The Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog

New study: Breastfeeding reduces SIDS risk by 50%.

A study from Germany has found a reduction of 50% in the risk of SIDS for breastfed babies.  Past studies have also found a lower SIDS rate among breastfed babies, but the finding was lower - 36% in one study.

Medscape reports:

"This study shows that breastfeeding reduced the risk of sudden infant death syndrome by ~50% at all ages throughout infancy," the study authors write. "We recommend including the advice to breastfeed through 6 months of age in sudden infant death syndrome risk-reduction messages."

"...Because breastfeeding rates are low in the socially deprived sections of our population, there should be special programs to encourage mothers of low socioeconomic status to breastfeed their infants not only for the established benefits of breastfeeding for the mother and infant but also to reduce the risk of SIDS in their infants."

Curious how breastfeeding and SIDS risk are related?  Dr. Sears has a good piece entitled "8 Reasons Breastfeeding Reduces SIDS."

Want to get email updates from the Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog?  Subscribe here.  Want an RSS feed? Subscribe here.  Want to subscribe to our breastfeeding podcasts on iTunes?  Click here.

Sometimes it's helpful just to know that what you're experiencing is has a name.

That's how it is, sometimes, with the feeding/sleep pattern called reverse cycling.  Here's a typical pattern:

You have a 3 month old baby.  Things are going well.  You're nursing on cue, and you can count on some good sleep stretches at night - maybe 3 or even 4 hours sometimes - which feels great considering what it was like when your baby was a newborn.

Then you go back to work.  And suddenly you have a newborn again at night.  She wants to nurse every hour.  You are a zombie during the day.

Sometimes it looks like that.  Sometimes the all night buffet starts when your baby is teething, or during the holidays, or when you're chasing older kids around all day.  Sometimes your baby is so distracted by every little sound that he barely nurse during the day.  I can say anecdotally that it's more likely to happen around growth spurts (2 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, etc.).

Sometimes it's about eating (especially for those babies who "sip" at their bottles during the day and so don't take much while you're at work), and sometimes it's about comfort and connection.  We tend to focus in on the food part of nursing more than the comfort part, and in doing so I think we miss the need that babies have to be held and comforted - and nursing is at the top of the list when it comes to comfort.  It's hard for them to be away from you, too.

I like the term reverse cycling because describes the reverse sleeping pattern, but it also sounds like bicycling backwards, which is a lot like what it feels like.  Kellymom has some nice suggestions on how to cope with a reverse cycling baby.  Just remember, this too shall pass. 

Does this sound familiar to you?  Hey, wake up!

Want to get email updates from the Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog?  Subscribe here.  Want an RSS feed? Subscribe here.  Want to subscribe to our breastfeeding podcasts on iTunes?  Click here.

I've heard a lot of unhappy stories about medication advice given to nursing mothers.  I hear about mothers told to wean or pump and dump unnecessarily, having health care providers not bother to look up medications or even read package inserts before making recommendations, or having their concerns dismissed.  Recent research confirms what I've seen.

Someday this will change, I hope, but until then I think every nursing mother should know about these resources:

1)  Medications and Mothers' Milk, by Dr. Thomas Hale, professor pediatrics at Texas Tech University.  His book is the most comprehensive and up to date source of information available.  This is a physician/pharmacist's reference book, but it's quite readable and clear.  Dr. Hale gives each drug a rating of L1 to L5, discusses the available research about each drug, lists the half life and the time when a drug is at its peak in our blood, and notes the AAP rating and any pediatric or maternal concerns.  The introduction to the book has a good summary of how medications transfer - and don't transfer - into breastmilk.  Dr. Hale updates this book every two years. 

This book is expensive, so I wouldn't expect mothers to buy it, but I would recommend that mothers make sure that their providers have and consult it.  Many lactation consultants and La Leche League Leaders have copies, too.

Dr. Hale also runs a website with a searchable forum for health care providers.  Mothers can read the forum but can't pose questions.  I've found that it works best to use Firefox to view it.  His website also has a very readable explanation of medications and transfer into breastmilk. 

2)  LactMed is a free, searchable database of medications and breastfeeding run by the National Institutes of Health.  It provides information on effects in breastfed infants, effects on nursing mothers, the AAP rating of the drug, and alternatives to consider.  In my experience the information hasn't been as comprehensive as Medications and Mothers' Milk, but it's still a great, quick, free source of information.  Again, it's one that your providers should know about. 

