World Breastfeeding Week…

This is “World Breastfeeding Week”…we know that breastfeeding is “Best for Babes” but not every mother feels that she can adequately breast feed and not every woman wants to breast feed. This being said there are many ways we can encourage women to breast feed and do so successfully.

The following article talks about ways that hospitals can encourage a new mother to breast feed. Many good points are made here…but ultimately the mom will be taking her newborn home after a very short stay in the hospital and the home atmosphere and home support will be the true test of success.

What we need is a “doula” of breastfeeding…a compassionate, educated, non-judgemental mom who is willing to help mother and baby get established in their breastfeeding routine together. This is not an easy task. There is no room for a fanatical breast feeding “doula” who imparts her successful breastfeeding stories and inadvertently guilt to the new breastfeeding mom. This relationship in my opinion can make or break a breastfeeding experience.

Hospitals can only do so much and since hospital experiences are so short  for the new mom in many cases, it is my belief  that for many reasons  hospitals will never provide the support that is needed  for success in breastfeeding.

A new mother’s ability to continue  breastfeeding is influenced by what she  experiences and how much support she receives during the first hours and days after birth. Breast milk is “the perfect nutrition,” says Frieden. It provides antibodies to help newborns ward off illness until the immune system can produce their own, which doesn’t happen until the infant is 6 months old.  Mom’s milk also provides important hormones that help baby regulate how much it needs to eat. Plus, studies have shown that breastfeeding reduces diarrhea, ear infections and bacterial meningitis, as well as cutting the risk of sudden infant death syndrome, diabetes and asthma, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

The CDC report says breastfeeding for nine months reduces a baby’s odds of becoming overweight by more than 30%. For babies to get all of these benefits, the AAP recommends that infants should be fed only breast milk for the first six months of life and moms should continue to nurse while they start introducing solid foods until the baby is at least a year old, longer if mom and baby still want to.

In response to this report, the American Hospital Association tells CNN: “Breastfeeding is a personal choice and hospitals will follow the wishes of the mother, be it to breastfeed or bottle feed. There are numerous reaso

ns for the results and those include that hospitals can’t always accommodate a single room for maternity care and some mothers choose to send their babies to the nursery.”

There are of course other ways to help mothers continue to breastfeed. One came earlier this week, when the Department of Health and Human Services adopted recommendations from the Institute of Medicine, which will require insurance companies to pay for breastfeeding support, supplies and counseling, without any cost to the insured (aside from her regular insurance premiums of course), starting in August 2012.

via Hospitals need to do more to help moms breastfeed – The Chart – CNN.com Blogs.

“Best for Babes” is a wonderful organization which is totally on the right track in trying to assist the breastfeeding mom and baby. We need more involvement like this in order to promote successful breastfeeding. Here is the mission of “Best for Babes” for those of you who are not familiar with this organization.

The amazing health, economic and environmental benefits of exclusive breastfeeding for six months or more are well-established.  Moms know this — they want to breastfeed. But sadly, very few of those who start or plan to start make it past the first few days — they struggle and suffer unnecessarily and give up, understandably, long before they intended to.  Too often, it’s not their fault!  They are being set up to fail by the very people and places that are supposed to help them — by the Booby Traps– the many cultural and institutional barriers that prevent them from achieving their personal feeding goals.

BFB’s mission is to help turn this situation around by bringing the power and influence of a consumer-driven, celebrity and corporate-backed, mainstream independent nonprofit –the Mother of All Causes –to bear on this issue;  to help create permanent  culture change that embraces, celebrates and supports breastfeeding and moms!  As a nonprofit foundation, we serve and complement the heroic, long-term efforts of the existing breastfeeding community and we lend added value by being able to harness and leverage the collective power of celebrities, corporations, foundations, the public sector, advertising, the medical community and the media.

Will you be watching fireworks?

Will you be watching fireworks?

It’s amazing how much we love fireworks. Whether we’re 3, 33 or 83, the sudden bursts of light and colors against a dark sky fill so many of us with awe. Enjoy them this weekend!

Don’t forget that while sparklers are magically fun, they’re still dangerous for little kids and should be handled only by adults or older children who know not to wave them in people’s faces. Keep a really good distance from any launch sites and delight in the surprise and beauty of the fireworks. Remember, babies can be frightened by the loud bangs that can hurt their ears (me, too!) While the big kids are outside, you may prefer to move your little ones indoors or to the car to watch from the windows.

via News Moms Need » Blog Archive » Will you be watching fireworks?.

