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September 8th, 2010 by admin
 The lovely people from Family Friendly Working have a draw for a Boppy breastfeeding pillow that ends today at 2.45.
All you have to do is comment on the page here:
http://www.familyfriendlyworking.co.uk/2010/08/27/win-a-boppy-breastfeeding-pillow/
September 8th, 2010 by admin
Should Breastfeeding Be Taught In Elementary School?
From http://blogs.babble.com/being-pregnant/2010/09/07/should-breastfeeding-be-taught-in-elementary-school/
Posted by ceridwen on September 7th, 2010 at 8:42 am Here’s how it should go: As a part of the basic biology curriculum, children are taught about breastfeeding. How the milk comes in. What’s in it. How it helps the baby. Students see pictures of women of multiple ethnicities breastfeeding. There’s a homework assignment and several questions on a test. Twenty or thirty years later these kids, now fully grown new parents, may not even remember Ms. Morris’ biology class, but there might just be one less mental hurdle to breastfeeding.
The website Nursing Freedom ran a piece last week called, “Why Children Should Witness Breastfeeding in Public.” Here’s a line I liked:
“We need to make nursing in public so boring, so quotidian, that it garners no more of a glance or second thought than seeing someone drinking a coffee or hugging a friend in public.”
I read this on Friday and over the weekend kept thinking about public breastfeeding. Usually this issue comes up when some ignorant manager of a mediocre eatery stupidly asks a nursing mother to cover up and then has to endure all kinds of grief, including being read to from state laws concerning breastfeeding in public and/or local press coverage of a “nurse in” in which a posse of breastfeeders show up and breastfeed in front of or inside the establishment.
I support a woman’s choice to breastfeed in public. If breastfeeding is kept out of sight, no one sees it. No one sees it and it’s mysterious. It’s mysterious and people feel weird about breastfeeding. And on the feedback loop goes. More exposure would make the sight of breastfeeding “boring.” Or normal.
But then I saw a new mom in the park nursing under a kind of nursing tent/cover-all. It was a pretty cool-looking gizmo and propped up so that the baby could nurse privately without a blanket literally plastered over his or her face. I thought about the feedback loop and wondered whether this mother should just toss this fancy tent aside to help the rest of us get over our baggage.
Then I thought back to when I first had my baby.
I was quite engorged and it wasn’t the hot kind of engorged, the fake boob kind. It was the, Wow, how’s your back doing? kind. I won’t tell you the cup size, but let’s just say many people I do tell had no idea that size even existed. My over-supply meant that milk would often squirt out all over the minute I started unfastening things. The idea of doing all of this in public– as much as I supported the idea in theory– was hard.
After a few months when I’d gotten it all down, I nursed at friends’ houses, in restaurants and parks discreetly and without much fuss or a blanket. But at first I felt like this was all nobody’s business. I also felt a little cranky about the situation. Why do I have to change attitudes about public breastfeeding?? It’s hard enough learning all these new things. Do I have to change public opinion at the same time?
This is how I came to the breastfeeding in school concept. If Bill Maher and others had seen breastfeeding when they were kids, and been taught that it’s a normal part of life, like digesting or breathing, maybe there wouldn’t be so many snickers. Get to the kids before they get to the giggling stage– teaching teens about breastfeeding is also a great idea but by then too much squeamishness has settled in. The sooner the better.
September 8th, 2010 by admin
“I am a nearly 37 year old mum with two children (Connor nearly 4 and Katie nearly 2). I gave up teaching in a primary school (which I loved) so I could look after my son and haven’t looked back. Although money is tight, my husband and I are content with our lifestyle choice which is just as well as we are going to home educate our littlies and so won’t be bringing in much money any time soon. 
I like being creative, when I get the time, and I am not looking after children, cats, dogs or chickens. I enjoy cooking/baking, making jams and chutneys, making ring slings and clothes, making cards and my latest Sok Doodes. Sok Doodes were sock dolls that I made for my children but after I put photos on Facebook, I had lots of friends and family asking me to make them all kinds of creatures. My midwife loved them and asked if I could make a breastfeeding doll and I accepted the challenge as it was something that I had wondered about in the past myself and so Boobee Mamma was born!
As I posted the orginal photos on Facebook, a friend suggested I make a toddler as well as a baby so she could be a tandem feeding doll. Already she has created a lot of discussion at a family party and if I don’t get the opportunity to feed my daughter in my efforts to normalise breastfeeding (which to be honest, happen fairly regularly ) then at least I have something else to help the cause!
Boobee Mammas can be found on Facebook as well as my website www.lil-treasure.co.uk. If anybody wants to buy a Boobee Mamma, they can contact me through Facebook or email: boobeemamma@littleave.freeserve.co.uk
Tracey”
September 7th, 2010 by Bundle Jungle
The Bundle Jungle are pleased to announce that their charity auction in aid of Cheshire and North wales human milk bank is officially open for bids!
Items on offer include:
- Lactivist T-Shirts
- Modern cloth nappies from cheeks and cherries, Issy Bear, Fluff and Stuff and many more.
- Chambers and Beau charm bracelet
- Professional Photoshoot with Penny Wincer (London Area)
- Holden’s Landing Nappy and Knittybugz Wool Collaboration
- Designer maternity clothes
- Designer baby clothes
- SO much more!
All items start at just 99 pence with NO RESERVE. Come on over to The Bundle Jungle pregnancy and parenting forum now, sign up for your FREE account and get bidding! It’s all for a great cause and there are some serious bargains to be had.
Elle
www.TheBundleJungle.com
September 6th, 2010 by admin
If you look at the right hand side of www.lactivist.net under the links to our lovely sponsors you can see the new auction in action.
Every week I’ll be auctioning a different thing, sometimes I’ll be donating the proceeds too so if you have a breastfeeding friendly group that needs to fundraise let me know!
 This week I am auctioning a beautiful soft organic ‘I like milk from my mum, not from just any old cow’ baby t-shirt in size 4-6 months and the proceeds will go to help the Boobs for Babes, Tits for Tots – Pro Breast Feeding Calendar
Postage is always free on the auctions but they are for the UK only.
September 6th, 2010 by admin
Originally posted on http://www.rcm.org.uk/midwives/blog/saying-no-to-breastfeeding/ Royal College of Midwives online
15.27, 19 August 2010
A poll of young women finds a third would shun breastfeeding because they want to avoid saggy boobs. For some, vanity is the overriding factor when weighing up the pros and cons of breastfeeding. It seems a sad indictment of young women’s priorities when a baby’s health comes second to their looks. Or is it?
The survey of 1228 women between 18 and 25 follows the recent furore caused by model Gisele Bundchen who proclaimed there should be a law to force mothers to breastfeed their babies for at least six months.
Half of the women polled by BabyChild.org.uk would fall foul of Gisele’s law because they had no plans to breastfeed. And 32% of them said the main reason was because they did not want to ‘ruin the look of their breasts’. Half of them were afraid of their partner finding them less attractive should this happen.
Another 19% felt ‘uncomfortable’ about the thought of breastfeeding, a quarter of whom said they viewed their breasts as sexual and therefore deemed it inappropriate.
All these arguments seem feeble and bizarre when stacked against the benefits of breastfeeding. What about protecting the baby against obesity, asthma and childhood diabetes? What about helping the baby avoid ear, urine and gastro-intestinal infections?
I suspect that another benefit of breastfeeding would hold greater sway for those polled, which is that it can speed up weight loss during pregnancy.
