Nursing Your Kids

Stonyfield yogurt, makers of the popular Yo Baby line, is releasing a new kind of yogurt for pregnant and breastfeeding mommies called, you guessed it, Yo Mommy. Their baby yogurt, in all of its full fat, sugary, organic glory is delicious. One can only hope that their new “mommy” yogurt is just as good.

Here’s their press release:

(PRLog.Org) – Jan 18, 2008 – Londonderry, NH – Stonyfield Farm, the world’s leading organic yogurt-maker, announces YoMommy, the first yogurt created to address the specific nutritional needs of pregnant, nursing and new moms, and their growing babies.

YoMommy comes in 4-ounce four-packs at a suggested retail price of $2.99. Flavors include Strawberry and Peach, and Blueberry and Raspberry. YoMommy is now available nationwide in natural food stores and in select grocery stores.

While I don’t necessarily agree that, “Enjoying Stonyfield Farm’s YoMommy, a healthy and delicious yogurt from a brand name that you trust, is the simplest way to nourish yourself, which will go a long way to taking care of your baby as well.” really is the “simplest” way to eat well, I know that a few extra vitamins, minerals, DHA and probriotic cultures won’t hurt, especially if you, like me, spent the first trimester eating mostly crackers and french fries.

I was reading an article about how anxious mothers tend to stop breastfeeding before their less anxious counterparts. Anxiety and depressive thoughts lead women to wonder if their babies are eating enough. These mothers are more likely to supplement with formula, add cereal to breast milk earlier than recommended, or stop breastfeeding entirely.

Before Sam was born I suffered from depression and anxiety and took medication for both disorders. Once he was born my hormones kicked into overdrive, and though I wouldn’t exactly call myself cheerful or perky, aside from some severe low points caused primarily by sleep deprivation I haven’t really been overly depressed or anxious since his birth. I truly believe that the hormones released from breastfeeding helped me.

I’d read enough before his birth to know that my milk may not come in immediately and that supplementing is not only unnecessary, it’s not recommended. I’d also read enough to know that breastfeeding isn’t easy. I knew that it takes work and practice and that despite all assumptions to the contrary breastfeeding really isn’t natural. Not any more. Not in this society, where the majority of our mothers (and in many cases their mothers ) didn’t breastfeed.

My milk didn’t come in for five days, and Sam was losing weight and hungry and awake all night and my nipples were raw and blistered from him sucking and sucking even though nothing was coming out. It was awful and I don’t think Bob and I will ever forget the sounds of his cries echoing in our hallways at four in the morning. But I knew that the rough patch would pass. I trusted my milk would come in eventually and it did. I was huge and engorged and it hurt, but I felt confident that I was able to feed my son.

Without support from women with experience, without the expectation that it’s going to be tough, many women give up. Depression and anxiety compound the difficulties and the natural sleep deprivation that comes with parenting a newborn make it easy to decide that breastfeeding just isn’t working.

Anyway, I just feel lucky that after Sam’s birth I was in an emotional state where I was able to continue nursing despite the difficulties. It wasn’t easy. It didn’t feel natural. I had mastitis several times and clogged ducts and overproduction issues. But I suffered through and it got better. Then it got good and it felt natural. And even though I was a clueless first time mother, as my teeny little baby started packing on the pounds I knew I was doing at least one thing right. Like Kelli said back in April, Breast is best.

Of course breast is best, but if you feed your baby formula you may want to consider the risks of Bisphenol-A which has been found in mosts brands of baby formula. In December CNN reported that

The Environmental Working Group is a nonprofit research organization focused on public health and the environment. It does not take money from special interest groups. The group previously raised concerns about the presence of BPA in plastic baby bottles and is pushing for regulation of the compound.

“BPA is a chemical that is harmful at very low doses,” says Jane Houlihan, the organization’s vice president for research. “We’re talking about millions of babies exposed every year to this toxic chemical that’s found in infant formula.”

The Environmental Working Group surveyed the top five manufacturers of baby formula to determine whether they used BPA in their packaging. Here’s a summary of their findings:

* The makers of Nestlé, Similac, Enfamil and PBM (who make store-brand formulas sold at WalMart, Target, Kroger and dozens of other retailers) all said that they use BPA in the linings of metal cans holding liquid formula.

