Breastfeeding In The News.

Lisa over at Peaceful Parenting wrote a great blog post about breastfeeding and cavities: Big Bad Cavities: Breastfeeding Is Not The Cause.

It's Time For More Mothers To Breastfeed, U.S. Officials Say. This article is overdue. The article states:

With breast-feeding rates still not at the levels health-care providers and policymakers would like, two U.S. health agencies have decided it's time to take action.

Representatives of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Office of Women's Health, which is part of the Department of Health and Human Services, are spending much of Thursday at CDC headquarters in Atlanta listening to breast-feeding experts tell them what needs to be done to get more women to breast-feed.

Then, by the middle of next year, the agencies say, they plan to issue a "Call to Action" -- a federal document that recommends specific policies and activities to address what they refer to as "an urgent public health priority."

Breastmilk Component Kills Cancer Cells. From the article:

A few years ago immunology student, Anders Hakansson1, of Lund University, Sweden, was experimenting by mixing human milk, cancer cells and bacteria. To his surprise the cancer cells were "acting up". Their volume was decreasing and their nuclei shrinking. Hakansson's supervisor, Catharina Svanborg, quickly recognized that the cancer cells were committing suicide. The phenomenon of apoptosis, whereby the body rids itself of old and unnecessary cells was well known, however for this to occur with cancer cells was unknown as their usual pattern is to reproduce in an uncontrolled fashion. Something in the breastmilk caused the cancer cells to self-destruct.

Breast Milk Contains Stem Cells. From the article:

The Perth scientist who made the world-first discovery that human breast milk contains stem cells is confident that within five years scientists will be harvesting them to research treatment for conditions as far-reaching as spinal injuries, diabetes and Parkinson’s disease.

But what Dr Mark Cregan is excited about right now is the promise that his discovery could be the start of many more exciting revelations about the potency of breast milk.

An excellent post about Lactivism entitled Confessions of a Proud Breastfeeding Zealot. From the post:

The current breastfeeding backlash is a reaction to a certain intensity surrounding the issue of breastfeeding that did indeed gain currency over the past decade or so. But what today's mothers - the ones who are fueling the breastfeeding backlash with their criticisms and complaints - don't appreciate or maybe even realize is that the activism and advocacy they are slamming was actually an important, grassroots women's health movement that managed to fundamentally change the way our culture views and treats breastfeeding within only about ten years (!!!). And any time you have a movement that erupts out of a sense of frustration and oppression, and manages to turn that frustration into the kind of power it takes to create meaningful change on a big issue, that movement is going to have to be both pushy and loud.

And finally, a WONDERFUL video about nursing from birth to 2 years and beyond. The ending is the best part; the Guppy likes to do the same thing to me when she nurses!

Breastfeeding In The News.

In the News

A few stories that have been floating around the WWW:

CDC Says Cesarean Triples Neonatal Death Risk.
From the article:

While the increased risks of cesarean section to neonatal and maternal health have long been known, an even more grim issue came to light in a study released in the September, 2006 issue of Birth Journal. The CDC conducted research on cesarean section and neonatal mortality, expecting to find that the neonatal mortality rate (defined as death within the first 28 days of life) following cesarean section correlated directly with medical complications of the mother and baby. What they found, instead, was that regardless of risk factors, babies born by cesarean section face a risk of death nearly three times that of vaginally born babies.

VBAC? How About On The Interestate?
An amazing story about a woman a VBA3C on the side of the freeway! Frankly, I'm surprised she was able to find a doctor that would allow her to try a vaginal birth!

Let The Baby Decide: The Case Against Inducing Labor
From the article:

Labor should be induced only when medically necessary, never simply for convenience or because a woman is sick of being pregnant. The risks in these situations far outweigh the perceived benefits. Determining postmaturity or a woman's readiness to give birth are complex processes. We are just beginning to understand the long-term effects on the fetal brain of drugs such as Pitocin, and the exact long-term effects of inducing or augmenting labor are unknown. Pregnant woman wanting information on the safety of a drug can consult the Physicians' Desk Reference or call the product safety officer at the pharmaceutical company where it is manufactured.