My reason? Because the young women surveyed were childless and, at their stage of life, sexual attractiveness and looks are of great importance. They have no particular reason to know about the benefits of breastfeeding – more than three quarters of those who were against the idea believed their decision would not harm the baby’s health.
The findings of the poll would be much more worrying if they were the views of pregnant 18 to 25 year olds. But for childless young women to voice an uninformed opinion on breastfeeding is, perhaps, unsurprising.
September 5th, 2010 by admin
Thank you to Jenny’s mum Sue for these lovely before and after photos. Jenny is 6 months old and I love the difference in the pictures, you can see the power of mummy milk!
Love it!
September 3rd, 2010 by admin
 For the whole of September 2010 Lactivist will be donating £1 for every full price t-shirt bought from www.lactivist.co.uk to Boobs for Babes’ and watch out for fundraising auctions on www.lactivist.net
Boobs for Babes‘ mission is to raise the profile of breastfeeding both in the UK and internationally, lending support to those who wish to start breastfeeding, continue under difficult circumstances and educate those who have never considered it as an option.
They will be promoting this with their first ever calendar of breastfeeding mamas and their little ones which will be available from our online shop ready for the New Year.
Please email mail@boobsforbabes.com to find out more or to help with the campaign.
September 2nd, 2010 by admin
September 2nd, 2010 by admin
 There were some technical problems with the last poll but I am hoping that this will work now. I’ve deleted the old poll so this one starts fresh – please vote again if you have voted before.
The poll is in the left sidebar of www.lactivist.net. If you have problems voting please let me know and I’ll do my best to sort it out.
You can vote for up to 3 forums and the poll ends on the 31st October 2010.
Thank you to all the people who nominated their favorite breastfeeding friendly websites. I have sorted them out into categories and the first one is
The Most Breastfeeding Friendly Forum.
The forum with the most votes at the end of October 2010 will be awarded a prestigious Mothers Milk Marketing Board Seal of Approval! There will be runners up awards too!
Here, in alphabetical order are more details about the nominated forums.
Breast Buddies
http://www.breastbuddies.nice-forum.com
Breastfeeding Support Forum and Natural Parenting Forum. Topics ranging from Newborn feeding and full term feeding (extended breastfeeding). We also cover Babywearing, Cloth Nappies and other Natural parenting topics. Help for all mums
The Bundle Jungle
http://www.thebundlejungle.com/
The Bundle Jungle is friendly and welcoming to those trying to conceive, pregnant women, fathers to be and parents from all walks of life. What makes our forum different to other mainstream pregnancy and parenting forums is, not only our focus on community support but, also our interest in challenging the way we look at parenting.
“With the breastfeeding guru system, advice and support section, breastfeeding stories section and upcoming charity auction for Cheshire and North Wales Milk Bank we are huge breastfeeding fans!”
Cloth Nappy Addicts Forum
http://clothnappyaddicts.co.uk/forum/index.php
A forum run by Natasha, a WAHM and total cloth nappy addict and assisted by “SaraSeahorse” a woolly WAHM and “puddlepants” a nappy, woolly and clothing WAHM.
The Green Parent Forum
http://www.thegreenparent.co.uk/forum
The Green Parent is the UK’s leading green lifestyle and natural parenting magazine. A truly inspiring read, TGP is like nothing else on the newsstand, with insightful intelligent journalism covering topics from babywearing and attachment parenting to home-education and alternative medicine. Each issue features regular columns on Organic Gardening, Seasonal Food and Drink, Green Travel, Ethical Fashion and lots more. The magazine is produced by a small team of passionate experts who live and breathe the positive message of the magazine.
“So full of other mums who have the same ideas on breastfeeding and other topics. Always someone there to offer help, advice and support I always point breastfeeding mums there.”
I want my mum
http://www.iwantmymum.com.
“I’m someone who’s found the information and support there invaluable in successful breastfeeding, helping me meet other like-minded mums IRL, and having a great resource to recommend to expectant mums. Without their support I may well have stopped ( or at least tried to stop, my daughter would have a lot to say about it!) feeding my youngest, but instead we’ve past 2 yrs, still going strong and still finding the info there fab.
Knowing that info on there is evidence-based, moderators include fully qualified breastfeeding counsellors who DO check the veracity of statements made. The emphasis is information, not advice, and a very friendly place to ask important questions.”
Mad Mums
http://www.madmums.com/
Parenting and Pregnancy can be very daunting and sometimes, it can really help to speak to people who have been or are going through the same things that you are. The Madmums Buddy Scheme has been designed to put you in touch with other Mums who have experience in specific areas of Pregnancy and Parenting. You can use this free and confidential service on a “one to one” basis away from the forums to get in touch with one of our Buddies who will then contact you personally.
Mama Pack Forum
http://www.mamapacks.eu/forum/
Mama Packs are the United Kingdoms ONLY ethically influenced, trade marked Mum & Baby sample pack. A pack you wont find nasty chemicals in, a pack you will love receiving!
“The ladies there have such a wealth of experience and a geniuine love for the benefits of breast feeding that I have been greatly encouraged to keep breastfeeding, despite my child being seriously ill and in an incubator when born and later whilst she underwent major surgery. Now I am BFing past the age I had previously thought ‘normal’ and my child is thriving!”
Natural Mamas
http://www.naturalmamas.co.uk/
A natural parenting forum with an emphasis on babywearing.
“It’s a natural parenting forum with an amazing breastfeeding support board. Members who contribute are lactation consultants, midwives, breastfeeding peer supporters as well as breastfeeding mothers. The range of breastfeeding topics covered is second to none and the support is phenomental, with lots of experience as well as good non-judgemental evidence based advice. I love it!!”
Rollercoaster
http://www.Rollercoaster.ie
Pregnancy, having a baby and parenting can all bring you to the heights of joy and the depths of despair – all within the space of a few minutes! RollerCoaster.ie accompanies you on this exciting journey.
“A great community of people with a dedicated breastfeeding board”
By admin, on September 8th, 2010
Should Breastfeeding Be Taught In Elementary School?
From http://blogs.babble.com/being-pregnant/2010/09/07/should-breastfeeding-be-taught-in-elementary-school/
Posted by ceridwen on September 7th, 2010 at 8:42 am Here’s how it should go: As a part of the basic biology curriculum, children are taught about breastfeeding. How the milk comes in. What’s in it. How it helps the baby. Students see pictures of women of multiple ethnicities breastfeeding. There’s a homework assignment and several questions on a test. Twenty or thirty years later these kids, now fully grown new parents, may not even remember Ms. Morris’ biology class, but there might just be one less mental hurdle to breastfeeding.
The website Nursing Freedom ran a piece last week called, “Why Children Should Witness Breastfeeding in Public.” Here’s a line I liked:
“We need to make nursing in public so boring, so quotidian, that it garners no more of a glance or second thought than seeing someone drinking a coffee or hugging a friend in public.”
I read this on Friday and over the weekend kept thinking about public breastfeeding. Usually this issue comes up when some ignorant manager of a mediocre eatery stupidly asks a nursing mother to cover up and then has to endure all kinds of grief, including being read to from state laws concerning breastfeeding in public and/or local press coverage of a “nurse in” in which a posse of breastfeeders show up and breastfeed in front of or inside the establishment.
