April 24th, 2009
There was recently an article in my local paper regarding local hospitals are providing more of training in working with premature and near-term and low birth weight infants. The story was on the front page and the huge photo accompanying the article showed a mother bottle-feeding her baby. Here’s the letter I wrote to the editor of that newspaper hoping that it would get printed. I’ve written about several trivial things (not BF-related) over the years and they’ve always been printed. This one hasn’t been. I wonder why. (lol)
Thank you for running the story recently about local hospitals and parents getting more education and training on treating premature infants.
I’d like to point out that there are a couple of very simple acts that can greatly improve the chances of a premature baby growing faster and going home sooner. And they are free.
The best first food for your premature baby is human milk. Colostrum (the first drops of milk that the mother’s body produces) is very important for your baby. If your baby is too small to latch on right away, ask about expressing this and saving it to give to your baby.
It is becoming more commonly recognized that mothers of premature babies produce milk that is different in composition than mothers of full-term babies do. The milk of a mother with a pre-term baby contains even more protective enzymes and anti-infective and anti-viral properties that can protect against infection, which many premature or near-term babies are more succeptable to than if they were full-term. than that of mother of a full-term baby.
Another more obvious reason to breastfeed your premature baby is that human milk has the perfect balance of special fats to promote your baby’s growth. The milk of a mother with a premature baby also contains a higher concentration of these special fats, which is thought to be important for growth and for brain and eye development. Babies that grow and develop faster in the NICU are often able to be discharged sooner. That means being home with mom, dad, siblings more quickly.
Although it can be more challenging to breastfeed and/or provide human milk to your premature baby, it can absolutely be done, especially with plenty of support from your healthcare provider, family and local support groups like La Leche League.
The other simple act that can have a huge impact on the development and short AND long-term health of your premature baby is called “Kangaroo Mother Care” or skin-to-skin contact. Kangaroo Mother Care is skin-to-skin contact between the front of the baby and the mother’s chest. The more continuous skin-to-skin contact between mother and baby, the more beneficial it can be, but any contact is helpful. Dr. Nils Bergman suggests day and night contact, as the medical condition allows. Kangaroo Mother Care also includes exclusive breastfeeding/human milk feeding. Studies by experts such as Dr. Bergman suggest that skin-to-skin contact can naturally help to regulate respiration rate, heart rate and body temperature in premature infants. It is also believed that early skin-to-skin contact and exclusive breastfeeding helps prevent infections and boosts immunity, especially in the premature infant and being close to mother reduces the stress on the infant, which helps them to conserve the energy that they need to grow.
If you are interested in reading more about this, www.kangaroomothercare.com and www.prematurity.org/baby/kangaroo.html are good resources to start with. Another invaluable resource is your local La Leche League Breastfeeding Support Group, which welcomes calls from parents and healthcare providers looking for literature on this and other breastfeeding topics.
WWKD?
What Would Kangaroo Do?
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April 24th, 2009
I saw the new Disney movie Earth today and it was absolutely beautiful. They featured many different types of animals and birds and the migratory journeys of three different animal families.
One of the early scenes shows a mother polar bear and her cubs emering from their den as the weather begins to warm a bit. There was a line by the narrator, James Earl Jones, that talks about how the mother hasn’t eaten for months and has lost half of her body weight, but her cubs have fed on nothing but mother’s milk because they don’t need anything more than that.
My husband nudged me because he knows that I love any reference to breastfeeding, human or otherwise. During this scene, two thoughts went through my mind.
The first thought that went through my mind was that the polar bear cubs didn’t need anything more and that as humans, we are very much the same. Fortunately for polar bear cubs, their parents act on pure instinct and don’t feel the need or desire to improvise or improve on nature or to make it more convenient. They just do what comes naturally. It occurred to me that perhaps we should think less.
