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Survey on infant formula marketing: your response is needed!

I took this survey, and you should, too.

I have long admired the Center for Science in the Public Interest, the organization conducting this survey.  I’ve been reading their publication, Nutrition Action, since I was 14.  They bring relevant, interesting nutrition information to the public to help us eat better, and they take food manufacturers to task for deceptive advertising, labeling and health claims with lawsuits and media attention.

Now they are investigating infant formula marketing.

If you have had a baby in the past 4 years, your response is needed. Take a minute to take this survey on formula marketing.

Posted in Breastfeeding, Marketing.


“You’re STILL breastfeeding!?”

DSC02700A couple months ago, I worked in a different location with coworkers I don’t know well, and a woman saw me carrying my freshly pumped milk to the employee kitchen to refrigerate.

“How old is your baby?” she asked.

“Thirteen months,” I responded with a smile.

“Oh!”, she exclaimed. “And you’re still breastfeeding?”

“Mmm hmm,” still smiling, waiting to see where this was going to go.

“Why?”

“Well, because it’s still healthy for him and we both like it. The experts recommend breastfeeding for at least a year, so that’s what I’m doing.” (Of course, you know I have many more reasons, and I am breastfeeding well over 1 year, but I wanted to keep it simple and friendly)

“Yeah, but once you get to a certain age. . .’  she left her sentence unfinished as she shook her head disapprovingly. ‘I breastfed for 3 months and then we were done.” And then my coworker joined us and changed the subject.

I didn’t want to push the issue, but I was thinking, “Once you get to a certain age, what?” Do you think I am wasting my time because breast milk is no longer a healthful food? I’m spoiling my child by giving him something comforting that you associate with newborns and young infants? I’m sexually traumatizing him by exposing him to my breast and letting him suck on it? Inhibiting his independence by providing something that he can only get from me, his mother?

This woman’s reaction is nothing new. I’ve heard all those objections to “extended breastfeeding” before, in various forms. (in case you are wondering, all are unfounded: studies have shown there are no negative effects on the breastfeeding child’s development.) The mothers-to-be in my prenatal breastfeeding classes often express surprise, disgust, and amusement when I suggest the health benefits of breastfeeding for a year or more. This has led to comments about how inappropriate it is to nurse a child who can walk, talk, and ask for the breast.

In a previous post, I listed some of the good reasons to breastfeed longer than a year, and why my baby and I are not weaning yet. We continue to reap great health benefits from it. I know it’s best to keep breastfeeding, so why do I end up feeling defensive when questioned about it? And why is our society so disapproving of such a good thing? Even though I am surrounded by breastfeeding advocates and fellow breastfeeding mothers, I am constantly reminded that our society thinks we’re a little weird.

So what’s “normal” for breastfeeding and weaning? Many of the things that we take for granted as “normal” in our lives to us are rooted in our local culture, and not universal human norms. Here are a few reasons why breastfeeding beyond babyhood is perfectly normal.

Most human cultures breastfeed way longer than we do

The worldwide average duration of breastfeeding is far longer than our norms in the U.S. Less than 25% of babies in the US are breastfed until one year; less than 10% are breastfed to 18 months. In comparison, in developing countries, over 50% of children aged 20-23 months are still breastfeeding. During the months I spent in Central America, I saw mothers everywhere nursing their babies, toddlers, and preschool-aged children, and it was so normal, nobody even seemed to notice.

All the other mammals breastfeed their offspring longer

. . .based on weaning age in relation to key developmental milestones, that is. Several years ago, I had the privilege of hearing Katherine Dettwyler, PhD, speak at a seminar. Her research, from a biological and anthropological perspective, concludes that the natural biological weaning age of human children is 2 .5 – 6 years. A short summary is found here. Her comparisons of human milestones to those of other mammals in relation to weaning age is fascinating, and it makes sense.

Extended breastfeeding is more common than most people think

There are a lot of “closet nursers” out there. I’ve known many moms who breastfeed far longer than a year, but who limit it to home and don’t talk about it in public simply because of the negativity they have been met with. A common piece of advice to mothers is to teach the child a “code word” for breastfeeding, so that the child doesn’t blurt out “Boobie, Mommy!!” while in line at the grocery store.