I support a woman’s choice to breastfeed in public. If breastfeeding is kept out of sight, no one sees it. No one sees it and it’s mysterious. It’s mysterious and people feel weird about breastfeeding. And on the feedback loop goes. More exposure would make the sight of breastfeeding “boring.” Or normal.
But then I saw a new mom in the park nursing under a kind of nursing tent/cover-all. It was a pretty cool-looking gizmo and propped up so that the baby could nurse privately without a blanket literally plastered over his or her face. I thought about the feedback loop and wondered whether this mother should just toss this fancy tent aside to help the rest of us get over our baggage.
Then I thought back to when I first had my baby.
I was quite engorged and it wasn’t the hot kind of engorged, the fake boob kind. It was the, Wow, how’s your back doing? kind. I won’t tell you the cup size, but let’s just say many people I do tell had no idea that size even existed. My over-supply meant that milk would often squirt out all over the minute I started unfastening things. The idea of doing all of this in public– as much as I supported the idea in theory– was hard.
After a few months when I’d gotten it all down, I nursed at friends’ houses, in restaurants and parks discreetly and without much fuss or a blanket. But at first I felt like this was all nobody’s business. I also felt a little cranky about the situation. Why do I have to change attitudes about public breastfeeding?? It’s hard enough learning all these new things. Do I have to change public opinion at the same time?
This is how I came to the breastfeeding in school concept. If Bill Maher and others had seen breastfeeding when they were kids, and been taught that it’s a normal part of life, like digesting or breathing, maybe there wouldn’t be so many snickers. Get to the kids before they get to the giggling stage– teaching teens about breastfeeding is also a great idea but by then too much squeamishness has settled in. The sooner the better.
By admin, on September 6th, 2010
Originally posted on http://www.rcm.org.uk/midwives/blog/saying-no-to-breastfeeding/ Royal College of Midwives online
15.27, 19 August 2010
A poll of young women finds a third would shun breastfeeding because they want to avoid saggy boobs. For some, vanity is the overriding factor when weighing up the pros and cons of breastfeeding. It seems a sad indictment of young women’s priorities when a baby’s health comes second to their looks. Or is it?
The survey of 1228 women between 18 and 25 follows the recent furore caused by model Gisele Bundchen who proclaimed there should be a law to force mothers to breastfeed their babies for at least six months.
Half of the women polled by BabyChild.org.uk would fall foul of Gisele’s law because they had no plans to breastfeed. And 32% of them said the main reason was because they did not want to ‘ruin the look of their breasts’. Half of them were afraid of their partner finding them less attractive should this happen.
Another 19% felt ‘uncomfortable’ about the thought of breastfeeding, a quarter of whom said they viewed their breasts as sexual and therefore deemed it inappropriate.
All these arguments seem feeble and bizarre when stacked against the benefits of breastfeeding. What about protecting the baby against obesity, asthma and childhood diabetes? What about helping the baby avoid ear, urine and gastro-intestinal infections?
I suspect that another benefit of breastfeeding would hold greater sway for those polled, which is that it can speed up weight loss during pregnancy.
My reason? Because the young women surveyed were childless and, at their stage of life, sexual attractiveness and looks are of great importance. They have no particular reason to know about the benefits of breastfeeding – more than three quarters of those who were against the idea believed their decision would not harm the baby’s health.
The findings of the poll would be much more worrying if they were the views of pregnant 18 to 25 year olds. But for childless young women to voice an uninformed opinion on breastfeeding is, perhaps, unsurprising.
By admin, on September 2nd, 2010
There were some technical problems with the last poll but I am hoping that this will work now. I’ve deleted the old poll so this one starts fresh – please vote again if you have voted before.
The poll is in the left sidebar of www.lactivist.net. If you have problems voting please let me know and I’ll do my best to sort it out.
You can vote for up to 3 forums and the poll ends on the 31st October 2010.
Thank you to all the people who nominated their favorite breastfeeding friendly websites. I have sorted them out into categories and the first one is
The Most Breastfeeding Friendly Forum.
The forum with the most votes at the end of October 2010 will be awarded a prestigious Mothers Milk Marketing Board Seal of Approval! There will be runners up awards too!
Here, in alphabetical order are more details about the nominated forums.
Breast Buddies
http://www.breastbuddies.nice-forum.com
Breastfeeding Support Forum and Natural Parenting Forum. Topics ranging from Newborn feeding and full term feeding (extended breastfeeding). We also cover Babywearing, Cloth Nappies and other Natural parenting topics. Help for all mums
The Bundle Jungle
http://www.thebundlejungle.com/
The Bundle Jungle is friendly and welcoming to those trying to conceive, pregnant women, fathers to be and parents from all walks of life. What makes our forum different to other mainstream pregnancy and parenting forums is, not only our focus on community support but, also our interest in challenging the way we look at parenting.
“With the breastfeeding guru system, advice and support section, breastfeeding stories section and upcoming charity auction for Cheshire and North Wales Milk Bank we are huge breastfeeding fans!”
Cloth Nappy Addicts Forum
http://clothnappyaddicts.co.uk/forum/index.php
A forum run by Natasha, a WAHM and total cloth nappy addict and assisted by “SaraSeahorse” a woolly WAHM and “puddlepants” a nappy, woolly and clothing WAHM.
The Green Parent Forum
http://www.thegreenparent.co.uk/forum
The Green Parent is the UK’s leading green lifestyle and natural parenting magazine. A truly inspiring read, TGP is like nothing else on the newsstand, with insightful intelligent journalism covering topics from babywearing and attachment parenting to home-education and alternative medicine. Each issue features regular columns on Organic Gardening, Seasonal Food and Drink, Green Travel, Ethical Fashion and lots more. The magazine is produced by a small team of passionate experts who live and breathe the positive message of the magazine.
“So full of other mums who have the same ideas on breastfeeding and other topics. Always someone there to offer help, advice and support I always point breastfeeding mums there.”
I want my mum
http://www.iwantmymum.com.
“I’m someone who’s found the information and support there invaluable in successful breastfeeding, helping me meet other like-minded mums IRL, and having a great resource to recommend to expectant mums. Without their support I may well have stopped ( or at least tried to stop, my daughter would have a lot to say about it!) feeding my youngest, but instead we’ve past 2 yrs, still going strong and still finding the info there fab.
Knowing that info on there is evidence-based, moderators include fully qualified breastfeeding counsellors who DO check the veracity of statements made. The emphasis is information, not advice, and a very friendly place to ask important questions.”
Mad Mums
http://www.madmums.com/
Parenting and Pregnancy can be very daunting and sometimes, it can really help to speak to people who have been or are going through the same things that you are. The Madmums Buddy Scheme has been designed to put you in touch with other Mums who have experience in specific areas of Pregnancy and Parenting. You can use this free and confidential service on a “one to one” basis away from the forums to get in touch with one of our Buddies who will then contact you personally.
Mama Pack Forum
http://www.mamapacks.eu/forum/
Mama Packs are the United Kingdoms ONLY ethically influenced, trade marked Mum & Baby sample pack. A pack you wont find nasty chemicals in, a pack you will love receiving!
“The ladies there have such a wealth of experience and a geniuine love for the benefits of breast feeding that I have been greatly encouraged to keep breastfeeding, despite my child being seriously ill and in an incubator when born and later whilst she underwent major surgery. Now I am BFing past the age I had previously thought ‘normal’ and my child is thriving!”
Natural Mamas
http://www.naturalmamas.co.uk/
A natural parenting forum with an emphasis on babywearing.
