"I got so many coupons in the mail for formula you wouldn't believe it,” said Mary Miller, first time mom.
But Miller said that's not for her.
"It’s really healthy, it's very natural, and just the bond you feel with your baby, just the idea that you're providing all the nutrition that they need,” she said.
During National Breastfeeding Week, area lactation consultants are on hand to remind families the importance of breastfeeding.
This year’s theme is "Protecting Breastfeeding" and Local Lactation Consultant Aimee Gross feels strongly about educating the community.
click to read more...
Friday, August 04, 2006
Fair offers healthy diet of breast-feeding information (Battle Creek Enquirer)
As Elizabeth Krzyzanski rocked her 3-month-old daughter, Isabella, she talked about how important breast-feeding is to her as a new mom.
"My mom had eight children, and she breast-fed all of us. Then my sister had a baby nine months ago, and she really pushed me to do it," said Krzyzanski of Battle Creek as she sat at the World Breastfeeding Week fair held Thursday at the Calhoun Area Technology Center in Battle Creek.
Nursing mothers, expectant mothers, some fathers and breast-feeding supporters were on hand during the event to browse the nearly 20 resource tables, sign up for free prizes and attend workshops about misconceptions on breast-feeding, bonding with baby and more.
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"My mom had eight children, and she breast-fed all of us. Then my sister had a baby nine months ago, and she really pushed me to do it," said Krzyzanski of Battle Creek as she sat at the World Breastfeeding Week fair held Thursday at the Calhoun Area Technology Center in Battle Creek.
Nursing mothers, expectant mothers, some fathers and breast-feeding supporters were on hand during the event to browse the nearly 20 resource tables, sign up for free prizes and attend workshops about misconceptions on breast-feeding, bonding with baby and more.
click to read more...
Events praise breast-feeding (ContraCostaTimes.com)
RICHMOND: WIC program tries to persuade mothers not to rely on formula
The Richmond office of the Women Infants and Children program on Thursday hosted mothers who have latched on to the benefits of breast milk in a celebration of World Breast-feeding Week.
"What we're trying to do is encourage women to breast-feed exclusively and not resort to formula," said Nancy Hill, breast-feeding coordinator for Contra Costa's WIC program. "More than that, we're trying to show that more moms are breast-feeding. We're trying to convert mothers from formula to breast-feeding because breast milk is so much healthier."
Hill said studies conclude that babies exclusively fed formula become sick more often and later can have more trouble in school and a tendency to be overweight.
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The Richmond office of the Women Infants and Children program on Thursday hosted mothers who have latched on to the benefits of breast milk in a celebration of World Breast-feeding Week.
"What we're trying to do is encourage women to breast-feed exclusively and not resort to formula," said Nancy Hill, breast-feeding coordinator for Contra Costa's WIC program. "More than that, we're trying to show that more moms are breast-feeding. We're trying to convert mothers from formula to breast-feeding because breast milk is so much healthier."
Hill said studies conclude that babies exclusively fed formula become sick more often and later can have more trouble in school and a tendency to be overweight.
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Warwick company makes it easier for workers to breast-feed (Eyewitness News)
WARWICK, R.I. (AP) -- Moms who work at one Warwick company now have an easier time breast-feeding.
Electronic Data Systems has set up a private room for women to pump breast milk. The company provides bags, pumping kits, a reclining massage chair, mood lighting and aroma therapy.
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Electronic Data Systems has set up a private room for women to pump breast milk. The company provides bags, pumping kits, a reclining massage chair, mood lighting and aroma therapy.
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Families celebrate breastfeeding in GF (Grand Forks Herald)
The running joke told at the La Leche League of Grand Forks's ice cream social Thursday was "tell them it's homemade!"
La Leche means milk in French. The organization dedicated to supporting breastfeeding chose its name in the 1950s to use at a time when it was unacceptable to use the word "breast" in the United States.
The family-friendly event reunited old friends who shared stories about La Leche League and shed light on the modern purpose of the organization.
The oldest alumna at the picnic was Joan Kieley, a mother and grandmother from Lakota, N.D. She belonged to the La Leche League of North St. Paul chapter from 1967-1978 and has watched the organization evolve since her children became members in the mid-1990s.
"We thought we had a crusade going," Kieley said. "We're fighting the same fight now to convince doctors and mothers that babies do need you."
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La Leche means milk in French. The organization dedicated to supporting breastfeeding chose its name in the 1950s to use at a time when it was unacceptable to use the word "breast" in the United States.
The family-friendly event reunited old friends who shared stories about La Leche League and shed light on the modern purpose of the organization.
The oldest alumna at the picnic was Joan Kieley, a mother and grandmother from Lakota, N.D. She belonged to the La Leche League of North St. Paul chapter from 1967-1978 and has watched the organization evolve since her children became members in the mid-1990s.
"We thought we had a crusade going," Kieley said. "We're fighting the same fight now to convince doctors and mothers that babies do need you."
click to read more...
Area lags in number of moms who breastfeed (Palladium-Item)
LIBERTY, Ind. -- The young, expectant mother wasn't sure Thursday if she'll breastfeed her new baby, but she got lots of encouragement to give it a try from Starla Morgan, a clinic assistant and peer counselor for the Women, Infants and Children's nutrition program.
Some may think of WIC as the place to get free infant formula, but encouraging breastfeeding is a primary goal for the agency, said Marilyn Wilson, a board-certified lactation consultant and registered dietician for WIC, which is celebrating World Breastfeeding Week.
"We want the truth out there that breastfeeding is best. Cow's milk protein isn't the best food for an infant," Wilson said. "The health care costs saved because breastfed infants are healthier are phenomenal."
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Some may think of WIC as the place to get free infant formula, but encouraging breastfeeding is a primary goal for the agency, said Marilyn Wilson, a board-certified lactation consultant and registered dietician for WIC, which is celebrating World Breastfeeding Week.
"We want the truth out there that breastfeeding is best. Cow's milk protein isn't the best food for an infant," Wilson said. "The health care costs saved because breastfed infants are healthier are phenomenal."
click to read more...
Substandard breastmilk substitutes pose threat to child health (The Daily Star Web)
The World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) 2006 began in the country yesterday with a call to control the marketing of alternative baby foods.
The theme of this year's WBW is 'International code of marketing of breastmilk substitutes: 25 years of protecting breastfeeding'.
The inaugural ceremony of WBW was held at Bangladesh Shishu Academy auditorium in the city, organised by Bangladesh Breastfeeding Foundation (BBF).
Speakers at the ceremony said that with dazzling advertisements, many unregistered baby foods distributors and marketers who import and manufacture substandard breastmilk substitutes (BMS) are putting child health and nutrition at risk.
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The theme of this year's WBW is 'International code of marketing of breastmilk substitutes: 25 years of protecting breastfeeding'.
The inaugural ceremony of WBW was held at Bangladesh Shishu Academy auditorium in the city, organised by Bangladesh Breastfeeding Foundation (BBF).
Speakers at the ceremony said that with dazzling advertisements, many unregistered baby foods distributors and marketers who import and manufacture substandard breastmilk substitutes (BMS) are putting child health and nutrition at risk.
click to read more...
Using Mother Nature's method (The Frederick News-Post)
BRADDOCK HEIGHTS ----Laryssa Callan says she doesn't consider herself a "lactivist." She simply sees breast-feeding as a natural process that women shouldn't be embarrassed about.
The mother of three is organizing a "nurse-out" this Sunday in Baker Park as part of World Breastfeeding Week, which ends Monday. Ms. Callan said she learned of the idea through the nonprofit organization ProMom, Promotion of Mother's Milk.
Different than a "nurse-in," which is geared toward policy change, a nurse-out is a gathering of nursing mothers without signs or chants of protest. Sunday's nurse-out is one of roughly 25 being held nationally, Ms. Callan said.
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The mother of three is organizing a "nurse-out" this Sunday in Baker Park as part of World Breastfeeding Week, which ends Monday. Ms. Callan said she learned of the idea through the nonprofit organization ProMom, Promotion of Mother's Milk.
Different than a "nurse-in," which is geared toward policy change, a nurse-out is a gathering of nursing mothers without signs or chants of protest. Sunday's nurse-out is one of roughly 25 being held nationally, Ms. Callan said.
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Public health nurse stresses importance of breast-feeding (Penticton Western News)
World Breast-feeding Week Aug. 1-7 is one important opportunity to stress the importance of breast-feeding for mothers and children and recognize those mothers who have chosen to do so, says a local public health nurse.
“The importance is that it gives us an opportunity to get out as much information as possible about the benefits of breast-feeding, so that we can hopefully increase our breast-feeding rates in Canada,” said Elaine Stetsko, a public health nurse who works in the maternity care program at the Penticton Health Centre.
“Also we want to give a lot of acknowledgment to women who have already made the decision that it is the ideal food for babies and we want to support that they are already doing a great thing.”
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“The importance is that it gives us an opportunity to get out as much information as possible about the benefits of breast-feeding, so that we can hopefully increase our breast-feeding rates in Canada,” said Elaine Stetsko, a public health nurse who works in the maternity care program at the Penticton Health Centre.
“Also we want to give a lot of acknowledgment to women who have already made the decision that it is the ideal food for babies and we want to support that they are already doing a great thing.”
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Miss OTOP and breast milk - (INQ7.net)
“BREASTFEEDING is a natural process,” writes Dr. Elvira Lichauco Henares-Esguerra, a lactation consultant and one of the founders of Children for Breastfeeding Inc. (By way of explaining her kilometric name, the doctor requests that her mother’s surname be acknowledged as well.)
“All human beings are endowed with a tremendous capacity to nurture, heal and regenerate… But milk companies, with their unethical marketing practices, have led mothers to believe that it is normal to give formula milk to infants. The WHO and the Unicef have maintained that breastfeeding is the norm, not the exception; it is the gold standard against which cow’s milk is judged totally inadequate.”
In the book “Woman: An Intimate Geography,” Natalie Angier writes that “the more we look at breast milk and the more we find within it, the more we are driven to marvel that anybody can survive, much less thrive on its wretched artificial substitute. Yet many have.” A scientist quoted in Angier’s book notes, “As a scientist, I can’t help but notice that millions of babies have never seen human milk, and they apparently have not been harmed. At the same time, I can’t escape the feeling that nature went to enormous lengths to produce a particular food, and that must mean something.”
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“All human beings are endowed with a tremendous capacity to nurture, heal and regenerate… But milk companies, with their unethical marketing practices, have led mothers to believe that it is normal to give formula milk to infants. The WHO and the Unicef have maintained that breastfeeding is the norm, not the exception; it is the gold standard against which cow’s milk is judged totally inadequate.”
In the book “Woman: An Intimate Geography,” Natalie Angier writes that “the more we look at breast milk and the more we find within it, the more we are driven to marvel that anybody can survive, much less thrive on its wretched artificial substitute. Yet many have.” A scientist quoted in Angier’s book notes, “As a scientist, I can’t help but notice that millions of babies have never seen human milk, and they apparently have not been harmed. At the same time, I can’t escape the feeling that nature went to enormous lengths to produce a particular food, and that must mean something.”
click to read more...
South Shore Nurse Out
Hi everyone,
I am participating in the South Shore Massachusetts Nurse Out to celebrate World Breastfeeding Week on Monday August 7th. I hope you can join us! Below is an invitation to the Nurse Out event.
World Breastfeeding Week National Nurse Out! Hanover Mall, MA Monday 8/7 10:30-3:00
Please join the Nurse Out in Hanover Massachusetts in recognition of World Breast Feeding Week. Participants and supporters can join the Nurse Out at any time between 10:30- 3:00. Look for the Nurse Out coordinator, Jessica Greenwood, around the Friendly's restaurant. She will be there with a stroller and balloons to sign in participants and facilitate the Nurse Out. The group is also planning to meet up around the Friendly's to celebrate and eat lunch together from noon-1:00.
The National Nurse Out is organized by ProMoM, Promotion of Mother's Milk, Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing public awareness and public acceptance of breastfeeding. This is ProMoM's 6th Annual National Nurse Out!
What is a Nurse Out?
