Update on breastfeeding legislation

From the Massachusetts Breastfeeding Coalition:

1) We need your action NOW on a bill in the US House of Reps, by Carolyn Maloney, the Breastfeeding Promotion Act, HR 2236. The bill currently has only 23 cosponsors, and needs about 200 cosponsors to move forward. The only current cosponsors from MA are Reps. Frank and Olver. Please contact your Rep now and urge him/her to cosponsor this bill.

To contact your Representative about this bill, you can either go through MomsRising at:
http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizationsORG/momsrising/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=13731 or the Children's Hospital advocacy page at: http://capwiz.com/childadvocacy/home/

This bill makes breastpumps tax deductible, provides for safety standards for them, and gives incentives to employers to help moms pump. To read the text of the bill, and see a list of cosponsors, go to: http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h110-2236

2) As you may have heard in the news, state Sen. Fargo's bill on breastfeeding in public easily passed the Senate, and has moved on to the House. Her office is currently soliciting letters of support from leading health organizations to help move this bill forward. The bill, formerly S78, has been renumbered S 2438, and no longer includes worksite measures. We support this bill!

The text is at http://www.mass.gov/legis/bills/senate/185/st02pdf/st02438.pdf

Melissa Bartick, MD
Mass. Breastfeeding Coalition

February

My blog has been on hiatus for a while now. The past couple of years have been rough ones in our family. And life, rightly so, has thus taken precedence.

I've also felt that there are a number of blogs out there in the breastfeeding field which are far more interesting and, well, just plain better at what they do. If you're not reading the following blogs, then you really ought to be:

The Lactivist

The Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog

Human Milk Patent Pending

These blogs are written by smart, savvy women who are passionate about their topic. At my best, I've never been as good as they are!

I'd also like to point you in the direction of another blog, that of the amazing and wonderful WhyMommy. WhyMommy is recovering from a double mastectomy, and is a battle tested warrior in the fight against breast cancer. I am especially grateful to WhyMommy, who took the time to discuss inflammatory breast cancer with me last fall when several troubling symptoms presented themselves. At her urging, I pushed my doctor for further tests, and when my first doctor was dismissive I found another. My story has a happy ending - after lots of tests, and more sleepless and fearful nights than I care to recount, I am happy to report that I have nothing more serious than fibrocystic breast disease. I will be forever grateful for WhyMommy, as she gave me the confidence to insist on a doctor who treated me with respect and took me seriously.

Getting back to the topic of breastfeeding... I'm not sure how often I will be posting here, or what direction these posts will take - we'll just have to take it as it comes.

Applebee's accuses nursing mother of having "an agenda"

Recently I heard of yet another mother being harassed in a restaurant for breastfeeding. This time it's in Kentucky, and it's a major chain - Applebee's.

I have not spoken with Brooke Ryan directly, and I will not post her email without her permission. However, Kentucky.com is featuring Ms. Ryan's story, which you can read here.

Here are the facts - Kentucky passed a law in 2006 which protects a mother's right to breastfeed her baby. Applebee's violated this law.

But that's not bad enough, apparently. Mike Scanlon is the president of Thomas & King, which operates the Applebee's restaurants in central Kentucky, and here's what he had to say about the incident:

"It is perfectly legal to breast-feed in public and we support that," Scanlon said. "I'm not sure the manager said cover the baby's head, I think he said cover yourself modestly. This was by no means intended as interference, but a request to do it modestly, which I believe is an appropriate response."

Ok, I don't love that response - but WAIT! It gets better!

Scanlon suggested that Ryan had an "agenda."

"I note with interest that she had a copy of the statute with her," he said.

An agenda?!?

Last year in Kansas, the state's Department of Health and Environment handed out 40,000 laminated cards which explained the recently passed breastfeeding law. Does Mr. Scanlan think these women have an agenda as well? Is it an agenda if you want to simply be left alone so you can feed your baby?

The sad fact is that many nursing mothers do carry a copy of their state law with them, and this incident at Applebee's is a perfect illustration of why they do so.

Mr. Scanlan should be ashamed of himself.

Today the Motherwear breastfeeding Blog features a wonderful story about a breastfeeding mother whose son had heart surgery. Please take a minute to read it!

