The Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog

Did you think you'd ever hear something like this during a presidential campaign?

However you feel about Governor Sarah Palin, you have to admit that this is a remarkable quote to read in the context of a presidential campaign:

The mother of five told People magazine she is still nursing her baby son, Trig, born in April. But she did not think she'd have any trouble balancing her family obligations with the challenges of the campaign or the vice presidency if the Republican ticket prevails in November.

“What I’ve had to do, though, is in the middle of the night, put down the Blackberries and pick up the breast pump. Do a couple of things different and still get it all done,” Palin said of balancing work and family.

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Wordless Wednesday: WPA poster

Breastfeeding and codeine.

Last year the FDA raised concerns about use of codeine in nursing mothers, after a two week old infant died of a morphine overdose resulting from maternal intake of codeine (in less than the amount typically prescribed). 

This issue has been in the news again this week after the release of a Canadian study documenting the same hazard.

Codeine is commonly prescribed for postpartum pain, and can be found in Tylenol 3.  When codeine is ingested an enzyme in our bodies metabolizes it into morphine.  Some mothers are "ultra-rapid metabolizers" of codeine, which means that the enzyme in their system more efficiently process codeine into morphine.  For those mothers, the amount of morphine in their milk is many times higher than others, and the concentration can be fatal to breastfed babies.

Some of us are more likely to be ultra-rapid metabolizers of codeine.  Dr. Thomas Hale, of Texas Tech University, and author of the indispensable Medications and Mother's Milk explains on his forum that the incidence ranges from 1% in Caucasians, to 10% in Greeks and Portuguese, to 29% in Ethiopians.  He also notes that at least 7-10% of Caucasians lack the metabolizing enzyme altogether, and cannot metabolize codeine to morphine, and so codeine is ineffective for these individuals.

So, what else could be used for postpartum pain?  Dr. Hale lists alternatives and guidelines for the use of strong pain killers on his forum.  You can also watch a brief FDA video on this topic.

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A couple of recent quotes I enjoyed.

Dara Torres:  "Two years ago, the Torres’ Olympic itch returned when, soon after giving birth to her daughter Tessa, she discovered she was swimming fast. At the 2006 Masters World Championships in California, Torres was breastfeeding between events, but still posted slick times."

Angelina Jolie:  "They eat every three hours and I’m getting better at holding them both for [breast]feeding at the same time, so that helps. Usually, the other kids come in and hold them when they finish. They help with the baths and the changing." Brad added, "We try to get them to eat simultaneously for the sake of management, but it gets a little crowded at the bar!"

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Got breastmilk? Buy a onesie to support our breastfeeding coalition!

Don't you just love these 'got breastmilk?' onesies?  Well, you can have one of your very own and support our local breastfeeding coalition's projects!

Your contribution will support our efforts to set up a milk collection station in our region for the Mother's Milk Bank of New England, to provide rental pumps to our local WIC offices, and to support breastfeeding-friendly businesses and employers in our community.

These onesies read 'got breastmilk?' with a line below that reads "pioneer valley breastfeeding task force," along with our website address.  They cost $5 plus $2 for shipping (if you live locally let me know and we can arrange for pickup).  They're a 6 month size, but I think they run a little small - maybe more like a 3 month size.  To order through PayPal, click here. To order by check, email me.

A BIG thank you to Silver Screen Design of Greenfield, Mass for printing these onesies for free!  Their generosity allows us to donate 100% of the proceeds from these sales to our projects.

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Motherwear's 25th anniversary contest for August: Mother support.

Happy World Breastfeeding Week!

In honor of this year's theme, "Mother Support: Going for the Gold," this month's contest for a $25 Motherwear gift certificate asks you to tell us about being helped by, or helping, another nursing mom. 

Maybe it was your sister who told you about cabbage leaves, or maybe you helped a friend chose the right pump.  Maybe it was a La Leche League leader who helped you get the latch just right. 

However you've supported or gotten support from another mother, please tell us about it in the comments!  Doing so will enter you into a contest for a $25 Motherwear gift certificate.

Leave the comment below by midnight on August 7th.  Be sure to leave a 'real' email address so I can contact you if you've won.  The winner will be notified by email.  U.S. addresses only, please.

And for a list of World Breastfeeding Week events planned in each state, see this La Leche League USA page.  You can also list your own event.

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More breastfeeding ad campaigns.

A while back I posted about my favorite breastfeeding ad campaign, but I recently learned of two more that I think are great.

First, check out these great public service announcements from the Virginia Department of Health.  You'll need Quicktime or something like it to view them.

The first, called "Weight Loss," looks just like a Jenny Craig commercial at first, complete with giant pants.  I'm sure that this will ring true for some of you, and not for others. 

The second is my favorite.  It's called "Grandmother" and shows a grandmother talking about her daughter's commitment to breastfeeding.

One called "No Fever" emphasizes health benefits (to my mind, there are far more compelling ones to highlight, but that's okay) and the effect of overall health on school attendance.

Another, called "Free" highlights the financial cost of not breastfeeding.  Considering the current state of our economy, this is probably an even more compelling argument these days.

The final three pictures are the winners of a British contest held at an art school, sponsored by the charity Best Beginnings, a British charity devoted to break down inequalities in child health.  I think they're clever, eye-catching, and use humor really effectively.  You can see the video the students watched before designing their ads here.

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Vatican pushes for more breastfeeding images of the Virgin Mary.