In honor of World Breastfeeding Week, ProMom encourages its members and all breastfeeding mothers to go out during the week of August 1-7 and breastfeed in public. We don't mean your regular routine; we mean go out specifically to nurse in public!!
Why participate in the National Nurse Out?
ProMoM hopes that by promoting the image of breastfeeding in this way, more people will accept breastfeeding as a natural everyday occurrence and the normal way to feed infants and young children. We also want to encourage expecting mothers by showing them that it is possible to breastfeed in public without anyone being embarrassed. There is more information on the Nurse Out at: http://www.promom.org/nno/
Please let the coordinator know if you will participate by emailing:
NurseOutSShoreMA-owner@yahoogroups.com. If you are interested, you can also join the yahoo planning group at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NurseOutSShoreMA. You can also see: www.promom.org/nno for the listing of all national scheduled Nurse Outs!
Join us any time you can on Monday, send this information to others, and nurse out all week!
Thanks!
I am participating in the South Shore Massachusetts Nurse Out to celebrate World Breastfeeding Week on Monday August 7th. I hope you can join us! Below is an invitation to the Nurse Out event.
World Breastfeeding Week National Nurse Out! Hanover Mall, MA Monday 8/7 10:30-3:00
Please join the Nurse Out in Hanover Massachusetts in recognition of World Breast Feeding Week. Participants and supporters can join the Nurse Out at any time between 10:30- 3:00. Look for the Nurse Out coordinator, Jessica Greenwood, around the Friendly's restaurant. She will be there with a stroller and balloons to sign in participants and facilitate the Nurse Out. The group is also planning to meet up around the Friendly's to celebrate and eat lunch together from noon-1:00.
The National Nurse Out is organized by ProMoM, Promotion of Mother's Milk, Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing public awareness and public acceptance of breastfeeding. This is ProMoM's 6th Annual National Nurse Out!
What is a Nurse Out?
In honor of World Breastfeeding Week, ProMom encourages its members and all breastfeeding mothers to go out during the week of August 1-7 and breastfeed in public. We don't mean your regular routine; we mean go out specifically to nurse in public!!
Why participate in the National Nurse Out?
ProMoM hopes that by promoting the image of breastfeeding in this way, more people will accept breastfeeding as a natural everyday occurrence and the normal way to feed infants and young children. We also want to encourage expecting mothers by showing them that it is possible to breastfeed in public without anyone being embarrassed. There is more information on the Nurse Out at: http://www.promom.org/nno/
Please let the coordinator know if you will participate by emailing:
NurseOutSShoreMA-owner@yahoogroups.com. If you are interested, you can also join the yahoo planning group at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NurseOutSShoreMA. You can also see: www.promom.org/nno for the listing of all national scheduled Nurse Outs!
Join us any time you can on Monday, send this information to others, and nurse out all week!
Thanks!
Thursday, August 03, 2006
Reluctant Lactivist: On the Selfishness of Mothers Who NIP
Mothers who advocate for their babies' rights to nurse wherever and whenever they are hungry have been accused by some of being selfishly unconcerned with the feelings of others. Who is the selfish one, though, really? The mother who puts the needs of baby for nourishment and comfort ahead of her own personal concerns for modesty or the passersby who put their psychological comfort "needs" ahead of the real, physical needs of a baby? I am so tired of being told that I am being selfish. Since becoming a mother, I have learned a whole lot about setting my needs and wants aside in the service of the needs of my children. Aren't the selfish, self-absorbed people those who believe that their needs are more important than the needs of babies and children?
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Bring a baby and a blanket to breast-feeding event (Yakima Herald Republic Online)
Mothers who breast-feed are invited to bring their blankets and babies to Sarg Hubbard Park this week and show Yakima that they're not afraid to nurse in public.
Sherry Martinez, a local volunteer for Promotion of Mother's Milk, is inviting breast-feeding mothers to join her Friday to celebrate World Breast-feeding Week with a National Nurse Out — an event designed to promote the image of breast-feeding in public.
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Sherry Martinez, a local volunteer for Promotion of Mother's Milk, is inviting breast-feeding mothers to join her Friday to celebrate World Breast-feeding Week with a National Nurse Out — an event designed to promote the image of breast-feeding in public.
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HIV Positive Moms Can Breastfeed Too, Says Health Department (allAfrica.com: South Africa)
Mothers with living with HIV can safely breastfeed their babies for the first six months of infancy, says Limpopo health and Social services spokesperson Phuti Seloba.
He said breastfeeding remained best for the healthy growth and development of all babies.
"We need to protect women from malicious advertising that says infant formula is the only option for HIV positive mothers.
"The fact is that it's safe for women living with HIV to breastfeed for up to six months. Thereafter, they can switch to formula."
He said mothers who did not have HIV were advised to breastfeed their babies until they were two years of age.
click to read more..
He said breastfeeding remained best for the healthy growth and development of all babies.
"We need to protect women from malicious advertising that says infant formula is the only option for HIV positive mothers.
"The fact is that it's safe for women living with HIV to breastfeed for up to six months. Thereafter, they can switch to formula."
He said mothers who did not have HIV were advised to breastfeed their babies until they were two years of age.
click to read more..
American Moms Freak Over Breastsucking Infants (Blogcritics.org)
n this country, we want our breasts to be large, full and barely covered by skin-tight Hooters t-shirts. What we DON'T want, apparently, is to see pictures of babies doing what babies have done since the dawning of mankind: nursing at the nipple of their mother. The outrage over a cover shot on BabyTalk magazine for an article on breastfeeding is hysterically ironic.
For the affront, the magazine received anguished comments such as:
"I was SHOCKED to see a giant breast on the cover of your magazine."
"I immediately turned the magazine face down."
And of course the obvious, "Gross."
A society obsessed with erectile dysfunction, desperate housewives, coin slots and camel toes can't seem to handle the basic function of the human milk delivery system. While no one is advocating breasts flopping in the breeze and milk squirting willy nilly a la A Clockwork Orange's Korova Milkbar, this whole shock and awe over nursing infants is beyond ridiculous. What's most appalling about this overreaction is that those who are expressing the most outrage are primarily women and mothers themselves.
click to read more...
For the affront, the magazine received anguished comments such as:
"I was SHOCKED to see a giant breast on the cover of your magazine."
"I immediately turned the magazine face down."
And of course the obvious, "Gross."
A society obsessed with erectile dysfunction, desperate housewives, coin slots and camel toes can't seem to handle the basic function of the human milk delivery system. While no one is advocating breasts flopping in the breeze and milk squirting willy nilly a la A Clockwork Orange's Korova Milkbar, this whole shock and awe over nursing infants is beyond ridiculous. What's most appalling about this overreaction is that those who are expressing the most outrage are primarily women and mothers themselves.
click to read more...
Breast Fed Babies Cope With Stress Better Later In Life (Medical News Today)
A new study indicates that babies who were breast fed are better able to deal with stress later on in life than babies who were bottle fed, say researchers from the Karolinska Institute, Sweden, and University College London, United Kingdom.
After looking at data on 8958 children aged 10, the researchers found that those who had been breast fed dealt with stressful periods in life, such as divorce or the separation of their parents, much better than those who had been bottle fed as babies.
click to read more...
After looking at data on 8958 children aged 10, the researchers found that those who had been breast fed dealt with stressful periods in life, such as divorce or the separation of their parents, much better than those who had been bottle fed as babies.
click to read more...
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
What's a (nursing) mother to do? (OregonLive.com)
Her 2-month-old son was fussing that afternoon at the Gateway Fred Meyer near I-205 in Northeast Portland. The way to calm him, Chris Musser knew, was to feed him. So she sat on a bench, lifted her shirt and nursed her boy.
Big deal, right?
After all, this is Portland, the city that Fit Pregnancy magazine deemed the No. 1 place in America to have a baby, with more OB-GYNs, doulas and lactation specialists per infant than many U.S. cities. We're home to a universe of alternatives to conventional maternity practices, from water births to raising your baby diaper-free.
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Big deal, right?
After all, this is Portland, the city that Fit Pregnancy magazine deemed the No. 1 place in America to have a baby, with more OB-GYNs, doulas and lactation specialists per infant than many U.S. cities. We're home to a universe of alternatives to conventional maternity practices, from water births to raising your baby diaper-free.
click to read more...
Nurturing a cause — World Breastfeeding Week begins (Minot Daily News)
In honor of World Breastfeeding Week, which began Tuesday and continues through Monday, the North Central Breastfeeding Partnership is surveying Minot businesses to check if they have policies in place for breastfeeding employees.
“We’re asking does the company have a policy towards employees, and does the company have a clean and private place for expressing and storing milk, a place other than the bathroom? You wouldn’t want to eat in the bathroom, so you wouldn’t want to breastfeed or express milk in there, either,” said Laureen Klein, Lactation Educator at Trinity Health.
“If it is a department store with a lot of customers, we’re asking is there a place where a woman can feed her baby if she needs to?” Klein added.
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“We’re asking does the company have a policy towards employees, and does the company have a clean and private place for expressing and storing milk, a place other than the bathroom? You wouldn’t want to eat in the bathroom, so you wouldn’t want to breastfeed or express milk in there, either,” said Laureen Klein, Lactation Educator at Trinity Health.
“If it is a department store with a lot of customers, we’re asking is there a place where a woman can feed her baby if she needs to?” Klein added.
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Local events to mark start of World Breastfeeding Week (Star-Gazette.COM)
Norma Ritter, president of the Twin Tiers Breastfeeding Network, checked in with Two Minutes last week to let us know Elmira wouldn't be left out of the loop for World Breastfeeding Week this week.
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Berkeley loses its breast feeding record (Inside Bay Area)
BERKELEY — Just weeks before her retirement, Ellen Sirbu, the city's breast feeding guru, got some bad news. Filipino mothers in Manila had broken Berkeley's Guinness World Record for the most women breast feeding in a single location.
"I was happy for them, but I was upset that our record was broken," said Sirbu, the head of the breast feeding peer counselor program who helped bring together 1,130 women in 2002 to win the record.
News stories about Manila, which set the record with 3,738 mothers breast feeding at one time, said the event was organized to break Berkeley's record.
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"I was happy for them, but I was upset that our record was broken," said Sirbu, the head of the breast feeding peer counselor program who helped bring together 1,130 women in 2002 to win the record.
News stories about Manila, which set the record with 3,738 mothers breast feeding at one time, said the event was organized to break Berkeley's record.
click to read more...
Introducing Baby to Solid Foods Too Early Increases Risk of Allergic Diseases (Newswise)
Newswise — Feeding solid foods to infants before 6 months of age can increase the risk of allergies, while exclusive breastfeeding for at least 6 months may prevent the onset of allergic symptoms later in life, according to a paper published in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. The paper is the first consensus document published in a peer-reviewed journal to recommend allergy-avoiding strategies for introducing solid foods to the infant diet.
“This report reinforces the consensus of organizations such as the American Academy of Pediatrics and the World Health Organization, which recommend exclusive breastfeeding for at least six months as optimal for infant and maternal health,” said lead author Alessandro Fiocchi, M.D., University of Milan Medical School, Milan, Italy. Dr. Fiocchi is chair of the Adverse Reactions to Foods Committee of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI), which prepared the consensus document.
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“This report reinforces the consensus of organizations such as the American Academy of Pediatrics and the World Health Organization, which recommend exclusive breastfeeding for at least six months as optimal for infant and maternal health,” said lead author Alessandro Fiocchi, M.D., University of Milan Medical School, Milan, Italy. Dr. Fiocchi is chair of the Adverse Reactions to Foods Committee of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI), which prepared the consensus document.
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Breast-feeding should not be a matter of guilt (Lowell Sun Online)
If you want to start a fight, The New York Times recently opined, write a story about breast-feeding. The paper's recent article "Breast-feed, or else" -- a piece that highlighted a government agency's public service campaign that likened the risks of not breast-feeding to competing in a log-rolling contest or riding a mechanical bull while pregnant -- jockeyed for days on the paper's "most e-mailed stories" list.
