The Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog

Last day to enter our October contest.

Until midnight on November 1st, you can enter our October contest to win a $100 gift certificate.  Just fill out the survey here.

You can also still enter another contest to win a $135 nursing starter wardrobe, including a nursing gown, nursing tee, sleep bra, nursing camisole, and nursing pads, here.

Happy Halloween!

Breastfeeding means better mental health, too.

A study released last week reports that children breastfeeding for six months or longer has a significantly lower risk for mental health problems such as delinquent, aggressive, and anti-social behavior, and overall are less depressed, anxious or withdrawn later in childhood.

The study, published by an Australian institute for child health research, found that children who were breastfed for less than six months compared to six months or longer had a 52% increased risk of a mental health problem at 2 years of age, a 55% increased risk at age 6, at age 8 the increased risk was 61%, while at age 10 the increased risk was 37%.

Researcher Dr Wendy Oddy said there was growing evidence that bioactive factors in breast milk played an important role in the rapid early brain development that occurs in the first year of life.

"Even when we adjust the results to take into account other factors such as the parents' socio-economic situation, their education, their happiness and family functioning, we see that children that were breastfed for at least six months are at lower risk of mental health problems," Dr Oddy said.

This research comes on the heels of another study published this year which found that breastfed children are better able to cope with stress.

Sign an e-petition urging the TSA to change its breastmilk policy.

Note:  The TSA policies about bringing breastmilk on board have recently changed.  See this post for an update.

I just heard about this e-petition, which urges the Transportation Security Administration to change its policy regarding breastmilk and airplane travel.

As we've talked about in other posts here and here, the current TSA policy requires that anyone carrying breastmilk on board an airplane to be accompanied by a baby.  Many women who need to carry breastmilk on planes are traveling without their babies, and some have had to throw out their milk before boarding.

The text of the petition is here.  It urges the TSA to amend its policy to require passengers to:

1. Separate pumped breastmilk from the liquids, gells, and aerosols in your quart-size and zip-top bag.
2. Declare pumped breast milk to one of our Security Officers at the security checkpoint
3. Present pumped milk for additional inspection, once reaching the x-ray.

Are you signing on?

A new contest: How does Motherwear support nursing mothers?

Motherwear has a new contest for you to enter here! 

Answer questions about how Motherwear supports nursing mothers, and you could win a $135 Motherwear Nursing Starter Kit, which includes a nursing gown, nursing tee, sleep bra, nursing camisole, and nursing pads. 

Some of the answers can be found on this blog, here.  You didn't hear that from me.  Good luck!

Brrrr....ouch! It's the season for Raynaud's.

Last week I was chatting with Lex, who interns with me at the breastfeeding clinic, about a marked increase we're seeing this month in the number of women coming in with the symptoms of Raynaud's vasospasm of the nipple - a treatable cause of painful breastfeeding.  Then it hit us - the weather has changed.  Read on to see if you agree with our theory.

As I've mentioned before, I run a breastfeeding clinic at my local hospital.  In the last two clinics we've seen lots of women (6 and counting) experiencing severe nipple pain who seem to have the symptoms of Raynaud's vasospasm of the nipple. 

Typically, a mother comes in for help with pain during and after breastfeeding.  Sometimes she's already been treated for thrush with no improvement.  We work together to get a really good latch.  Then, while we're chatting after the feeding she says that her nipples feel like they're burning.  We quickly check them, and they're turning white, or blue, or red - or all three, which is makes us all feel patriotic.

It also makes me suspect Raynaud's phenomenon, a sudden constriction of blood vessels which limits blood flow and causes color changes.  You may not have heard about it, but it's thought that up to 20% of women of childbearing age may experience Raynaud's. 

Typical symptoms in breastfeeding are: 

• A burning pain, felt during and sometimes after the feeding, that isn't improved by correcting the latch.
• Nipples that turn white, blue, or red (or some combination of these colors) after or in between feedings, especially when exposed to cold air.

For some women, the symptoms start during pregnancy.  And for some women, a similar reaction occurs in their hands or feet when exposed to cold. 

