Breastfeeding 1-2-3 » vaccinations

Vaccine Information from Dr. Bob Sears

Angela White, J.D., breastfeeding counselor — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 02:15:47 +0000

Pediatrician Dr. Bob Sears makes it his business to stay on top of the latest developments and news regarding vaccinations. He is the author of The Vaccine Book: Making the Right Decision for Your Child. He spoke on the topic of vaccines at the La Leche League conference I went to last weekend.

Posing with Dr. Bob Sears after his lecture

La Leche League conferences are great because children are welcome at the lectures. As I chased my 10-month-old around the back of the room (until she finally fell asleep in the sling as you can see above), I managed to take in a lot of valuable information from the lecture. Dr. Sears discussed the occurrence and severity of various childhood illnesses, how vaccinations have affected the prevalence of those illnesses, toxins in vaccines, delayed and alternative vaccination schedules, the debate about vaccines and autism, and how the “same” vaccines vary by manufacturer and brand. I like that he offers an opinion on particular vaccines but does not push vaccination or not vaccinating; it’s all about the parents making an informed decision. If you get an opportunity to hear him speak, it’s well worth it! He stayed long after the lecture ended to answer individual questions, and I took the opportunity to ask him some questions I had about my daughter’s potential reaction to the rotavirus vaccine.

One tip that’s not in The Vaccine Book: Making the Right Decision for Your Child: be wary of any future swine flu vaccination developed for humans. I plan to stay tuned to Dr. Bob’s blog for The Vaccine Book for the latest information on that and other vaccines.

Post from: Breastfeeding 1-2-3

Video of Salma Hayek Cross-Nursing

Angela White, J.D., breastfeeding counselor — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 01:05:52 +0000

Actress Salma Hayek took a humanitarian trip to Sierra Leone in an effort to fight preventable deaths from tetanus. Whether you are pro- or anti-vaccine, the piece is fascinating, in particular because Salma Hayek talks passionately about breastfeeding. ABC News reported:

Hayek’s daughter, Valentina, turned 1 before the trip and the actress spoke about the importance of breast-feeding, especially in underdeveloped countries such as Sierra Leone. In fact doctors there say that because malnutrition is so rampant they would like to see women in Sierra Leone breast-feed for two years. But such behavior is rare. The reason? Men urge their wives to quickly stop breast-feeding because of cultural mores that forbid sexual intercourse with breast-feeding women.

In the video coverage, Salma Hayek cross-nurses a hungry 7-day-old baby. If you don’t have time to watch the whole 8-minute video, skip to about -3:15 to watch as she breastfeeds the baby and then talks about how it felt to cross-nurse. It’s a powerful piece and you might want to have a hanky ready! Salma Hayek might just be my new favorite actress/humanitarian/lactivist!

Post from: Breastfeeding 1-2-3

Breastfeeding and International Travel

Angela White, J.D., breastfeeding counselor — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 22:02:47 +0000

In the “CDC Health Information for International Travel 2008″ the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers an entire chapter (available on-line) on Breastfeeding and International Travel. I found the sections on breastfeeding mothers and vaccines, and breastfeeding and antimalarial medications, to be most interesting. Of course, be sure to check with your doctor for more information, and consult the LactMed database about any medications as well.

Post from: Breastfeeding 1-2-3