ROMNEY CAVES IN TO INDUSTRY PRESSURE: PUTS PROFITS ABOVE PUBLIC HEALTH
Governor Romney’s office has caved into pressure from the formula industry around the formula diaper bag ban in Massachusetts in hospitals.
"The only constituency served by the Governor’s request is the formula industry," says Dr. Melissa Bartick, a Cambridge internist and chair of the Massachusetts Breastfeeding Coalition. The new regulations, passed in December by the Public Health Council, banned formula company gift bags on postpartum units.
Multiple scientific studies have shown that formula company gift bags cause mothers to quit breastfeeding earlier, and even a recent report by the Government Accounting Office notes this connection, and clearly defines the bags as a marketing tool—and the companies themselves admitted to it. When mothers stop nursing, they face higher rates of diseases like breast cancer and ovarian cancer, and their babies have more ear infections, diarrhea, and severe bloodstream infections, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. Formula company handouts undermine breastfeeding, and that hurts mothers and babies.
click to read more...
"The only constituency served by the Governor’s request is the formula industry," says Dr. Melissa Bartick, a Cambridge internist and chair of the Massachusetts Breastfeeding Coalition. The new regulations, passed in December by the Public Health Council, banned formula company gift bags on postpartum units.
Multiple scientific studies have shown that formula company gift bags cause mothers to quit breastfeeding earlier, and even a recent report by the Government Accounting Office notes this connection, and clearly defines the bags as a marketing tool—and the companies themselves admitted to it. When mothers stop nursing, they face higher rates of diseases like breast cancer and ovarian cancer, and their babies have more ear infections, diarrhea, and severe bloodstream infections, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. Formula company handouts undermine breastfeeding, and that hurts mothers and babies.
click to read more...
Saturday, February 18, 2006
Massachusetts drops ban on hospital gift bags for new mothers - Boston.com
BOSTON --Hospitals can continue to distribute gift diaper bags with brand name baby formula and other goodies to new mothers after state health officials said Friday they have dropped what was believed to have been a first-in-the-nation ban on the practice.
The ban, which had yet to take effect, had been championed by advocates as a way to promote breast-feeding, but it received mixed reviews from some new mothers who said they -- and not the state -- should decide how best to nurse their children.
Although it never barred hospitals from giving out free formula, the ban would have ended a longtime marketing practice by formula companies that breast-feeding advocates said tried to lure new moms to a less healthy choice, with an implied hospital endorsement.
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The ban, which had yet to take effect, had been championed by advocates as a way to promote breast-feeding, but it received mixed reviews from some new mothers who said they -- and not the state -- should decide how best to nurse their children.
Although it never barred hospitals from giving out free formula, the ban would have ended a longtime marketing practice by formula companies that breast-feeding advocates said tried to lure new moms to a less healthy choice, with an implied hospital endorsement.
click to read more...
Friday, February 17, 2006
IMPORTANT: Please help spread the word!!! Romney attempting to block formula ban!
A news flash from the Massachusetts Breastfeeding Coalition:
----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUBJECT: Governor Threatens Formula Marketing Ban
The governor's office is petitioning the Public Health Council to
strike the section banning direct marketing of formula. There will be
a special public meeting of the Public Health Council on Tuesday at
9:30am in Downtown Boston.
It is important that health care providers and mothers attend!
Location: Daley Room, 5th floor, 2 Boylston Street, Div of Healthcare
Finance and Policy, corner of Washington Street and Boylston.
The AP is already aware. The opposing side is stating that it
interferes with women's choice. We need to stay on message that this
policy is about preventing adverse health outcomes, and is backed by
scientific evidence.
There is a great summary of effects of formula marketing in the
recent GAO report on formula marketing and WIC, at
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d06282.pdf
More updates later. Meanwhile, let's mobilize!
--------------------------------------------------------------
Please help spread the word on this!!!
----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUBJECT: Governor Threatens Formula Marketing Ban
The governor's office is petitioning the Public Health Council to
strike the section banning direct marketing of formula. There will be
a special public meeting of the Public Health Council on Tuesday at
9:30am in Downtown Boston.
It is important that health care providers and mothers attend!
Location: Daley Room, 5th floor, 2 Boylston Street, Div of Healthcare
Finance and Policy, corner of Washington Street and Boylston.
The AP is already aware. The opposing side is stating that it
interferes with women's choice. We need to stay on message that this
policy is about preventing adverse health outcomes, and is backed by
scientific evidence.
There is a great summary of effects of formula marketing in the
recent GAO report on formula marketing and WIC, at
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d06282.pdf
More updates later. Meanwhile, let's mobilize!
--------------------------------------------------------------
Please help spread the word on this!!!
Friday, February 10, 2006
WIC Mothers Breast-Feed Less (ABC News)
WASHINGTON Feb 8, 2006 (AP)— Breast-feeding is less common among mothers who get federal help from the Women, Infants and Children program, known as WIC, congressional investigators said Wednesday.
The Government Accountability Office didn't criticize WIC, which distributes free formula but also heavily promotes breast-feeding. Even outside the WIC program, breast-feeding in the United States fell short of federal goals, the report said.
Instead, investigators said limits are needed on advertising by infant formula companies. Companies have used the WIC name and logo to market formula despite federal restrictions on their use, according to the report.
click to read more...
The Government Accountability Office didn't criticize WIC, which distributes free formula but also heavily promotes breast-feeding. Even outside the WIC program, breast-feeding in the United States fell short of federal goals, the report said.
Instead, investigators said limits are needed on advertising by infant formula companies. Companies have used the WIC name and logo to market formula despite federal restrictions on their use, according to the report.
click to read more...
Six is Better Than Four for Breastfeeding (Ivanhoe's Medical Breakthroughs)
(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Mothers who breastfeed their newborns for six months may be helping them avoid respiratory illnesses, report researchers who analyzed data on nearly 2,300 children aged 6 months to 2 years.
Compared to infants of mothers who breastfed for only four months, these babies were about four-times less likely to develop pneumonia and about half as likely to come down with repeated inner ear infections.
"This finding adds to the mounting evidence that the longer a mother breastfeeds her infant, the greater the health benefits," says study author Caroline Chantry, M.D., from the University of California, Davis Children's Hospital. She calls for greater support of breastfeeding in the community, including in the workplace, noting many women stop breastfeeding after they return to work.
click to read more...
Compared to infants of mothers who breastfed for only four months, these babies were about four-times less likely to develop pneumonia and about half as likely to come down with repeated inner ear infections.
"This finding adds to the mounting evidence that the longer a mother breastfeeds her infant, the greater the health benefits," says study author Caroline Chantry, M.D., from the University of California, Davis Children's Hospital. She calls for greater support of breastfeeding in the community, including in the workplace, noting many women stop breastfeeding after they return to work.
click to read more...
Y to drop breast-feeding (Ann Arbor News)
The head of the Ann Arbor YMCA says the Y will drop its prohibition against mothers breast-feeding in the swimming pool area if the City Council, as expected, adopts new ordinances aimed at protecting mothers' nursing rights.
Cathi Duchon said the Y's stance was always about safety.
"My No. 1 job in this Y is to keep it safe,'' Duchon said. "That is all we are trying to do, is to keep children from drowning.''
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Cathi Duchon said the Y's stance was always about safety.
"My No. 1 job in this Y is to keep it safe,'' Duchon said. "That is all we are trying to do, is to keep children from drowning.''
click to read more...
Bill would protect breast-feeding (Lexington Herald-Leader)
FRANKFORT - Melissa Kroener was in a grocery last June when her 3-month-old son, Luke, got fussy and hungry.
Kroener, a law student, thought it too hot to breast-feed her child in the car and considered the store's bathroom "too gross." An employee offered her a seat at the front of the store.
All went well until a customer noticed and accused Kroener of public indecency. Another employee told her to move.
"I had been as discreet as could be but I got humiliated and frustrated," Kroener said. "There ought to be a law."
Sen. Tom Buford, R-Nicholasville, agrees. His bill before the legislature would permit a mother to breast-feed her baby in any location, public or private.
The Senate Judiciary Committee approved Senate Bill 106 yesterday with no opposition, and placed it on the Senate's "consent calendar." That's a parliamentary move in the Senate to vote for bills collectively. It usually assures easy passage.
click to read more...
Kroener, a law student, thought it too hot to breast-feed her child in the car and considered the store's bathroom "too gross." An employee offered her a seat at the front of the store.
All went well until a customer noticed and accused Kroener of public indecency. Another employee told her to move.
"I had been as discreet as could be but I got humiliated and frustrated," Kroener said. "There ought to be a law."
Sen. Tom Buford, R-Nicholasville, agrees. His bill before the legislature would permit a mother to breast-feed her baby in any location, public or private.
The Senate Judiciary Committee approved Senate Bill 106 yesterday with no opposition, and placed it on the Senate's "consent calendar." That's a parliamentary move in the Senate to vote for bills collectively. It usually assures easy passage.
click to read more...