“It’s a natural parenting forum with an amazing breastfeeding support board. Members who contribute are lactation consultants, midwives, breastfeeding peer supporters as well as breastfeeding mothers. The range of breastfeeding topics covered is second to none and the support is phenomental, with lots of experience as well as good non-judgemental evidence based advice. I love it!!”
Rollercoaster
http://www.Rollercoaster.ie
Pregnancy, having a baby and parenting can all bring you to the heights of joy and the depths of despair – all within the space of a few minutes! RollerCoaster.ie accompanies you on this exciting journey.
“A great community of people with a dedicated breastfeeding board”
By admin, on August 31st, 2010
 Latch on Britain invites all nursing mums to help raise the profile of breastfeeding by taking part in an event on Wednesday September 1st.
Just arrange to meet some friend or family in town or at home or head out to your local cafe, park or community centre and then at 11am, give your baby a feed!
For more information and how to enter our competition, click here: http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=147238525293390&ref=ts
C’mon! Latch on Britain and help normalise breastfeeding!!
By Jenny Allen, on August 24th, 2010
This is a compilation of a load of questions I have answered and problems I have encountered, both myself and with other mothers. That this stuff isn’t common knowledge anymore is a sad state of affairs, but, the fact is, it’s not, so loony lactivists like me have to put it together and put it out there, so here it it, why breastfeeding fails;
1. Drugs.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8231144.stm
“Drugs commonly used to treat bleeding after birth may hamper a woman’s ability to breastfeed her baby, research suggests.
The study, which appears in the journal BJOG, suggests the drugs may impede milk production. The Swansea University team also confirmed high doses of painkilling drugs have a similar effect. The findings may help to explain the limited success of efforts to increase breastfeeding rates in the UK.”
This is not new news, Michel Odent has been saying this for 30 years, but it hasn’t been taken seriously, and still isn’t now. I did have a synto injection after I had my eldest, and bled out 850mls. When I had my youngest I opted for a physiological third stage (no synto injection to expel the placenta), including not clamping and cutting the cord until it had stopped pulsing, and I hardly bled at all. I know this is anecdotal, but the reasoning works this way; when the cord is left to stop pulsing before it is clamped and cut, not only does the baby get it’s full quota of blood [about 250mls/half a pint is in the placenta & cord] but the placenta drains, which may make it detach better, resulting in less bleeding.
Opiates (pethidine etc) and all pain relief, even epidurals and gas and air cross the placenta and effect the baby.
http://www.breastfeeding.asn.au/bfinfo/choice.html
“The labour pain-reducing drug, pethidine, also interferes with this tentative, yet alert, exploratory behaviour by the infant. A newborn whose mother has received pethidine during labour can be dopey, unresponsive and disinterested in the breast.
Studies have shown that newborns exposed to pethidine have poor arousability for up to three hours after delivery. Poor arousability means there is slowness in the central nervous system and delayed and depressed rooting behaviour and suckling. The effects of pethidine can last for a long time – the elimination half-life of pethidine in a newborn is about 22 hours, compared with three hours in a mother.”
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/the-truth-about–pethidine-1270958.html
“In addition, pethidine readily crosses the placenta; if the drug is given too near the time of delivery, it can delay breathing at birth, make feeding difficult and cause the baby to be very drowsy. There is an antidote available, naloxone, which can be injected into the umbilical vein at birth, but it is not always given.”
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6161727.stm
“The researchers, led by Dr Siranda Torvaldsen, say: “There is a growing body of evidence that the fentanyl component of epidurals may be associated with sleepy infants and difficulty establishing breastfeeding.”
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4371552.stm
“A review of 21 studies comparing epidurals to other forms of pain relief showed women who chose them were 40% more likely to need intervention.
The Cochrane Review found this could mean instruments such as forceps being used to deliver the baby.”
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/1423668.stm
“However, babies whose mothers were given a low-dose epidural took longer to become vigorous after delivery, and a few of the babies in the low-dose infusion group were more likely to require breathing assistance.”
2. Separation.
Skin-to-Skin is important, washing, swaddling, dressing and testing done away from the mother all inhibit reactions and instinct. Left alone a baby will instinctively root and suckle.
Breast Crawl http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjDQN9keKQk
http://www.llli.org/llleaderweb/LV/LVDecJan03p123.html
“When the mother and midwife tried to help him latch on, he closed his mouth firmly and arched his back, pulling his head away from the breast.
When I went to visit this mother at her home, I could see that the repeated attempts to latch the baby on were making him feel increasingly unhappy about being held in the nursing position. As soon as he was held on his side and moved close to the breast, he started to fuss and push away. I suggested to the mother that she just concentrate for a little while on helping the baby feel relaxed and comfortable at the breast—just letting him lie there, close to the breast, without any pressure to latch on or feed.
She called me back several hours later, very excited, with wonderful news. She had been lying on her back, dozing, with her naked baby lying on his stomach on her bare abdomen just below her breasts. She noticed the baby beginning to squirm and wriggle and then, to her surprise, he pushed himself up to her breasts, his little head bobbing as he searched for the nipple. Then he latched on and suckled away. After several minutes of vigorous sucking, he let go and rested. She then gently moved him toward the other breast, and to her delight he repeated the process, latching on beautifully all by himself once again.”
And these;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=reZQOvMn1lk
http://www.lpch.org/DiseaseHealthInfo/HealthLibrary/pregnant/0008-pop.html
are really good examples of how not to get a baby to feed, holding the head like this is really, really bad practice! These holds make babies flail their arms and arch away from the boob, holding a baby by the back of the head, or at the back of the neck as is commonly taught actually works against instinctive feeding behaviours.
But this kind of approach; http://www.biologicalnurturing.com/pdfs/Colson%202007%20non%20prescriptive%20recipe%20for%20BF%20put%20with%20recipe.pdf
triggers all the instinctive behaviours that help a baby to feed easily. Newborns have strong necks and like to lie well supported either on their belly or side, pressure on the soles of the feet also triggers a rooting response, so laying a baby on his/her stomach or side and letting them “stand” on your thighs (or the palm of your hand) as you recline on your back or lie on your side is the most natural way to feed a baby. Sitting bolt upright holding your baby by the back of the head and shoving a nipple in it’s mouth is neither natural or pleasant!
3. Expectations.
http://www.iwantmymum.com/site/articles/the-sleep-of-reason/20
“Tell parents the stark reality of life with a newborn, rather than forcing them to question their instincts…………… But here’s the thing. Young babies are not meant to sleep through: that’s the harsh and horrible truth. They have a very real and primal need to know their mothers are close, that they are safe. Their tummies are tiny and so cannot hold much milk, so they get hungry often. And breast-milk – which, remember, is the natural food of babies – is extremely easy to digest so as not to put undue strain on an immature system. All of this adds up to a baby who wakes during the night. Darn those babies for not being self-sufficient.
This research also found that babies got “fussy” in the early evening and that this “unexplained crying” starts at six to eight weeks. Well, guess what? Six weeks is when a baby has its first growth spurt, so its need to feed often goes into overdrive (this is also the time most women who started off breastfeeding stop, because they think they haven’t got enough milk).
And babies get fussy in the evening because they are starting a natural, primal process that will eventually help them to sleep through (if we don’t interfere with it): they tank up on milk, most often between the hours of 7 and 10pm. If you don’t know this then the crying becomes “unexplained and unexplainable”. And can take you to the brink of madness.”
