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!

Post from: Breastfeeding 1-2-3

Jonathan is a two-and-a-half year old nursling with leukemia. You can read his story here. Start with the “my story” page then follow his current progress in the family’s “journal.” Before you go, make sure to leave a supportive comment in “guestbook.”

Can you imagine if a nursing toddler were denied the comfort of breastfeeding during treatment? Remember the controversy over the Ronald McDonald House policy on breastfeeding in public?

Post from: Breastfeeding 1-2-3

Post from: Breastfeeding 1-2-3

Breastfeeding women need not feel they have to consume a special diet in order to provide the right nutrients in their breast milk. It’s true though that breastfeeding women need to consume extra calories (and don’t we all celebrate that fact!) But what about water? Shouldn’t you force extra fluids when you’re nursing, especially if you’re having trouble with low milk supply? Drinking extra water can actually hurt milk supply.

Are there any rewards for eating well? One study suggests that eating organic dairy and meat boots the beneficial fatty acids in breast milk. Mothers who eat fish also pass benefits on to their nurslings (but it is true that breastfeeding and pregnant women should follow the recommendation to avoid shark, swordfish, tilefish, and king mackerel due to their high mercury content.) Some women have noticed that eating oatmeal can help boost milk supply.

What about allergies? Shouldn’t a mother avoid certain highly allergenic foods like dairy? Fortunately, breastfeeding helps prevent or reduce the severity of allergies. There’s no need for all breastfeeding mothers to eliminate allergenic foods as a matter of course. If there’s a family history of severe allergies (such as an allergy to peanuts), the mother should talk to her doctor about eliminating the offending foods during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Certainly if a mother notices symptoms of allergies in her baby, she could undergo an elimination diet to determine what if any foods are affecting her nursling. If a baby has colic, it’s a good idea to investigate food allergies as a culprit.

In fact, the baby is the best source of guidance for what a nursing mother should or should not eat. Some babies are bothered by chocolate or coffee (and other sources of caffeine) in a mother’s diet, but many are not. Garlic and spicy foods are fine for nursing mothers, and might actually help the nursling develop a taste for a variety of foods when it is time to start solid foods! Surely eating gassy foods like beans, cabbage, and onions, will make the baby gassy? Nope, such a belief is not founded in research.

What about other things that affect breast milk, like smoking or alcohol consumption? While it’s true that a mother who smokes should make every effort to quit, it’s still better to smoke and breastfeed than to smoke and formula-feed. And while the new home test kits for alcohol in breast milk might scare some women into abstaining from alcohol altogether, breastfeeding women can enjoy the occasional drink, and certainly do not need to “pump and dump” their milk.

Post from: Breastfeeding 1-2-3

Me: “Dinner’s ready!”

4-year-old: “What are we having?”

Me: “Beef barley vegetable soup.”

4-year-old: “I don’t want that.”

Me: “I put extra lima beans in yours.”

4-year-old: “Yay!”

Later…

4-year-old: “Mom, can I have a little bit more? Mmmm. It’s yummy! I love beef barley vegetable!”

Post from: Breastfeeding 1-2-3

Unfortunately, some of the worst advice I ever received on breastfeeding came straight from doctors. In my five consecutive years of breastfeeding, I have been told I needed to wean four times by three different doctors. I realize that the fact that I didn’t follow their advice makes me sound like a very bad patient, but in fact I never went against medical advice–I simply sought a second opinion.

The first time I was told to wean was by my (now fired) endocrinologist who told me that I should wean while taking a particular anti-thyroid medication. With the help of a La Leche League leader, I presented that doctor with information about the low lactation risk for that medication from the reference book Medications and Mothers’ Milk and he grudgingly “allowed” me to continue nursing. When I later developed elevated liver enzymes on that medication (unrelated to breastfeeding), he again recommended that I wean and take radioactive iodine to kill my thyroid (which, by the way, would mean that I could not hold or kiss my child for at least five days afterwards so as not to expose her to radioactivity!) I found a new endocrinologist willing to treat me on an alternate anti-thyroid medication at a dose that was compatible with breastfeeding and did not affect my liver enzymes.

The third time I was told to wean was when I became pregnant with my second daughter and the well-meaning but ill-informed pediatrician said I would be depriving my growing baby of the nutrients she needed. That time I talked to the doctor about what I had read in the book Adventures in Tandem Nursing: Breastfeeding During Pregnancy and Beyond and promised to continue taking my prenatal vitamin and getting enough nutrients and calories from healthful food.

The fourth time I was told to wean was when an otolaryngologist (ear-nose-and-throat doctor) recommended I have surgery to correct a deviated septum. When I asked him whether I could breastfeed after waking up from the general anesthesia (sorry doc, that question was a test because I already knew the answer), he clearly did not know but replied a flat-out “no.” How hard would it have been to say, “I don’t know, but I could find out or you could ask the anesthesiologist or your child’s pediatrician”? That doctor let his ego get in the way of good patient care. There was no way I was going to let him operate on me!