A follow-up editorial, while waving a white flag of sorts to formula, stood by assertions that breast-fed babies not only have a health advantage and that it might be hazardous to a baby's health not to nurse, at least in the short term.
The happy fact is that most women these days -- nearly three quarters, estimates La Leche League -- will breast-feed their children for some duration. It's long been known to stave off diabetes, childhood obesity, and ward off things like ear infections and allergies.
But the government's all-or-nothing attitude leaves mothers who can't breast-feed their children out in the cold the same way the consciousness raisings of the 1970s did to women who stayed at home to raise kids.
click to read more...
A follow-up editorial, while waving a white flag of sorts to formula, stood by assertions that breast-fed babies not only have a health advantage and that it might be hazardous to a baby's health not to nurse, at least in the short term.
The happy fact is that most women these days -- nearly three quarters, estimates La Leche League -- will breast-feed their children for some duration. It's long been known to stave off diabetes, childhood obesity, and ward off things like ear infections and allergies.
But the government's all-or-nothing attitude leaves mothers who can't breast-feed their children out in the cold the same way the consciousness raisings of the 1970s did to women who stayed at home to raise kids.
click to read more...
Breastfeeding good for mom, baby (The Times and Democrat)
Tuesday through Monday, Aug. 1-7, is World Breastfeeding Week. New mothers and those who influenced their decisions about feeding newborns are encouraged to attend a free breastfeeding program Wednesday, Aug. 2, at First Presbyterian Church, 650 Summers Ave. in Orangeburg.
“Building a Breastfeeding-Friendly Community,” a program organized by the Nutrition Office of the Region 5 South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control in Orangeburg, is designed to promote breastfeeding as a normal process and to increase knowledge about breastfeeding.
“We hope to increase social awareness of the benefits of breastfeeding to make it more socially acceptable and to remove constraints that prevent the exclusive use of breast milk,” says Renee Nelson, breastfeeding coordinator of the DHEC office.
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“Building a Breastfeeding-Friendly Community,” a program organized by the Nutrition Office of the Region 5 South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control in Orangeburg, is designed to promote breastfeeding as a normal process and to increase knowledge about breastfeeding.
“We hope to increase social awareness of the benefits of breastfeeding to make it more socially acceptable and to remove constraints that prevent the exclusive use of breast milk,” says Renee Nelson, breastfeeding coordinator of the DHEC office.
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Nepal observes breast feeding week (People's Daily Online)
Nepal is organizing various programs across the country under coordination of the Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) to mark the World Breastfeeding Week, MoHP said in KathmanduTuesday.
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Breastfeeding best for babies (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)
Today through Monday is World Breastfeeding Week, and experts at Motherhood Maternity want to remind all new mothers that breastfeeding is best for their newborns.
"As the maternity experts, it's important (for us) to continue to encourage the expectant mother to breastfeed, not only for her infant, but also for herself," said Rebecca Matthias, Motherhood Maternity president and creative director. "Nursing your newborn is a beautiful gift only a mother could give."
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"As the maternity experts, it's important (for us) to continue to encourage the expectant mother to breastfeed, not only for her infant, but also for herself," said Rebecca Matthias, Motherhood Maternity president and creative director. "Nursing your newborn is a beautiful gift only a mother could give."
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HEALTHY HAPPENINGS (Times Leader)
This is World Breast-feeding Week and local breast-feeding advocates remind the public that breast-feeding an infant, even for a short period of time, can result in substantial benefits for child and mother.
Breast-fed infants are on average healthier with fewer colds and infections, the mother’s natural immunity is passed on to the child, there is less risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and breast milk is totally digestible nutrition providing exactly what the child needs nutritionally throughout infancy.
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Breast-fed infants are on average healthier with fewer colds and infections, the mother’s natural immunity is passed on to the child, there is less risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and breast milk is totally digestible nutrition providing exactly what the child needs nutritionally throughout infancy.
click to read more...
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
Nature has provided the best possible milk for our babies (Lansing State Journal)
If all babies were fed the milk nature designed for them, there would be better health - something to think about during World Breast-feeding Week, Aug. 1-7.
Among the benefits are fewer doctor visits and ER visits, fewer hospital readmissions due to infections (50 percent fewer according to the July issue of Pediatrics), less childhood diabetes, less childhood obesity, less childhood cancers. Our children would have healthier lives and be smarter, too.
You see, babies are born with immature immune systems, unprepared for life in the outside world. Breast milk is designed to "finish off" that immune system, and then continue to support it through the first year or so of life so that our young are fully protected.
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Among the benefits are fewer doctor visits and ER visits, fewer hospital readmissions due to infections (50 percent fewer according to the July issue of Pediatrics), less childhood diabetes, less childhood obesity, less childhood cancers. Our children would have healthier lives and be smarter, too.
You see, babies are born with immature immune systems, unprepared for life in the outside world. Breast milk is designed to "finish off" that immune system, and then continue to support it through the first year or so of life so that our young are fully protected.
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Bulgaria to Promote Breastfeeding (Sofia News Agency)
Bulgaria has joined a traditional world event to promote the benefits of breastfeeding babies, starting on Tuesday.
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Event will focus on breastfeeding (The Reporter)
"Got Breastmilk?" is the theme of Kaiser Permanente's Vallejo Medical Center Open House Celebration.
Recognizing breast milk as the "gold standard" for infant nutrition, the center is hosting this special open house in conjunction with International Breastfeeding Week to recognize and educate new and expectant mothers on the importance of breastfeeding.
The open house will take place Aug. 3 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the courtyard near Pharmacy 1. Members of the community are invited to attend.
Breastfeeding is encouraged throughout the Kaiser Permanente system. Studies consistently have shown the practice of breastfeeding, in most cases, is healthier for the infant, providing many benefits not generally found in breast milk substitutes.
click to read more...
Recognizing breast milk as the "gold standard" for infant nutrition, the center is hosting this special open house in conjunction with International Breastfeeding Week to recognize and educate new and expectant mothers on the importance of breastfeeding.
The open house will take place Aug. 3 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the courtyard near Pharmacy 1. Members of the community are invited to attend.
Breastfeeding is encouraged throughout the Kaiser Permanente system. Studies consistently have shown the practice of breastfeeding, in most cases, is healthier for the infant, providing many benefits not generally found in breast milk substitutes.
click to read more...
Breastfeeding's healthy return (The Daily Telegraph)
MORE NSW mothers are keeping their babies off the bottle, with statistics showing a 10 per cent increase in breast-feeding rates across the state.
Data released to The Daily Telegraph yesterday showed more mothers are heeding the calls to breastfeed and less are giving their babies breast milk substitutes and solid foods before four and six months of age.
In 2004, 41 per cent of infants received breast milk substitutes before four months, compared with 46 per cent in 2001, while 49 per cent received breast milk substitutes before six months compared with 59 per cent in 2001.
"We know babies don't need solid food until six months of age and that has increased breast-feeding rates," Royal Hospital for Women clinical nurse consultant Joy Heads said.
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Data released to The Daily Telegraph yesterday showed more mothers are heeding the calls to breastfeed and less are giving their babies breast milk substitutes and solid foods before four and six months of age.
In 2004, 41 per cent of infants received breast milk substitutes before four months, compared with 46 per cent in 2001, while 49 per cent received breast milk substitutes before six months compared with 59 per cent in 2001.
"We know babies don't need solid food until six months of age and that has increased breast-feeding rates," Royal Hospital for Women clinical nurse consultant Joy Heads said.
click to read more...
Breastfed babies have best survival rates (United Press International)
NEW YORK, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- A study, released in New York by the U.N. Children's Fund, indicates breastfeeding protects infants from diseases.
The U.N. agency said a breastfed child in a developing nation is nearly three times more likely to survive infancy than a child who is not breastfed.
The report was released Tuesday, at the start of a weeklong commemoration of the most natural way to nourish babies.
"World Breastfeeding Week gives us an opportunity to advocate for a very simple way to save children's lives," said UNICEF Executive Director Ann Veneman. "Though breastfeeding rates are increasing in the developing world, an estimated 63 percent of children under 6 months of age are still not adequately breastfed. As a result, millions of children start their lives at a disadvantage."
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The U.N. agency said a breastfed child in a developing nation is nearly three times more likely to survive infancy than a child who is not breastfed.
The report was released Tuesday, at the start of a weeklong commemoration of the most natural way to nourish babies.
"World Breastfeeding Week gives us an opportunity to advocate for a very simple way to save children's lives," said UNICEF Executive Director Ann Veneman. "Though breastfeeding rates are increasing in the developing world, an estimated 63 percent of children under 6 months of age are still not adequately breastfed. As a result, millions of children start their lives at a disadvantage."
click to read more...
World Breastfeeding Week Starts Aug. 1 in the Americas
Washington, D.C., July 31, 2006 (PAHO)—Countries throughout the Americas are joining together to observe World Breastfeeding Week, which this year celebrates the 25th anniversary of the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes. The week of August 1-7 has the theme, "Code Watch: 25 Years of Protecting Breastfeeding," highlighting the importance of national enforceable Code legislation and providing examples of successful action.
World Breastfeeding Week, observed the first week of August every year by the countries, the Pan American Health Organization, and other agencies, aims to spread information globally about the importance of breastfeeding for maternal and child health. In the Americas, ministries of health, non-governmental organizations, and families are observing the week in a variety of ways, including conferences, parades, art shows, and special events.
click to read more...
World Breastfeeding Week, observed the first week of August every year by the countries, the Pan American Health Organization, and other agencies, aims to spread information globally about the importance of breastfeeding for maternal and child health. In the Americas, ministries of health, non-governmental organizations, and families are observing the week in a variety of ways, including conferences, parades, art shows, and special events.
click to read more...
Working Mother Media - Business Backs Breastfeeding
Business Backs Breastfeeding™ – a workplace lactation program to help employers support new mothers continue breastfeeding their babies after returning to work.
click to view the advertisement...
An interesting program - too bad it's funded by ABBOTT LABORATORIES, gag.
click to view the advertisement...
An interesting program - too bad it's funded by ABBOTT LABORATORIES, gag.
what if I want to wean?
Breastfeeding your baby for even a day is the best baby gift you can give. Breastfeeding is almost always the best choice for your baby. If it doesn't seem like the best choice for you right now, these guidelines may help. - Diane Wiessinger
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Sorry, but I HATED breastfeeding (the Daily Mail)
Motherhood is an intensely personal experience, different for every woman, says this writer. She hated breastfeeding and so do countless other mothers - even if the 'milk mafia' have made them too afraid to admit it
The lies about motherhood start at conception. Morning sickness is not confined to the morning, and it doesn't disappear after three months. 'Natural' childbirth is nothing of the sort; it's messy and excruciating, like trying to pull an orange out of your nostril. And breastfeeding is not wonderful and fulfilling, but painful, difficult, boring and humiliating.
click to read more..
My heart just breaks for this poor woman! It's eleven years later and her emotions are still incredibly raw about her experiences. What saddens me most, though, is it seems pretty clear that she was suffering from PPD and wasn't getting the support and help she needed to care for herself. A lot of people failed this new mother.
The lies about motherhood start at conception. Morning sickness is not confined to the morning, and it doesn't disappear after three months. 'Natural' childbirth is nothing of the sort; it's messy and excruciating, like trying to pull an orange out of your nostril. And breastfeeding is not wonderful and fulfilling, but painful, difficult, boring and humiliating.
click to read more..
My heart just breaks for this poor woman! It's eleven years later and her emotions are still incredibly raw about her experiences. What saddens me most, though, is it seems pretty clear that she was suffering from PPD and wasn't getting the support and help she needed to care for herself. A lot of people failed this new mother.
WBW Quote of the Day
When we trust the makers of baby formula more than we do our own ability to nourish our babies, we lose a chance to claim an aspect of our power as women. Thinking that baby formula is as good as breast milk is believing that thirty years of technology is superior to three million years of nature's evolution. Countless women have regained trust in their bodies through nursing their children, even if they weren't sure at first that they could do it. It is an act of female power, and I think of it as feminism in its purest form.
- Christine Northrup, M.D.
- Christine Northrup, M.D.