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
from the US Goernment Accountability Office
Millions of U.S. mothers and infants each year forgo the health benefits of breastfeeding and rely on infant formula. Infants who are breastfed are less likely to develop infectious diseases and chronic health problems, such as diabetes and asthma, while breastfeeding mothers are less likely to develop certain types of cancer. Recognizing the health benefits of breastfeeding for infants and mothers, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Healthy People 2010 campaign has recommended that more U.S. infants be breastfed and that babies be breastfed for longer periods of time. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the U.S. would save a minimum of $3.6 billion in health care costs and indirect costs, such as parents' lost wages, if breastfeeding increased to meet these Healthy People goals. Breastfeeding rates are particularly low among infants who participate in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC). WIC is administered by the USDA's Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) in cooperation with state and local agencies. The program provides free food and infant formula to improve the health and nutritional well-being of low-income women, infants, and young children. Nearly half of infants born in the U.S. receive benefits through WIC. Although formula manufacturers agree that breastfeeding is best, they market infant formula as an alternative for mothers who do not exclusively breastfeed. A congressional committee asked us to review the potential impact of infant formula marketing on breastfeeding rates, especially for infants in the WIC program. We answered the following questions: 1) What are the estimated breastfeeding rates for infants in the general population and for infants on WIC, and how do these rates compare to recommended breastfeeding rates? 2) How is infant formula marketed to women in general and to women on WIC in particular? 3) What is known about the impact of infant formula marketing on the breastfeeding rates of women in the general population and women on WIC?
On December 14, 2005, we briefed interested congressional staff on the results of our analysis. This report formally conveys information provided during that briefing. In summary, WIC and non-WIC breastfeeding rates fell short of most national goals, but rates were substantially lower for WIC infants. Infant formula marketing targets non-WIC mothers and also reaches WIC mothers. Some of these marketing efforts use the trademarked WIC acronym in promotional materials. Although FNS requires states to restrict this practice in their WIC contracts, most states do not. A majority of studies we reviewed that examine giving free formula samples to mothers at hospital discharge found lower breastfeeding rates among both WIC and non-WIC mothers. However, little is known about the impact of most types of marketing.
Breastfeeding: Some Strategies Used to Market Infant Formula May Discourage Breastfeeding; State Contracts Should Better Protect Against Misuse of WIC Name, GAO-06-282, February 8, 2006
On December 14, 2005, we briefed interested congressional staff on the results of our analysis. This report formally conveys information provided during that briefing. In summary, WIC and non-WIC breastfeeding rates fell short of most national goals, but rates were substantially lower for WIC infants. Infant formula marketing targets non-WIC mothers and also reaches WIC mothers. Some of these marketing efforts use the trademarked WIC acronym in promotional materials. Although FNS requires states to restrict this practice in their WIC contracts, most states do not. A majority of studies we reviewed that examine giving free formula samples to mothers at hospital discharge found lower breastfeeding rates among both WIC and non-WIC mothers. However, little is known about the impact of most types of marketing.
Breastfeeding: Some Strategies Used to Market Infant Formula May Discourage Breastfeeding; State Contracts Should Better Protect Against Misuse of WIC Name, GAO-06-282, February 8, 2006
Friday, February 03, 2006
Lingerie store says no to breast-feeding (Houston Chronicle)
COLUMBIA, S.C. — In a Victoria's Secret store, surrounded by frilly bras and blown-up images of barely covered models, Lori Rueger says she was told to find somewhere else to breast feed.
Rueger's story — told during a hearing in support of a state bill to ensure breast feeding is allowed in public places — so angered a state lawmaker that he's urging women to form a national Mothers Against Victoria's Secret movement.
"It's really kind of subhuman behavior. And subhuman behavior warrants some kind of strong response other than just a little law that we pass in South Carolina," Rep. Walt McLeod, D-Little Mountain, said Wednesday.
Rueger was one of more than a couple of dozen mothers, doctors, lawyers and other breast-feeding advocates who were on hand to urge passage of the bill.
click to read more...
Rueger's story — told during a hearing in support of a state bill to ensure breast feeding is allowed in public places — so angered a state lawmaker that he's urging women to form a national Mothers Against Victoria's Secret movement.
"It's really kind of subhuman behavior. And subhuman behavior warrants some kind of strong response other than just a little law that we pass in South Carolina," Rep. Walt McLeod, D-Little Mountain, said Wednesday.
Rueger was one of more than a couple of dozen mothers, doctors, lawyers and other breast-feeding advocates who were on hand to urge passage of the bill.
click to read more...
Mothers urge declaration (The Topeka Capitol-Journal)
The act earning Aggie Nickelson a public rebuke seems innocuous enough.
She went to the restroom of a restaurant to nurse her infant son.
"A woman walked in and told me she was very offended and that in the state of Kansas it was illegal," the Hutchinson woman said Thursday during a Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee hearing. "She was going to call the police and have me arrested."
Her story was similar to that of Amy Swan, of Lawrence. She was accosted by a man while nursing her daughter in the nursery at a Lawrence health club.
"My experience at the health club was so degrading and humiliating," Swan said.
click to read more...
She went to the restroom of a restaurant to nurse her infant son.
"A woman walked in and told me she was very offended and that in the state of Kansas it was illegal," the Hutchinson woman said Thursday during a Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee hearing. "She was going to call the police and have me arrested."
Her story was similar to that of Amy Swan, of Lawrence. She was accosted by a man while nursing her daughter in the nursery at a Lawrence health club.
"My experience at the health club was so degrading and humiliating," Swan said.
click to read more...
Mothers ask for law to OK public nursing (The Hutchinson News)
TOPEKA - Hutchinson resident Agatha Nickelson bounced her infant son on her lap Thursday as she listened to other mothers, a grandfather and nurses testify for a bill aiming to support mothers who breastfeed babies in public.
The bill, Nickelson hopes, could remedy situations like the one she and her son, Wyatt, faced last fall.
While shopping at the Hutchinson Mall, Nickelson said, she stopped in a restroom to change the baby's diaper. He was hungry, so she sat on a chair, covered herself and her son with a blanket, and started to nurse him.
A woman passing through stopped with a look of disgust, she said.
"She began telling me how offended she was and that in the state of Kansas it was illegal to breastfeed in public," Nickelson said.
The woman then threatened to call police to arrest her. The outburst spurred Nickelson to pack up and leave.
click to read more...
The bill, Nickelson hopes, could remedy situations like the one she and her son, Wyatt, faced last fall.
While shopping at the Hutchinson Mall, Nickelson said, she stopped in a restroom to change the baby's diaper. He was hungry, so she sat on a chair, covered herself and her son with a blanket, and started to nurse him.
A woman passing through stopped with a look of disgust, she said.
"She began telling me how offended she was and that in the state of Kansas it was illegal to breastfeed in public," Nickelson said.
The woman then threatened to call police to arrest her. The outburst spurred Nickelson to pack up and leave.
click to read more...
Mothers ask for law to OK public nursing (The Hutchinson News)
TOPEKA - Hutchinson resident Agatha Nickelson bounced her infant son on her lap Thursday as she listened to other mothers, a grandfather and nurses testify for a bill aiming to support mothers who breastfeed babies in public.
The bill, Nickelson hopes, could remedy situations like the one she and her son, Wyatt, faced last fall.
While shopping at the Hutchinson Mall, Nickelson said, she stopped in a restroom to change the baby's diaper. He was hungry, so she sat on a chair, covered herself and her son with a blanket, and started to nurse him.
A woman passing through stopped with a look of disgust, she said.
"She began telling me how offended she was and that in the state of Kansas it was illegal to breastfeed in public," Nickelson said.
The woman then threatened to call police to arrest her. The outburst spurred Nickelson to pack up and leave.
click to read more...
The bill, Nickelson hopes, could remedy situations like the one she and her son, Wyatt, faced last fall.
While shopping at the Hutchinson Mall, Nickelson said, she stopped in a restroom to change the baby's diaper. He was hungry, so she sat on a chair, covered herself and her son with a blanket, and started to nurse him.
A woman passing through stopped with a look of disgust, she said.
"She began telling me how offended she was and that in the state of Kansas it was illegal to breastfeed in public," Nickelson said.
The woman then threatened to call police to arrest her. The outburst spurred Nickelson to pack up and leave.
click to read more...
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
Nursing mothers seek indecency protection (AZCentral.com)
Group milks support from lawmakers . . . About two dozen members of the La Leche League flooded the Capitol on Tuesday to register support for two bills that would protect mothers who breast-feed in public from being prosecuted for indecent exposure.
The group was followed around by lots of cute, though sometimes loud, toddlers and infants.
Not your usual Tuesday at the Capitol.
Neither of the bills, Senate Bill 1121 or House Bill 2376, were being heard Tuesday, but the group just wanted to stay abrea . . . Oh, never mind, you get the story.
One of the lactivists had a great T-shirt, though. It said, simply, "supply" across the front. The toddler in her arms wore a similar T-shirt that said "demand."
click to read more...
The group was followed around by lots of cute, though sometimes loud, toddlers and infants.
Not your usual Tuesday at the Capitol.
Neither of the bills, Senate Bill 1121 or House Bill 2376, were being heard Tuesday, but the group just wanted to stay abrea . . . Oh, never mind, you get the story.
One of the lactivists had a great T-shirt, though. It said, simply, "supply" across the front. The toddler in her arms wore a similar T-shirt that said "demand."
click to read more...
Milk of human kindness overflows (Mail & Guardian Online)
The upmarket suburb of Manor Gardens in Durban may look serene, but is home to ground zero in the fight against Aids. The iThemba Lethu Milk Bank is the first in the world to provide breast milk exclusively for babies abandoned or orphaned by the virus. The initiative is designed to help boost the fragile immune systems of these vulnerable children, many of whom are born underweight and suffering from symptoms such as diarrhoea and eczema.
The Milk Bank, which receives technical support and funding from Unicef, is part of the greater iThemba Lethu (meaning “our hope” in isiZulu) project, a non-profit organisation that seeks to help children whose future is threatened by HIV/Aids. The project consists of an HIV education programme and a transition home, where abandoned and orphaned babies are cared for until they can be placed with either their own extended family or with foster or adoptive parents. Penny Reimers, the Milk Bank coordinator, explains that, for these babies to have a fighting chance, they need an extra boost: “The babies we care for come from HIV-positive mothers. Their mothers have either passed away or have abandoned them. Many of these babies are malnourished and have eczema. Breast milk is more nutritious than formula. We have found that once we start feeding them donor milk they soon become stronger and healthier.”
click to read more...