Breastfeeding… News of the Week!

Strange and Disturbing Breastfeeding News of the Week.

This has been a week for breastfeeding news. Again, I am referring my readers to “Phd in Parenting” s blog. She is such a wonderful advocate for moms and babies.

California Protective Services visited Mariah Carey in the hospital, because she was drinking beer to help produce a better milk flow…she is breastfeeding her twins. Good for her…breastfeeding twins is a challenge and  according to current scientific findings beer  in moderation will not hurt or her babies.

Now, on to the legislation in Georgia which seeks to restrict where a mother can breast feed a toddler….

Please check out the link above for a great discussion.

50 Reasons for Breastfeeding Anytime!

NOTEWORTHY WEDNESDAY!

By now if  you read this blog at all you know that I am a fan of  “Phd in Parenting” and her blog. She is an ardent supporter of breastfeeding as am I.

To be truthful…I did not breastfeed due to medications that I was taking which were excreted in my breast milk. This was a few years back since I am now a grandmother. I missed the opportunity to breast feed way back then. But I did not miss being discriminated against.

Once when I asked to be seated in a restaurant in a large West Palm Beach department store, the hostess asked me if I intended to breast feed as it was not allowed in the dining room because it was offensive to the other patrons, who were mostly elderly. She then suggested I use the ladies room for privacy. What a relief came over her when I told her I was not intending to breast feed.

I never forgot this incident and it seems that not much has changed over the last  25 + years. How sad is that?

I share this post below “50 Reasons for Breastfeeding Anytime”…I could not say it better.

Once again, there has been an incident where someone went up to a breastfeeding mother and told her she had to cover up or leave. Once again, the media feels to need to create a breeding ground for ignorance by asking questions like “should there be any restrictions on breastfeeding in public?” The answer to that stupid question and yes…there are stupid questions, is simply NO. There should not be any restrictions. There is a myriad of reasons why women should and are able to breastfeed anytime, anywhere.Human Rights1. It is illegal to discriminate against or harass a woman because of her sex, including pregnancy and breastfeeding. or if it isn’t where you live, it should be!

via 50 Reasons for Breastfeeding Anytime, Anywhere | PhD in Parenting.

Freshology | Fresh Mommy

This is such a “fresh” idea and I am neither pre- nor post-natal. I think it is worth a look…or a try!

FRESH

FreshMommy is a fresh meal delivery program for pre- and post-natal women emphasizing nutrition and (post-natal) weight loss.

GOURMET

Proper nutrition is an essential part of a healthy pregnancy and post-natal life. Nothing is more important than the health of your baby, which is why the entire FreshMommy menu is designed with nutrient-rich ingredients essential for a growing family. After your new baby’s arrival, the FreshMommy menu shifts to encourage weight loss while…….

via Freshology | Fresh Mommy – Healthy Pregnancy Diet – Healthy Diet Food Delivery.

Are you too invested in parenting highs?

Are you too invested in parenting highs?.

Can we forgive our mothers for not being omnipotent? Can we see imperfect children (including ourselves) and not blame the mother? If we could forgive our mothers for not being perfect would that make it easier to forgive ourselves? Can we forgive our children for coming into our lives at the wrong time? For being too needy? For not being needy enough? Can we forgive them for remembering things differently than we do (especially if that paints us in a bad light)? Can we forgive our children for having a better life than we did and not appreciating it? Can we forgive our children for not being all the things we wanted to be but weren’t or can we forgive them for being the things we wanted to be when we couldn’t. Can we forgive ourselves for all of our imperfections, poor choices, failures and inadequacies.

But there is one question she asked that I left out of that list because I wanted to write a separate post about it and start a discussion on it with my readers. She asked:

Are you too invested in mothering highs (supermom moments)? Does that set you up for disappointment in other moments?

What do you think? In your quest to be the best parent that you can be while also being realistic about the fact that you are not a perfect parent, do you calmly swim with the ebb and flow and good and not so good parenting moments? Or do you seek out those supermom moments everyday and beat yourself up for being a bad mom when you cannot live up to that? If it is the latter, what do you think you can do to turn it in the former?

Please click the following link to join this discussion…from a wonderful “mommy” blogger from Canada. I think you will love her posts and discussions. You may not always agree with her insights but you will certainly be stimulated by her thoughts.

http://networkedblogs.com/hPFPt

Miranda Kerr… breastfeeding

CELEBRITY WORKING MOM BREASTFEEDING!