Monday, July 31, 2006
Local health counselors must counter cultural barriers to encourage breast-feeding (Lowell Sun Online)
Nursing's back, baby.
After a precipitous decline through the 1960s and 1970s, when less than a quarter of women chose to nurse -- the height of formula's fashion -- the CDC now estimates that just over 70 percent of babies are breast-fed at some point in their lives.
But while babies might be enjoying through-the-roof nursing rates, whether you're a white, Asian, black or Hispanic mom has a lot to do with whether you'll breast-feed, and for how long. Turns out that certain immigrant groups are much less likely to try it and continue.
click to read more...
After a precipitous decline through the 1960s and 1970s, when less than a quarter of women chose to nurse -- the height of formula's fashion -- the CDC now estimates that just over 70 percent of babies are breast-fed at some point in their lives.
But while babies might be enjoying through-the-roof nursing rates, whether you're a white, Asian, black or Hispanic mom has a lot to do with whether you'll breast-feed, and for how long. Turns out that certain immigrant groups are much less likely to try it and continue.
click to read more...
World Breastfeeding Week to be celebrated on August 1-7 (MoroccoTimes.com)
The World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) is celebrating the World Breastfeeding Week on August 1-7. The week commemorates the Innocenti Declaration, which was adopted in 1990 to promote and support breastfeeding.
click to read more...
click to read more...
Nursing in public: Moms who breastfeed try to be discreet, but sometimes ‘you’ve gotta do it’ (La Crosse Tribune)
A breastfeeding ad of a woman eating her lunch in a bathroom stall — using the toilet paper dispenser and tampon vending machine as makeshift tables — left a lasting impression on Amy Ramsay.
The New Albin, Iowa, mother recalls the image every time 7-month-old Gianna gets hungry when they are out and about.
“I usually look for a quiet place, somewhere not so conspicuous” to nurse Gianna, Ramsay said.
And since her comfort level has increased, the restroom is typically a last resort.
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The New Albin, Iowa, mother recalls the image every time 7-month-old Gianna gets hungry when they are out and about.
“I usually look for a quiet place, somewhere not so conspicuous” to nurse Gianna, Ramsay said.
And since her comfort level has increased, the restroom is typically a last resort.
click to read more...
Breastfeeding Push Turns to Workplace Obstacles (Women's e news)
(WOMENSENEWS)--Carmen Letscher's maternity leave ends this week and she's anxious about going back to work.
Though she was able to breastfeed her daughter Lucy for three months, she's not confident that she will hit her goal of six months. The public relations company she works for has 500 employees, over three-quarters of whom are women, yet Letscher has never known anyone to breastfeed there. Her human resources department has found a spare office she can use as a makeshift lactation room. It's all hers; until they hire someone who needs the space.
"If I'm leaving my daughter in day care, I want to give her the best of everything, given the situation," Letscher said. "My goal is to breastfeed for another three months, but I'm apprehensive about my work schedule, finding a good place to pump and trying to pump discreetly. I can't feel bad if I don't make it to six months. If I have to supplement with formula, I'll have to be OK with it."
Letscher has reason to be apprehensive. Despite the well-known benefits of breastfeeding and a controversial breastfeeding campaign by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, breastfeeding time can be cut short by the challenges women face when they return to full-time work. The number of mothers who feel this push-pull continues to grow as the proportion of mothers in the work force increases.
click to read more...
Though she was able to breastfeed her daughter Lucy for three months, she's not confident that she will hit her goal of six months. The public relations company she works for has 500 employees, over three-quarters of whom are women, yet Letscher has never known anyone to breastfeed there. Her human resources department has found a spare office she can use as a makeshift lactation room. It's all hers; until they hire someone who needs the space.
"If I'm leaving my daughter in day care, I want to give her the best of everything, given the situation," Letscher said. "My goal is to breastfeed for another three months, but I'm apprehensive about my work schedule, finding a good place to pump and trying to pump discreetly. I can't feel bad if I don't make it to six months. If I have to supplement with formula, I'll have to be OK with it."
Letscher has reason to be apprehensive. Despite the well-known benefits of breastfeeding and a controversial breastfeeding campaign by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, breastfeeding time can be cut short by the challenges women face when they return to full-time work. The number of mothers who feel this push-pull continues to grow as the proportion of mothers in the work force increases.
click to read more...
Laid bare: The breastfeeding row (National Post)
At a time when flesh-baring fashions prevail, with scantily clad models and well-endowed movie stars spilling out of the pages of glossy magazines, the latest outcry over public indecency is being aimed at an unlikely target: A parenting magazine for new mothers, distributed free in doctors' offices and filled with earnest advice about babies.
A close-up image of a baby at breast may seem a logical choice to illustrate a story about breastfeeding, but it is stirring up controversy over the latest issue of babytalk magazine.
The picture, which has the profile of the baby as its focus and does not even have a hint of a nipple exposed, has fuelled the debate about breastfeeding in public, pitting those who call the magazine cover "gross" and "disgusting," against breastfeeding advocates who say society's squeamishness about such images underscores the need for an overhaul of public attitudes.
click to read more...
A close-up image of a baby at breast may seem a logical choice to illustrate a story about breastfeeding, but it is stirring up controversy over the latest issue of babytalk magazine.
The picture, which has the profile of the baby as its focus and does not even have a hint of a nipple exposed, has fuelled the debate about breastfeeding in public, pitting those who call the magazine cover "gross" and "disgusting," against breastfeeding advocates who say society's squeamishness about such images underscores the need for an overhaul of public attitudes.
click to read more...
The Right To Breastfeed (WIFR)
It's pretty much a natural instinct. Your little ones are hungry so you feed them. But feeding time was interrupted for one mom who says she has the right to breastfeed. It's one of the best bonding experiences between a mother and their child. So Lacey Richardson was shocked when the connection between her and 6-month-old Olivia was interrupted.
Lacey Richardson was trying to breastfeed her baby at Magic Waters and says, "Someone came up to me and said ma’am, excuse me you need to cover up. I said no I don't I will when I'm done. I'm nursing my baby."
And she has the right to respond the way she did. Illinois has a law that makes it legal for women to nurse in public or private places. But workers at Magic Waters were unaware of the Right to Breastfeed Act.
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Lacey Richardson was trying to breastfeed her baby at Magic Waters and says, "Someone came up to me and said ma’am, excuse me you need to cover up. I said no I don't I will when I'm done. I'm nursing my baby."
And she has the right to respond the way she did. Illinois has a law that makes it legal for women to nurse in public or private places. But workers at Magic Waters were unaware of the Right to Breastfeed Act.
click to read more...
Fair promotes benefits of breast-feeding (Battle Creek Enquirer)
World Breastfeeding Week begins Tuesday, and Battle Creek is bringing awareness to the effort for the second year.
World Breastfeeding Week is Aug. 1 to 7, when communities will host programs and other health fairs promoting breast-feeding.
In Battle Creek, several organizations have teamed up to host the second annual "all things related to breast-feeding and mothering fair."
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World Breastfeeding Week is Aug. 1 to 7, when communities will host programs and other health fairs promoting breast-feeding.
In Battle Creek, several organizations have teamed up to host the second annual "all things related to breast-feeding and mothering fair."
click to read more...
Health departments to host breastfeeding classes this month (Jackson Sun)
Breastfeeding can reduce infant deaths, according to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the American Academy of Pediatrics. That's why the Tennessee Department of Health wants you to recognize World Breastfeeding Week, Tuesday through Aug. 7, which raises awareness about the importance of breastfeeding.
"Breast milk is still the best food for your baby's first year of life," said Glenda King, breastfeeding coordinator for the Tennessee Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program.
"Nearly all women are able to breast-feed when they receive consistent and accurate information and are supported by their health care providers, family and community," King said. "Hospitals, health providers, workplaces and communities can work together to protect breastfeeding by establishing a breastfeeding-friendly environment."
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"Breast milk is still the best food for your baby's first year of life," said Glenda King, breastfeeding coordinator for the Tennessee Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program.
"Nearly all women are able to breast-feed when they receive consistent and accurate information and are supported by their health care providers, family and community," King said. "Hospitals, health providers, workplaces and communities can work together to protect breastfeeding by establishing a breastfeeding-friendly environment."
click to read more...
Sunday, July 30, 2006
More Social Acceptance Needed for Breastfeeding (Scoop: - New Zealand)
A return to an acceptance that breastfeeding is the normal way to feed babies is absolutely key to further increasing breastfeeding rates in New Zealand.
New Zealand College of Midwives spokeswoman, Norma Campbell says putting breastfeeding back on the pedestal it deserves is something society as a whole must promote.
“Understanding that breastfeeding is the normal and perfectly acceptable way to feed a baby for at least six months is something we all must need to work on as well as providing support for new mothers to do the very best they can with their breastfeeding,” she says.
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New Zealand College of Midwives spokeswoman, Norma Campbell says putting breastfeeding back on the pedestal it deserves is something society as a whole must promote.
“Understanding that breastfeeding is the normal and perfectly acceptable way to feed a baby for at least six months is something we all must need to work on as well as providing support for new mothers to do the very best they can with their breastfeeding,” she says.
click to read more...
Humphries touts breastfeeding benefits (The Palestine Herald)
Palestine — To promote the numerous benefits of breastfeeding, the Texas Department of State Health Services is joining forces with national and worldwide organizations in support of August as Breastfeeding Awareness Month.
Michelle Humphries, a Breastfeeding Peer Counselor for the Palestine and Athens WIC Clinics — and a mother of four — makes it a priority to teach women of those benefits year-round.
“I inform pregnant moms about the benefits of breastfeeding and help new moms get started in the process,” she said. “We have classes every Tuesday afternoon and have recently started a support group for nursing moms.”
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Michelle Humphries, a Breastfeeding Peer Counselor for the Palestine and Athens WIC Clinics — and a mother of four — makes it a priority to teach women of those benefits year-round.
“I inform pregnant moms about the benefits of breastfeeding and help new moms get started in the process,” she said. “We have classes every Tuesday afternoon and have recently started a support group for nursing moms.”
click to read more...
Breastfeeding Rally (WCAX-TV)
Activists defended breastfeeding Saturday. A demonstration in Burlington was held after the City Council rejected a resolution to take an official stance in support of the practice. Vermont's Health Department and a breast-feeding support group hosted the rally and kicked off World Breastfeeding Week.
Activists say breastfeeding is not just an private bond between mothers and babies. They marched on Church Street Saturday to raise public awareness that's it's a community health issue, too. "Breastfeeding is a big public health issue. babies who are breast fed are getting the food that's meant for human babies," said Jan Campbell, with the Vermont Department of health.
click to read more...
Activists say breastfeeding is not just an private bond between mothers and babies. They marched on Church Street Saturday to raise public awareness that's it's a community health issue, too. "Breastfeeding is a big public health issue. babies who are breast fed are getting the food that's meant for human babies," said Jan Campbell, with the Vermont Department of health.
click to read more...
Saturday, July 29, 2006
Mother's milk is the best (The Border Mail)
MUM’S milk is best and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise, says Wodonga Milk of Kindness.
Next week is World Breastfeeding Week and this year’s theme, Code Watch, looks at how the marketing of formulas has been a barrier to women breastfeeding.
Wodonga Milk of Kindness project worker Kim McKenna said people promoting breastfeeding were still trying to recover from marketing errors made 20 years ago.
“Marketers told women that formula was just as good as breast milk,” she said.
“Breast milk is naturally designed for the baby and cannot be replaced by any formula we synthesise.
click to read more...
Next week is World Breastfeeding Week and this year’s theme, Code Watch, looks at how the marketing of formulas has been a barrier to women breastfeeding.
Wodonga Milk of Kindness project worker Kim McKenna said people promoting breastfeeding were still trying to recover from marketing errors made 20 years ago.
“Marketers told women that formula was just as good as breast milk,” she said.
“Breast milk is naturally designed for the baby and cannot be replaced by any formula we synthesise.
click to read more...
More new mothers breastfeed their babies
The Department of Health's effort in promoting breast milk has produced fruitful results as surveys show a rising trend in the prevalence and duration of breastfeeding in Hong Kong.
