The Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog

It's winter in September.

It was a steamy 85 degree day here in Massachusetts.  Very unusual for this time of year, and not terrific weather to be wearing winter clothing like sweaters.

But that's what some wonderful nursing mom models did at the photo shoot for Motherwear's winter catalog.  I stopped by today and took these pictures. 

Pictured are model Vida and her 3 month old son Ezio. 

This time last year, in much cooler weather, I went to my first Motherwear photo shoot.  I'm still amazed at the ability of these mothers to nurse while modeling.

To the right you can see how the photos show up immediately on a laptop, so they can see right away if they've got the shot they want for the catalog.  Okay, you probably already knew that's how they do it from those modeling shows.  I still think it's cool.

Like last year, I had a chance to talk with both of the models a bit about their breastfeeding experiences, and hope to be able to share a bit about their stories sometime soon.  You can read more about some of Motherwear's past models from last winter, spring, and fall. 

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The breast crawl.

This is my all time favorite breastfeeding video, and I'm so glad that someone posted it on You Tube.  You may want to turn off the volume, since it's narrated in another language and that's a little distracting.

These film clips show newborn babies, moments after birth.  You probably know that babies can't crawl until they're well past 6 months old.  But the first baby shown in this film, whose mother had a unmedicated labor and who was not separated after the birth, is able to actually crawl up the mother's body, find the breast, and latch on.  The baby's eyes are closed, so this he or she is navigating through touch and smell. 

The next set of babies were separated from their mothers after the birth and/or were born to mothers who had medication during their labors.  They show less of these reflexes. 

Last month at a breastfeeding conference I attended one of the pioneers of the concept that mothers and babies benefit by staying close together after birth (sometimes called skin-to-skin or kangaroo care), showed images of his dog's newborn puppies and a human baby.  It was amazing to see that they both did the same thing:  kicked, rooted, found the breast, and latched on.

Some of you may have been lucky enough to see this reflex with your own babies.  If so, tell me about it!

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I knew it was too quiet in there, part two.

 

(Design created with a return address stamp)

"If I get lost, I can just show people my arms and they'll know where I live!" 

It's a little better than the last time this happened, but it was also right before we were headed out to a religious service...

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More good and bad breastfeeding news.

First the bad news from this week:

Bill Maher disgraced himself with some inane comments about the Applebee's nursing story.  He compared breastfeeding with masturbation and called mothers who nurse in public lazy and exhibitionistic.  If you really want to ruin your day, watch his comments here (fast forward to 3 min, 15 seconds to watch).

Sophie Currier, the mother and Harvard MD/PhD candidate who sued the National Medical Licensing Examiners Board for break time to pump during her medical boards, lost her case.  She has started a blog, and some of the comments on it are truly infuriating.  I got a little too frustrated reading them to comment so I sent her an email instead.  Maybe some of you could lend a little support with a comment.

And now the good news to take you into the weekend:

Jennifer at The Lactivist got her new license plates, shown at right! 

Finally, a story from "The Best of Craig's List" that I loved.  It's an account written by an older gentleman about sharing an airplane row with a nursing mom.  I assume that "comforting the child" is grandfather code for breastfeeding.

I happened to be on an airplane from Shrevesport two weeks ago. Those tend to be small and crowded.

I sat next to a young lady, perhaps 20 or so. She was carrying a small child, who was quite unhappy with the pressure changes and all.  She got up several times to go to the bathroom, each time I had to rise to let her out. I knew she was comforting the child, I even asked her if she wished the aisle seat.

She blushed and said she preferred the inside seat. The flight got a little rough, the seat belt light came on along with a warning from the Captain, and he wasn't kidding, it got very rough.  She looked quite miserable, the child was crying. The ears of the very young are quite sensitive, they have not learned to compensate so nursing is very beneficial at times like that.
When the flight began to calm I mentioned to her that it was all right to comfort her child at her seat, I did not mind.  She smiled and thanked me, I suppose the fact that I am obviously a bit grandfatherly relaxed her. So she did, I simply read my book. Several around noticed but none took offense.

One funny thing, the steward came by, a young man of perhaps 30 or so, bringing soft drinks. This was after things had settled down a bit.  She was asleep, as was the child. It had a solid locklip on her breast, both were quite content. He asked me if my daughter wanted anything, I got some orange juice for her and set it on her tray.

She woke up soon after, drank it and thanked me. I even got to hold the child for awhile, a wonderful feeling bringing back some memories of my youth and my own children. I confess to a small tear in my eyes at touching a hand nearly as small as my index finger.

Perhaps my being much older makes a difference, but breastfeeding is a wonderful thing to see. Even as a male, a tiny child pressing to my chest feels just fine.

Look down on it all you wish, those who are fools. Women should feed their children as nature intended, they will be stronger and healthier as a result.