Synchroized Breastfeeding

SouthCoastToday.com is running a nice article on a local group's participation in the international effort to break the Guinness World Record for breastfeeding synchronized breastfeeding. (Yes, there is a world record - last year, 3,541 mothers simultaneously breastfed their babies in the Phillipines.) The activity was organized as part of World Breastfeeding Week, and obviously it got some attention.

I was struck by one detail and how it was presented in the story:

"I'm really pro breast-feeding," [Angela] Aranjo said, adding that one time, she was politely 'kicked out of Wal-Mart for breast-feeding in public' after another customer complained.

"Politely" kicked out of Wal-Mart? I'd really love to hear the back story on this one.

Massachusetts remains one of the only states without legislation to protect a nursing mother's right to feed her baby in public places, and it is an embarrassment. Exactly what do our lawmakers need in order to stop dithering and start doing something?

Getting by with a little help from your friends...

CNN has a great article today, "Five breast-feeding mistakes new moms make, and how to fix them." Erika Clowes, a mother from California, is profiled; she had trouble getting started with breastfeeding, but was incredibly proactive and persistent about getting the help she needed. Clowes started "The Booby Brigade," a group of breastfeeding mothers willing to help each other out.

My favorite suggestion is that mothers turn to their successfully breastfeeding friends. So many women overlook the resource that's right there! A lot of simple issues can be solved by a friend looking over your shoulder and giving a bit of advice.

Who were your breastfeeding helpers? I owe everything to the IBCLCs at my local hospital's breastfeeding support group, who encouraged me despite the considerable difficulties we were having, and to La Leche League, who validated my family's choices when we were parenting our nursing toddler.

New CDC Rates

In today's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly report, the CDC released the report "Breastfeeding Trends and Updated National Health Objectives for Exclusive Breastfeeding --- United States, Birth Years 2000--2004."

I didn't find anything terribly surprising in these figures. Just over 70% of mothers initiate breastfeeding in the hospital, and then the rates plummet. 30% of babies born in 2004 were still breastfeeding exclusively at 3 months, and at six months only 11% were still exclusively breastfeeding. White infants are more likely to be exclusively breastfed than their black peers, and babies born to unmarried mothers were less likely to be exclusively breastfed.

What I did find interesting was the way this was reported in the media. Here's a sampling of the headlines:

Breastfeeding Statistics Up, says CDC, (WebMD)

Breastfeeding at a high, but tapers fast (Los Angeles Times)

New Mothers Stop Breastfeeding Too Soon, CDC finds (Kansas City Star)

Study: Babies Off Breast Too Early (Boston Globe)

U.S. Breastfeeding Rates Rise to Record High (Scientific American)


Most of these papers are working off the same AP or Reuters story - the difference is in how the editors have chosen to spin it. Kind of fascinating when you think about it.

Here's the bads news... the CDC is tracking the breastfeeding rates as part of the Healthy People 2010 project. One of the goals of HP2010 is to increase breastfeeding rates, because the CDC recognizes that

"Breastfeeding is associated with decreased risk for many early-life diseases and conditions, including otitis media, respiratory tract infections, atopic dermatitis, gastroenteritis, type 2 diabetes, sudden infant death syndrome, and obesity. Breastfeeding also is associated with health benefits to women, including decreased risk for type 2 diabetes, ovarian cancer, and breast cancer."

What are the Healthy People 2010 goals?

* 75% of mothers breastfeeding in the early post-partum period
* 50% of mothers breastfeeding at six months
* 25% of mothers breastfeeding at one year

We have a long way to go. It's not enough to get breastfeeding started right after birth - we need to provide support and encouragement well beyond that initial postpartum period.

More WBW goodness

Stork Magazine is promoting World Breastfeeding Week with the help of Jessica Hebert, a model and new mother. Enjoy!

Give the bag the boot

Some great news for World Breastfeeding Week - New York City hospitals have stopped handing out formula company marketing bags! And I am also hearing, via the Reluctant Lactivist, that hospitals in Portland, Oregon have also stopped the formula 'freebies' - voluntarily!!

As someone from Massachusetts who worked hard on the Ban The Bags initiative in the Bay State - only to see then-Governor Romney put big pharma profits ahead of public health - I am thrilled about this news.

