Breastfeeding 1-2-3 » advantages of breastfeeding

Best Breastfeeding Health News of 2009

Angela White, J.D., breastfeeding counselor — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:15:46 +0000

The news in 2009 highlighted several benefits of breastfeeding for both breastfeeding mothers themselves and their nurslings. Here are some of the top stories:

Photo courtesy of Nicolas Raymond

1. Heart health for breastfeeding mothers. A study of 140,000 post-menopausal women revealed several heart health benefits of breastfeeding. Women who breastfed their babies had lower incidence of diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Women who breastfed for seven months or more were significantly less likely to develop heart disease. Women who breastfed for a cumulative 12 months or more in their lifetimes had a 10% lower incidence of heart attack, stroke, or heart disease later in life.

2. Lower risk of breast cancer for women with family history. The New York Times reported on a new study that found that “for women with an immediate relative, like a mother or a sister, who had breast cancer, those who breast-fed had a 59 percent lower risk of premenopausal breast cancer. That is closer in line with the risk for women who had no disease in the family.” The discovery was made by Dr. Alison M. Stuebe of University of North Carolina. The Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog features a podcast with Dr. Stuebe on the problem with formula company diaper bags.

3. Stem cells in breast milk. Scientists have discovered three different types of stem cells in breast milk. Researcher Dr. Mark Cregan believes the stems cells help each child “fulfill its genetic destiny” as the mother’s breasts take over from the placenta in guiding the infant’s development. This discovery not only highlights the fact that artificial milk is a poor substitute for breast milk, but also opens the door to research on causes of low milk production and drugs that could improve milk supply.

4. Breastfeeding helps prevent multiple sclerosis relapse. A study showed that women who breastfed exclusively for at least two months after giving birth were far less likely to experience a relapse of multiple sclerosis than women who did not breastfeed or started supplemental feedings with artificial milk.

5. Breastfeeding benefits for both baby and mother. In November the American Dietetic Association released an updated position paper promoting and supporting breastfeeding. The paper listed the breastfeeding benefits for babies as:

* Enhanced immune system
* Reduced risk for nonspecific gastroenteritis, severe lower respiratory tract infections and asthma
* Protection against allergies and intolerances
* Promotion of correct development of jaw and teeth
* Association with higher intelligence quotient and school performance through adolescence
* Reduced risk for chronic disease such as obesity, type 1 and 2 diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia and childhood leukemia
* Reduced risk for sudden infant death syndrome.

The paper also listed the breastfeeding benefits for mothers:

* Strong bonding with infant
* Increased calorie expenditure, which may lead to faster return to pre-pregnancy weight
* Faster shrinking of the uterus
* Reduced postpartum bleeding and delays in the menstrual cycle
* Decreased risk for chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, breast cancer and ovarian cancer
* Improved bone density and decreased risk for hip fracture
* Decreased risk for postpartum depression
* Enhanced self-esteem in the maternal role
* Time saved from preparing and mixing formula
* Money saved from not buying formula and increased medical expenses associated with formula feeding.

Post from: Breastfeeding 1-2-3

Cue the Applause

Angela White, J.D., breastfeeding counselor — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 02:54:40 +0000

Some women breastfeed for the health benefits for their babies and themselves. Some women breastfeed for the cost savings. Some women do it as part of a parenting style. And some women do it for a combination of those reasons. Me? I do it for the applause.

My happy toddler

Yesterday my 14-month-old nursed on one breast, popped herself off, sat up and clapped! Then she leaned in and hugged me before she switched to the other side. When she was done on that side, she popped herself off again, sat up, clapped, and hugged me again! When she saw my delight at this “game,” it continued for several repeat performances. She doesn’t say many words yet, but I could swear she was saying, “Thanks for the milk, Mom! I love you!”