The Physical Impact of Cesareans
From the article:

We’re seeing only the tip of the iceberg in regard to the impact of cesareans on women and their families. The reality is that the impact is far larger and deeper than we know. As the cesarean rate increases, so does our glimpse into the reality of the immense proportions of the epidemic and its impact on our lives.

And finally, IKEA Employee Sends Breastfeeding Mother To Bathroom.
From the article:

"On Wednesday I was in IKEA Red Hook in the middle of breastfeeding, fully covered, when I was told I had to stop doing "that" and go to the nearby family bathroom. The IKEA employee and security guards were extremely rude to us. I was hustled off to the bathroom and then had to wait because someone else was using it. I was humiliated, my daughter was upset from being interrupted in the middle of her feed. When eventually I gave up and headed for the car to finish feeding, the security guards who had seen the entire event insisted on checking my receipts.

As always, I welcome your thoughts and comments about any of these stories.

In the News

Ok, Now This Is Getting Ridiculous...

Extremely ridiculous.

Poster of Toddler Breastfeeding Doll Sparks Criticism.

From the article:

New mothers and staff have criticised Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust for putting up the image on the children's ward at Rochdale Infirmary.
The poster shows a child of two or three breastfeeding a doll under the headline
'It's normal' and accompanied by the caption 'Children copy their mothers,
teenagers do it! Celebrities do it'.

Health chiefs insist that the poster is designed to promote breastfeeding but critics say that the picture is 'distasteful, inappropriate and crude'.

Okay, people? Seriously. It is a picture of a child nursing her doll. DEAL!

Such a shame that people are so upset over something so sweet. Really, there are no words for this level of foolishness.

Ok, Now This Is Getting Ridiculous...

Breastfeeding In The News

Market Watch has a great article about the obstacles mom face while pumping at work, and why a lot of women give it up. As someone who pumped through college and at work, I have faced many of the obstacles the article describes. It's a shame that most businesses don't realize the value for them of having their employees breastfeed their children (children get sick less and therefore employee has to miss less days). From the article:

Despite the entreaties to breastfeed, few employers go out of their way to help women continue to do so. One in four companies offered an on-site mother's room last year, and 6% had lactation support services, according to the Society for
Human Resource Management. Fifteen percent had paid maternity leave beyond what short-term disability covers, and only 6% of companies had on-site child care.

Read the full article here.

Great Britain adopts the World Health Organization growth charts for babies, which are based on the rate of growth of breastfed babies. From the article:

Cole added: “The way breastfed babies grow will now become the norm. With the previous charts a breastfed baby could be growing perfectly normally but would appear to the health visitor not to be growing as fast as the charts recommended, so there might have been pressure to wean early [on to solid foods or formula milk].
“Thin babies will [now] not appear to be so thin and fat babies will appear to be more fat. The fat babies are likely to be formula fed, growing very fast and developing problems with obesity.”

Read the full article here.

Finally, another great article on why so many women stop breastfeeding when their maternity leave ends. From the article:

According to a joint study by the National Women’s Health Resource Center and Medela breast pump company, 32% of mothers in the U.S. stop breastfeeding 7 weeks after returning to work. If 4.1 million babies are born in the U.S.
annually, and 25% of mothers return to work post-birth, (both stats from the
U.S. Census Bureau), some 328,000 babies per year are being switched to formula
at 5 months even though their mothers are capable of breastfeeding.

Read the full article here.

Breastfeeding In The News

The Judgement Is Far From In

There's a great article in the news today concerning vaccines and the dangers of over vaccinating children. From the article:

Recently, I was amazed to hear a commentary by CNN's Campbell Brown on the
controversial vaccine issue. After a ruling by the 'special vaccine court'
saying the Measles, Mumps, Rubella shot wasn't found to be responsible for the
plaintiffs' autism, she and others in the media began making assertions that the
judgment was in, and vaccines had been proven safe. No one would be more
relieved than Jenny and I if that were true. But with all due respect to Ms.
Brown, a ruling against causation in three cases out of more than 5000 hardly
proves that other children won't be adversely affected by the MMR, let alone
that all vaccines are safe.

