March 2011 news

A quick round-up for March

If you think I should add anything else, please do post it up!! (Use the comments area, or the Facebook page, thanks.)

Celeb Round-Up

Elton John's adopted baby wears cloth & drinks breastmilk (but not this way!!).

Real Princesses do breastfeed - even twins!!

Emilia Fox discusses her breastfeeding of new baby.
Not media-shy about breastfeeding at all, hooray!

Kourtney Kardashian talks about the end of her BF journey.

Celine Dion tells us about her weight loss whilst feeding twins.

Mamas at the Oscars.

Research News

• Research review suggests that the use of dummies (pacifiers) doesn't affect breastfeeding - cautious about this, as it does seem to go against the way we understand babies (and the WHO guidelines)!!   Of course, not all babies will get nipple confusion, but who knows which ones are which? Shorter article on this: here, or read about it on the UNICEF page.
• A new study from the University of Colorado at Denver finds that breastfeeding may protect babies against childhood obesity, and even diabetes.

• Something which breastfed mothers already knew - Breastfeeding allows your child to develop their full potential (as regards IQ). Phrased in many different ways - in the Guardian, Telegraph, and Daily Mail.  Interesting that the research tells us that just 4 weeks of BF can have this effect. (Suggests BF really is needed for the Fourth Trimester, to 'finish off' the brain development begun in the womb.)
• On the other hand, surveys in the USA tell us that folk generally think Breastfeeding mothers are less "competent" - particularly in maths... (my favourite answer on this; "well, we're clearly excellent at multiplying!")

• Research news from South Africa - "New preliminary clinical trial results showed giving breastfeeding infants of HIV-infected mothers a daily dose of the antiretroviral drug nevirapine for six months halved the risk of HIV transmission to the infants at age 6 months compared with giving infants the drug daily for only six weeks."

• Breastmilk identified as important for the newborn gut. 
• A hospital in California has highest rates of breastfeeding - by using a program of antental and postnatal support & education (rocket science?)
• Researchers in China purport to have made some GM cows able to make milk which contains human proteins. Hmmm, since human milk and cow's milk are this different, that's quite some achievement.  I think perhaps they should use the phrase "ever-so-slightly similar to human milk".

Useful new pages of information about Breastfeeding: Pages on Tongue-tie; Co-Sleeping (see also Ameda.com); Contents of Formula (one or two); the financial benefits of BF (in dollars); and Oversupply.

Series planned on an overview of Infant Sleep by Kathy Morelli, here's the first one covering the Pantley No-Cry Sleep Solution.


The discussion over milk donation (organised via an official Human Milk Bank, or online through social media) continues with a little human touch - infighting & jealousies?? Dispelling Breastfeeding Myths adds a useful note about risk & screening for infections.

This story of breastfeeding mothers is Wahay Offbeat, but it tells us huge amount about how milk is made... and a great story too. And if you're wondering how they cope with only feeding half a child each, they pump and donate the rest to a Milk Bank, just like our local Cheshire and North Wales Human Milk Bank.

The Breastfeeding Doll (was named Bebe Gloton) seems to have been re-launched, with media coverage claiming Outrage (sigh).

Artificial Milk Manufacturers

Stepping up against the manufacturers... those who have followed the claims & Euro-arguments will be pleased to hear the vote was won, narrowly. Now more pressure needed before the final vote in April. More info from Glenis Willmott, MEP and from Baby Milk Action.

In the wake of the disaster at Christchurch, we all know that breastfeeding should be the most simple & clean way to feed children in the area.  Yet Pfizer donates 6000 tins of formula - to an area struggling for clean water & electricity.
Similarly, after the Japanese earthquake & tsunami, the Red Cross used an image of a bottlefed baby to ask for donations.
The WHO advises against the donation of formula to disaster zones - it can be a deadly "gift".

Baby Milk Action (on fire this month!!) have also produced a DVD about infant formula which looks very interesting, and on their blog, a post about the FTSE4Good news on Nestle.

Money makes the world go round

Online - there have been several interesting discussions over payment for Breastfeeding Support.  Here is an interesting view, asking if we have to many experts, too many rules.

The Guardian tells us that Breastfeeding Support is a "chore" best left to volunteers. (Original paper is more BF-friendly, of course...)

Meanwhile, govt spending cuts/reorganisations threaten the Infant Feeding Co-ordinator posts across the UK, and to put an end to funding for BF Awareness Week. Read more about this from Baby Milk Action.

Funding cuts for Liverpool Women's Services.

IVF services in Cheshire under threat.

Peer Support News

• UK news about Peer Support: Dorset area, Rochdale area.

• Health Visitor team in the Blackpool/ North Lancs area win an award for Breastfeeding Support.
• Programme of improving BF support & perinatal education - doing well in Northern Ireland (and paper here).
• Mammary Dialogues show in Aldershot.

North Wales Area:
Facebook pages are linked here for: Anglesey & Gwynedd; Conwy; Flintshire; Wrexham Breastfeeding Peer Support Groups.

And set a date for June - the Race for Life in Rhyl on Sunday June 5th will be a big day for some of our Peer Supporters, who are training to complete the 5k run.
Visit the JustGiving Pages for Toria, Colette, and ADD YOUR NAME HERE!!
"Use them or Lose them"
They will be letting all know that breastfeeding saves lives by reducing the risks of Breast Cancer for Mums (and the breastfed daughter, too - isn't breastmilk amazing!!)

And finally:

• The breastmilk ice-cream media stunt. Article by the donor herself.   And in other news, Lady Gaga's family live in this New York building, not exactly bending over backwards to help breastfeeding mothers.

More repressed Facebook nonsense:
- we know FB doesn't like to see breasts (unless they are sexualised on Playboy, earning money, or on ugh sites like this one)
- we know they have deleted pages & accounts over some images of Breastfeeding
- we know they've deleted images from Breast Cancer survivor support sites (no nipples due to surgery)

- we know they have even deleted accounts over the lovely BF advert from Brazil,
- we know FB is BF, backwards... 
- but now we find out a shop's FB page has also been deleted because of an image of HATS!!! It's crochet, it's not indecent! Join the page BBBB to let them know how crazy they are.
Here's the full story from Christie Haskell.

• It's been a tough month for the Cartoonist behind "Mama is..." - but she still knows how to point out truth to folk who are putting up Barriers to Breastfeeding.

****"Busting-Out" played in Manchester - you can see videos of their act online: here.****

"A truly rich man is one whose children run

into his arms when his hands are empty." 

~ Anon (via DBM)