Breastfeeding Tips

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Breastfeeding and West Nile Virus
The current recommendation from the US Centers for Disease Control is that a mother should not interrupt breastfeeding if she contracts West Nile Virus, since the risk to the baby from weaning to infant formula is greater than the risk posed by the potential WNV infection. Article by Kelly Bonyata, IBCLC.

How to Increase Breast Milk Supply Part Two
If it is possible, one of the best things that a mother can do for her child is to breastfeed him/her. Some mothers choose to breastfeed for six months, while some will choose to do so for one year.

How Breastfeeding Works
For mother and baby both, breastfeeding is a learned art. In the past, little girls grew up watching experienced mothers putting babies to breast. Today, many women have never seen anyone breastfeed before being handed their own first baby.

Breastfeeding Book Reviews at Kellymom.com
Kelly Bonyata, IBCLC, reviews breastfeeding books with categories of reviews called featured books, parenting and sleep, children's books, and mini-book reviews. She marks each book with an icon for being recommended or not recommended.

The New Trend In Breast Pumps: Massage
by Matia Bryson. An article about the difference between the new massaging breast pumps and the traditional suction-only pumps.

Drugs and Breastfeeding
The decision about continuing breastfeeding when the mother takes a drug, is far more involved than determining whether the baby will get any drug in the milk. It also involves taking into consideration the risks of not breastfeeding. Article by Jack Newman, MD, FRCPC.

Tips For Easier Traveling With Your Breastfed Baby
You have spent awhile getting used to breastfeeding your child at home and getting into a comfortable routine. Traveling can really mix up this routine and present new challenges for a breastfeeding mother. Here are a few tips that can help ease you into a more enjoyable and comfortable trip with your breastfed baby.

Breastfeeding and the Older Mother
Women who give birth over the age of 35 may have particular concerns in breastfeeding. This article by Janice M. Batzdorff on the La Leche League website addresses those common concerns and features anecdotes from older nursing mothers.

Breastfeeding Boosts Child's School Performance
Children who were breastfed do better in high school and are more likely to go to college than their bottle-fed siblings, researchers report. While the health benefits of breastfeeding to both infants and mothers is well known, this study suggests the practice may have educational benefits as well. This is the first study using data on siblings to examine the effect of breastfeeding on high school completion and college attendance, the researchers noted.

A Breastfeeding Slide Show
This online slide show by Roni M. Chastain, RN, FACCE, is uplifting and encouraging and celebrates breastfeeding mothers including those mothers who nurse toddlers, twins, and triplets.

Extended Breastfeeding - Don't Ask, Don't Tell
FoxNews once again wants to stir up "debate" about breastfeeding. The story here is that some Australian researchers have "discovered" that some mothers breastfeed their children as late as the age of 7. Horrors! This follows all the stories bemoaning how so many mothers jeapardize their children's health by breastfeeding too briefly. Well, which is it? Too little or too much breastfeeding going on in the world?

Breastfeeding and Sibling Rivalry
The breast feeding mother can make life easier for herself and her children with these tips for preparing her family in advance for the new baby.

Making Any Breast Pump Work for You
For a new mom who might find herself struggling with a pricey new breast pump, she may be wondering if she bought the right one. There is a huge variety of breast pumps out there, so this is a reasonable question for her to be asking.

Newborn Breast Feeding Tips
Breastfeeding mothers usually have breastfeeding problems like milk production difficulties. Even if they are applying the PDF feeding method, these problems can still occur. Having enough rest, eating a healthy diet and enjoying your life as you nurse your new infant is no guarantee that you will never experience milk production issues, because they can be caused by many different factors.

The Confidence of Mothers
She was still outraged to this day that the nurses were discussing "what to do when she dried up" and "what additives to put in her pumped breast milk as there was less and less of it", because they were so sure she would not be able to pump enough or long enough to support her little premie.