And:

We have never argued that people shouldn't be immunized for the most serious
threats including measles and polio, but surely there's a limit as to how many
viruses and toxins can be introduced into the body of a small child.
Veterinarians found out years ago that in many cases they were over-immunizing
our pets, a syndrome they call Vaccinosis. It overwhelmed the immune system of
the animals, causing myriad physical and neurological disorders. Sound familiar?
If you can over-immunize a dog, is it so far out to assume that you can
over-immunize a child? These forward thinking vets also decided to remove
thimerosal from animal vaccines in 1992, and yet this substance, which is 49%
mercury, is still in human vaccines. Don't our children deserve as much
consideration as our pets?

The article isn't too long and is definitely worth the read. You can read the full version here.

The Judgement Is Far From In

In The News

New law protects breastfeeding moms in Massachussetts! It's about time my home state joined in! From the article:

"This law is a long time in coming. The idea behind this law is to make sure
that women who want to breastfeed their children aren't prevented from doing
that. And the message should go out that security guards and storekeepers and
even police officers don't have the right to prevent a woman from breastfeeding
her child," said Representative David Linsky, a Natick Democrat who backed the
bill.

Homebirth is as safe as hospital birth. From the article:

The largest study of its kind has found that for low-risk women, giving birth at
home is as safe as doing so in hospital with a midwife. Research from the
Netherlands - which has a high rate of home births - found no difference in
death rates of either mothers or babies in 530,000 births.

Here's an amazing video of the breast crawl: a newborn baby crawling to the breast right after birth:


And finally, a story on the importance of breastmilk for preemies:

Watch CBS Videos Online

In The News

Milk Bank: Donating Breast Milk to Save Babies

I came across this article when a friend shared it through Facebook.

This article tells the story of a woman's courageous act to help save babies by donating her breast milk.

At eight pages, it's a long article, but it is definitely worth the read. I laughed, I cried, I was inspired.

From the article:

Even when Lynn Page felt she'd lost everything, she still had something
invaluable to give. Bonnie Rochman tells the story of a mother's devotion and
the little-known network of medical miracle workers that's quietly helping the
babies who need help most.

Read the full article here.

Milk Bank: Donating Breast Milk to Save Babies

Breastfeeding Cuts Heart Attack Risk

From the article:

Mothers who breastfeed could slash their risk of a heart attack by more
than a third - if they do it for a total of two years or more.

Very cool.

Breastfeeding Cuts Heart Attack Risk

RI moms get right to breast-feed in public -

RI moms get right to breast-feed in public - Boston.com Go RI!!!

Rhode Island is now one of 41 states to have passed laws affirming a
mother's right to breast-feed in public, according to the National Conference of
State Legislatures. Nearly all the laws have been enacted since the
mid-1990s.

"There is a trend toward more acceptance of breast-feeding," said Dr.
Sandra Musial, a pediatrician who supported the legislation and co-founded the
Physicians' Committee for Breastfeeding in Rhode Island. "It's becoming more
mainstream."

RI moms get right to breast-feed in public -

Homebirth In The News

There is a great article about homebirth in the New York Times. It's a little long, but definitely worth the read.

What interests me the most is how homebirth is on the rise. When are hospitals going to realize that this is because they are not offering what women want and need anymore? I believe it is going to keep rising until hospitals realize that they need to change their ways of practice if they want women to feel comfortable birthing in their wards.

I can't wait for this baby's homebirth. There is nothing in the world like it.

Read the article and tell me what you think. Have you ever had a homebirth? If not, would you?