I see nothing wrong with it, if bashful or in a highly public place, a simple blanket will suffice. If not, that does not matter, it did not for the young lady sharing a long trip with me.  My wife nursed ours until they turned to solid foods, often in public. Not one time did anyone say anything.

It might be time for some to rub a bit of the blue off their noses, this is a very silly thing to take any offense at. Courtesy would dictate that we simply go on our way and let the young mothers be. It is just nature at work.

Take that, Bill Maher - and Barbara Walters, too!

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Nursing mothers' rooms: Convenience or quarantine?

Yesterday I volunteered to staff the nursing mothers' station at the Eastern States Exposition, also known as "The Big E," the largest fair in the Northeast.  It was the first time I'd gone, and I found it fun and sad in the way that all fairs seem to me as an adult.  I ate some fried dough.

I was there for a few hours in the evening to staff the nursing mothers' station, a curtained area in an exhibit hall which has comfy chairs and a changing table (pictured).  During my shift about 6 or 7 moms came to feed their babies, and they were all very appreciative of the privacy and quiet.  Several women walking by the display said things like, "I nursed my baby for 2 1/2 years and I totally support what you're doing!"  On busier days there have been as many as 75 mothers who used the room during the course of the day.

Part of my motivation for doing so was to explore this idea of special places for nursing moms.  They seem to be cropping up all over the place, and I have mixed feelings about them.  I've seen some interesting stuff on them at Hathor the Cowgoddess' site.

But this issue isn't totally black and white, and I keep going back and forth about it.  Below are my thoughts.  I hope you'll share yours.

PRO:

1)  A lot of women like to have a private place to nurse.  Some of these rooms, like the ones at the Babies R Us in our local mall, are nicely done (so I'm told - I haven't actually seen it) and are usually far better than a bathroom stall. 

2)  Not all women feel comfortable nursing in public, and if these places help women nurse their babies while out of the house, that's a good thing.  The reality is that women sometimes do get harassed for nursing in public, and for women who live in communities where this is likely to happen it's good to have a safe place.  Not all moms want to champion the issue of nursing in public, and that's okay.

3)  Some older babies are so distracted while nursing that it really helps to have a quiet place to do a feeding.  The rooms are also good for moms who need to pump.

CON:

1)  The root of the problems our culture has with nursing in public is that it's not seen as a normal behavior.  Keeping it out of the public view prevents it from becoming a normal thing to see, and the culture will never change.  The rooms perpetuate the need for the rooms.

2)  These rooms send a message that breastfeeding a baby is something to be embarrassed or ashamed about, when it's actually a normal human behavior. 

3)  Sometimes nursing mothers' rooms become the ONLY place a mother can nurse in that establishment.  This is actually a step backwards.  It gives business owners an easy out by segregating nursing mothers so they don't have to confront the issue head on with their customers, all under the under the guise of making mothers feel more comfortable.

So, what do you think?

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The Tenth Carnival of Breastfeeding: Sleep

Welcome to the Tenth Carnival of Breastfeeding!

This month we bring you posts on the topic of that elusive quantity:  sleep.  Be sure to check out the other posts at the bottom of this post.

When people ask me about sleep, I usually look for a quick exit.  I don't know much about sleep except the following:  You can find a book that will tell you whatever you want to believe about babies and sleep. 

Since my husband and I lean heavily  toward the attachment parenting end of the spectrum, we read Dr. Sears and Elizabeth Pantley.  We followed Dr. Weisbluth's Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child for a while, and while it helped, nothing really worked until our son was about a year old.

Of course it was terrible, but to us the sleep deprivation was better than a screaming, distraught baby.  The lesson I learned then, and have since forgotten and learned again with issues like weaning and potty training, is that when a child is ready it's easy.  All it takes is a little push in the right direction.  When they aren't, it's a battle. 

Here is another thing I know about sleep:  mastering the side-lying position can make nightime feedings much more manageable.  Not having to sit up for feedings at night means that you get to sleep more easily.  It's also great for a daytime feeding and snooze.

But for most mothers this position is the hardest to get right.  You roll around.  You're worried about crushing the baby, and you can't get a good latch.  So here are some of my favorite resources for learning the side lying position:, as well as a few other sleep resources:

• Video on how to get settled in this position, from breastfeeding.com.
• A step by step guide to this position from Ameda.
• A study suggesting that early use of lying down positions results in babies showing more natural reflexes.
• A page on kellymom.com on the myth that nursing lying down causes ear infections.
• And here's a page on kellymom.com on night weaning.
• My review of Sleeping with Your Baby.

Be sure to check out these posts from other bloggers (updated throughout the day):

• Mama's Magic tells us why the song "So Tired" brought her to tears.
• Hathor the Cowgoddess shares a comic on sleep in her household.
• Breastfeeding Mums tells us about her sleepless nights.
• Leche, Baby! wonders when her son will night wean.
• Veggie Way writes about co-sleeping and learning to let her baby sleep where she wants.
• Breastfeeding 1-2-3 contributes "why sleep training makes me cry."
• Crunchy Domestic Goddess writes about co-sleeping for sanity.
• Life with Twins writes about how sleep training saved her breastfeeding relationship with her twins.
• The Lactivist contributes "to sleep, perhance to dream."
• Mama Knows Breast stays awake long enough to write about "breastfeeding and sleep."