I shouldn’t have been surprised that I got such bad advice from medical professionals. When I wrote to the top U.S. medical schools to ask about breastfeeding education, I learned that medical students generally receive one-and-a-half hours or less of training in breastfeeding over the course of their four-year education. One school said that its students receive two lectures–about 1.5 hours of instruction–in the clinical practice class in the second year of medical school. Another school does not offer any lectures on breastfeeding but students learn through web-based cases in pediatrics that happen to touch upon breastfeeding and through a rotation through the full-term nursery where breastfeeding is discussed. Take it from a Harvard medical student Tarayn Grizzard:

As a part of their education in professional ethics, medical and other health professional students should be required to learn about breastfeeding and the medical community’s dealings with the [artificial] baby milk industry and its effect on child health in the United States and abroad.

The only good news came from my interview with Dr. Jane Morton, Director of Breastfeeding Medicine at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital and Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at the Stanford University School of Medicine, who spoke about the model breastfeeding curriculum being taught to certain medical residents at seven pilot medical centers.

So, how do you talk to your doctor about breastfeeding and medications or other breastfeeding concerns? How do you discern bad medical advice from good?

1. Be clear from the start with your doctor about the importance of breastfeeding to you. Before any problems arise (not that any necessarily will) ask for your doctor’s support. Try something non-threatening that shows that you value the doctor and want to work together for success. “I’ve read a lot about the benefits of breastfeeding and am eager to get your support in my baby’s care.”

2. If problems do arise, tell your doctor how you feel. “I would really like to continue breastfeeding. Is there a medication that is compatible with nursing?” If the doctor suggests supplementation with artificial baby milk, say, “I’m worried that might interfere with my existing milk supply. I would be more comfortable trying additional nursing sessions and pumping. What if we try that for a week and come back in for another check-up?”

3. Let the documentation speak for you. Provide the doctor with medical studies or references you’ve found on the subject.

4. Talk to a lactation consultant or La Leche League leader. While a LLL leader cannot offer medical advice, she can provide medical information for you to discuss with your doctor and help you practice how that conversation might go.

5. Ask if your doctor is familiar with the free on-line medical reference for drugs and lactation. Find out if your doctor owns Medications and Mothers’ Milk and The Breastfeeding Answer Book.

6. Get a second opinion! Obviously I believe that if your doctor is unwilling to support you and your desire to breastfeed, it’s time to get a second opinion. A good doctor will not be insulted by your desire to seek additional knowledge.

For more about Good Advice and Bad Advice on breastfeeding, enjoy these other entries in the breastfeeding bloggers theme day!

BreastfeedingMums talks about where to get breastfeeding help.

Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog identifies the good and bad advice out there and resources for help.

Mama Knows Breast sings the praises of lactation consultants.

The Lactivist compiles her best advice on exclusively pumping.

The Twinkies gathered breastfeeding advice from the trenches — the best advice contributed from several of her friends.

Mocha Milk shares some favorite sources of advice.

The Baby Gravy Train lists the best breastfeeding advice she received.

The Black Breastfeeding Blog describes the critical piece of support she got from her mother.

Cairo Mama tells how through her determination she made breastfeeding work.

Random Wanderings laments how bad advice can sabotage breastfeeding.

Post from: Breastfeeding 1-2-3

Post from: Breastfeeding 1-2-3

Without further ado, I give you a list of the best of The Best of 2006. Keep checking back for more entries as they are added throughout the day!

1. Believe it or not, a breastfeeding blog has something for everyone in its Top 10 Posts, from when and how to start your baby on solid food to making your own baby sling to a media controversy over a fake photo of television newscaster Elizabeth Vargas breastfeeding.

2. We all could benefit from eating more healthfully with the help of the best Veggie Chic posts of 2006.

3. The Flu Patrol has had a big year, covering everything from the first human trial of a DNA-based bird flu vaccine to various treatments for the common cold.

4. Controversial topics and popular posts make the list of recovery program articles at A Dozen Steps.

5. Five of the favorite Alzheimer’s Notes are featured today.

6. You can watch the evolution of a blog and a family over the last year at Autism Vox.

7. Take a look back at the best of Eating Fabulous for tips on making healthy food choices.

8. Ten months of heart health are covered in A Hearty Life 2006 year in review.

9. It’s been a fascinating year discussing how your genes affect your life at Genetics and Health.

10. If you’ve ever gone to the salon for a pedicure or eyebrow waxing, worked out at the gym, been in the hospital or considered getting a tattoo, you might want to read this valuable information about the treatment, prevention and spread of antibiotic resistant bacterial infections at MRSA Notes.

11. Humor prevails in the list of the best of 2006 at Diabetes Notes.

12. Speaking of humor, Cory of Baldiness fame says he’s been “combing” through his archives for the best posts, and he appreciates the “plug” this theme day is giving him!

13. Liven things up with this list of the Top 10 Lively Women posts of 2006.

14. Have some good old geeky science fun with the favorite Homely Scientist articles.

Post from: Breastfeeding 1-2-3

Post from: Breastfeeding 1-2-3