The Family Bed Safety Checklist for Night Breastfeeding
To make co-sleeping safer, certain precautions should be taken. Co-sleeping has been proven to increase the duration and success of breast feeding.

New Breast Pumps Work by Massaging Instead of Tugging
Some new breast pumps like the Playtex Embrace and the Dr. Brown's Natural Flow breast pumps have massage as part of their design and avoid elongating or tugging on the nipple.

A Letter to the Handi-Craft Company about the Dr. Brown's Electric Breast Pump
By Amanda Bormann. One mother's story and review of the electric Dr. Brown's as an open letter to the Handi-Craft Company.

When to Use a Breast Pump
For many years now, the world has been told that one of the best gifts that a mother could give to her baby is to breast-feed (nourish) him or her. Due to this, many people have been actively pushi...

Breast milk storage: Tips for storing breast milk
If you're breast-feeding your baby and going back to work or looking for more flexibility, you're probably considering using a breast pump. Once you start pumping, it's important to know how to safely and properly store your expressed breast milk. Consider these do's and don'ts for breast milk storage.

Interviews About the Breastfeeding Experience
This website provides audio-video interviews of 51 individuals and their experiences with breastfeeding on topics such as deciding to breastfeed, getting started and managing breastfeeding, special circumstances, weaning, and reflections on breastfeeding.

Expressed Breast Milk Storage
It is important to know the guidelines for storing breast milk properly so that you always give your baby fresh milk Temperatures and times are given.

Nursing Beyond the First Year
When you made the decision to nurse your baby, you undoubtedly did so because you knew about the many benefits nursing provided your newborn. After all, nursing protects your baby from gastro-intestinal trouble, respiratory issues, numerous ear infections and from developing allergies. Not to mention all the additional benefits like helping you to lose weight, lowering your stress, and reducing post-partum bleeding.

Using Cues For a Faster Let-Down
By Matia Bryson. If you can associate your let-down with an action you can control--a stimulus or a cue--you can reduce the time it takes for let-down to occur with or without your baby's help.

Breast Pump Glossary and Breastfeeding Terms
From areola to warranty, brush up on those definitions with which you may not be familiar.

Interview of a La Leche League Leader
Angela White of Breastfeeding 1-2-3 interviewed Karen Kerkhoff Gromada for this blog post. Ms. Gromada recently released a third revised edition of her book Mothering Multiples: Breastfeeding and Caring for Twins or More! She is a long-time La Leche League leader, registered nurse and lactation consultant.

Breastfeeding - Things to Avoid
Breastfeeding mothers almost always try to analyse their intake to assess how different meals affect their babies. When babies are uncomfortable or crying mothers try to determine what they ate so that they can remove the offending substance from our diets. Most of the time babies cry in reaction to something completely unrelated to what has been eaten. But sometimes, what is eaten does affect how babies feel. Some concern about eating well while breastfeeding is OK but don't be too hard on yourself.

Fathers Supportive of Breastfeeding
Fathers are the topic this month (June 2007) for the Carnival of Breastfeeding blogs. Kelli of the Nursing Your Kids blog tells her story of the ways her husband Manoj has supported her in breastfeeding their son Arun.

Maternal Diet - Basics For a Breast Feeding Woman
Ensure a wide variety of food groups are consumed with a larger proportion of proteins, good fats and oils rather than complex carbohydrates and sugars. This will ensure richer more settling milk for your breastfed baby and a stabilized metabolism for the breastfeeding mother. Digested food passes through into breast milk but only some foods will have an adverse effect on some breastfed babies.

Gentle Ways to Stop a Baby From Biting
A comment from a reader prompted Angela White of Breastfeeding 1-2-3 Blog to write this post about strategies to prevent a baby from biting while breastfeeding.

Preparation in Pregnancy for Successful Breastfeeding
This breastfeeding mother tells her story of how preparation in her pregnancy, reading and watching videos, resulted in a good start and pleasurable experience of breastfeeding her daughter. A blog post from Rixa of The True Face of Birth blog.

