Mitt Romney has succeeded in making sure that baby formula companies can continue to give new parents free samples as they check out of the hospital. We shouldn't be surprised; babies aren't known for big campaign contributions.
Romney claims that political considerations aren't an issue. According to him, it's about depriving "women of the right to decide whether they want to breastfeed their babies or give them formula."
Makes sense -- after all, if hospitals didn't give out free formula, a new parent would have to go shopping, look at the high price of formula, and make a conscious decision to spend around $1,000 in the next year on artificial food that has zero immune system benefits and is nutritionally inferior to mothers' milk.
If mothers understood that breastfeeding gives babies stronger immune systems; lowers their risk of developing diabetes, cancer, and numerous other diseases; and provides a free and easy way to keep them content, mothers might actually decide to breastfeed, hurting formula companies' profits.
But maybe Mitt really does care about personal freedom. So, here are some more ideas for hospital freebies. Let's have hospitals give free cigarettes to lung cancer patients after chemotherapy. We should also hand out free wine after AA meetings.
click to read more....
Sunday, June 18, 2006
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Suckle This (Gothamist)
If milk does a body good, mother's milk seems to do worlds of it. Yesterday, the NY Times explored the science of breast-feeding, from its ability to strengthen the mother-baby bond to strengthening the baby's immune system. The benefits of suckling at the teat have been kicked around for years. Other gains to be made include reducing a baby's risk of developing obesity, asthma, diabetes, and even cancers later in life, including leukemia and lymphoma. Kids who are breast fed also tend to score higher on IQ tests, avoid some autoimmune disease and can dodge certain infections thanks to antibodies passed along in the milk that mommy has herself been building up all her life.
And there's good news for moms too: breast-feeding can keep one from ovulating which (in addition to obvious immediate benefits) is associated with a decreased risk of breast and ovarian cancer. This is thought to result from decreased estrogen levels during lactation.
The trouble is, despite this growing pile of evidence in favor of the practice, PC thugs are a little worried because a campaign to encourage breast-feeding may make women who are unable to do so feel inadequate and guilty. We wonder if they would also hold back on advising people to eat healthier or hit the gym out of fear of making people feel bad that they can't afford either. Breast feeding rates apparently increase with education, income, and age. Black women do it less frequently than most while Hispanics breast-feed often.
click to read more...
And there's good news for moms too: breast-feeding can keep one from ovulating which (in addition to obvious immediate benefits) is associated with a decreased risk of breast and ovarian cancer. This is thought to result from decreased estrogen levels during lactation.
The trouble is, despite this growing pile of evidence in favor of the practice, PC thugs are a little worried because a campaign to encourage breast-feeding may make women who are unable to do so feel inadequate and guilty. We wonder if they would also hold back on advising people to eat healthier or hit the gym out of fear of making people feel bad that they can't afford either. Breast feeding rates apparently increase with education, income, and age. Black women do it less frequently than most while Hispanics breast-feed often.
click to read more...
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Breast-Fed Babies May Have a Leg Up in the Battle Against Childhood Obesity (New York Times)
Exercise. Cut down on television. Eat more fruits and vegetables. Oh, and make sure your children are breast-fed.
That is the latest prescription for preventing childhood obesity, as written by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, based on studies that have found that children who were breast-fed extensively as babies were less likely to put on weight later in life.
click to read more....
That is the latest prescription for preventing childhood obesity, as written by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, based on studies that have found that children who were breast-fed extensively as babies were less likely to put on weight later in life.
click to read more....
Breast-Feed or Else (New York Times)
Warning: Public health officials have determined that not breast-feeding may be hazardous to your baby's health.
There is no black-box label like that affixed to cans of infant formula or tucked into the corner of magazine advertisements, at least not yet. But that is the unambiguous message of a controversial government public health campaign encouraging new mothers to breast-feed for six months to protect their babies from colds, flu, ear infections, diarrhea and even obesity. In April, the World Health Organization, setting new international bench marks for children's growth, for the first time referred to breast-feeding as the biological norm.
"Just like it's risky to smoke during pregnancy, it's risky not to breast-feed after," said Suzanne Haynes, senior scientific adviser to the Office on Women's Health in the Department of Health and Human Services. "The whole notion of talking about risk is new in this field, but it's the only field of public health, except perhaps physical activity, where there is never talk about the risk."
click to read more...
There is no black-box label like that affixed to cans of infant formula or tucked into the corner of magazine advertisements, at least not yet. But that is the unambiguous message of a controversial government public health campaign encouraging new mothers to breast-feed for six months to protect their babies from colds, flu, ear infections, diarrhea and even obesity. In April, the World Health Organization, setting new international bench marks for children's growth, for the first time referred to breast-feeding as the biological norm.
"Just like it's risky to smoke during pregnancy, it's risky not to breast-feed after," said Suzanne Haynes, senior scientific adviser to the Office on Women's Health in the Department of Health and Human Services. "The whole notion of talking about risk is new in this field, but it's the only field of public health, except perhaps physical activity, where there is never talk about the risk."
click to read more...
Study shows introducing solid foods at the right age can stave off allergies (JournalStar.com)
Feed solid foods to your infant and she’ll sleep through the night.
That’s the advice given to exhausted new mothers.
Feed them solid foods between 4 months and 6 months — never before 4 months. That’s the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Nutrition talking.
Give nothing but breast milk for the first 6 months, says advice from the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Breastfeeding. It points to studies that find infants who get solids too early have a greater chance of developing food allergies.
Childhood allergies sometimes grow into adult allergies. Sometimes there’s a grouping of allergies, eczema and asthma. Some allergies, like to nuts, are dangerous.
Now comes a study in the June issue of Pediatrics suggesting maybe it’s best to feed infants solids after four months rather than six.
click to read more...
That’s the advice given to exhausted new mothers.
Feed them solid foods between 4 months and 6 months — never before 4 months. That’s the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Nutrition talking.
Give nothing but breast milk for the first 6 months, says advice from the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Breastfeeding. It points to studies that find infants who get solids too early have a greater chance of developing food allergies.
Childhood allergies sometimes grow into adult allergies. Sometimes there’s a grouping of allergies, eczema and asthma. Some allergies, like to nuts, are dangerous.
Now comes a study in the June issue of Pediatrics suggesting maybe it’s best to feed infants solids after four months rather than six.
click to read more...
Thursday, June 08, 2006
Killed bills would have protected moms, kids (The Arizona Republic)
As the state Legislature winds down, bills start flying through the process.
As that happens, you should compare some bills that were sent to the governor with two bills killed by two dads from Gilbert in the Legislature that would have protected mothers and children.
Sometimes the public process functions well. Amy Milliron went from ordinary mom to successful activist overnight. advertisement
Last summer she was breast-feeding her infant son at a public pool in Chandler when she was asked by a lifeguard to do her feeding in the bathroom in the future.
click to read more...
As that happens, you should compare some bills that were sent to the governor with two bills killed by two dads from Gilbert in the Legislature that would have protected mothers and children.
Sometimes the public process functions well. Amy Milliron went from ordinary mom to successful activist overnight. advertisement
Last summer she was breast-feeding her infant son at a public pool in Chandler when she was asked by a lifeguard to do her feeding in the bathroom in the future.
click to read more...
KDHE Educates Public About a Mother's Right to Breastfeed (Kansas City infoZine News)
The Kansas Legislature passed a law this session that allows a woman to breastfeed her baby anywhere she has the right to be.
click to read more..
click to read more..
Sunday, June 04, 2006
Target apology (suburbanchicagonews.com)
Minneapolis-based Target on Thursday issued an apology, saying it was wrong for employees at the Naperville store to tell a customer she could no longer nurse her baby in a fitting room.
click to read more...
click to read more...
Stores Apology Over Breastfeed Refusal (from Blackburn Citizen)
CLOTHING giant Next has apologised to an East Lancashire mum after staff refused to allow her to breastfeed her baby in their shop.
Stephanie Prior, 33, was shopping for holiday clothes at Blackburn's Townsmoor retail park when five-month-old tot Luci began to cry from hunger.
Mrs Prior said she approached staff in the store at about 11.30am and asked permission to take the baby into a changing room to breastfeed her in private.
But she claims that staff refused, forcing her to abandon the clothes she had planned to buy and seek help at the Boots store next door, which let her use an office.
click to read more...
Stephanie Prior, 33, was shopping for holiday clothes at Blackburn's Townsmoor retail park when five-month-old tot Luci began to cry from hunger.
Mrs Prior said she approached staff in the store at about 11.30am and asked permission to take the baby into a changing room to breastfeed her in private.
