Breastfeeding 1-2-3 » breast milk

The Medela Breast Milk Commercial

Angela White, J.D., breastfeeding counselor — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 04:36:30 +0000

After I posted about the Advertising of Infant Milk, two commenters mentioned how much they liked the Medela commercial that has been running on the Discovery Health Channel. Curious to see the “breast milk commercial” myself, I found the 31-second ad on Medela’s website. (Go on, watch it. I’ll wait. Then come back and let me know what you think please!)

What do you think of the ad? My first thought was, “Way to go Medela! You actually showed actual breastfeeding, on television!” (Yes, actually, that is how I actually thought it LOL). Apparently though this version of the ad is a revision from a previous version that received complaints from the lactation community, and still the ad has received criticism for implying that a pump and bottles are necessary for breastfeeding, and for showing breast milk as a commodity in a grocery store, in a newspaper ad with coupons, and on a billboard. The whole point of the ad is that you will not find breast milk that way, but then there is still the impression at the end of the ad that a breastfeeding mother will need a pump to remove the milk from her breasts and need bottles to feed the baby. I don’t know. Medela is already in hot water with some in the lactation community for marketing bottles and nipples (teats) as a feeding system apart from a breast pump in violation of the WHO International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes. That marketing definitely bothers me. But this ad? I guess I am easily swayed by any portrayal of breastfeeding on television and by a cute smiling baby. I didn’t find the ad so troubling, and some breastfeeding women do need pumps and bottles.

So, what do you think of the ad? Is it a great promotion for breastfeeding or a devious undermining of breastfeeding? A little of both?

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Poll Results: Tasting Breast Milk

Angela White, J.D., breastfeeding counselor — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 04:38:49 +0000

I had no idea how the latest poll would turn out. When I asked “Have you ever tasted breast milk as an adult?” the answers consistently ran 2-to-1 in favor of having tasted breast milk at some point. The final results after 211 votes:

Please vote in the new poll in the side bar!

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Wordless* Wednesday: Oh yeah, she’s got breastmilk!

Angela White, J.D., breastfeeding counselor — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 10:36:27 +0000

* I got this onesie as a gift from Tanya at the Motherwear Breastfeeding blog. Visit her blog to buy a onesie to support a breastfeeding coalition!

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Have You Ever Tasted Breast Milk? A Poll

Angela White, J.D., breastfeeding counselor — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 00:26:03 +0000

Many of us tasted breast milk as infants of course, but have you ever tasted it as an adult? Maybe you were curious like Friends on television, illustrating a point like this professor, using it to treat cancer, or you have a breast milk fetish.

It’s the easiest poll ever!

{democracy:47}

To see all past poll results, click here.

Feel free to leave a comment! Have you tried breast milk, why, and what did you think (keep it clean or I won’t approve your comment)?

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Compliment or Insult?

Angela White, J.D., breastfeeding counselor — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 05:25:46 +0000

My six-year-old walked up to me, paused, and said, “You smell like milk!” I wasn’t sure whether or not to take that as a compliment. Later in the day, my three-year-old snuggled up in my arms for storytime, and when she leaned her head against my chest, she said, “Your mum-mums smell like fruit!” Compliment, I guess! Still, I made sure to take a shower before heading out to Back to School Night! Post from: Breastfeeding 1-2-3

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Breast Milk Clears a Stuffy Nose

Angela White, J.D., breastfeeding counselor — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 22:51:52 +0000

It was bound to happen eventually. We made it all the way to the third week of school before my first grader and preschooler brought home the first colds of the season. I reminded my preschooler not to kiss or touch the baby (if anything she gives her a little too much love) but I knew we were history when she accidentally sneezed on Nicole.

At 10 weeks, Nicole is weathering the cold just fine. She’s generally as happy as ever, and she quite enjoys the sneezes! *sneeze* *coo*! The only time she gets upset is when she wants to nurse but she can’t breathe through her nose. The situation got quite desperate when I’d pulled over the car and stopped in a parking lot to nurse. It was 99 degrees Fahrenheit (so much for fall!) on the blacktop and I was alternately trying to nurse her and soothe her by walking around. It was an exercise in frustration for both of us, until I remembered the tip Sinead mentioned on this post about breast milk curing pink eye. She said breast milk can help clear a stuffy nose, much like saline nose drops. I tried it and it worked like a charm! Nicole nursed herself to sleep, I popped her back in her car seat, and we drove on our merry way!

