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While this isn't exactly on the topic of breastfeeding, so many nursing moms use slings that I thought it would be good to showcase this video response to the CPSC's recent sling warning. It was made Meg, by our local babywearing expert, who a few years ago did a video for the blog on nursing in a Hot Sling.
I think that Meg does a good job of explaining which kinds of slings are the object of concern, and which positions in slings are safe.
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My son: "Are you sure that there's only one baby in there?" (I said yes). "Well, how many times did you mate?"
My midwife (with a smile): So, are you considering breastfeeding?
My dyslexic mother (sorry, Mom) about my age, which is pushing the upper limit: "It's great that you're doing this while you're still young!"
My son: "I see you're wearing your eternity pants!"
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When I started this blog in 2006, one of the first things I did was to try to identify 'colleagues.' I felt a little alone and unsure of what I was doing, and I thought it would help.
I quickly found four breastfeeding bloggers - Angela at Breastfeeding 1-2-3, Andi at Mama Knows Breast, Sinead at Breastfeeding Mums, and Jen at The Lactivist. They quickly became both colleagues and friends.
Angela in particular became a great support and sounding board. She edited a draft of my book and gave me by far the most detailed and thoughtful comments, she was a sounding board when I had challenges of one sort or another, and she provided great feedback about carnival submissions. Her skills as both a La Leche League leader and a lawyer came in handy many times. This is on top of creating a wonderful, professionally written blog which inspired a loyal following.
So I was shocked and really disappointed to hear that her blogging network terminated all of its bloggers. As I understand it, the blog will remain up for now, but no new posts are planned at this point. Angela wasn't permitted to post a goodbye to her readers, so I'm posting it here. You're welcome to post your own messages in response in the comments section.
Last Friday without warning the blog network that owns Breastfeeding 1-2-3 terminated my contract along with that of every other blogger who was under contract. I am sad to have my relationship with the blog and its faithful readers end that way, without even a chance to say goodbye. Thanks to Tanya of the Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog, I am getting this chance.
I have thoroughly enjoyed writing for Breastfeeding 1-2-3 over the last three-and-a-half years. As my time as a breastfeeding blogger comes to a close and I move on to other endeavors, I just wanted to say goodbye and thank you for the support you have shown me and other breastfeeding mothers! Best wishes, Angela White
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Thanks to Elita at Blacktating for this!
| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| Stephen Apologizes for Feeding His Grammy Baby Food | ||||
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I've mentioned this study before (in a podcast on hormonal causes of low milk supply), but it's come up again in the news, and I'm so fascinated by it that I thought I'd post about it again.
A researcher at the University of Florida, Elizabeth Guillette, has been studying Yaqui communities in Mexico for years. In the 1950's, the Yaqui split over whether to adopt 'modern' agricultural methods which involved heavy use of pesticides, or to maintain traditional farming methods. This conflict literally divided the community in two, and the half of the group which did not want to adopt modern farming practices moved away, into the foothills. This provided a fascinating research opportunity to study the effects of pesticide use, alongside a control group (the group that moved away and maintained traditional farming methods).
What does this have to do with breastfeeding? Indian Country Today reports:
Long term research led by Elizabeth Guillette, Ph.D., of the University of Florida found compelling proof that pesticides acted as endocrine disruptors and produced negative health impacts over the years to the exposed Yaqui indigenous communities.
Endocrine disruptors or EDCs, endocrine disrupting chemicals, include DDT and other pesticides.
Guillette's latest research finds that some of the pre-adolescent daughters of mothers exposed to pesticide spraying will never be able to breast-feed their babies. With others there is uncertainty. Although there is breast growth, some daughters lacked development of the mammary gland needed to produce milk, or developed a minimal amount.
As the girls in the exposed group matured, their breast size became much larger than normal, yet they had less mammary tissue and often none at all, while the unexposed girls were normal.
"A large study using my techniques was done in India showing the exact same results," Guillette said. She published her research findings in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.
You can read part of the published article here or the full text here.
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Did you see it?