The department's Senior Medical & Health Officer Dr Lo Yim-chong said the exclusive breastfeeding rate - the percentage of mothers who give their newborns breast milk only - rose to 12% in 2004 from 6% in 1997.
The rate of mothers who have ever breastfed also climbed, from 50% in 1997 to 69% in 2004. However, Dr Lo pointed out there is still room for an increase, considering the higher rates reported in some countries.
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The department's Senior Medical & Health Officer Dr Lo Yim-chong said the exclusive breastfeeding rate - the percentage of mothers who give their newborns breast milk only - rose to 12% in 2004 from 6% in 1997.
The rate of mothers who have ever breastfed also climbed, from 50% in 1997 to 69% in 2004. However, Dr Lo pointed out there is still room for an increase, considering the higher rates reported in some countries.
click to read more...
CRH encourages new mothers (The Culpeper Star Exponent)
Health experts encourage mothers to breastfeed their babies because of the health benefits it provides for both.
During the 2006 World Breastfeeding Week Aug. 1-7, local health educators will emphasize the importance of breastfeeding with signs and brochures posted throughout Culpeper Regional Hospital.
click to read more...
During the 2006 World Breastfeeding Week Aug. 1-7, local health educators will emphasize the importance of breastfeeding with signs and brochures posted throughout Culpeper Regional Hospital.
click to read more...
Friday, July 28, 2006
Magazine Cover Swells Breast-Feeding Controversy (KIROTV.com)
"I was SHOCKED to see a giant breast on the cover of your magazine," one person wrote.
"I immediately turned the magazine face down," wrote another.
"Gross," said a third.
Readers of a free parenting magazine weren't complaining about a sexually explicit cover, but rather one of a baby nursing. It's a sign that some Americans are squeamish over the sight of a nursing breast, even as breast-feeding itself gains greater support from the government and medical community.
Babytalk is a free magazine whose readership is overwhelmingly mothers of babies. Yet in a poll of more than 4,000 readers, one-quarter of responses to the cover were negative, calling the photo -- a baby and part of a woman's breast, in profile --inappropriate.
One mother who didn't like the cover explains she was concerned about her 13-year-old son seeing it.
"I shredded it," said Gayle Ash, of Belton, Texas, in a telephone interview. "A breast is a breast -- it's a sexual thing. He didn't need to see that."
click to read more...
Shredding a breast?!? This woman and all the others like her make me incredibly sad. Body shame is a terrible thing, even more so when it is passed on to the next generation. This woman is teaching her sons that the female body is disgusting and should be treated with violence and disdain. Now isn't that a wonderful lesson?
"I immediately turned the magazine face down," wrote another.
"Gross," said a third.
Readers of a free parenting magazine weren't complaining about a sexually explicit cover, but rather one of a baby nursing. It's a sign that some Americans are squeamish over the sight of a nursing breast, even as breast-feeding itself gains greater support from the government and medical community.
Babytalk is a free magazine whose readership is overwhelmingly mothers of babies. Yet in a poll of more than 4,000 readers, one-quarter of responses to the cover were negative, calling the photo -- a baby and part of a woman's breast, in profile --inappropriate.
One mother who didn't like the cover explains she was concerned about her 13-year-old son seeing it.
"I shredded it," said Gayle Ash, of Belton, Texas, in a telephone interview. "A breast is a breast -- it's a sexual thing. He didn't need to see that."
click to read more...
Shredding a breast?!? This woman and all the others like her make me incredibly sad. Body shame is a terrible thing, even more so when it is passed on to the next generation. This woman is teaching her sons that the female body is disgusting and should be treated with violence and disdain. Now isn't that a wonderful lesson?
DOH-EV highlights importance of breastfeeding (PIA News Releases)
Tacloban City (28 July) -- The Department of Health - Eastern Visayas (DOH-EV) through its Regional Director Benita Pastor will spearhead various activities relative to the observance of World Breastfeeding Week and Mother-Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative Week on August 1-7. For this year's celebration, the theme is centered on "Da Milk Code: Don't Break the Code".
click to read more...
click to read more...
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
ML presents Breastfest 2006 (Columbia Basin Herald)
Annual event celebrates World Breastfeeding Week with vendors, guest speakers, raffles
MOSES LAKE -- People at the state level are talking about Moses Lake.
No, it's not the lake or nice weather they're buzzing about.
It's the city's Healthy Communities Project, one component of which is the Breastfeeding Coalition.
On Aug. 1, the annual Breastfest 2006 will take place in celebration of World Breastfeeding Week and local support for breastfeeding services.
Kimberly Radtke, coordinator of the Breastfeeding Coalition of Washington, is one of the guest speakers at this year's event.
Radtke intends to focus her presentation on "celebrating Moses Lake's accomplishment and the fabulous work this community has done," she said.
click to read more...
MOSES LAKE -- People at the state level are talking about Moses Lake.
No, it's not the lake or nice weather they're buzzing about.
It's the city's Healthy Communities Project, one component of which is the Breastfeeding Coalition.
On Aug. 1, the annual Breastfest 2006 will take place in celebration of World Breastfeeding Week and local support for breastfeeding services.
Kimberly Radtke, coordinator of the Breastfeeding Coalition of Washington, is one of the guest speakers at this year's event.
Radtke intends to focus her presentation on "celebrating Moses Lake's accomplishment and the fabulous work this community has done," she said.
click to read more...
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Breastfeeding 'can save NHS millions' - (Britain - Times Online)
NEW mothers are to receive a personalised plan that aims to improve rates of breastfeeding by 50 per cent and save the NHS millions on the treatment of illness in babies.
Guidelines published today by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence sets out recommendations for the improvement of postnatal care of women and babies, including checks for newborns, mothering skills and women’s health issues.
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Guidelines published today by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence sets out recommendations for the improvement of postnatal care of women and babies, including checks for newborns, mothering skills and women’s health issues.
click to read more...
Introducing Baby to Solid Foods Too Early Increases Risk of Allergic Diseases
Newswise — Feeding solid foods to infants before 6 months of age can increase the risk of allergies, while exclusive breastfeeding for at least 6 months may prevent the onset of allergic symptoms later in life, according to a paper published in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. The paper is the first consensus document published in a peer-reviewed journal to recommend allergy-avoiding strategies for introducing solid foods to the infant diet.
click to read more...
click to read more...
Lawyer, Wife Livid Over Breastfeeding Incident (Local10.com)
CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. -- A Deerfield Beach lawyer is on a letter-writing campaign after, he says, a restaurant employee asked his breastfeeding wife to "take it outside."
Geil Bilu said that he and his wife and children, ages 19 months and nine weeks, were at Westside Bagels in Coral Springs Saturday morning when his infant daughter began to fuss. Bilu said his wife began to discretely nurse the baby, when a man, who Bilu said he believes was a restaurant manager, came over and asked her to leave.
Bilu said when his wife told the man that she was nearly done feeding the baby and would leave as soon as she was done, the man stood by the table and stared until the family packed up and left.
click to read more...
Geil Bilu said that he and his wife and children, ages 19 months and nine weeks, were at Westside Bagels in Coral Springs Saturday morning when his infant daughter began to fuss. Bilu said his wife began to discretely nurse the baby, when a man, who Bilu said he believes was a restaurant manager, came over and asked her to leave.
Bilu said when his wife told the man that she was nearly done feeding the baby and would leave as soon as she was done, the man stood by the table and stared until the family packed up and left.
click to read more...
PLEASE don't let H1782 die - support breastfeeding!!!
The clock is running out on Massachusett's H1782 - please don't let this bill die yet again!!
The bill is currently languishing in the steering committee, waiting to be scheduled for an appearance on the floor and a vote.
We only have until July 31st, so your phone calls are desperately needed.
Find your state reps by visiting http://www.mass.gov - on the lower left hand side, you'll see a drop-down menu for Local Government. Choose your community, then click on the link for State Legislators.
Call their offices. Tell them you are a constituent, that H1782 deserves and needs their support, and that you want this bill passed NOW.
Please don't let this bill die - we got it this far, let's see this fight through!!!
Please feel free to share this message anywhere you deem appropriate. :)
The bill is currently languishing in the steering committee, waiting to be scheduled for an appearance on the floor and a vote.
We only have until July 31st, so your phone calls are desperately needed.
Find your state reps by visiting http://www.mass.gov - on the lower left hand side, you'll see a drop-down menu for Local Government. Choose your community, then click on the link for State Legislators.
Call their offices. Tell them you are a constituent, that H1782 deserves and needs their support, and that you want this bill passed NOW.
Please don't let this bill die - we got it this far, let's see this fight through!!!
Please feel free to share this message anywhere you deem appropriate. :)
Monday, July 24, 2006
Vital that new mums are fed the right info (Scotsman.com)
IT'S the most natural, instinctive and intimate thing in the world: a mother, still glowing from the aftermath of labour, gently nursing her newborn.
Flick through the pregnancy manuals and mum-to-be magazines, and breastfeeding takes on a rosy, happy glow; engorgement is a mild irritation to be solved using a cabbage leaf and encouraging your baby to take their first feed is as easy as ABC.
After all, we all know what bits are supposed to go where... how hard can it be?
click to read more...
Flick through the pregnancy manuals and mum-to-be magazines, and breastfeeding takes on a rosy, happy glow; engorgement is a mild irritation to be solved using a cabbage leaf and encouraging your baby to take their first feed is as easy as ABC.
After all, we all know what bits are supposed to go where... how hard can it be?
click to read more...
Circumcision, Breastfeeding, and Maternal Bonding
This index page contains links to documents about circumcision versus breastfeeding, the effect of circumcision on mother-infant bonding and interaction, and information about breastfeeding's beneficial effect on reducing the risk of urinary tract infection (UTI) in infancy.
click to view site...
click to view site...
Sunday, July 23, 2006
Nursing moms rebuffed at gyms (Sacbee.com)
On a blistering summer day, Jane Cerussi was discreetly nursing her fussy infant by the pool at an Elk Grove gym, when a manager asked her to move or cover up because other members had complained.
"I never expected something like this to happen in this day and age in Northern California," Cerussi said.
A similar incident recently at another California Family Fitness gym in Rocklin is calling attention to an often overlooked law protecting a mother's right to breast-feed in public.
Despite the law and studies showing the health benefits of the practice, advocates say what happened in Elk Grove and Rocklin reflects a society still unaccustomed to the sight of nursing mothers in public places.
Last week, the California Women's Law Center sent a letter to the locally owned California Family Fitness chain after the Rocklin woman was told she couldn't breast-feed where she could be seen by other members.
The employee had said breast-feeding in a public area was "offensive" to other gym members, and when the woman complained to a manager she was told that her actions were "disrespectful," according to the letter.
But under a California law enacted in 1997, women are allowed to breast-feed anywhere in public where they're entitled to be present.
click to read more...
"I never expected something like this to happen in this day and age in Northern California," Cerussi said.
A similar incident recently at another California Family Fitness gym in Rocklin is calling attention to an often overlooked law protecting a mother's right to breast-feed in public.
Despite the law and studies showing the health benefits of the practice, advocates say what happened in Elk Grove and Rocklin reflects a society still unaccustomed to the sight of nursing mothers in public places.
Last week, the California Women's Law Center sent a letter to the locally owned California Family Fitness chain after the Rocklin woman was told she couldn't breast-feed where she could be seen by other members.
The employee had said breast-feeding in a public area was "offensive" to other gym members, and when the woman complained to a manager she was told that her actions were "disrespectful," according to the letter.
But under a California law enacted in 1997, women are allowed to breast-feed anywhere in public where they're entitled to be present.
click to read more...
Ban on milk substitute ads stands (INQ7.net)
THE absolute ban on the promotion and advertisement of breast milk substitutes will continue after the Supreme Court opted not to issue a restraining order on the implementation of the Milk Code.
Instead, the high court ordered Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, Health undersecretaries Dr. Ethelyn Nieto, Dr. Margarita Galon, Alexander Padilla and Dr. Jade F. Del Mundo to comment within 10 days on the petition filed by an international health lobby group seeking the nullification of the revised implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of Administrative Order 2006-0012 issued last May 16.