Why?

These are not freebies that are being handed out - they provide the manufacturers with up to a 1000% return on their initial investment. Formula is still provided to mothers who choose to formula feed their infants. But now health care providers are no longer put in the position of marketing products to their patients, and poor families are no longer hooked into buying expensive formula they can't really afford.

Bottom line - hospitals should market health, nothing else.

Hospital-based Marketing of Infant Formula
Ban the Bags Toolkit

WBW Book Release Challenge

Now this is a fabulous way to celebrate World Breastfeeding Week - the Second Annual World Breastfeeding Week Book Release Challenge!

This month-long celebration combines two of my great loves - books and breastfeeding - and is flat out ingenious!

click to read more...

Happy World Breastfeeding Week!

World Breastfeeding Week is celebrated from August 1-7 every year. This year's theme - Breastfeeding: The First Hour.

Initiation of breastfeeding within the 1^st hour of birth is the first and most vital step towards reducing infant and under-five mortality, by reducing the overwhelmingly high neonatal mortality rate. Save ONE million babies – beginning with one action, one hour support and one message: beginning breastfeeding within the 1^st hour of birth! - http://worldbreastfeedingweek.org/

Prolacta & the International Breast Milk Project

I've previously written about Prolacta and their shady way of doing business, but it turns out that even worse than I'd suspected.

Jen at The Lactivist has done an excellent job, asking the right questions of the right people and exposing Prolacta's involvement in the International Breast Milk Project. IBMP was started with the best of intentions, but it has evolved into a money making scheme that takes advantage of women's generosity.

The IBFS blog has picked up the ball and is running with it. This is a story which deserves your attention.

In the Boston area, people are working tirelessly and passionately to establish a milk bank. This milk bank will be affiliated with the Human Milk Banking Association of North America (HMBNA) and will be a non-profit entity.

If you are in a position to donate breast milk, please do so. There are critically ill infants who desperately need your help. But please, please make sure you know to whom you're donating that most precious gift.

Breast milk no longer considered a potential terrorism tool

Well, here's a spot of bright news - the TSA no longer considers breastmilk a threat. After countless mothers were forced to throw away their breastmilk, or in some cases to taste it for screeners to "prove" it posed no security threat, the TSA has finally changed its ridiculous policy.

Breastfeeding and Celiac Disease

I've been reading The Gluten-Free Bible by Jax Peters Lowell - navigating my new gluten-free lifestyle is a little intimidating, and this book has been highly recommended. You can imagine my delight when I scanned the table of contents and discovered a section on breastfeeding!

The good news? Lowell comes down firmly on the side of the benefits of breastfeeding, listing many reasons why breastfeeding is best for your little one.

The disappointing news? Lowell appears unaware of the research which supports her advice, and misses a great opportunity to educate her readers. Given how much work went into the book, I'm fairly astonished at the oversight.

So, for your reference, here are a couple of the research articles on the topic:

Breast-feeding protects against celiac disease. (Ivarsson A, Hernell O, Stenlund H, Persson LA)

Effect of breast feeding on risk of coeliac disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies (A K Akobeng1, A V Ramanan, I Buchan and R F Heller)


Reading up on celiac disease in Sweden has proved fascinating. In the mid-eighties Sweden experienced a significant spike in the cases of celiac in children two and under; the spike resolved itself within ten years. In trying to figure out what caused the dramatic rise, researchers identified three key factors - the age at which gluten was introduced into the diet, whether the infant was being breastfed at the time of gluten introduction, and how much gluten was given to the infant.

Basically, the younger the child was when gluten was introduced to the diet (typically through cereal), the higher the risk of developing celiac disease. Breastfeeding appears to provide protection; nursing children who were consuming gluten were 40% less likely to develop celiac disease than their weaned counterparts. At the beginning of the time period studied, Swedish breastfeeding rates were at a low (37%); at the end of the time period, breastfeeding rates had increased to 76% and the incidence of celiac disease had decreased.

One of the theories is that the IgA antibodies in human milk provide protection to the infant's gut when gluten is introduced.

Yet another reason I'm glad I breastfed my daughter!