Breastfeeding Tips (Part 6)
La Leche League podcasts, solutions to common breastfeeding problems, the new massaging breast pumps, how the desire to control hurts breastfeeding, the gentle way to wean a toddler, breast feeding styles, nursing necklaces, breastfeeding myths, exclusively pumping breast milk are the tips included in this series.

Laughter Improves Healthy Effects of Breast Milk
Babies with eczema were found to have reduced symptoms if their mothers laughed a few hours before feeding them. Researchers found significantly higher levels of melatonin in the milk of mothers who laughed while being shown a funny movie. The hormone melatonin is associated with relaxation, and levels are reduced in people with eczema.

Breastfeeding by Cesarean Babies Aided by Skin Contact With Fathers
In a study of 29 father-infant pairs, full-term healthy newborns born by planned cesarean section were randomly assigned to be placed either skin-to-skin on their father's chest or beside their father in a crib. Researchers found that the babies in the skin contact group showed better nursing behaviors such as mouth movements and rooting.

AmedaDirect Offers Return in 30-days Even On Used Pumps
Our 30-Day Satisfaction Guarantee ensures that you are 100% satisfied with your Ameda breast pump or you get your money back. This satisfaction guarantee is extended to all Ameda Direct customers. Once you purchase an Ameda pump, you have the chance to try it out to see if it's the right pump for you. If you are not completely satisfied with your Ameda breast pump purchase, you can return it within 30 days of the purchase date.

Some Breastfeeding Myths
Dr. Jack Newman, MD FRCPC, addresses some breast-feeding myths, such as low milk supply, difficulty to breastfeed, pain, extra water for baby, washing the nipples, modern infant formulas, and medications in breastmilk.

How to Increase Breast Milk Supply Part One
More often than not, many mothers are concerned about their breast milk supply. They are worried that their bodies will stop producing milk before their child reaches the age of weaning (eating sol...

Breastfeeding in NYC in 1914
This document from the New York City Department of Health reminds us of the day when there was no mincing of words to tell the truth. For example, "Mother's milk is the only safe food." Photograph posted by Scott Greider of Scott's Simple Story blog.

Breast Milk, Is Your Baby Getting Enough?
This article puts to rest all the myths that cause mums to question whether they are making enough milk for their baby. It also gives mums signs to look for in their baby to confirm that they have...

The Best Personal Electric Breast Pumps for Breastfeeding Mothers
These are the ideal double electric breast pumps for the mother who wants to buy a serious breast pump for going back to work full-time. These pumps by Medela, Ameda, Avent and Playtex have been rated at least at 4 out of 5 stars by volunteer reviewers.

Medela Breast Pumps
Grouped together on one page, twelve pumps by this industry leader.

Ten Essential Traits of Breastfeeding Mothers
As a tribute to breastfeeding mothers on Mothers Day, Angela White of the Breastfeeding 1-2-3 Blog composed this list of traits with supporting links to a breastfeeding story or post about each trait.

Avent Breast Milk Storage Systems Bags Vs Containers
Avent manufactures a wide assortment of breast milk storage options. Two of those are Avent's storage bags and storage containers. While both of these can be frozen for storage, each has its applic...

When you don't have a hoity toity Lactation Room
Upscale employers are getting the picture, that providing a nice private place for employees who breastfeed to use their breast pumps, makes life easier and helps with employee retention. But what ...

An Eleven-Pound, Twelve-Ounce Breastfed Baby
One mother tells her story about the success of exclusively breastfeeding her third child, going against her family's tradition of artificial milk feeding with bottles, and discovering the spiritual side to breastfeeding. The ruminations of breastfeeding blogger Rivster.

All About Thrush - A Handy Guide
Thrush is a fungal infection that usually affects breast tissue or nipples. The organism Candida albicans is the cause of the infection, and women who are infected with thrush may feel severe nipple or breast pain. If the condition is not treated at an early stage, it may lead to early weaning in lactating mothers.

