The Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog

Making More Milk: Diana West talks about milk supply and answers your questions.

Welcome to another Motherwear Podcast!  This episode features Diana West, IBCLC.  Diana is best known for her work supporting mothers who have had breast surgeries through her website Breastfeeding after Reduction Surgery and her book, Defining your own Success.

Diana is co-author of a new book, The Breastfeeding Mother's Guide to Making More Milk, which will be out in December of this year and is available now for pre-order.  This is the first book to focus solely and in great detail on milk supply, and it looks like a wonderful resource.

This interview is divided into two parts.

Part One discusses what determines milk supply, what causes low milk supply, what mothers can do to increase milk supply, and what feelings are common among mothers with low milk supply.  You can listen to it on the player below, or download it.

In Part Two Diana answers your excellent questions about milk supply (shown in the comments section of this post), on topics including the impact of birth on milk supply, suggestions for maintaining milk supply when pumping at work, how stress and periods impact milk supply.  You can listen to it on the player below, download it.

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From Afghanistan with love.

Thanks to reader Kelly in Nevada, here's a pretty inspiring story for you: 

Air Force Captain Ginger Bohl, deployed to Afghanistan in August when her son was about 6 months old, has been sending pumped milk back to him ever since.

The San Angelo, Texas Standard Times reports:

"It's my wife," says Michael Bohl, her husband and Silas' father. "She is an amazing woman - her spirit, her faith, everything about her just shines."

Ginger Bohl, an Air Force captain, is an active-duty doctor deployed in Afghanistan from Goodfellow Air Force Base. Since leaving in late August, Bohl has sent home biweekly shipments of her breast milk, frozen and shipped in 30- to 40-pound quantities directly to the Bohl family.

Thirty-five pounds of milk is about 4 gallons' worth. This delicate commodity makes it halfway across the planet, a distance of more than 8,000 miles, in just three short days.

The father notes that Ginger has been very lucky to have an power and a freezer at her post, and that the family is lucky to be able to afford the shipping costs.  He suggests a moratorium on deployment for breastfeeding mothers beyond the current four month limit.  He also notes that the importation hasn't always been smooth:

Shipments have been held up by customs and the USDA because of the potential for infectious diseases.

"There's one guy at JFK (airport in New York City) who is now very informed about the benefits of breast-feeding and why we needed the milk right away," Bohl said. "I was even sent to the IRS to get the milk because they thought we were running some kind of Afghani breast-milk ring."

Ginger Bohl will return home in a few days.  Her husband says:

"She's been gone for so long, nearly half of his life," Bohl said. "Every time he hears her on the TV [through a webcast], he crawls up to touch it. He knows her face and her voice. He knows his mommy. I know it won't be a problem."

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Motherwear's letter to the Massachusetts legislature.

Here is a letter Motherwear recently sent, along with letters from our local breastfeeding task force, local Moms Rising/Motherwoman group, and 100 individuals, to the Massachusetts Joint Committee on Public Health in support of Senate Bill 78.  This bill would provide legal protection for breastfeeding in public, and require employers to accommodate pumping mothers in the workplace.

The bill has passed out of the committee, given a new number, and will soon be headed to the House, where it died last year.  You can weigh  in on this bill, too, through the Massachusetts Breastfeeding Coalition's advocacy page.

Dear (Senator or Representative):

On behalf of Motherwear International, Inc., I am writing to urge you to vote in favor of Senate Bill 78, "An Act Relative to the Public Health Benefits of Breast Feeding."

Motherwear has been supporting breastfeeding for over 24 years.  We publish the only catalog exclusively for nursing moms.  Motherwear's commitment to nursing doesn't stop at the clothing.  We want all women to feel empowered with the knowledge they're giving the best possible start to their babies.

At the root of our mission is our desire to support breastfeeding women and create a nurturing environment for them and their families.  We want to help women foster a long and satisfying breastfeeding relationship with their babies, educate others about the benefits of breastfeeding, and empower more mothers to nurse their babies longer.

We are dismayed that Massachusetts is one of only a handful of states that does not protect mother nursing their children in public.  We believe that a woman should not be forced to delay feeding her hungry child because of fear of how she will be treated.  Children should not be required to be fed while their mothers are perched over public toilets in cramped bathroom stalls.  Passage of legislation to protect the rights of mothers to breastfeed will send a powerful message that the State of Massachusetts recognizes the individual and societal benefits of nursing.

We also support this legislation because it requires that employers make reasonable accommodations for mothers who want to pump in the workplace. 

If a woman is to be able to successfully breastfeed her child, it is imperative that her rights to feed her child in the optimally beneficial way be protected.