So;
Expect your baby to want to feed, seemingly all the time, for the first few weeks. No baby in the whole world ever goes 3-4 hours between feeds happily or naturally. A breastfed baby is more likely to want to feed every hour or so, and there’s nothing wrong with comfort sucking. It’s natural, it’s normal and it’s good for the baby and your milk supply. A newborns tummy is the size of it’s clenched fist, ie, very tiny. It is easily filled and quickly emptied, so needs to be re-filled regularly. Allowing your baby to “comfort suck” means s/he is constantly topping up this tiny tummy. Contrary to popular wisdom babies can also suck and feed whilst they are dozing, so if your baby seems to be asleep, but is still sucking gently, then leave him/her there. They are only deeply asleep if they relax totally and voluntarily let go of the nipple.
Expect to get very little sleep for the first few weeks, especially if your baby is sleeping in a separate cot or moses basket. A newborn baby that can’t feel and smell it’s mother is an unhappy newborn baby. They have an instinctive need to be held and kept close. So, expect your baby to want to be held all the time, either by you or by Daddy, or grandma or grandpa, or, well, anyone really, as long as they are warm and have a comforting heartbeat! Expect growth spurts at 10 days, 3 weeks, 6 weeks, 12 weeks and again about 18-20 weeks, ride out the feeding frenzy and you’re baby will settle again in a few days.
But don’t expect to feed your baby every 3-4 hours and then change them and put them down and walk away. You are confusing them with a Baby Annabel doll…… ☺
4. Bad Advice.
“You’ll spoil that baby”
“Your milk isn’t [good] enough”
“S/he’ll be more settled on formula”
“Feed 10 minutes from each boob, no more”
“You have to drink milk to make milk”
“You must eat extra healthy now, or your milk will be poor quality”
“Routine, routine, routine…….”
I’m sure you’ve already heard some of these, and will undoubtedly hear others too. You’ll know if it’s garbage because it’ll go against your instincts and sound ridiculous!
5. Nipple Confusion.
Caused by dummies and bottles.http://www.breastfeeding.com/all_about/all_about_confusion.html
“What is Nipple Confusion? It is a problem that arises when a breastfed baby is given an artificial (rubber or silicon) nipple and must try to learn to nurse both from his mother’s breast and the bottle nipple. While seemingly similar, these two feeding methods require completely different mouth and tongue motions and swallowing skills.
In breastfeeding, the baby needs to take as much of the nipple and areola into his mouth as possible to ‘pump’ the milk from the milk ducts. In bottle feeding, he uses his lips to grip the tip of an artificial nipple. Some nipples do better to imitate a natural breast, but none are quiet the same.”
So, now you know what not to do, what not to expect and what advice to not listen to!
(This can also be found as a Guest post at; http://jonirae.com/got-milk-part-three-why-breastfeeding-fails/)
By admin, on August 21st, 2010
Amanda Rayment works as a herbalist in the arena of the parent and child relationship. She is also the tutor for the training programme Birth and loving Relationships. Her website is http://www.welcomeworldcafe.com
 The arrival of a child in to our lives offers opportunities to awaken tenderness and love within us. A baby listens to his mother’s heartbeat while he is in the womb from very early on in the pregnancy. We could say his mother’s heart is singing to him continually. This sound becomes familiar and reassuring to the baby. Isn’t this wonderful? That no matter what is occurring in the mothers daily life her heart continues to sing to her child. After the child is born this familiarity and reassurance of listening to his mother’s heartbeat continues through being held close to the mother’s body and with breastfeeding. This tenderness begins to be expressed in other ways such as caressing, speaking soothing words to the child and of course with eye to eye contact between mother and baby. This eye to eye contact also encourages the release of the wonderful hormone of love Oxytocin, which is of great assistance with breastfeeding and bonding. Through all these actions tenderness begins to arise in the mother which is naturally extended to the child. So how do we continue to nurture this contact with what is real what is natural? How do we directly experience the truth that in the giving we receive? What does it mean to give of ourselves? To include ourselves in the giving and receiving, these are questions I invite mothers to ask themselves inwardly. So this period of time in women’s lives while they are breastfeeding the focus is on relaxation, nourishment and nurturing. When we view breastfeeding in this way it sounds so simple but of course it may not always be easy to rest back into what sounds simple and natural. So how does a mother include herself in the nurturing and tenderness she is offering her child?
For most of us sometimes we can rest back in the flow of harmony of what is natural and effortless. Other times it seems as if that flow is a distant memory and everything feels tiring. Those moments of not knowing how to respond are opportunities to stop for a moment and to ask inwardly to be shown, to acknowledge to ourselves we have become confused as to what the communication of love is. To recognise that love is not sacrifice in any form no matter how we try to disguise it. To ask love to reveal itself, to show us how to give to our child the nurturing and nourishment we want to know and receive for ourselves. Then we have come back to our true nature of recognising tenderness, happiness and nurturing is shared. That love includes everyone. My encouragement to breastfeeding mothers alongside these inner practices is to ask yourself what makes your heart sing with joy, to give yourself the time to offer this gift of love to yourself, to include this in your life no matter how busy it seems right now .Again I recognise resistances my come forward that it isn’t always easy to include ourselves. But that doesn’t mean that we don’t give it ago and see what occurs as the outcome of being kind and gentle with our selves.
My craft is herbal medicine and producing herbal tea formulas makes my heart sing. On my website I offer different tea formulas for mothering. The website has lots of information about herbs and mothering. There is a cafe area where you can ask questions. The tea Mamas Nursing support is available which many women have found helpful while breastfeeding. This is a formula i have used for years with breastfeeding mothers both in my clinic and in the welcome World tea range. This tea is formulated with herbs that nourish on many different levels and also gently stimulates the blood supply to the mammary glands ensuring a healthy flow of breast milk.
http://www.welcomeworldcafe.com Herbs that assist with breastfeeding are Red raspberry leaf ,fennel seeds ,nettles, holy thistle, fenugreek seeds , goats rue.“
The following herbs may also be helpful to have in your kitchen cupboard or medicine bag.
Marigold flowers; useful for any inflammation of breasts when feeding e.g. with engorgement or mastitis. This plant is also wonderfully soothing for cracked nipples. Again go to http://www.welcomeworldcafe.com for information about marigold {look under notes from Amanda in cafe area }
Ladys Mantle;A wonderful plant that can be used as an external compress for sore or inflamed breasts. Use the leaves to make a paste with a little oil i would choose castor oil, although olive oil would be fine. Again check http://www.welcomeworldcafe.com { look under writings 3 herbs I would always have in my apothecary in cafe area}
There are of course many plants i could list here , my feeling is to keep it simple ,make friends with a few plants ,get to know their benefits, keep them in the kitchen cupboard and make nurturing cups of herbal tea. Use the plants as compresses and washes when assistance is needed. Enjoy and happy mothering.
By admin, on August 18th, 2010
I wish that breastfeeding wasn’t such a “hot” topic.
I wish that formula feeding wasn’t so common place and normal that people assume that the way a formula fed baby behaves is the way babies should behave. So that long deep sleeps in very small babies were not expected, instead of the hourly feeds, short naps and light sleep that is actually normal baby behaviour. That people knew that vomiting was not normal, that baby poo shouldn’t stink to high heaven and that reflux isn’t to be expected. There’s a big difference between posseting now and then, and regularly chucking back large amounts of milk.