Breastfeeding, Breast Cancer and Black Women
Young black women get triple-negative breast cancer, the worst type and least treatable breast cancer, more than any other women in the United States, i.e. 39% for black women compared to 16% for white women. It is known that a longer duration of breastfeeding, increasing the number of children breastfed, and increasing the number of months breastfeeding per child are each associated with reduced risk of this type of breast cancer.

My Favorite Breastfeeding Accessories
For successful breastfeeding, it is important to have the proper accessories. In this article I discuss nursing pads, nursing bras, and breast pumps. I also talk about how to soothe soreness from b...

What Everybody Ought to Know About Breastfeeding
Breastfeeding has long been championed as the best source of food for babies and mothers can actually breastfeed their babies for as long as they want. Earlier research shows that benefits of breastfeeding for the mother include lowering the risk factors of developing diseases like heart problems, diabetes, and high cholesterol for women in their post-menopausal period.

Dr. Brown's Natural Flow Breast Pump
By Matia Bryson. A new no-tug breast pump that has a one-way air flow and the comfortable massaging feature.

Breastfeeding May Cut Breast Cancer Risk
Women with a family history of breast cancer who have ever breastfed reduce their risk of getting premenopausal breast cancer by nearly 60%, according to a new study.

Maternity Leave and Breastfeeding Duration
As maternity leaves for Canadian women have increased, more mothers have met the six-month breastfeeding target recommended by public health officials, according to a new study. "For public health officials aiming to increase breastfeeding duration, it appears the labour market policy may prove an effective way of achieving breastfeeding goals," the researchers concluded.

Did You Mean Medela Breast Pump?
A brief history of the Medela company and a list of common misspellings for people having difficulty finding it in the search engines.

Survey Reveals Workplace Barriers to Breastfeeding
A new survey by the not-for-profit National Women's Health Resource Center (NWHRC) and Medela, Inc. reveals 32 percent of new mothers give up breastfeeding less than seven weeks after returning to work because of significant barriers. This is particularly true of women in retail settings, younger moms and those with lower paying jobs.

Illness and Breastfeeding
Very few maternal illnesses require the mother to stop breastfeeding. Breastfeeding protects the baby against infection, and the mother should continue breastfeeding, in order to protect the baby. Breastfeeding rarely needs to be discontinued for infant illness. Through breastfeeding, the mother is able to comfort the sick child, and, by breastfeeding, the child is able to comfort the mother. Article by Dr. Jack Newman.

Important Points About Breastfeeding Promotion
The highest remaining hurdles to more and longer breastfeeding are neither scientific nor epidemiological; they are primarily political, socio-cultural, economic and organizational.... Embracing breastfeeding automatically places us on the right side of history. A quote originally published in the British Medical Journal and posted by Pamela H. Pilch in the Heart, Mind and Strength weblog.

The Many Benefits of Breast Feeding Far Outweigh the Disadvantages
We all want to do what's best for our new baby and to give him the best start we can. As far as your baby's health is concerned, breast feeding is the number one thing you can do to protect him from sickness and build a healthy immune system. Of course, one of the main benefits of breast feeding is that it's free!

Breastfeeding Starting Out Right
Dr. Jack Newman writes that breastfeeding should be easy and trouble free for most mothers. Tips to getting off to a good start to ensure breastfeeding is a happy experience for both mother and baby.

Breastfeeding and Choosing the Right Nursing Bra For You
Breastfeeding is one of the most difficult tasks of a new mother. Unlike what you see in television ads, breastfeeding is not that joyous and easy to do. The process takes a lot of practice and with the right materials to use so as to feed your newborn the best way possible.

More Breastfeeding Tips (Part 3)
Making breast milk popsicles, the changing properties of breast milk, homemade breastfeeding dolls, cheap breast pumps, breast pump shield fit, the breastfeeding icon contest, and night nursing and cavities, are the subjects of this breast-feeding tips page.