The Milk Bank, which receives technical support and funding from Unicef, is part of the greater iThemba Lethu (meaning “our hope” in isiZulu) project, a non-profit organisation that seeks to help children whose future is threatened by HIV/Aids. The project consists of an HIV education programme and a transition home, where abandoned and orphaned babies are cared for until they can be placed with either their own extended family or with foster or adoptive parents. Penny Reimers, the Milk Bank coordinator, explains that, for these babies to have a fighting chance, they need an extra boost: “The babies we care for come from HIV-positive mothers. Their mothers have either passed away or have abandoned them. Many of these babies are malnourished and have eczema. Breast milk is more nutritious than formula. We have found that once we start feeding them donor milk they soon become stronger and healthier.”
click to read more...
TELEVISION: When is it time to stop breastfeeding? (Peterborough Today)
Breast might be best for babies, but is it normal to carry on breastfeeding until your child is a toddler and beyond? As the documentary Extraordinary Breastfeeding on Channel 4 tonight explores the issue, we ask city mums about their experiences. ANN MOLYNEUX reports.
Many women will find the idea of breastfeeding their children years after they have started school unpalatable.
But then they probably haven't given it a lot of thought, because, for most new mothers, real life has a habit of getting in the way, whether you are returning to work or having another baby.
A Channel 4 documentary, Extraordinary Breastfeeding, tonight at 9pm, tells the stories of women who believe that children should never be forcibly weaned, but should decide for themselves when they want to stop.
click to read more...
Many women will find the idea of breastfeeding their children years after they have started school unpalatable.
But then they probably haven't given it a lot of thought, because, for most new mothers, real life has a habit of getting in the way, whether you are returning to work or having another baby.
A Channel 4 documentary, Extraordinary Breastfeeding, tonight at 9pm, tells the stories of women who believe that children should never be forcibly weaned, but should decide for themselves when they want to stop.
click to read more...
Saturday, January 28, 2006
Durham Region's breastfeeding clinic officially opens (newsdurhamregion.com)
WHITBY -- When Heather Beadle took her newborn daughter, Caitlyn, to the newly-opened Durham Region breastfeeding clinic in Whitby, she found exactly what she needed in order to carry on nursing her baby girl.
"It was very personal attention," said Ms. Beadle, as she cradled her thriving eight-week-old, as the clinic celebrated its official grand opening. "They brought us into a small room, developed a plan suited to our individual needs. It was very helpful."
So helpful, in fact, that Ms. Beadle, who has overcome the normal new mom and baby nursing difficulties of troubling latching and supply issues, comes back on occasion, for a little reassurance.
click to read more...
"It was very personal attention," said Ms. Beadle, as she cradled her thriving eight-week-old, as the clinic celebrated its official grand opening. "They brought us into a small room, developed a plan suited to our individual needs. It was very helpful."
So helpful, in fact, that Ms. Beadle, who has overcome the normal new mom and baby nursing difficulties of troubling latching and supply issues, comes back on occasion, for a little reassurance.
click to read more...
Nature's best food difficult for public to swallow (WCFCourier.com)
Breast-feeding. That one single word has the power to spark heated public debate.
In 2004, an Iowa City woman was kicked out of a West Branch restaurant because she was nursing her baby. The owner, and then the owner's wife, told her she was upsetting other customers and asked her to feed her baby in the restroom. She refused, so she and her family were then asked to leave.
As a nursing mother, I'd like to ask a question: Why couldn't those customers who were so offended in that restaurant have turned their heads to look in a different direction?
Every time I go out in public with my newborn and he gets hungry, I think of this story as I look for the most unobtrusive place to feed my baby. On my most recent excursion, I found myself huddled on a triangular stool in a dressing room at a department store. The stool was barely big enough for me to sit on, let alone nurse comfortably. But it was either that, let my baby scream at the top of his lungs or plop down on the floor between clothing racks to quench his hunger.
click to read more...
In 2004, an Iowa City woman was kicked out of a West Branch restaurant because she was nursing her baby. The owner, and then the owner's wife, told her she was upsetting other customers and asked her to feed her baby in the restroom. She refused, so she and her family were then asked to leave.
As a nursing mother, I'd like to ask a question: Why couldn't those customers who were so offended in that restaurant have turned their heads to look in a different direction?
Every time I go out in public with my newborn and he gets hungry, I think of this story as I look for the most unobtrusive place to feed my baby. On my most recent excursion, I found myself huddled on a triangular stool in a dressing room at a department store. The stool was barely big enough for me to sit on, let alone nurse comfortably. But it was either that, let my baby scream at the top of his lungs or plop down on the floor between clothing racks to quench his hunger.
click to read more...
Starting Out Right (Royal Gazette)
Breast feeding is meant to be a natural thing, and yet, for some women, particularly new mothers, it doesn’t come naturally.
That is why Lisa Ming-Blyden, a health visitor for the Department of Health, decided to become a certified lactation consultant. A lactation consultant basically gives advice to mothers who are having trouble breast feeding and shows them the proper technique. Many women become frustrated during their baby’s early days of life and give up and switch to a bottle.
“Breast feeding can be more complicated than just sticking the baby on the breast,” said Ms Ming-Blyden. “Many women today have not had the experience of observing other women breast feeding. They need some help.”
click to read more...
That is why Lisa Ming-Blyden, a health visitor for the Department of Health, decided to become a certified lactation consultant. A lactation consultant basically gives advice to mothers who are having trouble breast feeding and shows them the proper technique. Many women become frustrated during their baby’s early days of life and give up and switch to a bottle.
“Breast feeding can be more complicated than just sticking the baby on the breast,” said Ms Ming-Blyden. “Many women today have not had the experience of observing other women breast feeding. They need some help.”
click to read more...
Friday, January 27, 2006
Not your mother's breast milk (CNN.com)
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- One of my first assignments for CNN was to profile a young mother who was part of a government program encouraging women to breast-feed their babies.
We arrived at her home in Mississippi, and she started to breast-feed for our cameras. The baby looked to be about 6 months old. I remembered that on the phone, she'd said her child was 6 weeks old.
"Did I misunderstand?" I asked. "Oh no," she answered. "My baby's sleeping. I don't want to wake her up, so I'll just nurse my sister's baby."
click to read more...
We arrived at her home in Mississippi, and she started to breast-feed for our cameras. The baby looked to be about 6 months old. I remembered that on the phone, she'd said her child was 6 weeks old.
"Did I misunderstand?" I asked. "Oh no," she answered. "My baby's sleeping. I don't want to wake her up, so I'll just nurse my sister's baby."
click to read more...
Thursday, January 26, 2006
Breast-feeding activists to hold `nurse-in' at an Ann Arbor YMCA (mlive.com)
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Some mothers who want the local YMCA to change its policy against breast-feeding in the swimming pool area plans a "nurse-in" for this weekend.
"We're going to sit and nurse our babies, hopefully to get our point across," said Krista Dragun, one of the organizers of Saturday's event. "The plan is to show that there's a large community outcry, and we're saying: `This policy is not OK, and it needs to change.' Our goal is to get them to have a more mother-baby friendly policy in their pool area."
Dragun said details of the nurse-in were still being worked out, but she expected the mothers to meet at 1 p.m. in the lobby of the building for a peaceful demonstration. The mothers won't try to nurse in the pool area, she told The Ann Arbor News.
click to read more...
"We're going to sit and nurse our babies, hopefully to get our point across," said Krista Dragun, one of the organizers of Saturday's event. "The plan is to show that there's a large community outcry, and we're saying: `This policy is not OK, and it needs to change.' Our goal is to get them to have a more mother-baby friendly policy in their pool area."
Dragun said details of the nurse-in were still being worked out, but she expected the mothers to meet at 1 p.m. in the lobby of the building for a peaceful demonstration. The mothers won't try to nurse in the pool area, she told The Ann Arbor News.
click to read more...
Breast-feeding activists to hold `nurse-in' at an Ann Arbor YMCA (WLNS.com)
ANN ARBOR, Mich. "We're going to sit and nurse our babies," says one of the mothers who plan to take part in a "nurse-in" at the Ann Arbor Y-M-C-A.
click to read more....
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In the News - How We Did It
Developing regulations that promote breastfeeding: The role of the Massachusetts Breastfeeding Coalition
In December of 2005, Massachusetts put forth newly revised hospital regulations that significantly strengthened breastfeeding education, promotion and support in the state’s maternity hospitals. The new regulations gained considerable press because they established Massachusetts as the first state to prohibit the direct marketing of infant formula to mothers. Perhaps more importantly, they were part of a broader effort to promote high-quality family-centered care, set higher standards for the availability of lactation services, require on-going breastfeeding education for medical staff, and improve documentation and discharge planning of infant feeding practices.
Since Massachusetts is a pioneer in the development of the breastfeeding-friendly policies, many people have asked us how we did it. In short, the new regulations are the result of a successful alliance between the Massachusetts Breastfeeding Coalition, consumers, health care providers, and our state Department of Public Health (DPH). The Massachusetts Breastfeeding Coalition (MBC) spearheaded the effort by finding a key champion in the legislature and working with DPH to develop evidence-based guideline for breastfeeding promotion in the hospital setting. Massachusetts’ new regulations are a great example of the ability of a broad coalition to create changes through hospital policies, provider practices, state regulations, and legislation.
click to read more...