Almost back

I am slowly working my way back to being able to tend to this blog again. The situation with my daughter is ongoing, but at least we now know what's going on. this is going to be something she'll have to manage for the rest of her life, so now we're all working on establishing a 'new normal' baseline.

I was able to attend an advocacy training course at Boston's Childrne's Hospital, and it was amazing. I look forward to being able to put what I've learned into action.

In the meantime, I am grappling with the meaning of lactivism and the state of the lactivist movement. I am saddened to see some people trampling over individuals under the guise of furthering the cause.

I have a little prose piece taped to my printer which is titled, "What is support?" And after reading about the events of the past week, this one leaps out at me:

We are here to discuss steps with a woman... not to take steps for her.

I also think of the great document, "What is advocacy?" and to one of the advocacy pitfalls:

Advocacy is not an opportunity to make yourself feel powerful at the expense of others.

And so I continue to grapple in my own little corner of the world, and hope that this is just growing pains and that we can move beyond it.

blog on hiatus

Because of a family crisis that demands all of my attention, this blog will be on hiatus for the near forseeable future.

A group that nurtures (Daily Press)

I recently joined the ranks of parenthood, and there's one thing in Williamsburg that made that transition easier: the breast-feeding support group at Sentara Williamsburg Regional Medical Center.

I had my son at the now-shuttered Sentara Williamsburg Community Hospital, and the support group was my introduction to the beautiful new facility. The support group meets in the Yorktown conference room Monday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings for new moms to drop by from 10 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. Thursday sessions are actually called the New Moms Support Group and women who aren't breast-feeding are welcome. Mothers can weigh their babies and get help from Kris Kiley, the hospital's lactation consultant.

One of the reasons this group is so important is that mothers can meet other women going through the disorienting process of trying to feed a newborn baby. Babies can be somewhat demanding and getting a feeding schedule on track can be challenging. I found talking to other moms very helpful. Other women said that it helps with the baby blues to have people to talk to about the everyday challenges.


click to read more...

Breastfeeding in mealtime, comfort (Central Kentucky News Journal)

I am responding to an article written by Linda Ireland titled "Debating the public and private domain."

Do you know this woman? Have you ever met her or her child? How do you know that she could have covered up? Perhaps, her experience with her baby tells her that her baby would simply have began crying or thrown the blanket off, making it futile. Are you aware that many babies like to look around or into the eyes of their mother while they eat, that they will not nurse if covered up? For some, the blanket is a distraction. Are you aware that nursing comforts a fussy child?

Should she, instead, have allowed her child to scream and cry during the entire flight, just to avoid flashing an unsuspecting passenger? Are you aware that nursing lessens the painful popping sensation of the ears during take off and landing, that a child who is sucking on something is less apt to holler as a result of the discomfort? Are you aware that prolonged pacifier and bottle use can cause dental problems and interfere with milk supply?


click to read more...

Nursing is normal and not something to hide (Central Kentucky News Journal)

Linda Ireland recently wrote an editorial responding to the New Mexico mother expulsion from a Freedom Airlines flight on Monday, Dec. 4.

As a nursing mother myself, I am offended and appalled that Ireland compared the act of breastfeeding to mouth-breathing and belching.

Nursing a child is normal and not something to be hidden in shame or done in the bathroom.

Ireland suggested that all nursing mothers carry blankets just in case someone around them gets offended. Well, here's a newsflash for you: someone will be offended whether we cover or not.


click to read more...

Airlines ask for dismissal of breast-feeding complaint (Times Argus)

SOUTH BURLINGTON — Two airlines named in a complaint by a woman who was kicked off a flight for breast-feeding have asked the Vermont Human Rights Commission to dismiss it.

Freedom Airlines and Delta Air Lines say women can nurse babies on their planes, but they say the complaint filed by Emily Gillette, 27, of Santa Fe, N.M., which argues that breast-feeding is a right protected by Vermont's Public Accommodations Law, should be dismissed.

"Freedom denies having discriminated against the charging party in any manner whatsoever and specifically denies that any violation of the Vermont Fair Housing and Accommodations Act ... has occurred," Freedom wrote in its response, which was provided by Gillette's attorney, Elizabeth Boepple of Manchester.



click to read more...