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Feed the Mother Who Feeds the Baby

Angela White, J.D., breastfeeding counselor — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 05:54:01 +0000

In celebration of my 1,000th post here at Breastfeeding 1-2-3, I want to share a very happy story I came across. You might remember this post I wrote for Blog Action Day last year on Breastfeeding and Poverty (read it if you haven’t already — it’s one of my better posts if I do say so myself ). In that post I shared what I learned about how a malnourished mother should continue breastfeeding and not wean and give her baby f*ormula. I remembered that information as I started to read a post by Mary at Owlhaven.net on her sister Sophie’s medical mission in Ethiopia (you can read my review of Mary’s book A Sane Woman’s Guide to Raising a Large Family and check out her newly released book Family Feasts for $75 a Week: A Penny-wise Mom Shares Her Recipe for Cutting Hundreds from Your Monthly Food Bill).

Mary collected monetary donations to send with Sophie to Ethiopia, and the doctor with whom Sophie works suggested that Sophie fund and run the feeding program. You can imagine my worry when I read “feeding program.” I really hoped that did not mean that the money was going to be used to buy f*ormula! I was pleasantly surprised to read this in Sophie’s letter:

Adults can get on the feeding program if they are desperately poor, and that poverty is validated by their malnourished appearance, and by the confirmation of others in the community. Infants are also a part of this program. Currently, we have 3 sets of twin babies that are “fed.” The high-protein granola is given to the infant’s breastfeeding mother so that she can produce enough milk to feed them. In order to get a refill (every other week), the babies are weighed to ensure that they are getting the benefit of the food.

Sophie goes on to tell of one success story:

Two of the twins currently on the program are now 4 months old, and the fattest little Ethiopian babies I have ever seen! It’s always so fun to weigh them because their mom is so proud, and the babies are so smiley and adorable. [Dr.] Mary says that when they started 3 months ago, mom was completely emaciated, and the babies were not looking any better. She gave the mom the granola, and the next week, she looked less emaciated, and the babies were vigorous and bright-eyed–they were a whole different family because of their little tin of granola!

What a wonderful story and a powerful “advertisement” for the benefits of breastfeeding! Thank you Mary and Sophie for sharing that inspirational account of the (breast)feeding program!

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Breastfeeding: The Security Blanket

Angela White, J.D., breastfeeding counselor — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 04:55:02 +0000

My family just moved from a rental home to a new home we purchased one town away. Out of all my family members, I would say my 13-month-old has handled the move the best. Not only has she survived, she has thrived. She is excited about all the new places to explore and she thinks we’re on a grand adventure.

The beloved security blanket by Barron

I believe that breastfeeding allows her the ability to thrive in this new environment because breastfeeding (and the closeness with me) is a constant. She knows that she is free to explore but she can always come back to the security and safety of snuggle time with Mama. My older children are handling the transition well, but the baby is absolutely loving it. It hasn’t bothered her to change bedrooms or beds. She nurses to sleep and nurses throughout the night and as long as she has that night-time nursing, she’s happy! When she wakes up, she calls out for me and does not cry. It’s been a huge help to me to be nursing during this time. My child does not need a security blanket or a pacifier. She has me and she has breastfeeding.

What about you? Have you found that breastfeeding serves more than nutritional needs? Does breastfeeding help with transitions from one activity to another or one place to another?

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Breastfeeding as a Lifesaver in Emergencies

Angela White, J.D., breastfeeding counselor — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 20:37:49 +0000

Welcome to the August Carnival of Breastfeeding in celebration of World Breastfeeding Week August 1-7, 2009! The theme for La Leche League’s celebration is “Breastfeeding: Prepared for Life.” Breastfeeding prepares mothers and babies to deal with life’s emergencies: a natural disaster, war, epidemic, or time of political and economic unrest. Breastfeeding provides vital protection for infants in an emergency. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports:

In 2004 alone, major emergencies affected nearly 40 million people, including 5.8 million children under the age of five, in 55 countries. The main causes of death among children during emergencies are the same as those occurring among otherwise disadvantaged populations, namely malnutrition, diarrhoeal diseases, acute respiratory infection, measles and malaria. However, emergencies distinguish themselves by their frequently soaring crude mortality rates, which can be two to 70 times higher than average. Experience shows that even in previously healthy populations, child morbidity and crude mortality rates can increase twentyfold in as short a period as two weeks. The best hope for averting the disability and death that are so common among children during emergencies is to ensure that they are adequately cared for and fed.

