The Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog

Review: Simple Wishes Hands Free Pumping Bustier

My pumping days are mostly over.  I pumped for a year for my son while I was working, and for another year for my daughter to donate to the Mothers' Milk Bank of North Texas, but I've pretty much retired my pump.

All things considered, I had a remarkably easy time pumping at work, thanks to a job with lots of flexibility and a private office.  But I know that many moms are not nearly as lucky, and I can definitely see the need for hands-free pumping bustiers and bras.

I had the chance to try out the Simple Wishes Hands Free Pumping Bustier recently, and have a lot of good things to say about it.

Two things are the most distinctive about this bustier:  adjustability and secure flange fit.

This bustier can be adjusted in four different ways - the back has a velcro panel, the optional straps adjust, and the front zip opening has an additional panel for breasts located further apart.  It has optional bra-like straps which you can attach, but the fit was so snug I didn't need them.  It can be worn alone or over a bra.

The flange openings are two layer - the top opens vertically and the inside layer opens horizontally.  While this makes it a little harder to get the flanges in, they were really not going anywhere once they were in.  I always worry a bit about slippage because getting off-center can result in some injury, but this bustier worked well at keeping the pump pieces in place for me.

The bustier is solid and well constructed feeling.  It comes in two sizes and two colors, and retails for $33.99.  I think it would be a great accessory for the pumping mom who needs to maximize her time.

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* I was given a review sample of this product.

Breastfeeding books for kids, and an e-book giveaway!

I have a long list of breastfeeding books for kids up at the Motherlove Blog this week.  It covers everything from the old classics to a few wonderful new ones. 

The books I wrote about are:

• The Mystery of the Breast
• Mama's Milk
• Nursies When the Sun Shines
• You, Me and the Breast
• The Wonders of Mother's Milk
• Mommy Feeds Baby
• Best Milk
• We Like to Nurse, and We Like to Nurse, Too
• This Milk Tastes Good!  A Breastfeeding Nursery Rhyme
• Mommy Breastfeed my Baby Brother
• Breastmilk Makes My Tummy Yummy
• I'm Made of Mama's Milk
• Michelle the Nursing Toddler
• Maggie's Weaning
• If My Mom Were a Platypus
• Mammals and Their Milk

I have the pleasure of giving away three codes for free iPad downloads of one of those books: The Wonders of Mother's Milk, by Mishawn Purnell. 

The Wonders of Mother's Milk is a rhyming children's book which explains, in easy to understand terms, how breastfeeding and breastmilk work to protect babies.  It features beautiful, vibrant illustrations, picturing mothers of many cultures feeding their babies in different ways and in different settings.  The author discusses nursing in public, breastfeeding and working, and even how protecting our environment protects breastfeeding.  It mentions the importance of breastfeeding past infancy, and ends with a suggestion to "offer a smile" to nursing mothers everywhere.  This book is now available as an e-book for Kindle on Amazon and on iTunes for the iPad.

To enter, leave a comment below by June 18th 25th 2012. Three winners will be chosen using random.org and notified by email.  Winners will also be listed in the comments section.  iPad download codes will be sent by email to winners. One entry per person.

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Two new breastfeeding books for kids: The Mystery of the Breast, and You, Me, and the Breast

I have a comprehensive review of just about every breastfeeding-themed kids' book I could find coming up on the Motherlove Blog soon, but I wanted to point out two new books which I really love:

Here are links to just about all of the breastfeeding books I've reviewed for this blog.

The Mystery of the Breast, by Victoria de Aboitiz, is a brand new addition to the kids' breastfeeding books list.  Told from the point of view of an older sister, the "mystery," is why her baby brother spends so much time on his mother's breast.  The sister asks a question on each page:  "How does the milk come out from the breast?  Does breastmilk taste sweet or sour?  Why does everyone seem more tired but happier than they used to be?" 

