The Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog

Podcast: Jake Marcus on nursing in public and the law

Welcome to another Motherwear podcast!

This episode features an interview with Jake Marcus, J.D. on nursing in public and the law. 

Jake discusses the different types of breastfeeding laws, what to do if you're harassed for nursing in public, and where to get information on the law in your state.  We also discuss whether nursing mothers rooms are a convenience or a form of quarantine.  Jake recently wrote a comprehensive article in Mothering Magazine on this topic.  Mothering also produced a great pocket guide (pdf) on breastfeeding in public and breastfeeding and air travel.

You can listen to the podcast with the player below, download it to your iPod at the Motherwear iTunes store, or  download it to play on your computer with another player.

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Check our our new iTunes store!

When I tell people that I run this blog they always assume that I'm technologically savvy.  I'm really not.  I know no HTML and almost nothing about Photoshop.  The fact that I can do this is just a testament to how easy blogging software has become.

So, it took me quite a while to do it, but I finally set up an iTunes store for the Motherwear Podcasts, and I've been patting myself on the back ever since.

If you use iTunes (which you can download for free), check out the new Motherwear iTunes store.  You can download all of the podcasts to your iPod or other mp3 player for free, and you can also subscribe to the podcast feed so you'll never miss an episode!  The little icon to the left on the sidebar will also take you there.

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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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Do you have questions about increasing milk supply?

I'm planning out a podcast interview with Diana West about her new book (out later this year) Making More Milk.  Diana is the founder of the the Breastfeeding After Reduction website, an incredible resource for mothers who have had breast surgeries, and Low Milk Supply, a great resource on milk supply issues.

If you have non-urgent questions about how milk supply works, or how to make more milk, please leave them as comments below.  I'll work them into my questions for the interview!

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Motherwear Podcast: Heather Cushman-Dowdee, creator of Hathor the Cowgoddess.

Welcome to another Motherwear Podcast!  My guest for this recording is Heather Cushman-Dowdee, creator of Hathor the Cowgoddess, shown to the left nursing and drawing in her kitchen.

This was a very fun interview.  I got to ask Heather about how she draws, the inspiration for Hathor, and the time she baked breastmilk bread with 150 college students.  Bonus knock-knock joke at the end!

This one is a bit long, but I just couldn't bear to edit it down more.  It was such a fun and interesting conversation.

You can listen right here using the player below, or download it.

Heather's new book, Hathor's Zines, Slings, and Do-it-Yourself Things, (cover to the left) is now available for pre-order!

Be sure to check out a few past posts featuring Hathor:

The Zoops (video)
Hathor on covering up to nurse in public
Hathor on Applebee's breastfeeding policy

And more podcasts are here.

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Motherwear Podcast: Postpartum depression, breastfeeding, and why you need your Omega 3s.

I'm very pleased to bring you another Motherwear Podcast!  This one was very eye-opening for me, and I hope you'll learn as much as I did.

My guest is Dr. Kathleen Kendall-Tackett, a psychologist and professor at the University of New Hampshire.  She is also a lactation consultant and La Leche League leader.  She has written several books and articles on postpartum depression in new mothers.

This interview was long, so I've divided it up into two parts.  Both address the growing recognition that depression is related to inflammation.

The first part can be heard above or downloaded as an mp3.  This part answers these questions:

• What are the causes of postpartum depression and post traumatic stress disorder following birth?
• Why is postpartum depression unheard of in some cultures?
• Is there such a thing as depression during pregnancy? 
• Is a mother has been depressed with one child, will she be depressed with subsequent children?
• What is the relationship between breastfeeding and postpartum depression?
• What is the depression risk for mothers who are having breastfeeding difficulty?

The second part can be heard above or downloaded as an mp3.  It answers these questions:

• Is there a paradigm shift happening in our understanding of the causes of postpartum depression?
• What are the treatment options for breastfeeding mothers with postpartum depression?
• Why do Omega-3 fatty acids work in the treatment of depression, and how much are women recommended to take?  Which brands are recommended?  Why are pregnant and breastfeeding mothers likely to be deficient?
• Are anti-depressants truly safe for use during breastfeeding?  What are the medications of choice?
• Are there effective and safe alternative treatments for treating depression?
• How can women advocate for a breastfeeding-friendly treatment plan?

Here are a few more resources from Dr. Kendall-Tackett on breastfeeding and postpartum depression:

• The breastfeeding and depression page on Breastfeeding Made Simple.  It includes the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale - a quiz you can take to see if you are having depressive symptoms.
• "Can Fats Make You Happy?"  A handout explaining the relationship between Omega-3s and depression, with a list of recommended brands.
• A handout on how other cultures prevent postpartum depression by creating a distinct postpartum period.
• A curriculum for health care providers on breastfeeding and postpartum depression from Dr. Kendall-Tackett and the New Hampshire Breastfeeding Coalition.  You may want to print this out and ask your health care provider to read it.
• Dr. Kendall-Tackett's article on inflammation, depression, and breastfeeding in the International Breastfeeding Journal.
• Two books mentioned in the podcast:  Medications and Mother's Milk (note: this book is updated every two years and the current edition is 2006), and A Medications Guide for Breastfeeding Moms.

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Motherwear Podcast: MilkShare, a website on private milk donation.

Welcome to another Motherwear Podcast!  This episode features Kelley Faulkner, founder and owner of MilkShare, a website on private milk donation. 

To listen, you can either use the player below, or download the podcast to your own player. 

You'll hear about the controversial topic of private milk donation, how MilkShare started and how it works, the risks associated with milk sharing, Kelley's own story, and the reasons why families seek donated milk for their babies.

*Note:  There are risks associated with private milk donation, and families considering it should consult with a health care provider.  You may also want to see La Leche League's policy on milk sharing. 

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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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