Please vote YES on the passage of Senate Bill 78.

Sincerely,

Jeanne Taylor, CEO

Motherwear International, Inc.

The first Motherwear Podcast - An interview with Cate Colburn-Smith, co-author of The Milk Memos

Here it is - the first Motherwear Podcast! 

I had the pleasure of interviewing Cate Colburn-Smith, co-author of The Milk Memos for this recording.  You can also read my review of this book, and here's a picture of us when we met in San Diego this summer.  I have to say that I'm feeling pretty proud for just having figured out how to make one of these things and get it up on the site!

You can listen to it right now with the player below, or download it and listen with another player. 

Cate was kind enough to give me ten of her breastmilk storage magnets (pictured at left) to give away.  To win one, leave me some feedback about the podcast in the comment section by the end of the day on December 5th.  I'll pick ten names at random from among the comments.  Be sure to leave a "real" email address so I can contact you.  International addresses are fine.

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A day at work at Mothering.

Here's a wonderful slideshow of a day at work at Mothering, featuring several breastfeeding moms and babies.

Seeing the older kids playing reminded me of going to my friend Anna's parents' workplace - also a magazine - after school.  We used to hang out for the afternoon, reading on the bean bag chairs, snacking, and playing on the shag carpet.  Can you tell that this was the '70s?  Her mother was the children's book editor and had piles and piles of advance copies which we could read.  It just hit me recently how special that was, and how rare it must be today. 

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The Motherhood Manifesto.

Last week I saw the film, "The Motherhood Manifesto," which was produced by Moms Rising.  A trailer is above, and you can find more clips here.

This film made me ponder, for the millionth time, how it's possible that we can have such wealth in this country and yet rank just about last in the industrialized world when it comes to basic policies like paid family leave and health care for children. 

The film points out, for example, that the only countries in the world with no paid maternity leave are Papua New Guinea, Lesotho, Swaziland, and the United States of America.  I meet more and more mothers who are returning to work at six weeks because they can't afford to take advantage of their unpaid Family Medical Leave Act leave.

Just think what could happen to breastfeeding rates if we had family leave policies like Canada, which provides 15 weeks of partial paid pregnancy leave, 35 weeks of partial paid maternity/paternity leave, which can be extended by up to an additional 15 weeks of sick leave.  I know, I know, we are so different from Canadians.  That could never work here.  I mean, they say "aboat" and play that curling thing, and um...yeah.

After the film my friend sitting next to me asked, "which part made you the most mad?"  We both felt that the health care for children segment was the most disturbing.  The film paints some good portraits of the effect of our health care system on families, pointing out that half of all bankruptcies are related to medical issues - and most of those families have insurance.  As you probably know, we are the only Western nation without universal health care coverage, despite spending more per person on health care than any country in the world.

Not realizing that there would be screenings in my community, I purchased my own copy, which Moms Rising offers at cost.  If you have a moms group which would like to watch it, send me your name and address.  There are suggestions on how to hold a house party here, though you really don't have to do anything but show the movie.  I may ask you to send it along to the next group, so please only respond if you'd be willing to do that.

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Nerissa Nields on breastfeeding, touring, and appreciating the power of music.

How cool is it that, in the course of helping moms breastfeed, I sometimes get to meet awesome musicians?  

I've had the true pleasure of getting to know Nerissa Nields of The Nields (on the right in these pictures), and she graciously agreed to answer a few questions about her breastfeeding experience.  They have a new album out, Sister Holler and their kids' album All Together Singing in the Kitchen is a favorite in our house.  And here's an old NPR interview with Nerissa which I really liked.

What has your breastfeeding experience been like?

I loved breastfeeding.  It was hard for me at first because my daughter was born a bit early and had a tiny little mouth, and my nipples are flat.  I remember thinking, "She'll never get THAT in her mouth!"  In the first week or so, I pumped a lot and we fed her through an eye dropper.  For the first couple of months, I wore a nipple shield, and she slowly learned to fill her little belly with my milk.  She was a voracious nurser, and fell asleep in our bed at my breast.  We slept like this for the first three months; when she'd wake up hungry, I just gave her my breast and she fell back asleep. We all slept well.

The nipple shields were annoying, though; I had to make sure they were clean; I had to keep track of them.  I remember one day despairing that I'd have to use them forever, and then the next day she was able to nurse without it!  That felt like liberation.  From then on, nursing was a breeze.  I fed her while I ate dinner; I fed her while I typed on the computer.  I even fed her walking down the street (she was hidden beneath a wrap.)  I fed her in church.  I fed her in restaurants.  I never thought I'd be so public with breastfeeding, but as life presented itself, it kept feeling natural.