Breastfeeding beyond the first year (or whatever length of time) may not be for everyone, and I don’t think we need to convert all mothers into extended breastfeeders. But I bet more moms would discover how much they enjoy nursing during toddler years if they gave it a chance, if they didn’t feel pressure from family, coworkers, and society to wean at a certain age.  And I hope for a society that can learn to accept and support mothers who continue to breastfeed without questioning her parenting abilities.

Posted in Breastfeeding.


Drooling breast milk in Ohio

Ohio’s Department of Health has a new breastfeeding campaign. Check out this billboard:

Photo by The Cleveland Leader

Photo by The Cleveland Leader

I’m a little nervous to tell you my opinion. Most readers of this blog are hugely pro-breastfeeding, and most of the reactions I’ve read among breastfeeding advocates are positive. I agree with some of their points, but ultimately I have a negative reaction to the ad.

I think it’s fabulous that they’re promoting breastfeeding. I like that they’re showing older babies, not newborns. And the image in the media (there are others within the same campaign, but I haven’t been able to find the images online) is an African American baby- this is so important, especially considering the racial disparity in breastfeeding of black mothers in the United States.

Breastmilk Satisfies. It’s so true. I think they chose a good slogan. Studies show that the vast majority of Americans already know that breast milk is the healthiest food for babies, but what they need is societal support, positive associations with breastfeeding, and a familiarity and comfort level with breastfeeding that only comes from exposure to other breastfeeding mothers or images.

But I’ve gotta be honest. I don’t like the image and the subtle messages and feelings that it might convey.

It’s that milk dribbling out of his mouth. Not just one little dribble. It’s coming out the side and over his chin. Regardless of what the child has just been eating, I think it looks messy, unappetizing. And I hate to say this, but the first thought to cross my mind was that the kid looks like a vampire just after a meal. Then I read this take on it and saw that I’m not the only one who thought so.

The unfortunate truth is, a lot of people are turned off by the idea of human milk. Nevermind that it’s such an incredible, clean, nourishing, pure, substance. For those of us who already have a high comfort level with breastfeeding, the image might be cute. But I’m afraid those who still think breast milk is just another bodily fluid are going to be disgusted by this image.

This image just misses the mark. This baby is supposed to be “satisfied,” but he doesn’t look particularly happy or grateful to his mother for her milk. My husband thought he looked sad. Instead giving off positive feelings about breastfeeding, it appears that breastfeeding is messy.

What do you like, and dislike about this ad? Feel free to disagree with me. Do you have any ideas for an image that might be more effective?

Posted in Breastfeeding, Culture and Media.


I’m back!

Thanks for checking back with me after these past 5 weeks of silence at this blog. I’ve had some technical difficulties  that I didn’t have the time or expertise to correct, but it looks like things are under control again. More posts coming soon! I’m putting down some thoughts on what people think of breastfeeding older babies and toddlers, the Ohio breast milk billboards, and some other stuff.

In the meantime, I’ve been busy with work and parenting my active toddler! At 16 months, he’s still nursing happily, although definitely not as often these days. When it’s time, though, he’s quite verbal about it. He asks for “Nuh nuh,” in the sweetest voice you can imagine.  And if I don’t comply quickly, he throws in the sign for “please.” My husband loves seeing him ask to nurse and he insists that as soon as we find out lost camera, we’re going to get a video of it.

I still pumping once a day at work so that he can drink my milk with his babysitter. I’m not sure how much longer I will keep that up, but for that little boost to his immune system the hassle of pumping is worth it to me. . . for now.

Here’s what my busy little boy has been up to!

Exploring nature

Exploring nature

At the aquarium, laughing at fish

At the aquarium, laughing at fish

Hiking field trip with his babysitter

Hiking field trip with his babysitter

Posted in Breastfeeding, Life.


Breast milk cheese: Want some?

Have you heard of breast milk cheese? I just stumbled across it in the news today.

This is my short version of the story: a New York chef created some beautiful gourmet cheeses using his wife’s milk, and blogged about it. Readers, other bloggers, and the press, noticed. And they reacted.

Many of the comments were enthusiastically positive. The cheeses look delicious, and many requested to sample it. They were served in his home, not in a restaurant.

But there were some very disgusted, even angry responses. Which makes me wonder, what’s the big deal? Readers compare eating cheese made from breast milk to eating blood and one comment describes the idea unknowingly consuming cheese made from breastmilk as “a part of another human being in my body, it would haunt me forever”.

Yikes. So why is human milk so revolting? Most of us drink and eat milk from cows without giving it a second thought. So let’s give it a second thought.

