The Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog

Breastfeeding and autism.

So, in this post I'm going to wade into a topic* against my better judgment and the advice of my husband. 

I didn't want to write about this because 1) I know next to nothing about autism, and 2) sometimes if you say "don't worry" people respond by thinking, "What?!?  There's something to worry about?!?"  So you are hereby ordered to take a deep breath before reading the rest of this post. 

Here's the issue:  Recently there has been a lot of online discussion about breastfeeding and autism.  This discussion was prompted by a two-year old article on the UCSF website, which discusses a rat study that suggests a link between high levels of PCBs in milk and neuro-developmental disorders like autism.

Here are the points I'd like to make:

1)  Research to date suggests an inverse relationship between breastfeeding and autism.  Let's get something straight before proceeding - I am not, not, not suggesting that formula feeding causes autism.  Got that?  I am going to present the findings of the very few studies that have looked at feeding method and autism incidence, so that you can clearly see that the research to date hasn't borne the idea of a causal link between breastfeeding and autism out at all. Here they are:  This study, based on parent surveys, found an association between breastfeeding (and also DHA/ARA supplemented formula) and lowered risk of autism.  This study on casomorphins found an inverse relationship between breastfeeding and a risk factor for psychomotor delays and other diseases such as autism.  This older study on weaning and autism found an inverse relationship between breastfeeding and autism incidence.   This analysis of three studies in which babies with higher levels of dioxin exposure through breastmilk than exist today were measured in terms of health and developmental outcomes.  It found that breastfed babies had better mental development than formula fed babies. 

2)  Formula has PCBs and other pollutants, too.  Sometimes I think that this issue gets framed in terms of "toxins or no toxins," but the truth is that your choice is between breastmilk which contains pollutants and formula which contains pollutants.  Dr. Kathleen Arcaro, environmental toxicologist at the University of Massachusetts said in an interview for this blog that "pollutants are widely distributed [i.e. in the air, in water] and therefore are in cow’s milk and formula." Some pollutants, like PAH, are found in higher amounts in formula than in breastmilk.  Viewed this way, why wouldn't you choose the food which delivers many other health and developmental advantages for both of you?

3)  Levels of PCBs in breastmilk are going down.  Dr. Arcaro noted in the same interview that "the good news is that the concentration of some lipophilic (fat-loving) environmental pollutants in breast milk is decreasing.  For instance the level of many pesticides (DDT and its metabolites) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) has greatly decreased over the last 30 years."  PDBE levels have increased, but some states have started to ban their use.

4)  Rats are not humans.  Enough said.

For more, check out these past posts on toxins and breastfeeding and formula.

We should all be concerned about toxins in breastmilk.  And we should all be conerened about autism.  But let's not jump to the conclusion that one causes the other.

*Many thanks to Heather, creator of Hathor the Cowgodess, who currently draws and blogs at mama-is.com, for the use of her drawing in this post.  My podcast interview with her is my favorite one - check it out!

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Best for Babes' new ad.

This great new ad from Best for Babes will be running in Mom and Baby magazine soon.  This follows Best for Babes' 'economic stimulus packages' ad in Fit Pregnancy earlier this summer.

The text at the bottom of the ad reads:

Every day and in emergencies, breastfeeding saves lives.  Planning on nursing?  The right crew can make for smoother sailing.  Get a suppot group.  Get expert lactation help.  Make sure your hospital, pediatrician, employer, and insurer are doing their part to help you succeed.  We'll show you how at www.bestforbabes.org

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Guest post: Mary on "the last num num."

I'm pleased to share a guest post by Mary, an American mother of three who lives in Northern Ireland.  Mary wrote this post after finding it hard to find stories of weaning toddlers.

When I became pregnant with Alex I knew that I did not want to wean him myself, I had done that with Rebecca and Jarod around age one and it did not go well, traumatized both of us each time.

With Alex I was much more informed and knew that extended breastfeeding was better for both the child and the mother. More info on extended breastfeeding here. I decided to allow him to self-wean. "Child-led weaning occurs when a child no longer has a need to nurse - nutritionally or emotionally. A baby who self-weans is usually well over a year old, is getting most of his nutrition from solids, is drinking well from a cup, and cuts down on nursing gradually. If children are truly allowed to self-wean in their own time, most will do so somewhere between the 2nd and 4th year. Obviously, some will wean before this time and some will wean after this time, too."

Alex nursed quite a bit until after he was 2 at which point he cut back to just one nursing at night time. It was our time to relax after a hard toddler day. Days of running and playing and climbing and crying and exploring all came to a quiet close...he would climb into my arms and be so sweet. He would sing to me, tell me about his day, pat my face, and slowly drift off to sleep.