But she claims that staff refused, forcing her to abandon the clothes she had planned to buy and seek help at the Boots store next door, which let her use an office.
click to read more...
When is a baby too fat? New guidelines lower the bar (statesman.com)
Parents are notoriously obsessive over how their babies stack up on the growth charts pediatricians use. Now, new guidelines from the World Health Organization are prompting a debate over how big a healthy baby should be.
WHO, the United Nations' health agency, is urging every country to adopt its growth charts, which aim to show how children ideally grow in their first five years of life. The guidelines also include for the first time measurements for body mass index, or BMI, for babies younger than 2 — a weight and height calculation used to determine whether people are overweight or underweight. (Currently, BMI doesn't appear on U.S. growth charts before age 2.)
But the charts — and particularly the new BMI standards — are raising concerns that worries about obesity will be pushed into infancy, a time when adequate nutrition is crucial for brain development and other important growth. Pediatricians and health officials in the U.S. say they aren't sure whether the WHO guidelines should be adopted in this country.
One reason is that the WHO growth curves are based on babies who were breast-fed for at least a year, while the American charts are based on children who were primarily formula-fed after the first few weeks. Formula-fed children tend to be bigger than breast-fed children in late infancy. Another difference: The WHO charts are based on children from affluent, educated families in six countries. The U.S. charts are based on a broader sample of U.S. children.
click to read more...
WHO, the United Nations' health agency, is urging every country to adopt its growth charts, which aim to show how children ideally grow in their first five years of life. The guidelines also include for the first time measurements for body mass index, or BMI, for babies younger than 2 — a weight and height calculation used to determine whether people are overweight or underweight. (Currently, BMI doesn't appear on U.S. growth charts before age 2.)
But the charts — and particularly the new BMI standards — are raising concerns that worries about obesity will be pushed into infancy, a time when adequate nutrition is crucial for brain development and other important growth. Pediatricians and health officials in the U.S. say they aren't sure whether the WHO guidelines should be adopted in this country.
One reason is that the WHO growth curves are based on babies who were breast-fed for at least a year, while the American charts are based on children who were primarily formula-fed after the first few weeks. Formula-fed children tend to be bigger than breast-fed children in late infancy. Another difference: The WHO charts are based on children from affluent, educated families in six countries. The U.S. charts are based on a broader sample of U.S. children.
click to read more...
Nursing a healthy practice (Wisconsin State Journal)
For Fran Weintraub, breast-feeding her babies makes sense from every point of view.
As a physician, she knows the statistics that show breast-fed babies are healthier.
As a volunteer who helps other mothers, she knows that practical tips can help.
And as a mother, she wants the best for her 10-month-old daughter, Rena.
"Why would you not breast-feed when you know that you want to do the best for your baby? And it's so wonderful to do this with your baby, and so convenient," she said. She also nursed Rena's brothers, who are 3 and nearly 6 years old.
click to read more...
As a physician, she knows the statistics that show breast-fed babies are healthier.
As a volunteer who helps other mothers, she knows that practical tips can help.
And as a mother, she wants the best for her 10-month-old daughter, Rena.
"Why would you not breast-feed when you know that you want to do the best for your baby? And it's so wonderful to do this with your baby, and so convenient," she said. She also nursed Rena's brothers, who are 3 and nearly 6 years old.
click to read more...
Friday, June 02, 2006
Popular Blogging Site Restricts Use of Breastfeeding Photos (SF Indymedia)
Popular Blogging Site Restricts Use of Breastfeeding Photos:
LiveJournal cites images as 'inappropriate' and sends mothers to the virtual restroom.
Wednesday, May 31st, 2006 - Women on the popular blog site LiveJournal are calling foul at the company’s decision to brand images of breastfeeding as ‘inappropriate.’ Many users of the site have joined together to urge LiveJournal’s parent company SixApart to address their concerns and reevaluate the policy.
Small "userpics" of no more than 100 by 100 pixels represent LiveJournal members throughout the site. Users can define one of these icons as "default icon" which plugs it into the user's public profile. These default icons were originally not permitted to be ‘sexually explicit or graphically violent.’ Recently, icons which depicted breastfeeding were cited as being ‘inappropriate’ by the LiveJournal abuse team, a group of volunteers who monitor complaints on the site. After clarification was requested, LiveJournal changed their FAQ to reflect a no nudity rule and is claiming that icons with visible areola or nipple are not permitted. Whether or not areola is visible in a photograph is dependent on a number of factors, including skin tone of the mother and physical changes during pregnancy.
Claimed Live Journal Abuse Staffer 'Erin' in a post on the site, "That's really a matter for the FCC to decide. LiveJournal's policies on this mirror what would be allowed on primetime TV or in a PG-13 movie." However, this is not true. The FCC does not consider the act of breastfeeding on television to fall under the definitions of indecency or obscenity.
click to read more...
LiveJournal cites images as 'inappropriate' and sends mothers to the virtual restroom.
Wednesday, May 31st, 2006 - Women on the popular blog site LiveJournal are calling foul at the company’s decision to brand images of breastfeeding as ‘inappropriate.’ Many users of the site have joined together to urge LiveJournal’s parent company SixApart to address their concerns and reevaluate the policy.
Small "userpics" of no more than 100 by 100 pixels represent LiveJournal members throughout the site. Users can define one of these icons as "default icon" which plugs it into the user's public profile. These default icons were originally not permitted to be ‘sexually explicit or graphically violent.’ Recently, icons which depicted breastfeeding were cited as being ‘inappropriate’ by the LiveJournal abuse team, a group of volunteers who monitor complaints on the site. After clarification was requested, LiveJournal changed their FAQ to reflect a no nudity rule and is claiming that icons with visible areola or nipple are not permitted. Whether or not areola is visible in a photograph is dependent on a number of factors, including skin tone of the mother and physical changes during pregnancy.
Claimed Live Journal Abuse Staffer 'Erin' in a post on the site, "That's really a matter for the FCC to decide. LiveJournal's policies on this mirror what would be allowed on primetime TV or in a PG-13 movie." However, this is not true. The FCC does not consider the act of breastfeeding on television to fall under the definitions of indecency or obscenity.
click to read more...
Dr. Mom talks breast feeding to several area professionals (Fort Morgan Times)
An educational opportunity for health care professionals to learn more about the overall importance of breast feeding for women took place Tuesday at the County Steak-Out.
Marianne Neifert, M.D., also known by many as Dr. Mom, held a public discussion to explain how to implement prenatal hospital routines that promote breast feeding to more than 20 area doctors, physicians and health care professionals.
Neifert, who is an expert in lactation management and co-founder of the Lactation Program at Rese Medical Center in Denver, said that while she is proud of breast feeding's success rate in Colorado, it has been the rural areas where fewer women are practicing the procedure.
click to read more...
Marianne Neifert, M.D., also known by many as Dr. Mom, held a public discussion to explain how to implement prenatal hospital routines that promote breast feeding to more than 20 area doctors, physicians and health care professionals.
Neifert, who is an expert in lactation management and co-founder of the Lactation Program at Rese Medical Center in Denver, said that while she is proud of breast feeding's success rate in Colorado, it has been the rural areas where fewer women are practicing the procedure.
click to read more...
Target Employee Challenges Nursing Mom (NBC5.com)
CHICAGO -- A Montgomery, Ill., woman who was breast feeding her baby in a fitting room at a suburban Target store was told to go into a bathroom stall instead, stirring up controversey over an activity that is protected by state law.
NBC5's Alex Perez said Wednesday that when 3-month-old Kendall gets hungary, she does what most babies do. She cries.
So when the baby began crying last week while she and her mom Jenny Dover were at a Naperville Target store on Route 59, Dover went into the fitting room, closed the door and began breast feeding her baby.
Dover said that a few minutes later the attendant knocked on the door.
"(She) asked if I was OK, and I said I was fine: 'I'm breast feeding the baby,'" she said.
She continued breast feeding Kendall until she was done. When she left the fitting room, the employee approached her again.
"She said, 'There's the bathroom or you should feed her before you come,'" Dover recalled.
click to read more...
NBC5's Alex Perez said Wednesday that when 3-month-old Kendall gets hungary, she does what most babies do. She cries.
So when the baby began crying last week while she and her mom Jenny Dover were at a Naperville Target store on Route 59, Dover went into the fitting room, closed the door and began breast feeding her baby.
Dover said that a few minutes later the attendant knocked on the door.
"(She) asked if I was OK, and I said I was fine: 'I'm breast feeding the baby,'" she said.
She continued breast feeding Kendall until she was done. When she left the fitting room, the employee approached her again.
"She said, 'There's the bathroom or you should feed her before you come,'" Dover recalled.
click to read more...