In the end the child solves the mystery of the breast, concluding "They mystery of the breast can turn a noisy storm of tears into laughter, calm, and soft singing."  This is a beautiful book, from its sweet and colorful illustrations to its evocative text.  A new classic!

You, Me and the Breast by Monica Calaf, is another new addition to books on this theme. 

In it a mother explains her breastfeeding relationship to her (now weaned) son.  It begins with the moments after birth and stretches into infancy and toddlerhood, to weaning, explaining what life was like for this nursing couple.  The down-to-earth narrative ("Often I was breastfeeding you while doing something else at the same time: stirring the saucepan, talking on the phone...") combine with dreamlike illustrations featuring the mother's flowing hair to evoke the pragmatic as well as ethereal nature of the breastfeeding experience.  There is a twist at the end which we won't reveal.  Get it and see for yourself!

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*I was provided review copies of these books.

A few recent comments about nursing from my daughter

My daughter will be two this week.  I love this age when they can tell you how they perceive and think about nursing. 

Here are a few of her recent comments about it.  Her word for breasts and nursing is "mi-mi." 

"Nursing help me so much."

Said loudly in front of several people:  "Monkeys don't nurse mama's mi-mis!  Just me!"

"Nursing [is] purple, Mama."

What does nursing taste like?  "Pancakes. [pause] Daddy make pancakes right now!"

For a long time she spit out her food.  Now she talks with pride about sending food "down to tummy."  And occasionally "down to feet."  Recently my husband asked her where my food goes, and she said "Down to mi-mis!  My husband said, "And then it turns into..."  And she said, "Me!"

Here are some of my favorite comments from my son.  Please share some of your toddlers' comments below!

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Breastfeeding in uniform?

This picture from the breastfeeding support group for women in the military, Mom2Mom, has sparked a lot of discussion. 

I did a podcast interview on breastfeeding while serving in the military in which my guest, the author of Breastfeeding in Combat Boots, said that nursing in uniform even while in a pediatric waiting room with a baby is not considered inconsistent with "good order and discipline."

What do you think about the image of moms nursing in uniform?

 

Composting diapers? This is about as green as I can get our diapering.

Taking a brief break from writing about breastfeeding to write about...poop.

I started cloth diapering with my son in 2003.  We were living in California and used a diaper service.  Once he began sleeping long stretches at night we used disposables because the cloth just didn't cut it (we tried doubling up, but he could barely fit into pajamas that way!).  When we moved to Massachusetts he was a toddler and we began washing our own. 

When our daughter arrived in 2010 we got out the cloth diapers again.  Since my son was born there had been a lot of changes in diaper covers (notably, they got a lot more cute and adjustable), and I purchased some more.  I washed them at home in our front-loading washer.  (I did consider trying Elimination Communication, but ultimately decided it wasn't for us.)

But last winter I decided that I'd had enough of this, and we signed up for a diaper service.  There again, there have been some big improvements.  Our current service uses hemp diapers made in the U.S., washes them using environmentally-friendly methods, and uses the same service we use to pick up our garbage - a bicycle delivery service.  Yes, even through the snowy New England winter, our diapers are picked up by hearty folks on bikes.

So the only thing that didn't feel quite right was using disposable diapers at night.  We used the greener-ones, but it bothered me to know that, since disposables take hundreds of years to decompose, the first diaper we ever used - and in fact the first modern disposable diaper ever used period - is still sitting somewhere, not yet decomposed.

Then this spring, my diaper service started offering something I'd never heard of: a diaper composting service.

Our service sells us a plastic-free disposable diaper, and picks them up with our cloth diapers each week.  Then they send the disposables to a professional composting service, where they're turned into safe, rich compost for gardening in three months!  If you're wondering how this works, check out this post I coordinated on the Dandelion blog. 

So, this is about as green as I can get our diapering.  But I'm really interested to see what options are coming down the line!