As he got closer to his 3rd birthday he all of a sudden decided that when he turned 3 he would not need his "num num" anymore. He would talk to me about it at length, some days he'd be so excited about it .. "When I be 3 mommie I will be big and big does not need num num." "When my cake turn me 3 the num num will go bye bye." But other days he would seen to regret his decision...."Mommie when I turn 3 I will miss the num num....maybe I stay 2 longer?"

His last num num was Friday night, the last night before he turned 3. I had a bear made for him with 2 photos. One is of the very first num num he had - a few seconds after he was born and the other was taken by my friend Amy recently to represent his last num num.

I gave him the bear and he hugged it. He gently placed it on the bed, tucked it in, and said "I sleep with you tomorrow num num bear." He crawled into my arms and I tried not to cry. He usually falls asleep in a few seconds but this time he lingered, fighting the sleep. He sighed and said "It's hard to be big mommie." Yes, yes it is. It's also just as hard to let your baby be big.

His party was a blast and when night time rolled around I was not sure how he would handle it. Would he ask to nurse? Would he cry? He crawled into my arms, hugged his bear close to him, and said "I big now mommie. Can you just pat my back and sing to me?" I was so proud of him. It takes a strong person to know when it's time to grow up and go through with letting go of your last shred of babyhood.

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A new breastfeeding doll.

A few years ago I wrote a post complaining about how baby dolls often come with bottles, but you rarely see a doll with any reference to breastfeeding. 

And then there was a recent post about a public outcry in the U.K. in response to a poster depicting a little girl nursing her doll.

Well, a Spanish company has answered the call, with a new breastfeeding doll.  As far as I can tell, the child puts on a little halter which has flowers where breasts would be.  When the doll is brought to the flowers it makes slurping noises.  The ad to the right says, "The first nursing doll.  Breastfeeds!  A doll without a bottle."* 

So far the response on blogs has ranged from 'that's weird' to 'eww, gross.'  I think it's kinda cute.  You?

*Hey, I could read that all on my own, because of what I learned writing this book!

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Semi-annual bra sale at Motherwear

Motherwear's ever popular nursing bra sale is here!  Every bra is on sale, some as much as 40%.

Motherwear is also making room for incoming fall inventory with a big summer clearance sale.

Check out their nursing swim suits, dresses, and other great summer items now!

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The World Breastfeeding Week Carnival of Breastfeeding - Prepared for Life

Welcome to August's Carnival of Breastfeeding!  This month we're bringing you posts on the World Breastfeeding Week themes "Prepared for Life" and "Breastfeeding in Emergencies."  Be sure to check out the posts from other bloggers at the end of this one.

Last week World Health Organization Director Margaret Chan kicked off World Breastfeeding Week with these comments about the importance of breastfeeding in emergencies:

The life-saving role of breastfeeding during emergencies is firmly supported by evidence and guidance...In all situations, the best way of preventing malnutrition and mortality among infants and young children is to ensure that they start breastfeeding within one hour of birth, breastfeed exclusively...until six months of age and continue breastfeeding with appropriate complementary foods up to two years or beyond. Even in emergency situations, the aim should be to create and sustain an environment that encourages frequent breastfeeding for children up to at least two years of age.

Unfortunately, a widespread misconception assumes that stress or inadequate nutrition, commonly seen during emergencies, can compromise a mother’s ability to breastfeed successfully. News stories from devastated areas often include reports of mothers who have given birth and are "not producing enough breast milk". During emergencies, unsolicited or uncontrolled donations of breast-milk substitutes may undermine breastfeeding and should be avoided. Instead, the focus should be on active protection and support of breastfeeding by, for example, establishing safe “corners” for mothers and infants, one-to-one counselling and mother-to-mother support.

Why is breastfeeding so important in emergency situations?  In emergencies formula is often not available, and even if it is, water supplies are often compromised.  Formula mixed with contaminated water can cause diarrhea and dehydration, which can quickly become life-threatening to infants.  Power to sterilize and refrigerate formula is also often not available.

Sometimes, well meaning humanitarian efforts result in such an influx of formula that efforts to protect and support breastfeeding are disrupted.  This is such a concern that in 1994 the World Health Organization adopted the following policy, urging member states to "exercise extreme caution when planning, implementing, or supporting emergency relief operations, by protecting, promoting, and supporting breastfeeding for infants," and to ensure that formula is distributed only under specific conditions.

Still, there is a lot of confusion about the role of breastfeeding in these situations.  INFACT Canada has a great write up taking on myths about breastfeeding in emergencies, which I've posted below:

MYTH 1:  Malnourished mothers cannot breastfeed.