Cow milk comes from the udders of a hairy 4-legged animal. Most likely one that gets dirty, has been injected with hormones, and fed an unnatural diet of dirt-cheap grain and antibiotics. Cows make milk designed for a baby cow’s body. Human babies can’t drink cow-baby milk. No other animal, besides humans, drinks the milk of another species. (Side note- I have nothing against cows or consuming dairy products. My family drinks cows milk daily. Just stating some facts for comparison.)

Human milk comes from a human mother, who bathes and keeps her breasts covered when not feeding or expressing milk. Human milk is digested easily by humans. Human milk is the cleanest, safest food we can feed our babies- the most sensitive and vulnerable members of our species.

So which is grosser? Cow milk cheese, or human milk cheese? What if the human milk were pasteurized? Would you eat it?

Media links:

ABC News clip: Breast milk cheese banned from restaurant

Today Show clip: Staffer tricked into sampling of breast milk cheese

Related Post:

Breast milk spoils NPR host’s dessert

Posted in Breastfeeding, Culture and Media.


How I got my bottle-guzzling, breast-phobic baby to love nursing

In NICU, attempting breastfeeding for the first time

In NICU, attempting to breastfeed for the first time

Welcome, Readers of February’s Carnival of Breastfeeding! After you read this, check out the other great posts on the theme of “Overcoming Breastfeeding Challenges” linked at the bottom of this post.

I’ve spent more than enough time dwelling on all the things I did wrong after my son was born, as you can read in my earlier post, When breastfeeding begins badly, and what I should have done about it. Here’s what I’ve learned from my experience, and in the work I’ve done with breastfeeding moms since then:

  1. Many (but not all) breastfeeding problems can be prevented.
  2. Nearly any breastfeeding problem can be overcome with help from an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC),  enough support at home, and determination.

I did it.  Here’s my story about how we fixed our breastfeeding problems.

But wait. It’s really important for me to write a disclaimer here. Every mother-baby couple is unique. What was recommended for me might not work for you. I share my story not to give advice, but to let you know that if things are going badly, there is still hope! Don’t give up; get help. If you’re having problems, don’t put off seeing a lactation consultant. The sooner you get help, the easier it will be.

Our breastfeeding problems, in a nutshell

My son nursed very poorly for his first few days of life. Then, I developed serious postpartum complications and my doctor advised me to stop breastfeeding for a week (I  “pumped and dumped” to keep the milk coming) while on medications. When I tried to resume nursing after a week of the bottle, my baby would arch his back, cry, and push away when I offered the breast. We went on for what felt like ages like this, while I was heavily supplementing my baby with formula and crying at nearly each nursing attempt.

There was no single, quick fix, but rather a succession of measures prescribed over a period of several weeks by the lactation consultants I saw. Here are the steps we took, under professional guidance.

Get the baby on the breast ASAP. Even though that meant using a nipple shield.

I was adamantly opposed to nipple shields at first, but I learned that sometimes, these are just the right tool. Not only was he barely latching, but my nipples were bleeding from the failed attempts. Taking the breast with a nipple shield is infinitely better than no breastfeeding at all. So we got my son onto the breast, while I pumped after feedings for his supplements to try to build my milk supply. But this wasn’t enough- after awhile my milk still wasn’t increasing and he wouldn’t take the breast well without the nipple shield. Back to see the lactation consultant.

Get a really, really deep latch.

The lactation consultant said I was doing a pretty good job of bringing him onto the breast, but his latch could be even better. She showed me what she called “the deep latch technique” that helped my baby take more breast in his mouth than I thought possible. Having him on so far was more comfortable for me, and it helped him draw out more milk.

But my baby didn’t like how it felt. The breast reaches farther back into the throat than a bottle, and he wasn’t used to it. I had to hold him forcefully to prevent him from pulling  his head backward and weakening the latch.

So we finger-fed. After breastfeeding, instead of giving a bottle of supplemental milk, I would bring him to my mother or husband for a finger-fed supplement while I pumped. They would stick their index finger waaaay back in his throat while injecting supplemental milk into the corner of his mouth with a special syringe. When he sucked the finger, they would release milk. When he paused, the milk flow stopped.  He gagged at first. This was hard to do, (my husband says this is a huge understatement!) but it helped him learn to accept the breast.

