The Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog

New podcast: Big Bang Theory's Mayim Bialik on breastfeeding and attachment parenting

I recently had the chance to talk with Mayim Bialik about her new book, Beyond the Sling for a podcast for Motherlove Herbal Company.

Mayim is best known for her title role on the show Blossom in the '90's, as a young Bette Midler in Beaches, and as Amy Farrah Fowler on The Big Bang Theory.

But did you know that she also holds a doctorate in neuroscience, blogs about Jewish parenting issues, and is also an attachment parenting advocate?  And that she's a certified lactation educator and hopes to become an IBCLC?

Her new book, out this week, is Beyond the Sling: A real-life guide to raising confident, loving children the attachment parenting way.

I got to talk with Mayim about the intersection of her science and parenting lives, how breastfeeding figures into her parenting, her reasons for co-sleeping, and how her husband reacted to the idea of elimination communication. 

You can listen to the interview on the Motherlove Blog or at the free Motherlove iTunes store.

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New podcast: Birth on TV and in film, with the creator of "Laboring Under an Illusion"

I have a new podcast up at the Motherlove Herbal Company blog on how birth is represented in the media - TV, film, and on the internet.

I talked with Vicki Elson, a childbirth educator and creator of the film "Laboring Under an Illusion" about how childbirth looks on the big and small screen, and how it impacts our expectations and fears about childbirth.

You can listen using the player on the Motherlove blog, or download it to your iPod or phone from Motherlove's free iTunes store.

I'm posting the movie trailer below.  I still laugh when I see the full I Love Lucy clip!

The "seven natural laws of breastfeeding"

Here are the "seven natural laws of breastfeeding" which make up the foundation of the book Breastfeeding Made Simple, which I have reviewed (first edition, second revised edition) and like a lot. 

If any of these "laws" are unfamiliar to you, I recommend picking up a copy of the book!

Guest post: The nursing mom's guide to escaping fashion purgatory after having a baby

I'm very pleased to share a guest post today from Ann, a nursing (and working) mama of two - an almost five year old who nursed till age 3, and a currently nursing 20-month old. She blogs about sewing, fashion and thrifty shopping.  

You may remember Ann's prior posts:  How to become a nursing fashionista, and The essential summer packing list for nursing fashionistas.

This time Ann has put together some great ideas on how to navigate the tricky fashion terrain after having a baby - a time the fashion world terms "transitional" but most of us view as "Help, what can I wear?!?"  Read on for her solutions.

You've just had that cute bundle of joy! And then you went back into your closet. Depression set in. In between that tired-of-maternity-wear and can't-fit-in-to-pre-pregnancy lies a no-woman's land of fashion purgatory. Knowing how a few pieces can work extra hard can transition you to your new shape.

First, it is helpful to evaluate where you are - immediately postpartum, your breasts will be quite a bit larger than they were before. I joyfully went from a B to a DD! Of course, we also look five or six months pregnant as well. And you're probably carrying your new babe in a sling or carrier and nursing all the time. So, don't go nuts buying a whole new wardrobe, but I recommend a couple of go-to outfits for spring and summer:

For the chillier days of spring ahead, pair an empire waist nursing hoodie with a drape cardigan in a bright color (Bright colors help camouflage tired appearances), your favorite jeans (and yep, it's ok if they are pregnancy jeans. You may also feel much better going to a thrift store and buying larger size jeans inexpensively). Small stud earrings are baby-safe. Grab your stylish diaper bag and off you go!

 

As the days warm, invest in one nursing cami, two short sleeve nursing tops (or one sleeveless, one short sleeve) with empire or crossover access. Hauling the tail of a tee up through a tight sling is hard, and it's near impossible in a soft wrap like a Moby. The empire or crossover top openings are very easy to use while carrying baby and they keep your tummy covered.

On the bottom, invest in a few skirts - elastic waists or yoga fold over waists are helpful right now. You will continue to lose in the belly area as you recover from pregnancy those first few months. Skirts look more polished than shorts.  A knit cardigan goes well over this if it's still chilly.

Pair this nursing tee and skirt combo with some accessories. At this time in your baby's life, you don't have to worry too much about jewelry being in the reach of grabby hands, so feel free to wear a statement necklace or earrings. Soon, your baby will want to yank on anything you're wearing, so you'll have to switch to some sturdy necklaces. Be careful though, some 'costume jewelry' you may wear regularly could contain even small amounts of substances (lead, cadmium) that are harmful to your baby. There are a number of manufacturers of 'teething' or baby-safe jewelry, and Tanya developed her own nursing necklace using items from a craft store.

Scarves (especially floaty chiffon or gauzy cotton) are wonderful for nursing mothers. It can be draped across your cleavage during nursing for extra cover during nursing. They're stylish, inexpensive (but splurge if you feel you want to - it's an accessory that will never go out of style) and there are a million tutorials floating around on Pinterest for how to tie them in a bunch of different ways.

A great diaper bag is worth the investment. You’ll carry this every day for at least two or three years. Get one you love, that works for your child (or children) and splurge a little for durability, style and features.

