Come and show the women at ABC’s The View that their anti-breastfeeding remarks have NOT gone unnoticed and that we, as a community, do not support this kind of ignorance being broadcasted nationally.

Please click here and see how you can participate in the “Nurse in at The View” on Tuesday May 22. You do not have to travel to do this, but please show your support!

Yes, I am an IBCLC (Internationally Board Certified Lactation Consultant) which is the only credential that should be sought after by breastfeeding mother in a time of crisis, and I have seen firsthand how women feel after they have been asked to leave a public place because they were breastfeeding their baby. It is demoralizing, embarrassing, and socially irresponsible when one person is outcast just because she is feeding her baby. Is this kind of behavior any different from people who bully others because they are different? I think not, a breastfeeding mother has the right to feed her baby in public in most states. New York is one of the states that it is legal for a breastfeeding mother to feed her child any where “she has the right to be”.

Several years ago I answered a call from a mother who was breastfeeding her infant in a major grocery store while she was shopping. This mother had 5 children with one child that was disabled and her time at the grocery store was very limited. Her infant was hungry so while shopping, she placed the infant in a sling and fed her. The grocery store security guard reacted to a complaint by another patron and this mom was placed in handcuffs and lead out of the store. The older child’s medical condition had taken a toll on the family and  the extended family had to help the breastfeeding family with all their legal fees. In the end the judge in the case threw it out of the court room because it was against the law to prosecute a breastfeeding mother.

So I ask you, what is wrong with a mother who wants or needs to breastfeed her child in public? Is breastfeeding a moral issue? Why can’t women support other women in their decisions on how to raise children and how to feed them? Women need to stop being selective in how they support one another and we need to come together to protect the rights of our children and each other. I look forward to reading your comments.

Just recently the AAP updated their recommendations with an interesting twist. They echoed previous statements by saying “The American Academy of Pediatrics reaffirms its recommendation of exclusive breastfeeding for about 6 months, followed by continued breastfeeding as complementary foods are introduced, with continuation of breastfeeding for 1 year or longer as mutually desired by mother and infant”. However, they now assert that “infant nutrition should be a public health issue, not only a lifestyle choice”. This is a ground breaking statement. The AAP represents 60,000 pediatricians who have always advocated for breastfeeding but are now placing its importance in the realm of public health. The new statement reminds us that breastfeeding benefits the community as well as the mother and baby, and it encourages us to further our efforts to support breastfeeding.

The other important recommendation in the new statement is that breastfed infants should be weighed using the World Health Organization’s growth charts specific for breastfed babies. In the first few months, the weights of breastfed and formula fed babies are similar. Across many cultures, formula fed infants begin to weigh more than breastfed infants at around 3 to 4 months old. The weight difference becomes more marked in 6 to 20 month olds when formula fed babies and babies fed both breast milk and formula weigh more than exclusively breastfed infants.

These recommendations are based on many studies proving that breastfeeding has a strong positive impact on infant health. Some of the healthy outcomes cited are reduced ear infections, gastrointestinal problems, obesity and lower respiratory tract infections. IBCLCs(Internationally Board Certified Lactation Consultants) are on the fore front of implementing these recommendations by assisting mothers and babies who may have difficulty with breastfeeding. Indeed, the role of the IBCLC has long been considered the “gold standard” in breastfeeding care around the world.

Breastfeeding at Full Circle would like to announce a breastfeeding class for Doulas, Doula candidates and other professionals.

Where: Breastfeeding at Full Circle 1241 Mamaroneck Ave White Plains

When: October 1, 2011

Time: 11:00 AM to 2:15PM

Cost: $65.00

RSVP: 914-421-1500 or register online here.

This class will be 3 hours long which will meet the educational requirements of DONA. Educational credits have been requested from Dona, we are awaiting approval. This class has also been approved by IBCLE (International Board of Lactation Examiners).

Some of the information covered:

Anatomy and Physiology
Pharmacology
Breastfeeding Basics
Ethics
Counseling the Nursing Couple
Baby’s growth

Lots of conversation going on about re-freezing thawed breastmilk with Irene bearing down on the East Coast this weekend … and thought I’d share some of the information discussed in my lactation circles online.

Colleagues have discussed protocols …  where if 50% or more remains frozen the milk can be refrozen. If more than 50% is thawed then you have the 24 hour rule.  If the frozen ice crystals are still present in the milk, it can be refrozen, even if partially thawed …. things to keep in mind.

And then there’s this study & further links below  …

(grateful for my IBCLC yahoo groups and colleagues for all this, thanks!)

Breastfeeding Medicine

Effect of Environmental conditions on Unpasteurized Donor Human Milk

To cite this article:

David J. Rechtman, Martin L. Lee and H. Berg. Breastfeeding Medicine. Spring 2006, 1(1): 24-26. doi:10.1089/bfm.2006.1.24.

The milk studied was donor milk expressed by mothers who took no special sanitary precautions. The milk was first stored at -20°C (-4°F) for two months and then at -80°C (-110°F) until its use in the experiment. Then the milk was thawed overnight to 4°C (39° F), separated into different sample batches, and refrozen to -80°C (-110°F).

The second phase of the experiment began by thawing these sample batches of milk to a room temperature of 23°C (73°F). Then each batch was exposed to one of the following conditions:

* 8°C (46°F) for 8 hours

* 8°C (46°F) for 24 hours * 23°C

(73°F) for 4 hours

* 23°C

(73°F) for 8 hours

* Multiple freeze-thaw cycles of varying lengths

* A steady -20°C (-4°F), considered the control

The Results

None of the milk developed unacceptable bacterial counts, the main concern about refreezing milk. In fact, they did not even come close.