One might hope that such a dramatic increase in mortality would not be seen in an industrialized nation with advanced medical care like the United States. Yet in 2005, less than a year after that report came out, Hurricane Katrina struck and — not including the immediate death toll — the mortality rate soared in New Orleans! For the six month period starting in January 2006, by some measures the mortality rate increased 47% compared to the mortality rate during the same time period in previous years. Incredibly, January 2006 was a full four months after the hurricane hit and the people in that region continued to suffer such devastating health effects. (It was difficult to determine the mortality rate right after the hurricane due to the disarray of the local health systems and the displacement of the population in the hurricane’s aftermath).

In 2008 researcher Jacqueline H. Wolf reflected back on the media coverage in the immediate wake of the hurricane:

Discussing our culture’s attitude toward breastfeeding in relation to the Katrina disaster would have been a tremendous public service. Think about how much our discomfort with breastfeeding would have been mitigated if one of the Katrina reports contrasted the convenience and dependability of breastfeeding with the difficulty and unreliability of formula feeding. Imagine: images of mothers’ breasts saving babies’ lives. That would have been a national revelation. We talk about the importance of breastfeeding, yet we’re a formula feeding culture. It seemed perfectly natural to all the reporters and much of the viewing audience during Katrina that mothers were hysterical and babies were dehydrated because there was not enough infant formula available. The entire nation seemed to be saying, “Of course that’s a consequence of a hurricane.” No reporter thought to ask, “Why aren’t these women breastfeeding?” No reporter thought to ask, “What roadblocks have we constructed as a nation that would dissuade women from breastfeeding and put their babies through this completely avoidable horror?”

“Got Milk? Not in public!” International Breastfeeding Journal 2008, 3:11. This Medindia article describes one tragic Katrina story:

Some women freeze when it comes to breastfeeding during emergencies and this happens in countries all over the world. When Hurricane Katrina hit the US in 2005, a woman who was stuck on a rooftop with many other family members and with little access to clean water, bottle fed her two week old baby for two weeks and when rescued later, asked for help to dry up her breast milk because her breast felt sore with the accumulated milk. When asked why she didn’t breastfeed her baby the mother replied that she “felt quite unable to do this.” The baby later died in a hospital.

A health counselor who worked with survivors of Katrina said sadly, “What amazes me is that no one with the mother in New Orleans knew to have the mother put her baby to her breast. So many generations had not considered breastfeeding as a way to feed babies that the memory was lost. The baby was lost, also.”

Mothers need to get the message that breastfeeding is a lifesaver, whether it be in regular times or times of emergency. In an emergency mothers who are breastfeeding should continue to do so. Mothers who have recently given birth should put their babies to the breast and mothers who have given birth within six months should nurse and hand-express to build up a milk supply as best as each mother is able. In an emergency, if the mother’s own milk is not available right away or through re-lactation, then donor human milk or wet nursing should be considered. Only then should ready-made formula and canned formula be considered as last resorts.

Other Carnival Entries

Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog: Breastfeeding in Emergency Situations
Blacktating: Breastfeeding and Living through Hurricanes
Hobo Mama: Breastfeeding in Local and Global Crises
Pure Mothers: Marketing away “Real Milk”
Chronicles of a Nursing Mom: Tips for Consistent and Long-Term Breastfeeding Success
Zen Mommy: How Breastfeeding Prepares a Child for Life
Cave Mother: The Moments That Made Me Thankful That I Breastfeed
Fusion Parenting: Breastfeeding: Prepared for LIFE!

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Breastfeeding: Prepared for Life Theme

Angela White, J.D., breastfeeding counselor — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 09:44:43 +0000

The August Carnival of Breastfeeding coincides with World Breastfeeding Week the first week in August. Do you have thoughts on La Leche League’s World Breastfeeding Week theme: “Breastfeeding: Prepared for Life”? Perhaps breastfeeding helped you in the wake of Hurricane Katrina or another natural disaster. Maybe nursing helped you cope with a medical crisis? Did breastfeeding allow you and your child to undertake a trip you might not have otherwise? Please email me your post on “Breastfeeding: Prepared for Life” by July 27, 2009, for consideration for the blog carnival on August 3, 2009.

