Support for Haiti

This week I received an email from the USBC (United States Breastfeeding Committee) requesting Breastmilk donations for premature and Sick Babies in Haiti. The request was a joint effort from the Human milk Banking Association of North America, International and the United states Lactation Consultant Associations, and La Leche League International. I found this to be an amazing way for mothers here to support and care for the families there. The amazing thing about breastfeeding is that breast milk is supply and demand and so pumping that little extra to help give these babies vital nutrients doesn’t take anything away from mom or her baby. But i was saddened to read today that MSNBC had reported that the leaders in disaster support in Haiti are requesting that the breast milk donations not be sent and saying that “Intentions maybe good, but supply isn’t safe or necessary.”

From what i read in the online article the leaders are saying that they don’t have a way to transport, screen and store the milk. However the first donation (500 oz) was sent over on a US military ship that is equipped with a NICU and a freezer to store the donated milk (which is donated first through milk banks who screen it). And so that donation Sits unused while mothers who cannot breast-feed and orphans are provided with formula. 

As i said the decline of such a viable resource as breast milk breaks my heart. Without the donated breast milk mothers who can not breastfeed and orphaned children are being provided with formula, this might be safe in hospitals but what about the women who don’t have clean water available to them to mix the formula? What are these babies drinking? and is it really better for them to drink the possibly contaminated formula than the donated nutritious breast milk? and What happens when disaster support groups begin to leave and these women have to go out and provide for their children on their own. Once these infants have gotten use to the formula how are these moms suppose to keep that up?

I don’t understand how these aid workers can say that the breastmilk donations are not needed and pose the idea that they could be more harmful to the babies than the formula, especially when WHO’s (World Health Organization) focus in 2009 was the importance of support and education on the importance of breastfeeding during emergencies. According to WHO

“Children, particularly the infants, are the most vulnerable in emergencies. Diarrhoea, respiratory illnesses and malnutrition encountered in emergencies significantly increase child mortality” said Dr. Samlee Plianbangchang, WHO Regional Director for South-East Asia. “During emergencies or humanitarian crisis, the ‘normal’ social, economic and health infrastructures are compromised, leaving infants vulnerable to diseases and death. Breastfeeding is a life-saving intervention particularly for the infants. And mothers need active support to continue or re-establish breastfeeding further” he added. (Emphasis added)

So given the WHO’s recommendations that breastmilk is best in emergencies why are aid workers not allowing the use of a life saving resource as donated breastmilk for use of moms unable to establish healthy breastfeeding? 

On the plus side there are two good points of the donations and the refusal of the donation usage. First moms in Haiti are being encouraged and educated first and for most to establish breastfeeding. (Yay for formula not being used to undermine breastfeeding a strong recommendation of WHO‘s 2009 push) and Two; the donated milk is being used state side for babies in need. 

Do you want to donate breast milk and help infants and newborns in need check out HMBANA site for a list of milk banks.

Pumping

 
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Since you all know i’m big on the breastfeeding i wanted to share a contest with you that i just entered. The prize is a Hygeia pump. These are the most amazing pumps, they are far better than madela and worth the money if your gonna breastfeed! My favorite part is they are also more hygenic than a madela pump making them last longer and safer for use for longer periods of time (example of the course of multiple children, or to lend to a friend!) you can find out more about the pumps themselves on the Hygeia website or enter the contest yourself at family Licious reviews

I know pumping sounds like a lot work, but if your nursing just pumping once a day or once every few days can give you enough milk to get that little break you may need or want. For me i obviously can’t nurse when i’m at a birth so pumping when i get home and then storing that milk for daddy’s usage when i’m gone next is a big deal! and pumping only takes 15 minutes.

Just remember though that pumping should not be used as a measurment for how much milk baby is getting. some women respond well to pumps some don’t but pumps pump different than baby nurses so there is no comparison. A baby can get its entire feeding in the first 3-5 minutes! while you could pump for 15min and only get an 1oz. trust me i know! If you are concerned about how much milk baby is transfering visit a local Lactation specialist and do a before and after weight to see how much the baby transfers per breast at a single serving. this should give you an idea of how much baby is getting in a day. but remember baby might eat 8oz one serving and 4 the next, its all relative to their individual needs.

Happy pumping! and be sure to check out the giveway and win one of the best pumps on the market!