3) Kellymom.com has a good page which lists medications by topic (acne, cold remedies, dental work).  She has also created a table with a list of medications with the AAP rating and Dr. Hale's rating, based on 2004 data.

Want to get email updates from the Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog?  Subscribe here.  Want an RSS feed? Subscribe here.  Want to subscribe to our breastfeeding podcasts on iTunes?  Click here.

To finish up the give away week, here's a handy item for pumping moms - a milk storage magnet, courtesy of the authors of The Milk Memos.

You can listen to a podcast with co-author Cate Colburn-Smith, and read my review.  I recommend this book to working/pumping moms all the time.

I have ten of these to give away.

If you'd like to win a magnet, leave a comment below by March 13th, 2009.  U.S. addresses only, please.  Winner be chosen using random.org, and announced in the comments section. 

Want to get email updates from the Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog?  Subscribe here.  Want an RSS feed? Subscribe here.  Want to subscribe to our breastfeeding podcasts on iTunes?  Click here.

Another great book to win today, and I have five copies to share.

Amy Spangler's Breastfeeding: A Parent's Guide is a clear, concise breastfeeding guide that would be a wonderful resource for any mother.  It's strengths, I think, are its simple language and clear illustrations.  It would be particularly good for a first time mother, or a second-time+ mom who needs a refresher course.

Amy's company, Amy's Babies, also sells breastfeeding bookmarks with tips for parents, posters, and brochures.  She also runs a great website called babygooroo.

If you'd like to win a copy, leave a comment below by March 12th, 2009.  U.S. addresses only, please.  Winner be chosen using random.org, and announced in the comments section.

Want to get email updates from the Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog?  Subscribe here.  Want an RSS feed? Subscribe here.  Want to subscribe to our breastfeeding podcasts on iTunes?  Click here.

Continuing the give away week...

After I reviewed their breastfeeding CD, the nice mamas at Earth Mama Angel Baby offered to give away a complete Breastfeeding Support Kit to a lucky blog reader.

The kit includes their Milk Maid Tea, Booby Tubes (warm/cold breast packs), Natural Nipple Butter, and Bosom Buddies (herbal breast compress)

Read about Earth Mama Angel Baby's 'toxin-free first baths' program here.

If you'd like to win this kit, leave a comment below by March 10th, 2009.  U.S. addresses only, please.  Winner be chosen using random.org, and announced in the comments section.

Want to get email updates from the Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog?  Subscribe here.  Want an RSS feed? Subscribe here.  Want to subscribe to our breastfeeding podcasts on iTunes?  Click here.

I've been very excited about this book for a while, and am happy to be able to tell you more about it - and to offer a free copy to a lucky winner!

First, I want to share some past interviews I've done with the authors, which you can also find at our free iTunes store:

Diana West on basic milk supply issues:

Diana West answers readers' questions:

Lisa Marasco on maternal hormonal causes of low milk supply:

I really can't say enough good things about this book.  It's clear, readable, and most importantly, comprehensive.  There are a few features that I particularly want to highlight:

1) Diana and Lisa write about maternal hormonal causes of low milk supply in more detail than I've seen in any other breastfeeding book for moms.  There is also some hard-to-find information on some topics like gastric bypass, eating disorders, and vegan/vegetarian diets.

2) The chapter entitled "Planning for the future" made me shake my head and think "Of course!"  So many mothers who have had difficulty with milk supply are very motivated to try again, and this chapter tackles the process of planning for a new baby straight on.  Wonderful.

3)  The authors take seriously the feelings mothers have when they have a problem with milk supply.  They devote a chapter to "coping with milk supply," which I think mothers will find very helpful. 

If you'd like to win the copy, leave a comment below by March 9th, 2009.  U.S. addresses only, please.  Winner be chosen using random.org, and announced in the comments section. 

Want to get email updates from the Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog?  Subscribe here.  Want an RSS feed? Subscribe here.  Want to subscribe to our breastfeeding podcasts on iTunes?  Click here.

I've decided to post five give aways in five days this week! 

To kick it off, here's a chance to win a Motherwear poster!  It features the catalog cover from a past season (minus that yellow circle in the lower corner). 

It would be a great poster for doctor's office, pumping room, or anywhere else you want to display the beauty of breastfeeding!

I have ten of these to give away.

