Breastfeeding

No, you do not? Neither do I, so why do we as a society expect women to put a blanket over a baby while feeding them at the breast? Why, I ask? Two probable answers. 1. Sexist ideals . Many believe that breasts are sexual objects ONLY and that breastfeeding in some way is a sexual act. This statement is radical but true. These same sexist ideals are what foster comments about a child continuing to breastfeed past 12 months when study after study supports extended breastfeeding as optimal for growth and development. A child suckling at the breast is simply a means to ... Read Full Story

Born at just 33 weeks, my twin boys seemed tiny and fragile. When I saw them for the first time in their isolates, my heart ached with concern for their welfare. I wanted to do everything I could to help them become healthy and strong. A lactation consultant taught me how to use a breast pump, since my twins were too weak to breastfeed and needed to be fed through a tube. At first I wasn’t so sure I wanted to pump. It was time consuming and seemed complicated. But after learning that breast milk is the best food for a premature infant, I ... Read Full Story

Do you breastfeed your infant? Did you breastfeed? Breastfeeding once was a very controversial topic. Back in the sixties and seventies when most of us were infants breastfeeding was frowned upon. If you nursed your infant you were considered weird or people thought that you were too poor to buy formula. My mother formula fed all five of us kids. All of her friends did the same thing. Today pediatricians, nutritionists and WIC all recommend that you breastfeed your infant. According to Motherwear's breastfeeding blog , "A study from Germany has found a reduction of 50% in the risk of SIDS for breastfed babies. ... Read Full Story

Almost all mothers who nurse experience a time period where they question whether their milk supply is adequate. A few mothers just aren’t capable of producing enough milk to meet the demands of her infant. According to numerous experts, genuine deficiencies of milk are very uncommon. Many women believe their milk supply is modest when in reality it is not. Believing this may occur if you lose the feeling of fullness in your breasts or if the milk ceases leaking from your nipples. Infants that experience growth spurts may desire more milk than customary and these additional feedings could leave your breasts less than ... Read Full Story

Whether she knows it or not, when a mother starts to breastfeed her baby in the first few days, she is helping to protect her infant from infection. But how exactly does early breastfeeding protect a baby against germs? The answer is colostrum. Frequent feedings during the first few days ensures that your baby gets something called colostrum. This is most often called the ‘first milk’. Colostrum is a concentrated form of breast milk. Unlike breast milk in the weeks, months and years to follow, it’s yellowish in color and has the consistency of liquid honey. Colostrum contains immune active cells that neutralize and ... Read Full Story