But he sucked lazily at the breast, perhaps because he knew more milk would be coming after the breast to fill him up. And because I still wasn’t making enough milk.

Make more milk.

My milk supply was low from the very beginning, for a number of reasons. At 5 weeks, the lactation consultant’s scale told us that he only took 1.9 oz from both sides after 45 minutes of nursing.  I took herbal supplements to increase milk supply and pumped with a hospital-grade breast pump after feedings to stimulate milk production. By 6 weeks, I had enough milk that we stopped the supplemental formula. His supplements after nursing were nothing but pumped breast milk.

But by 8 weeks, he still wasn’t nursing efficiently enough to get a full feeding at the breast. The lactation consultant taught me how to use a supplemental nursing system (SNS), a contraption that delivers supplemental milk through a tiny tube at the breast while the baby nurses. It speeds up the flow of milk,  making him suck more vigorously, which in turn stimulates more milk production.

Happily ever after

So there you have it. I gradually increased the number of un-supplemented breast feedings until he was off all supplements and taking nothing but the breast at the age of 4 months. At 6 months, I went back to work, pumping milk for his bottles, and nursing while home, and now at 14 months we’re still breastfeeding mornings, nights, and weekends. My son loves to nurse, asking for “nuh-nuh”, although he’s so busy playing and his tummy gets filled with solid food, so it’s not as often anymore.

Was it worth it? Yes. Many, many times, I nearly gave up. It was really hard. I couldn’t have done it without help from family and encouragement from my pro-breastfeeding friends. But this is what motivated me to stick with it. Knowing that my baby would be as healthy as possible. That once we got the hang of it, nursing at the breast would be so easy; ready anytime, anywhere with no preparation or cleanup. That I would have this special way to comfort and soothe him throughout his infancy and beyond.

Again, my story is not a formula to solve the problem of breast refusal. There are a number of approaches to coaxing a bottle-drinking or supplemented baby onto exclusively nursing at the breast. Read a great article about that here. And if it’s just not working, a lactation consultant may have a solution.

Did you have difficulties in breastfeeding? How did you overcome them? What motivated you to persevere?


Other Carnival of Breastfeeding Posts:

Breastfeeding 1-2-3: The importance of a babymoon

The Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog: Which obstacles have you overcome to breastfeed?

Hobo Mama: Supplemental feeding techniques for a breastfed baby (some of the same techniques I used!)

Whozat: A rough start

Maman A Droit: Clueless!

Jessica Montalino: Motherhood: Week 7 and our breastfeeding experience

Breastfeeding Moms Unite: I’ll be brief: How to overcome breastfeeding challenges

Living Peacefully with Children: When nursing takes longer

Good Enough Mum: Tounge tied and twisted

Mama’s Herb Garden: Nine things your nipples wish you knew about them

Posted in Breastfeeding.


Breastfeeding, blogging, and balance

Rose Parade

Enjoying a day with my son at the Rose Parade

Hello, readers! I do realize it has been 20 days since my last post. There’s more coming, I promise. But first, I want to give you a personal update.

When I started this blog, I was working part-time while mothering my 8-month-old baby, but now I work full-time.  I’m not complaining: although it’s financially necessary, (my husband is a full-time graduate student) I truly enjoy the work I do. But the work schedule leaves me with an hour and a half every weekday evening with my son before his bedtime. It’s not enough. As soon as he’s in bed, I’m preparing lunches, laundering or packing cloth diapers, washing breast pump pieces, and packing everything up for the next day.

One post per week is challenging for me. I wish I could write faster, spend more time blogging, and post more. I’d love to interact more with the blogs I enjoy and admire. To answer the great questions some friends and readers have emailed me (sorry guys, I haven’t forgotten, especially about those milk-supply and pumping questions). I just haven’t found a way to do it all without cutting into my sleep or family time.

I’ve just had a burst of encouragement from three sources: a friend/fellow blogger who I admire recently told me she wished I posted more often; a company contacted me to do a review/giveaway of their product, and I just discovered links to some posts I have written on message boards and discussions. So I’m inspired to spend a little more time here and to let you know that The Milk is still flowing. . .

Posted in Breastfeeding.


Breastfeeding beyond a year: Why I’m still pumping

Unpacking Mama's breast pump

Helping Mama unpack the breast pump

My son is a year old now, and we have officially entered the world of “extended breastfeeding.” In my last post, I explained a little about my decision to continue nursing my son.