As a reminder, here are the guidelines that will increase the chances a post will be selected for inclusion in the carnival:

– A well-written, grammatically correct post
– Thoughtful commentary directly on point for the carnival subject
– Overall quality of the rest of your blog and whether the general subject matter is something of interest to our readers (breastfeeding, parenting)

If your post is selected for inclusion, you will be asked on the day of the carnival to edit your post to link back to each of the other participants in the carnival.

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I Want to Remember Today

Angela White, J.D., breastfeeding counselor — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 06:13:04 +0000

Today my husband took my older girls to a major league baseball game while I stayed home with my 11-month-old. The minute her sisters (i.e., the entertainment) left she started fussing! Who wants to stay home with boring old mom anyway?! Now I say this in the most loving way possible: this child is like a dog, if only in the sense that she goes to the door, bangs on it with her hands and yells until I say we’re going out! She wants to be where the action is, there’s no mistaking that.

My baby in the Baby Jogger stroller

So we headed out the door for a nice long walk. I put her in the Baby Jogger, and of course then she was all smiles! Part way through the walk she fell asleep and I stopped to read a book on a park bench underneath a pepper tree. When my daughter woke up flushed from sleep and the heat, I pulled her into my lap and she nursed contentedly until she popped off and beamed another big smile at me! We set out again, and she stayed happily in the stroller for another fifteen minutes or so. Then it was back to my arms for the rest of the way home. We must have looked quite the sight — me holding the baby in one arm and pulling the Jogger with the other (it was too hot for the sling I’d brought) because a kind woman pulled her car over to ask if I wanted a ride. I was quite happy and near home anyway, so I politely declined. The baby and I continued, with one more pit stop to play on the grass in the shade of the trees. All in all we were out for over an hour and a half. I had brought water for me, my cell phone and keys, a book, and some diapers, but that was enough to see us through for a grand adventure!

Post from: Breastfeeding 1-2-3

A Mystery Illness Identified

Angela White, J.D., breastfeeding counselor — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 16:35:29 +0000

Sometimes being a mother means being a detective. My 10-month-old had a restless night last Saturday. On Sunday she was fussy and not much interested in eating solid food, which was unusual for her. I chalked it up to teething because I could see two new teeth poking their way through the top gums.

Photo by Joana Croft

Teething was ruled out later that night when she spiked a fever of 103 degrees Fahrenheit. The next morning I started to get really worried — what would cause a fever and disinterest in food, but no runny nose, vomiting, or diarrhea? Had she managed to swallow something she shouldn’t? I started researching by reading the fever information at AskDrSears.com. Roseola sounded like a possibility but it didn’t explain why my little one didn’t want solids. Then I came to the information on Mouth Sores, Coxsackie Virus (Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease). I gently pulled down my baby’s bottom lip to get a look inside — as best as she would let me — and saw what I suspected were mouth sores. Mystery solved! After three nights of fever, and four very fussy days (what do you do with a baby who doesn’t want to be put down but doesn’t want to be held either?! Answer: Distract her! Entertain her! Put on a three-ring circus!), she’s back to her happy self. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I am so happy to be nursing. Breastfeeding saved us during the four days that my 23-pound 10-month-old had zero interest in solid food. She nursed happily, no problem there, and nursing also helped settle her to sleep. My milk supply increased to handle the extra demand, and she did not lose any weight or become dehydrated. If anything I think she weighs more now (or that could just be how I feel after carrying her around these past few days!)

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Breastfeeding Quote: More Than Just Milk

Angela White, J.D., breastfeeding counselor — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 07:58:11 +0000

This rather shocking quote affirms everything I have always felt about breastfeeding. You can’t replace breastfeeding with formula, or even breast milk with formula; they simply aren’t equivalent. That doesn’t make formula “bad” nor should it make formula-feeding mothers feel guilty. It acknowledges that breastfeeding is part of an intimate relationship between mother and child.

Quote graphic by boroda003

To reduce breastfeeding to milk is like reducing sex to semen.

