These dummies failed parenting class. Parents who were the victims of a home invasion fled their house - leaving their 8 year old child behind. Incredible.

World class mom. There is a woman in China, an officer, who has been breastfeeding nine babies to keep them alive in the aftermath of the terrible earthquake there. That just warms my heart. While the idea of breastfeeding another persons child may seem strange, the life-or-death circumstances around this situation changes that. I would like to think that I would do the same thing. Kudos to her!!!

Do you agree? A woman in Ohio just was awarded $20 million. She sued her doctor for a delivery room issue. She was told in advance she had a narrow birth canal, and they tried for 13 hours to get the baby out. She ended up with an emergency C-section. The baby was born with some birth defects - mild retardation, vision problems and issues in moving her limbs. They claim the child’s injuries were because her head was squeezed.

Boy, I would have loved to be on the jury for this one. I wonder - what was this mom’s birth plan? Was she dead set against a C-section - did she push them to delay it? Can the doctors prove that the child’s injuries came from her head being squished in the birth canal?

In any case, I think $20 million is a bit excessive. But don’t even get me started with my opinions on our legal system.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) just released findings that show that new mothers are choosing to breastfeed (at least briefly) in greater numbers than at any point since the mid-1980s (according to CDC surveys).

Experts attributed the rise to education campaigns that emphasize that breast milk is better than formula at protecting babies against disease and childhood obesity. A changing culture that accommodates nursing mothers may also be a factor.

Well, I can definitely assure you that the health department in my county has a strong pro-breastfeeding bent in the mandatory class for expecting mothers. I’m sure it wasn’t always that way, but they spend quite a bit of time covering the ins and outs of breastfeeding, pumping, what to expect, etc. — and they provide what seems like reams of papers on why you should consider breastfeeding your infant. I’m all for that, even if breastfeeding didn’t work for me with either kid.

And I’m happy if we really do have a more nursing-friendly community. I know my kids’ pediatric group has a “Please feel free to nurse your baby anywhere on our premises”-type sign in English and Spanish on their front doors. I think it does make a difference to moms caught between what they might do in an ideal situation and what they feel they have to do to get by in everyday life. (A big hats-off to moms who work full-time and EBF their infants!)

It’s good to see progress here. I know that for some mothers, breastfeeding just doesn’t work out or isn’t their personal choice, but it’s good for everyone when we can help people make an educated, informed decision about something so important, and to arm them with the knowledge, if they do choose to breastfeed, to have the most potentially successful experience possible. And our “helps” seem to be working.

Posted by Sunshine.

New research suggests that babies who are breastfed for the first three months of life are less likely to develop food allergies.

“A review of 18 studies demonstrates a significant protective effect of exclusive breast-feeding for at least three months for children with high risk for atopy (genetic tendency to develop allergic diseases) against the development of atopic dermatitis and early childhood asthma-like symptoms,” Dr. Robert Wood, international health director for pediatric allergy and immunology at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, said in a prepared statement.

In fact, the research suggests several of allergy prevention strategies, including these:

* Women should avoid peanuts and tree nuts during pregnancy and while breast-feeding.
* Mothers should supplement breast-feeding with a hypoallergenic formula (extensively or partially hydrolyzed).
* Delay feeding these children solid foods until they’re six months old.
* Delay introduction of milk and egg until age 1 and peanut and tree nuts until age 3.
* Start early intervention when signs of food allergy appear (secondary prevention).

(I’m a little unclear as to whether the supplementing advice is for those who are already supplementing or is intended for all BFing moms.)

This article also notes that a child (anyone, really) may be allergic to one part of a food family, but not to the entire category (nuts, for example), and that physicians should look to food allergies as possible causes of skin and gastrointestinal issues in patients of all ages.

As if you needed another reason to breastfeed - but now you know!

Posted by Sunshining.

If your girls are looking a little sad, don’t blame breastfeeding. A new study indicates that nursing is not the culprit for less than perky breasts:

Researchers at a University of Kentucky plastic surgery clinic examined 93 patients who had experienced at least one pregnancy and had an average age of 39.

Fifty-four women had breastfed at least one child, for an average of nine months. There was no significant difference in breast sagging between these women and the 39 moms who did not breastfeed.

But other factors did increase the likelihood of sagging. They include age, obesity, more pregnancies, larger pre-pregnancy cup size and smoking. Dr. Brian Rinker and colleagues reported the study at a meeting last week of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

“These findings support the assertion of pediatricians and lactation specialists that breastfeeding does not adversely affect breast shape,” researchers wrote.