You tour a lot with The Nields.  How has breastfeeding worked with your traveling and performing schedule?

I either brought her and nursed her before and after the sets, or I left her at home and brought my pump.  I didn't travel far without her while she was nursing.  It was handy when she was nursing for airplane trips!  That kept her still for take offs and landings.

Do you think becoming a mother has changed your music?

Being a mother hasn't necessarily changed my music, but it does make me better appreciate the power of music.  I love the way she responds to music--with her whole body.  Her face lights up, she begins to move, she claps and sings.  I have felt incredibly lucky to be a musicican since having my daughter.  Also, I feel a much greater connection to the earth, and to other people, since becoming a mother, and for that reason, I feel more inspired to connect through music to people's joy.  I love to see families at our shows, cuddling and swaying and singing along.  I also know the power of That One CD that works in quieting a screaming child!  I am grateful when people tell me that one of our CDs is the magic bullet.

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Guest post: Rachel on pumping while traveling for work.

Today I'm happy to share a story and some great advice from Rachel on breastfeeding and pumping when on a business trip.

I wasn't exactly thrilled about leaving 6 month old Matthew behind to go to a conference for work.  I tried everything I could to bring him with me, but in the end it just didn't work out that way.  My husband couldn't take off work as he had just started a new job.  Neither of our parents or my aunt could go either.  I didn't trust the hotel daycare and knew I would have long days.  I knew I had to go to the conference (it was definitely something my career would benefit from), so I decided to bring my trusty pump with me.

I calculated how many days I would be gone and the number of bottles he would need during that time.  I thought I would be safe with 150 ounces.  This seemed like an impossible task since I only had six weeks' advance notice of the trip.  However, I pumped in the morning after he nursed, and before bed at night.  I also added an extra pumping session during the day at work.  At first I wasn't able to get that much, but eventually I got the full 150 ounces that I needed for the trip.  If I wasn't able to nurse him while away, I felt really good that I would be able to provide him with my breastmilk.

Right out the gate (or should I say just when I got to the airline gate), things began to go wrong.  I forgot to pack my flanges and had to have Matt (my husband) make an emergency trip back to airport to deliver them to me.  They'd been sitting clean on the counter, and didn't make it into my 'last minute list.'  Once that hurdle was overcome, I was cleared for takeoff.

I had planned to pump during my layover and made arrangements for this by bringing the battery-powered attachment to the pump along with me.  However, when I got everything set up and switched the pump on...nothing.  The battery feature of my pump wasn't working, and I didn't think to pack the manual attachment.  I started to try to hand express, but wasn't incredibly successful at it.  Matt had told me a few days before that I should figure this out, but I had never tried it.  I was very frustrated, but made a conscious decision not to let it stress me out, thinking that this would make the situation worse.  My breasts were very full by the time we made it to the hotel, but once there I was able to pump and everything went well.

I was able to break away from the conference to pump regularly, and followed Matthew's schedule as much as I possibly could.  I stored the milk in a refrigerator provided by the hotel.  Coming back to the room to pump actually provided me with several breaks during the day which I might not normally have taken.

Also, I took the opportunity to talk to others about pumping while away.  I felt like I could educate others on nursing - after all, I am the product of a family that doesn't nurse their babies; the way I learned about nursing was from the example of my friends an others I met in later years.  I actually ended up meeting a lot of other nursing moms (or former nursing moms) who had been there, done that, and it was terrific.

I went to the conference really nervous about what would happen to Matthew while I was gone.  I was scared my supply would dry up, scared he wouldn't latch back on, and worried that he would get completely off his sleep schedule.  It turns out that all my fears were in vain - Matt got that much closer to Matthew and did a fabulous job caring for him, he actually learned to sleep better while I was gone, and had no issues with his latch.  I learned a lot at the conference, got some sleep, and all in all had a good time.  Did I miss my family?  YES!  But I survived it, and you can, too.  Check out my tips below for surviving a business trip without your little one as a nursing mom.