Breastfeeding Baby Jesus

I cam across this awesome video today on the Facebook page for peaceful parenting. It’s a song that i just love!!! and have loved for a couple of christmas’ now. Something that has really impacted me over the last 3 christmas’ was  Mary herself and just the enormity of what she went through. and I have also sat and wondered what it was like to be in her shoes. especially over the last year as i have held my own baby, i can only image how amazing it was for her to hold her baby. Anyway this video struck a cord in me and i just had to share it. Breastfeeding is such an amazing bond, one that i can not explain. i know all mothers bottle or breastfeed bond with their baby’s in a way no one can understand. But i have found that when my baby is at breast is such a different feeling then when he is drinking from a bottle. and to think that Mary had no option but to nurse her baby, has never struck me as powerful as it today. to imagine what it would have been like to be in her shoes to know that she was giving life and food to God!!! What an amazing task and purpose, I can only imagine how powerful that was for it, it gives me goosebumps. 

I’d love to hear your thoughts on it.

Formula Fed America

Let me start out by saying i am not anti-formula. My son for various reasons of the course of his year life span has and does drink formula. This has been a bittersweet decision for my husband and I. Bitter right now because i’m not ready to wean and yet we are fighting hard to maintain a minimum supply while i’m prego; and “sweet” when he was 5 days old and with no chance to have an adequate pumped supply i had to resort to formula after i had a cat scan and had to pump and dump for 24 hours. But even though I’m not anti-formula I am Pro-breastfeeding. I believe in the health benefits of it, i believe that its complexity can not be replicated in formula and i believe in the emotional value of breastfeeding. I believe its important to breastfeed if you are physically able to breastfeed. The AAP recommends to breastfeed exclusively for the first 6 months, but to continue at minimum through the first year. I believe this is so important!!! yes there are going to be occasions where fixing a bottle would be easier but thats what pumps are for; so i believe if you are physically able to its important that you give your baby breast milk.

With that said, i want to share with you a website i recently came across… Formula Fed America. It’s a website centered around a movie that i can’t wait to see about Formula Feeding vs. Breastfeeding in the United States. I recommend checking out the site and viewing the trailer for the film. 

The film is based on the lack of education, mis-education and support available to women in this country who choose to breastfeed. Such an important topic!

I read once on a blog that someone felt that nursing mothers get more attention in the hospital than mothers feeding their baby’s formula. This may be true, i dont know i’m a mom who choose to breastfeed. but i do know that once you leave the hospital after your 1-2 day stay, it’s a lot of work to find the support you need to continue the relationship if there are any hiccups. I discovered for myself that while all the hospitals in my area have lactation consultants not all are free to visit after you’ve been discharged. Also not all pediatricians and OBs are made a like some will fully support you in your breastfeeding relationship and help you diagnose your problem but others will actually encourage you going to formula because they have little to no experience or knowledge of breastfeeding. Get a further than first week, like say into your 4th month or 8th month and run across roadblocks such as an infection, growth spurt, or nursing strike and you may get misinformation that you are drying up, or that you should stop due to a risk for your baby; and if you try to see that lactation consultant at your hospital you may get told as i did that once your baby is 6 weeks old they will no longer see you. Given all of this its no wonder that so many moms turn to formula feeding. its accessible in every store, free samples are often available from the makers, and well just about any sales rep can help you pick out a can and bottle. I do see more and more moms breastfeeding, and now that i am around more natural parenting parents i have come across more and more independent lactation consultants but i am excited to see a documentary comparing the two choices and i hope it will help women to make more informed choices.

 

another reason to breastfeed

My baby is sick, he has had a runny nose for a few weeks, one that has been attributed more to teething than anything, but then this weekend that runny nose got worse and it broke my heart. and then i realized yet another reason why i choose to breastfeed and why i am choosing to tandem nurse, that reason… the antibodies. My son obviously has a cold, that i am obviously fighting (or i’d be sick to) so my immune system is obviously putting off antibodies. what a huge benefit to my son! he can get my antibodies from nursing and that will make him feel better physically and emotionally! and that makes me feel better! I can’t imagine not offering that to him!

Breastfeeding difficulties #2

Are you having difficulties breastfeeding or have you had difficulties? Here are a few local resources here in orange county.

The Belly Sprout, fullerton 714-879-1301 www.bellysprout.com (they have nursing clinics on tuesdays from 9:30 to 11:30 for $20)

Milkalicious, Aliso Viejo 949-831-6455 www.milkalicious.org (they have nursing clinics 3 times a week, Mon, Wed, Friday from 10 to 11:30 Free)

Both locations offer pre and post baby weights so you can see how much your baby is transferring, you can talk to certified lactation consultants who can answer your questions and help with any problems.

