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.

A UK company called GROE Baby (stands for Growing, Recognising, Observing, Exploring) is offering nursing tops for moms that aim not only to be fashionable and allow for modest public nursing, but also to stimulate a newborn’s brain. The signature nursing top has black and white spirals over each breast and at the center of the chest. According to the site, while we look at the spirals and see this:

the baby sees this:

EEK! Can that really be good for the baby? If so, I would guess our nipples would come patterned like that in the first place.

I side with Pamela over at Exceptional Marriages: Let’s not make enforced multitasking for babies the new trend. Just let ‘em nurse and zone out at will. We can always freak out about their early education when they hit the toddler years and chase them around the house with flash cards.

Posted by MommaSteph.

Pregnancy and Peanuts: In the UK, a House of Lords committee is expected to recommend that the government reverse its health advisory on peanuts and pregnant and nursing women. Currently, the government recommends that pregnant and breastfeeding women with a history of asthma and allergies avoid exposing their babies to peanuts in utero or through breastmilk; however, the rate of UK primary school children with nut allergies has doubled in the past several years. “It is quite striking that the increase in peanut allergies is rather in step with the increasing Government advice not to expose tiny children to them,’ said Lord May of Oxford. ‘In Israel, where peanuts are quite commonly found in baby food, there has been no increase in peanut allergies.” Health minister Ivan Lewis offfered, “If the advice is entirely wrong and counterproductive and actually damaging people, then we really need to move rather quickly rather than having ongoing incessant reviews.”

Preemies and Steroids: According to a study conducted by Columbia University Medical Center researchers, a corticosteroid called betamethasone, when given in repeat doses to women at risk of premature delivery, may increase the risk of the infants developing cerebral palsy. The study followed 556 infants to ages two or three, and found that six out of 248 children whose mothers received weekly administration of the drug were diagnosed with cerebral palsy, versus one of the 238 of the infants whose mothers received only one dose. Although the numbers were not statistically significant, the lead researcher notes that as repeat doses provide no apparent benefit over the single dose, and may put babies at risk, the practice of giving multiple courses of steroids should be dropped.

This is offensive? Facebook, the popular social networking site, issued a statement addressing the recent dust-up over its removal of certain breastfeeding photographs it deemed offensive: “Facebook does allow mothers to upload and share photos of themselves breastfeeding their babies, and those photos remain available on Facebook as long as they follow the site’s Terms of Use. Photos containing a fully exposed breast do violate those Terms and could be removed.”

Bumper Pads and Baby Safety: A new study out of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis concludes that the risks associated with bumper pads in cribs, which include accidental death, outweigh their possible benefits. In reviewing databased kept by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the team found 27 bumper pad-related infant deaths occurring between 1985 and 2005, of which 11 were caused by suffocation when babies rested their faces against the bumpers, 13 resulted from babies becoming wedged between the pads and other objects, and three were attributed to strangulation on bumper pad ties. One expert in infant deaths offered, “I don’t think bumper pads are doing any good…Although the deaths and injuries may be rare events, they are preventable by eliminating the use of bumper pads.”

Prenatal Testing Innovations: According to a report in the journal Analytical Chemistry, Stanford University researchers are developing a test for Down syndrome and other chromosomal abnormalities that will produce results in two hours. Conventional tests now take two weeks.

Breastfeeding does not protect against allergies, asthma? A new study published in the British Medical Journal challenges the notion that breastfeeding lowers the risk of asthma and allergies for children. The randomized trial followed 14,000 mother/infant pairs in Belarus, starting in the mid-1990s, some who gave birth in hospitals that actively encouraged breastfeeding, and some in hospitals with no such program. Follow-up questionnaires were given six and a half years after the mothers gave birth, asking about asthma, wheezing, hay fever, and eczema. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups of children, although the children of the mothers who were encouraged to breastfeed were slightly more likely to have tested positive for common allergies. However, the researchers warn against concluding that breastfeeding and allergies have a causal relationship; they merely feel confident from their study that breastfeeding is not a preventative against allergies.

Lead Toys, International Cooperation: The Consumer Product Safety Commission announced that China’s General Administration of Quality Supervision has agreed to take action to eliminate the use of lead paint on toys exported to the US. In addition, the two agencies agreed to more cooperation in four product categories: Toys, Fireworks, Cigarette Lighters, and Electrical Products. “This is an important signal from the Chinese government that it is serious about working with CPSC to keep dangerous products out of American homes,” said Acting Chairman [Nancy] Nord. “We will be looking for meaningful cooperation on the ground - that means not just with the Chinese government, but also with industry at both ends of the supply chain.”