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Celebrate our one year anniversary with a sticker!

This week marks the one year anniversary of the Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog.

One year ago this week I was feeling very nervous.  I had agreed to write the blog for Motherwear, but this project was nothing like I'd ever done before.  I was squeamish about the technology and unsure of what and how to write.  I'm also not a "if you build it they will come" kind of person.  To top it off my husband was out of town for a week, so I didn't have my usual sounding board.

Then I put up the first post, and it worked!  I'm indebted to Motherwear for their support and trust, but most of all to those of you who read it.  I've made some great friends, and have learned an awful lot, both about blogging but more importantly about breastfeeding and motherhood in general. 

To celebrate this anniversary, Motherwear has been kind enough to purchase 50 of our local breastfeeding coalition's "Breastfeeding Welcome Here" stickers for me to give away.  If you'd like one, send an email with your address to Alison at Motherwear.  Then bring it to a local business or your employer and make it a breastfeeding friendly place!

Here are a few of my favorite posts from the last year:

• I knew it was too quiet in there
• Take the Motherwear Pledge!
• Ready to fly
• The top 10 breastfeeding stories of 2006
• Everything old is new again: cross nursing and wet nursing in the news
• Got breastmilk onesies?
• Sittin' on the couch, saving the planet
• Very, very wrong
• Were you sold out for a sandwich?

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Told to pump and dump for your MRI or CT scan?

Hold your horses flanges, and read this:

Being a new mom is stressful enough without having to go through MRIs and CT scans.  Being told that you need to 'pump and dump' for 24 or even 48 hours, and not nurse your baby for that period of time, makes it much worse. 

A few weeks ago I got a question about this from Tara, a mom who had been given conflicting advice about how long she needed to abstain from breastfeeding after an MRI.  The doctors said 24-48 hours, but the manufacturer of the dye suggested stopping for a much shorter period.

For some time the 24-48 hour 'pump and dump' policy has been the standard advice for mothers who undergo an MRI or CT scan using IV contrast agents.  But a recent study has some hospitals rethinking their policies.

In 2005, a study of radiocontrast agents in pregnancy and lactation concluded that:

Only tiny amounts of iodinated or gadolinium-based contrast medium given to a lactating mother reach the milk, and only a minute proportion entering the baby's gut is absorbed. The very small potential risk associated with absorption of contrast medium may be considered insufficient to warrant stopping breast-feeding for 24 h following either iodinated or gadolinium.

In other words, there is no reason to 'pump and dump' at all in these cases.  This 2001 statement from the American College of Radiology Committee on Drugs and Contrast Media reaches the same conclusion.  For more information on this topic, and also on radioisotopes, barium, bone scans, thyroid scans, gall bladder scans, and x-rays, see this excellent page on kellymom.com.

I know that Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, and Stanford Hospital in California have changed their policies on this topic, and I'm sure that there are many others.

If you're being told to pump and dump and want to take this up with your providers, be aware that this issue falls in between the radiology department and your OB/GYN care providers.  It may also involve your pediatrician.  These providers, even at the same hospital, may not have had a chance to talk with each other about this issue.  So expect to need to talk with several people about it before getting the go ahead.  Be sure to print out the policy statement and study I've linked to in this post, and start discussing it early.  And if you're feeling ambitious, see if you can get the issue raised to a level where a policy change can be made for all moms!

Of course, this information is educational and should not substitute for medical advice provided by your physician.  Want to get email updates from the Motherwear Blog?  Subscribe here.  Want an RSS feed?  Click here.

Everybody needs a bosom for a pillow.

You guys remember that song, right?  If not, here's the video (a re-mix).  You have to wait until about halfway through to hear the chorus.

If you do know this song I'd advise against teaching the chorus to your kids, who just might sing it to you all the time, sometimes substituting their own nursing term for "bosom."  I've been hearing "everbody needs a mi-mi for a pillow" frequently these days.  It's just a little too catchy.

Another recent conversation:

Me:  So, if you want to be good at something you have to practice.

Son:  Yeah. Like if I want to be a good drummer, I have to practice the drums.  And if you want to be a good, um, breastfeeding girl, you have to practice that.

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Facebook removes breastfeeding photos.

According to some press reports, Facebook has started removing photos showing babies breastfeeding because it is considered "obscene content."  Some users have had their accounts closed.

Mothers have started a petition titled "Hey Facebook, Breastfeeding is not Obscene" (membership required to access), which reportedly has over 7,000 members.  Angela at Breastfeeding 123 has the text of the petition.

Sound familiar?  The same thing happened on My Space earlier this year. 

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