The assailed AO revised a 1986 law, Executive Order No. 51, or the Milk Code, which had been passed in the cooperation with the milk industry to regulate the use of breast milk substitutes.
click to read more...
Instead, the high court ordered Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, Health undersecretaries Dr. Ethelyn Nieto, Dr. Margarita Galon, Alexander Padilla and Dr. Jade F. Del Mundo to comment within 10 days on the petition filed by an international health lobby group seeking the nullification of the revised implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of Administrative Order 2006-0012 issued last May 16.
The assailed AO revised a 1986 law, Executive Order No. 51, or the Milk Code, which had been passed in the cooperation with the milk industry to regulate the use of breast milk substitutes.
click to read more...
Friday, July 21, 2006
Breast-feeding: Nutrition straight from the source (Columbian.com)
Well before I had my baby, I read all about breast-feeding. As the government wraps up a public-health campaign to encourage breast-feeding, still more research mounts on how much the practice benefits babies and mothers.
The latest: A study published this month in the journal Pediatrics indicates that breast-fed children later have lower bed-wetting rates. Other studies show that breast-feeding decreases the incidence of colds, infections, asthma, leukemia, lymphoma, obesity and diabetes. Breast-feeding is good for mothers, too. It burns an extra 500 calories a day to help shed pregnancy pounds, and lowers rates of ovarian and breast cancer, diabetes and osteoporosis.
When I pulled my squalling just-born infant to me for the first time, I quickly realized that knowing all that didn't help me much when it came to the actual practice of breast-feeding.
click to read more...
The latest: A study published this month in the journal Pediatrics indicates that breast-fed children later have lower bed-wetting rates. Other studies show that breast-feeding decreases the incidence of colds, infections, asthma, leukemia, lymphoma, obesity and diabetes. Breast-feeding is good for mothers, too. It burns an extra 500 calories a day to help shed pregnancy pounds, and lowers rates of ovarian and breast cancer, diabetes and osteoporosis.
When I pulled my squalling just-born infant to me for the first time, I quickly realized that knowing all that didn't help me much when it came to the actual practice of breast-feeding.
click to read more...
The Formula Follies - OpinionJournal (Wall Street Journal editorial page)
The Merchants of Death in Christopher Buckley's novel "Thank You for Smoking" are spokesmen for the most vilified industries in Washington: alcohol, tobacco and firearms. A lobbyist for baby formula may have to join them in a sequel. Proponents of breast-feeding, emboldened by studies that trumpet human milk's superiority to its supermarket substitutes, are abandoning platitudes like "Breast Is Best" in favor of aggressive campaigns designed to portray formula feeding as not merely inferior but dangerous.
A startling television ad in a government breast-feeding campaign likened feeding an infant formula to being thrown from a mechanical bull while heavily pregnant. Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin has proposed mandatory warning labels for formula cans. Breast-feeding advocates are pushing legislation to stop hospitals from giving free formula to new mothers. A new book calls formula feeding "deviant behavior" that should occur only as an "emergency nutrition intervention to prevent starvation and death." "There's not so much talk now about the benefits of breast-feeding," says Katy Lebbing of La Leche League International, "but the risks of not breast-feeding."
click to read more...
A startling television ad in a government breast-feeding campaign likened feeding an infant formula to being thrown from a mechanical bull while heavily pregnant. Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin has proposed mandatory warning labels for formula cans. Breast-feeding advocates are pushing legislation to stop hospitals from giving free formula to new mothers. A new book calls formula feeding "deviant behavior" that should occur only as an "emergency nutrition intervention to prevent starvation and death." "There's not so much talk now about the benefits of breast-feeding," says Katy Lebbing of La Leche League International, "but the risks of not breast-feeding."
click to read more...
Council kills breast-feeding initiative (Burlington Free Press.com)
The City Council went on the record about breast-feeding at its last meeting on July 10. By a vote of 7 to 6, it decided the city should not encourage mothers to nurse their babies.
click to read more...
click to read more...
Help give women the right to breastfeed in public with the NCT (GMTV)
The National Childbirth Trust (NCT) is the largest and best-known charity in Europe for those becoming parents. It is the voice of parents on pregnancy, birth and the first few years of being a parent.
The charity provides a range of support services for parents at local level. Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, the NCT has successfully campaigned for improved care during pregnancy and childbirth and for parents of new babies and promotes the principle of informed choice for women and their partners.
The NCT is now campaigning for a woman's right to breastfeed in public and wants you to get involved.
Women in England, Wales and Northern Ireland can still be asked to stop breastfeeding when in public or to breastfeed out of sight, even in the toilets, which is not acceptable. However, in Scotland it is an offence to stop mothers from feeding their babies in public places.
click to read more...
The charity provides a range of support services for parents at local level. Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, the NCT has successfully campaigned for improved care during pregnancy and childbirth and for parents of new babies and promotes the principle of informed choice for women and their partners.
The NCT is now campaigning for a woman's right to breastfeed in public and wants you to get involved.
Women in England, Wales and Northern Ireland can still be asked to stop breastfeeding when in public or to breastfeed out of sight, even in the toilets, which is not acceptable. However, in Scotland it is an offence to stop mothers from feeding their babies in public places.
click to read more...
Thursday, July 20, 2006
Type 1 Moms Just as Capable of Breastfeeding as Healthy Moms (Diabetes Health magazine)
At intervals of five days after giving birth and then four months after giving birth, Danish researchers interviewed 102 women with type 1 about breastfeeding. The type 1 women’s breastfeeding habits were then compared to a large random sample from the general population of Danish women.
click to read more...
click to read more...
Bosom studies (Philadelphia Inquirer)
"BooBies," an art show on Fabric Row, has a particularly popular double-breasted focus.
"BooBies."
And Tim Bowen suspects that's just about all the information (and incentive) it will take to draw a crowd to his gallery, which opened in the spring on the stretch of Fourth Street south of South known as Fabric Row.
"The name makes the show possible," says Bowen, a painter and part-time indie-rock musician.
Breast is a bit too clinical, he says. And while a Web search easily turns up 200 or so other descriptors (not to mention pictures that, on second thought, should not be mentioned because they do not belong in an art gallery), most of those words are lurid, rude, insulting, disgusting ... you get the ... um, picture.
And none of those were Bowen's intentions. He got the idea for the show when he noticed that the most looked-at pictures in another recent exhibition at the gallery were the nudes.
"In fact, someone said to me that they liked the pictures of the boobies - and I realized what a great word that is."
click to read more...
"BooBies."
And Tim Bowen suspects that's just about all the information (and incentive) it will take to draw a crowd to his gallery, which opened in the spring on the stretch of Fourth Street south of South known as Fabric Row.
"The name makes the show possible," says Bowen, a painter and part-time indie-rock musician.
Breast is a bit too clinical, he says. And while a Web search easily turns up 200 or so other descriptors (not to mention pictures that, on second thought, should not be mentioned because they do not belong in an art gallery), most of those words are lurid, rude, insulting, disgusting ... you get the ... um, picture.
And none of those were Bowen's intentions. He got the idea for the show when he noticed that the most looked-at pictures in another recent exhibition at the gallery were the nudes.
"In fact, someone said to me that they liked the pictures of the boobies - and I realized what a great word that is."
click to read more...
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
Breastfeeding 'kills baby's pain' (BBC NEWS)
Breastfeeding may be the ultimate natural painkiller for newborn babies.
A review of research found that breastfeeding newborns helps relieve the pain from a needle prick used to screen their blood for disease.
click to read more...
A review of research found that breastfeeding newborns helps relieve the pain from a needle prick used to screen their blood for disease.
click to read more...
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Exercising the right to nurse (The Sun News)
Tamar Ben-Pazi isn't uncomfortable about breastfeeding her young son Silas in public.
The Myrtle Beach resident has tended to her son's needs in restaurants, at the mall, on the beach, on a public street and in museums.
"I've always felt it was very much my right to be in public," said the mother of 11-month-old Silas and 4-year-old daughter, Talia.
Although Ben-Pazi is confident about nursing in public, other mothers, especially new moms, may not be. The recent opening of a nursing moms' room at Dillard's at Coastal Grand Myrtle Beach mall reflects a trend in which public establishments are creating special places where mothers can breastfeed their children comfortably and privately. Such rooms are becoming more popular since the passage of an S.C. law in January that protects breastfeeding moms who choose to nurse in public.
click to reaad more...
The Myrtle Beach resident has tended to her son's needs in restaurants, at the mall, on the beach, on a public street and in museums.
"I've always felt it was very much my right to be in public," said the mother of 11-month-old Silas and 4-year-old daughter, Talia.
Although Ben-Pazi is confident about nursing in public, other mothers, especially new moms, may not be. The recent opening of a nursing moms' room at Dillard's at Coastal Grand Myrtle Beach mall reflects a trend in which public establishments are creating special places where mothers can breastfeed their children comfortably and privately. Such rooms are becoming more popular since the passage of an S.C. law in January that protects breastfeeding moms who choose to nurse in public.
click to reaad more...
You Can Breastfeed! (BabyTalk Magazine)
How to overcome the most common challenges
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Breastfeeding certainly proves the axiom "the best things in life are free." It's not always pain-free, guilt-free, or fancy-free, mind you. Ticking off a list of the most common breastfeeding difficulties can be alarming — just as hearing every detail of pregnancy, labor, and delivery can make you wonder why women agree to propagate the species in the first place.
But if you're aware of the possible breastfeeding pitfalls before you get lost in a postpartum fog, you can drastically lower the number of days filled with long crying jags (yours, not the baby's) and the number of times you swear like a sailor at your husband for not having breasts. Simply put, once you know what to expect, you've laid the groundwork for a successful breastfeeding experience — one that is rewarding, exhausting, magical, and, of course, free of charge.
click to read more...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Breastfeeding certainly proves the axiom "the best things in life are free." It's not always pain-free, guilt-free, or fancy-free, mind you. Ticking off a list of the most common breastfeeding difficulties can be alarming — just as hearing every detail of pregnancy, labor, and delivery can make you wonder why women agree to propagate the species in the first place.
But if you're aware of the possible breastfeeding pitfalls before you get lost in a postpartum fog, you can drastically lower the number of days filled with long crying jags (yours, not the baby's) and the number of times you swear like a sailor at your husband for not having breasts. Simply put, once you know what to expect, you've laid the groundwork for a successful breastfeeding experience — one that is rewarding, exhausting, magical, and, of course, free of charge.
click to read more...
Why Women Don't Nurse Longer (BabyTalk)
A Babytalk exclusive report on why breastfeeding can be controversial
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You've heard it by now: A mom should breastfeed her baby for at least the first year of life, as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Today, more new moms than ever try to nurse. In 2004, the most recent year for which government statistics are available, about 70 percent of U.S. mothers reported that they had tried breastfeeding, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). That's up from 55 percent in 1993.
But then consider this: At 6 months, only 36 percent were still nursing. At 12 months, the number dips to 17 percent — fewer than one in five mothers. While moms know that breastfeeding gives babies the best start in life, legions of them find it difficult — if not downright impossible — to nurse longer than six months, let alone up to the one-year milestone.
Whether it's a baby who has trouble latching on, a work schedule that doesn't allow time for pumping, or a lack of support at home, the forces that conspire against women who want to breastfeed are far-reaching in their scope. Many moms who plan to nurse are caught off-guard by the challenges breastfeeding can present. In fact, according to a nationally representative Babytalk survey, 46 percent of moms said that breastfeeding required more time than they'd expected and 56 percent wished that they had been able to nurse longer than they did. Here's what's undermining women's efforts, and how you can get the support you need to keep going.
click to read more...
It's hard for me not to cringe as I link to an article on BabyTalk Magazine - they're usually just so, well, awful (across the board, not just on breastfeeding)! But I do think they deserve kudos for trying, and so I link....
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You've heard it by now: A mom should breastfeed her baby for at least the first year of life, as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Today, more new moms than ever try to nurse. In 2004, the most recent year for which government statistics are available, about 70 percent of U.S. mothers reported that they had tried breastfeeding, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). That's up from 55 percent in 1993.