No Show Biz Baby: Simon Cowell made one preggo pretty angry when he and his fellow judge passed a singer along to the next round of the UK show The X Factor - only to change his mind upon reflecting that the contestant would be at delivery time when the finals were being filmed. Said the 24-year-old mom-to-be, “He knew I was carrying a baby. He knew I was five-and-a half-months pregnant. He knew the complications. At the end of the day, that’s my decision and if I want to enter this competition and go all the way to the end, I will do that.” Mr. Cowell countered, “This is a girl who would have given birth to her baby in the middle of the X Factor finals. The stress she would have been under would have been unspeakable. You cannot put a competition like this or your ambition over the fact you’re about to have a baby. It is crazy.”

Another public breastfeeding kerfuffle, nicely covered over at The Lactivist.

The dispute with Applebee’s began June 14. [Brooke] Ryan chose a booth in the back of the restaurant away from other customers. When her baby, Michael, got hungry, she began to nurse him discreetly, she said.

But a waitress came over and said that if she wanted to breast-feed, she had to cover the baby with a blanket. Ryan said it was so hot that she didn’t have a blanket. The waitress then repeated her request. Ryan said she then asked to see the manager and handed him a copy of the 2006 Kentucky law that prohibits interference with a woman breast-feeding her baby in public.

The manager said he knew about the law but a customer had complained about indecent exposure, so she had to cover the baby with a blanket.

Kentucky’s breastfeeding law, which, as we’ve noted before, like other state laws, merely reiterates a woman’s already established right to breastfeed in public anywhere in the US, states:

Breastfeeding a child or expressing breastmilk as part of breastfeeding shall not be considered an act of public indecency and shall not be considered indecent exposure, sexual conduct, lewd touching, or obscenity.

And:

No person shall interfere with a mother breastfeeding her child in any location, public or private, where the mother is otherwise authorized to be.

Which means the waitress and manager effectively broke the law.

Ms. Ryan and her lawyer sent a letter to Thomas and King, the company that operates the Applebee’s in question. No response at first, but their second letter got a reply, in which the company noted that they were considering keeping blankets in the restaurant so that breastfeeding women could cover themselves.

Seriously.

There’s been a campaign afoot to contact Applebee’s proper. Their apparent canned response:

“[The] corporate response to the breastfeeding in Lexington, Kentucky is that Applebee’s and its franchisees love having families dine together at our restaurants. We believe that this franchisee made a reasonable and lawful request of this guest in order to promote a pleasant and comfortable experience for all of its guests.”

The BWB Lactivist Yahoo group is organizing nurse-ins at Applebee’s on September 8, 12-1:00. Can’t say I blame them. Check their site for more information.

Posted by MommaSteph.

Secondhand Smoke and Pregnancy: A study of over 35,000 surveys filled out by Japanese women finds that pregnant women who are exposed to passive smoking are more likely to suffer sleep disturbances such as getting too little sleep, snoring, and difficulty falling asleep. For most pregnant women who are regularly exposed to second-hand smoke, the husband is the source. Over 53% of Japanese men smoke, compared with 26% in the US and 27% in the UK.

Smoking and Breastfeeding:  A new study published in the journal Pediatrics finds that nicotine in breast milk disrupts infants’ sleep patterns. Babies slept less overall and woke from their naps sooner when their mothers smoked just prior to breastfeeding.  An earlier study by the same researcher found that nicotine in breast milk peaks 30-60 minutes after smoking and clears three hours after smoking.

A few years back, the department of Health and Human Services planned an ad campaign meant to encourage women to breastfeed by referencing research that breastfed infants are much less likely to be diagnosed with diabetes and asthma. The ads were meant to startle: One featured a syringe covered with a bottle nipple; another had an asthma inhaler similarly topped.

But we never saw these ads. Instead the HHS campaign released ads with images of dandelion fields and cherry-topped ice cream scoops (wha? sounds porn-y), as a way to dramatize that breastfeeding may help curb respiratory problems and obesity.

Why the switch? Ask the formula lobbyists, who subsequently wrote to then HHS director Tommy Thompson expressing their gratitude that his staff stopped health officials from “scaring expectant mothers into breast-feeding.”

The formula industry’s intervention — which did not block the ads but helped change their content — is being scrutinized by Congress in the wake of last month’s testimony by former surgeon general Richard H. Carmona that the Bush administration repeatedly allowed political considerations to interfere with his efforts to promote public health.

