Pregnant or breastfeeding? You won’t want to miss the latest guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on how to protect your baby should you become infected with the H1N1 flu virus.

AAP Guidelines
In an article published October 13, 2009 in AAP News, Drs. Lawrence and Bradley take a cautious but practical approach. They recommend that breastfeeding mothers infected with the H1N1 flu virus take the following precautions:

• Wash your hands carefully before each and every contact with your baby
• Wash your breast(s) with mild soap and water and rinse well
• Wear a surgical mask…

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“Are they all yours?” “Boy, you sure have your hands full!”  “Don’t you know what causes that?”

Shannon Foley has heard it all, especially from complete strangers. Foley, a mother of five in Athens, Ga., gets all sorts of reactions when she’s out in public with her family.

It’s so predictable that she compares it to a Bingo game, complete with rote responses she’s used to doling out, including the zinger, “I just fed them once and then they started following me around everywhere I go!”

The Foley family is just one that represents the changing size of the American family. Simply put—and…

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Although we have seen several high-profile baby bottle and water bottle manufacturers agree to eliminate Bisphenol A (BPA) from their products, we can’t be complacent about the risks posed by the chemical just yet.

That’s the message one can take from a new study about prenatal exposure to BPA and its links to early childhood behavior.

What’s BPA?
As you may recall from earlier babygooroo posts, BPA is a chemical found in baby bottles, sippy cups, food storage containers, and lots of other products. As reported by the Center for the Evaluation of Risks to Human Reproduction (of the National Institutes of Health), BPA…

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A recent study by a team of Spanish researchers has identified yet another natural component of breastmilk that distinguishes it from formula.  Researchers from the University of Extremadura in Badajoz, Spain examined the breastmilk of 30 mothers.  Prior to feeding, each mother collected six to eight milk samples over a 24-hour period.  Researchers then measured the level of three nucleotides—adenosine, guanosine, and uridine, in each of the milk samples.  Nucleotides store and transmit genetic information and play an important role in metabolism.

Results published in Nutritional Neuroscience showed that breastmilk produced during the evening and at night contained more sleep-inducing nucleotides than milk…

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August 18, 2009, American Express in partnership with NBC/Universal decided to shine a light on small businesses with the launch of a contest designed to recognize their entrepreneurial spirit and resilience.

Each applicant was asked to detail its journey from inception to the present, providing examples of its ability to innovate, maintain a customer-first model, and adapt to economic challenges.

The deadline for submissions was September 13. Three judges, Ellen Degeneres, JJ Ramberg, and Diane Von Furstenberg were tasked with reviewing the submissions and identifying three finalists.

The winner will be selected by the general public from among the three finalists. Online voting is currently underway…

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Top ten lists are no longer restricted to late night television. The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) recently decided to “Name Names” by publishing a list of ten brand name food items chock full of calories, saturated fat, and salt.

Dubbed the Triple Bypass, Olive Garden’s Tour of Italy contains 1450 calories, 33 grams of saturated fat, and 3830 milligrams of sodium. Cold Stone Creamery apparently left CSPI Stone Cold after they discovered that the Founder’s Favorite contained 1600 calories and 42 grams of saturated fat—the equivalent of five single-scoop ice cream cones.

If you’re among those who consider popcorn a low-fat…

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August 25, 2009, Dr. David Tayloe, President of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) acting on behalf of the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors of the AAP issued an official endorsement of the WHO/UNICEF Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding.

Dr. Tayloe noted in his letter to the directors of the WHO and UNICEF, “As you are well aware, the endorsement of these Ten Steps is integral to improving the overall care that mothers and babies receive in maternity facilities in the United States and is particularly helpful to our national effort to promote breastfeeding.”

The endorsement process was initiated by the AAP…

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I learned a lot about myself last week. Namely, that I stink at meal planning. Other than that, I also learned that I eat far less fresh, unprocessed food than I had assumed. I also learned that I am both extremely cheap (not very surprising there, actually ) but also prone to the occasional impulse buy. I learned that I will go to a more expensive grocery store to buy a handful of things if it is next to the post office and I have a cranky 3-year-old boy in tow.

I learned that I can spend $161.12 to feed my family…

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Approximately 4 million babies are born each year in the United States alone.  While 3 out of every 4 mothers initiate breastfeeding, only 13% breastfeed exclusively for six months.

Why mothers stop breastfeeding has been the subject of countless articles and numerous studies.

In an effort to explore this and other questions, BabyCenter conducted an online survey.

What was surprising wasn’t the answers, but the number of respondents—27,000 women.

When 27,000 breastfeeding moms speak, I listen.  If for no other reason than to see if what I think is true about breastfeeding is really true, partly true, or completely false.

Survey results
The survey, “How is breastfeeding going…

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