I wish people didn’t think that breastfeeding was the “Gold Standard”, but understood that it is simply the biological norm. What babies are meant to do, what boobs are for, and what gives our babies the things they need to grow up the way they were meant to. Physically, immunologically and emotionally.
I wish people didn’t think it was fair game to pass comment on the health of breastfed babies. Or to take the piss out of breastfeeding mothers. Imagine if a breastfeeding mother passed comment on the health of a non-breastfed baby, or belittled a woman who didn’t breastfeed? That people realised that childhood illnesses are just that, a part of normal, everyday childhood, that all babies and children get colds, and coughs and chicken pox, and that breastfeeding is not a Magical Forcefield which stops your baby ever getting ill, but what it actually does is makes your child able to resist a lot of infections, and means they can fight off the ones they do get. All babies and children get sick, the more contact they have with others the more likely they are to get sick, so a breastfed baby in a nursery will still catch infections, where as a formula fed baby that stays at home won’t be in contact with those infections, and that’s why they seem to get sick less often, not because breastfeeding makes no difference. I wish I didn’t have to defend the fact that I breastfeed. Ever. To anyone.
I wish people understood that advertising works. That formula manufacturers invented “Follow-On” formula to get through a loophole in the advertising laws, because all they care about is profit, how much of their product they can sell. That most of the “special” ingredients in artificial milks are not proven, not necessary and not there to improve the health of babies, but to make one formula seem “closer to breast-milk” than all the others. That artificial baby milks are not sterile, and subject to fewer and less rigid tests and standards than over-the-counter cold medications.
I wish people understood that the risks that go with not breastfeeding are rarely instantly obvious, but can creep up and effect our health when we are 10, 20, or 30, or 40, or 50. Babies rarely drop dead from being formula fed (although it does happen in some cases, from contamination like in China, or from allergic reactions or gastroenteritis) but that it is, all the same, a large scale public health issue that needs to be viewed seriously, not as a life style choice or as a fashion statement.
I wish breastfeeding was normal.
By admin, on August 18th, 2010
http://www.maternitywomen.com/maternity-news/stop-pointing-start-doing.html
By now you’ve probably heard Gisele Bundchen’s quote from a recent magazine interview in which she said, “There should be a worldwide law, in my opinion, that mothers should breastfeed their babies for six months.” Well this, of course, caused an uproar to which she later gave an explanation of her opinion on her blog—which I feel is absolutely ridiculous. First of all, it was her opinion. Second of all, I think she’s right—no explanation necessary.
Reality star/chef/author/business woman/wife/breastfeeding mother, Bethenny Frankel responded to Gisele’s comment by saying, “That’s the most absurd thing I’ve ever heard,” then went on to say, “Breastfeeding is one of the most rewarding experiences, but it isn’t for everyone.” That’s a shame because what a great advocate she could have been, especially for those who use their careers as an excuse not to breastfeed. I would like to pose this question to Bethenny Frankel. Do you think it’s absurd to put your child in a car seat? I don’t want to be presumptuous, but I’m guessing your answer would be, “no.” Not only is it a law put in place for the safety and protection of children, it’s pretty much, as I read in one article, common sense and a maternal instinct for a mother to want to protect her child. You tell me what the difference is between a law mandating the use of a car seat and a law mandating breastfeeding.
These women who ridicule advocates of breastfeeding, accusing them of making them feel guilty, fit into one of three categories: 1) uneducated, 2) selfish, or 3) lazy. To those women who choose not to breastfeed,
I would like you to make the following statements—out loud, holding your baby, looking directly at their face:
“I CHOOSE for you to have a weaker immune system.”
“I CHOOSE for you to have a greater risk of having chronic ear infections.”
“I CHOOSE for you to have a greater risk of having asthma.”
“I CHOOSE for you to have a greater risk of having juvenile diabetes.”
“I CHOOSE for you to have a greater risk of having childhood leukemia.”
“I CHOOSE for you to have a greater risk of dying of sudden infant death syndrome.”
THEN say, “I make this choice because ________,” and fill in the blank with your excuse for not breastfeeding.
Harsh, isn’t it? Those are the facts. Hopefully, someone out there is in agreement with me. It is that serious. Do your own research. Numbers don’t lie. There is an urgent need for a movement, yet every time someone makes a statement, or breastfeeds in public, there are those of you who can’t wait to spew your negativity on those who are just doing what is right. Does this make you angry? If so, why? Does this make you feel guilty? Well, let me share something with you. NO ONE can MAKE you feel anything. Your feelings are your own.
Here’s another thing, the definition of guilt is 1) fact of having committed an offense, and 2) painful feeling that one has done wrong. If you feel guilty, then congratulations!! This means you at least know that you’ve done wrong and you’re not a heartless person without a conscience. The bad news is that you are the only one to blame, so stop pointing your finger!! That being said, there are those who argue that there is a serious breakdown in this country’s health care system (with which I strongly agree) that is to blame for the low percentage of mothers who breastfeed, therefore relieving the mothers of any personal responsibility to educate themselves (with which I strongly disagree).
I’ve seen this breakdown first hand, over and over again. I have yet to figure out why our hospitals and health care professionals are not requiring their patients to TRY breastfeeding and spending more time on education. If your ob/gyn prescribes you prenatal vitamins, you fill the prescription and you take them. If they put you on bed rest because you have a high risk pregnancy, you stay in bed. No questions asked, Dr. knows best, right? So someone explain why, if formula manufacturers themselves are printing, “breast milk is best” (as required by the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes), right on their labels, then why aren’t health care professionals requiring their patients to breastfeed? In our country today, only 12% of women breastfeed exclusively for the first six months. And 43% of women try and either dry up or give up.
That leaves 45% who are going straight to formula. I encourage everyone to do their own research on the medical issues, health care costs and infant mortalities that are directly connected to the lack of breastfeeding in this country. But I will share this. After the introduction of the rubber nipple in 1845, there was a dramatic increase in the use of breast milk substitutes. In 1846 there was an increase in the number of medical problems and infant mortalities directly associated with breast milk substitutes. The facts were and remain the same. Breast milk is best and formula should be used ONLY as a last resort. Our government and media are famous for using scare tactics to sway our thinking. Apparently, it’s not working in this case. Perhaps anger will work, but make sure you are channeling your anger in the right direction. Don’t get angry with me because I made you “feel guilty.”
Get angry with your employer who is unwilling to accommodate your need to do the best thing for your child. Get angry with a society who looks at breasts as sexual objects rather than what their intended purpose is. Get angry with the women who are dragging you down, making believe formula is acceptable when you know it is not. Stand up for yourself, but more importantly, stand up for your child! Everyone keeps calling for a movement, but it has not yet happened. If we can’t unite as women and do what is best for our children, then perhaps the government should intervene and require women to breastfeed for six months. Women fought for the right to vote, and won. Women fought for equality in the workplace, and won. Why in the hell can’t we fight for our children’s health and lives?? We need to unite and command respect from a society that looks upon public breastfeeding with disgust. We need to unite and demand that ALL employers give adequate maternity leave and facilitate pumping once you’ve returned.
Finally, we need to EDUCATE, EDUCATE, EDUCATE ourselves and everyone around us to change the way society views breastfeeding to give our children a healthier life.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/05/breastfeeding-study-on-be_n_525180.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infant_formula http://blog.giselebundchen.com.br/en/sentido/a-importancia-da-amamentacao/
By admin, on August 12th, 2010
Rachael Grace Black is looking for twelve good women and true to take part in a calendar promoting breastfeeding. It’s going to be W.I. style – tasteful but cheeky and I am after breastfeeding mamas of all ages and sizes with breastfeeding babes of all ages to model. If this is your thing, email her at mail@rachaelgraceblack.com and all profits will go to charity.
