Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding moms in the US have much to celebrate during this year’s World Breastfeeding week. Women pregnant when the US Department of Labor passed last year’s “Break Time for Nursing Mother’s” provision can now take full advantage of the law which requires employers to provide both a reasonable break time and place for employees to pump or otherwise express breast milk. In addition, a 2011 ruling by the IRS enables breastfeeding families to use pretax money from their flexible spending accounts to purchase pumps and other breastfeeding supplies.

Furthermore, good news has been released regarding the benefits of breastfeeding for both mom and baby. Results from a study by the University of Pittsburgh’s Department of Medicine show that breastfeeding may lower a mother’s risk of Type 2 Diabetes. And in a review of 288 studies on breastfeeding and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) data, researchers conclude in July’s issue of Pediatrics that breastfeeding protects against SIDS.

For today’s moms, unlike past generations, breastfeeding is widely encouraged by both physicians and the media alike. Celebrities are frequently heard boasting about the many reasons they love nursing (weight loss! bonding! ease of use!) and some even pose for photos with baby at breast. Indeed breastfeeding is very much in vogue. And with Michelle Obama incorporating it into her campaign to reduce childhood obesity, it has seldom been as topical.

Breastfeeding is such a positive experience for most of the nursing moms at Yummy Mummy, the breastfeeding store I own and run, that many of my moms are unable to fight back tears when they think about their inevitable return to work and the prospect of pumping for their baby rather than breastfeeding. Pumping at works enables mothers to breastfeed for as long they wish even though they are separated from their baby. And many of my moms pump and breastfeed or exclusively pump very successfully. But pumping at work requires dedication. It also takes time and coordination that some working mothers feel is hard to find.

It is no secret that maternity leave durations in the US are much shorter than others around the world. In the US, the average mother is permitted just six weeks of time off and, because most often the time off is unpaid, many moms can’t afford to take any leave at all. Compare this to the subsidized 4 years both moms and dads can enjoy in the Czech Republic and the 16 months both parents are entitled to in Sweden.

In a new study by Pediatrics, researchers found that less than 65% of women who took shorter maternity leaves (one to six weeks) tried breastfeeding while close to 75% of women with longer maternity leaves (around 13 weeks) attempted to breastfeed. Countries with longer maternity leave practices, like Sweden, enjoy some of the highest breastfeeding rates in the world with initiation rates in Sweden close to 100%. Unfortunately, many mothers in the US are giving up before even trying.

The Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) breastfeeding objectives published in its Healthy People 2020 include increasing the percentage of mothers who breastfeed at six months and mothers who breastfeed exclusively at six months as well as reducing formula supplementation at birth and enhancing lactation support within hospitals and the workplace.

As important as the CDC’s guidelines are, for improved breastfeeding participation, especially among working moms, it will be difficult for the US to meet these goals without a new and enlightened maternity leave policy. Quite simply, the US’ six-week maternity leave is no formula for increasing breastfeeding norms to 6 months.

By CATHERINE SAINT LOUIS

WHEN Jessica Jochim returned to work after her three-month maternity leave, she was the envy of her co-workers at Babies "R" Us. Mrs. Jochim, who had gained 40 pounds carrying her first child, steadily slimmed until she was a size 4 again. Yet, exercise was a pre-baby relic. She wasn't dieting, either. In fact, every two hours, she snacked as if on cue.

What was her secret? Breast-feeding her newborn James on demand, and using a breast pump to take milk home to him.

"All the ladies at work started joking they were going to go in back and pump so they could start losing weight like I was," said Mrs. Jochim, a mother of three from Vancouver, Wash. "I had a baby suckling 600 calories a day out of me."

That breast-feeding gives mothers an edge shedding baby weight has long been suspected. But lately, a parade of celebrities has attributed their postpartum slimming to nursing, bringing this age-old topic back into the spotlight. Adding to the conversation is a large study that suggests that weight loss through breast-feeding is not a myth.

Earlier this year, Rebecca Romijn, who wore a shrink-wrapped outfit in "X-Men," called breast-feeding her new twins "the very best diet I've been on." After Angelina Jolie posed for the November 2008 cover of W magazine nursing one of her twins, she said that it had helped her regain her figure. (That cover made her an icon among breast-feeding advocates and inspired a bronze statue of a nude Ms. Jolie double-nursing her newborns that was exhibited in London last month.)

These days, more than ever, a mother is expected to bounce back from pregnancy and be a "yummy mummy" in no time. Skin-care lines like Mama Mio target mothers with firming creams like Boob Tube. Nursing mothers can buy form-fitting tops at <strong>YummyMummyStore.com</strong> so they can flaunt their shape as they push their Bugaboo.

Is it any wonder that some new mothers are quietly thrilled at the calorie cushion that breast-feeding provides? "Nobody wants to admit they are doing it for themselves, or 'I'm doing it to help myself look hot again,'" said Jesse Comer, from Portland, Ore., whose main motivation to breast-feed was her baby's health. "It;s tough to admit to other people that everything isn't about the baby." But Ms. Comer, like many mothers interviewed for this article, "felt like until the weight was off, I wouldn't feel myself."

Boob Scoop: Healthy, full-term babies have enough iron stores in their bodies to last for at least the first six months. In addition, the iron in breastmilk is better absorbed than that from other sources due to its levels of vitamin C and lactose, which aid in iron absorption. Here’s an excellent piece by Kellymom on what’s normal when it comes to iron levels, why iron supplementation is not the answer for every baby and a list of great foods that are naturally rich in iron. http://kellymom.com/nutrition/vitamins/iron/

When preparing bottles for daycare, store them in 2-3 ounce amounts. In doing so, the baby is not given more than needed, less is wasted and the caregiver doesn't feel the need to finish the bottle just because it's filled to the brim. As you may know, the amount of breastmilk you produce after the first month does not change much, but its composition continues adjusting to meet your baby's growing and developmental needs. Therefore, you may be surprised to learn that even at 6 months, your baby may not drink more than three ounces at a feeding, when getting a bottle.

After the first month of breastfeeding, your baby may begin feeding quicker than she used to, which may lead you to think that she didn't feed enough. However, with an average of about three-hundred feedings in one month, it's likely that she has reached pro status and has just become a very efficient nurser. So if you have a newborn, try to enjoy the days when a feeding can allow for enough time to read through your Facebook newsfeed. These days will pass quicker than you can fathom right now ;)

People.com asked Amanda for some handy breastfeeding tips; this was the result:

6 Tips to Happy Nursing

From finding the right accessories to asking for support, Yummy Mummy owner and mom-of-two Amanda Cole shares her best ideas for breastfeeding success. Read more...>

Mothers often wonder how they will ever get to pump enough milk to fill up 8oz bottles, especially when returning to work. The reality is that most breastfeeding mothers won't ever pump that amount, so go ahead and sigh in relief. The reason for this is that after the first month, milk volume stays about the same, increasing somewhat during times of growth spurts, but instead changes in composition. The change in composition is the key element. Unique to breastmilk is the fact that it changes according to a baby's age. Remarkable, right? So although your baby is getting about the same in volume, from the end of month 1- 6, your breastmilk is continuously adjusting in composition to meet her growing and developmental needs. This is great news for protecting a baby's size by providing her with the right amount of food, without over stretching her belly. This is in fact, part of the reason why breastfed babies are at a lower risk for obesity throughout their childhood and later on in life.

Breastfeeding doesn't have to keep you from getting back into your exercise routine. Nursing and exercise can actually work hand-in-hand to keep you healthy and energized enough to care for your baby. Here are responses to the common questions related to exercise and breastfeeding.