Store hassles nursing mom (The Beacon News)
A Montgomery mother plans to do her shopping elsewhere, after being told by employees of the Target Naperville store that she should not breast-feed her baby in a fitting room.
Two employees of the Target on Route 59 told Jenny Dover that she should not breast-feed in the fitting room, even though, under Illinois law, she could have nursed in the middle of an aisle if she wanted to.
click to read more...
Two employees of the Target on Route 59 told Jenny Dover that she should not breast-feed in the fitting room, even though, under Illinois law, she could have nursed in the middle of an aisle if she wanted to.
click to read more...
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Fury At Ban On Breast Feeding (from Oxford Mail)
A mother is furious after she was prevented from breast-feeding her baby in a store's changing room.
Staff at Zara, a clothing shop in Oxford's Clarendon Centre, told mother-of-two Jenny Hall that she would not be able to feed her eight-week-old son Owen while she was shopping.
click to read more...
Staff at Zara, a clothing shop in Oxford's Clarendon Centre, told mother-of-two Jenny Hall that she would not be able to feed her eight-week-old son Owen while she was shopping.
click to read more...
Monday, May 29, 2006
Mum MP wins breast-feeding fight (ANSA.it - News in English)
House creche will be 'example' for working world, she says
(ANSA) - Rome, May 29 - An Italian MP has won her battle to get a nursery installed in the House so she can breast-feed her three-month-old baby .
"I'm obviously happy with this result but I wish it had come a little sooner," said Donatella Poretti, who has had to use the House's infirmary since parliament convened three weeks ago. Radical Party MP Poretti went as far as threatening to breast-feed little Alice in front of her fellow MPs after getting no response from two letters to House Speaker Fausto Bertinotti .
Now the House administration has found a suitable room, which until now was used by MPs' aides .
click to read more...
(ANSA) - Rome, May 29 - An Italian MP has won her battle to get a nursery installed in the House so she can breast-feed her three-month-old baby .
"I'm obviously happy with this result but I wish it had come a little sooner," said Donatella Poretti, who has had to use the House's infirmary since parliament convened three weeks ago. Radical Party MP Poretti went as far as threatening to breast-feed little Alice in front of her fellow MPs after getting no response from two letters to House Speaker Fausto Bertinotti .
Now the House administration has found a suitable room, which until now was used by MPs' aides .
click to read more...
Friday, May 26, 2006
MP threatens to breastfeed in Parliament (Poltical Gateway)
ROME, May 25 (UPI) -- A new mother newly elected to the Italian Parliament is threatening to breastfeed in the House chamber unless a baby-care room is provided.
Donatella Poretti, a member of the Radical Party, said she has been using the parliament building's infirmary to feed her daughter, Alice, the Italian news agency ANSA reported."
click to read more...
Donatella Poretti, a member of the Radical Party, said she has been using the parliament building's infirmary to feed her daughter, Alice, the Italian news agency ANSA reported."
click to read more...
Thursday, May 25, 2006
LETTER- Breastfeeding not sexual (The HooK)
"In your recent story about Tom Rose's 'Ween' license plates ['WEEN win: DMV okays recalled plate,' May 18], the DMV's primary concern was said to be the chance that the plates might have a 'sexual connotation.' Your article then says that Rose was upset by the implication that his plates related to weaning, or the cessation of breastfeeding.
This reinforces the misconception that breastfeeding is sexual. While nursing and sex are both loving acts that involve the breast, breastfeeding is no more sexual than bottle feeding. It is a way of nurturing and caring for babies. "
click to read more...
This reinforces the misconception that breastfeeding is sexual. While nursing and sex are both loving acts that involve the breast, breastfeeding is no more sexual than bottle feeding. It is a way of nurturing and caring for babies. "
click to read more...
Tit for Tat Pro-choice Feeding Options (Bostonist)
Today we flipped on the radio for a bit of a dose of news. First thing we hear is about breastfeeding. The issue of the day was the Massachusetts Department of Public Health's approval of the "gift basket" with infant formula distributed to mothers in state maternity wards. Pro-breastfeeding groups had pushed for a ban on the distribution of free infant formula – before the Govnah stepped in and according to the Boston Globe " Romney objected to the ban, saying it deprived women of the right to decide whether they wanted to breast-feed their babies or give them formula." Wait. So Romney's pro-choice on breast feeding – but abstinence only for sex education? The result of the proposed prohibition was a Romney shake up of the Public Health Council (who oversees the Department of Public Health), removing several pro-formula-ban members.
click to read more...
click to read more...
Breast milk: the perfect food for babies (Kennebec Journal)
Thank you so much for your important and informative Mothers' Day editorial, "The Gift Our Mothers Never Wanted To Give."
While there is no doubt that unnecessary industrial chemicals are accumulating in mothers' bodies and breast milk, it is important to note that breastfeeding remains by far the best form of nourishment for infants.
click to read more...
While there is no doubt that unnecessary industrial chemicals are accumulating in mothers' bodies and breast milk, it is important to note that breastfeeding remains by far the best form of nourishment for infants.
click to read more...
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
State OKs hospitals giving away free baby formula to new mothers (WHDH-TV)
BOSTON (AP) -- Hospital maternity wards can continue to give away free infant formula to new mothers, state health officials said Tuesday, ending a monthslong debate over the gift diaper bags.
The decision by the Department of Public Health disappointed breast-feeding advocates, who argued that the brand name baby formula gifts were designed to turn harried new mothers toward a less healthy alternative.
"Formula marketing campaigns targeting new mothers do not belong in our state's hospitals. Hospitals should market health, and nothing else," said Dr. Alison Stuebe, a Boston obstetrician and advocate for the Massachusetts Breastfeeding Coalition.
click to read more...
The decision by the Department of Public Health disappointed breast-feeding advocates, who argued that the brand name baby formula gifts were designed to turn harried new mothers toward a less healthy alternative.
"Formula marketing campaigns targeting new mothers do not belong in our state's hospitals. Hospitals should market health, and nothing else," said Dr. Alison Stuebe, a Boston obstetrician and advocate for the Massachusetts Breastfeeding Coalition.
click to read more...
Hospitals get OK to resume formula gifts (BostonHerald.com)
State public health officials yesterday said that hospitals can continue distributing free formula bags to new moms, drawing the ire of pro-breast-feeding mothers who say the move was pure politics.
“It has a devastating effect on breast-feeding moms. When nursing moms get the bags, they are more likely to use formula,” said Dr. Melissa Bartick, a member of the Massachusetts Breastfeeding Coalition.
Three dozen Bay State hospitals give out the free bags, which are emblazoned with a company logo and filled with formula, bottles and other gifts. Eight hospitals ban the bags, saying breast-feeding is healthiest for baby and mom.
click to read more...
“It has a devastating effect on breast-feeding moms. When nursing moms get the bags, they are more likely to use formula,” said Dr. Melissa Bartick, a member of the Massachusetts Breastfeeding Coalition.
Three dozen Bay State hospitals give out the free bags, which are emblazoned with a company logo and filled with formula, bottles and other gifts. Eight hospitals ban the bags, saying breast-feeding is healthiest for baby and mom.
click to read more...
State allows gifts of formula for infants (The Boston Globe)
In a victory for Governor Mitt Romney , the state's public health commissioner announced yesterday that hospital maternity wards in Massachusetts can continue to hand out gift bags with samples of infant formula. Last winter, the Public Health Council had imposed a ban on the bags, but then, at Romney's urging, it reversed its decision and ordered further study.
The five months of debate over gift bags with formula crystallized scientific and political issues regarding both breast-feeding and the Public Health Council, which governs the state Department of Public Health.
To public health specialists and powerful members of the Legislature, the episode demonstrates the perils of politics intruding into healthcare.
click to read more...
The five months of debate over gift bags with formula crystallized scientific and political issues regarding both breast-feeding and the Public Health Council, which governs the state Department of Public Health.
To public health specialists and powerful members of the Legislature, the episode demonstrates the perils of politics intruding into healthcare.
click to read more...
Mass. governor's formula call protested (United Press International)
BOSTON, May 24 (UPI) -- A Massachusetts pro-breastfeeding group is unhappy with the governor for allowing hospitals to hand out industry-sponsored formula kits to new mothers.
The Massachusetts Breastfeeding Coalition supported a state health department ban on hospitals giving out the bags, which include formula, bottles and gifts.
click to read more...
The Massachusetts Breastfeeding Coalition supported a state health department ban on hospitals giving out the bags, which include formula, bottles and gifts.
click to read more...
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
Theyre Simply The Breast (from Blackburn Citizen)
NEW mums flocked to Blackburn to promote breast feeding in public and create a new British record.