* Powdered formulas are a better choice. Our calculations indicate that babies fed reconstituted powdered formula likely receive 8 to 20 times less BPA than those fed liquid formula from a metal can.

To avoid exposing your child, breastfeeding is the best choice. Powdered formula is the next safest choice, especially Similac and Enfamil whose packaging only contains BPA on the tops and bottoms, not the cardboard sides. If you must feed your baby liquid formula, concentrated formulas in plastic containers are a better choice than ready to serve formula since the concentrate requires dilution.

Motherhood has turned me into a hippie. I breastfed my son for 22 months, started composting and gardening, began buying almost exclusively organic and local foods, I bring my own bags when I shop, I buy and use exclusively reusable water bottles, I’ve eliminated all toxic cleaning products from my house, and now I’m cloth diapering.

One of the benefits of turning into a hippie is that I’m not exposing my son to a variety of chemicals he’d otherwise be exposed to. Pesticides, weird food colorings, leaching plastics, and numerous hormones and antibiotics don’t have much opportunity to hang out in my house these days. Now that I’m pregnant with number two, I have yet another reason to be grateful I’m able to breastfeed: the absence of BPA in my future child’s system.

For those of you who aren’t aware of the current debates, Bisphenol-A, or BPA, is a controversial chemical that can leach out of can linings and plastics into your foods and beverages. Though it’s still legal to use in food grade cans and plastics, scientific studies have linked BPA to cancers, fertility problems, and behavioral problems. The Green Guide’s article on BPA says:

According to its critics, BPA mimics naturally occurring estrogen, a hormone that is part of the endocrine system, the body’s finely tuned messaging service. “These hormones control the development of the brain, the reproductive system and many other systems in the developing fetus,” says Frederick vom Saal, Ph.D., a developmental biologist at the University of Missouri. Endocrine-disrupting chemicals can duplicate, block or exaggerate hormonal responses. “The most harm is to the unborn or newborn child,” vom Saal says.

Plastic water and baby bottles, food and beverage can linings and dental sealants are the most commonly encountered uses of this chemical. Unfortunately, it doesn’t stay put. BPA has been found to leach from bottles into babies’ milk or formula; it migrates from can liners into foods and soda and from epoxy resin-lined vats into wine; and it is found in the mouths of people who’ve recently had their teeth sealed. Ninety-five percent of Americans were found to have the chemical in their urine in a 2004 biomonitoring study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The FDA says that BPA is perfectly safe and the effects of the plastics are only problematic in doses much larger than humans will consume. The fact that it can be problematic at all is what makes me pause. If there’s a possibility of harm, and newborns are especially susceptible, why is BPA present in baby formula and baby bottles?

I’m not good at listening to dietary advice when I’m pregnant. When I was pregnant with Sam I craved lattes, whole milk, full-fat, caffeinated, delicious lattes. I knew that caffeine was bad and that Bob’s extended family has a few isolated milk allergies so milk might be problematic, but I rationalized by saying it was just my body craving calcium and indulged almost daily.

There are plenty of other examples of my throwing caution to the wind and just eating whatever I wanted, no matter what the advice. I ignored warnings about soft cheeses figuring that most cheeses made and sold in the USA are pasteurized anyway. Despite warnings about peanut allergies when I craved apple slices with peanut butter I ate them, figuring a little extra fiber and protein would be good for my growing baby. I ate edamame for a snack figuring it was a better salty choice than chips and the odds of a soy allergy were probably slim anyway.

Then when I was nursing I ignored just about everything. I ate and drank just about everything, ignoring people who told me spicy foods were bad for the baby and broccoli, onions and garlic would make him gassy, and eating certain foods would cause him to develop allergies.

Now the American Academy of Pediatrics is updating some of their previous advice so I don’t have to feel as guilty this time around. In 2000 the AAP advised mothers with histories of allergies in their families to avoid consuming milk, soy, fish, peanuts, and tree nuts. Continuing research found nothing to back those recommendations so that advice has been tossed, and the only advice that remains from earlier reports is to continue breastfeeding. Here’s what the report says:

_There is no convincing evidence that women who avoid peanuts or other foods during pregnancy or breast-feeding lower their child’s risk of allergies.