Homebirth In The News

Safer Prenatal Test for Downs Syndrome

From the article:

A prenatal blood test can be used to determine if an unborn baby has Down's syndrome without the small risk to the fetus posed by invasive testing methods
such as amniocentesis, U.S. researchers said on Monday.

Researchers led by Stephen Quake of Stanford University in California
created a way to look for the extra chromosomes that cause Down's and similar
birth detects in the tiny amounts of fetal DNA that circulate in the mother's
blood.

The test, which requires a small blood sample from the mother, is safer
than amniocentesis, in which a needle is stuck into the uterus, and can be done
earlier in a pregnancy.

You can read the full article here...

Safer Prenatal Test for Downs Syndrome

Government warns Simplicity bassinets are deadly

The Knight forwarded me this article on the dangers of Simplicity bassinets. According to the article:

The "close-sleeper/bedside sleeper" bassinets, made by Simplicity Inc. of
Reading, Pa., can allow infants to slip through the product and suffocate,
said the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Simplicity Inc.'s 3-in-1 and
4-in-1 convertible bassinets contain metal bars spaced farther apart than
federal standards allow.

There are two reported deaths already. And if this isn't bad enough, my favorite part of the article states (emphasis mine):

"SFCA Inc., the company which purchased all of Simplicity Inc.'s assets in
April, "has refused to cooperate with the government and recall the products,"
CPSC said in a release Wednesday. "SFCA maintains that it is not
responsible for products previously manufactured by Simplicity Inc."

*banging head against desk*

Well, they have just permanently lost one potential customer. Any others?

Government warns Simplicity bassinets are deadly

Pregnant Women Get Morning Sickness to Protect Fetus

Pregnant Women Get Morning Sickness to Protect Fetus

From the article:

Morning sickness. It's the bane of many of a pregnancy. And many a future mother wonders at the apparently unnecessary suffering. But, it turns out, there's meaning to the misery. Two evolutionary biologists report that morning sickness protects both the pregnant woman and the developing embryo just when
the fetus is most vulnerable.

After testing the two dominant theories (one adaptive and the other non-adaptive) for why two-thirds of women around the world -- but seemingly no other mammals -- experience nausea and vomiting in pregnancy, only one holds water, says Paul Sherman, Cornell professor of neurobiology and behavior and a
Weiss Presidential Fellow.

"Our study, which tested theories and predictions about the nature of parent-offspring conflict in human pregnancy, shows that nausea and vomiting in pregnancy is beneficial by expelling such foods as meat and strong-tasting vegetables that historically and still may contain harmful toxins and microorganisms that could potentially sicken the woman and damage her fetus just when its organs are developing and are most vulnerable to chemicals," said Sherman, who is an expert in Darwinian medicine -- viewing diseases from an evolutionary perspective.

Well, at the rate that I was getting sick with both my pregnancies, my body must work really hard to protect the fetus!

Pregnant Women Get Morning Sickness to Protect Fetus

Be Warned of Gardasil

My girls will not be getting the Gardasil shot. The Knight and I decided this when it first came out on the market, and the more I hear about what is happening to the girls who are given the shot, the more I stand by my decision.

Nicole has written a great post on the dangers of Gardasil. Head on over to check it out.

Be Warned of Gardasil

Gestational Diabetes

Thanks to Nicole over at Babies and Bellies for the heads up on this one.

Guidelines Issued About Lack of Evidence for Screening for Gestational Diabetes.

According to the article:

The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has issued a recommendation statement and systematic review about lack of evidence to recommend screening for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and has published them in the May 20 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.

"In 2003, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force concluded that evidence was insufficient to advise for or against routinely screening all pregnant women for [GDM]," write Teresa A. Hillier, MD, MS, from Kaiser Permanente Northwest in Portland, Oregon, and colleagues from the USPSTF who coauthored the systematic review of evidence about the benefits and harms of screening for gestational diabetes.

Read the full text here.

Gestational Diabetes

Hopeline Needs Your Help!

Hopeline is a suicide hotline that has helped thousands of people continue living their lives. Now Hopeline needs your help to remain independent! Please view this video and spread the word around by posting it on your blog.