Before you suspect that Raynaud's may be the cause of your pain, first make sure that your baby's latch is good.  A poor latch is the most common cause of pain with breastfeeding, and compression of the nipple can cause it to blanch after a feeding.  To make sure that the latch is good, have a lactation consultant or another person who is very skilled at helping achieve a good latch help you get the baby on the breast well.  There are many causes of compression of the nipple, and a good breastfeeding support person will run through them with you.

Burning pain is also a symptom of thrush.  Because the pain is similar (though thrush doesn't cause a temporary blanching of the nipple after a feeding), they are easily confused.  One study noted that many women are repeatedly treated for thrush when Raynaud's is really to blame.  Of course, it's possible to have both, so treating for thrush may be worth considering.

Sometimes the symptoms of Raynaud's go away on their own.  If they don't, there are treatments for Raynaud's which appear to be effective.  If you'd like to seek help from your physician, I'd suggest printing out this study and this study, which discusses treatment options, including Nifedipene, a prescription medication considered to be effective.  Here are some treatment options:

• Reduce exposure of the nipple to cold, as cold often triggers a painful reaction.  When the nipple comes out of the baby's mouth, use a dry warm compress - even your hand or arm, if it's warm - to reduce the cold shock.  This page on kellymom.com for a good description of how to make a "rice sock" for a warm compress.
• Avoid nicotine and vasoconstrictive drugs.
• A vitamin B6 supplement.  See Dr. Jack Newman's handout for information on B6 supplements and Nifedipene.
• A low dose prescription for Nifedipene, a medication considered "usually compatible with breastfeeding" by the American Academy of Pediatrics.  The use of any medication during breastfeeding should be discussed with your physician.

So, what's the connection with the weather?  The vasospasm is sometimes triggered by exposure to cold, so we are theorizing that it's the cold weather that's to blame for the rise in cases at the clinic.  There is actually one study which mentions an improvement of symptoms in one woman when she went on vacation to a warmer climate.  Have any of you noticed this connection?

Of course, this information is presented for educational purposes, and should not substitute for medical advice from your health care provider.  Please see your health care provider and/or a lactation consultant for care for this or any other breastfeeding problem.

Vote for a new breastfeeding symbol!

Mothering Magazine is running a contest to choose a new symbol for breastfeeding.  Inspired by seeing a sign with a bottle signifying a place for parents, Mothering asked readers to develop a symbol for a breastfeeding-friendly place.  They'll be making the winning image available for use in workplaces, airports, malls, restaurants, and any public places.

You can vote for your favorite here.  I think my favorites are #2 (shown here) and #4.  You can also see some of the ones that made the Mothering editors smile here.  My favorite of those is below.

Which which one will get your vote?

Thanks to Lex, who interns in the breastfeeding clinic with me, for suggesting this as a posting.  Some of you have alerted me to breastfeeding stories in the news, which is great.  Keep the suggestions coming!

The power of determination and support.

If you owe your breastfeeding success to support and your own determination, hope you'll tell us about it in the comments section.

Earlier this year I got a call to come to the hospital for a lactation appointment.  There I met a lovely woman, her new baby, her husband, and her mother.  We chatted, and it became clear that we were working with the following.

In one corner we had:

• Breast reduction surgery (to her recollection, the kind that is usually the worst for breastfeeding)
• One inverted nipple
• A big baby, at risk for hypoglycemia
• Sore nipples
• Cesarean section birth
• Baby not gaining weight well
• Baby hard to rouse for feedings

In the other corner we had:

• A very supportive husband and mother, who had done her research about breastfeeding
• The mother's determination to make it work
• The knowledge to call for help as soon as possible

So we got to work, and came up with a plan.  She went home and did a lot of hard work, with the support and help of her mother and husband.  I went home and crossed my fingers and tried to think positive thoughts.

And, to everyone's surprise, it worked.  Her soreness went away, the baby started gaining, and soon it was quite clear that she had developed a full milk supply (which is not always the case - the amount of milk women produce after reduction surgery varies significantly).  I've seen her many times since, and her baby is beautiful, she is glowing, and her mother couldn't be happier. 