The event, called the "Big Feed", was organised by a group based in Darwen and saw 700 women across the country taking part to score a new record for simultaneous breast feeding.
click to read more...
The event, called the "Big Feed", was organised by a group based in Darwen and saw 700 women across the country taking part to score a new record for simultaneous breast feeding.
click to read more...
Monday, May 22, 2006
Working mothers don't breast-feed enough (The Washington Times)
Many working mothers in this country and abroad do not breast-feed their babies, suggesting maternal employment can be a liability in providing infants with the benefits of breast milk, according to new research.
"A lot of new mothers start out breast-feeding [when they return to work]. But during the first two weeks, if they don't get the support they need [to continue breast-feeding], they quit," said Lori McBride, national coordinator of Nursing Mothers Counsel, a California-based group that encourages mothers to breast-feed.
click to read more...
"A lot of new mothers start out breast-feeding [when they return to work]. But during the first two weeks, if they don't get the support they need [to continue breast-feeding], they quit," said Lori McBride, national coordinator of Nursing Mothers Counsel, a California-based group that encourages mothers to breast-feed.
click to read more...
Breast is still best for children (Sheffield Today)
THESE women know breast is best for their little ones as they joined together to celebrate National Breastfeeding Awareness Week.
Midwife Karen Harrison helps run the Breastmates breastfeeding cafe at First Start in Firth Park, Sheffield.
The cafe, which has been up and running for more than two years, offers help and support to expectant mums and mothers who are breastfeeding.
Karen, of Dronfield, said: "The cafe started with the hope of trying to increase the number of breastfeeding mothers in the area. We have found mothers breastfeed for longer if they have support."
The cafe - open on Monday from 10.30am to 12pm - is a free initiative funded by Sure Start.
"We feel the initiative has been very successful," added Karen.
click to read more...
Midwife Karen Harrison helps run the Breastmates breastfeeding cafe at First Start in Firth Park, Sheffield.
The cafe, which has been up and running for more than two years, offers help and support to expectant mums and mothers who are breastfeeding.
Karen, of Dronfield, said: "The cafe started with the hope of trying to increase the number of breastfeeding mothers in the area. We have found mothers breastfeed for longer if they have support."
The cafe - open on Monday from 10.30am to 12pm - is a free initiative funded by Sure Start.
"We feel the initiative has been very successful," added Karen.
click to read more...
I couldn't breastfeed my baby (BBC NEWS)
For the first nine weeks of baby Emiley's life, her mother was unable to breastfeed her.
A traumatic 46-hour labour with forceps and ventouse had left Emiley and mother Cherise Jones, feeling very sore, and the baby was reluctant to breastfeed.
Doctors had been worried about Cherise's heart during the labour and needed to monitor her carefully.
Two hours after the birth she was given the all-clear. But Emiley, whose head was sore following her delivery, would not latch onto the breast.
click to read more...
A traumatic 46-hour labour with forceps and ventouse had left Emiley and mother Cherise Jones, feeling very sore, and the baby was reluctant to breastfeed.
Doctors had been worried about Cherise's heart during the labour and needed to monitor her carefully.
Two hours after the birth she was given the all-clear. But Emiley, whose head was sore following her delivery, would not latch onto the breast.
click to read more...
U.S. women face barriers to breastfeeding (United Press International)
WASHINGTON, May 19 (UPI) -- Many U.S. mothers face a series of challenges to breastfeeding because the potential inconvenience at work often appears to outweigh the heath benefits.
click to read more...
click to read more...
Activists want state to protect right to breastfeed in public (Charleston Daily Mail)
West Virginia is being left behind in a nationwide move by states to protect the rights of mothers to breastfeed in public, and advocates here say they're going to start pushing harder for similar laws.
Earlier this month, Mississippi became one of six states this year to rewrite laws to give breastfeeding moms more leeway to breastfeed in public places and more protection from being prosecuted under state public indecency laws.
Now, just six states -- including West Virginia -- have not acted on calls from mothers across the country to clarify legislation they say inhibits mothers from breastfeeding babies.
click to read more...
Earlier this month, Mississippi became one of six states this year to rewrite laws to give breastfeeding moms more leeway to breastfeed in public places and more protection from being prosecuted under state public indecency laws.
Now, just six states -- including West Virginia -- have not acted on calls from mothers across the country to clarify legislation they say inhibits mothers from breastfeeding babies.
click to read more...
LiveJournal doesn't care how you feel about breastfeeding or anything else - The Social Software Weblog
A row has erupted over LiveJournal's threat to shut down a user's account if the icon image of a baby and mother's breast mid-meal isn't removed. (pic on left) The user is part of a breast feeding advocacy group, so this is some fight to pick. Though it's acceptable to breast feed almost anywhere in real life, LJ is of the belief that the sight of breastfeeding in search results on the LJ site would be unacceptable. What if said user had a signed letter signifying that the breast was at least 18 years old? Indecency policies are rife with absurdity and I'm sure that LJ wants to avoid the kinds of labels that MySpace gets in media and popular culture - so this could go on indefinitely.
click to read more...
click to read more...
Ireland's only human milk bank (IrishHealth.com)
It is well known that Ireland has one of the lowest breastfeeding rates in Europe, with only around four in 10 mothers choosing to breastfeed their babies. However some mothers are willing not only to feed their own children in this way, but also to donate some of their breast milk to help sick and premature babies throughout the country.
"The mothers who do this are simply fantastic", says Ann McCrea, a lactation consultant who works in the country's only human milk bank.
click to read more...
"The mothers who do this are simply fantastic", says Ann McCrea, a lactation consultant who works in the country's only human milk bank.
click to read more...
More than just genetics: Lifestyle choices impact GI health (Eureka News Alerts)
LOS ANGELES (May 22, 2006) – Lifestyle factors, such as daily breakfast choices and childhood home environments, have a significant impact on the gastrointestinal system, affecting your metabolism, body mass index and the likelihood of developing GI-related conditions, according to new research presented today at Digestive Disease Week® 2006 (DDW). DDW is the largest international gathering of physicians and researchers in the fields of gastroenterology, hepatology, endoscopy and gastrointestinal surgery.
"While some lifestyle factors may be difficult for patients to change, other simple adjustments such as eating a healthy breakfast can result in a striking improvement in GI health," said Lee Kaplan, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of medicine, Harvard Medical School and director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Weight Center. "These changes should not be underestimated and doctors and patients should work together to improve health and quality of life."
click to read more...
"While some lifestyle factors may be difficult for patients to change, other simple adjustments such as eating a healthy breakfast can result in a striking improvement in GI health," said Lee Kaplan, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of medicine, Harvard Medical School and director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Weight Center. "These changes should not be underestimated and doctors and patients should work together to improve health and quality of life."
click to read more...
Stop Blaming Nursing Moms (Today's Parent)
“We lost centuries of knowledge about breastfeeding in little more than a generation.”
It takes a village to help a mother breastfeed.
Earlier this year, Statistics Canada released a report on breastfeeding practices. Among other things, it showed that of the mothers who start out breastfeeding, about one in six does so exclusively for the first six months of an infant’s life — the period now recommended by both Health Canada and the World Health Organization. This led The Globe and Mail to say, “the vast majority of women are ignoring public-health recommendations.”
Hardly. Those recommendations weren’t even in place when the women in this survey were breastfeeding, between 1998 and 2003. It’s going to take a while for the idea of exclusive breastfeeding for six months to become standard advice given by doctors — some of whom are still obsessed with getting four-month-old babies on cereal — let alone common practice among mothers. Also it’s clear, as this report shows, that most moms want to breastfeed and that they understand the value of breastmilk to their babies (more on this later). The key issue is why they stop, and I assure you it’s not out of zeal to ignore expert advice.
click to read more...
It takes a village to help a mother breastfeed.
Earlier this year, Statistics Canada released a report on breastfeeding practices. Among other things, it showed that of the mothers who start out breastfeeding, about one in six does so exclusively for the first six months of an infant’s life — the period now recommended by both Health Canada and the World Health Organization. This led The Globe and Mail to say, “the vast majority of women are ignoring public-health recommendations.”
Hardly. Those recommendations weren’t even in place when the women in this survey were breastfeeding, between 1998 and 2003. It’s going to take a while for the idea of exclusive breastfeeding for six months to become standard advice given by doctors — some of whom are still obsessed with getting four-month-old babies on cereal — let alone common practice among mothers. Also it’s clear, as this report shows, that most moms want to breastfeed and that they understand the value of breastmilk to their babies (more on this later). The key issue is why they stop, and I assure you it’s not out of zeal to ignore expert advice.
click to read more...