Hopeline Needs Your Help!

SIDS Caused By Toxins?

I was forwarded this very interesting email today concerning the cause of SIDS.

How can crib death be prevented?
Many parents may be unaware of a 100% successful crib death prevention campaign which a New Zealand scientist, Dr Jim Sprott, has been running in New Zealand for ten years.

Here's an interesting excerpt from www.thecauseofsids.org:

Dr Sprott states with certainty that the cause of crib death has been
discovered: it is caused by very toxic nerve gases which can be generated from mattresses and certain other bedding used in babies' cribs. These toxic nerve gases are generated when compounds of phosphorus, arsenic and/or antimony in the bedding combine with household fungus which commonly grows in bedding.

These gases (which are all anticholinesterase agents), when inhaled by a baby or absorbed through the baby's skin in a lethal dose, shut down the baby's central nervous system, stopping breathing and then heart function. Thus the cause of crib death is not medical – it is the result of environmental poisoning. The baby can be fatally poisoned without waking and without physical struggle.

The solution is to prevent exposure of babies to the gases by wrapping
mattresses in accordance with a specified protocol and ensuring that bedding used on top of the wrapped mattresses is not capable of the gas generation concerned.

It would be really interesting to see what the rest of the medical community think of this study, and also to learn why this study is not well known in this country.

SIDS Caused By Toxins?

AMA Resolution to Outlaw Homebirth

This is absolutely ridiculous. The American Medical Association has apoted a resolution to outlaw homebirth!! Not only do they provide absolutely no science to back up their reasoning, but it is a gross violation of women's rights.

From the article:

WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 16, 2008)—Just in time for Father’s Day, at its annual meeting last weekend, the American Medical Association (AMA) adopted a resolution to introduce legislation outlawing home birth, and potentially making criminals of the mothers who choose home birth with the help of Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs) for their families.

“It’s unclear what penalties the AMA will seek to impose on women who choose to give birth at home, either for religious, cultural or financial reasons—or just because they didn’t make it to the hospital in time,” said Susan Jenkins, Legal Counsel for The Big Push for Midwives 2008 campaign. “What we do know, however, is that any state that enacts such a law will immediately find itself in court, since a law dictating where a woman must give birth would be a clear violation of fundamental rights to privacy and other freedoms currently protected by the U.S. Constitution.”

You can read the full article here.

I am still speechless...

AMA Resolution to Outlaw Homebirth

Celebrity Home Birth

With all the media coverage on celebrities that choose to have an elective c-section to "avoid the pain" or "save their vagina" (@@), it's nice to see that some celebrities choose a more natural way of giving birth. Read more about how American Gladiator's host Laila Ali is planning a homebirth.

Celebrity Home Birth

La Leche League Founder Passed Away

She was strong. She was determined. And along with the six other founders of La Leche League International, she was a revolutionary. LLL has announced that Edwena Froehlich, one of the co-founders of La Leche League International, passed away on Sunday. From the LLL website:

Edwina Froehlich of Inverness, Illinois, co-founder of La Leche League International and co-author of The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding, which has over 2 million copies in print, died at 5 am on Sunday, June 8, 2008 at Northwest Community hospital in Arlington Heights after suffering a stroke on May 25.In 1956, Edwina Froehlich and six other women met in Franklin Park, Illinois to share information on how to successfully breastfeed their babies. The group quickly attracted the attention of other women and became an organization called La Leche League. “In those days you didn’t mention ‘breast’ in print,” Froehlich once said. “We knew that if we were ever going to get anything in the paper we would have to find a name that wouldn’t actually tell people what our organization was about.” The breastfeeding support group took the Spanish name for milk as its name. From these roots grew La Leche League International, a breastfeeding support not-for-profit organization, which has groups in every
U.S. state and in 68 different countries. The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding has been translated into eight languages and Braille.

The world has lost a wonderful woman.

La Leche League Founder Passed Away