Thinking back, it would have been easy to give up before we'd started.  But she didn't, and neither did her mother and husband, and it worked.  It's a testament to the power of motivation and loving support.  Hands down, they're the best tools we've got.

For more information on breastfeeding after reduction surgery, see the wonderful Breastfeeding After Reduction website.  And if you've breastfed after reduction surgery, please tell us about it in the comments section!

The business trip, nursing-mother style.

Note:  The TSA policies about bringing breastmilk on board have recently changed.  See this post for an update.

This Sunday's New York Times had a great first hand account of the hazards of traveling for work while breastfeeding.

The author, who had to travel from Maine to Wisconsin to attend a conference on potatoes, had pumped enough milk for her baby while away.  On the trip, she finds herself pumping in airport bathrooms, in the airplane bathroom, and standing up in a closet at a farm. 

On the way home, she checks some milk in a cooler with her luggage, and then tries to bring some of the milk she's pumped back on the plane (a topic we've discussed in a prior post): 

Then the security agent said that I couldn’t take any milk onto the plane unless I had a baby with me. I told him that I wouldn’t have milk in a bag if I had my baby with me.

We started arguing. I feared I was going to miss my flight. I knew it was fruitless to try to explain how much this milk meant to me, that it was, at this point, my only primal connection to my baby back home. It was mother’s milk — was I really going to have to throw it in the trash? Yes. I tossed it into the gray can.

Sadness shot through me, then anger. “How many women have you made throw away breast milk today?”

“Six,” he said.

“I’m sure they were all as livid as I am.”

“Actually,” he said, “You’re the nicest one.”

I wished I had been meaner.

I'll let you discover what happened to the milk in her checked luggage.  Is it just me, or do your toes curl to when you picture throwing milk into the garbage?

New breastfeeding helpline!

A new resource is available to mothers for help with breastfeeding questions!

The National Women's Health Information Center (part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services) has a phone helpline staffed by La Leche League-trained Breastfeeding Peer Counselors.  You can call and get answers to common breastfeeding questions ranging from nursing positions to pumping and storing breastmilk.

For help, call 1-800-944-9662, or 1-888-220-5446 for the hearing impaired.  The helpline is open from 9:00 to 6:00 Eastern Time.  If you call after hours you can leave a message and a peer counselor will call you back on the next business day.

Support is available in English and Spanish.  The helpline is open to nursing mothers as well as their partners, families, prospective parents, and health professionals.  More information is on their website, and I'll keep a link on the sidebar of this blog.

La Leche League also runs an email help service, which you'll find here.

Celebrities and breastfeeding - Does it matter?

One of your comments from earlier this week got me thinking about celebrities and breastfeeding - and whether they make it easier for the rest of us.

This has been a banner year for babies born to famous women, and many of them are breastfed.  I'm sure I wasn't the only one who noticed that Angelina Jolie was wearing a nursing bra in those photos of her baby.  Then there was Katie Holmes, Gweneth Paltrow, Mira Sorvino, Geri Halliwell, Rachel Weisz, and Gwen Steffani - who appears to be putting the red leopard skin nursing bra on the map.

You can find plenty more on the breastfeeding section of the Celebrity Baby Blog, which even keeps track of which stars nursed twins (Julia Roberts), pumped on the set (Jennifer Garner), and nursed after breast implant surgery (you might be surprised).  Breastfeeding.com also has a page devoted to famous breastfeeding mothers.

My favorite quote on the Celebrity Baby Blog is from Adam Sandler, who describes his role in supporting his wife in breastfeeding:  "I just cheer on my wife.  I say, 'Good feeding!' a lot.  'Way to go.'  'Nice milk.'"

Some of the celebrity mothers talk about how breastfeeding helped them lose weight after their babies were born, but many, like Courtney Cox Arquette and Catherine Zeta-Jones, talk about the connection it provides with their babies and about the health benefits it provides. 

So, the question is:  Does it matter?  Does hearing about famous women breastfeeding make it easier for regular folks like us, or are they too far out of the mainstream to make a difference?