A groundbreaking program at UC San Diego Medical Center encourages mothers of premature infants to initiate lactation and express breast milk to provide for their preemies who cannot suckle at the breast full-time or even part-time. The CBS interview linked to below reveals fascinating information about the life-saving benefits of breast milk for pre-term babies in the neonatal intensive care unit. What’s even more interesting is that the expressed breast milk provides a benefit not only for the babies but for their mothers as well! Cathy Robinson, the mother of premature twins Naomi and Caldwell, explained:

You can’t be there [physically in the NICU] all the time. So it was my way to be able to be there for them all the time. I’m providing for them.

This sentiment echoes exactly what Australian researcher Linda Sweet found when she interviewed parents for her study “Expressed breast milk as ‘connection’ and its influence on the construction of ‘motherhood’ for mothers of preterm infants: a qualitative study,” published in the International Breastfeeding Journal last December. Sweet concluded:

Providing expressed breast milk offered one way the mothers could be physiologically and emotionally connected to their preterm infant while they were in the constant care of hospital staff. Indeed, breast milk was considered the only way the new mother could connect her body (or part there of) to her preterm baby in hospital.

International Breastfeeding Journal 2008, 3:30.

You can see Cathy Robinson’s story and learn invaluable information from the UC San Diego Medical Center staff on the importance of breast milk for premature infants in this CBS interview. Thanks to Mama Knows Breast for highlighting this video!

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!

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

This Friday, December 12, 2008, ABC’s 20/20 will run a piece on “Extreme Breastfeeding: When to Stop?” You can see a preview video of the interview that features lactation consultant Robyn, who breastfeeds her 5-year-old kindergartner. Robyn is very well-spoken and I want to commend her for doing the interview and presenting a positive image of extended breastfeeding!

The segment also includes renowned anthropologist Katherine Dettwyler, Ph.D. Kathy has written several fascinating commentaries on extended breastfeeding, including “A Natural Age of Weaning.”

Watch the preview video, watch the full program tomorrow, and please come back and leave a comment to share your thoughts!

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 compress the breast when baby is just “nibbling” and not actively sucking and swallowing large mouthfuls).

Last week I listed five tips for nursing in public. One of those suggestions was to come up with a combination of clothing that makes you feel most comfortable breastfeeding in public.

5 Alternatives to Regular Nursing Clothing

While it’s great if you can afford nursing clothing (see Where to Find Nursing Clothes) and can find styles that you like, there are other options.

1. Layer a button-down blouse over a tank top. When you lift up (or pull down) the tank top to nurse, the sides of the open blouse will offer coverage.

2. Layer a regular shirt over a loose-necked tank top. To nurse, lift the shirt up, pull the neck of the tank top down to expose the breast, and your belly will remain covered by the tank top. Or instead of pulling down the tank top, you could cut slits in the tank top to provide openings for nursing. These methods are especially helpful in cold weather!

3. Use a sling or nursing cover! I have free patterns for sewing a ring sling and “Hooter Hider” type nursing cover.

4. Repurpose a pregnancy belly band under your shirt to keep your belly covered, or buy a special nursing belly band. Here’s a great free video showing how to breastfeed in public with a pregnancy belly band!

5. Sew your own nursing clothing. If you are really handy, you can even knit your own nursing tank top!

Your Experience

Do you have something that helps you feel more comfortable nursing in public? Leave a comment!

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 with how little skin is visible.

3. Attend a La Leche League meeting. It’s a supportive environment that’s the best place to practice nursing in public. You can also ask for advice and even see how other mothers confidently latch their babies on in front of others.

4. Learn the law about breastfeeding in public in your area.

5. Find a combination of clothing that makes you most comfortable.

For more, see Tips for Nursing a Newborn in Public.

Your Experience

Do you have tips for nursing in public? Share your ideas by leaving a comment!

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 skin-to-skin contact, breast massage, “hands-on pumping,” breast compressions, and hand expression after pumping. What was really amazing to me was to see how much milk mothers were able to hand express after a pumping session!

For a laugh, watch as big brother Eddie wants his turn breastfeeding (it’s not what you think)!

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.