An influential Vatican newspaper recently published an article calling for a return to images of the Virgin Mary breastfeeding the baby Jesus.

The Catholic News Service reports:

The loving, tender images of Mary breast-feeding the baby Jesus need an artistic and spiritual rehabilitation, said the Vatican newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano.

A vast iconography of traditional Christian art has been "censored by the modern age" because images depicting Our Lady's naked breast for her child were deemed too "unseemly," the paper said June 19.

Artists began depicting a fully clothed nursing Mary in sacred art in an attempt to make her seem less "carnal," but the depictions unfortunately also diminished her human, loving and tender side "that touches the hearts and faith of the devout," the newspaper said.

The Vatican paper published the two commentaries in its June 19 edition along with a Renaissance portrait of Mary baring her breast, nursing a swaddled baby Jesus.

Salesian Father Enrico dal Covolo, a professor of classic and Christian literature at the Pontifical Salesian University, said in his commentary that a nursing Mary represents an interesting paradox: "He who gives nourishment to all things, Mary included, now lets himself be nourished by her.

This kind of Marian iconography can be traced back to Egypt and early Christian times, but it ends around the 16th or 17th century, both authors said.

Scaraffia wrote that the Protestant movement was quite critical of "the carnality and unbecoming nature of many sacred images." Even though Catholicism rejected this view, the condemnations still affected the church's approach to sacred art, as evidenced by artists later covering up the naked forms in the Sistine Chapel, she wrote.

The splintered views concerning the sanctity of the human body were not repaired and therefore an "artistic and spiritual rehabilitation" of a breast-feeding baby Jesus is needed, she wrote. 

She said the sacred image of Mary nursing her child is "an image so concrete and loving" that it recalls her offering her body for nourishment and giving herself completely to her son as he offers his body and blood in the Eucharist and gave himself completely for others with his death and resurrection.

I didn't know any of this history, so I found this fascinating to read.  For some great breastfeeding images in art over time, check out this video.

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Belly balls, new milk storage guidelines, and another Ideablob finalist needs your vote.

There isn't much of a theme tying these three things together, but here goes:

Back in 2006 I wrote about belly balls made by Ameda, and provided some ideas on making your own set.  They're a great educational tool for showing how small a newborn's stomach is, which can calm new parents' fears that their newborns aren't getting enough milk in the early days.  The Ameda belly balls aren't offered for sale, and have been hard to get unless you work in a hospital.  The good news is that Childbirth Graphics is now selling their own version, called "Baby Bellies."  Ameda recently revised the size of the balls (they're now bigger than the ones in my first post) and Childbirth Graphics' set reflects the new sizes.

La Leche League has released new breastmilk storage guidelines.  A big thank you to Angela at Breastfeeding 1-2-3 for posting about them.  The new guidelines say that breastmilk can be kept out at room temperature for 4 hours (ideal) to six hours (acceptable); in a refrigerator for 72 hours (ideal) to 8 days (acceptable); in a freezer for six months (ideal) to 12 months (acceptable).  More information is on Angela's site.

Remember the Ideablob contest which I wrote about endlessly in January - the one which won the Mothers' Milk Bank of New England $10,000?  I got about 10,000 gray hairs worrying about that one, but it all ended very well.  Anyway, there's another breastfeeding-themed project in contention this month which deserves your vote.  La Leche League leaders in Washington state are proposing to use the prize money to get a children's book published which depicts breastfeeding babies and toddlers.  One of the mothers behind this effort was told that some publishers will not allow depictions of breastfeeding, male nipples, or even cow udders i children's books!  Proceeds from book sales would benefit the Seattle LLL toddler group.  Check it out and vote!

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New CDC data shows many hospitals not doing basic things to support breastfeeding.

You don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure out the basic things you need in a hospital to support breastfeeding.  For years, UNICEF and the World Health Organization have promoted the "10 Steps to Successful Breastfeeding," proven strategies for increasing breastfeeding rates and getting breastfeeding off to the best start.  You're most likely to find them at hospitals which are certified "Baby Friendly."

The 10 steps are common sense things like keeping mothers and babies together after birth, having a breastfeeding policy, having trained staff to help mothers, helping mothers initiate breastfeeding within an hour after birth, not giving anything but breastmilk unless medically indicated, and not giving pacifiers or bottles.

But new data from the CDC shows that many hospitals aren't doing these basic things.  The study analyzed responses from nearly 2,700 birth facilities.  WebMD reports:

For instance, 24% of the facilities reported routinely giving other drinks (such as sugar water) to more than half of healthy, full-term newborns. And 70% of the facilities reported sending breastfeeding moms home with samples of infant formula. Those practices aren't supportive of breastfeeding, notes the CDC.

The CDC noted some significant regional differences in the practices of hospitals:

"The study found that hospitals and birth centers in many southern states scored lower in practices supportive of breastfeeding compared to other regions of the nation... Seven southern states Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma and West Virginia also had the lowest percentages (less than 30 percent) of children who were breastfed for 6 months, according to the 2006 National Immunization Survey.

Western and New England states generally had higher scores compared to other parts of the country. Vermont and New Hampshire tied for the highest overall maternity practice scores (81), followed by Maine (77) and Oregon (74). In addition, Oregon, Maine and Vermont report that more than 75 percent of children were ever breastfed."

Above is a map showing how each state did, and you can get a more detailed chart of how each state scored.  And here's a great handout (pdf) called "A Mother's Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding - Even if your hospital isn't Baby Friendly."

So, how did your hospital do? 

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