Sunday, May 21, 2006
Romney overhauls panel that backed ban on baby formula giveaways (WFSB)
BOSTON -- Gov. Mitt Romney has removed members of the state's Public Health Council who wanted to ban the giving away of infant formula at maternity wards, according to a published report Saturday.
The council had approved what was believed to have been a first-in-the-nation ban on the distribution of gift diaper bags with brand name baby formula and other goodies to new mothers.
click to read more...
The council had approved what was believed to have been a first-in-the-nation ban on the distribution of gift diaper bags with brand name baby formula and other goodies to new mothers.
click to read more...
BREAST FEED MUM ANGER AT NO 10 BAN (Mirror.co.uk)
A MOTHER-of-two collared by an armed policeman yesterday for breastfeeding on the Prime Minister's doorstep.
Stella Onions, 43, claimed the officer told her he could lose his job if he allowed her to continue to feed her 21-month-old son Zac.
She was in Downing Street to deliver a petition to No 10 calling for a law to allow women to breastfeed in public.
click to read more...
Stella Onions, 43, claimed the officer told her he could lose his job if he allowed her to continue to feed her 21-month-old son Zac.
She was in Downing Street to deliver a petition to No 10 calling for a law to allow women to breastfeed in public.
click to read more...
Formula Ban Supporters Removed From Health Council (cbs4boston.com)
(CBS4) BOSTON There is a changing of the guard on the state’s Public Health Council, and the advocates for breast feeding are the ones losing out.
click to read more...
click to read more...
Saturday, May 20, 2006
Keeping abreast of a trend (globeandmail.com)
Few roles in life leave you as open to judgment as parenting. And nothing is quite so heated as the battle over the breast.
Vancouver's Nicole and Kim Critten found that out when they began distributing a line of nursing covers through their company Bug & Pickle (http://www.bugandpickle.com). The name of the product didn't help, either: Hooter Hiders.
Created to allow mothers to nurse in public without exposure, the California-designed cover is more effective than the old receiving-blanket standby. It has a strap to keep the cloth from sliding off, and a rigid collar holds the fabric away from the mother's neck to maintain a clear view of the baby.
But it's sparked a storm in Vancouver circles, in newspapers, blogs and even on radio. The Nik and Val Show on CFUN 1410 recently devoted an afternoon to the debate.
"Our callers were split right down the middle," co-host Val Cole says. "There were people who like it and then there were those who thought it was the most ridiculous thing they'd ever heard of."
click to read more...
Vancouver's Nicole and Kim Critten found that out when they began distributing a line of nursing covers through their company Bug & Pickle (http://www.bugandpickle.com). The name of the product didn't help, either: Hooter Hiders.
Created to allow mothers to nurse in public without exposure, the California-designed cover is more effective than the old receiving-blanket standby. It has a strap to keep the cloth from sliding off, and a rigid collar holds the fabric away from the mother's neck to maintain a clear view of the baby.
But it's sparked a storm in Vancouver circles, in newspapers, blogs and even on radio. The Nik and Val Show on CFUN 1410 recently devoted an afternoon to the debate.
"Our callers were split right down the middle," co-host Val Cole says. "There were people who like it and then there were those who thought it was the most ridiculous thing they'd ever heard of."
click to read more...
Private profits versus public health
Masachusetts Governor Mitt Romney has made it clear that private profits matter more to him than public health with his recent actions.
More than 78,000 babies were born in Massachusetts in 2004. They can't possibly compete with an $8 billion a year industry. Deep pockets matter more than deep dimples, eh, Mitt? It's no surprise which side of the issue our running-for-president-and-rarely-seen-in-the-state governor comes down on.
Hospitals should market health, and nothing else.
Shame on you, Governor Romney.
More than 78,000 babies were born in Massachusetts in 2004. They can't possibly compete with an $8 billion a year industry. Deep pockets matter more than deep dimples, eh, Mitt? It's no surprise which side of the issue our running-for-president-and-rarely-seen-in-the-state governor comes down on.
Hospitals should market health, and nothing else.
Shame on you, Governor Romney.
Romney ousts 3 at health council (The Boston Globe)
Gone are backers of a ban on infant formula giveaways
Governor Mitt Romney completed a major overhaul of the state's Public Health Council yesterday, abruptly ousting members who championed a ban on giving away infant formula at hospital maternity wards.
Romney has said that he believes that mothers should continue to receive gift bags of infant formula if they want them, and he asked the council in February to reverse its earlier approval of a ban.
The panel, which establishes public health policy in Massachusetts, did reverse the ban, but at the same time ordered administrators at the Department of Public Health to spend three months reviewing the issue. The administrators are scheduled to report their findings Tuesday.
In an interview last night, one of the council members replaced by Romney said she would have liked to have remained on the panel.
''I think the changes were political," said Phyllis Cudmore, who used to work in the healthcare industry. ''I'm disappointed not to be part of the process now."
click to read more...
Governor Mitt Romney completed a major overhaul of the state's Public Health Council yesterday, abruptly ousting members who championed a ban on giving away infant formula at hospital maternity wards.
Romney has said that he believes that mothers should continue to receive gift bags of infant formula if they want them, and he asked the council in February to reverse its earlier approval of a ban.
The panel, which establishes public health policy in Massachusetts, did reverse the ban, but at the same time ordered administrators at the Department of Public Health to spend three months reviewing the issue. The administrators are scheduled to report their findings Tuesday.
In an interview last night, one of the council members replaced by Romney said she would have liked to have remained on the panel.
''I think the changes were political," said Phyllis Cudmore, who used to work in the healthcare industry. ''I'm disappointed not to be part of the process now."
click to read more...
Monday, May 15, 2006
Salon is given thanks for the mammaries (Scotsman.com News)
A BEAUTY salon is set to be given an award for accommodating women who want to breastfeed.
The Breastfeeding Friendly Awards have been set up by East Lothian council chiefs to encourage businesses to think about the needs of nursing mothers.
Health visitor Chris Kelly is due to present the first award to Hazel Hunter, proprietor of the Nail & Beauty Salon in Bridge Street, Tranent, tomorrow.
In East Lothian, statistics show many new mothers find it difficult to maintain breastfeeding for the recommended six months.
click to read more...
The Breastfeeding Friendly Awards have been set up by East Lothian council chiefs to encourage businesses to think about the needs of nursing mothers.
Health visitor Chris Kelly is due to present the first award to Hazel Hunter, proprietor of the Nail & Beauty Salon in Bridge Street, Tranent, tomorrow.
In East Lothian, statistics show many new mothers find it difficult to maintain breastfeeding for the recommended six months.
click to read more...
Mothers demand breastfeeding law (BBC NEWS )
Mothers are demanding a law is introduced allowing women throughout the UK to breastfeed in public.
The National Childbirth Trust backs the call, saying women should feel "confident and comfortable" feeding their babies.
Scotland already has a law allowing women to breastfeed in public, and an NCT survey found 79% of mums want a similar law everywhere.
A government spokeswoman said it was reviewing the need for legislation.
The NCT is supporting MP David Kidney's Private Member's Bill for a breastfeeding law in England.
click to read more...
The National Childbirth Trust backs the call, saying women should feel "confident and comfortable" feeding their babies.
Scotland already has a law allowing women to breastfeed in public, and an NCT survey found 79% of mums want a similar law everywhere.
A government spokeswoman said it was reviewing the need for legislation.
The NCT is supporting MP David Kidney's Private Member's Bill for a breastfeeding law in England.
click to read more...
Sunday, May 14, 2006
Expressed delivery (Columbia Daily Tribune)
Jill Youse’s breast milk project is taking off.
The 28-year-old Columbia woman packed up a second shipment of 100 to 200 pounds of breast milk this morning that will go to a group in South Africa that takes in HIV/AIDS orphans.
Youse, a sales representative for a pharmaceutical company, was in the news last month for donating 1,000 ounces of her own breast milk to iThemba Lethu, a not-for-profit organization in Durban, South Africa. Soon thereafter, she was contacted by 10 other women around the country who wished to put their extra breast milk to good use as well.
Youse said she initially didn’t want to breast-feed her daughter Estella when the baby was born nine months ago but changed her mind. She since has started the International Breast Milk Project to make use of the extra milk she produces and stores in her freezer.
click to read more...
The 28-year-old Columbia woman packed up a second shipment of 100 to 200 pounds of breast milk this morning that will go to a group in South Africa that takes in HIV/AIDS orphans.
Youse, a sales representative for a pharmaceutical company, was in the news last month for donating 1,000 ounces of her own breast milk to iThemba Lethu, a not-for-profit organization in Durban, South Africa. Soon thereafter, she was contacted by 10 other women around the country who wished to put their extra breast milk to good use as well.