But then consider this: At 6 months, only 36 percent were still nursing. At 12 months, the number dips to 17 percent — fewer than one in five mothers. While moms know that breastfeeding gives babies the best start in life, legions of them find it difficult — if not downright impossible — to nurse longer than six months, let alone up to the one-year milestone.
Whether it's a baby who has trouble latching on, a work schedule that doesn't allow time for pumping, or a lack of support at home, the forces that conspire against women who want to breastfeed are far-reaching in their scope. Many moms who plan to nurse are caught off-guard by the challenges breastfeeding can present. In fact, according to a nationally representative Babytalk survey, 46 percent of moms said that breastfeeding required more time than they'd expected and 56 percent wished that they had been able to nurse longer than they did. Here's what's undermining women's efforts, and how you can get the support you need to keep going.
click to read more...
It's hard for me not to cringe as I link to an article on BabyTalk Magazine - they're usually just so, well, awful (across the board, not just on breastfeeding)! But I do think they deserve kudos for trying, and so I link....
Breast-Feeding Controversy: The Fight to Nourish in Public (ABC News)
July 18, 2006 — Although studies show that breast-feeding is healthy for both mother and child, 57 percent of the public are uncomfortable with public breast-feeding, according to Babytalk magazine.
The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests mothers feed their babies breast milk exclusively in their first six months.
Breast-feeding in public is not outlawed in any state; however, 42 states have laws that specifically protect a woman's right to breast-feed in public.
click to read more...
The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests mothers feed their babies breast milk exclusively in their first six months.
Breast-feeding in public is not outlawed in any state; however, 42 states have laws that specifically protect a woman's right to breast-feed in public.
click to read more...
Monday, July 17, 2006
banthebags.org
Check out BanTheBags.org, home of the national campaign to stop hospital-based marketing of infant formula to new mothers!
banthebags.org
banthebags.org
Sunday, July 16, 2006
Perfect food difficult for public to swallow (Independent Record)
Breast-feeding. That one single word has the power to spark heated public debate.
In 2004, an Iowa City woman was kicked out of a restaurant because she was nursing her baby. The owner, and then the owner’s wife, told her she was upsetting other customers and asked her to feed her baby in the restroom. She refused, so she and her family were then asked to leave.
As a nursing mother, I’d like to ask a question: Why couldn’t those customers who were so offended in that restaurant have turned their heads to look in a different direction?
click to read more...
In 2004, an Iowa City woman was kicked out of a restaurant because she was nursing her baby. The owner, and then the owner’s wife, told her she was upsetting other customers and asked her to feed her baby in the restroom. She refused, so she and her family were then asked to leave.
As a nursing mother, I’d like to ask a question: Why couldn’t those customers who were so offended in that restaurant have turned their heads to look in a different direction?
click to read more...
Saturday, July 15, 2006
Vote (ABC News)
Good Morning America is going to be doing a piece on Tuesday about breastfeeding. They are currently running a poll on their website: "How Do You Feel About Public Breastfeeding?"
click to view site and vote
click to view site and vote
New Law Protects Breastfeeding Mothers (WBKO)
Susan Brown is a lactation consultant with the Barren River Area District Health Department. She says: "We've been waiting for this law for a long time. It didn't just happen overnight. We've known about it in the breastfeeding world for a long time and have been supporting it. We're really excited."
The excitement is all about Senate Bill 106. It explicitly permits mothers to breastfeed their baby or express their breast milk in public and prevents anyone from interfering with a mother breastfeeding in public.
Brown says: "What it means is that all breastfeeding moms in Kentucky now have no fear of breastfeeding in public. Before the law was a little bit fuzzy and a mom might be asked to leave a mall or restaurant, anywhere she might be breastfeeding her baby."
click to read more...
The excitement is all about Senate Bill 106. It explicitly permits mothers to breastfeed their baby or express their breast milk in public and prevents anyone from interfering with a mother breastfeeding in public.
Brown says: "What it means is that all breastfeeding moms in Kentucky now have no fear of breastfeeding in public. Before the law was a little bit fuzzy and a mom might be asked to leave a mall or restaurant, anywhere she might be breastfeeding her baby."
click to read more...
Should women be discreet when breast feeding? (Atlanta Journal Constitution)
Should women be discreet when breast feeding?
Diane Glass, a left-leaning columnist, writes the commentary this week and Shaunti Feldhahn, a right-leaning columnist, responds.
click to read more...
Diane Glass, a left-leaning columnist, writes the commentary this week and Shaunti Feldhahn, a right-leaning columnist, responds.
click to read more...
Friday, July 14, 2006
Love Bites (Eye Weekly)
"Over the years, I've had the opportunity to do research into the culture of breastfeeding and motherhood. Opinions are never middling: mothers are sexualized, then chided for expressing this themselves; they're desexualized then forced to live this role for other people's comfort; they're told there's nothing more natural than breastfeeding, but humiliated for doing it in public -- people fetishize breast milk, breastfeeding, breasts, breasts, breasts. Everyone seems to have an opinion, each polarizing the other and, as many breastfeeding mothers will tell you, even perfect strangers are not afraid to share.
"Dobkin is the first person I've come across looking at the complexities of breastfeeding by openly and creatively recognizing the sensual, ordinary and even comical nature of this act. In doing so, she challenges all opinions -- a totally fucking cool stand in the mother-as-untouchable debate. "
click to read more...
"Dobkin is the first person I've come across looking at the complexities of breastfeeding by openly and creatively recognizing the sensual, ordinary and even comical nature of this act. In doing so, she challenges all opinions -- a totally fucking cool stand in the mother-as-untouchable debate. "
click to read more...
Nanny goat adopts and breastfeeds "disowned" lamb (Tabloid News)
Residents of Appiakwaa, a suburb of Saltpond in the Central Region have for the past three months savoured a rare spectacle of a sympathetic nanny goat that had adopted and breastfed a surviving lamb that its own mother had turned its back on.
Explaining the spectacle to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at her residence at Saltpond, Madam Esi Banowah, owner of the animals said both the sheep and the goat by some coincidence delivered on the same day, but the sheep refused to breast-feed its two lambs. As a result one died on the third day from starvation.
click to read more...
Explaining the spectacle to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at her residence at Saltpond, Madam Esi Banowah, owner of the animals said both the sheep and the goat by some coincidence delivered on the same day, but the sheep refused to breast-feed its two lambs. As a result one died on the third day from starvation.
click to read more...
Nursing a grudge over breast-feeding (The Plain Dealer)
The first question in the ask-the-doctor newspaper column was: "Does breast-feeding increase the bust size?"
I happened to be editing the column, some years ago on the copy desk of another paper, and thought it would be a nice touch to add a new top to the answer: "It depends on what you feed them. But seriously . . ."
click to read more...
I happened to be editing the column, some years ago on the copy desk of another paper, and thought it would be a nice touch to add a new top to the answer: "It depends on what you feed them. But seriously . . ."
click to read more...
Thursday, July 13, 2006
Is the Breast Better? (ABC News)
July 13, 2006 — Do you cringe when you see a woman breast-feeding in public? Or do you pass judgment when you see a woman buy milk formula for her newborn? Americans have mixed visceral reactions to breast-feeding, and a recent breast-feeding ad campaign has brought those reactions to a roiling boil.
The U.S. government spent $2 million on an ad campaign to promote breast-feeding. One of the ads shows a pregnant woman logrolling; another shows her riding a mechanical bull. Both ads ask: "You wouldn't take this kind of risk with your baby, so then why would you take the risk by not breast-feeding?"
America has one of the lowest breast-feeding rates of any industrialized country. That could be due, in part, to how uneasy Americans get when it comes to seeing a woman nursing in public.
click to read more...
The U.S. government spent $2 million on an ad campaign to promote breast-feeding. One of the ads shows a pregnant woman logrolling; another shows her riding a mechanical bull. Both ads ask: "You wouldn't take this kind of risk with your baby, so then why would you take the risk by not breast-feeding?"
America has one of the lowest breast-feeding rates of any industrialized country. That could be due, in part, to how uneasy Americans get when it comes to seeing a woman nursing in public.
click to read more...
Hospital Baby-Formula Freebies Spur Controversy (Women's E News)
BOSTON (WOMENSENEWS)--For years, hospitals have sent new mothers home with a gift bag of goodies.
The bags, usually stamped with the logo of an infant formula manufacturer, often contain baby books, diapers and coupons for infant-care products. They also often contain free infant formula donated by manufacturers, a practice that is becoming increasingly controversial.
This spring, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services ended a two-year breastfeeding campaign by the New York-based Ad Council warning that not breastfeeding could hurt a newborn's health.
click to read more...
The bags, usually stamped with the logo of an infant formula manufacturer, often contain baby books, diapers and coupons for infant-care products. They also often contain free infant formula donated by manufacturers, a practice that is becoming increasingly controversial.
This spring, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services ended a two-year breastfeeding campaign by the New York-based Ad Council warning that not breastfeeding could hurt a newborn's health.
click to read more...
Nursing story big on Web (The Free Press)
Breastfeeding enthusiasts come to defense of Kyle mom
BUDA, Texas (STPNS) -- After The Free Press reported last week that Michelle Hickey was asked not to breastfeed her baby in public at the Kyle Municipal Swimming Pool, she discovered that her defenders were just a mouse click away.
“Once these stories catch on, mothers really advocate for their babies and especially their breastfeeding choices,” said Amy Miller, founder of the Kyle branch of La Leche League, which supports breastfeeding mothers. “The phone has definitely been ringing here at my house. I’m getting calls from women across Texas.”
click to read more...
BUDA, Texas (STPNS) -- After The Free Press reported last week that Michelle Hickey was asked not to breastfeed her baby in public at the Kyle Municipal Swimming Pool, she discovered that her defenders were just a mouse click away.
“Once these stories catch on, mothers really advocate for their babies and especially their breastfeeding choices,” said Amy Miller, founder of the Kyle branch of La Leche League, which supports breastfeeding mothers. “The phone has definitely been ringing here at my house. I’m getting calls from women across Texas.”
click to read more...
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Breast-feeding linked to less bed-wetting (United Press International)
A U.S. study concludes children who are breast-fed as infants have a lower rate of bed-wetting after the age of 5.
click to read more...
click to read more...
Baby You Were Born To Breastfeed (Scoop Independent News))
Babies are born to breastfeed and without doubt exclusive breastfeeding from birth to six months of age represents an ideal window of opportunity for reducing the risk of obesity and diabetes.
Presenting an oral submission to the Health Committee today, the Infant Feeding Association of New Zealand (IFANZ) will outline some of the biological mechanisms that set artificially fed infants apart from those who breastfeed.
“Comparing breastfeeding to artificial feeding is like comparing a nutritious home-cooked meal to a third-rate takeaway”, says Marcia Annandale, Trustee and Coordinator of IFANZ.
click to read more...
Presenting an oral submission to the Health Committee today, the Infant Feeding Association of New Zealand (IFANZ) will outline some of the biological mechanisms that set artificially fed infants apart from those who breastfeed.
“Comparing breastfeeding to artificial feeding is like comparing a nutritious home-cooked meal to a third-rate takeaway”, says Marcia Annandale, Trustee and Coordinator of IFANZ.
click to read more...
Milk of human kindness (Naples Daily News)
Breast-milk bank in Southwest Florida helping mothers and babies all over the country
Got milk? Ashley Rodriguez does, and she’s giving it away.
The 30-year-old who gave birth four months ago to daughter Chloe donates extra breast milk to the Family Birth Center of Fort Myers.
Rodriguez is one of hundreds of women nationwide who donate milk to mothers who cannot produce their own, specifically in the case of mothers who’ve given birth to premature babies that specific nutritional needs.
click to read more...
Got milk? Ashley Rodriguez does, and she’s giving it away.
The 30-year-old who gave birth four months ago to daughter Chloe donates extra breast milk to the Family Birth Center of Fort Myers.
Rodriguez is one of hundreds of women nationwide who donate milk to mothers who cannot produce their own, specifically in the case of mothers who’ve given birth to premature babies that specific nutritional needs.
click to read more...