If you'd like to win one, leave a comment telling me where you'd put this poster, by March 9th, 2009.  U.S. addresses only, please.  Winner be chosen using random.org, and announced in the comments section. 

Want to get email updates from the Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog?  Subscribe here.  Want an RSS feed? Subscribe here.  Want to subscribe to our breastfeeding podcasts on iTunes?  Click here.

There's a name for it: Reverse cycling.

Sometimes it's helpful just to know that what you're experiencing is has a name.

That's how it is, sometimes, with the feeding/sleep pattern called reverse cycling.  Here's a typical pattern:

You have a 3 month old baby.  Things are going well.  You're nursing on cue, and you can count on some good sleep stretches at night - maybe 3 or even 4 hours sometimes - which feels great considering what it was like when your baby was a newborn.

Then you go back to work.  And suddenly you have a newborn again at night.  She wants to nurse every hour.  You are a zombie during the day.

Sometimes it looks like that.  Sometimes the all night buffet starts when your baby is teething, or during the holidays, or when you're chasing older kids around all day.  Sometimes your baby is so distracted by every little sound that he barely nurse during the day.  I can say anecdotally that it's more likely to happen around growth spurts (2 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, etc.).

Sometimes it's about eating (especially for those babies who "sip" at their bottles during the day and so don't take much while you're at work), and sometimes it's about comfort and connection.  We tend to focus in on the food part of nursing more than the comfort part, and in doing so I think we miss the need that babies have to be held and comforted - and nursing is at the top of the list when it comes to comfort.  It's hard for them to be away from you, too.

I like the term reverse cycling because describes the reverse sleeping pattern, but it also sounds like bicycling backwards, which is a lot like what it feels like.  Kellymom has some nice suggestions on how to cope with a reverse cycling baby.  Just remember, this too shall pass. 

Does this sound familiar to you?  Hey, wake up!

Want to get email updates from the Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog?  Subscribe here.  Want an RSS feed? Subscribe here.  Want to subscribe to our breastfeeding podcasts on iTunes?  Click here.

Have questions about medications? Use these resources.

I've heard a lot of unhappy stories about medication advice given to nursing mothers.  I hear about mothers told to wean or pump and dump unnecessarily, having health care providers not bother to look up medications or even read package inserts before making recommendations, or having their concerns dismissed.  Recent research confirms what I've seen.

Someday this will change, I hope, but until then I think every nursing mother should know about these resources:

1)  Medications and Mothers' Milk, by Dr. Thomas Hale, professor pediatrics at Texas Tech University.  His book is the most comprehensive and up to date source of information available.  This is a physician/pharmacist's reference book, but it's quite readable and clear.  Dr. Hale gives each drug a rating of L1 to L5, discusses the available research about each drug, lists the half life and the time when a drug is at its peak in our blood, and notes the AAP rating and any pediatric or maternal concerns.  The introduction to the book has a good summary of how medications transfer - and don't transfer - into breastmilk.  Dr. Hale updates this book every two years. 

This book is expensive, so I wouldn't expect mothers to buy it, but I would recommend that mothers make sure that their providers have and consult it.  Many lactation consultants and La Leche League Leaders have copies, too.

Dr. Hale also runs a website with a searchable forum for health care providers.  Mothers can read the forum but can't pose questions.  I've found that it works best to use Firefox to view it.  His website also has a very readable explanation of medications and transfer into breastmilk. 

2)  LactMed is a free, searchable database of medications and breastfeeding run by the National Institutes of Health.  It provides information on effects in breastfed infants, effects on nursing mothers, the AAP rating of the drug, and alternatives to consider.  In my experience the information hasn't been as comprehensive as Medications and Mothers' Milk, but it's still a great, quick, free source of information.  Again, it's one that your providers should know about. 

3) Kellymom.com has a good page which lists medications by topic (acne, cold remedies, dental work).  She has also created a table with a list of medications with the AAP rating and Dr. Hale's rating, based on 2004 data.

Want to get email updates from the Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog?  Subscribe here.  Want an RSS feed? Subscribe here.  Want to subscribe to our breastfeeding podcasts on iTunes?  Click here.

Give away week: Milk Memos milk storage magnets.

To finish up the give away week, here's a handy item for pumping moms - a milk storage magnet, courtesy of the authors of The Milk Memos.

