The Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog

Keep Austin Breastfeeding Flash Mob

Don't you want to know where you can get one of the t-shirts in this video?  Enjoy!

Last chance, belly dance

Yesterday my baby and I went to our first Baby Friendly movie (The Kids are All Right, yes butter on that popcorn, I'll nurse it off before the previews are over). 

Yes, I know I'm lucky that I live in a place where there is such a thing.  I once asked a mom who was on her way to a Baby Friendly movie what she was going to see, and she said, "I don't know and I don't care."

Since finding out I was pregnant I've felt compelled to try every pregnancy/baby thing I didn't do with my son.  While pregnant I did accupuncture, chiropractic, prenatal yoga, prenatal massage, henna, belly casting, moxibustion.  Everything short of Mayan Uterine Massage, though I would have if my midwife had given the go ahead.

Part of this compulsion is surely a 'last baby' thing.  But some of it is also the experience of working with new moms and for the last seven years or so seeing a parade of moms who were doing infant massage/baby sign/postnatal yoga/cranio sacral therapy/elimination communication/donating to a milk bank/music classes/making their own diapers and baby food.  And they had the cutest diaper bag/sling/stroller/nursing bra/nursing pillow/nursing shirts.  And their babies had the coolest cloth diapers/leg warmers/swaddling blankets/natural rubber toys.

So after witnessing all of this I guess I have a lot of pent up demand.  Is it weird that I got really excited when I realized that I had a reason to use a microwave sterilizer bag for my pump parts (donating to the milk bank)?  Or that I actually bought a device called "The Snot Sucker?"

The world of baby things and things to do with your baby seems to have exploded since my son was born, just seven years ago.  It's a little overwhelming, largely unnecessary, and very expensive (thank goodness for hand-me-downs, Craigslist, and interlibrary loan), but I'm loving trying as much as I can.  All the while remembering that this is the last chance, belly dance.

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Celebrity moms say "Whip 'Em Out!"

I think this one speaks for itself.  The Bump has video celebrity (and real mom) breastfeeding stories here.

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Want to do a little research project together?

A few weeks ago I got this email from Myssie:

My nursling is 8 months old, this morning we went out get the mail and found a large box from Similac.  There were various coupons and two cans of formula.  All welcoming me to the "strong mother's club" for mother's to be. 

I called the customer service to remove my name from their lists and the agent told me that my info was sold to them by another company or hospital program (my daughter was born at home so it wasn't a hospital, I can't believe that happens!)

I would like to complain further as I feel my telephone complaint won't go very far.  Do you have any information as to where I can send a letter or call that would have the most impact?

I'll be writing a post soon about how you can respond when this happens, but for now I have another idea.

I contacted Marsha Walker to find out what she knows about how formula companies get our information.  She said that any baby or maternity store where a mother uses a credit card could sell her personal information.  Hospitals themselves cannot share information, but vendors operating in hospitals such as newborn photography companies can collect and sell personal information.  In fact, one photography company was recently found doing exactly that.  She also said that birth records are public information and companies can use them for their promotions.

When I was pregnant and was thinking about ordering a maternity shirt from Old Navy, I called to ask if they share customer information with formula companies.  This was their response: 

Thank you for sharing your concerns regarding Old Navy's use of our customer's personal information. Gap, Inc. prides itself on being a responsible corporate citizen and part of this commitment is recognizing that we must maintain and use customer information responsibly. Although we may use customer information for marketing and promotional purposes within our family of brands, we never sell this information to any outside company or third party.

But obviously some stores which sell baby and maternity products do share or sell our information, and I thought it would be a good idea to shine a light on them.  

Want to help me do that?  Here's what I propose:

1)  I'll create a list of the larger baby and maternity retailers below.  I will inevitably miss some, so feel free to add to it.

2)  If you're willing to write a quick email to one or more, leave a comment telling us that you're doing it. This way we won't have several people asking the same question.

3)  You contact by email, please, one or more of the companies below asking, "Does your company sell or share customer information with companies that sell formula, or their parent companies?"  The wording is important here.

4)  When you hear back from them, post their response in the comments section.

Here's my proposed list.  Feel free to add.

- Old Navy/Gap/Banana Republic

- Babies R Us/Toys R Us

- Baby Depot

- Target

- Walmart

- Motherhood Maternity

- Destination Maternity/Pea in the Pod

- Add your own, please!

What do you think?  Anyone in?

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New documentary on milk banking: "Prescription: Milk"

This trailer was just released for a new documentary on human milk banking.  I can't wait to see this film, especially now that I'm donating milk!

More news than I can keep track of

There have been so many stories about breastfeeding lately - in part because of World Breastfeeding Week, no doubt - that I haven't been able to keep up on this blog.

Here are some of the stories from the last week.  Okay, maybe the last few weeks.  Hey, I have a new baby!

"Breastmilk Sugars Give Infants a Protective Coat," New York Times.  Nice statement at the end from a UC Davis scientist:  "So for God's sake - please breasteed."