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Laila Ali speaks out about breastfeeding

Leila Ali, retired boxer and daughter of Muhammad Ali, spoke to Extra about her support of breastfeeding through the Best for Babes Foundation and reducing our kids' exposure to toxins through Healthy Child, Healthy World. 

I loved her answer to the question, "How did you get involved in this?"  Shades of her father, right?

Leila and the Best for Babes founders spoke about the many barriers moms face in meeting their breastfeeding goals.  I've been writing a series on what they call the "Booby Traps," which I encourage you to check out!

Book review and give away: Mommy Feeds Baby

My toddler daughter loves books and nursing (not in that order).  

And while she can't sit through the whole thing yet, she's very interested in Mommy Feeds Baby, by lactation consultant Christina Jo Hendricks.

The book is a series of photos of mothers nursing their babies, listing the many reasons why mothers breastfeed.  The text on each page reads, "Because _____, Mommy feeds baby."

The images include mothers of different ethnicities nursing children of different ages, in different locations and with different family members present.  All of the photos were taken by the author.  It's also available in Spanish.

The best part of the book is the final page, which allows the owner to insert their own picture and write a statement about why they nurse.

This is a sweet, affirming, and beautiful book, and I have the fun of offering one to a lucky reader! 

To enter, leave a comment below by June 1st, 2012. One winner will be chosen using random.org and notified by email.  Winner will also be listed in the comments section.  Winner has three days from notification to reply with mailing addresses; alternate winner will be chosen if no reply is received in three days. U.S. addresses only, one entry per person. *I was given a review sample of this book.

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Study: Newly discovered breastmilk component neutralizes HIV

While mother-to-child transmission of HIV through breastfeeding is a major source of new infections in the developing world, it's always been a mystery why some babies become infected and others don't.

Researchers at Duke University may have identified one reason why:

Antibodies that help to stop the HIV virus have been found in breast milk. Researchers at Duke University Medical Center isolated the antibodies from immune cells called B cells in the breast milk of infected mothers in Malawi, and showed that the B cells in breast milk can generate neutralizing antibodies that may inhibit the virus that causes AIDS.

HIV-1 can be transmitted from mother to child via breastfeeding, posing a challenge for safe infant feeding practices in areas of high HIV-1 prevalence. But only one in 10 HIV-infected nursing mothers is known to pass the virus to their infants.

"That is remarkable, because nursing children are exposed multiple times each day during their first year of life," said senior author Sallie Permar, M.D., Ph.D., an assistant professor of pediatrics and infectious diseases at Duke. "We are asking if there is an immune response that protects 90 percent of infants, and could we harness that response to develop immune system prophylaxis (protection) during breastfeeding for mothers infected with HIV-1.

For more on breastfeeding and HIV, see these prior posts:

• WHO announces a big change in breastfeeding recommendation for HIV positive mothers.
• Study shows medications can eliminate 99% of HIV infections through breastfeeding
• I donated milk for this research
• World AIDS Day: Breastfeeding and HIV

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Wondering if a medication is safe during breastfeeding? There are two new apps for that.

Just about all of us find ourselves needing to take a medication of one kind or another during breastfeeding, and we all want the best information we can get about their safety.

Fortunately, there are two new apps which can help:

Dr. Thomas Hale is the world's leading authority on medications and breastfeeding, and his Medications and Mother's Milk is the most comprehensive reference on the topic.  He now offers the same information - even more frequently updated - in the form of a new app for the iPhone and Android platforms.  It costs $29.99 per year.  Dr. Hale also offers a free phone service through the Infant Risk Center.  If you have a single question about a medication the phone line is probably all you need.  If you have frequent questions or work in breastfeeding support, the app is what you'll want.

LactMed, a database published by the U.S. National Library of Medicine, offers both a searchable online website and a new app for the iPhone and Android platforms.  The LactMed app is available for free.  LactMed has begun expanding its coverage to include complementary and alternative medicines.

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