Tips for Traveling Without your Little One:

1. Always have a backup option for pumping.  Bring your manual as well as electric pump.  And double check that you have all the parts before you go.  In a pinch, Target carries some replacement parts for Medela pumps.
2. Contact the TSA and ask them about regulations and their suggestions for traveling with breastmilk (see their guidelines).  When I called they were helpful and I didn't have to wait on the line at all.  Ironically, I was traveling the week before they announced their newer, more lenient, standards.  if you educate yourself about the regulations in advance, you'll feel more confident at the airport.  Also, you may want to bring a copy of TSA regulations along in your carry-on bag for security guards who aren't familiar with their policies.
3. Arrange to have a refrigerator in your room in advance with the hotel.  At the least, they should let you store the milk in the refrigerator or freezer at their restaurant.
4. Pack a cooler for the return trip, or plan to buy one there.  If you're going to carry in the milk on board, you can get a soft-sided collapsible cooler for packing with your bag.  If you're planning to check the milk, get a hard plastic cooler and some packing tape.  Don't forget to pack ice packs, or get ice before you pack it!
5. Try to stick to your baby's eating schedule when you pump as much as possible (but don't let that stop you from getting a good night's sleep if you can!).  I mapped out the conference itinerary in advance, and scheduled the times I could get away to the room to pump and take a break.
6. Calculate how many days you will be gone, and compare this with how long you can store your milk in a refrigerator.
7. Bring a sleep-aid for the first night.  I didn't fall asleep for hours my first night away from Baby Matthew.
8. Relax and trust your instincts.  If something goes other than as planned, trust that you will intuit the right solution for you!

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TSA changes breastmilk-on-board policy.

Just a week ago I was talking with a mother about a trip she's planning for early next year. 

She pumps for her baby, and we were thinking through what she would need to do to get her breastmilk home.  I said something about how by the time she travels the rules may have changed.  Later, I thought to myself, "That's ridiculous, those rules will never change."

But I was wrong!

This week the Transportation Security Administration changed their rules about bringing breastmilk (and lighters?) on board.  Here's what the rules now say:

[Starting on August 4th, 2007] TSA is also modifying the rules associated with carrying breast milk through security checkpoints. Mothers flying with, and now without, their child will be permitted to bring breast milk in quantities greater than three ounces as long as it is declared for inspection at the security checkpoint.

Breast milk is in the same category as liquid medications.  Now, a mother flying without her child will be able to bring breast milk through the checkpoint, provided it is declared prior to screening.

The press release notes that the rule changes were a result of consultation with various security authorities and "the workforce."  Is it possible that this change was influenced by the petition we all signed and the press attention surrounding all those moms who had to dump their breastmilk before boarding?  The new policy does look a lot like the proposal on the petition nearly 6,000 of us signed.

Thanks to Jake Marcus at Birth Without Boundaries.  Want to get email updates from the Motherwear Blog?  Subscribe here.  Want an RSS feed? Click here.

The Seventh Carnival of Breastfeeding: Dads and Breastfeeding

Welcome to the seventh Carnival of Breastfeeding!  This month, in honor of Father's Day, we bring you posts on the theme of Dads and Breastfeeding.

My contribution was written by a friend and father of six month old Tai.  Minh and his wife Kathy took my breastfeeding class, and after the class Minh emailed me to say, "Ever since we took your class I've been saying things like, 'If Mike Tyson and breastmilk were in a fight, breastmilk would win.'"  How can you not love a dad like that?

Below you'll find great posts from other bloggers -including several written by dads - on this topic.  Enjoy!

I am proud to be the father of a breastfed baby.

Recently, one of my aunts said, "This fat baby needs to be in advertisements to illustrate the benefits of breastmilk."  I know that we all like to think of our kids as exceptional, but I have to boast for a minute.  Our baby tripled in size in the first two months, from 5 lbs to 15 lbs, on breastmilk alone.  I like to tell my wife that she doesn't have breastmilk but rather 'breast half-and-half.'  How else can you explain the size explosion in my son?

Although my wife is the one making the milk that nourishes my baby, I've done as much as I can to support her along the way.  For me, my role as the dad of breastfed baby can be broken into three stages:

Weeks 0-3:  Sleep?  What's sleep?

During the first few weeks I became a taskmaster and did things I rarely did before (dishes, laundry, walking the dog, etc.).  Maybe this was to make up for the fact that I hadn't just pushed a baby out of my body.  While I kept the household running, my wife could concentrate on resting, recovering, and feeding our son.

In those early days my wife and I were sleep-deprived zombies.  I got up with her each time the baby ate at night, offering to help by pouring her a glass of water, helping to position the baby correctly, or changing a dirty diaper after the feeding.  It was exhausting.

During the day I helped with all the no-boob-required baby care.  I burped him, changed his diaper, swaddled him, bathed him, etc.  Not only did this give my wife a chance to rest between feedings, but it gave me wonderful opportunities to bond with my baby.