Portland, Oregon moms aim to break the world simultaneous breastfeeding record currently held by New Zealand.  The event happens today.

In Hartford, Connecticut a mom is told she can't breastfeed at a public park (in violation of state law).  When she goes to the police station to file a complaint an officer tells asks her, " "Don't you think that nursing a 2 year old is strange?"

After giving birth at a Virginia hospital, a mother discovers that her baby has been breastfeed by another mother.  The hospital acknowledges that staff brought the baby into the wrong room. 

Gordon Ramsey tries a breastmilk cappuccino.  Warning: Plenty of profanity.  The show is called "The F Word," after all.

An Italian pharmacist won't sit for her IBCLC exam because the IBLCE won't let her breastfeed during her lactation consultant exam, and says that if she leaves the room to do so she can't make up the time.

Ameda holds a contest called "I Breastfeed Because..." and encourages moms to submit videos on this topic.  For each video submitted Ameda will make a donation to the Human Milk Banking Association, and is an entry into a contest for a nursery makeover or gift cards.

The Infant Risk Center, founded by Dr. Thomas Hale (author of Medications and Mothers' Milk) opens its hotline on medications and breastfeeding.  The center is also in the running for a Pepsi Refresh prize.  Click here to vote.

Earth Mama Angel Baby releases a free e-book herbs and breastfeeding.  I haven't had a chance to read it yet.

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The View discusses Gisele Bundchen's statement about a 'breastfeeding law'

I don't usually feel a lot of pity for supermodels, but I feel badly for Gisele Bunchen.  It sounds like she just got carried away in her enthusiasm for breastfeeding when she made a statement suggesting that there should be an international law requiring mothers to breastfeed exclusively for six months.  Of course, that doesn't make any sense, and it also offended a whole lot of people. 

She offered this statement on her blog a few days ago: 

My intention in making a comment about the importance of breastfeeding has nothing to do with the law. It comes from my passion and beliefs about children. Becoming a new mom has brought a lot of questions, I feel like I am in a constant search for answers on what might be the best for my child. It’s unfortunate that in an interview sometimes things can seem so black and white. I am sure if I would just be sitting talking about my experiences with other mothers, we would just be sharing opinions. I understand that everyone has their own experience and opinions and I am not here to judge. I believe that bringing a life into this world is the single most important thing a person can undertake and it can also be the most challenging. I think as mothers we are all just trying our best.

Below you'll see a brief discussion of the topic on The View. 

It's true what they say...

...everybody does need a bosom for a pillow. 

 

Best for Babes to create breastfeeding party kits.

A little while ago Elita at Blacktating wrote about Nestle's new marketing program to send party kits to groups of moms through the site houseparty.com.  The kits include cans of formula and other items covered under the WHO Code.

This gave Best for Babes an idea.  Why not create breastfeeding party kits?  They're calling them BYOBoobz parties.  AOL news reports:

"A lot of people were dismayed about these house parties out there promoting unhealthy feeding choices. People talked about boycotts and nurse-ins," Best for Babes co-founder Bettina Forbes told AOL News in an interview.

"But then someone mentioned having breast-feeding parties and someone else chimed in with the BYOB idea. We wanted to do something really fun, so this fit perfectly."

Best for Babes added the z, trademarked the name and approached sponsors for giveaways and support. The parties will launch in New York on Sept. 29 at Deva Spa in SoHo, Forbes said. Then the home party kits will be available for new moms, lactation consultants and others to host throughout the country.

"We're interested in doing something nonjudgmental, something fun, something party-style. And that's exactly what we're doing. We're giving breast-feeding a makeover," Forbes said.

The kits will include evidence-based information on how to avoid Booby Traps, local resources, donor milk, and of course some swag.  You can participate in the development of the program through Best for Babes' Facebook and Twitter pages.  More information is available on the Best for Babes BYOBoobz page.

Sound like a party you'd want to host?  I would!

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In World Breastfeeding Week statement, Surgeon General says new Call to Action will focus on disparities

Saying that her office will this fall release a Call to Action on breastfeeding which will address ways to reduce disparities in breastfeeding rates, Surgeon General Dr. Regina Benjamin made the following statement to kick off World Breastfeeding Week in the U.S.:

"I am committed to promoting and supporting optimal breastfeeding practices with the ultimate goal of improving the public's health. This is because breastfeeding is the best source of infant nutrition, and it provides immunologic protection and health benefits both to breastfeeding mothers and to the children they nurse...

This fall, I will release a Surgeon General’s “Call to Action” that will draw from the best available science to explain how all sectors of the community can help create an environment that is supportive of mothers who choose to breastfeed. It will show how a community-wide approach can help reduce disparities among breastfeeding mothers and children of all backgrounds, and how to improve support for nursing women in their workplaces and communities."

I'm very pleased to hear that the new Call to Action will address this issue.  As I've written before, the great strides we've made in increasing breastfeeding rates in recent years have been uneven across racial, income, and age groups.  It's time that we made a concerted effort to reduce these gaps.

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