You can listen to a podcast with co-author Cate Colburn-Smith, and read my review.  I recommend this book to working/pumping moms all the time.

I have ten of these to give away.

If you'd like to win a magnet, leave a comment below by March 13th, 2009.  U.S. addresses only, please.  Winner be chosen using random.org, and announced in the comments section. 

Want to get email updates from the Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog?  Subscribe here.  Want an RSS feed? Subscribe here.  Want to subscribe to our breastfeeding podcasts on iTunes?  Click here.

Give away week: Breastfeeding, A Parent's Guide

Another great book to win today, and I have five copies to share.

Amy Spangler's Breastfeeding: A Parent's Guide is a clear, concise breastfeeding guide that would be a wonderful resource for any mother.  It's strengths, I think, are its simple language and clear illustrations.  It would be particularly good for a first time mother, or a second-time+ mom who needs a refresher course.

Amy's company, Amy's Babies, also sells breastfeeding bookmarks with tips for parents, posters, and brochures.  She also runs a great website called babygooroo.

If you'd like to win a copy, leave a comment below by March 12th, 2009.  U.S. addresses only, please.  Winner be chosen using random.org, and announced in the comments section.

Want to get email updates from the Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog?  Subscribe here.  Want an RSS feed? Subscribe here.  Want to subscribe to our breastfeeding podcasts on iTunes?  Click here.

Give away week: Earth Mama Angel Baby breastfeeding support kit.

Continuing the give away week...

After I reviewed their breastfeeding CD, the nice mamas at Earth Mama Angel Baby offered to give away a complete Breastfeeding Support Kit to a lucky blog reader.

The kit includes their Milk Maid Tea, Booby Tubes (warm/cold breast packs), Natural Nipple Butter, and Bosom Buddies (herbal breast compress)

Read about Earth Mama Angel Baby's 'toxin-free first baths' program here.

If you'd like to win this kit, leave a comment below by March 10th, 2009.  U.S. addresses only, please.  Winner be chosen using random.org, and announced in the comments section.

Want to get email updates from the Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog?  Subscribe here.  Want an RSS feed? Subscribe here.  Want to subscribe to our breastfeeding podcasts on iTunes?  Click here.

Give away week: The Breastfeeding Mother's Guide to Making More Milk

I've been very excited about this book for a while, and am happy to be able to tell you more about it - and to offer a free copy to a lucky winner!

First, I want to share some past interviews I've done with the authors, which you can also find at our free iTunes store:

Diana West on basic milk supply issues:

Diana West answers readers' questions:

Lisa Marasco on maternal hormonal causes of low milk supply:

I really can't say enough good things about this book.  It's clear, readable, and most importantly, comprehensive.  There are a few features that I particularly want to highlight:

1) Diana and Lisa write about maternal hormonal causes of low milk supply in more detail than I've seen in any other breastfeeding book for moms.  There is also some hard-to-find information on some topics like gastric bypass, eating disorders, and vegan/vegetarian diets.

2) The chapter entitled "Planning for the future" made me shake my head and think "Of course!"  So many mothers who have had difficulty with milk supply are very motivated to try again, and this chapter tackles the process of planning for a new baby straight on.  Wonderful.

3)  The authors take seriously the feelings mothers have when they have a problem with milk supply.  They devote a chapter to "coping with milk supply," which I think mothers will find very helpful. 

If you'd like to win the copy, leave a comment below by March 9th, 2009.  U.S. addresses only, please.  Winner be chosen using random.org, and announced in the comments section. 

Want to get email updates from the Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog?  Subscribe here.  Want an RSS feed? Subscribe here.  Want to subscribe to our breastfeeding podcasts on iTunes?  Click here.

It's a give away week! First item: Motherwear posters

I've decided to post five give aways in five days this week! 

To kick it off, here's a chance to win a Motherwear poster!  It features the catalog cover from a past season (minus that yellow circle in the lower corner). 

It would be a great poster for doctor's office, pumping room, or anywhere else you want to display the beauty of breastfeeding!

I have ten of these to give away.

If you'd like to win one, leave a comment telling me where you'd put this poster, by March 9th, 2009.  U.S. addresses only, please.  Winner be chosen using random.org, and announced in the comments section. 

Want to get email updates from the Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog?  Subscribe here.  Want an RSS feed? Subscribe here.  Want to subscribe to our breastfeeding podcasts on iTunes?  Click here.