_There is no convincing evidence that delaying the introduction of foods such as eggs, fish or peanut butter to children prevents allergies. Babies should not get solid food before 4 to 6 months of age, however.

So if you’re pregnant or nursing eat up. Unless specific allergies run rampant in your family and you don’t want to take any chances eat what you like. An interesting, varied diet will only help your child develop good eating habits later, so if you’re craving a spicy Tofu Pad Thai with peanuts, go for it.

According to the Celebrity Baby Blog not all celebrities have nannies. Their year end round-ups have lists of the celebrities who co-sleep, cloth diaper, wear their babies, and breastfeed. Like I’ve said before, I’m not necessarily an AP parent, but my husband and I are definitely attached parents and still occasionally co-sleep, wear our toddler, breastfeed and we’ve recently added cloth diapering to our list so it’s interesting to see which celebrities are more down to earth than you’d think.

Co-sleeping Celebs
Angelina Jolie co-sleeps with her kids. She told Esquire magazine that she slept with Maddox until Brad came along and sleeps with Pax, her most recently adopted child, to make him comfortable.

Kevin Kline and Phoebe Cates and their kids, 16 and 13, still share a bed. I certainly hope they don’t share it every night because while I’m all for co-sleeping, I think co-sleeping with two teenagers regularly is pretty weird. My own hang-ups aside he told OK! magazine, “There is a theory that a child has to teach itself to go to sleep, and if every time it cries, you whisk them out of their bed — the jury is still out on that. But our kids still sleep in our bed.”

Baby Wearing Celebrities
Plenty of celebrities wear their babies in slings, pouches and mei tais including Julia Roberts, Gwen Stefani, Sara Gilbert, Lisa Leslie, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Keri Russell, and Annabeth Gish who said, “What I always loved seeing was mothers with their slings and the Baby Bjorn – the carrying things. I really like the Maya, the Moby, and the New Native. I like the Maya the best.”

Cloth diapering Celebs

Dave Matthews has spoken about cloth diapers for his son August Oliver saying, “I think diapers might be the No. 3 piece of garbage [in terms of environmental damage]…so if you have a little cloth diaper service nearby, that’s good.”

Maggie Gyllenhaal also cloth diapers. Her brother Jake spoke about changing his niece Ramona’s organic, tie-on cloth diapers on Conan O’Brien

Josie Maran uses gDiapers, a cloth/disposable hybrid.

Breastfeeding Celebrities

The Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog recently wrote about celebrity breastfeeding activists citing Maggie Gyllenhal who proudly nursed in public despite being stalked by the paparazzi, Gwen Stefani, Jennifer Gardner who breastfed baby Violet for 14 months, and Keri Russell who attributes her post-partum weight loss to breastfeeding. And let’s not forget about kind of creepy Will Ferrell who talked about his wife’s breast pump during an interview at the Golden Globes this year.

Star-Gazette.com has a great article with great tips for nursing a baby during the holidays. Holidays are rough when you’re nursing, especially if you, like me, like to get a little drunk at holiday parties. Breastfeeding doesn’t mean you can’t drink. It just means you can’t drink very much.

It’s also tough to nurse an older infant. Nursing a newborn is easy. If you’re adept with slings and wraps you can nurse easily in the middle of the room without anyone knowing what you’re up to. But nursing an older toddler who’s aware of his/her surroundings is much harder. They don’t want to leave the party, especially if they’re surrounded by loving family and friends, and dragging them into a darkened room to nurse means you have to leave the party and your baby may be too angry to eat. Well, at least my baby was too mad to eat when I’d make him leave a party. He’d twist and turn and fuss and nurse for a minute before trying to escape. Then he’d melt down from hunger later and we’d have to try again.

I can’t speak to the unintentional weaning the article describes since Sam always refused a bottle, but people were always trying to slip him solids he wasn’t ready for. It’s tough to be vigilant when you just want to relax, but it’s better than having a well-intentioned aunt feeding your five-month-old pepperoni, cookies and peanut brittle.

Nursing isn’t always fun during parties and gatherings, but it can be safe and successful if you follow the articles tips.

•Remember that the holidays are family time and that your family includes your baby. Whenever possible, take your baby along with you. Babies are portable, especially when worn in a sling or wrap and they often become the highlight of the party. If you are not yet comfortable nursing in public or your baby just needs some quiet time, retire to a bedroom until he is settled and then rejoin the party.