– Rachel Myr, Lactnet list facilitator, named “Midwife of the Year 2008″ in Norway, as quoted in Lactnet

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Tips for Infant Car Trips (Mom-to-Mom #18)

Angela White, J.D., breastfeeding counselor — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 17:10:03 +0000

This latest installment in the Mom-to-Mom question and answer series deals with advice for families planning a car trip with a baby. After reading The Value of Traveling with Your Baby, reader Christina asked the following question:

I am actually taking my first trip with my 4 month old this weekend to a wedding. It will be a 7 hour car drive – any advice for the car trip? And on a tangent – any advice for breastfeeding in a dress or am I doomed for separates?

Great question! When my first daughter was four months old we drove from Boston to Detroit and the trip went really well. Car trips with a baby take just a little advance planning. Hopefully other readers will chime in with their advice, after I get started with these tips:

1. Build in extra time for the trip. I have learned from experience that car trips with an infant generally take one and a half times longer than usual. Unless you’ve got a champion “car sleeper” whose tendency is to sleep whenever the car is in motion, you must build in time for additional stops. Diaper changes, nursing sessions, and much needed break time add up faster than you first think they will. So that 7-hour car trip might well take 10.5 hours. If it takes less than that you will be pleasantly surprised, but if it takes that long or longer at least you will have anticipated that and do not have to feel pressured or stressed out.

2. Plan your departure time accordingly. Not only do you need to build in extra time for the trip, you also need to determine the optimal time of departure. If your baby sleeps well in the car at night, then perhaps you want to consider starting out shortly before bedtime. If your baby is like mine and despises being in the car in the dark, you naturally want a morning departure. The key is to maximize the amount of time the baby will sleep in the car. So leave when the baby will be happy for a bit as the adventure starts, and then have sleep time in the car.

3. Make sure the car seat is safe and comfortable. Does your baby need a head rest or a rolled up receiving blanket so that car naps don’t cause a stiff neck?

My baby in her car seat

4. Bring the favorite toys and some new ones too! Of course you wouldn’t leave without baby’s favorite blanket, chew toy, or pacifier. It can help to have some new toys to introduce when your baby gets bored with everything else. For older babies who can eat solid foods, food can become excellent entertainment. Cheerios, grape quarters, bits of cheese — anything that can be doled out one by one to draw out the entertainment value!

5. Music can be a lifesaver. A few of my favorites are the folksy The Sun Upon the Lake Is Low and lullabies from All Through the Night by Mae Robertson and the energetic Victor Vito by Laurie Berkner. It’s great to introduce your child to the songs in advance so they’ll be familiar for the trip. Be prepared to sing your old stand-by tunes too — over, and over, and over again! “Old MacDonald Had a Farm” and “The Wheels on the Bus” are good choices for repetitive songs to distract and lull your baby into sleep.

6. Never stop the car when the baby is sleeping! Plan gas stops and food breaks for when the baby is awake. Don’t be forced to stop when your baby is sleeping or you waste that precious time!

7. Consider the best seating arrangements. If someone besides you can drive, then consider whether it will be better for you to be next to your baby in the back seat, or if being able to see you just makes your baby want to get out of the car seat.

8. Go with the flow. If you’re traveling with another adult as well, it’s important that you both are on the same page about the time you think the trip will take, where you plan to stop for diaper changes and nursing sessions (i.e., is your partner prepared to stop as soon as the baby is crying, no matter if it’s not at the rest stop you were aiming to reach?), and what you will do if the baby simply needs a break from driving. The more the both of you are willing to go with the flow, the more pleasant the trip will be.

As for nursing in a dress, you’ve got four options: (1) buy a nursing dress, (2) wear a wrap dress or one with a loose neckline or arms holes that can be pulled to the side for nursing, (3) wear separates, or (4) wear a regular dress but be prepared to go someplace private to hike it up or unzip it to nurse. I’ve done all those things at different times and find I prefer the options that allow me not to have to leave the action, especially for a wedding!

Mom-to-Mom Advice

I’d love to hear what others have done to help make car trips go smoothly. Did you find the trip took longer than expected? What advice do you have? Leave a comment!

Post from: Breastfeeding 1-2-3