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Toxic flame retardants in your nursing pillow?

A few weeks ago the Washington Toxics Coaltion and Safer States relased a report entitled "Hidden Hazards in the Nursery." 

It was based on testing they conducted (sample analysis done at Duke University) of foam in a number of baby products.  They were looking for flame retardants which can pose health risks, particularly to babies.

The Coaltion found:

Popular baby products, including nursing pillows and car seats, contain toxic flame retardants linked to cancer, hormone disruption, and other health effects...Children and families are exposed to the compounds, called Tris chemicals, when they escape from household items and contaminate house dust and indoor air.

The report, Hidden Hazards In the Nursery, found toxic flame retardants in 85% (17 of 20) of new baby and children’s products tested, including bassinet pads, nursing pillows, changing pads, and car seats. The most prevalent flame retardant found was chlorinated Tris (TDCPP), a chemical voluntarily removed from children’s pajamas in the 1970s when it was found to cause adverse health effects. Chlorinated Tris was present in 80% of the products (16 of 20). California recently classified chlorinated Tris as a carcinogen, and evidence links the chemical to neurotoxicity as well as hormone disruption.

According to the report, nursing pillows and baby carriers were recently exempted from flammability standard requirements.

Of the 20 products tested, two were nursing pillows, both purchased in Washington state at major retailers. One, the My Brest Friend Deluxe, tested positive for TDCPP and TDCP; the other, the Balboa nursing pillow did not.  The My Brest Friend website states, "We do not use fire retardants in our foam."

The Baltimore Sun reported that the Boppy nursing pillow is "known to not use Tris flame retardants," and its website states, "The fabric and filling in the Boppy Feeding and Infant Support pillow (and slipcovers for those pillows) meet the requirements without the addition of flame retardant chemicals."

All a little unsettling, no?

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My favorite nursing stories from Motherwear's latest contest

Here are my favorite entries to Motherwear's last nursing story/tip contest.  You can see more here, including the winner Genet, pictured to the left.

Ever think that breastfeeding might help you at a dicey border crossing?  Read on and enjoy.

While nursing my newborn, my 4yr old sat down next to me. She said “Mommy, babies like mommy boobies and not daddy boobies...right?” I said “Right.” She said “Babies like drinking milk from mommy boobies and not hair from daddy boobies.” Then just for more clarification she said, “Babies only drink from boobies and not bottoms...right?” Right. Glad we were able to clear all that up.  - Erin

It was 2:00am and I had been cramped in a car with four other people for well over 12 hours, therefore I was in no mood to deal with the argumentative border guards of Romania. My 13month old son (at the time) and I had been in Romania for well over 6months caring for my ill husband, but due to the fact that I had no Romanian I.D., my stay there was considered illegal. I attempted to explain the situation to the young man who despite his rough speech was quite pleasant compared to others I had dealt with. He took the legal documents I had (marriage license, birth certificate, death certificate - all Romanian) and walked off with them making us wait for a significant amount of time. My cousin who had been driving and was more familiar with their ways said ¨I think they’re waiting for a bribe of some sort... They can wait all they want! They’re not getting anything!¨, was my curt reply. The guard returned and asked my cousin to step out of the car in order to talk to him...They spoke (or rather argued) and we continued to wait. My son, who had been sleeping until then, woke up to all this commotion and started whimpering. That was my cue. Although breastfeeding is quite common in this country (more so than in the US), you will not see most decent women in public doing so. It is considered rather inappropriate and makes most decent men uncomfortable. As I saw the young awkward guard approaching the car again I took my son from his car seat and latched him on. He came to my door and asked me to exit the vehicle. At least he attempted to do so, but stopped mid-sentence when he saw what was happening. He retracted his words and said I could remain in the car. I was already grinning inwardly. I then proceeded to open the window and engage in the discussion I knew was coming. To my delight, it did not last long. He seemed very concerned that the window not remain open for too long lest the child catch a cold and he was having a hard time making eye contact. His tone of voice was more polite than I expected and after briefly explaining a few legal things he said I must quickly close the window and let the ¨Prince¨ rest easy. =) I thanked him politely, closed the window, waited for my cousin to climb back into the car and then I burst into laughter. *Note* I was indeed wearing a Motherwear top and so I wasn’t ¨showing¨ anything. I’m a decent woman :)  - Ella

My favorite nursing story goes all the way back to my first child. She was born in Italy while my husband and I were stationed there with the US Air Force. Upon my return to the US while my husband deployed to Iraq in 2003, I had to go through customs. I had my 5 month old daughter strapped to me in the infant front (Bjorn) carrier, a backpack, and diaper bag on me, while waiting for the luggage at the carousel. A customs officer and his dog came sniffing around me and the dog seemed to be quite interested in me, more than I was comfortable with. The officer asked if I had any organic material with me, like fruits or vegetables. I said, "No." He did not believe me because of the dog's keen interest. It was at this point that I figured it out. I turned to him with as straight a face as I could muster and said, "Well, I do have some breast milk in this backpack, would you care to see it?" He turned many shades of red, couldn't find any words to come out of his mouth, gave me a sheepish, "No, and sorry to bother you ma'am.", while trying to get away as quickly as possible! I was laughing so hard to myself at his uncomfortableness that I nearly missed my luggage coming around on the carousel!  - Robbyn