In December of 2005, Massachusetts put forth newly revised hospital regulations that significantly strengthened breastfeeding education, promotion and support in the state’s maternity hospitals. The new regulations gained considerable press because they established Massachusetts as the first state to prohibit the direct marketing of infant formula to mothers. Perhaps more importantly, they were part of a broader effort to promote high-quality family-centered care, set higher standards for the availability of lactation services, require on-going breastfeeding education for medical staff, and improve documentation and discharge planning of infant feeding practices.
Since Massachusetts is a pioneer in the development of the breastfeeding-friendly policies, many people have asked us how we did it. In short, the new regulations are the result of a successful alliance between the Massachusetts Breastfeeding Coalition, consumers, health care providers, and our state Department of Public Health (DPH). The Massachusetts Breastfeeding Coalition (MBC) spearheaded the effort by finding a key champion in the legislature and working with DPH to develop evidence-based guideline for breastfeeding promotion in the hospital setting. Massachusetts’ new regulations are a great example of the ability of a broad coalition to create changes through hospital policies, provider practices, state regulations, and legislation.
click to read more...
Wednesday, January 18, 2006
Fired Nurse Sues Baptist Hospital Over Breast Pumping Issue (WREG-TV Memphis)
Memphis - Angela Smith adores her one year old son Dylan. But in May 2004, after returning to her nursing job at Baptist Hospital Collierville after having Dylan, she was in for a shock.
She inquired about using her fifteen minute work breaks to go into a designated area and use a breast pump to provide his milk. "They told me there would be no problem. They had people that have pumped before. They allowed me to use a pump from the hospital and allowed me to pump in Labor and Delivery in a private room." says Smith.
From May to January, she says everything was fine. Angela Smith says she was never told she had done anything wrong or that there was a problem with her using her break to take care of her motherly duties. But last January her supervisors called her in and told her she would be suspended.
click to read more...
She inquired about using her fifteen minute work breaks to go into a designated area and use a breast pump to provide his milk. "They told me there would be no problem. They had people that have pumped before. They allowed me to use a pump from the hospital and allowed me to pump in Labor and Delivery in a private room." says Smith.
From May to January, she says everything was fine. Angela Smith says she was never told she had done anything wrong or that there was a problem with her using her break to take care of her motherly duties. But last January her supervisors called her in and told her she would be suspended.
click to read more...
Saturday, January 14, 2006
Bills Proposed to Support Breast-Feeding Moms (WLBT 3)
It's a natural act that's as old as man himself: a mother breastfeeding her child. But in Mississippi, it volates obscenity laws, and a woman could be prosecuted for it.
Evelyn Garner Araujo says, although she's never been hauled off to jail, she has been asked to leave public places while breastfeeding.
"It's the thought of what I'm doing that bothers them. All I'm doing is feeding my child," says the Jackson mother of three boys.
click to read more...
Evelyn Garner Araujo says, although she's never been hauled off to jail, she has been asked to leave public places while breastfeeding.
"It's the thought of what I'm doing that bothers them. All I'm doing is feeding my child," says the Jackson mother of three boys.
click to read more...
Potential new breast feeding law gets Knoxville moms approval (WATE.com)
KNOXVILLE (WATE) -- Where you can and can't legally breast feed in Tennessee may change soon and Thursday, Knoxville mothers weighed in.
Two Nashville area legislators hope to sponsor a law in favor of public nursing, so mothers won't get into decency debates with strangers.
Thursday was a perfect day for a walk in Lakeshore Park. But what if you decided to stop and rest on a bench and the woman next to you was breast feeding? According to the women who spoke with 6 News, it wouldn't be a problem.
click to read more...
Two Nashville area legislators hope to sponsor a law in favor of public nursing, so mothers won't get into decency debates with strangers.
Thursday was a perfect day for a walk in Lakeshore Park. But what if you decided to stop and rest on a bench and the woman next to you was breast feeding? According to the women who spoke with 6 News, it wouldn't be a problem.
click to read more...
Lead levels in breast milk invariably low (Reuters.com)
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Findings from a new study should provide some reassurance to breastfeeding mothers that even if they've been exposed to high amounts of lead, very little of this toxin is excreted in their breast milk. In addition, the use of calcium pills may help bring down lead levels even further.
Dr. Adrienne S. Ettinger, of Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, and colleagues examined the contribution of cumulative lead exposure, breastfeeding practices, and calcium intake to levels of lead in breast milk among 367 women in Mexico City.
The investigators measured levels of lead in the blood and breast milk of the mothers at 1, 4, and 7 months postpartum, and obtained bone lead measurements at 1 month postpartum. Results of the study are published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
The average levels of lead in breast milk at 1, 4 and 7 months were 1.4, 1.2, and 0.9 micrograms per liter, respectively -- a significant decreasing trend over the course of lactation.
click to read more...
Dr. Adrienne S. Ettinger, of Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, and colleagues examined the contribution of cumulative lead exposure, breastfeeding practices, and calcium intake to levels of lead in breast milk among 367 women in Mexico City.
The investigators measured levels of lead in the blood and breast milk of the mothers at 1, 4, and 7 months postpartum, and obtained bone lead measurements at 1 month postpartum. Results of the study are published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
The average levels of lead in breast milk at 1, 4 and 7 months were 1.4, 1.2, and 0.9 micrograms per liter, respectively -- a significant decreasing trend over the course of lactation.
click to read more...
Privacy for breast-feeding (Rocky Mountain News)
State Sen. Deanna Hanna wants employers to provide a private room for breast-feeding mothers, saying they deserve better than having to seek privacy in bathroom stall.
Hanna, D-Lakewood, said that accommodating nursing mothers would give infants a healthier start in life, cut down on missed days at work to care for sick infants and save on medical costs.
"It's a good deal all the way around for babies, mothers, businesses and health-care costs," she said.
She plans to introduce a bill during this legislative session.
click to read more...
Hanna, D-Lakewood, said that accommodating nursing mothers would give infants a healthier start in life, cut down on missed days at work to care for sick infants and save on medical costs.
"It's a good deal all the way around for babies, mothers, businesses and health-care costs," she said.
She plans to introduce a bill during this legislative session.
click to read more...
Thursday, January 12, 2006
Breast-feeding in public may get protections (Tennessean.com)
FRANKLIN — Elizabeth "Liz" Rich is a mom on the go.
On a cold November day, the mother of four went to the Williamson County Recreation Center to work out. When she went to the child-care room to pick up her 8-month-old daughter, she was asked to fill out some paperwork.
Rich, 33, decided to nurse her baby while she filled out the forms.
"They told me, 'You can't breast-feed in here. It's the policy of the rec center,' " Rich said. "They told me to go into a bathroom. I was kind of mad about it and starting to think it's not right." Rich called Williamson County Mayor Rogers Anderson about the issue.
County officials have since said that breast-feeding will be allowed in any county building. "No one had ever asked us about this before," Anderson said.
click to read more...
On a cold November day, the mother of four went to the Williamson County Recreation Center to work out. When she went to the child-care room to pick up her 8-month-old daughter, she was asked to fill out some paperwork.
Rich, 33, decided to nurse her baby while she filled out the forms.
"They told me, 'You can't breast-feed in here. It's the policy of the rec center,' " Rich said. "They told me to go into a bathroom. I was kind of mad about it and starting to think it's not right." Rich called Williamson County Mayor Rogers Anderson about the issue.
County officials have since said that breast-feeding will be allowed in any county building. "No one had ever asked us about this before," Anderson said.
click to read more...
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
Advocate fights to re-open breastfeeding clinic (Canadian Jewish News)
A local mother who says a world-renowned expert on breastfeeding taught one of her children how to eat is fighting to re-open one of his Toronto-area clinics that was closed recently.
Last month, North York General Hospital shut down a clinic run by Dr. Jack Newman, a Toronto pediatrician who each year helps more than 1,800 mothers learn how to feed their babies.
The facility was the last in a number of local hospital-based clinics run by Newman. Another one at St. Michael’s Hospital was closed last spring.
But Thornhill social worker and mother of three Esther Goldstein said Newman provides a unique and vital service for moms who have been discharged from hospital and are tempted to turn to formula if they run into challenges in breastfeeding their newborns.
click to read more...
Last month, North York General Hospital shut down a clinic run by Dr. Jack Newman, a Toronto pediatrician who each year helps more than 1,800 mothers learn how to feed their babies.
The facility was the last in a number of local hospital-based clinics run by Newman. Another one at St. Michael’s Hospital was closed last spring.
But Thornhill social worker and mother of three Esther Goldstein said Newman provides a unique and vital service for moms who have been discharged from hospital and are tempted to turn to formula if they run into challenges in breastfeeding their newborns.
click to read more...
Breast-feeding mom runs afoul of Y's pool policy (Ann Arbor News)
An Ann Arbor woman is upset that the YMCA will not allow her to breast-feed her baby in the swimming pool area.
Kelly Fuks said she was told it's a distraction to the lifeguards.
The Y says it is a health issue because it violates a "no food and drink'' rule in the pool area. Officials say she can breast-feed in many other parts of the building.
Breast-feeding mom runs afoul of Y's pool policy
Kelly Fuks said she was told it's a distraction to the lifeguards.
The Y says it is a health issue because it violates a "no food and drink'' rule in the pool area. Officials say she can breast-feed in many other parts of the building.
Breast-feeding mom runs afoul of Y's pool policy
Thursday, January 05, 2006
Breast-feeding mother receives letter of apology (The Eureka Reporter)
K.K. Tetrault, a Eureka resident who alleged that a SkyWest flight attendant told her to stop breast-feeding her 7-month-old son, Ronan, was sent a recent letter of apology by SkyWest Airlines Inc.