•Prevent others from giving your baby tastes of holiday foods. One of the easiest ways to do this is to make sure that only you, or another trusted adult, are holding your baby when it is time to eat.

This is in no way groundbreaking research but yet another study, this time published in Pediatrics, says that the way to raise children who like fruits and vegetables is to eat them yourself while pregnant and nursing to pass on the preference.

Repeated exposure to fruits and vegetables in infancy is key, said study senior author Julie Mennella, a biopsychologist and member of the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia. “They need to taste them to learn to like them.”

Mennella’s advice: “Eat the fruits and vegetables you enjoy while you are pregnant and lactating, because your baby is going to be learning about those foods. Whether you are breast-feeding or formula-feeding, once you start introducing a food, make sure you offer your baby opportunities to eat fruits and vegetables. They need to taste them to learn to like them.”

From my limited personal experience I have to say this is true. Sam loves fruits and veggies and won’t touch cows milk, a beverage I won’t drink either unless it’s disguised by espresso and sugar. Yesterday the freak picked all of the broccoli off of his pizza, ate it, and left the pizza itself untouched. He did ignore all of the tomatoes and I’m not a fan of tomatoes either. He’s a chip off of the old block. I worry about my second child. One of the unfortunate effects of this pregnancy is that I’m suffering a serious aversion to fruits and veggies. I hope my taste for them comes back soon. A prenatal vitamin probably won’t help much for a future of picky eating.

(I’m double posting this at Kids Dish.)

Well, I guess one response is better than none so here’s the follow up to my message board situation. Many other people responded in between, but I’ll just post the conversation between me and the woman who used the word crazies. Her responses are in italics, mine are in bold.

Oh come on. I wasn’t saying anything mean. But I guess people can get offended by anything! I think people that tell others they are wrong and don’t know how they feel or where they are coming from are crazies (and that is me putting it nicely!), if that makes you mad…oh well. Nothing I can do about that. I’m really starting to get frustrated that women can get on here preaching to breastfeed and it’s ok, but as soon as I support someone by saying you don’t have to listen to them I’m suddenly offensive. I’ve never had problems like these on any other board, It’s so weird.

You said crazies. It doesn’t make me mad, it just doesn’t belong in this thread. Perhaps in the debate thread it could be appropriate, but even then you’re still calling people you disagree with names.

And for the record, I’m not preaching breastfeeding. I think it’s wonderful and that every mother should try it, but if it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work. If you don’t want to, you don’t want to. As long as you’re feeding your baby so that your baby is happy and healthy that’s all that matters. Does that make me a crazy?

I never said I didn’t say crazies, but I never referred to breastfeeding advocates. Like I’ve said a million times I was referring to people who think they know better than you and try to push their opinions off on you. I can honestly say I don’t know what you are so upset about? I wasn’t debating, merely supporting someone to not listen to someone if they are trying to make you feel your decisions are wrong. Would my statement have been ok if I called them sillies? It’s all the same! I didn’t call anybody any names. I never referred to anyone. I probably should have just let you be mad and not replied, but I felt like standing up for myself. This whole thing is crazy! Or silly! Or whatever doesn’t offend you.

At this point I stopped responding. I wasn’t at all emotionally invested in the topic, I just don’t like to hear people call lactivists crazy and thought I should explain why. I can find something offensive without being offended. Like Family Guy- I love that show, but it’s totally offensive in more ways than I can count and doesn’t offend me at all. I thought it was strange that the woman kept insisting I was mad, and that she had to explain herself a million times (I counted twice) when I don’t feel like I expressed anger. I don’t know why I keep going back. It’s a sickness.

When I was pregnant with Sam I joined a message board for expectant mothers and I’ve been annoyed ever since. While I’m sure some of the women on the message board are reasonable human beings they just don’t come across as reasonable online.

The argument that irritated me today came in a thread where a woman new to the board and expecting a second child asked for opinions concerning breastfeeding. She did not go into detail but she said she was unable to breastfeed her first child and despite her knowledge of the benefits was considering not even trying to breastfeed the second. She asked the women on the board for feedback.

