La Leche League of Argentina produced this helpful breastfeeding video “Breastfeeding in 10 Steps” in Spanish: “Amamantar en 10 Pasos.”

In this video Dr. Jack Newman guides a woman in using the cross-cradle hold to latch her baby onto the breast. While there are many different breastfeeding positions, the cross-cradle hold can be particularly helpful for newborns. Note how the mother is not forcefully pushing the baby’s head onto the breast, but rather is simply supporting the head and bringing the baby tummy-to-tummy and using her arm on the baby’s back and hand under the baby’s face. This position also allows for breast compressions (using the mother’s thumb on top of the breast and four fingers underneath the breast to …read more

When a breastfeeding mother expressed discomfort with nursing in public but a desire to try to do so, several other mothers on an email group jumped in with their helpful advice. That inspired me to come up with this list.
Tips for Gaining Confidence at NIP
1. Keep in mind that you only need to be as “discreet” as makes you feel comfortable. While no one ever intends to offend others, breastfeeding simply shouldn’t be offensive. It’s the most natural way to feed babies.
2. Practice in front of a mirror before you go out in public. You might be surprised …read more

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 …read more

Good Morning America aired an interesting piece on cross-nursing this morning. I thought it was quite balanced. I liked hearing the well-spoken mothers who were interviewed and I appreciated seeing the La Leche League position presented. In addition to the video clip the article is available on-line.

The World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action chose four winning breastfeeding videos in its 2008 World Breastfeeding Week Video Contest. My favorite so far is “Lactating Mother” (by Uma Devi), which I thought made its point in 52 seconds rather well:

For more breastfeeding videos, click here.

Ameda offers a free online instructional video “Your Baby Knows How to Latch-On.” The five-minute clip talks about proper latch and demonstrates how a newborn latches himself on the breast with a minimal amount of guidance from his mother. The video is offered through these links in English and in Spanish.
Click here for more breastfeeding videos. For more help with latch-on, see the Checklist for a Good Breastfeeding Latch.

The World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) has announced the 1st World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) Video Contest! The deadline for submissions is April 30, 2008.
“Going with the WBW theme “Mother Support: Going for the Gold” WABA invites you to create a one-minute video that shows how breastfeeding mothers can be supported. The video can have sound and music and be in any language (with an accompanying English translation). Five winning videos will be awarded US $200.00 each.
Remember….the objectives of WBW 2008 are:
· To expand awareness of the need for and value of …read more

Lactivist Janice Reynolds prepared a video compilation of pictures from three major nurse-ins over the last two years:
1. The View nurse-in, June 6, 2005, with over 300 attendees in New York City and five other cities.
2. Toys “R” Us nurse-in, September 21, 2006, in Times Square in New York City.
3. Delta Airlines nurse-in, November 21, 2006, with nearly 900 activists at 40 airports across the United States.
Reynolds says:
Mothers in North America are increasingly taking to holding “Nurse-Ins” to uphold their right to breastfeed anytime, anywhere, in order to feed and nurture their children. Organized primarily through Internet networks, it is …read more