Breastfeeding Research

Well, I've already have some requests for research on breastfeeding, so here are some quick links. Thanks for the interest! I found a lot of this research very interesting and informative. There was a lot of things I didn't know.
As always, please feel free to forward or copy this information, as long as you include my name and email so that I may answer any inquiries. Thanks.
Melissa Neece
MLS Library Science

World Health Link: http://www.who.int/child-adolescent-health/NUTRITION/infant_exclusive.htm

New York Times article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/13/health/13brea.html?ex=1307851200&en=34fe96e9a7b62c93&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

ABC News: http://www.abcnews.go.com/GMA/Health/story?id=3424593&page=1

Wikipedia info:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breastfeeding


American Academy of Pediatrics:

http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/pediatrics;115/2/496

Great article on breastfeeding in public:

http://www.4woman.gov/editor/2007/08%2D2/


Breastfeeding Forums - for support and talk to other breastfeeding moms


http://www.gentlechristianmothers.com/topics/breastfeeding.php


http://www.militantbreastfeedingcult.com/


http://www.mothering.com


http://breastbuddies.nice-forum.com/


http://forums.llli.org/


http://www.mymomsbest.com/forum/index.php


http://www.llli.org/nb.html


La Leche League:


http://www.llli.org/nb.html

Great Mothering Articles:

http://www.mothering.com/guest_editors/quiet_place/quiet_place.html


http://www.mothering.com/guest_editors/quiet_place/132.html


http://www.mothering.com/articles/new_baby/breastfeeding/breastfeeding-law.html


http://www.mothering.com/sections/experts/barber-archive.html


http://www.mothering.com/guest_editors/quiet_place/140.html


http://www.mothering.com/articles/new_baby/breastfeeding/ecomama.html


Children's Books on Breastfeeding:

http://www.mothering.com/articles/new_baby/breastfeeding/like-to-nurse.html

Extended/Sustained Breastfeeding:


http://www.kellymom.com/bf/bfextended/ebf-benefits.html


http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0838/is_2001_March-April/ai_76587460

http://www.breastfeeding-magazine.com/extended-breastfeeding.html


http://www.gentleparenting.com/ebf_faq.html


http://breastfeeding.blog.motherwear.com/2007/04/extended_nursin.html


http://www.kathydettwyler.org/detwean.html


http://www.llli.org/ba/Feb01.html

http://www.ilovejesus.com/myhome/brendaw/breastfeeding.shtml

101 Reasons to Breastfeed:

http://www.promom.org/101/

What Parents Should Know About Formula:

http://www.breastfeeding.com/reading_room/what_should_know_formula.html

Bill Maher completely proves my point on how sexualized this society is

http://thelactivist.blogspot.com/2007/09/bill-maher-on-breastfeeding-in-public.html



Humorous T-shirts:

http://www.thelactivist.com/


Funny stuff I came across while researching:

http://thelactivist.blogspot.com/2007/09/dumbest-baby-product-i-have-ever-laid.html


Even adoptive mothers can nurse:

http://www.fourfriends.com/abrw/faqs.htm


Activism at Ronald McDonald House - this goes to prove my theory about how Americans have some sort of problem with breastfeeding, most likely because we tend to sexualize everything.

http://www.birthwithoutboundaries.com/mcdonald.htm


http://www.promom.org/3min/3min_rmh_july07.html

Tips for Breastfeeding in Public & humorous cartoon: submitted by a mom

http://www.breastfeeding-magazine.com/breastfeeding-in-public

Dr. William Sears: If it's working for you and your child, and your mothering instinct tells you it's right — it's right! In my opinion, you're a health-savvy, modern mom, and it seems that your friends and relatives are old-fashioned and misinformed. As a pediatrician and parent, it grieves me to hear well-meaning critics ask a breastfeeding mother, "You're still nursing?" Know that you're actually making a wise, long-term investment in your child's health. Here are a few things to remember that will help you handle any unwarranted criticism:

Science is on your side. I have read many medical journals with articles proving the long-term health benefits of breastfeeding. The incidence of many illnesses, both childhood and adult, are lowered by breastfeeding — diabetes, heart disease, and central nervous system degenerative disorders (such as multiple sclerosis) to name a few. The most fascinating studies show that the longer and more frequently a mom nurses her baby, the smarter her child is likely to become. The brain grows more during the first two years of life than any other time, nearly tripling in size from birth to two years of age. It's clearly a crucial time for brain development, and the intellectual advantage breastfed babies enjoy is attributed to the "smart fats" unique to mom's breast milk (namely, omega-3 fatty acid, also known as DHA). From head to toe, babies who breastfeed for extended periods of time are healthier overall. They tend to have leaner bodies with less risk of obesity. They also have improved vision, since the eye is similar to the brain in regards to nervous tissue. They have better hearing due to a lower incidence of ear infections. Their dental health is generally good, since the natural sucking action of the breastfed infant helps incoming teeth align properly. Intestinal health is also much better than those of non-breastfed babies, as breast milk is easier to digest, reducing spit-up, reflux, and constipation. A toddler's immune system functions much better since breastmilk contains an immunoglobulin (IGA) which coats the lining of the intestines, which helps prevent germs from penetrating through. Even the skin of these babies is smoother and more supple.


World opinion is on your side. The World Health Organization (WHO) officially recommends mothers breastfeed until three years of age. (Yes, you did read that right!) Even the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends mothers should breastfeed "at least until one year of age and then as long as baby and mother mutually want to."

It's better for your health. Extended breastfeeding reduces the risk of uterine, ovarian, and breast cancers. Breastfeeding women also have a lower incidence of osteoporosis later in life.


It's better for your toddler's behavior. We have many extended breastfeeders in our pediatric practice, and I have noticed that breastfed toddlers are easier to discipline. Breastfeeding is also an exercise in baby reading, which enables a mother to more easily read her baby's cues and intervene before a discipline situation gets out of hand. Nursing is a wonderful calming tool on days when Mom needs to relax and to stave off an impending toddler tantrum.

Blame it on your doctor. I have noticed that one of the easiest ways to silence critics is the phrase: "My doctor advised me to…" You can go on to explain that your doctor told you about all the recent research extolling the benefits of extended breastfeeding.

Let your child silence the critics. Once your friends and relatives see the benefits of your breastfeeding bond, your growth as a mother, and the emotional, intellectual and physical health of your child, they will serve as convincing testimonies to the value of extended breastfeeding.

In the second year (12-23 months), 448 mL of breastmilk provides:

• 29% of energy requirements
• 43% of protein requirements
• 36% of calcium requirements
• 75% of vitamin A requirements
• 76% of folate requirements
• 94% of vitamin B₁₂ requirements
• 60% of vitamin C requirements

-- Dewey 2001


Breastfeeding reduces an infant's risk of:

Respiratory-tract infections 72%

Ear infections 50%

Eczema 42%

Asthma 27-40%

Type 1 diabetes 20%

Type 2 diabetes 39%

Source: See below.

Breastfeeding reduces a mother's risk of:

Type 2 diabetes 12%

Ovarian cancer 21%

Breast cancer 28%

Source: Breastfeeding and Maternal and Infant Health Outcomes in Developed Countries, Structured Abstract. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD (April 2007): www.ahrq.gov/clinic/tp/brfouttp.htm.


Currently listening :

[AUDIO CD & INTERACTIVE CD-ROM] Marshill Worship 1
By Marshill Worship

Blogging on breastfeeding and society

sexualized society

My friend posted a blog about how sexualized our media has gotten, especially for children and teenagers. This is my reply.

I know, it sickens me how much children see and hear in the media. And then they act it all out on the playground, or at their parties. That's what children do to make sense of their world - they roleplay and copy to see what "fits" them. From age 2 to age 22 that's how they are wired, and the media keeps giving them false images and false ideas of fun, and what's healthy.

It just amazes me to see the difference in the children I taught at public schools, and the children of my friends who are homeschooled and whose parents carefully monitor what goes in their bodies and their minds. I see a teen drama on tv, and i pray my kids will never think that it is ok to act that way, and hope I can protect them as best I can in this souped-up sexualized society.

This society is so sexualized that it is the only country in the world that thinks breastfeeding in public is distasteful or dirty, that breastfeeding toddlers is somehow sexual. If you don't think you think that way, think upon this. The World Health Organization as well as many other health organizations believe that it is best and most healthy for the child (and yes, all children in industrialized countries as well) if the child is breastfed to three years of age, and even past that, even up to five or six years old. The average age of weaning world-wide is 4.2 years of age. Even I have a hard time with that - why is that?


It just shows how much we are brainwashed to think of everything in sexual terms. And its sad because most children are only breastfed up to six months to a year in this country, which is one of the number one reasons why we are so high on the list of childhood ailments, including ear infections, juvenile diabetes and allergies, that other countries do not have because they breastfeed longer. So it makes you wonder about the future of this country if we are so sexualized that we believe its distasteful to give our God-created milk to our young.