Four or five posters told her she shouldn’t worry what other people thought and if she wanted to formula feed she should. Some of the women specified that they thought breastfeeding was best, but that it was her decision and no one else’s business. One woman said she was physically able to breastfeed but just didn’t want to. I wasn’t crazy about that response, but since she wasn’t looking for feedback I wasn’t going to give it.

Another poster wrote that she tried to nurse her son and couldn’t. She beat herself up over it until she realized he’s never had an ear infection. She then told the original poster not to listen to crazies who tell her she’s wrong for not breastfeeding.

I wanted to respond to the original poster, but couldn’t let that comment go. Here’s my response:

I think that the decision to breastfeed is a personal choice. Women choose not to breastfeed for many reasons, all of them valid. However, I think the use of the word “crazies” to describe breastfeeding advocates is offensive. While I know you specifically said “crazies who try to tell you you’re wrong,” in my experience the only ones who try to persuade someone to breastfeed are those who truly believe it’s the best thing possible. Does that make them crazy? Intrusive, sure. Rude, absolutely. But crazy?

Breast is best and it’s proven in study after study. I don’t believe that formula is harmful, nor do I believe that it’s any of my business how a mother chooses to feed her baby.

I plan on summarizing the rest of the thread tomorrow, but before I do I’d like to know if you think my comment makes me sound angry.

Great news, mamas! Breastfeeding does not, in fact, create sagging boobs so tell everyone who tells you otherwise they’re wrong and you’ve got plastic surgeons, the group that most stands to benefit from the myth, to back you up.

A study presented at the American Society of Plastic Surgeons 2007 conference shows that breastfeeding has no effect on the shape of a woman’s breast.

“Many women who come in for breast surgery tell us their breasts are sagging, drooping or are less full because they breastfed,” said Brian Rinker, MD, ASPS Member Surgeon and study author. “Although the amount of sagging in the breasts appears to increase with each pregnancy, we’ve found that breastfeeding does not worsen the effect.”

As the first study to examine what impacts breast shape in connection to pregnancy, plastic surgeons found that a history of breastfeeding, the number of children breastfed, the duration of each child’s breastfeeding, or the amount of weight gained during pregnancy were not significant predictors for losing breast shape. However, body mass index (BMI), the number of pregnancies, a larger pre-pregnancy bra size, smoking history, and age were significant risk factors for an increased degree of breast sagging.

Interesting that smoking has an effect on the buoyancy of breasts. I can think of no better way to scare vain teenage girls into not smoking than by telling them it will make their boobs saggy. Kids don’t seem to be scared of cancer these days, but sagging is terrifying.

USDA ANNOUNCES NEW MYPYRAMID FOR PREGNANT AND NURSING MOMS

WASHINGTON, Oct. 25, 2007 — Acting Secretary of Agriculture Chuck Conner today announced the launch of a new MyPyramid web site designed specifically for pregnant and breastfeeding mothers. The new interactive guidance, found at MyPyramid.gov, provides unique, individualized nutrition guidance to meet the needs of expectant and new moms.

The website looks pretty straightforward. You plug in your age, whether you’re breastfeeding or pregnant (there doesn’t seem to be an option for both), height, weight, and activity level and the site tells you how many servings of grains, vegetables, fruits, milk and meat and beans you should be eating each day. While this tool isn’t necessary for everyone, many women are unsure of what and how much they should be eating. Generic calorie requirements don’t apply to everyone, so it’s nice to see the USDA is taking a mother’s nutritional needs into consideration.

Also, if you’re breastfeeding and eligible for WIC you may want to look into the WIC farmer’s market programs for access to locally grown (usually with organic methods) produce.

Here’s some great news via The Lactivist. Evenflo is buying Ameda, a well respected brand that primarily make hospital grade pumps, and becoming WHO code compliant.

Marketing of Breast Milk Substitutes. The WHO Code was created in 1981 as a guide for marketing practices of infant formula, bottle and nipple manufacturers to ensure that breast milk substitutes, feeding bottles and nipples are not marketed inappropriately.

“The WHO code is designed to promote and protect breastfeeding around the world, and Evenflo’s decision to help support this important objective by becoming Code compliant is to be congratulated,” said Marsha Walker, Executive Director of the National Alliance for Breastfeeding Advocacy. “I believe Evenflo’s actions will help encourage moms and remove barriers to breastfeeding in the U.S. I’m gratified to see Evenflo and Ameda delivering on their promise to develop and market products in a manner that will not interfere with or impede breastfeeding,” she said.