Youse said she initially didn’t want to breast-feed her daughter Estella when the baby was born nine months ago but changed her mind. She since has started the International Breast Milk Project to make use of the extra milk she produces and stores in her freezer.
click to read more...
Brown goes to aid of mothers who breastfeed in public - (Sunday Times)
THE chancellor Gordon Brown is supporting a campaign to outlaw harassment of mothers who breastfeed their babies in public.
Brown, who is anxious to increase his appeal to women, has endorsed a pressure group presenting a petition to Tony Blair on the issue tomorrow. The campaigners believes it ought to be an offence for anyone to try to prevent a baby being breastfed. Similar legislation was introduced in Scotland last year.
The call for change follows reports that up to 50% of breastfeeding women say they are made to feel uncomfortable in public. In some cases passers-by have called police.
click to read more...
Brown, who is anxious to increase his appeal to women, has endorsed a pressure group presenting a petition to Tony Blair on the issue tomorrow. The campaigners believes it ought to be an offence for anyone to try to prevent a baby being breastfed. Similar legislation was introduced in Scotland last year.
The call for change follows reports that up to 50% of breastfeeding women say they are made to feel uncomfortable in public. In some cases passers-by have called police.
click to read more...
A Mother's Memory - New York Times
Q. My late mother, who grew up in Yorkville, told me that as a little girl she would take the subway "all the way downtown" to get breast milk for her twin baby brothers. She remembered that the milk was free, and that it came from contributing mothers who were also poor. Is there a record of this?
A. Yes. The organization was called the Mother's Milk Bureau. It was founded in 1921 and run until about 1950 by the Children's Welfare Federation, a consortium of service groups. It provided nourishment for premature and sick babies whose mothers could not nurse them adequately. The New York Times reported in 1938 that the bureau's central station was at 34th Street and Ninth Avenue, and that in 1937 it distributed more than 5,000 quarts of milk to 600 babies.
click to read more...
A. Yes. The organization was called the Mother's Milk Bureau. It was founded in 1921 and run until about 1950 by the Children's Welfare Federation, a consortium of service groups. It provided nourishment for premature and sick babies whose mothers could not nurse them adequately. The New York Times reported in 1938 that the bureau's central station was at 34th Street and Ninth Avenue, and that in 1937 it distributed more than 5,000 quarts of milk to 600 babies.
click to read more...
Thursday, May 11, 2006
Gifts should not be hospitals' bag - The Boston Globe
GOVERNOR ROMNEY'S spokesman, Eric Fehrnstrom, says, ''Pharmaceutical companies and medical device makers market their products to hospitals, and everything from doctor's stationery to the vending machine in the lobby bears a corporate insignia. No one is seeking to end those practices, and yet there is a very vocal minority of breast-feeding advocates who want to take a punitive approach with mothers who choose formula" (''Some hospitals forgo baby-formula handout," Page A1, May 8).
click to read more...
Yes, that's my letter. Woo hoo!
click to read more...
Yes, that's my letter. Woo hoo!
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
Rally Aiming To Set Feeding Mums Free (from Thisisbradford)
Up to four hundred mums and their babies are expected to attend a breastfeeding rally.
The event is being held as part of National Breastfeeding Awareness Week, which runs from May 14 to 20.
Janette Westman, infant feeding advisor at Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: "We want to give out a message to women who are thinking about how they are going to feed their baby that you don't have to be locked in your home if you breastfeed.
"It is possible to lead a normal life and facilities will be available for mums to breastfeed their babies in public."
click to read more...
The event is being held as part of National Breastfeeding Awareness Week, which runs from May 14 to 20.
Janette Westman, infant feeding advisor at Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: "We want to give out a message to women who are thinking about how they are going to feed their baby that you don't have to be locked in your home if you breastfeed.
"It is possible to lead a normal life and facilities will be available for mums to breastfeed their babies in public."
click to read more...
Mass. hospitals end formula freebies (United Press International)
At least five Massachusetts hospitals no longer allow baby formula companies to provide gift bags for new mothers.
State officials are considering a total ban, the Boston Globe reports.
click to read more...
State officials are considering a total ban, the Boston Globe reports.
click to read more...
Mum MP in breast-feeding fight (ANSA.it - News in English)
First-time MP and proud new mother Donatella Poretti is flying the flag for working moms throughout Italy, claiming the right to breast-feed her daughter in parliament. "I need a room with the bare minimum to feed Alice, change her diaper and let her get some rest," said Poretti, 38, in a break from voting for a new Italian president .
For the time being, between one voting session and the next, Poretti is forced to leave the assembly every two hours or so, using a corner of the House infirmary to give two-month-old Alice her regular dose of mother's milk .
Poretti, a Florentine journalist elected for the Radical Party, has written to new House Speaker Fausto Bertinotti in the hope of having a baby-care room added to the array of plush facilities in the hulking building .
"A parliamentary creche would be an important signal for the rest of the country, for all the moms who have to choose between work and taking care of their babies" .
click to read more...
For the time being, between one voting session and the next, Poretti is forced to leave the assembly every two hours or so, using a corner of the House infirmary to give two-month-old Alice her regular dose of mother's milk .
Poretti, a Florentine journalist elected for the Radical Party, has written to new House Speaker Fausto Bertinotti in the hope of having a baby-care room added to the array of plush facilities in the hulking building .
"A parliamentary creche would be an important signal for the rest of the country, for all the moms who have to choose between work and taking care of their babies" .
click to read more...
An update from the Massachusetts Breastfeeding Coalition...
An udate from the Massachusetts Breastfeeding Coalition...
Hi all,
Our strategists have suggested emphasizing Romney and family values at the demonstration on Friday, in addition to emphasizing money. Additional sign suggestions include:
"Gov. Romney, 'Special Interests' is not a Family Value"
or "Gov. Romney, Drug Company Profits aren't Family Values."
"The Romney Tax: $700 per Family"-- this refers to the additional $700+ a year that formula-feeding parents spend on the brand name formulas advertised by the bags, when they could've saved money on store brands.
We must also emphasize that we are not just a "very vocal minority" of advocates as ROmney's spokesperson said in yesterday's Globe.
If you are a health care professional, please wear scrubs and/or white coats on Friday.
If you are bringing your children, remember photographers love photos of kids: if you can emblazon them somehow with a message like above, and we can get it in the paper or news, it could go a long way.
See you 10am, Friday, May 12, in front of the Dome, rain or shine.
Thank you!!
Melissa Bartick, MD
Chair, Mass. Breastfeeding Coalition
See you there.....
Hi all,
Our strategists have suggested emphasizing Romney and family values at the demonstration on Friday, in addition to emphasizing money. Additional sign suggestions include:
"Gov. Romney, 'Special Interests' is not a Family Value"
or "Gov. Romney, Drug Company Profits aren't Family Values."
"The Romney Tax: $700 per Family"-- this refers to the additional $700+ a year that formula-feeding parents spend on the brand name formulas advertised by the bags, when they could've saved money on store brands.
We must also emphasize that we are not just a "very vocal minority" of advocates as ROmney's spokesperson said in yesterday's Globe.
If you are a health care professional, please wear scrubs and/or white coats on Friday.
If you are bringing your children, remember photographers love photos of kids: if you can emblazon them somehow with a message like above, and we can get it in the paper or news, it could go a long way.
See you 10am, Friday, May 12, in front of the Dome, rain or shine.
Thank you!!
Melissa Bartick, MD
Chair, Mass. Breastfeeding Coalition
See you there.....
Monday, May 08, 2006
Promoting breastfeeding through art exhibition (The Star - Maylasia)
SUCKLING babies at their mothers’ breasts were illustrated using various mediums and techniques in the ‘Mo-ther’s Love II – 2006’ art exhibition.
Portraits of serene women breastfeeding their babies against a rural backdrop interspersed with poster-like paintings and more expressionist oils.
Jointly organized with the World Alliance for Breast Feeding Action Coun-cil (Waba), the exhibition held at Galeri Art Point in Chow Thye Road, Penang, features 30 paintings by 13 Malaysian ar-tists.
This second art exhibition is aimed at promoting breastfeeding among mothers.
click to read more...
Portraits of serene women breastfeeding their babies against a rural backdrop interspersed with poster-like paintings and more expressionist oils.
Jointly organized with the World Alliance for Breast Feeding Action Coun-cil (Waba), the exhibition held at Galeri Art Point in Chow Thye Road, Penang, features 30 paintings by 13 Malaysian ar-tists.
This second art exhibition is aimed at promoting breastfeeding among mothers.
click to read more...