A few things I loved (spoiler alert): the male lactation consultant, nursing the wrong baby, hearing "nipple confusion" and "C-hold" on national TV, both moms in the room breastfeeding, and how thrilled Pam is when the baby latches.
A few realistic, but frustrating things: The nurse who tries twice to take the baby to the nursery, and suggests giving her a bottle several times. And using a nursing cover in the hospital room?!?
Looks like actress and nursing mom Angela Kinsey contributed some of the breastfeeding humor.
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I love these contests. You guys send in some of the best nursing stories ever. From the last few contests, here are the funniest ones (these, too) and the most moving ones, in my opinion.
Last round's winner, from Ginger Carney, cracked me up:
When I was nursing my first child, Caroline, I had an encounter with my young nephew, just 3 years old at the time. I had sat down to relax and breastfeed her when my nephew wandered over to me and looked curiously at his little cousin at the breast. Since I don't believe he had ever seen a baby nursing (he was not breastfed), he asked "WHAT is she doing??!!" Quietly and matter-of-factly I said, "She's eating." Immediately his eyes became wide with surprise as he replied loudly, "She eats PEOPLE??!!"
So, to enter, just send your favorite nursing tip or story to customer service (customerservice at motherwear dot com). One lucky entrant will win a $100 gift certificate! Contest ends 3/31/2010. Mothewear reserves the right to publish some or all of the content of the emails/stories.
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Last month's carnival theme was 'overcoming challenges,' so to balance things out a bit, we thought we'd invite you to submit posts on the theme 'the joys of breastfeeding.' Tell us what you love about breastfeeding!
Please send your submissions by March 15th. The Carnival will be on March 22nd. 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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The Politics of Breastfeeding, 3rd edition (Pinter and Martin, 2009),* by Gabrielle Palmer, opens with this often cited paragraph:
If a multinational company developed a product that was a nutritionally balanced and delicious food, a wonder drug that both prevented and treated disease, cost almost nothing to produce and could be delivered in quantities controlled by consumers' needs, the announcement of this finding would send its shares rocketing to the top of the stock market. The scientists who developed the product would win prizes and the wealth and influence of everyone involved would increase dramatically. Women have long been producing such a miraculous substance, breastmilk, since the beginning of human existence, yet they form the least wealthy and the least powerful half of humanity.
Gabrielle Palmer was one of the original founders of Baby Milk Action in the 1970's, which led the Nestle boycott and remains a force against formula marketing. Since then she has written two editions of The Politics of Breastfeeding.
Palmer begins the preface to her book by stating: "I wish I were not writing this preface. There should be no need for this book. In a world beset by overwhelming problems, here is a resolvable issue. Twenty years ago when I was writing the first edition, more than three thousand babies were dying every day from infections triggered by lack of breastfeeding and the use of bottles, artificial milks, and other risky products. This is still happening."
This book is a thorough and hard-hitting examination of the many forces which contributed to the decline, and struggle to reestablish, breastfeeding here and around the world. It discusses the influence and marketing strategies of formula companies, the absence of family-friendly work policies, and the devaluing of maternal work.
It's all here in this encyclopedic book: the biological foundations, the history of infant feeding, the marketing of formula, the development of the WHO Code, HIV and breastfeeding, fertility and ecological issues, right through the Chinese melamine scandal of 2008.
One message of this updated edition is that as research undermines the basis of formula feeding, formula companies are using increasingly aggressive and sophisticated marketing techniques to sell their products. Another is the trend toward expanding markets into the developing world, where sales of formula are both lucrative potentially deadly. On this point the story seems to have changed little since the days of the initial Nestle boycott, despite international agreements and increased public scrutiny. Marketing methods may have changed, but the motive and effects remain the same.
At times it can be difficult to stomach evidence Palmer presents, and she certainly pulls no punches. But it's also the kind of book that will make an activist out of an observer. I'd recommend it to anyone interested in this topic.
You can read an excerpt of the book here, and here's a recently posted video of a book talk Palmer did, just after the Haiti earthquake. *Pinter and Martin provided me a complimentary review copy of this book.
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