Weeks 3-12:  The Fun Part

Now, I don't think that fatherhood needs to involve feeding, but it has been a big part of my experience.  I love it.  Feeding the baby is a bonding experience like no other.  Despite our worries about causing nipple confusion, when we introduced the bottle at around three weeks it worked like a charm.

Shortly thereafter we established a schedule to get my wife as much rest in one stretch as possible.  Having always been a night owl, and being truly impossible to wake once I am asleep, I volunteered for the night shift between 8pm and 2am.  This time (for us) usually involved two feedings and a diaper change.  The baby mostly just slept on me while I watched TV in the living room.  When he was ready for his 2 am feeding and if I was out of breastmilk, I would bring the baby to mom with Boppy in hand.  I swear, if my wife got 6 hours of solid sleep in, she could take over the world.  She maintains that the extra sleep she got as a result of this arrangement was key to our success in breastfeeding (and in surviving).

As you know, fathers are not "equipped" with the correct tools to breastfeed, so you have to buy some tools to have a pleasant feeding experience.  Or maybe this is just an excuse to go out and buy new stuff.  Either way, these are the items that I recommend:

1. Boppy - Everyone in our house has one...including the baby.  These are a must-have.  They make everyone comfortable, and make it possible to feed with just one hand.  This leaves the other hand free for the TV remote or one-handed typing of emails.  I mean, yes my son is beautiful and a joy to be with, but he's not interesting enough to stare at for six hours when he was mostly just sleeping.  Incidentally, my wife no longer uses her Boppy (the baby is bigger and needs less assistance to latch on) but I still use mine on occasion as an enormous neck pillow.
2. Miracle Blanket - Affectionately referred to in our house as the baby straight jacket.  This little beauty is a swaddling blanket of sorts that is used to pin down the flailing appendages which can get in the way of peaceful feeding.  It was also huge in getting him to sleep for extended periods of time.
3. Beer Pint- You need to warm up the milk bottles in some kind of container.  It might as well be remotely masculine.
4. Bottles - The Avent four ounce bottles with a #1 nipple are the first ones we tried.  It worked, so we've been using them ever since.
5. Burp cloths - Cloth diapers work perfectly for wiping spit up off yourself, the baby, the remote, the laptop, the dog, etc.  They also wipe salsa spilled on babies better than anything else I've used.

Weeks 12-present:  Pumping Galore

For us, this is where there was a real transition.  The baby now sleeps for longer stretches of time, so my two feedings between 8 pm and 2 am have pretty much disappeared.  My wife is now back to work part time, which means she's pumping all the time to have milk to send to daycare with our son.  I don't want to make her have to pump any more than she already does, so I don't give bottles that often these days.  Although I miss our nightly feedings, I do still give at least one bottle a week.  My new feeding shift is Sunday mornings, 6 am to 10 am. 

Even though I'm now doing less feeding (and a lot less dishes and laundry!) I am still actively supporting my wife by organizing and freezing the milk she pumps (see picture above), asking her how pumping is going, seeking out advice when problems arise, and simply cheering her on.

Nursing in public

Now this is all well and good inside of the home.  A whole 'nother ball of wax is breastfeeding outside the home.  Honestly, I am proud to be seen with my wife when she nurses in public.  I know it can sometimes make others uneasy to see a woman nurse in public, but I hope that when they see how comfortable I am with it they will feel more at ease.  It doesn't even faze me anymore when my wife's nipple makes an appearance while we're out to dinner at a nice restaurant, or in a coffee shop, or at Costco.

Simply put, the whole experience of breastfeeding has been such a joy for all the members of this household.  I'm really not even that bitter that my wife's breasts, which were once a great source of fun for me, have turned into the only meal ticket in town for the baby.  It's a small price to pay and as the father of a breastfed baby, I thank my wife (and all breastfeeding moms) for doing such an important job.

Check out what these other bloggers have to say about Dads and Breastfeeding here:

• Leisa at Down with the Kids (writing from Australia) contributes "Mothers' Milk:  A Dad's Perspective."
• Angela at Breastfeeding 1-2-3 contributes "A Father's Take on Breastfeeding:  Perception Versus Reality"
• Kelli at Nursing Your Kids writes about the "Partnership" involved in breastfeeding.
• Jessica at hepatitis-epi contributes her story about "Fathers and Breastfeeding."
• Amy at Musings of a Crunchy Domestic Goddess contributes, "My Hubby, the Lactivist."
• Sinead, writing from Northern Ireland, writes "My Hubby, my Best Breastfeeding Buddy."
• Andi at Mama Knows breast contributes, "My Husband, My Co-Author."
• Jennifer at The Lactivist writes about "Fathers and Breastfeeding - The Importance of Seconds."

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