Also you can check out www.llli.org to find a local la leche chapter. the local orange county schedule can be found here.

Know another resource in this area, or a great one in your area? I’d love to hear it!

Breastfeeding difficulties

If you asked i would probably be the first to say that breastfeeding is hard! it’s a ton of work and can be super hard the first time! honestly i am hoping that the second time will be easier, i figure it has to be after all the practice with the first. When my son was first born i had little support or model for what breastfeeding was suppose to be like, i come from a family of bottle feeding so i was outta my comfort zone to nurse. None the less i was determined!!!!! 

So we got off to a good start the first couple days with the help of the awesome nurses, then we went home and he had jaundice and had to go on lights, it was hard to watch and harder to nurse. a side effect of Jaundice is sleepiness, so when we did manage to wake him and latch him he would fall asleep! in the meantime the nurse told me to pump as i was pretty flat, and although my son could latch to a wall if he had to, it still makes it hard for the. so w/those 2 things going on and my family who didnt know understand BF it was hard. I heard as many do i’m sure that maybe i didn’t have enough, that i should give a bottle and so on. and then came my brother, whose son is 6 months older, and who’s wife didn’t want to BF so as soon as their son had jaundice they used it as an excuse not to bottle feed, so when they came over on day 5 at 9PM when i’m trying to go to sleep and beyond exhausted for pumping and nursing all day, my brother decided to lecture me on how i should bottle feed because it is better for my baby! God No, so not true!!!!!! really how could anyone believe that, formula is imitation breast milk, its not an exact match its an imitation!! anyone that set me off so off we went the next day to Lactation!!!! OMG was that a great idea! i highly highly highly recommend everyone going to lactation within a few days of baby being born, its very encouraging, i learned Harvey even in his laziness was still getting more milk than he needed! 

Later ( i forget either the same day, or the next) we went to have Harvey’s bilirubin checked, and on the way home i got chest pain! so off we went to the dr. who put me in an ambulance to the ER where i had test after test done only to be told it was a sever panic attack, and that i needed to pump and dump for 24 hours. that is sure gonna help the BF! so supplement we did for 24 hours. now while this can totally cause nipple confusion, nipple preference, or whatever other term you want to use for baby not wanting to nurse. my son was awesome and went right back to nursing, and well me i got 24 hours to relax, recoup, and came back strong and ready to nurse! it was totally God’s blessing in horrible disguise!

the next 7 months were pretty normal, every milestone i had to remind myself it will get easier. we had the 3 week growth spurt, we had a 2 month growth spurt, and so on. and as each arrived one of my best friends would remind me that it will be ok that at 6 weeks i would be shocked at how easy, and then again at 3 months and 6 months. and you know what i was! at each milestone i was so surprised at how easy it continued to get, and i was so happy!

then came 7 months and things went weird again and for a few weeks i was so confused. then i found out i was pregnant and so i started asking friends about tandem nursing. and i worried that i was loosing supply, and so i went to lactation again, twice! and one lactation reminded me he was now mobile and crawling and at 8 months its normal for a nursing strike to occur, they want to be mobile and moving not stopping to nurse every few hours. then i went to the midwife who told me that my milk could condense to a likeness similar colostrum. so we nursed through it frustrated and supplementing as needed. and then we found our grove again, seemed to me to be mostly a nursing strike! and so we were on track again for a few weeks!

Then this last couple of weeks we were back to frustrated and now again fearing the drying up as i am on 13 weeks and heard that was plausible. so that is where we are now! we are trying to nurse, trying to increase supply and trying to wait til baby #2 is born and i have more than enough milk for the two!!

i learned a couple things…. 1) always go to lactation and keep going if something doesnt seem right! 2) keep nursing it will get easier!!!!

What’s your story? please feel free to share!

Breastfeeding week recap

In honor of world Breastfeeding week i saw some awesome posts, that i wanted to share with all of you. The first of which was an awesome slap in the face for those out there who can’t stand seeing women breastfeed in public but think it was awesome to see janet jackson’s boob in the middle of the super bowl…. http://www.cafemom.com/journals/read/1501574/Breastfeeding_is_Offensive

then i saw this post this week, its a little more thought provoking i am not 100% sure i am in for it but i am not against it either, afterall a lot of breastfed kids pretend to breastfeed their dolls. http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/32314995/ns/today-parenting_and_family/?gt1=43001″

World Breast Feeding Week

Lately it seems that national disasters has been on the for front of my husband’s and my minds. we have been talking about being prepared and what we have available to us in an emergency if we were drapted in our home, or how we would get to eachother if we were seperated. one thing that keeps coming up in my mind is how i would provide for our 7month old son the nourishment he would need to survive, and then i remember all he needs is me! who is Breastfeed and as long as he is with me he will get what he needs, the vitamins, the nourshiment, whatever his little body craves. that is so comforting to me, so reasuring to know that i don’t worry about having enough supply on hand for him, to know that i don’t have to worry that what supply is available may be contaminated or make him sick. nope he would have me! 