The right formula (The Boston Globe)
The more breast milk the better, studies show -- but they don't tell mothers how to balance the ideal with the real demands of family and work
By Stephen Smith | May 8, 2006
Ellen Savage would like you to know this: ''I'm not an earthy-crunchy type. But from everything I was told and everything I believe, breast is best."
Which is why, when she was pregnant with her daughter Abigail, she envisioned nursing as fulfilling, nurturing, and good for her baby's health. After all, there are literally hundreds of scientific studies showing the medical benefits of breast-feeding -- for both baby and mother.
''But it takes a lot of work," said Savage, who lives in Bourne and continues to nurse her 2-year-old. ''More work than I ever imagined."
click to read more...
By Stephen Smith | May 8, 2006
Ellen Savage would like you to know this: ''I'm not an earthy-crunchy type. But from everything I was told and everything I believe, breast is best."
Which is why, when she was pregnant with her daughter Abigail, she envisioned nursing as fulfilling, nurturing, and good for her baby's health. After all, there are literally hundreds of scientific studies showing the medical benefits of breast-feeding -- for both baby and mother.
''But it takes a lot of work," said Savage, who lives in Bourne and continues to nurse her 2-year-old. ''More work than I ever imagined."
click to read more...
Some hospitals forgo baby-formula handout The Boston Globe)
As the state's policy makers debate whether to ban maternity ward gift bags, a growing number of Massachusetts hospitals are quietly doing away with the formula-filled freebies on their own.
The state's busiest baby unit, at Brigham and Women's Hospital, banished gift bags provided by infant formula companies on Feb. 1. Last week, Cambridge Health Alliance replaced them with bags emblazoned with the alliance's logo -- but without formula. And administrators at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, where 5,000 babies are born each year, intend to eliminate the sample and coupon giveaways by the summer.
The hospitals' action represents a confluence of trends sweeping the healthcare industry. After being stung by revelations showing doctors indulging in expensive meals, gifts, and trips paid for by pharmaceutical companies, hospitals are eager to project a different image.
click to read more...
The state's busiest baby unit, at Brigham and Women's Hospital, banished gift bags provided by infant formula companies on Feb. 1. Last week, Cambridge Health Alliance replaced them with bags emblazoned with the alliance's logo -- but without formula. And administrators at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, where 5,000 babies are born each year, intend to eliminate the sample and coupon giveaways by the summer.
The hospitals' action represents a confluence of trends sweeping the healthcare industry. After being stung by revelations showing doctors indulging in expensive meals, gifts, and trips paid for by pharmaceutical companies, hospitals are eager to project a different image.
click to read more...
Sunday, May 07, 2006
latest update from the Massachusetts Breastfeeding Coalition...
Thank you for taking the time to sign the Massachusetts Breastfeeding Coalition's petition urging Gov. Romney to eliminate hospital-based formula marketing. In the past two months, we've gathered more than 3,300 signatures from 50 states.
If you are in the Boston area, we hope you'll join the Coalition for a demonstration in front of the State House, on May 12 at 10 am, to present the petition to the Governor's office. Bring babies, signs, and bodies to the Beacon Street side, in front of the dome. Let's show the Administration that we don't want the government protecting the big drug companies who sell baby formula at the expense of mothers, babies, consumers, and taxpayers.
We need a head count!
Please let us know if you are interested in coming and how likely you are to attend -- please reply to this email at demonstration@massbfc.org. We will contact you with any last-minute details.
In order to be effective, it is vitally important to demonstrate a respect for a woman’s feeding choice, whatever it may be. Parents who choose formula are hurt by marketing, too. Health care providers are encouraged to wear scrubs or white coats.
For more information on the demonstration, and for updates on the status of the regulation, please visit:
http://www.massbfc.org/demonstration.html
If you have friends or colleagues who may be interested in this issue, please share this information with them, and invite them to sign the petition as well.
Thanks again for your support on this important public health issue!
Melissa Bartick, MD
Chair, Massachusetts Breastfeeding Coalition
If you are in the Boston area, we hope you'll join the Coalition for a demonstration in front of the State House, on May 12 at 10 am, to present the petition to the Governor's office. Bring babies, signs, and bodies to the Beacon Street side, in front of the dome. Let's show the Administration that we don't want the government protecting the big drug companies who sell baby formula at the expense of mothers, babies, consumers, and taxpayers.
We need a head count!
Please let us know if you are interested in coming and how likely you are to attend -- please reply to this email at demonstration@massbfc.org. We will contact you with any last-minute details.
In order to be effective, it is vitally important to demonstrate a respect for a woman’s feeding choice, whatever it may be. Parents who choose formula are hurt by marketing, too. Health care providers are encouraged to wear scrubs or white coats.
For more information on the demonstration, and for updates on the status of the regulation, please visit:
http://www.massbfc.org/demonstration.html
If you have friends or colleagues who may be interested in this issue, please share this information with them, and invite them to sign the petition as well.
Thanks again for your support on this important public health issue!
Melissa Bartick, MD
Chair, Massachusetts Breastfeeding Coalition
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
Demonstration!!!
from the Massachusetts Breastfeeding Coaltion's website:
The Massachusetts Breastfeeding Coalition wants you to join concerned citizens at the State House on Friday, May 12 at 10 am. We're gathering on Mother's Day weekend to tell the Administration to keep formula marketing out of our state's hospitals.
In the last two months, the MBC has collected more than 3,000 thousand signatures from across the country urging the Governor to implement the Public Health Council's regulations on formula marketing in hospitals. Passed after extensive public hearings last summer, the rule would stop hospitals from marketing infant formula to new mothers. The Romney Administration put the regulation on hold in February, and a decision is expected in late May. On May 12, health advocates plan to gather at the State House and present the petition to Gov. Romney's office.
Hospital-based formula marketing co-opts health care providers, giving their implied endorsement to formula feeding, and to expensive brand-name baby formula. During their hospital stay, our state's families deserve sound medical advice, not commercial sales pitches. This Mother's Day, let's speak in one voice: Hospitals should market health, and nothing else.
We need a headcount!
Please let us know if you are interested in coming and how likely you are to attend: email us at demonstration@massbfc.org. We will send you talking points, and any last minute details.
click to read more...
The Massachusetts Breastfeeding Coalition wants you to join concerned citizens at the State House on Friday, May 12 at 10 am. We're gathering on Mother's Day weekend to tell the Administration to keep formula marketing out of our state's hospitals.
In the last two months, the MBC has collected more than 3,000 thousand signatures from across the country urging the Governor to implement the Public Health Council's regulations on formula marketing in hospitals. Passed after extensive public hearings last summer, the rule would stop hospitals from marketing infant formula to new mothers. The Romney Administration put the regulation on hold in February, and a decision is expected in late May. On May 12, health advocates plan to gather at the State House and present the petition to Gov. Romney's office.
Hospital-based formula marketing co-opts health care providers, giving their implied endorsement to formula feeding, and to expensive brand-name baby formula. During their hospital stay, our state's families deserve sound medical advice, not commercial sales pitches. This Mother's Day, let's speak in one voice: Hospitals should market health, and nothing else.
We need a headcount!
Please let us know if you are interested in coming and how likely you are to attend: email us at demonstration@massbfc.org. We will send you talking points, and any last minute details.
click to read more...
Monday, May 01, 2006
Lawmakers consider free admission to shows for breast-fed infants (ABC6.com - WLNE-TV)
Mothers who are breastfeeding their infants may soon be able to bring those children to the theater and other live performances for free.
House lawmakers at the General Assembly approved a bill yesterday to permit free admission to shows for children under one year old if they are being breastfed by their mothers. The Senate has yet to approve it.
click to read more...
House lawmakers at the General Assembly approved a bill yesterday to permit free admission to shows for children under one year old if they are being breastfed by their mothers. The Senate has yet to approve it.
click to read more...
Helping mums become bosom buddies (Chester Evening Leader)
A GROUP of new mums have completed a 12-week course to help women who want to breast feed their babies.
After successfully ending a 12-week course based on the La Leche League Breastfeeding Peer Counsellor Programme, the first 20 Bosom Buddies are providing help and support to other mothers in the Blacon and Ellesmere Port Sure Start areas.
The buddies are all mums who have already breastfed their own babies and want to help and support other mothers to do the same. .
One of them, Lisa Ruffell, said: “I have successfully breastfed two children myself. You think you know all about it but the Peer Support Programme has taught me loads more about how we make milk and how breast feeding works.
“With this new knowledge I can now help other mums because I understand how problems occur and I can put it into context and give better information.”
click to read more...