This is fantastic news. I’m pleased to see that such a well-known company is willing to take a risk and stop marketing bottles and nipples to new moms.

Back when I had a TiVo I had the pleasure of watching a lot more television than I do now. Every so often I’d have the double pleasure of watching back to back episodes of Wife Swap and Supernanny. Well I think it was Wife Swap, but it could have been Trading Spouses. I can’t tell those two apart. I can tell Nanny 911 and Supernanny apart though, just because one of the shows has more nannys. Good times.

Anyway, my point is that I found one episode of Supernanny especially alarming. In the episode, a woman with several kids and a home day care spent a large portion of her day nursing her toddler. The Supernanny came in and demanded that the 17 month old girl be weaned immediately. I was surprised that an “expert” would recommend quitting cold turkey, a practice that’s traumatic for both mother and child, especially when neither party has expressed a desire to stop. When I saw the episode Sam wasn’t quite a year old. I’d planned on weaning him at a year, but watching that episode helped me realize that I’d stop when he was ready, not when some know-it-all British broad told me to.

Now Superanny Jo Frost, a woman with no children of her own, has the potential of alarming a much larger audience. Her new book about infant care ignores all recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics and World Health Organization and suggests introducing infants to formula feeding between six weeks and three months because it will help them sleep better. Right. This advice goes hand in hand with my mother’s ill-informed advice of slipping some rice cereal in my two week old son’s bottle to help him sleep through night.*

The “expert” also says that co-sleeping, a practice that has helped countless families around the world sleep better, is a “no-no” and suggests giving infants pacifiers to help them sleep, but only if you’re prepared to take them away the minute your child turns one. I can’t wait to read the rest of her great advice.

*Please note that there is absolutely no evidence that any types of formula or cereal actually help babies sleep longer. Some babies sleep well and others don’t whether they’re formula or breastfed, and solid foods like cereal before the age of four months at the absolute earliest can do more harm than good to an infants immature digestive system. I wrote more about starting solids at Kids Dish.

The New York Times reports that the FDA plans to ban over the counter multi-symptom cough and cold medicines marketed to kids. The drug hasn’t been tested children under the age of six yet it’s marketed to kids as young as two. This ban could effect 800 different medications including Toddler’s Dimetapp, Triaminic Infant and Little Colds.

In their 356- page report reviewers wrote that there’s very little evidence that these medicines are effective in young children and they may even be dangerous. Adverse reactions to the drugs, including deaths from both antihistamines and decongestants are reported voluntarily, so numbers may even be underreported.

They also recommend standardizing the droppers, syringes and cups that come with infant and toddler medicines, which would be fantastic, since I was once guilty of overloading my poor son with motrin when I used the wrong dropper. Luckily I caught my mistake after the first (large) dose.

Aside from Motrin (used after my poor little guy broke his leg) and Tylenol (for teething) we’ve never used any over-the-counter medications. I know that this isn’t true for everyone and that not all children (and parents) are so lucky, but I truly believe that breastfeeding has kept Sam healthy. He’s had one bad cold, one stomach virus, and a few runny noses in his 18 months. The cold only lasted a few days, my stomach flu lasted twice as long as his, and I got another one that he somehow managed to avoid. I know that breastmilk can’t be totally responsible for his good health, but considering how much time we spent in germ-infested play areas used by thousands of Philadelphia residents we made out quite well.

I am almost positive that the reason his stomach virus at 11 months was so short-lived is because he was able to nurse throughout. In fact, he stopped eating solid foods entirely for almost a month after the virus, so it was both a blessing (for him) and a curse (for my poor, aching boobs) that he was still breastfeeding. The fact that I got several illnesses that he didn’t seemed like tangible proof that the antibodies were flowing freely along with the milk. I think I got sick so much because I was giving all of my immunities to him. To be honest, I’m pretty sure that he basically sucked my immune system out of me- I spent more time sick since his birth than I was in the five years before it.

My health aside, I feel like Sam is walking proof that breast is best. Kelli’s post about her son’s immunity in April shows her son had similar luck. Now we just have to see how this winter goes, since it seems that Sam’s slowly, slowly (maybe? hopefully?) weaning.