The Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog

Fall clearance sale at Motherwear

Motherwear has a great clearance sale going on right now, with lots of items marked down to make way for the winter styles.

To the right is the popular keyhole tee, marked down from $29.00 to $13.95.  A long sleeved version is on sale for $19.95.

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New York Times: "Breastfeed the Baby, Love the Calorie Burn"

I'm always surprised to find articles about breastfeeding in the New York Times, but I was shocked when I realized that I know the mother and baby whose picture is prominently displayed at the top!  We met a little while back at a breastfeeding group I run, and I think she had some of the most sensible comments in the piece.

The article states:

That breast-feeding gives mothers an edge shedding baby weight has long been suspected. But lately, a parade of celebrities has attributed their postpartum slimming to nursing, bringing this age-old topic back into the spotlight. Adding to the conversation is a large study that suggests that weight loss through breast-feeding is not a myth.

...Is it any wonder that some new mothers are quietly thrilled at the calorie cushion that breast-feeding provides? “Nobody wants to admit they are doing it for themselves, or ‘I’m doing it to help myself look hot again,’ ” said Jesse Comer, from Portland, Ore., [not the mother I met] whose main motivation to breast-feed was her baby’s health. “It’s tough to admit to other people that everything isn’t about the baby.” But Ms. Comer, like many mothers interviewed for this article, “felt like until the weight was off, I wouldn’t feel myself.”

For those incredibly shrinking women, the time they nurse is precious not only for its skin-on-skin cuddling, but also for the Get Out of Dieting Jail Free card that comes with it.

But does breast-feeding actually speed weight loss in postpartum women? It depends.

Last year, and epidemiological study of 36,000 Danish women found that the more a mother breast-feeds, the less weight she retains six months after birth. A few factors determined how much she lost: whether a woman was overweight before pregnancy, what she gained while expecting and duration of nursing, said Kathleen M. Rasmussen, an author of the study and a nutrition professor at Cornell.

So here's the thing about the guilt some of us feel when we experience weight loss with breastfeeding:  It may feel like it's about vanity, but it's actually about your health.  Numerous studies have shown that breastfeeding protects mothers against weight and metabolism related health problems, including diabetes, heart attack, coronary artery disease, obesity, and the high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and insulin resistance associated with metabolic syndrome.  Researchers attribute this to the weight loss and metabolism shifts that occur during breastfeeding.  Not burning off the weight - which your body added during pregnancy as a fuel source for breastfeeding whether you intended to breastfeed or not - puts you at a higher risk for these and other health problems.  So it's not just about fitting into your old clothes.  It's about your health.

Still feeling selfish for loving, as one of the stars of Ugly Betty put it, "nature's lipo?"  Just keep in mind this quote in the article from breastfeeding advocate Marsha Walker:  “We deserve it.  She ought to get into those skinny jeans after 9 months of pregnancy and 20 hours of labor. That’s what I tell mothers. Go for it.”

I know it doesn't work for everyone, and the article points that out.  My own observations:  Some women appear at a month as if they've never been pregnant, while others seem to have a huge appetite during breastfeeding and hold onto some of the weight until they wean.  Some mothers lose it gradually at first but lose more rapidly after the 6 month mark.  And some women struggle with the last few pounds until they wean, while others go well under their pre-pregnancy weight.  (This happened to me, and it wasn't pretty.  Between the hair loss, sleep deprivation, and extreme weight loss I looked a little like a prisoner of war.)  A few years ago I polled you (open with Explorer) on this topic, and I think the results show this, um, spread.

So, do you feel guilty for loving the calorie burn?

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Wordless Wednesday: Dorothea Lange photo "Migrant Mother," California, 1936

Source: Wikimedia Commons

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Join the November carnival: Breastfeeding experiences in the hospital

The theme for our next carnival of breastfeeding will be breastfeeding experiences in the hospital.  Here's your chance to join in!

Please send your submissions by November 16th.  The Carnival will be on November 23rd.  As usual, we'll be looking for posts that are:

- Well-written and grammatically correct
- Thoughtful and directly on point for the carnival subject
- Submitted by blogs that pertain to subjects of interest to our readers (breastfeeding, parenting, etc.)

If your post is selected for inclusion, you will be asked on the day of the carnival to edit your post to link back to each of the other participants in the carnival. Examples of past carnivals can be found here.

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Want to help in the fight against breast cancer? Post a flyer.

I've mentioned before that I help out with recruitment for a breast cancer study which uses breastmilk to identify molecular biomarkers for the development of cancer.

To participate, a mother has to be nursing, and have either had, or be expecting to have, a breast biopsy.  Mothers are sent a box to overnight mail their milk to the lab (at the study's expense) and receive $25 in thanks.  We've been helped a lot by the Avon Army of Women, but need to continue spreading the word.  If you think you may qualify, you can email Dr. Sarah Lenington.