But as a full-time working mom, a big part of breastfeeding is pumping. I’m away from my son for over 10 hours at a time on my working days. For the past several months, I have faithfully pumped breastmilk 3 times every day at work.

Nearly all the working, breastfeeding mothers I have known have stopped pumping by their child’s first birthday, if not before. “If you’re ready to ditch the breast pump or pricey formula, you’re right on schedule,” I read today in my daily What to Expect email, targeted to the birthdate of my son.

In our society, fully breastfeeding to a year is a rare accomplishment, but pumping beyond a year is even more unusual. Nursing a toddler at the breast is often as much, or more, about the close relationship and enjoyment of breastfeeding as about the nutrition of breastmilk. In comparison, pumping milk is strictly business. There’s little enjoyment in sitting hooked up to a machine and washing pumping equipment through the day. Since at a year, babies can drink cows milk, mothers who have been pumping can quit without having to use infant formula.

I don’t love pumping. But I DO love breastfeeding my son when we are together. With long workdays, my milk supply might drop quickly without daytime pumping.  I intend to breastfeed to at least 2 years, and I want to maintain an ample milk supply. Drinking pumped breastmilk gives my son the best nutrition possible, and that’s important, but what motivates me the most to keep pumping is that it helps to maintain our nursing relationship.

So my decision is to keep pumping, but now I don’t have to pump quite as much. There were times in the first year when I thought I would run out of milk, and now I no longer have to worry about milk supply. If there is an office party during the lunch hour, I will skip pumping without guilt or stress.  I will probably drop gradually to pumping twice a day, then once a day, over the next year.

I would love to hear from other moms who have pumped milk. How long did you pump? Did you continue breastfeeding after you stopped pumping?

Posted in Breastfeeding, Pumping.


Breastfeeding beyond a year: Why I’m still nursing

My son’s first birthday is right around the corner, and a few people have asked me The Question.

“So, how long are you going to breastfeed?”

My response changes every time, because the truth is, I have no idea.

One year old is the age at which babies can safely digest whole cow’s milk, so non-breastfed babies may transition off formula. It’s also the age when many babies are weaned from the breast. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends at least 1 year of breastfeeding.  But there is a wealth of evidence that toddlers continue to benefit from breastfeeding beyond one year.

Here’s why I’m not weaning at one year:

  • Breast milk continues to give my baby protection against illness. The American Academy of Family Physicians position paper on breastfeeding states “If the child is younger than two years, the child is at increased risk of illness if weaned”.
  • I’m not ready for another baby yet. The hormones of breastfeeding supress fertility, and so far, I have no signs of ovulation. At some point, it’ll come back whether I wean or not, but I’ll take as long as I can get.
  • The longer I breastfeed, the more I’ll lower my future risk for breast, uterine, and ovarian cancer.
  • I’m thinner now than I was before pregnancy, despite eating more and exercising less, because of breastfeeding.
  • My son loves nursing and he is comforted by it. He now asks to nurse in the morning and when I get home from work. He looks sweetly at me and holds up his hand, making the “milk” sign that I taught him. I love cuddling with him and how he melts in my arms when the milk starts flowing.
  • Twice now, he’s been sick and refused to eat or drink anything. But he still wanted to nurse. A LOT. I’m sure it was because he felt miserable and wanted comfort, not because he was hungry. It was such a relief to have a way of keeping him hydrated and nourished. I like having this emergency food supply for him.

For more on these reasons (and more) for breastfeeding beyond a year, check out Kellymom.com’s resources about breastfeeding after the first year, with several articles and fact sheets; and Dr. Jack Newman’s article Breastfeed a Toddler – Why on Earth? addressing the normalcy and benefits of extended breastfeeding.

So how long will I breastfeed? All I know for sure is that neither of us are ready to wean yet. I hope to breastfeed at least another year. Ask me again when he turns two!

How long did you (or will you) breastfeed? How did you decide when to wean?

Posted in Breastfeeding.


Breast Pump Telephone

Breast Pump Telephone

A new use for my breast pump?

Playing around after dinner, my husband pretended to call our son on the phone, saying, “Ring ring . . .Ring ring.” The baby scanned the room for the nearest phone-like object to pick up his end of the call, chose his new “phone” and started babbling into it while I snapped this picture.

Related Post:   Meet my new breast pump

Posted in Breastfeeding, Pumping.