©iStockphoto.com/elemi

On July 26, 2010, moms and babies got the attention they deserve thanks to Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard of California. Roybal-Allard, along with 25 co-sponsors, filed the Maximizing Optimal Maternity Services for the 21st Century bill (HR 5807) also known as “MOMS for the 21st Century.” A sweeping piece of legislation, MOMS for the 21^st Century aims to promote optimal pregnancy outcomes by making evidence-based maternity care a national priority. Key provisions include:

• Establishing a focal area on optimal maternity care in the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office on Women’s Health;

• Establishing a federal interagency coordinating committee on the promotion of optimal…

read more

©iStockphoto.com/Mishella

We know that breastfeeding reduces the risk of childhood obesity, but how? A new study published in the journal Pediatrics found that it may have to do with babies inability to self-regulate their milk intake—whether that’s expressed breast milk or formula—when they drink from bottles.

Around 17 percent of children and adolescents ages 2-19 are obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). For children 2-5 years old, obesity increased from 5 to 10.4 percent between 1976-1980 and 2007-2008; for children 6-11 years old, the obesity rate increased from 6.5-19.6 percent; and for 12-19-year-olds, it increased from 5…

read more

©iStockphoto.com/CreativeI

Earlier this month, Congress unveiled new legislation to provide children with year-round access to healthier foods. The “Improving Nutrition for America’s Children Act of 2010”—a bill introduced by U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chair of the House Education and Labor Committee; U.S. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Healthy Families and Communities; U.S. Rep. Todd Russell Platts (R-PA), ranking Member on the Subcommittee on Healthy Families and Communities; and other lawmakers—is the next step toward fulfilling President Obama’s mission to end child hunger in America by 2015.

If passed, the bill (companion legislation to the “Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids…

read more

©iStockphoto.com/nicolesy

When we were kids, many of us learned spelling from Cookie Monster, counting from Count Von Count, and cheerful tenacity from Big Bird. Today’s children are learning much more than that. The folks behind Sesame Street—the show that’s been educating children since 1969—are reaching out to a new generation in a new way, teaching kids the ABCs of healthy eating and healthy living.

Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational group that developed Sesame Street, has partnered with AmeriChoice (the UnitedHealth Group company that provides health benefits for public and state programs) to develop a bilingual education outreach program that helps families make…

read more

©iStockphoto.com/chuwy

I’ve heard it from my own husband and other fathers: when it comes to discussions of parenthood, dads are routinely left out, even though they are experiencing many of the same things as moms.

In the early days, dads are just as confused, intimidated, elated, anxious, and sleep-deprived. They have that same moment of clarity of realizing that parenting is little more than winging it. They understand that brand-new and fierce instinct to protect and nurture at all costs.

Here, dads from around the world share their views on birth, surprises, and lessons from their smallest teachers.

Making introductions
“My son was born…

read more

©iStockphoto.com/kate_sept2004

If you are among those who think hunger is a condition that exists only in poor countries—remote parts of the world with limited resources—think again. Although the United States is one of the world’s wealthiest nations, one in four U.S. children goes to bed hungry one or more nights each year—a condition defined as food insecurity. Nearly 20 percent of children in seven U.S. states and the District of Columbia live in households without adequate food supplies. And with summer just around the corner and school lunch programs coming to an end, the situation is about to get worse.

Administered by the…

read more

©iStockphoto.com/Mike_Kiev

Attention all beachgoers! With Memorial Day right around the corner, the timing couldn’t be better. The Environmental Working Group (EWG) released its fourth annual Sunscreen Guide touting the best and worst sunscreens on the market. And it should come as no surprise—only 8 percent of the 500 available beach and sport sunscreens made the recommended list.

Why so few? The EWG attributes it to exaggerated SPF claims and a better understanding of the hazards of some sunscreen ingredients—including data possibly linking vitamin A used in 41 percent of sunscreens to an increased risk for skin cancer (albeit in mice not humans). Products with…

read more

©iStockphoto.com/AjayShrivastava

In a news segment titled, “What Would You Do?”, ABC placed hidden cameras in a Brooklyn, New York cafe to see how customers would react to a breastfeeding mother being verbally harassed by the store manager. Female actors (using a lifelike doll for a baby) posed as breastfeeding moms; a male actor played the part of the verbally abusive store manager, telling one mom to move to the bathroom and criticizing another for “whipping out her hooters.”

With a few notable exceptions, the reaction of the customers was mostly supportive of the young mothers (one white, one black, one teen),…

read more

If your baby is making the transition to fresh fruits and vegetables, then you’re probably concerned about pesticides. To help you make the right choices, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) has just released its lists of “Dirty Dozen” and “Clean 15,” which are the fruits and vegetables with the highest and lowest levels of pesticide residue respectively.

The lists are a sneak preview of the non-profit group’s 2010 “Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides.” To create the guide, EWG researchers analyze the results of nearly 96,000 tests for pesticide residues in produce. Then they use the results to rank the pesticide levels in most…

read more

THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED.

Breastfeeding is an incredibly rewarding experience. Though many moms and babies know just what to do, some find the early days (or weeks) challenging. In honor of Mother’s Day, we want to celebrate your success stories! Tell us your favorite breastfeeding tip (in 25 words or less) for a chance to win a bundle of gooroo goodies. Email your entry to contests@babygooroo.com. Click here for complete rules.

Winners will receive:

• Pima cotton bib
• Pima cotton burp cloth
• Pima cotton hat designed to fit newborn babies
• French terry bath towel and washcloth
• Set of four bookmarks on newborn care
• Autographed copy of BREASTFEEDING, A…

read more

©iStockphoto.com/btrenkel

Company WEU has 20 employees. Ten or more are women. BWEU provides no maternity benefits, no flexible work schedules, no onsite childcare, and no lactation rooms. Despite women supplying more than 50% of the U.S. workforce, gaining accommodation in the workplace for those things uniquely woman such as pregnancy and breastfeeding is difficult at best, impossible at worst.

Many employers recognize that breast milk is the best source of infant nutrition. It promotes optimal growth and development, protects babies against diarrhea, respiratory infections, allergies and diabetes, and reduces mothers’ risk for ovarian cancer and premenopausal breast cancer, yet few employers  have a…

read more

The day will come when U.S. mothers can truly feel safe breastfeeding their babies and young children anywhere, anytime, anyplace. I likely won’t live long enough to see the culmination of the cultural transformation that is currently underway in America, but I am confident that my children will one day view breastfeeding not as best, optimal, perfect, or ideal, but simply as normal. And I know that ultimately their children, my grandchildren, will reap the benefits.

While many find the slow pace of change frustrating, age confers a level of patience and confidence in knowing that measured, thoughtful change is more often…

read more