There were some changes in vitamin content. Vitamin A levels stayed stable, but vitamin C levels decreased to about one-half when kept at room temperature for 8 hours and by one-fourth when refrigerated for 24 hours. However, the authors note that the reduced vitamin levels are considered adequate for full-term babies and older infants by the National Academy of Medicine.

Differences in fatty acids levels in the milk were considered clinically insignificant and unrelated to repeated freezing and thawing.

The authors write:  “Based on these data, it appears that unpasteurized milk that has been thawed in the refrigerator for up to 8 hours may be safely refrozen….

This should allow for… the salvage of milk that mothers might otherwise have been told to discard.”

This study further confirms the robustness of human milk. If its results are replicated, it will also give clinicians another tool to help mothers meet their breastfeeding goals. Then, if due to a power outage or something else, a mother finds herself with a larger amount of thawed milk than her baby can take in 24 hours, she will have the option of refreezing her thawed milk rather than discarding it.

For mothers who express their milk, this information may help them use more and discard less, resulting in better health outcomes for their babies.

D.J. Rechtman, M.L. Lee and H. Berg, Effect of environmental conditions on unpasteurized donor human milk. Breastfeed Med 2006: 1(1):24-26.

Article available here.

Julie Mennella, who studies taste in infants at the Monell Chemical Senses Center, found that there isn’t a single flavor that does not show up in amniotic fluid or breast milk.  ”Things like vanilla, carrot, garlic, anise, mint — these are some of the flavors that have been shown to be transmitted to amniotic fluid or mother’s milk,” says Julie.  Her work has been published in the journal Pediatrics.  This makes a lot of evolutionary sense.  Even before they are born, we expose our children to the foods that introduces them to their culture and family traditions.   To read the article please click here.

What cultural foods does your family introduce to mom to benefit her baby?

According to the CDC Breastfeeding Report Card for 2010, 75% of mothers initiated breastfeeding, 43% of mothers were still breastfeeding at 6 months but only 22% were still breastfeeding by 1 year. The question here is why so few continue to a year or more? There are several reasons that have been postulated as to why women do not breastfeed past 6 months. Lactation experts say marketing pressures by infant formula companies, lack of social support and, as moms go back to work, workplaces that don’t encourage the behavior, make it difficult for mothers to go beyond 6 months. Some experts feel it is because moms do not have access to qualified IBCLCs (Internationally Board Certified Lactation Consultants) in their area, while others feel that women are not supported in the hospitals.

In working with mothers for 13 years as an IBCLC and also working with young families as a social worker before that, I see women as torn. Most want to start off breastfeeding but then there may be challenges. I’ve found that most of the time mom is discouraged by family or friends to continue breastfeeding. The reasons for their opinion range from purely personal, they may feel that breastfeeding limits their own bonding with the baby, to embarrassment, helplessness, or to not understanding all the benefits of breastfeeding or the value of a IBCLC and how she can help the mother.

Whatever decisions women make regarding breastfeeding beyond 6 months, there should be support at home, in the work place and in the community to help mom reach her goal. Education on the benefits of breastfeeding for both mom and baby should be the focus. Mom’s concerns need to be listened to and assistance should be found for her. Here, at Breastfeeding at Full Circle, we strive to help mothers reach their breastfeeding goals with our Breastfeeding 101 Class, the weekly mother support group and our Going Back to Work and Breastfeeding Class. We want mothers to succeed and enjoy this time with their baby.

Hand expression of breast milk is a skill that has become lost through the ages. With all the fancy machines that are out there that you can use to pump, no one bothers to hand express anymore. By using the hand expression motion on your breast, you will learn what your breasts feel like at different times of day and whether there are any plugged ducts that need to be relieved. Hand expression is also good for when you need to relieve pressure in your breasts and you don’t have your pump with you. Some mothers use hand expression while still in the hospital and their baby may be in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Sometimes a pump can just be too bothersome to extract a few drops of colostrum.

When women are more in tune with their bodies, they are able to “feel” where their milk ducts are located. To locate your ducts, place your finger on your nipple and then press about 1 inch back toward your chest wall. You can feel your ducts in a circular pattern about where your areola stops. By knowing where your milk ducts are, you will be able to assess if you baby is latched on to your breast correctly.

To learn how to hand express, you can watch this video from Stanford School Of Medicine http://newborns.stanford.edu/Breastfeeding/HandExpression.html. Please remember to call Breastfeeding at Full Circle with any questions, 914-421-1538. Our lactation consultants are available to assist you in all aspects of breastfeeding.

Most of the women found a way to make it work. Others felt as though pumping at work was a challenge. I couldn’t help thinking, when I left, of all the ways that an organization like Breastfeeding at Full Circle can help with the transition from pre-parenthood to parenthood and then going back to work. The desire to provide breastmilk for your child is a gift and most people need a little encouragement to continue.

This is what I learned by being with these women for two days:

1. Most of the women needed a “lactation room” closer to where they worked. Most corporations have very large buildings and women reported having to walk for    10 minutes to get to the designated room. They felt that was taking away from the time they had to pump.
2. Women commented that the time they were gone to pump was monitored. This made them feel uncomfortable.
3. When discussing the Federal Law mandating that a woman has the “right” to pump at work, most women were surprised.
4. Women were also surprised to learn that the pump was a very important piece of equipment and that it needs to “fit correctly” for efficient pumping.

Breastfeeding at Full Circle has a Going Back to Work While Breastfeeding Class. In this class moms will learn how to prepare mom and baby for going back to work, how to bottle feed, the Federal Laws protecting you when you go back to work and much more. Please call for any details.