Breastfeeding

Yummy Mummy was featured recently on NPR.

Health insurance plans now have to cover the full cost of breast pumps for nursing mothers. This is the result of a provision in the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare), and the new rule took effect for many people at the start of this year.

It's led to a boom in the sale of the pumps, which can cost hundreds of dollars.

Yummy Mummy, a little boutique on New York's Upper East Side, has suddenly become a health care provider/online superstore. The company has been hiring like crazy, and just opened an online call center and a warehouse in Illinois. Yummy Mummy even hired somebody to talk to customers' health insurance companies.

And new moms now seem more likely to splurge on fancy new breast pumps. Caroline Shany, a Yummy Mummy customer, spent her own money to buy a breast pump for her first baby. She may buy another one now because insurance will pick up the tab.

"Why not?" she says.

Weird things happen when you take price out of the equation for consumers. For one thing, they stop looking for the best price. But even though breast pumps are free for new moms, somebody has to pay for them.

"Health insurance premiums are driven by how much we spend on health care," says Harvard health economist Katherine Baicker. "The more things that are covered by health insurance policies, the more premiums have to rise to cover that spending."

Advocates of requiring insurance companies to pay for breast pumps say that the measure will pay for itself in the long run. Babies that are breast fed tend to have fewer health problems, and paying for breast pumps should mean more babies are breast fed.

Whether that happens may depend partly on how the new rules are implemented. Insurers are still trying to figure out whether to pay for extra-fancy breast pumps, or just basic models.

Source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2013/01/25/170259620/free-breast-pumps-and-the-cost-of-health-care

Moms returning to work often worry about not having enough milk saved in their freezer. The good news is that the only day you need to plan for, some days in advance, is your first day back at work. Therefore, two weeks before returning, pump one time each day after a morning feeding, when milk supply is the highest, and place your pumped milk in your freezer. On average, breastfeed babies drink one ounce per hour, so caculate the amount you will need for day one based on the number of hours you will be away from your baby. Pumping two weeks in advance is likely to result in enough breastmilk but if you rather have some extra, begin pumping sooner. Finally, once you're back at work, not only will you be pumping for the breastmilk your baby will drink the next day, but pumping will also keep your production steady.

'Tis the season for colds. However, you don't need to stop breastfeeding when sick. It's especially important to continue nursing since your body creates and passes antibodies into your milk in order to fight the infection you or your baby are experiencing. Oftentimes, a breastfed baby will be the only member of the family who doesn't get sick or the one to get a milder version of the bug. Breastfeeding also allows you to get the needed rest to recover since you can feed while in bed. A win-win scenario!

A good way to prevent overfeeding, when offering a bottle, is to use a slow flow nipple. Unless your baby is very fussy about taking a bottle, stay with the newborn flow nipples as long as you are breastfeeding. Oftentimes, using a faster flow nipple can cause a baby to overeat which, in turn, can make a mom question her supply when, in fact, it's perfectly fine.

If your breastfed baby is not gaining as quickly as the early months, it is very likely that she is still growing beautifully. Between six and 12 months, breastfed babies tend to gain two to four ounces a week, which is a drop from the five to eight ounces gained in the first few months. Also, remember that a linear growth pattern is always more important than a baby's percentile on a growth chart. Therefore, a baby on the 10th percentile can be as healthy as one on the 90th.

Oftentimes mothers say they didn't breastfeed in the hospital because they felt they weren't making any milk or because of the non-milky look of colostrum, which tends to be clear or yellowish. The good news is that mothers begin making colostrum by the end of the first trimester, so it's already there after birth. Secondly, it's never good to judge milk by its color. Although not white in appearance, colostrum is still milk and is loaded with carbohydrates, protein, antibodies, and properties that prevent jaundice and low blood sugar levels, making it a perfect first food for a newborn. Finally, the more a mother breastfeeds in the early days, the sooner her breastmilk will transition into mature milk which is more white in appearance.

Bite problems, medically referred to as malocclusions, occur when either the top or bottom row of teeth overextend causing misalignment. In most cases, the treatment for malocclusions is braces. Babies who are breastfeed for more than a year are less likely to have malocclusions thanks to the work done by the jaw, while transferring milk from the breast. The feeding motion during breastfeeding also helps to form a U-shaped hard palate which contributes to proper teeth alignment.

This 2011 Finish Study found that mothers who breastfed for 33 months or longer (cumulative lifetime total) had stronger bones than women who nursed for a shorter time. Turns out that the low levels of estrogen during lactation, which keep milk supply steady, also allow for outer bone growth. And when it comes to bone strength, having greater bone diameter is more important than density. This explains why women who have breastfed are less prone to fractures later on in life. Yet another awesome reason to breastfeed. Your bones will thank you!

http://www.springerlink.com/content/u3w2v6x023525604/fulltext.html

Cranial bones are designed to move over one another as a baby descends through the birth canal. However, when forceps or a vacuum are used during labor, they can often cause shifts in the cranial bones that are not easily self-corrected by the baby after birth. Since the cranial nerves control what the baby does with his mouth, affected cranial bones can cause ineffective latching, which in turn can lead to breastfeeding pain. Many mothers find that in these situations, complementary therapies such as chiropractic care and or craniosacral therapy can make a big difference for correcting how well a baby latches. When deciding on such therapies, it is important to choose a provider who is trained and experienced to work with babies.

In the early days of breastfeeding, mothers often think they are not making enough breastmilk due to colostrum being small in quantity and their baby's frequent feeding pattern. Interestingly, a woman's body knows to produce a small amount of colostrum to match the newborn belly, which is about the size of a marble. Colostrum is low in volume (measurable in teaspoons, rather than ounces) but packed with protein, carbohydrates and immune system factors. Frequent feeds help colostrum transition into mature milk in order to match the baby's growing belly. Therefore, if a baby is feeding well, wetting and popping, in the early days of life, frequent feeds should be viewed more as the normal course of breastfeeding rather than a milk supply issue