With that thought in mind i thought it all to perfect that this year’s World Breastfeeding week objectives included showing the importance and aide of breastmilk in a national disaster. According to their website here are the listed objectives of this years event…. 

OBJECTIVES OF WORLD BREASTFEEDING WEEK 2009

• To draw attention to the vital role that breastfeeding plays in emergencies worldwide.
  
• To stress the need for active protection and support of breastfeeding before and during emergencies. 
  
• To inform mothers, breastfeeding advocates, communities, health professionals, governments, aid agencies, donors, and the media on how they can actively support breastfeeding before and during an emergency. 
  
• To mobilise action and nurture networking and collaboration between those with breastfeeding skills and those involved in emergency response.

RATIONALE

• Children are the most vulnerable in emergencies – child mortality can soar from 2 to 70 times higher than average due to diarrhoea, respiratory illness and malnutrition.
• Breastfeeding is a life saving intervention and protection is greatest for the youngest infants. Even in non-emergency settings, non-breastfed babies under 2 months of age are six times more likely to die.
• Emergencies can happen anywhere in the world. Emergencies destroy what is ‘normal,’ leaving caregivers struggling to cope and infants vulnerable to disease and death.
• During emergencies, mothers need active support to continue or re-establish breastfeeding.
• Emergency preparedness is vital. Supporting breastfeeding in non-emergency settings will strengthen mothers’ capacity to cope in an emergency.

 

How amazing is it to know that you can protect your child during an emergency! i hope more people take note of this one (of many) benefits of breastfeeding and get passed the sexual aspect of Women’s boobs!

http://worldbreastfeedingweek.org/

Breastfeeding

So my first book to read for Doula training is my breastfeeding book, i have chosen to read, the Ultimate Breastfeeding book of Answers. I decided to start here cause i figured this would be most useful to the stage i am in in motherhood. so far i have learned a lot in this book. it went over the typical positions and how to do that, although i like the way it describes them better than other books i have read, it seemed to be more descriptive and what a proper latch should look like and how your arms should be. it even commented on how your hand should support the baby’s head which i found helpful because i remember leaving light imprints on the side of my son’s face from supporting him and feeling like what the heck am i doing this wrong am i hurting him, turns out i wasn’t hurting him at all and that my hand was properly positioned.  

i have also learned some interesting facts about BM including that depending on the time of day your milk’s vitamins and protein levels vary, which the author than proceed to question which time of day the formula company tries to imitate? 

I planned to breastfeed from the get go for the first year but i have learned in reading this book that while i though winning at the end of the first year was normal, its not typically normal in the rest of the world where babies are naturally weaned somewhere between 2.5 and 7 years. it makes sense though why do we go through all the trouble of learning to breastfeed (admit it its not easy those first 6 weeks- see next paragraph for my thoughts on this) only to wean our babies at 6months and move them onto formal. it seems silly if you think about it why is formula AKA imitation breast-milk decided to be better than breast-milk for the second 6 to 12 months?

now for those of you just starting and are in your first 6 weeks at it, i have a bit of advice keep trying, and get a lactation counselor to help you, and go to a La Leche League meeting. in my experience the first 6 weeks were the absolute hardest, it was difficult to get him going, keeping him awake. there were so many times i wanted to quit. but a good friend told me keep going just make it your goal to get to 6 weeks and it will fall into place, and i’m telling you i got to 6 weeks it fell into place. the only way it will though is if you  have a support system and trained people looking at your latch and hold. 

now for the end of the current tangent and back to the book thus far…..as i read this book i feel compelled to ask the question how long before i decide to wean, and the answer so far is shocking me, so far i want to wait until Harvey is ready whether that is 1 year or 3 years. 

I challenge all of you before you go to formula to really give breastfeeding a chance and for those of you considering weaning give it a second thought. Now i know that there are a few women who can’t breastfeed but most of us can and a lot of women are told they can’t when they can. so keep going trust your instinct and trust your child…….