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Free Online Breastfeeding Video for Increasing Breast Milk Supply

Angela White, J.D., breastfeeding counselor — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 01:04:43 +0000

Remember when I interviewed Dr. Jane Morton about breastfeeding education for medical professionals? Remember when I mentioned her free online video on hand expression of breast milk? Well today I learned from About.com Breastfeeding that Dr. Morton has another fascinating free video online, this time about increasing breast milk supply when it is necessary to pump for a baby in the NICU or any baby not nursing well at the breast. It is called “Maximizing Milk Production” and in 9 minutes 35 seconds, it explains how to increase milk supply without medication. Dr. Morton recommends and demonstrates such techniques as skin-to-skin contact, breast massage, “hands-on pumping,” breast compressions, and hand expression after pumping. What was really amazing to me was to see how much milk mothers were able to hand express after a pumping session!

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“got breastmilk?” Get a Lawyer!

Angela White, J.D., breastfeeding counselor — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 00:21:11 +0000

A few months ago my kindergartner took a field trip to a farm. She came home excited to tell me all about how the baby cows are separated from the mama cows so the farmer can collect the cows’ milk for humans to drink. When I expressed my horror at little calf nurslings being separated from their mothers, my daughter insisted, “But it’s okay, Mom! They get powdered milk and they love it! I got to feed a baby cow a bottle and she sucked it right down!” I tried to wrap my head around the irony of baby cows getting formula, and I tried to explain to my daughter that the calves would prefer to drink their mamas’ milk, and that that milk is specially designed for them, and has all the antibodies and nutrients that they need. “No really Mom! They love the formula!”

As if that wasn’t enough to make me think twice about my own cows’ milk consumption, now there’s even more reason to question it. The Lactivist just posted about how the California Milk Processor Board is threatening legal action against a breastfeeding advocate who printed up 10 onesies with the slogan “got breastmilk?” The Board claims that “got breastmilk?” infringes on the trademark “got milk?” Because we all know how easy it is to confuse milk from a breast and milk from a carton at the grocery store (two vastly different kinds of milk “jugs” folks!) And because we all know how difficult (for the Board at least) it is to understand the concept of a parody. Apparently the Board did not benefit from the National Pork Board’s run-in with The Lactivist over “The Other White Milk”.

Read the original news story here. Then if you are so inclined, get in touch with the California Milk Processor Board to share your views on the matter. The board’s phone number is (949) 481-6620. The fax number is (949) 481-6680.

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The Breast Milk Came in with the Tears

Angela White, J.D., breastfeeding counselor — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 00:19:46 +0000

As I sobbed at the end of a movie the other day, two things occurred to me: (1) The Other Boleyn Girl is probably not the best choice for postpartum (or pregnant) viewing, and (2) I must be experiencing the change in hormones that accompanies the transitional milk coming in. Sure enough, with the very next nursing session, I felt a sensation of letdown and watched my baby suck and swallow vigorously as she received more milk that she had been getting when it was the liquid gold colostrum alone.

For first-time moms it can take three to four days for the milk to begin transitioning to mature milk. With second or later births, it might take two to three days. For me, with this third birth, the transitional milk started coming in exactly 2.5 days after the birth.

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Breastfeeding Product Reviews: Mother’s Milk Tea

Angela White, J.D., breastfeeding counselor — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 16:40:57 +0000

This week I am looking for your input on Traditional Medicinals Organic Mother’s Milk Tea (16 bags). The Baby Book says, “Herbal teas promoted as galactagogues (substances that increase milk supply) are harmless and may work, though there are no scientific studies that confirm this. Herbs to be avoided or used with caution during lactation include comfrey, sassafras, ginseng, and licorice.” p. 157.

Have you tried Mother’s Milk Tea (either the regular or organic versions)? How did it taste? Did you find that it helped your milk supply at all? Did you use it in combination with any other techniques or any medications? Leave a comment with your product review — short, long, good, or bad!

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