In virtually all cases, a sub-optimally nourished mother can breastfeed her child.  The important response is to feed the mother so that she can feed her child.  It is far safe and more effective to provide nutritional support for the mother than to risk her infant's health by feeding breastmilk substiutes.  Mothers in these situations need help and support to enable them to breastfeed.

MYTH 2:  Stress makes a mother's milk dry up.

Although extreme stress or fear may temporarily reduce a mother's milk supply, this response is often of short duration.  On the other hand, breastfeeding produces hormones that have a calming effect on mother and baby and creates an inseparable bond between the mother and her child.  There is virtually no abandonment of babies in emergency situations when mother and baby are breastfeeding and kept together.

MYTH 3:  Babies with diarrheal disease need water or tea.

Breastmilk contains about 90% water.  Exclusive breastfeeding provides all the water, nutrition and immunology a baby needs, without the risk of contamination.  Feeding an infant water can introduce disease-causing bacteria and other contaminants, especially if safe water is scarce or unavailable.  It is only in the case of severe diarrhea that infants may need rehydration fluids in addition to breastmilk.

MYTH 4:  Mothers cannot resume lactation once breastfeeding has stopped.

Mothers and babies can restart breastfeeding even after a period of not breastfeeding.  Increased skin-to-skin contact and frequent access to the breast helps to increase milk supply and enables mothers to resume full breastfeeding.  This can be critical for babies during emergencies.

Check out these bloggers posts on this month's theme:

• Hobo Mama:  Breastfeeding in local and global crises
• Pure Mothers:  Marketing away real milk
• Chronicles  of a Nursing Mom:  Tips for consistent and long-term breastfeeding success
• Zen Mommy: How breastfeeding has shaped my toddler's view of breasts
• Blacktating:  Breastfeeding and living through hurricanes
• Fusion Parenting:  Breastfeeding - Prepared for LIFE!
• Breastfeeding 1-2-3: Breastfeeding as a lifesaver in emergencies
• Cave Mother:  The moments that made me thankful I breastfeed

Researcher says his comments were "grossly misinterpreted."

A few weeks ago The Times of London reported that Michael Kramer, a well known Canadian researcher of breastfeeding, believes that claims about benefits of breastfeeding are "false and oversold, as there is little evidence that mother’s milk protects babies against illness or allergies."

This set off a furor similar to the response to the Atlantic article, "The Case Against Breastfeeding."

In fact, Dr. Kramer was quoted in both articles.  Now he is saying that his comments have been 'grossly misinterpreted' by the authors.  The Independent reports:

Michael Kramer was reported as saying that much of the evidence used to persuade mothers to breastfeed was either wrong or out of date...

Or did he? Not a bit of it, says the professor, who is renowned for a groundbreaking study that found an IQ advantage to breastfeeding even after you'd stripped out the natural advantages that being the sort of mum who breastfeeds would give her child. Rather, he is spitting tacks at how his comments had been so "grossly misrepresented" for the second time in almost as many months. (The first was in the respected American magazine, The Atlantic, in an article entitled "The case against breastfeeding", which ignited the original media storm on the subject.)

"Journalists certainly have the right to express their own opinions, but not to misquote experts they choose to interview in order to support those opinions. That sort of sensationalist journalist would not surprise me from the tabloids, but I had expected better from The Atlantic and The Times," Kramer said last night.

The Times quoted Kramer, who is based at McGill University, Montreal, as saying there was "very little evidence" breastfeeding reduces the risk of a range of diseases from leukaemia to heart disease. Yet, what he actually said was: "The existing evidence suggests that breastfeeding may protect against the risk of leukaemia, lymphoma, inflammatory bowel disease, type 1 diabetes, heart disease and blood pressure." All he did concede was that we need "more and better studies to pursue these links", a common cry from academics lacking in funding...

He added: "There really isn't any controversy about which mode of feeding is more beneficial for the baby and the mother, but when you read the article in The Times it sounds like there is." Furthermore, he points out: "I'm not aware of any studies that have observed any health benefits of formula feeding. That's important, and any mother weighing the benefits of breastfeeding vs formula feeding needs to know that."

His only note of caution, which was flipped on its head by both publications, was that breastfeeding advocates don't need "to overstate their case for issues that are more controversial", such as the link between breastfeeding and protection against obesity, allergies and asthma. "Public health bodies don't have to exaggerate the benefits in order to be very comfortable about supporting breastfeeding," he added.

I didn't write about the Times article because I was a little worn out from the Atlantic debate (and I had some, ahem, burning questions about Lost).  As it turns out, I'm glad that I waited.

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