The second thought is that so many mothers become concerned about whether or not they are drinking enough milk to make enough milk or if they should still breastfeed even if they do not have perfect nutrition. I’ve also heard people comment that poor people should be able to get formula for free or that they probably will not be able to breastfeed because they likely don’t have good nutritional habits or enough calories to sustain themselves. The polar bear was STARVING, hadn’t eaten all winter, lost half of her body weight…and had enough milk to sustain two chubby cubbies.
Both The Breastfeeding Answer Book by Nancy Mohrbacher and Judy Stock and from Dr. Jack Newman’s Breastfeeding Myths printable handout it says:
2. A breastfeeding mother has to eat more in order to make enough milk. Not true! Women on even very low calorie diets usually make enough milk, at least until the mother’s calorie intake becomes critically low for a prolonged period of time. Generally, the baby will get what he needs. Some women worry that if they eat poorly for a few days this also will affect their milk. There is no need for concern. Such variations will not affect milk supply or quality. It is commonly said that women need to eat 500 extra calories a day in order to breastfeed. This is not true. Some women do eat more when they breastfeed, but others do not, and some even eat less, without any harm done to the mother or baby or the milk supply. The mother should eat a balanced diet dictated by her appetite. Rules about eating just make breastfeeding unnecessarily complicated.
Of course it is different if you are, say, starving to death, but we are not that fragile and even when we aren’t getting good nutrition, our baby probably is.
I think that we could learn quite a bit from other mammals. They do what works. We humans are the only species that would even dream of drinking the milk of another animal, but I have to laugh when I see a movie where someone unwittingly drinks breastmilk and becomes instantly ill when they discover it. Cows? Sure? Goats? Sure? Humans? GROSS!
Oh…and I love the photos of animals nursing on 007B’s website.
Do you really appreciate nature?
Do what comes naturally!
Posted in Breastfeeding | 7 Comments »
April 23rd, 2009
The reason why we tucked a little baby into the bed with us…the motives were purely selfish. I was 20 years old and mothering was a completely new horizon for me. I had not babysat very much and I was the baby in my family. Experience was certainly lacking! This new baby in the house was mixed up and slept all day and was wakeful at night. Now I know why this happens when you first bring them home, but this was happening into the fifth month. I was able to rest some during the day, as I was told to do. But in the morning when I would get up, I was irritable and resentful for not having slept much the night before.
We had started out with my husband getting up to change the baby and give her to me. I would prop up in the bed and try to stay awake as I fed her. Many times I would doze off with her in my arms. When I would startle myself awake I was fearful that I could have dropped her while doing this prop up nursing. I so wanted some sleep and wished that I could just lay down with her beside me to nurse. But my fears of rolling over on her were too terrifying.
I went to my monthly La Leche League meeting and shared my concerns. The Leader there gave me a book to read, Tine Thevenin’s Family Bed. I began to read it and mark the areas that I wanted to share with my husband. Neither of us liked the attempts we had made to allow our daughter to attempt to soothe herself to sleep with cries and screams. He knew how hard it was for me to function that next day after a sleepless night. He knew how I struggled to be a good mom with the resentment that was mounting. He was willing to try anything!
We moved our bed against the wall of the bedroom and took the crib bumper and placed it between the wall and the bed. I would nurse the baby on the breast that was on the side between us first and then place the baby next to me and the wall to complete the nursing. Wow. What a difference it made! The next week was one of rest and it showed as to how I was responding to both the baby and my husband!
As time went on, we moved the crib mattress into our room and lowered our bed closer to the floor by removing the frame. When that baby eventually moved to her room, now a toddler, we had another baby in the bed with us. This time, we never got the crib back form my sister in law who had borrowed the unused piece of equipment from us! that baby eventually shared a bed with his sister with a railing attached to the side.
Our bedroom door remained open for our children to come into our room as their needs demanded. We had a sleeping bag rolled up at the foot of the bed as the kids got older and bigger. If someone had a need to share our room in the middle of the night and someone had beat them to it, the bag was available for the foot of our bed!