“I feel very satisfied,” Tetrault said. “I think they acknowledged my discomfort and they were sincerely sorry about the occurrence and made amends.”
Tetrault was on a flight home from Fresno on Dec. 4 when, she said, a SkyWest flight attendant told her to stop nursing her baby out of concern for the other passengers on the flight.
Tetrault said the flight attendant also encouraged her to wait until the plane arrived at the San Francisco International Airport before continuing to nurse her child, but in the meantime was offered a blanket to cover herself and child.
After the plane landed, she said, the flight attendant said the request to stop breast-feeding was a matter of company policy.
click to read more...
“I feel very satisfied,” Tetrault said. “I think they acknowledged my discomfort and they were sincerely sorry about the occurrence and made amends.”
Tetrault was on a flight home from Fresno on Dec. 4 when, she said, a SkyWest flight attendant told her to stop nursing her baby out of concern for the other passengers on the flight.
Tetrault said the flight attendant also encouraged her to wait until the plane arrived at the San Francisco International Airport before continuing to nurse her child, but in the meantime was offered a blanket to cover herself and child.
After the plane landed, she said, the flight attendant said the request to stop breast-feeding was a matter of company policy.
click to read more...
Breast-feeding mother receives letter of apology (The Eureka Reporter)
K.K. Tetrault, a Eureka resident who alleged that a SkyWest flight attendant told her to stop breast-feeding her 7-month-old son, Ronan, was sent a recent letter of apology by SkyWest Airlines Inc.
“I feel very satisfied,” Tetrault said. “I think they acknowledged my discomfort and they were sincerely sorry about the occurrence and made amends.”
Tetrault was on a flight home from Fresno on Dec. 4 when, she said, a SkyWest flight attendant told her to stop nursing her baby out of concern for the other passengers on the flight.
Tetrault said the flight attendant also encouraged her to wait until the plane arrived at the San Francisco International Airport before continuing to nurse her child, but in the meantime was offered a blanket to cover herself and child.
After the plane landed, she said, the flight attendant said the request to stop breast-feeding was a matter of company policy.
click to read more...
“I feel very satisfied,” Tetrault said. “I think they acknowledged my discomfort and they were sincerely sorry about the occurrence and made amends.”
Tetrault was on a flight home from Fresno on Dec. 4 when, she said, a SkyWest flight attendant told her to stop nursing her baby out of concern for the other passengers on the flight.
Tetrault said the flight attendant also encouraged her to wait until the plane arrived at the San Francisco International Airport before continuing to nurse her child, but in the meantime was offered a blanket to cover herself and child.
After the plane landed, she said, the flight attendant said the request to stop breast-feeding was a matter of company policy.
click to read more...
Tillsonburg restaurants say “Of course” to Breastfeeding Friendly Initiative (Tillsonburg News)
With the Oxford Health Unit launching a Breast-feeding Friendly restaurant initiative, many in the industry are asking why?
Not because they don’t agree with breast-feeding while dining, rather the consensus is, it shouldn't be an issue. Every restaurant should support nursing mothers.
Vasco Serrador, owner of The Manse, said and added that catering to breast-feeding woman should go without saying. “Everyone’s got to eat,” he said. “And there's always a place for breast-feeding mothers here.”
For Chris Kyriakopoulos, owner of Nick’s Family Restaurant, meeting the needs of every customer, including breast-feeding mothers, is paramount.
“We try to facilitate to customers needs as much as possible,” said Kyriakopoulos. “We have a private area to accommodate breast-feeding mothers, and we help them anyway we can.”
click to read more...
Not because they don’t agree with breast-feeding while dining, rather the consensus is, it shouldn't be an issue. Every restaurant should support nursing mothers.
Vasco Serrador, owner of The Manse, said and added that catering to breast-feeding woman should go without saying. “Everyone’s got to eat,” he said. “And there's always a place for breast-feeding mothers here.”
For Chris Kyriakopoulos, owner of Nick’s Family Restaurant, meeting the needs of every customer, including breast-feeding mothers, is paramount.
“We try to facilitate to customers needs as much as possible,” said Kyriakopoulos. “We have a private area to accommodate breast-feeding mothers, and we help them anyway we can.”
click to read more...
Moms who smoke after delivery breastfeed less (Reuters.co.uk)
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women who smoke more than 10 cigarettes a day after giving birth may wean their babies off breastmilk much more quickly than nonsmokers, study findings show.
"A lot of public health programs put lots of attention to smoking cessation during pregnancy, but they do not educate women about not smoking after delivery," study author Dr. Jihong Liu, of the University of South Carolina, told Reuters Health.
For those who have a "misunderstanding that smoking postpartum is okay" for babies, Liu said the shortened breastfeeding duration among these women is "one adverse consequence."
Liu conducted the research as a maternal and child health epidemiology fellow at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia.
Little research has evaluated the association between women's smoking patterns before, during, and after pregnancy and their duration of breastfeeding. To investigate, Liu and her colleagues analyzed data from more than 3,000 women who were involved in the 2000 and 2001 Oregon Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System, an ongoing surveillance system that collects information on the behavior and experiences of new mothers in that state.
click to read more...
"A lot of public health programs put lots of attention to smoking cessation during pregnancy, but they do not educate women about not smoking after delivery," study author Dr. Jihong Liu, of the University of South Carolina, told Reuters Health.
For those who have a "misunderstanding that smoking postpartum is okay" for babies, Liu said the shortened breastfeeding duration among these women is "one adverse consequence."
Liu conducted the research as a maternal and child health epidemiology fellow at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia.
Little research has evaluated the association between women's smoking patterns before, during, and after pregnancy and their duration of breastfeeding. To investigate, Liu and her colleagues analyzed data from more than 3,000 women who were involved in the 2000 and 2001 Oregon Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System, an ongoing surveillance system that collects information on the behavior and experiences of new mothers in that state.
click to read more...
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
Formula for success? Breastfeeding zealots have gone into overdrive (The Gleaner)
Leave it to Massachusetts to get on the breastfeeding-zealotry platform.
The legislature there has just banned -- yes, banned -- hospitals throughout the state from giving out free samples of infant formula, provided by formula companies, to new mothers.
Typically, a new mom, before she leaves the hospital, will get an allotment of infant formula with coupons for more. (The stuff is really expensive.) The ostensible goal in banning the giveaways is to "encourage" the practice of breast-feeding baby, verses giving him the much-despised even occasional bottle.
What a crummy way to start the new year.
click to read more....
The legislature there has just banned -- yes, banned -- hospitals throughout the state from giving out free samples of infant formula, provided by formula companies, to new mothers.
Typically, a new mom, before she leaves the hospital, will get an allotment of infant formula with coupons for more. (The stuff is really expensive.) The ostensible goal in banning the giveaways is to "encourage" the practice of breast-feeding baby, verses giving him the much-despised even occasional bottle.
What a crummy way to start the new year.
click to read more....
Monday, December 26, 2005
Breast-feeding In Public (TheDay.com, New London, CT)
A “thinking person” knows that breast-feeding is natural and helps babies meet their nutritional needs. A “thinking person” also knows that it's best to do what you can to put others around you at ease.
That's the case that editor Thomas P. Farley makes in the book “Town & Country Modern Manners: The Thinking Person's Guide to Social Graces” (Hearst).
click to read more....
That's the case that editor Thomas P. Farley makes in the book “Town & Country Modern Manners: The Thinking Person's Guide to Social Graces” (Hearst).
click to read more....
Friday, December 23, 2005
The Twelve Days of Breastfeeding
Twelve Days of Breastfeeding!
by Kelliann Mendez (breastfeeding peer counselor)
On the first day of breastfeeding my mommy gave to me:
colostrum to increase my immunity!
On the second day of breastfeeding my mommy gave to me:
two full breasts and colostrum to increase my immunity!
On the third day of breastfeeding my mommy gave to me:
minimized jaundice, two full breasts and colostrum to increase my immunity!
On the fourth day of breastfeeding my mommy gave to me:
fewer Doctor visits, minimized jaundice, two full breasts and colostrum to increase my immunity!
On the fifth day of breastfeeding my mommy gave to me:
LESS ALLERGIES!... fewer Doctor visits, minimized jaundice, two full breasts and colostrum to increase my immunity!
On the sixth day of breastfeeding my mommy gave to me:
Zero constipation LESS ALLERGIES!... fewer Doctor visits, minimized jaundice, two full breasts and colostrum to increase my immunity!
On the seventh day of breastfeeding my mommy gave to me:
teeth and jaw development, zero constipation, LESS ALLERGIES!... fewer Doctor visits, minimized jaundice, two full breasts and colostrum to increase my immunity!
On the eighth day of breastfeeding my mommy gave to me:
reduced risk of breast cancer, teeth and jaw development, zero constipation, LESS ALLERGIES!... fewer Doctor visits, minimized jaundice, two full breasts and colostrum to increase my immunity!
On the ninth day of breastfeeding my mommy gave to me:
skin to skin comfort, reduced risk of breast cancer, teeth and jaw development, zero constipation, LESS ALLERGIES!... fewer Doctor visits, minimized jaundice, two full breasts and colostrum to increase my immunity!
On the tenth day of breastfeeding my mommy gave to me:
decreased chance of diabetes, skin to skin comfort, reduced risk of breast cancer, teeth and jaw development, zero constipation, LESS ALLERGIES!... fewer Doctor visits, minimized jaundice, two full breasts and colostrum to increase my immunity!