After successfully ending a 12-week course based on the La Leche League Breastfeeding Peer Counsellor Programme, the first 20 Bosom Buddies are providing help and support to other mothers in the Blacon and Ellesmere Port Sure Start areas.
The buddies are all mums who have already breastfed their own babies and want to help and support other mothers to do the same. .
One of them, Lisa Ruffell, said: “I have successfully breastfed two children myself. You think you know all about it but the Peer Support Programme has taught me loads more about how we make milk and how breast feeding works.
“With this new knowledge I can now help other mums because I understand how problems occur and I can put it into context and give better information.”
click to read more...
How to wear a baby -- stylishly (Chron.com)
When Tracy Urban had her first child 18 years ago, infant slings, she says, "had a hippie image associated with them."
A decade later, when Germaine Caprio gave birth to her first, she was so desperate for fashionable yet practical nursing garments that she drew up a pattern herself and had it sewn by a seamstress.
Today, these women head successful companies that cater to the needs of new moms. Urban helms Parenting Concepts, the manufacturer of SlingEZee Baby Slings; Caprio is the founder of Majamas, a line of comfort-driven, stylish nursing clothes.
Urban and Caprio will be in town this week to co-teach courses in wearing a baby at A Woman's Workshop, the teaching annex of A Woman's Work in Rice Village.
They'll be teaching new and not-so-new moms about the benefits of carrying their babies in a sling and how to facilitate breast-feeding by wearing nursing-friendly but nonfrumpy tops, says Sandy Lemke, owner of A Woman's Work.
click to read more...
A decade later, when Germaine Caprio gave birth to her first, she was so desperate for fashionable yet practical nursing garments that she drew up a pattern herself and had it sewn by a seamstress.
Today, these women head successful companies that cater to the needs of new moms. Urban helms Parenting Concepts, the manufacturer of SlingEZee Baby Slings; Caprio is the founder of Majamas, a line of comfort-driven, stylish nursing clothes.
Urban and Caprio will be in town this week to co-teach courses in wearing a baby at A Woman's Workshop, the teaching annex of A Woman's Work in Rice Village.
They'll be teaching new and not-so-new moms about the benefits of carrying their babies in a sling and how to facilitate breast-feeding by wearing nursing-friendly but nonfrumpy tops, says Sandy Lemke, owner of A Woman's Work.
click to read more...
Saturday, April 29, 2006
Seeking the `gold standard' in breast-feeding (TheStar.com)
As someone who has been involved in advocating for the past several months with the Ontario Ministry of Health around the issue of the lack of breast-feeding support and the closure of important resources, I agree wholeheartedly with the statement made by Dr. Cutberto Garza indicating that "what seems to be lacking is not the ability or desirability of breast-feeding but the willingness of society to support and promote it."
click to read more...
click to read more...
Thursday, April 27, 2006
Charts 'overfed babies for 30 years' (The Australian)
MOTHERS may have been overfeeding babies for the past 30 years by following misleading growth and weight charts that made them fear their children were too skinny.
The World Health Organisation released new weight guidelines for children yesterday, claiming that previous charts, used in Australia and most developed countries, were based on formula-fed babies, who weigh more than breastfed babies.
"Breastfed babies have different metabolic rates and different sleeping patterns," said Mercedes de Onis, who co-ordinates WHO child growth standards.
"Formula-fed babies seem to have higher intakes of energy and, as a result, are heavier."
The original charts, based on the average weight of babies fed formula only, were released in 1977. They were revised in 2000 to include babies fed a combination of formula and breast milk.
click to read more...
The World Health Organisation released new weight guidelines for children yesterday, claiming that previous charts, used in Australia and most developed countries, were based on formula-fed babies, who weigh more than breastfed babies.
"Breastfed babies have different metabolic rates and different sleeping patterns," said Mercedes de Onis, who co-ordinates WHO child growth standards.
"Formula-fed babies seem to have higher intakes of energy and, as a result, are heavier."
The original charts, based on the average weight of babies fed formula only, were released in 1977. They were revised in 2000 to include babies fed a combination of formula and breast milk.
click to read more...
The WHO Child Growth Standards
This web site presents the WHO Child Growth Standards. These standards were developed using data collected in the WHO Multicentre Growth Reference Study. The site presents documentation on how the physical growth curves and motor milestone windows of achievement were developed as well as application tools to support implementation of the standards.
click to read more...
click to read more...
World Health Organization releases new Child Growth Standards
Standards confirm that all children worldwide have the potential to grow the same
27 APRIL 2006 | GENEVA -- New international Child Growth Standards for infants and young children released today by the World Health Organization (WHO) provide evidence and guidance for the first time about how every child in the world should grow.
The new WHO Child Growth Standards confirm that children born anywhere in the world and given the optimum start in life have the potential to develop to within the same range of height and weight. Naturally there are individual differences among children, but across large populations, regionally and globally, the average growth is remarkably similar. For example, children from India, Norway and Brazil all show similar growth patterns when provided healthy growth conditions in early life. The new standards prove that differences in children's growth to age five are more influenced by nutrition, feeding practices, environment, and healthcare than genetics or ethnicity.
With these new standards, parents, doctors, policymakers and child advocates will know when the nutrition and healthcare needs of children are not being met. Under-nutrition, overweight and obesity, and other growth-related conditions can then be detected and addressed at an early stage.
"The WHO Child Growth Standards provide new means to support every child to get the best chance ....
click to read more...
27 APRIL 2006 | GENEVA -- New international Child Growth Standards for infants and young children released today by the World Health Organization (WHO) provide evidence and guidance for the first time about how every child in the world should grow.
The new WHO Child Growth Standards confirm that children born anywhere in the world and given the optimum start in life have the potential to develop to within the same range of height and weight. Naturally there are individual differences among children, but across large populations, regionally and globally, the average growth is remarkably similar. For example, children from India, Norway and Brazil all show similar growth patterns when provided healthy growth conditions in early life. The new standards prove that differences in children's growth to age five are more influenced by nutrition, feeding practices, environment, and healthcare than genetics or ethnicity.
With these new standards, parents, doctors, policymakers and child advocates will know when the nutrition and healthcare needs of children are not being met. Under-nutrition, overweight and obesity, and other growth-related conditions can then be detected and addressed at an early stage.
"The WHO Child Growth Standards provide new means to support every child to get the best chance ....
click to read more...
Baby growth charts to be revised (BBC NEWS)
The World Health Organization is to issue new guidelines on measuring the growth rates of babies.
Current charts are based on calculations using the growth patterns of babies fed largely on formula milk from 20 years ago.
But bottle-fed babies put on weight more quickly than those that are breast-fed, meaning breast-fed children could be shown as underweight.
The new recommended charts are based on data from breast-fed babies.
click to read more...
Current charts are based on calculations using the growth patterns of babies fed largely on formula milk from 20 years ago.
But bottle-fed babies put on weight more quickly than those that are breast-fed, meaning breast-fed children could be shown as underweight.
The new recommended charts are based on data from breast-fed babies.
click to read more...
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Pending law to allow Alabama mothers to breast-feed in public (The Birmingham News)
Teenage girls wear skimpy tops with plunging necklines. Restaurant chains devoted to ogling waitresses' chests are packed with customers. Soon, nursing women in Alabama will have the right to feed their babies in public without fear of reproach.
Rep. Laura Hall said at first she didn't think women needed a law to protect such a basic part of life. But the Huntsville Democrat learned of a woman in her district who was hassled at a children's museum by staff who asked her to leave her toddler and go into a bathroom to feed her infant.
"It just did not sit well with me," Hall said.
Last week, the Alabama Legislature passed a bill sponsored by Hall that allows a woman to breast-feed in public or private any place she has a right to be. Gov. Bob Riley plans to sign the bill into law, to take effect July 1, according to a spokesman. More than 38 states already have similar laws.
click to read more...
Rep. Laura Hall said at first she didn't think women needed a law to protect such a basic part of life. But the Huntsville Democrat learned of a woman in her district who was hassled at a children's museum by staff who asked her to leave her toddler and go into a bathroom to feed her infant.
"It just did not sit well with me," Hall said.
Last week, the Alabama Legislature passed a bill sponsored by Hall that allows a woman to breast-feed in public or private any place she has a right to be. Gov. Bob Riley plans to sign the bill into law, to take effect July 1, according to a spokesman. More than 38 states already have similar laws.
click to read more...
Fred Meyer revises its breastfeeding policy (KATU 2 )
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...
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...
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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"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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
click to read more....
Netball Australia has bowed to public outrage over pressure to stop Ilitch from breastfeeding before the Games begin.
click to read more....
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.
click to read more...
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.
click to read more...
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.
click to read more...
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