Happy New Year everyone! With the new year upon us, several mothers have written about their new year’s resolutions. Read on if your resolutions include one or more of the following:
~ Get some exercise (Breastfeeding123.com)
~ Plan ahead for quality family and couple time (BreastfeedingMums Blog)
~ Work on manageable goals (drink more water, volunteer, not overextend) (The Lactivist)
~ Get organized (Mama Knows Breast)
~ Do at least three things to support breastfeeding (Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog)
~ Consider what’s best for your child first (Momma’s Angel)
~ Work on how you speak to your child(ren) (Natural Moms)

Each year for the past several years I have resolved to exercise at least four times per week. That resolution is harder to keep at some times than others–there may be a week I don’t exercise at all, and another week where I manage to cross five days off on my calendar. Looking back at the last year, I can see I didn’t quite meet my goal. No matter because 2007, here I come!
If you are like me, you may be wondering what the scoop is on exercise for nursing mothers. (If your New Year’s Resolution is to quit smoking, …read more

For tomorrow’s Carnival of Breastfeeding on New Year’s Resolutions, I’ll be discussing exercise and breastfeeding, including whether exercise affects breast milk and how nursing mothers can incorporate some exercise into their routines even if they have a young baby.
With that in mind, I’ve started a new poll:
{democracy:8}
To view all prior poll results, click here.

Some women might be making new year’s resolutions to quit smoking. This article provides information (and not judgment!) about pregnancy, breastfeeding, smoking and quitting smoking.
First, some fast facts about breastfeeding and cigarette smoke:
~ It is far from ideal to smoke and breastfeed–but it is worse to smoke and not breastfeed. (1)
~ The half-life of nicotine is two hours, meaning that two hours after smoking a cigarette, half of the nicotine released into the body remains in the body. (2)
~ Nicotine decreases production of prolactin, the hormone that stimulates milk production. (3), (4)
~ Maternal smoking cuts breast milk production at two …read more