On the eleventh day of breastfeeding my mommy gave to me:
bonding and loving, decreased chance of diabetes, skin to skin comfort, reduced risk of breast cancer, teeth and jaw development, zero constipation, LESS ALLERGIES!... fewer doctor visits, minimized jaundice, two full breasts and colostrum to increase my immunity!
On the twelfth day of breastfeeding my mommy gave to me:
Higher IQ, bonding and loving, decreased chance of diabetes, skin to skin comfort, reduced risk of breast cancer, teeth and jaw development, zero constipation, LESS ALLERGIES!... fewer Doctor visits, minimized jaundice, two full breasts and colostrum to increase my immunity!
by Kelliann Mendez (breastfeeding peer counselor)
On the first day of breastfeeding my mommy gave to me:
colostrum to increase my immunity!
On the second day of breastfeeding my mommy gave to me:
two full breasts and colostrum to increase my immunity!
On the third day of breastfeeding my mommy gave to me:
minimized jaundice, two full breasts and colostrum to increase my immunity!
On the fourth day of breastfeeding my mommy gave to me:
fewer Doctor visits, minimized jaundice, two full breasts and colostrum to increase my immunity!
On the fifth day of breastfeeding my mommy gave to me:
LESS ALLERGIES!... fewer Doctor visits, minimized jaundice, two full breasts and colostrum to increase my immunity!
On the sixth day of breastfeeding my mommy gave to me:
Zero constipation LESS ALLERGIES!... fewer Doctor visits, minimized jaundice, two full breasts and colostrum to increase my immunity!
On the seventh day of breastfeeding my mommy gave to me:
teeth and jaw development, zero constipation, LESS ALLERGIES!... fewer Doctor visits, minimized jaundice, two full breasts and colostrum to increase my immunity!
On the eighth day of breastfeeding my mommy gave to me:
reduced risk of breast cancer, teeth and jaw development, zero constipation, LESS ALLERGIES!... fewer Doctor visits, minimized jaundice, two full breasts and colostrum to increase my immunity!
On the ninth day of breastfeeding my mommy gave to me:
skin to skin comfort, reduced risk of breast cancer, teeth and jaw development, zero constipation, LESS ALLERGIES!... fewer Doctor visits, minimized jaundice, two full breasts and colostrum to increase my immunity!
On the tenth day of breastfeeding my mommy gave to me:
decreased chance of diabetes, skin to skin comfort, reduced risk of breast cancer, teeth and jaw development, zero constipation, LESS ALLERGIES!... fewer Doctor visits, minimized jaundice, two full breasts and colostrum to increase my immunity!
On the eleventh day of breastfeeding my mommy gave to me:
bonding and loving, decreased chance of diabetes, skin to skin comfort, reduced risk of breast cancer, teeth and jaw development, zero constipation, LESS ALLERGIES!... fewer doctor visits, minimized jaundice, two full breasts and colostrum to increase my immunity!
On the twelfth day of breastfeeding my mommy gave to me:
Higher IQ, bonding and loving, decreased chance of diabetes, skin to skin comfort, reduced risk of breast cancer, teeth and jaw development, zero constipation, LESS ALLERGIES!... fewer Doctor visits, minimized jaundice, two full breasts and colostrum to increase my immunity!
Thursday, December 22, 2005
State Bans Hospital Gift Bags In Move To Promote Breastfeeding (TheBostonChannel.com)
BOSTON -- The widespread practice of giving gift bags filled with baby formula and other freebies to new mothers has been banned at hospitals in Massachusetts in a move by state health officials to promote breast-feeding.
The ban doesn't forbid hospitals from giving out free formula, but it ends a longtime marketing practice that breast-feeding advocates say was designed to turn harried new mothers toward a less healthy alternative, and also implied an endorsement of formula by hospitals.
"There's no free lunch and there's no free gift," said Beth Sargent, a lactation consultant from Needham. "A gift is something given freely without the anticipation of a return. There is absolutely an anticipation of return."
click to read more...
The ban doesn't forbid hospitals from giving out free formula, but it ends a longtime marketing practice that breast-feeding advocates say was designed to turn harried new mothers toward a less healthy alternative, and also implied an endorsement of formula by hospitals.
"There's no free lunch and there's no free gift," said Beth Sargent, a lactation consultant from Needham. "A gift is something given freely without the anticipation of a return. There is absolutely an anticipation of return."
click to read more...
Mass. Bans Hospital Gift Bags for New Moms (Forbes.com)
New moms at hospitals in Massachusetts will no longer get gift diaper bags filled with baby formula and other freebies, thanks to state health officials intent on promoting breast-feeding.
The ban on goodies from formula companies drew mixed reactions from mothers like Sarah Wood, who has a 15-month-old son.
"The pressure to breast-feed is good. The problem is it doesn't work out for everyone," she said, bemoaning the guilt some mothers feel.
The ban doesn't bar hospitals from giving out free formula. But it ends a longtime marketing practice that breast-feeding advocates say was designed to turn harried new mothers toward a less healthy alternative - and implied an endorsement of formula by hospitals.
"There's no free lunch and there's no free gift," said Beth Sargent, an independent lactation consultant from Needham. "A gift is something given freely without the anticipation of a return. There is absolutely an anticipation of return."
click to read more....
The ban on goodies from formula companies drew mixed reactions from mothers like Sarah Wood, who has a 15-month-old son.
"The pressure to breast-feed is good. The problem is it doesn't work out for everyone," she said, bemoaning the guilt some mothers feel.
The ban doesn't bar hospitals from giving out free formula. But it ends a longtime marketing practice that breast-feeding advocates say was designed to turn harried new mothers toward a less healthy alternative - and implied an endorsement of formula by hospitals.
"There's no free lunch and there's no free gift," said Beth Sargent, an independent lactation consultant from Needham. "A gift is something given freely without the anticipation of a return. There is absolutely an anticipation of return."
click to read more....
Abandoned babies get mothers' milk (BBC NEWS)
Amid high HIV infection rates in South Africa, women in Durban are volunteering to provide immune-boosting breast milk to abandoned children, the BBC's Mahlatse Gallens reports.
....Project co-ordinator Penny Reimers says the advantages of breast milk have been proved by a World Health Organisation study.
"The WHO did a study of children in developing countries and they found that children who are not breast fed are six times more likely to die from diarrhoea and pneumonia - it's literally life saying," she says.
"The studies they have done in relation to HIV show that if a child is exclusively breast fed for six months - that means no other formula or water - these babies have a very low chance of contracting the HIV virus."
click to read more...
....Project co-ordinator Penny Reimers says the advantages of breast milk have been proved by a World Health Organisation study.
"The WHO did a study of children in developing countries and they found that children who are not breast fed are six times more likely to die from diarrhoea and pneumonia - it's literally life saying," she says.
"The studies they have done in relation to HIV show that if a child is exclusively breast fed for six months - that means no other formula or water - these babies have a very low chance of contracting the HIV virus."
click to read more...
SUPER-MUMMY DONATED 200 LITRES OF MILK IN 7 MONTHS (Agenzia Giornalistica Italia)
Benedetta D'Arrigo is a nurse in the paediatrics ward of the San Giuseppe hospital in Empoli. She donated 202.25 litres of milk in seven months and 15 days. She collected 170 centilitres of milk at every breast pumping (one litre per day).
click to read more...
click to read more...
Gift Bags Of Freebie Formula Banned In MA (CBS4 Boston)
(CBS4) BOSTON New moms in Massachusetts will go home with their little bundles of joy, but they will no longer go home with gift bags from formula companies. The state is first in the nation to ban the freebies.
Public health officials say they are doing this to promote breast feeding, but not all mothers we spoke with feel it's a good idea.
Many times a day, Colleen Chave reaches into her diaper bag, getting something for her daughter Sara Grace. Often times, it's the product of the company that provided the bag, Enfamil formula. Chave got the bag as she was leaving the hospital.
“They gave us a lot of supplies for myself and then for the baby they sent home a black bag filled with some formula samples," Chave says.
click to read more....
Public health officials say they are doing this to promote breast feeding, but not all mothers we spoke with feel it's a good idea.
Many times a day, Colleen Chave reaches into her diaper bag, getting something for her daughter Sara Grace. Often times, it's the product of the company that provided the bag, Enfamil formula. Chave got the bag as she was leaving the hospital.
“They gave us a lot of supplies for myself and then for the baby they sent home a black bag filled with some formula samples," Chave says.
click to read more....
Mass. moms cry over spilt milk: Hospitals KOing free infant formula (BostonHerald.com)
Got milk?
If you’re a new mother, you’d better.
Because beginning soon, hospitals will no longer be allowed to give free infant formula to mothers taking new babies home. Regulators want to promote breast-feeding, even if it means making Massachusetts the first state to ban the popular freebie.
“I think it’s ridiculous,” fumed Christine Kingdon of Brookline, mother of a 3-year-old and twin 12-day-old boys. “It’s a personal choice. (Breast feeding) doesn’t work for everyone.”
The free formula was “a big help,” said Camille Byron, a Mattapan mother who got a backpack full of free formula and coupons after giving birth to her son, now 2, at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
“Formula is pretty expensive,” she added.
Nearly every hospital in Massachusetts — and across the country — gives new mothers commercial formula gift bags provided by formula companies. It’s often a diaper bag bearing the company logo and full of formula, formula literature, formula coupons and other items.
click to read more...
If you’re a new mother, you’d better.
Because beginning soon, hospitals will no longer be allowed to give free infant formula to mothers taking new babies home. Regulators want to promote breast-feeding, even if it means making Massachusetts the first state to ban the popular freebie.