If you don't qualify for the study, but would like to help out, please consider posting a flyer in your pediatrician's office, you OB or midwife's office, at your La Leche League meeting, or anywhere else you think nursing moms might see it.  You can download the flyer here, or you can email a request for hard copies from Dr. Sarah Lenington. 

More information about the study is at the study website.  Thanks for your help!

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Sesame Street breastfeeding clips

It's Sesame Street's 40th anniversary this week, and I thought I'd link back to posts I've done with breastfeeding videos from the show, just in case you missed any!

Sesame Street had it going on

Buffy nursing baby Cody

You're my baby (breastfeeding version)

Maria breastfeeds

I can't resist reposting this one of Buffy and Big Bird.  It's just too great.

Nipple creams in the Skin Deep database

I was recently playing around with the Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep database, checking to see exactly how bad my shampoo is for me, when I noticed that the database includes information on nipple creams.

Had any of you noticed that, or used the information to decide which one you use (if any)? 

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Book review and give away: Making Babies

I'm pleased to review a new book on, you guessed it - making babies.  You can win one of five copies (see entry instructions at the end of this post).

Making Babies, by Dr. Sami David and Jill Blakeway, LAc presents a three-month program for 'maximum fertility' as naturally as possible.

What sets this book apart from others on this topic is that the authors - a reproductive endocrinologist and an licensed acupuncturist and herbalist - bring both Western and Chinese medicinal traditions to the task. 

Like other books, the authors discuss conception, common problems and solutions, and assisted reproduction. 

But unlike other books, but they also present five "fertility types" (tired, dry, stuck, pale, and waterlogged) based on Chinese medicine.  The authors then provide a fertility plan for each of these types, addressing foods to eat and avoid, exercise, and supplements, and Chinese medicine treatment.

The book isn't as detailed at Taking Charge of Your Fertility, but this makes it a bit more accessible, I found.  It's full of case studies from the authors' practices, and the information is presented in a friendly, supportive, and optimistic tone.  I think it would be a welcome addition to both mothers' and practitioners' bookshelves.

To enter to win a copy of this book, leave a comment below by November 11, 2009.  One entry per person, and entries must come from U.S. and Canadian residents.  No P.O. boxes, please.  Winners will be chosen using random.org and announced in the comments section of this post.  Copy will be sent directly to you by the publisher.

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Want to set up a nursing mothers' lounge at your fair? Here's some advice from a pro.

For a few years I volunteered at the nursing mothers' lounge at The Big E, the multi-state New England fair held in Massachusetts each September.  It's a big fair - more than 1.2 million people attended this year.

When I've posted about this a number of you have commented that you wish you had something like this at your own fair.  So I asked Lezlie, the La Leche League leader responsible for organizing the lounge, to answer a few questions about how she does it.  Her responses are below.

Can you describe the nursing mothers' lounge at the Big E?  What does it look like, and how does it work? 

The Nursing Mothers' Lounge is a quiet place in the New England Center where mothers can relax in comfy chairs to nurse their babies.  There is also a changing table available.  The space is surrounded by curtains, open at one end, to ensure privacy.

 

How many mothers use the station, and what kinds of comments do they make about it?

 

The mothers that have used the area are very grateful for a chance to get away from the crowds for a little quiet nursing time.  In the past few years, we've had over 1000 mothers either use our booth or stop by to ask questions or take information.  This year our numbers were down to about 700 but that was because I wasn't able to fill all the time slots with volunteers.  The moms were still there, but we just didn't get to count them.

 

How did this station get established?

 

Four years ago the Big E contacted me as a representative of La Leche League, to see if we would staff the Nursing Mothers' Lounge.  In past years, they had the space available, but there was a real problem with privacy. People that should not have been in the booth were, and others were peeking through the curtains.  The Big E felt it was important to provide a private space for those that wanted it.  Woman are still able to nurse anywhere on the fairgrounds, but for those that don't want to, this space is there.

 

How do you manage the setting up and staffing of the station?

 

I have been collecting old upholstered chairs for a few years now, and the Big E has been able to let me store them in the New England Center for the winter.  Chapin's Furniture also donates the changing table and a rocking chair.  The Big E provides the carpet, the curtains and the table space.  I am able to come in a few days before the fair starts to set up the booth.

 

Staffing is the challenging part. Mid summer I start emailing LLL Leaders and people that have volunteered in the past.  This year I set up a Google calendar so that volunteers could see which time slots were open. I am able to give out a free ticket and parking pass to anyone who helps for 4 hours or more.  I can put 2 people on at a time so I always encourage people to bring a friend.  As the date of the fairs gets closer, I start asking people to spread the word to other groups that might be able to help.  In the past we've gotten volunteers from mothering support groups and WIC.

 

Is there any advice you'd give to others who would like to set up a station at their own fairs?

 

Be sure that you and the fair organizers are on the same page.  You may want to email your comments so you have written documentation of things promised. The first year I did this, there were staffing changes which led to misunderstandings for the next two years.

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