Public Breastfeeding (The Courier-Journal)
Kentucky mothers who breastfeed their babies will no longer have to fear being asked to leave restaurants, malls and other public places. Approved as SB 106, the new law makes it clear that breastfeeding in public is not a crime.
click to read more... (scroll down)
click to read more... (scroll down)
Breast-Feeding in Public Completely Legal Beginning Today (WTVQ 36)
Do you think it's indecent exposure for a nursing mother to breast feed her child in public?
As of July 12, it's legal in Kentucky.
click to read more...(video also available)
As of July 12, it's legal in Kentucky.
click to read more...(video also available)
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
La Leche celebrates 50th (Berkshire Eagle Online)
DALTON — Breastfeeding. Say it. Breastfeeding. One more time: breastfeeding.
Though it's a lifestyle that some people may blush or boo at, it's something that the members and groups of La Leche League International have been practicing and promoting now for 50 years.
The mothers of the La Leche (pronounced lay-chay) League of Berkshire County gathered last evening with their friends and families in Pine Grove Park to share potluck sandwiches and snacks in celebration of their shared experience of being mothers who chose to breastfeed their children.
They also shared their personal stories about how they came to La Leche and how it has been helping women all over the county and the world.
click to read more...
Though it's a lifestyle that some people may blush or boo at, it's something that the members and groups of La Leche League International have been practicing and promoting now for 50 years.
The mothers of the La Leche (pronounced lay-chay) League of Berkshire County gathered last evening with their friends and families in Pine Grove Park to share potluck sandwiches and snacks in celebration of their shared experience of being mothers who chose to breastfeed their children.
They also shared their personal stories about how they came to La Leche and how it has been helping women all over the county and the world.
click to read more...
Monday, July 10, 2006
Mother's milk a precious commodity for premature babies (My San Antonio)
A study in the Journal of Pediatrics found that feeding tiny premature babies mother's milk may actually help their mental development later in life.
Breastfeeding mother Jennifer Nava knows that everyday her premature twins thrive is another miracle. Mateo and Eliud Nava were born in May, theree months early.
While they gain strength at University Hospital in San Antonio, Nava pumps breast milk every three hours, freezes it and brings it to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
"Of course, it (pumping breast milk) takes a lot of time, and then recovering also, it's a little painful at first, but it's all worth it," Nava said. "You can't get that anywhere else. It's not like formula."
click to read more...
Breastfeeding mother Jennifer Nava knows that everyday her premature twins thrive is another miracle. Mateo and Eliud Nava were born in May, theree months early.
While they gain strength at University Hospital in San Antonio, Nava pumps breast milk every three hours, freezes it and brings it to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
"Of course, it (pumping breast milk) takes a lot of time, and then recovering also, it's a little painful at first, but it's all worth it," Nava said. "You can't get that anywhere else. It's not like formula."
click to read more...
Right to breast-feed, nudity law on agenda (Wichita Eagle)
Breast-feeding mothers will be exempt from local anti-nudity laws if the Wichita City Council accepts a proposed change to the law at its meeting Tuesday.
The proposal would bring Wichita's obscenity laws in line with a new state law that protects a woman's right to breast-feed "in any place she has the right to be."
According to the current city law, display of the female breast -- specifically the center of the breast -- is considered nudity, and, consequently, off-limits in public. Violations are punishable by a $2,500 fine and a year in jail.
The proposed change would add "a mother breast-feeding her child" as an exemption.
click to read more...
The proposal would bring Wichita's obscenity laws in line with a new state law that protects a woman's right to breast-feed "in any place she has the right to be."
According to the current city law, display of the female breast -- specifically the center of the breast -- is considered nudity, and, consequently, off-limits in public. Violations are punishable by a $2,500 fine and a year in jail.
The proposed change would add "a mother breast-feeding her child" as an exemption.
click to read more...
Friday, July 07, 2006
UNICEF's Regional Training Course on Protecting Breastfeeding to be held in Baku (Today.Az)
Second Sub-Regional Training Course on implementing the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes to be held on July 10-14 in Baku, Azerbaijan.
If every baby were exclusively breastfed from birth for 6 months, an estimated 1.5 million lives would be saved each year. Not just saved but enhanced, because breastmilk is the perfect food for a baby's first six months of life - no manufactured product can equal it.
In 1981, the World Health Assembly, which consists of the health ministers of almost all countries, responded vigorously to inappropriate promotional efforts of the infant-food industry by adopting the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk substitutes, drafted by WHO, UNICEF, NGOs and representatives of the infant food industry.
The Code establishes minimum standards to regulate marketing practices by setting out the responsibilities of companies, health workers, governments and others and provides standards for the labelling of breastmilk substitutes.
click to read more...
If every baby were exclusively breastfed from birth for 6 months, an estimated 1.5 million lives would be saved each year. Not just saved but enhanced, because breastmilk is the perfect food for a baby's first six months of life - no manufactured product can equal it.
In 1981, the World Health Assembly, which consists of the health ministers of almost all countries, responded vigorously to inappropriate promotional efforts of the infant-food industry by adopting the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk substitutes, drafted by WHO, UNICEF, NGOs and representatives of the infant food industry.
The Code establishes minimum standards to regulate marketing practices by setting out the responsibilities of companies, health workers, governments and others and provides standards for the labelling of breastmilk substitutes.
click to read more...
'Breast ironing' to stunt girls' growthwidespread (CNN.com)
YAOUNDE, Cameroon (Reuters) -- Worried that her daughters' budding breasts would expose them to the risk of sexual harassment and even rape, their mother Philomene Moungang started 'ironing' the girls' bosoms with a heated stone.
"I did it to my two girls when they were eight years old. I would take the grinding stone, heat it in the fire and press it hard on the breasts," Moungang said.
"They cried and said it was painful. But I explained that it was for their own good."
"Breast ironing" -- the use of hard or heated objects or other substances to try to stunt breast growth in girls -- is a traditional practice in West Africa, experts say.
click to read more...
"I did it to my two girls when they were eight years old. I would take the grinding stone, heat it in the fire and press it hard on the breasts," Moungang said.
"They cried and said it was painful. But I explained that it was for their own good."
"Breast ironing" -- the use of hard or heated objects or other substances to try to stunt breast growth in girls -- is a traditional practice in West Africa, experts say.
click to read more...
Thursday, July 06, 2006
Help get H-1782 passed
We only have until the end of July to get this bill passed - your action is critically important!
Here's how you can help -
Call your elected officials in Massachusetts. Not sure who they are? Go to the Mass.gov website and look up your city or town. Your state legislators are listed in the community profile.
When you call, just let the person who answers the phone know that you want your reps to support H-1782, the breastfeeding in public act. The nice person who answers will ask for your name and address in order to authenticate the call.
You can also write letters or send faxes; calls are most strongly recommended, but a letter makes for a nice follow up to that phone call and allows you to expound upon the issue.
The Office of Child Advocacy at Children's Hospital has set up an action alert with an email you can send to your representatives. It takes only a few minutes!
You can also help by spreading the word. The more people we can get to call and write, the better! Our legislators need to know that there is a strong level of support for this bill, and that we want to see it passed!!
Here's how you can help -
Call your elected officials in Massachusetts. Not sure who they are? Go to the Mass.gov website and look up your city or town. Your state legislators are listed in the community profile.
When you call, just let the person who answers the phone know that you want your reps to support H-1782, the breastfeeding in public act. The nice person who answers will ask for your name and address in order to authenticate the call.
You can also write letters or send faxes; calls are most strongly recommended, but a letter makes for a nice follow up to that phone call and allows you to expound upon the issue.
The Office of Child Advocacy at Children's Hospital has set up an action alert with an email you can send to your representatives. It takes only a few minutes!
You can also help by spreading the word. The more people we can get to call and write, the better! Our legislators need to know that there is a strong level of support for this bill, and that we want to see it passed!!
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
Breast-feeding protest draws crowd, attention (The Journal Times Online)
RACINE - Approximately 20 women and their children came out to support Rebecca Cook Saturday afternoon at a nurse-in in front of the Victoria's Secret store at Regency Mall.
Cook said she was back at the store to protest "because they harassed me and that other mom in Boston."
Cook said she and a friend were shopping at the store last week, when she asked for the use of a dressing room where she could nurse her daughter. She was told there weren't any available, and Cook offered to sit in the corner, in the back of the dressing room hallway. Staff members told her that was not acceptable.
click to read more...
Cook said she was back at the store to protest "because they harassed me and that other mom in Boston."
Cook said she and a friend were shopping at the store last week, when she asked for the use of a dressing room where she could nurse her daughter. She was told there weren't any available, and Cook offered to sit in the corner, in the back of the dressing room hallway. Staff members told her that was not acceptable.
click to read more...
Breast-Feeding May Protect Against Bed-Wetting (Forbes.com)
WEDNESDAY, July 5 (HealthDay News) -- Babies who are breast-fed for longer than three months are less likely to become bed-wetters, a new study suggests.
"Although this data is preliminary data, my advice [to mothers] would be to breast-feed their babies longer than three months for the developmental advantages this provides, and one of those may be protection against bed-wetting," said study author Dr. Joseph G. Barone, a pediatrics expert at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick, N.J.
click to read more...
"Although this data is preliminary data, my advice [to mothers] would be to breast-feed their babies longer than three months for the developmental advantages this provides, and one of those may be protection against bed-wetting," said study author Dr. Joseph G. Barone, a pediatrics expert at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick, N.J.
click to read more...
Alabama Allow Breastfeeding in Public (WTVY)
The Alabama legislature passed a law in April saying a mother may breastfeed her child in any public place, and the law went into effect this Saturday.
News 4 spoke with Wiregrass residents who say they support the new law.
Gail Jackson has three children and she breastfed all of them. She was too shy to do it in public, but she isn't offended if someone is discrete about it.
"There was a lady breastfeeding at a table the other day; it was fine. The baby was happy, the family was happy, it was fine,” said Jackson.
click to read more...
News 4 spoke with Wiregrass residents who say they support the new law.
Gail Jackson has three children and she breastfed all of them. She was too shy to do it in public, but she isn't offended if someone is discrete about it.
"There was a lady breastfeeding at a table the other day; it was fine. The baby was happy, the family was happy, it was fine,” said Jackson.
click to read more...
Breastfeeding and the Law (Bostonist)
I recently received a petition by e-mail to support passage of a proposed state law that would protect mothers who breast feed in public from being charged with indecent exposure. Is this really a pressing issue? I thought we had protective laws.
- A mom in Somerville
No Mass. law expressly protects breast feeding, putting the Commonwealth in the minority of states (only 14 others have no law that explicitly allows breastfeeding in public places) (you can see a state-by-state summary of breastfeeding laws here).
click to read more...
- A mom in Somerville
No Mass. law expressly protects breast feeding, putting the Commonwealth in the minority of states (only 14 others have no law that explicitly allows breastfeeding in public places) (you can see a state-by-state summary of breastfeeding laws here).
click to read more...
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
Biting the Hand That Feeds You (Palm Beach Post)
OK, well maybe not the hand
Victoria’s Secret became the target of breast-feeding activists this week after a women in Racine, Wis., and Quincy, Mass., went into the popular women’s lingerie store and were told they couldn’t breastfeed their children on the sales floor.
It’s hard to imagine that Victoria’s Secret, of all places, could be anti-breast — or at least squeamish about the partial exposure of a woman’s breast amid the racks of revealing peekaboo attire on sale.
But it happened. The result: Victoria’s Secret was the target of a nationwide “nurse-in” protest this past weekend called for by a group of angry breastfeeding women.
click to read more...
Victoria’s Secret became the target of breast-feeding activists this week after a women in Racine, Wis., and Quincy, Mass., went into the popular women’s lingerie store and were told they couldn’t breastfeed their children on the sales floor.
It’s hard to imagine that Victoria’s Secret, of all places, could be anti-breast — or at least squeamish about the partial exposure of a woman’s breast amid the racks of revealing peekaboo attire on sale.
But it happened. The result: Victoria’s Secret was the target of a nationwide “nurse-in” protest this past weekend called for by a group of angry breastfeeding women.
click to read more...
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