The facebook page for the group she has started is here:
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=714076010#!/group.php?gid=149938988350396&ref=mf
Rachael says
“I am producing a calendar of mothers breastfeeding their children to raise awareness of the issues surrounding breast feeding. It will be an artfully shot series of photographs depicting mothers with their child latched and feeding – ‘in action’ so to speak. These shots will be varied in many ways, all mama-types will be celebrated with children of varying ages to show that it is an all encompassing and natural thing to engage in. Please email me if you wish to participate in any way – either modelling with your child, helping sell the calendar or marketing it by putting it up on your blog, website, twitter feed or facebook page. All donations welcome to fund this project – it is a non profit making project with all proceeds going to pro breast feeding campaigns and charities.”
By admin, on August 11th, 2010
Thanks Jean for telling me about this, I am not sure what I think.
A friend of hers just holidayed in Cleethorpes and said in a sea front chip shop theres a sign saying ” we do not allow breastfeeding in our restaurant – we have a private room if you require.”
So, is this anti breastfeeding or pro?
My first though was that they were horrible people but my second thought was that at least they provided some space for breastfeeders. Jean said ‘Well yes – but is it a cupboard ? Why should I sit in a cupboard when my family are eating watching the sea ? Do they have the right to impose sanctions on me as to where and when I can feed ? What if the room is occupied ? My baby might scream til he’s so distressed he can’t even latch on , what if I’m a single mum with 5 kids – who will take responsibility for the others if we don’t all fit in ?”
What do you think? Have you been to Cleethorpes and seen the sign? Have you seen similar in other places?
Lisa
By admin, on August 11th, 2010
 Mama Packs are the United Kingdoms ONLY ethically influenced, trade marked Mum & Baby sample pack. A pack you wont find nasty chemicals in, a pack you will love receiving!
The NHS would like to have Mama Packs…. We know, as each time we call a maternity ward they jump at it. Then a few hours later ‘that’ phonecall comes…. “Sorry, we will have to decline as apparently Bounty are the only packs permitted to be distributed by the NHS”
Why?
- Is it the 70p per pack Bounty give the NHS?
- Is it the fantastic quality of Bounty samples compared to MP? *sarcasm*
- Is it the fact Bounty have got the NHS into a contract they can’t back out of?
- Is it the fact Mama Pack promote home births, breastfeeding and cloth nappies?
What happened to Monopoly / Monopsony laws?
Why are Bounty permitted to carry on this coercive monopoly?
SADLY this also means that no cloth nappies or alternative detergents are permitted into the ‘new Mama zone’ in hospitals as Bounty are contracted to only allow Pampers and Fairy!
Mama packs contain Soap nuts and cloth nappy info! [hopefully one day maybe even a free newborn cloth nappy]
Mama Packs also contain BIODEGRADABLE baby wipes… Another product denied to Mama’s in the current NHS permitted packs.
We don’t want to remove Bounty from their throne but what we do want is for Mothers & Mothers to be to have a choice…. an ethical choice!
This petition is a call to the powers that be behind the NHS to allow Mama Packs to be handed out in the NHS Maternity sector, be it via hospitals or GP surgeries….
GIVE WOMEN A CHOICE!
Click on the link to sign the petition
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/mamapacks/
By admin, on August 11th, 2010
Mothers face jail sentence for refusing to breastfeed
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Tue, 08/10/2010 9:21 PM | National
Women who refuse to breastfeed their newly-born babies may face jail sentence for denying their children’s right.
Article 128 of the 2009 law on health stipulates that babies have the right to six months of exclusive breast milk unless their mothers could not fulfill their obligation due to medical problems.
Article 200 of the draft says a mother who declines to exclusively breast feed their children will face a maximum of one year in prison term or Rp 100 million in fine.
Law expert Prof. Sarsintorini Putra said Tuesday people, including employers, who prevent women from breastfeeding their children would also face punishments. The law says employers that do not support the exclusive breastfeeding movement will be imprisoned or fined.
The law, however, will not come into effect sometime in the near future due to the absence of implementing government regulations.
Passed by the House of Representatives on Oct. 13, 2009, the law will only be enforced on Oct. 13, 2010.
By admin, on August 10th, 2010
Do you know of a website that supports breastfeeding mums and deserves the new Mothers Milk Marketing Board seal of approval? It could be a forum, or a shop, a facebook page or someone on twitter.
Nominate your favorite and tell us why they deserve the award by commenting on this post and the winner, or maybe winners will get to display the special, exclusive seal of approval from the Mothers Milk Marketing Board itself!
When we get enough websites nominated voting will start 
The Mothers Milk Marketing Board seal of approval
By admin, on August 6th, 2010
http://www.onemillioncampaign.org/poll/what-would-help-women-practice-exclusive-breastfeeding-6-months
The One Million Campaign has an opinion poll,results of which they will utilise in campaigns to gain support for women for breastfeeding their babies.
New Poll titled “What would help women practice Exclusive Breastfeeding for 6 months?” has been created. Click here to respond. It will just take 10 seconds to add your support !
Thanks!
Team ONE MILLION CAMPAIGN- Support Women to Breastfeed
http://www.onemillioncampaign.org
ONE MILLION CAMPAIGN Support Women to Breastfeed is a campaign of the World Breastfeeding Movement with just one mission – to mobilize public opinion through one million signatures, demanding support to women to breastfeed. Most people think of breastfeeding as something that happens between the woman and her child: that this decision is in the personal domain. However, several factors affect women’s ability to breastfeed successfully: traditions, myths, status in the family and society, work load, confidence in her body and sexuality, economic needs, labour laws, domestic and workplace violence and harassment, availability of support services, advertising by commercial baby food manufacturers, and so on.
By admin, on August 5th, 2010
 But you will have to look for them
I have reduced another 10 t-shirts to £6 (normally £9.99 or £11.99 if they are organic). There is a variety of sizes and designs reduced and they are on www.lactivist.co.uk.
If you do find them and you want to share the links here or anywhere else please feel free to
This offer will end on the 8th August 2010.
And remember, if you should happen to come across a picture of the Moo Boy breastfeeding then enter the competition to win more Lactivist goodies here: http://www.lactivist.net/?p=1464
By admin, on August 4th, 2010
I ‘meet’ lots of lovely people through Lactivist and this blog is from a South African mumwho blogs at Joyful Mamas Place.
This week she is celebrating World Breastfeeding Week with guest bloggers and here is one of the posts. The rest of her site is well worth looking at too, the easiest way to navigate it is by the lables, there are some lovely posts about breastfeeding and some very interesting ones about toddler emotions but I do wish I hadn’t found this post for a Biscotti recipe! I love Biscotti a bit too much!
http://www.joyfulmamasplace.blogspot.com/
We are celebrating World Breastfeeding Week 2010 in style here on Joyful Mama’s Place this week! Today’s guest blogger is a mom to eight beautiful blessings, and the brains behind the fabulous blog SE7EN – The life and times of a homeschooling mother of se7en + 1! She and her family live in one of the most beautiful parts of Cape Town, and whenever she posts a picture of her children exploring rock pools in the middle of an *ordinary day*, I am green with envy!
Please pop in for a visit to her blog – I guarantee you will leave inspired.