Why would pregnancy be a culprit? Pregnancy causes the breasts to become bigger, and post-partum, breasts don’t tend to return to their original shapes.

One possible weakness of the study is it might not represent a good cross-section of the post-partum population, as the women involved were all seeking breast implants, lifts, or both.

If you’re interested, here’s how the experts rate breast sagginess:

Breast sagging (technically called ptosis) was measured on a 0-to-3 scale, with 0 representing no sagging (nipple is higher than the skin fold beneath the breast) and 3 representing extreme sagging (nipple points straight down).

I’d quibble with how they determine “no sagging”. I’m definitely still above the skin fold, but not nearly as spry as I once was. I think they need a bigger scale.

Posted by MommaSteph.

New Clue to Gestationtal Diabetes: Researchers have discovered that a protein called menin slows the growth of insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, and may hold the clue as to what causes gestational diabetes. It was also found that the hormone prolactin, which becomes elevated during pregnancy, triggers the production of insulin-producing islet cells in the pancreas. This hormone seems to regulate the amount of menin in the pancreas. Researchers think that prolactin decreases menin levels during pregnancy, allowing the pancreas to produce more insulin to meet the demands of the pregnancy. “We think it likely that one reason for developing gestational diabetes is an impaired ability of islet cells to respond to growth signals like prolactin.” It is possible that these findings may lead to tests to detect if a woman is at risk for developing diabetes during pregnancy, and may also lead to treatments to stimulate islet cell growth in those with diabetes.

Asthma and breastfeeding: Breastfeeding for longer than four months could be detrimental to baby’s lungs if the mother has asthma, says a recent study. It is theorized that breast milk transmits hormones that promote inflammation from mothers with asthma to their babies. “Compared to children of asthmatic mothers breastfed for shorter periods, those breastfed for four months or longer had a 6% reduction in certain lung function testing at 16 years.” Researchers say it is too early to advise new mothers to not breastfeed past four months.

Breastfeeding Law: MPs in Australia who also happen to be new moms will now be allowed to nurse their babies in the New South Wales’ Parliament. Speaker Richard Torbay announced that he is permanently changing the rules to allow women to breastfeed in the chamber. This is a first for Austrialia’s legislative chambers. In 2003, MP Zali Steggall was kicked out of the Victoria Parliament for attempting to nurse her 11-day-old baby.

PPD Legislation Update: Last week, the Melanie Blocker-Stokes Postpartum Depression Research and Care Act, aimed at providing more funding for the study of postpartum mood disorders, passed in the House of Representatives, 382-3. The bill now moves to the Senate. According to the American Psychiatric Association, postpartum depression affects around one in ten new mothers; postpartum mood disorders with psychotic features affect between one in 500 to 1000 new moms. You can read more about Ms. Blocker-Stokes here.

Is nothing sacred? The CPSC and Kahoot Products Inc. announced a recall of 1.6 million Cub Scout Totem badges, which were manufactured in China, because the surface paint contains lead. The badge in question in is pictured here. Parents should remove the badges from their children and contact Kahoot at (770) 552-2921, for a replacement badge.

Pregnancy and Thyroid: A new study out of Boston University School of Medicine finds that perchlorate, a naturally-occurring and man-made chemical increasingly found in humans, does not appear to disrupt the thyroid function of pregnant women. Thyroid hormone is crucial for the neurological development of the fetus, and there had been fears that perchlorate compromised the thyroid functioning in pregnant women with low-iodine diets. “In a large study of first-trimester pregnant women, which is a potentially vulnerable population, we found no effect of environmental perchlorate exposure on thyroid function, even though the amount of perchlorate in the urine was similar to that found in the U.S. population and about seventy percent of the women were mildly iodine deficient,” said Elizabeth N. Pearce, M.D., lead author of the study and assistant professor of medicine at the Boston University School of Medicine in Boston.

Awwww….Rescuers of a lost and lonely kitten feared the newborn would die when she refused to be bottle fed, but their family dog stepped up to the job.  Honey, a golden retriever, began comforting the kitten, and soon began lactating, even though she had last given birth a year and a half earlier.  The kitten took right to her surrogate mom and is apparently thriving.