I am the first one to breastfeed in my family and so my family was a little hesitant at the thought of me nursing my son in the same room as them. I came across your site and quickly ordered several tops. The story that sticks out in my mind was when my husband's cousin came over to visit us. I was feeding my son when he came in, gave a kiss hello to all of us and then sat right next to me on the couch. Time and conversation had passed and I went to burp my son and the discussion of feeding came in to topic... he put two and two together and immediately said "WAIT, you were just feeding him this whole time!!!???" He had NO clue I was feeding the baby because your tops are awesome! No one ever notices or stares because they can't tell. It simply looks as if I am holding a sleeping baby. :) From then on it doesn't matter who is around me when I nurse my 2nd child now, because they all know that I wear a Motherwear top and feel completely comfortable... and most importantly... SO DO I!!! THANK YOU MOTHERWEAR!!! - Marisa

New podcast on Biological Nurturing and Laid-Back Breastfeeding, with Suzanne Colson

I have a new podcast up on the Motherlove Blog, an interview on the revolutionary concept of Biological Nurturing and Laid-Back Breastfeeding, with Suzanne Colson.  

Suzanne is the author of An Introduction to Biological Nurturing and the DVD Biological Nurturing: Laid-Back Breastfeeding for Mothers.

We discussed the concept of Biological Nurturing, the primitive neonatal reflexes she has identified, why babies sometimes fight or “box” the breast when feeding in traditionally-taught breastfeeding holds, and why she believes babies are “front feeders” and not “dorsal feeders.”

*One note:  This interview was recorded in the busy hallway at a breastfeeding conference, and as a result the audio is not up to my usual standard.  Hope you enjoy it anyway!

You can listen to the podcast at the Motherlove Blog, or download it through Motherlove's free iTunes store.

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Welcome our new sponsor, Motherlove Herbal Company!

I'm very pleased to announce that Motherlove Herbal Company is now a sponsor of this blog! 

Motherlove makes some my favorite galactagogue products, and I've often recommended them to nursing moms who are working to increase their milk supplies. 

I especially appreciate their Goat's Rue and More Milk Special Blend (with Goat's Rue) because it has helped a number of mothers I know who have had low milk supply due to insufficient glandular tissue (also known as breast hypoplasia), and is also reputed to help mothers who have polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).  I've also used their Green Salve on my kids, for everything from rashes to bug bites to sunburn.

They are absolutely meticulous about the quality of their products, and all of them are rated a zero (the best rating) on the the Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep database.  In fact, they were just named a Champion for Safe Cosmetics.

I also write for Motherlove's blog and produce their podcasts, which I hope you'll check out!  The podcasts are also available at their free iTunes store.

And finally, the mother daughter team who run Motherlove, Kathryn Higgins and Silencia Cox, are just lovely people to know and be associated with!

(If you're interested in advertising on the Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog, feel free to email me.)

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A great gift: Motherwear gift certificates, at 10% off.

Motherwear gift certificates make great gifts for the nursing moms on your list!

And through December 23rd they're 10% off!

Motherwear gift certificates make great last minute gift idea, since they can be delivered electronically.

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Book review: The Better Way to Breastfeed

Robin Elise Weiss, author of The Better Way to Breastfeed* and many books on pregnancy and birth, is also the About.com Pregnancy and Childbirth guide, and it shows.

This is, I'm convinced, a very good thing.  I've been writing about the impact of birth on breastfeeding for Best for Babes, and think that moms deserve to know much more than we typically do about how birth and related newborn procedures affect breastfeeding.  That's a strength of this book.

This book has a number of other great features, the most obvious of which is its many photographs, including some great ones showing moms nursing in public.  It also has breastfeeding affirmations, 'confidence cues,' and self care tips. 

The Better Way to Breastfeed covers all the bases, from newborns to toddlers, preemies and multiples, pumps and pillows, working and weaning.

The book also does a nice job of describing how to achieve an asymmetrical latch, and includes a mention of a "semi-recumbent" position, which I believe is a reference to Laid-Back Breastfeeding.  It also includes nice sections on co-sleeping, exercise (dispelling a commonly held myth), and sex and breastfeeding. 

Things in the world of breastfeeding support have been changing pretty rapidly, and even though this book was published in 2010, there are a few references to update, including the new Infant Risk Center for questions about medications, the endorsement of the WHO growth charts by the AAP and the CDC (I believe that there is a typo that makes it appear that the CDC charts are based on exclusively breastfed babies, instead of the WHO charts).  The picture of the breast seems a bit outdated, too (see the currently accepted anatomy). 

All in all, I found The Better Way to Breastfeed to be a solid breastfeeding reference book, one that would probably be especially helpful to moms who are very visual learners and those who might need the confidence boost afforded by the many beautiful images of mothers nursing.

*I was given a review copy of this book.

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