“I think it’s ridiculous,” fumed Christine Kingdon of Brookline, mother of a 3-year-old and twin 12-day-old boys. “It’s a personal choice. (Breast feeding) doesn’t work for everyone.”
The free formula was “a big help,” said Camille Byron, a Mattapan mother who got a backpack full of free formula and coupons after giving birth to her son, now 2, at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
“Formula is pretty expensive,” she added.
Nearly every hospital in Massachusetts — and across the country — gives new mothers commercial formula gift bags provided by formula companies. It’s often a diaper bag bearing the company logo and full of formula, formula literature, formula coupons and other items.
click to read more...
To boost nursing, state puts limits on gifts of formula (The Boston Globe)
An intensified campaign by Massachusetts public-health authorities to encourage breast-feeding comes amid a growing international push for the practice, which offers extensive health benefits to mother and child, specialists said yesterday.
Since the late 1980s, the state Department of Public Health has adopted increasingly stringent rules designed to support breast-feeding, and this week the agency moved to further restrict corporate promotions of infant formula in hospital maternity wards.
While free formula will still be available, the new rules will ban formula makers from routinely putting samples in the gift bags that are a customary memento for new mothers. The action this week, which puts Massachusetts at the leading edge of formula restrictions in hospitals, extends limits that had been in place for more than a decade.
click to read more....
Since the late 1980s, the state Department of Public Health has adopted increasingly stringent rules designed to support breast-feeding, and this week the agency moved to further restrict corporate promotions of infant formula in hospital maternity wards.
While free formula will still be available, the new rules will ban formula makers from routinely putting samples in the gift bags that are a customary memento for new mothers. The action this week, which puts Massachusetts at the leading edge of formula restrictions in hospitals, extends limits that had been in place for more than a decade.
click to read more....
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
Massachusetts Becomes First State to Prohibit Formula Marketing in Hospitals
Boston, December 20, 2005— In a groundbreaking step for mothers and babies, Massachusetts became the first state to prohibit hospitals from giving out free formula company diaper bags to new parents. Giving out these bags reduces the duration and exclusivity of breastfeeding and is considered unethical by many national and international groups, including the World Health Organization. Multiple studies, even from prestigious medical journals such as the Lancet, have shown that the bags interfere with breastfeeding, causing moms to switch to formula sooner, or quit nursing altogether-- even when the bags do not contain formula samples.
For decades, formula companies used hospitals to hand out diaper bags stocked with coupons and free samples. Most parents see these as a “free gift,” but the bags are a marketing technique that implies that the hospital endorses the product, successfully boosting sales of formula at the expense of breastfeeding. “One day, formula marketing in hospitals will go the way of cigarette ads on TV,” said Melissa Bartick, MD, Chair of the Massachusetts Breastfeeding Coalition.
The new rules on formula marketing are part of a much larger update of existing perinatal regulations written by the Department of Public Health and today approved by the Public Health Council. Hospitals must follow DPH regulations in order to be allowed to operate in the state. The regulations contain many other mandates that help promote and support breastfeeding and otherwise limit formula marketing.
In banning the distribution of these items, the DPH acknowledges that there is no medical justification for the institutional marketing of formula products to new parents. The vast majority of hospitals in Massachusetts and the US give out free diaper bags containing formula to new moms, and also accept free formula for in-hospital use. This marketing practice deviates from the standards followed by health care providers and hospitals in every other respect. For example, hospitals do not give out coupons for name-brand clothing, name-brand foods outside of maternity. “We’d never tolerate the thought of hospitals giving out coupons for Big Macs on the cardiac unit,” said Dr. Bartick, an internist. Since lack of breastfeeding is clearly associated with multiple adverse health outcomes in children and mothers, distribution of formula marketing materials by hospitals and health care providers has been recognized as unethical since at least 1981, when the World Health Organization approved the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes.
Members of MBC on the taskforce that drafted the new regulations helped make the case for eliminating the diaper bags. The formula bags may actually cost families money: “Not only is there the expense of formula, but parents and society end up paying for medications and time lost from work to care for a sick child,” says Dr. Kimberly Lee, a neonatologist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.
As proof of the companies’ influence, Dr. Lee notes that parents almost always continue to use the brand of formula their baby got in the hospital—and those formulas are typically the most expensive.
These new regulations will go far in improving the quality of care to mothers and their newborns.
(source - Massachusetts Breastfeeding Coalition)
For decades, formula companies used hospitals to hand out diaper bags stocked with coupons and free samples. Most parents see these as a “free gift,” but the bags are a marketing technique that implies that the hospital endorses the product, successfully boosting sales of formula at the expense of breastfeeding. “One day, formula marketing in hospitals will go the way of cigarette ads on TV,” said Melissa Bartick, MD, Chair of the Massachusetts Breastfeeding Coalition.
The new rules on formula marketing are part of a much larger update of existing perinatal regulations written by the Department of Public Health and today approved by the Public Health Council. Hospitals must follow DPH regulations in order to be allowed to operate in the state. The regulations contain many other mandates that help promote and support breastfeeding and otherwise limit formula marketing.
In banning the distribution of these items, the DPH acknowledges that there is no medical justification for the institutional marketing of formula products to new parents. The vast majority of hospitals in Massachusetts and the US give out free diaper bags containing formula to new moms, and also accept free formula for in-hospital use. This marketing practice deviates from the standards followed by health care providers and hospitals in every other respect. For example, hospitals do not give out coupons for name-brand clothing, name-brand foods outside of maternity. “We’d never tolerate the thought of hospitals giving out coupons for Big Macs on the cardiac unit,” said Dr. Bartick, an internist. Since lack of breastfeeding is clearly associated with multiple adverse health outcomes in children and mothers, distribution of formula marketing materials by hospitals and health care providers has been recognized as unethical since at least 1981, when the World Health Organization approved the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes.
Members of MBC on the taskforce that drafted the new regulations helped make the case for eliminating the diaper bags. The formula bags may actually cost families money: “Not only is there the expense of formula, but parents and society end up paying for medications and time lost from work to care for a sick child,” says Dr. Kimberly Lee, a neonatologist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.
As proof of the companies’ influence, Dr. Lee notes that parents almost always continue to use the brand of formula their baby got in the hospital—and those formulas are typically the most expensive.
These new regulations will go far in improving the quality of care to mothers and their newborns.
(source - Massachusetts Breastfeeding Coalition)
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
Big News in Massachusetts!
The Massachusetts Public Health Council has just approved revisions to the Hospital Licensure Regulations for Maternal and Newborn Services that prohibit the direct marketing of commercial formula materials to mothers, including the distribution of commercial formula discharge bags. The revised regulations also include additional provisions to strengthen breastfeeding education and support in the hospital setting.
YES!!!!!
YES!!!!!
Breast-Feeding Moms Take Action: 'Lactivists' and Lawmakers Push to Allow Public Nursing (ABC News)
Dec. 20, 2005 — It was one of those moments new moms dread. While Lori Rueger was shopping with her infant daughter, the baby "pitched a fit" — she needed to be fed.
"When I started heading back to the car, I saw there was a Victoria's Secret," Rueger said. "Being a past customer of Victoria's Secret, I knew they had really nice dressing rooms. [I thought:] 'I'll see if they let me use it and buy something for their trouble and be on my way.'"
Instead, she said, she was told that breast-feeding in the store was against company policy and was advised to go to a nearby bathroom, which she told the employee she would not do. "I just kind of looked at her and said, 'I wouldn't eat in there. Would you?'"
At a time when "lactivists" boycott noncompliant businesses and hold nurse-ins to promote acceptance of public breast-feeding, laws regarding breast-feeding already are in place in 38 states, 31 of which allow mothers to breast-feed in any public or private location, according to October figures from the National Conference of State Legislatures. Prompted by Rueger's encounter, South Carolina is poised to become the 39th state as legislation is to be introduced next month.
click to read more...
"When I started heading back to the car, I saw there was a Victoria's Secret," Rueger said. "Being a past customer of Victoria's Secret, I knew they had really nice dressing rooms. [I thought:] 'I'll see if they let me use it and buy something for their trouble and be on my way.'"
Instead, she said, she was told that breast-feeding in the store was against company policy and was advised to go to a nearby bathroom, which she told the employee she would not do. "I just kind of looked at her and said, 'I wouldn't eat in there. Would you?'"
At a time when "lactivists" boycott noncompliant businesses and hold nurse-ins to promote acceptance of public breast-feeding, laws regarding breast-feeding already are in place in 38 states, 31 of which allow mothers to breast-feed in any public or private location, according to October figures from the National Conference of State Legislatures. Prompted by Rueger's encounter, South Carolina is poised to become the 39th state as legislation is to be introduced next month.
click to read more...
Lactation center asks local mothers for help (Caller.com: Local News)
State's newest collection site looks for donors
The looks people give her are not flattering when she tells them she's a breast milk donor, said Barbara Scott, 31.
"People give me funny looks," Scott said. "But, it's a lot like donating blood. It's foreign if you're not used to it. There are a lot of people that don't know about it. They think it's strange."
But moms like Scott are not uncommon, said Kim Updegrove, clinical coordinator of the Mother's Milk Bank at Austin. In 2005, there were 327 donors approved to donate their breast milk.
Driscoll Children's Hospital officials are hoping to add more donor moms.
The hospital's lactation center, Mom's Place, became the state's newest breast milk collection site last week, said Laurie Beck, Driscoll's lactation program coordinator. There are nine other sites, including San Antonio, Houston and Fort Worth, Updegrove said.
"Donors have an easier time donating their milk, and it takes the burden off the mom," Updegrove said.
Before, donors would have to send their milk overnight on dry ice to Austin; now they can drop it off and have Driscoll pay the postage, Updegrove said.