Good news, New Yorkers - the infant mortality rate in NY dropped in 2006, from 6.0 to 5.9 per 1,000 births. In the 1990s, New York’s infant mortality rate was twice what it is today. That state’s rate remains below the national average.

What are NY citizens doing right? What can you do to help prevent infant death in your own family?

While not all causes are known and not all deaths can be prevented, here are some tips to lower the risk of experiencing such a loss:

* Plan your pregnancy. Unplanned pregnancies are more likely to result low birth weight, infant death, and poor development.

* Have a regular doctor or health care provider to help you stay healthy.

* If you smoke or use alcohol or drugs, get help to stop.

* Maintain a healthy weight and eat a healthy diet.

* Keep chronic illnesses like diabetes and high blood pressure under control.

* Get help if you are depressed, overly stressed, or abused.

* Take folic acid, which helps prevent serious birth defects.

* Breastfeed your baby. Breastfeeding lowers the risk of acquiring infectious diseases that put a new baby at risk of death. Breastfeeding also lowers the risk of SIDS.

Posted by Sunshine.

Sophie Currier, a Harvard student who has been in the news recently for her lawsuit to gain extra break time during her licensing exam in order to breastfeed, has finally won her appeal and will be granted the extra time she says she needs - 60 minutes added onto the standard 45 minute breaks.

As a mom with 27 months of nursing under my belt, I am definitely in the pro-breastfeeding club. But in this case I have to admit I am a bit skeptical. Why? Firstly I am not quite convinced that feeding her child is her main concern here. She already has been granted a special exception to take the test over two nine hour days instead of the normal one, because of her dyslexia and ADHD. How many exceptions should she be granted? (She failed the test the last time she took it about four months ago). Also, there have been other nursing mothers who have taken the test successfully without the extra time that Ms. Currier claims to need - so are they being disadvantaged from this?

This is, after all, a medical exam. Aren’t doctors are supposed to have a strong character to excel in stressful situations, not be constantly looking for excuses? I honestly can’t see why her problem is so big - especially that she felt the need to sue to receive additional special privileges.

As a working mother, I have also been in many situations where it has not been convenient for me to breastfeed. I have been in day-long client meetings where I have had to slip out for 5 minutes to pump briefly, only to express enough milk to release the pressure and provide me some comfort. (And I was forward-thinking enough to freeze extra feedings, so my babies were just fine at those times.)

To me, it comes down to personal choice. There most certainly ARE ways to be creative about breastfeeding, especially for a career-driven mother, which Ms. Currier appears to be. In our cases, it is all about the balance… and yes, there are times when the career might need to take a bit of priority, but with planning there really is no negative impact to mother or child.

While I am 100% for the right for women to breastfeed whenever/wherever they need to, I wonder if a high-profile case such as this could actually result in a set-back for the cause if she is insincere and using this as an excuse to further her own personal agenda. And in this case, I am really not convinced that her situation merited the special arrangements.

Does Ms. Currier deserve the extra time, or is she looking for excuses to give herself the extra edge she needs to pass her exam?  What do you think?

Posted by Meganlux

Trippy! Two of the original Blue Men of the Blue Man Group are opening a nursery school in New York, called Blue Man Creativity Center (at least until accreditation). From the New Yorker profile:

Every day at the center will end with a ritual called Glow Time, during which the shades are lowered, the regular lights are turned off, and black lights are turned on, illuminating the parts of the room (including work created by the students) that have been painted with special UV paint. The collection of Blue Man-inspired educational gewgaws on hand is a far cry from flash cards and Play-Doh. There’s a hypnotic Bubble Machine, with kid-controlled colored lights; a futuristic Water Machine, with a mini-whirlpool; and a trippy installation, left over from the B.M.G.’s 2003 tour, of giant computer-animated dragonflies that can be made to light up, flap their wings, and fly.

Blue Man Matt Goldman explains: “We wanted to create the school that we wish we’d had.” The plan is to keep adding classes to the school until it covers at least to grade five.

(Via ODIM.)

It’s fun to nurse at the Yyyyyy-M-C-A… A Pickering, Ontario woman has filed a human rights complaint after she was told by a YMCA employee not to nurse her baby on the premises. (We love the mother’s recounting of how the incident was initiated: “She wondered if I might be more comfortable in an alternate location…I explained to her that I was really comfortable where I was, and that I wasn’t interested in moving.”) The VP of Communications for the YMCA later told the media that the employee made an error in judgment.