Here are se7en tips I wish I had known, the first time round:
- Look and Learn: I never realized that I hadn’t actually seen other mom’s nursing until I had a baby of my own and even then you never see brand newborn babies out in the world. The best place to find other nursing moms is at your local La-Leche League Meeting. I wish I had gone to one of their monthly meetings before I had my firstborn and I have to say that when I finally got there, totally desperate, it was the haven of like-minded moms that I was looking for.
- Practice makes Perfect: This is true for most things. When my firstborn and I finally got nursing right (it doesn’t always happen instantly) he was about six weeks old. Before that I could only manage nursing sitting topless on a bed with a bazillion cushions. I was convinced I was housebound forever. Not so… we got better at it really quickly and we managed to nurse sitting on the couch and then in front of friends and eventually out in the world. By twelve weeks I nursed him through my graduation ceremony and no-one sitting around me had any idea… Only that I had a very well-behaved baby!!!
- You Don’t Need Special Equipment: You can buy special nursing shirts, you can use special covers. Frankly I have never had a baby who wanted to nurse under a sheet – ever… and since I have never eaten a meal under a tablecloth I can understand that!!! I also found that a lot of “special nursing” shirts were a whole lot less discreet than I wanted to be. I have always worn baggy t-shirts to nurse in public, my baby lies against my tummy and I lift a corner for them to nurse. Try it with a cushion – nothing is exposed!!! And that’s the way I like it thank-you very much!!!
- Newborns Need Special Mention: Call me uncoordinated but I have always needed two hands to nurse a newborn. They don’t automatically latch on and nurse discreetly for hours. They do sputter and gag and very often battle to get it right… their mouths are tiny and their heads flail. The peaceful vision that one sees in magazines isn’t always the reality!!! Nursing takes practice for moms and their babies… the babies you see out in the world are generally not newborns, they are slightly older and the mother and babe have found their rhythm. In the great comparative study we call mothering make sure you compare yourself to moms with babes the same age as yours!!! It is all very well to think you can’t do this when you have a tiny two week old in your arms and you are looking at a mom with a three month old… be yourself and don’t compare it will stand you in good stead!!!
- Don’t Wait: When your baby starts to make hungry noises, just settle down and nurse – trust me on this. When you are out in public everyone will notice a screaming hungry baby but no-one will notice a contented baby snuggled in its mother’s lap. In fact there are many times when people haven’t noticed that I was nursing and came to say what a sweet quiet baby I have!!!
- Just Nurse: Don’t even think about trying to express milk and give your baby a bottle when you are out. Initially, getting out is stressful enough without trying to fill bottles for the great event. Your milk is just where it should be for when your baby needs it. When you have a newborn I really recommend that you focus on getting the supply and demand balance of breastfeeding right before you try and introduce bottles. And seriously, the expression “Don’t cry over spilt milk” was coined specifically with new mothers in mind. When you have a baby who nurses two hourly and then takes an hour to nurse you really don’t want to be trying to master expresing milk at the same time. Really if you spend all your free time trying to express and after ages you have 15 ml of milk in a jar and you spill a drop of it – trust me you will cry!!! Wait till your baby is bigger, there is time!!!
- It Isn’t Just Food: Trust me on this, when you are nursing an older baby, and since the World Health Organization recommends nursing at least until the age of two, dare I say a toddler. Sometimes they just need a little comfort to get through a tricky situation… We traveled overseas in a crowd with a toddler and when he began to melt down at nap time we quickly nursed. A toddler is a very efficient nursing machine and can be done in seconds compared to a newborn who takes hours. He would nurse quickly and seconds later he would be napping or just content. I am always surprised that people don’t mind seeing a child walking around with a pacifier in their mouths but might disapprove of nursing. We are generally discreet enough that folks don’t know we are actually nursing.
and the Se7en + 1th thing:
- Your Baby has Rights: People have no problem with older children drinking bottles in public or using pacifiers to keep them content. Don’t be put off nursing your child when they need to nurse. When your baby is a couple of months old and everything distracts them it is often easier to take them somewhere quiet to nurse them. But don’t feel compelled to. I have never had some one come up to me and say “You may not nurse here…” but I have had people not like me nursing out. It is not in my nature to be terribly confrontational I just sort of stare into space and they generally just wander on!!! I have seen two women being told to move on in a shopping mall, they were from the local township and were seeking air-conditioned refuge for their babies in the heat of summer… I joined them on the bench and nursed my babe… no-one came near any of us!!! I guess a mother with eight trailing children may be a little bit intimidating!!!
By admin, on August 3rd, 2010
 http://www.lactivist.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=380
This is today’s bargain from www.lactivist.co.uk for World Breastfeeding Week – it will change tomorrow so get it while you can! The normal price of this beautifully soft but hard wearing organic t-shirt is £11.99.
By admin, on August 1st, 2010
 For the whole week – from the 1st August to the 7th I’ll choose one thing a day to discount – today’s special is the beautiful Organic bag – at a bargain price of £3.50!
The bargain will change tomorrow so get it while you can!
By admin, on July 31st, 2010
This is from http://janeaustensworld.wordpress.com/2010/07/31/breast-feeding-in-the-early-19th-century/ a blog that brings Jane Austen, her novels, and the Regency Period alive through food, dress, social customs, and other 19th C. historical details.
Be warned! the jane Austen World Blog is enormous and I easily lost a whole hour just browsing, there is lots of fascinating stuff about womens rights (or lack of them) in the Regency Era and links to other sites with eye opening articles about childbirth through history.
 French artists Marguerite Gerard (1761-1837) painted this domestic scene of a mother about to breast feed her child. The subject is unusual in that breasfeeding one’s baby was unfashionable for aristocratic and upper classes, and the act had become associated with the poor and lower classes.
Generally, wet nurses were paid to feed the babies of the wealthy. Much thought and care went into their selection, and their milk was examined for texture, color, viscosity, and taste. Some thought that aspects of a wet nurse’s personality could be passed through her milk, and therefore her character had to be impeccable. Cassandra Austen, Jane Austen’s mother, sent all her children to the nearby village of Deane to be nursed in their infancy. Although Cassandra Austen visited her babies daily, they did not return to the family fold until they were around 18 months of age.
The popularity of wet nurses stemmed from the fact that royalty often wanted large families. Wet nurses were hired to feed the newborn so that the royal mother would soon regain fertility and become pregnant again. When royals stopped breastfeeding their children, other women from wealthy families soon followed suit and began to farm their babies out to wet nurses. This practiced continued until the end of the 19th century, when it largely died out.
By admin, on July 31st, 2010
http://gearybehaviourcenter.blogspot.com/2010/07/breastfeeding-and-reading-ability-some.html
The data from Growing up in Ireland is becoming available for secondary analysis. It is a great resource which, hopefully, researchers in Ireland and elsewhere will take full advantage of. From time to time I will post some snapshots from the data.
The graph below shows the distribution of reading ability (at age 9) by whether the child was breastfed. Its clear that the distribution for those who were breastfed is to the right: the average is about one third of a standard deviation higher. The proportion who were breastfed is 51%, low by international standards.
The graph does not imply or assume anything about causality: it could be that this relationship is due to confounding, for example socio-economic status and parental education is strongly positively associated with the decision to breastfeed. In general though the evidence appears to suggest some positive effect of breastfeeding on cognitive ability. There is extensive research on this topic including work in progress at the Geary Institute by myself and Orla Doyle.
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