Donated milk goes to a variety of babies, some who have been adopted, whose mothers have died, can't for medical reasons or find it difficult, Beck said.
Scott said she was encouraged to donate after reading an article about a breast cancer survivor who had a double mastectomy.
click to read more...
The looks people give her are not flattering when she tells them she's a breast milk donor, said Barbara Scott, 31.
"People give me funny looks," Scott said. "But, it's a lot like donating blood. It's foreign if you're not used to it. There are a lot of people that don't know about it. They think it's strange."
But moms like Scott are not uncommon, said Kim Updegrove, clinical coordinator of the Mother's Milk Bank at Austin. In 2005, there were 327 donors approved to donate their breast milk.
Driscoll Children's Hospital officials are hoping to add more donor moms.
The hospital's lactation center, Mom's Place, became the state's newest breast milk collection site last week, said Laurie Beck, Driscoll's lactation program coordinator. There are nine other sites, including San Antonio, Houston and Fort Worth, Updegrove said.
"Donors have an easier time donating their milk, and it takes the burden off the mom," Updegrove said.
Before, donors would have to send their milk overnight on dry ice to Austin; now they can drop it off and have Driscoll pay the postage, Updegrove said.
Donated milk goes to a variety of babies, some who have been adopted, whose mothers have died, can't for medical reasons or find it difficult, Beck said.
Scott said she was encouraged to donate after reading an article about a breast cancer survivor who had a double mastectomy.
click to read more...
Monday, December 19, 2005
Baby, we were born to breast-feed? (Salon.com Life | Broadsheet)
While checking out Shakespeare's Sister this weekend, I noticed her entry on a San Diego roadside billboard that reads "Babies were born to be breastfed."
That's a pretty strong statement, and Shakespeare's Sister smartly wonders whether "making women feel guilty for not breastfeeding" is the way to go.
But what I wondered is why the Web address on the billboard didn't lead to the La Leche League but, rather, to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
click to read more...
That's a pretty strong statement, and Shakespeare's Sister smartly wonders whether "making women feel guilty for not breastfeeding" is the way to go.
But what I wondered is why the Web address on the billboard didn't lead to the La Leche League but, rather, to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
click to read more...
Sunday, December 18, 2005
Do you find breastfeeding offensive? (Independent Online)
Do you find breastfeeding offensive?
If you do, tough. New laws will make breastfeeding in public every mother's right.
The National Gallery has nearly 50 paintings and portraits featuring bare breasts on its walls, including a Tintoretto entitled Origin of the Milky Way.
But when Catherine Gulati settled discreetly into a corner to breastfeed her 11-month-old baby during a visit to the gallery last year, she was ordered by an attendant to stop. Now that the notion of breast is best is accepted wisdom, Parliament is considering changing the law to make it illegal to prevent a mother from feeding her child in public.
Ministers are preparing to follow the example of Scotland, where the law was changed last year, and legislate for the right of women to breastfeed their babies in a public place.
The legal change would cover all public spaces, from parks to shopping malls and even shops. But Parliament - including the House of Commons chamber - would not be covered by the law because it is a Royal Palace.
The rethink by ministers follows an outcry over women who have been prevented from feeding their babies by restaurateurs, policemen and members of the public. Even some doctors' surgeries have banned breastfeeding in their waiting rooms. Pro-breastfeeding groups, including the National Childbirth Trust, say that the anxiety about being stopped in public is putting many mothers off - and encouraging them to bottle-feed instead.
click to read more...
If you do, tough. New laws will make breastfeeding in public every mother's right.
The National Gallery has nearly 50 paintings and portraits featuring bare breasts on its walls, including a Tintoretto entitled Origin of the Milky Way.
But when Catherine Gulati settled discreetly into a corner to breastfeed her 11-month-old baby during a visit to the gallery last year, she was ordered by an attendant to stop. Now that the notion of breast is best is accepted wisdom, Parliament is considering changing the law to make it illegal to prevent a mother from feeding her child in public.
Ministers are preparing to follow the example of Scotland, where the law was changed last year, and legislate for the right of women to breastfeed their babies in a public place.
The legal change would cover all public spaces, from parks to shopping malls and even shops. But Parliament - including the House of Commons chamber - would not be covered by the law because it is a Royal Palace.
The rethink by ministers follows an outcry over women who have been prevented from feeding their babies by restaurateurs, policemen and members of the public. Even some doctors' surgeries have banned breastfeeding in their waiting rooms. Pro-breastfeeding groups, including the National Childbirth Trust, say that the anxiety about being stopped in public is putting many mothers off - and encouraging them to bottle-feed instead.
click to read more...
Wednesday, December 14, 2005
Breast-feeding woman alleges run-in with airline employee (The Eureka Reporter)
A local mother flying home after a visit with family last week was allegedly told to stop nursing her baby out of consideration for the other passengers on the plane. The flight attendant defended her request by claiming it was “company policy.”
On Dec. 4 Eureka resident K.K. Tetrault, 31, began nursing her 7-month-old son Ronan during takeoff from the Fresno Yosemite International Airport on a United Express flight operated by SkyWest Inc., headed to San Francisco, a flight which would later connect her to one bound for the Arcata-Eureka Airport.
“I was already a little uncomfortable, but what else was I to do?” Tetrault said. “My baby was tired, hungry and ready to go to sleep.”
According to Tetrault, the flight attendant approached her after the plane stabilized and it was safe to do so.
“‘I am going to have to ask you as a courtesy to others and to those around you to please stop nursing and wait until we land and get to the terminal,’” Tetrault said the flight attendant whispered in her ear.
click to read more...
On Dec. 4 Eureka resident K.K. Tetrault, 31, began nursing her 7-month-old son Ronan during takeoff from the Fresno Yosemite International Airport on a United Express flight operated by SkyWest Inc., headed to San Francisco, a flight which would later connect her to one bound for the Arcata-Eureka Airport.
“I was already a little uncomfortable, but what else was I to do?” Tetrault said. “My baby was tired, hungry and ready to go to sleep.”
According to Tetrault, the flight attendant approached her after the plane stabilized and it was safe to do so.
“‘I am going to have to ask you as a courtesy to others and to those around you to please stop nursing and wait until we land and get to the terminal,’” Tetrault said the flight attendant whispered in her ear.
click to read more...
Tuesday, December 06, 2005
Bill would allow public breast-feeding (The State)
Melissa Senf of Lexington has breast-fed her children in a lot of public places — on the Metro and at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C., in synagogues, churches and elsewhere.
It’s little wonder she stands firmly behind a bill that would protect a woman’s right to breast-feed a child in public places in South Carolina.
“That’s very important for me,” said Senf, 31, a mother of three. “The emotions of new moms and the powerful message this bill could send would show that (breast-feeding) is protected and valued and, indeed, encouraged.”
A rash of confrontations this year in the Palmetto State — mostly between breast-feeding moms and retailers — has drawn a spotlight to public breast-feeding and eventually sparked proposed legislation.
click to read more....
It’s little wonder she stands firmly behind a bill that would protect a woman’s right to breast-feed a child in public places in South Carolina.
“That’s very important for me,” said Senf, 31, a mother of three. “The emotions of new moms and the powerful message this bill could send would show that (breast-feeding) is protected and valued and, indeed, encouraged.”
A rash of confrontations this year in the Palmetto State — mostly between breast-feeding moms and retailers — has drawn a spotlight to public breast-feeding and eventually sparked proposed legislation.
click to read more....
Monday, December 05, 2005
I'm worried that my tattoo will rule out breastfeeding (The Herald)
Is it healthy for my baby to breastfeed after I have had
a tattoo?
If your tattoo was present before you became pregnant then breastfeeding is safe and to be encouraged. It provides all the nutrition the baby needs in the early weeks and months and passes on antibodies to help it fight and prevent infection.
click to read more...
a tattoo?
If your tattoo was present before you became pregnant then breastfeeding is safe and to be encouraged. It provides all the nutrition the baby needs in the early weeks and months and passes on antibodies to help it fight and prevent infection.
click to read more...
Women in US need more breastfeeding support - Yahoo! News
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A number of factors influence whether a women will give up breastfeeding before the baby can derive any health benefits from it, new research suggests -- but with more encouragement and help many more women might persevere.
Numerous studies have documented the health benefits of breastfeeding for the infant, such as a decreased risk of upper respiratory infections and possibly even a reduced risk of dying. Still, many women forgo breastfeeding altogether or stop it after just a few days or weeks, despite recommendations that a few months of breastfeeding is needed to see a benefit.
click to read more...
Numerous studies have documented the health benefits of breastfeeding for the infant, such as a decreased risk of upper respiratory infections and possibly even a reduced risk of dying. Still, many women forgo breastfeeding altogether or stop it after just a few days or weeks, despite recommendations that a few months of breastfeeding is needed to see a benefit.
click to read more...
Saturday, December 03, 2005
NewsTrack - Mom says border agent made her lactate (United Press International)
SAN YSIDRO, Calif., Dec. 2 (UPI) -- A young woman says an immigration agent on the border between Mexico and California forced her to lactate to prove that the baby she carried was hers.
Zayra Cano, 18, whose legal residence is in San Ysidro, Calif., was returning from Tijuana with her parents, her fiance and the baby, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported.
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Zayra Cano, 18, whose legal residence is in San Ysidro, Calif., was returning from Tijuana with her parents, her fiance and the baby, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported.
click to read more...
Kate Hudson: Kate Hudson's public breast-feeding
Kate Hudson admits she breastfed her son in front of the director when filming 'The Skeleton Key'.
click to read more...
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