All of my children sleep in their own beds now. They have for many years now. I have two kids in college and one high school child that is still at home. They really do grow up. They really do get out of your beds. You really can still have a marital bed with kids in the bed with you there are always beds in other rooms unoccupied! They stay little for such a short period of time — trust your instincts. No one likes to sleep alone!
Teresa Howard, CD (DONA), CLD, CLE, CPD, CCCE(CAPPA) , CHBE is a Labor Doula, Lactation & Childbirth Educator, Happiest Baby on the Block Certified Educator. She is the mother of three grown children and grandmother of four. She works with several other amazing women at Labor of Love Doula & Childbirth Services in the Atlanta, GA area.
Tags: Breastfeeding, co-sleeping, family bed, Teresa Howard
Posted in Breastfeeding, Parenting, co-sleeping | No Comments »
April 23rd, 2009
By Judy P. Masucci, Ph.D.
Are you considering going on an airplane with your baby? Well, you’ll be happy to know that it can be done! I flew with my son several times when he was an infant and he did great! Here are some tips to help you prepare for your trip.”
Book your seats so that you and your partner have a window and an aisle. Then when you get to the airport, tell the gate agent that if there are any extra seats, if they could keep the middle one between you open for the carseat, that would be great. That way if there is an open seat, you will have one for your baby’s car seat. I found that about 50% of the time, I could get an open seat next to me for my baby. If not, then you just move over and let the person assigned to the middle have the aisle or window so that you and your partner can sit together. If you want to guarantee a seat for your baby and his carseat, you always have the option of purchasing a ticket too.
You can gate check your stroller and your car seat (if the flight is full, you won’t be able to bring the car seat on). I recommend getting a bag to put the car seat in so that if you do have to gate check it, and it won’t get all dirty in the luggage compartment. I got one with wheels on it so that I could pull it through the airport. It made a world of difference! When you get to the gate, ask for gate check tags for your stroller and car seat if necessary.
My son never really seemed to be affected by the changes in air pressure, and would usually just fall asleep on the plane. I always nursed him on the way up and again on the way down so that the pressure changes wouldn’t hurt his ears. Don’t plan to bring books or lots of carry-on’s as you will be completely occupied holding or taking care of your little one, so the less you have to carry the better. Most planes have changing tables in the bathrooms too!
Nurse your baby whenever needed during the flight. If you do this, you will have the happiest baby on the plane! When we traveled with my son, everyone always commented as to what a great baby he was. He loved to look around at all of the faces and make new friends with the other travelers! And when needed, he nursed to his heart’s content and usually fell asleep. Most of all – enjoy your trip! Don’t fret and enjoy yourself!
Have you flown with your nursing child before? What trick did you learn that worked to keep your baby happy and content throughout the flight?
Dr. Masucci is a mom to one beautiful boy and a business owner. She lives in Pennsylvania just north of Pittsburgh where she operates a maternity and breastfeeding boutique (A Mother’s Boutique) and writes about parenting and breastfeeding on her blog Mommy News and Views.
Tags: A Mother's Boutique, baby, Breastfeeding, flying, Judy Masucci, MommyNews
Posted in Breastfeeding | 1 Comment »
April 23rd, 2009
While people are scrambling to find ways to cut corners, cut costs and save money in this economic downturn, perhaps one angle would be to let parents know that breastfeeding is free. Free. What other food is free?
Tags: Breastfeeding, economy, free food
Posted in Breastfeeding | 1 Comment »
April 23rd, 2009
Stay latched on to LactBlogs…we have some exciting content coming!
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April 23rd, 2009
This blog is to serve as a platform for lactation professionals, breastfeeding mothers, breastfeeding news and articles. If you are interested in contributing content to Lact Blogs, please email us at lactblogs [at] gmail dot com.
Tags: blogging, Breastfeeding, lactation
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