Breastfeeding May Cut Breast Cancer Risk
Women with a family history of breast cancer who have ever breastfed reduce their risk of getting premenopausal breast cancer by nearly 60%, according to a new study. "For women with a family history of breast cancer, this suggests an extra benefit [of breastfeeding] is, it may reduce the risk of breast cancer," says Alison Stuebe, MD, an assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the lead author of the study. It is published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Letter for Court Cases in Support of Extended Breastfeeding
Prepared by Kathy Dettwyler, PHD, this letter can be downloaded and sent to lawyers, judges, social workers, ex-spouses, pediatricians and family physicians to inform them of the merits and normalcy of breastfeeding beyond infancy. If you would like a copy signed by the author, send her an email.

Breast Milk Storage For Working Mothers
Back in the day, formula was the preferred method for feeding babies, but with the movement toward more natural and healthy feeding, breast milk has moved back to the forefront. With most mothers having to go to work to make ends meet, breast milk storage is becoming more common place. Expressing the milk and storing it for later use is one solution to this issue.

Where to Read Unbiased Reviews of Breast Pumps
Any manufacturer or retailer of breast pumps can give testimonials of their products. The reviews that are most likely to be reliable are those that allow anyone on the internet to post whatever they like: positive or negative. Also, there is more to be learned from those reviews that are more specific than "hated it" or "loved it." We have found some of the best sources of breast pump reviews written by the consumer.

Discreet Breastfeeding, Needless Debate
ABC's Good Morning America is jumping in on the so-called "debate" about public breastfeeding. Their article is here. But there need be no debate, because confining breastfeeding mothers to their homes in order to feed their babies amounts to house arrest, which would be absurd.

When you don't have a hoity toity Lactation Room
Upscale employers are getting the picture, that providing a nice private place for employees who breastfeed to use their breast pumps, makes life easier and helps with employee retention. But what if you don't work for an upscale employer?

La Leche League 24-Hour Breastfeeding Hotline
Toll-free phone help is available 24 hours a day, anywhere in the US, providing information, education, and support for women who want to breastfeed, healthcare providers, and others. Call 1-877-4-LA LECHE for a warm voice, correct breastfeeding information and support.

The New Trend in Breast Pumps is Massage
What is the difference between the traditional tug-and pull breast pump and the massaging breast pump? Medela, Avent, Ameda, Playtex, Gerber, Dr. Brown's and Whittlestone brands are compared.

Breast Pumps One Can Buy For 150 Dollars or Less
If unwilling to pay more than $150 US dollars for a quality electric breast pump, what choices does one have? Without the tote bag, the Ameda Purely Yours also sells for $150.

Breastfeeding Blog Carnival
The theme for this Breastfeeding Blog Carnival focuses on funny breastfeeding stories, particularly from things your baby or child has said or done. Bloggers may submit their story by July 17th, 2007 to Angela White of Breastfeeding 1-2-3.

Breast Pump Forums and Message Boards
List of the best places to go on the internet to have mother-to-mother support with other pumping moms.

Breast Pump Forums or Message Boards
For mothers who use a breast pump, these forums are great places to get connected with others, banish the isolation, and gather helpful advice from other breastfeeding and pumping mothers.

Discreet Breastfeeding, Needless Debate
ABC's Good Morning America is jumping in on the so-called "debate" about public breastfeeding. Their article is here. But there need be no debate, because confining breastfeeding mothers to their h...

The Hospital-Grade Breast Pump
These breast pumps are the only serious choice for women establishing a milk supply for a newborn baby who cannot nurse immediately and frequently after birth. The major disadvantage is their weight and size makes them less portable. Medela Symphony Breast Pump , Ameda Elite Breast Pump, Medela Lactina Breast Pump.

Tips For Dealing With Colic When Breastfeeding
Although time is the best cure for colic in any baby, Dr. Jack Newman, who is always supportive of breastfeeding, gives advice on colic specific to breastfed babies.

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