“Flynn is Miranda’s nearly 4-month-old (he was born on January 6) son with husband Orlando Bloom.

Miranda, who chose to share a photo of herself breastfeeding son Flynn just two days after his birth, has become an advocate for breastfeeding. “I intend to breastfeed for as long as I can,” she wrote on her blog in January. “My breast milk will give our little Flynn the nutrition he needs for his continued healthy development and to all mums out there I am sure you will make the right choice for you and your baby.”

As for how she has kept in top shape through pregnancy, the 28-year-old said recently, “I remember I was on the elliptical machine when I was pregnant with Flynn. I think if you really eating the right foods, putting the nutrition into your body and doing yoga and breastfeeding; those things have helped me get back into shape.”

There’s no denying motherhood looks good on her!”

via Miranda Kerr: Red heels & breastfeeding | BabyCenter.

Miranda Kerr makes a statement for breastfeeding and working. Granted all moms do not have this luxury at work but I have to give her credit for this pro-breastfeeding photo sharing!

Women’s Workplace Accommodations…

Do you know there is a United States Breastfeeding Committee ? Here is a reference to their statement concerning working moms and breastfeeding.

 

“Welcome

The United States Breastfeeding Committee (USBC) is an independent nonprofit coalition of more than 40 nationally influential professional, educational, and governmental organizations, that share a common mission to improve the Nation’s health by working collaboratively to protect, promote, and support breastfeeding.

via Welcome to the United States Breastfeeding Committee.

UNITED STATES BREASTFEEDING COMMITTEE

STATEMENT ON LACTATION ACCOMMODATIONS IN THE WORKPLACE

The United Stated Breastfeeding Committee (USBC) affirms that conditions in the workplace

have a substantial effect on breastfeeding duration. Three out of four U.S. mothers initiate

breastfeeding,1 and more than half of mothers participate in the labor force before their children

turn one year old.2 A supportive workplace plays a central role in enabling women to breastfeed,3

but current breastfeeding rates indicate that the lack of support in the workplace is a significant

barrier to breastfeeding for many working mothers.4″

When is it too old for the Men’s Locker Room???

Noteworthy Wednesday!

via: Flickr: Heather Poole

I went swimming at the Y.M.C.A. Later, in the men’s locker room, a father walked in with his daughter. Occasionally, this happens with babies or toddlers, but the girl was 7 or 8. He put her in a shower stall while he showered, and left her there while he shaved and flossed. Then he brought her to the lockers, where they changed. I was appalled. What do you make of this?

via Too Old for the Men’s Locker Room – Social Q’s – NYTimes.com.

This question appeared in the Sunday NYTimes and it truly raised questions for me.

I have often thought about this dilemma especially when I see kids out for the day with their dads.

Interestingly, I don’t always think about this when I see kids with their moms!

But  back to dad and the “Y” locker room. This scene raises concerns for me…granted, I have not visited a men’s locker room but the women’s locker room is certainly an experience. Some women walk around naked, others cover-up as best they can…they usually do not spend any unnecessary time in the locker room…shower, change, pack up and leave. When young children are with their moms, from my observations, they get changed and leave in fairly short order most of the time.

For me, it seems this dad took entirely too much time while his daughter was hanging out in the men’s locker room.

My own “yuk” feeling is coming to the surface here. Exposing children to other naked adults, personally, makes me uncomfortable. I would have to think of another way of doing my toilette if I were in a similar situation.

  • What do you do when your opposite-sex child has to use a public restroom?
  • At what age should children be allowed to use the public restroom by themselves?
  • What public restrooms would make you think twice about letting your child use it without accompaniment?
  • More importantly…what do you teach them ahead of time to “protect” them.?
  • Do you teach your boys the same as you teach your girls?
  • Is this more of a “Dad Dilemma” than a “Mom Moment”?

Like I said, I used the “YUK” feeling factor to help me in these situations.

My feeling is by 7 or 8 years of age many kids have been in some type of locker room situation at school but “Y” locker rooms of the opposite sex seem to be an altogether different story.

It would be interesting to hear other responses to this issue and how parents deal with this common life situation.

Spiritually mature parents…

Beautiful Quote !

‎”Spiritual maturity is the ability to endure paradox. If paradox means that which is contradictory, then parenting surely takes the cake… I am totally attached to my children, and I can let them go. I can respond to their needs as well as take care of my own. I will always see them as my babies, and I can learn to be with them, adult to adult.” Peggy O’Mara, “Softer Shades of Gray,” Mothering issue #65, Fall 1992