I suppose that I am lucky in that my Latino background is heavily supportive of breastfeeding, so my outlook on breastfeeding in public has come to rely more on practicality than modesty. I spent most summers of my childhood with my grandparents in Guatemala. There I saw the women selling tortillas at the outdoor market breastfeed their toddlers, the women on the bus breastfeed their infants, women waiting in the airport lounge breastfeed their cranky babies—it was all very normal and practical, so much so that I didn't even really pay much attention. Why would I? No one else did.

It…

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If you have a baby with cystic fibrosis and would like to breastfeed, you might want to explore CF Nutrition4Life.

It’s a wonderful site where parents of children with cystic fibrosis share their personal stories along with their incredible experience. The site includes links to articles and research on CF as well as discussion forums.

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Living on Earth (LOE) is an environmental news and information program distributed by Public Radio International. Each week approximately 300 public radio stations broadcast news, features, interviews and commentary provided by LOE.

In 1996, Living on Earth, under the direction of Steve Curwood, aired a story titled, Mothers’ Milk: A Modern Dilemma. The story was reported by Andrea DeLeon, then of Maine Public Broadcasting, who had recently given birth to her second child. Her report won a Science Journalism Award from the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Mother’s Milk: A Modern Dilemma chronicles DeLeon’s efforts to determine whether her milk “contained chemical time…

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Kim Radtke, Coordinator for the Breastfeeding Coalition of Washington State (BCW) recently announced that the Spring issue of Breastfeeding Matters is now available online.

Breastfeeding Matters is the official newsletter of the Breastfeeding Coalition of Washington (BCW), a program of WithinReach (formerly Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition of Washington State), which was featured in a recent issue of Feeding Times.

Newsletter highlights include:

 · CDC representative to speak at BCW awards ceremony, May 2, 2007 in Seattle

 · Oregon breastfeeding legislation imposes fine on noncompliant employers

 · Washington first state in nation to ban toxic flame retardant chemicals

 · WithinReach Executive Director (ED) retiring after 17 years; search underway for new…

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I’m not going to be Pollyanna and say that going back to work after your baby is born is going to be a breeze. No matter how you’re feeding your baby, working (at home or away from home) calls for a pretty good grasp of logistics and multi-tasking. Most breastfeeding mothers do return to work or school – some soon after birth, others at 6 weeks or later. Here are a few thoughts from mothers who made breastfeeding work even when they worked.

A Plan: “The thing that helped me first and foremost was making up my mind when I was…

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When did the miracle of birth become the business of birth?

Is birth a natural process or a potential medical emergency?

These and other questions are the subject of a new documentary film by Director, Abby Epstein. After two very different birth experiences, actress, Ricki Lake decided to collaborate with Ms. Epstein to produce a film that explores and questions maternity care practices in America.

In a recent interview with the Huffington Post, Ms. Lake discusses her birth experiences and why producing this film was so important.

The Business of Being Born will premier at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City, April 25 –…

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Enough already. From coffee shops to airplanes, from swimming pools to day care centers, people refuse to accept that women have breasts in order to feed their babies. And that segregating mothers and babies from the rest of society is simply not acceptable.

I’ve written about this before (see the links below), but new confrontations sadly keep the issue from becoming passe. The latest incident happened at none other than the otherwise wonderful Ronald McDonald House (RMH). Usually a haven housing families whose children are receiving medical treatment for cancer and other serious illnesses, the Ronald McDonald House in Houston damaged…

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Breastfeeding: Food for the Soul was the title of an art exhibition organized in 1995 by Anne Ruecker in celebration of World Breastfeeding Week. The exhibition was held in the medieval town of Landsberg on the Lech in southern Germany.

“In Europe you can find many examples of ‘Madonna Lactans’ (Mary Breastfeeding) in churches and museums,” says Anne, “but I thought it was important to portray images that women today can identify with.”

Anne believes that images of contemporary women breastfeeding provide positive reinforcement and convey the message that breastfeeding is natural and satisfying, if not always easy!

“Breastfeeding not only provides optimal…

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The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has released a new evidence report on breastfeeding and health outcomes. The report, titled Breastfeeding and Maternal and Infant Health Outcomes in Developed Countries, found evidence that breastfeeding decreases infants’ and mothers’ risk for a number of short-term and chronic diseases.

AHRQ was clear in stating that because almost all the data in this review were gathered from observational studies, one should not infer causality based on these findings. Additionally, there is a wide range of quality of the body of evidence across different health outcomes.

For future studies, clear subject selection criteria and definition…

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The National Library of Medicine has established a free online database, LactMed, that contains information on drugs and breastfeeding. LactMed is part of a comprehensive toxicology data network known as ToxNet.

LactMed is designed for use by health care professionals as well as breastfeeding mothers. The database contains information on more than 450 drugs. LactMed can be searched together with ToxNet in a multi-database environment to obtain other relevant information about specific drugs or separately.

The creative force behind LactMed is Philip O. Anderson, PharmD, FASHP, Director of the Drug Information Service at the University of California, San Diego Medical Center. Additional…

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If you’d like an alternative to storing your breastmilk in bags and bottles, you might want to consider Milk Trays. This new device was the feature of a recent post on Motherwear’s Breastfeeding Blog, where it was given a rave review.

According to the reviewer, “Milk Trays were designed by a breastfeeding mother who works as a firefighter paramedic. The trays have 8 one-ounce cavities for freezing milk in small portions. They’re made from medical grade plastic and have lids to prevent freezer burn. Unlike an ice cube tray, the frozen ‘milk sticks’ fit through the mouth of any bottle opening.”

…

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When I was pregnant with my son, I followed all the doctor’s orders ”“ when he said limit tuna, I cut out all tuna, just in case. I drank no alcohol. I even avoided unpasteurized cheese. The rules were clear and I followed every one ”“ I'm a rule follower (especially when it comes to my health).

Now fast forward. I’m in the hospital, and I’ve just given birth to a beautiful son. After being bathed by the nurses and examined by the doctors, he’s finally given back to us, so now I'm waiting somewhat impatiently for the doctors to tell…

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