It goes something like this: Former high-ranking government officials became lobbyists for pharmaceutical companies who also manufacture and market baby formula. These pharmaceutical companies are big time political donors. So the lobbyists get the ears of current high-ranking government officials, like the director of Health and Human Services. And suddenly you get a much softer, less “offensive”, and arguably less effective, pro-breastfeeding campaign.

Duane Alexander, head of the government’s National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, defended pulling the more aggressive ads, noting that he was concerned that the claims being made by the ads had no basis in science. But those behind the HHS breastfeeding outreach project strongly disagree:

Speaking to the International Lactation Consultant Association in 2005, [Suzanne] Haynes, of the HHS women’s health office, said she was “overruled.” Veteran pediatrician and breast-feeding researcher Ruth A. Lawrence of the University of Rochester, who was on the initial advisory committee brought together by Haynes, said the science undergirding the ads was “entirely convincing. Everyone on the committee had to agree on a finding before it was approved. We were very distressed by what happened.”

Here are two of the original ads:

And here’s one from the revised campaign:

Oh yeah, them dandelions really grab ya! And see how they look like boobies?

And the controversy continues. This past April, HHS decided not to promote the analysis of its own Agency for Healthcare and Research Quality, which found that breastfeeding is associated with fewer ear and gastrointestinal infections, as well as lower rates of diabetes, leukemia, obesity, asthma and sudden infant death syndrome.

The report did not assert a direct cause and effect, because doing so would require studies in which some women are told not to breast-feed their infants — a request considered unethical, given the obvious health benefits of the practice.

A top HHS official said that at the time, Suzanne Haynes, an epidemiologist and senior science adviser for the department’s Office on Women’s Health, argued strongly in favor of promoting the new conclusions in the media and among medical professionals. But her office, which commissioned the report, was specifically instructed by political appointees not to disseminate a news release.

Look, we’re not stupid. We know that lobbies basically run things in Washington. So why not just get it over with and mandate formula feeding once and for all?

(See also, Who Wrote the Breastfeeding Ads?)

Posted by MommaSteph.

How to Support a Nursing Mother: A new study published in the journal Birth: Issues in Perinatal Care finds that implementing five specific breastfeeding supports in hospitals may significantly increase the number of women who nurse their infants successfully. In the study, nearly two-thirds of the women who gave birth in hospitals that offered the five supports were still breastfeeding when their babies were four months old. The five practices recommended are:

-Initiating breastfeeding within 1 hour of delivery
-Keeping infants in the mother’s hospital room
-Feeding infants only breast milk in the hospital; no supplementation of water or formula
-Prohibiting pacifier use in the hospital
-Providing a telephone number to call for breastfeeding help after hospital discharge

Graying moms in good company: Over at Working Dad, a look at some data from the National Center for Health Statistics on trends in older motherhood: “In 2004, 579,000 U.S. women between the ages of 35 and 44 gave birth, according to the Centers for Disease Control agency. Ten years earlier 435,000 mothers in the same age group gave birth… [T]here were only 2,507 moms age 45 to 49 who gave birth in 1994 - the report didn’t even offer a number for women 50 and older. Ten years later the number more than doubled to 5,748.”

Odd PPD Indicator? For a study published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, researchers visited 79 new moms in their homes and surveyed them on their mental state. They also asked the moms to pick up and cradle their babies. The result: Moms whose survey answers showed indications of stress or depression were more likely than their counterparts to cradle their babies to their right.

Just so you know… A new study published in the Journal of Consumer Research finds that we tend to consume more calories at restaurants that market themselves as “healthy” choices than at those that make no such claims. The likely reason: We overcompensate with sides and desserts because we believe we’re eating fewer calories overall, when in fact many meals offered at “healthy” chains such as Subway are actually calorie-laden.

Eczema Clues: Researchers at the Chinese University of Hong Kong have found an association between eczema and two specific blood chemicals. For the study, 24 children wore wrist monitors that recorded their movements at night. Blood tests found that when the children were itchier at night, “brain-derived neurotrophic factor” (BDNF) and “substance P” were found in the blood at higher levels. The hope is that by honing in on the root causes of eczema, doctors will uncover better therapies to relieve suffering.

Breastfeeding and Obesity: A new study out of Denmark finds that the heavier a woman is when she becomes pregnant, the less likely she is to successfully breastfeed. “Among women who were morbidly obese (body mass index of 40 or greater), 14.4 percent had stopped exclusive breast-feeding by the time their child was a week old, compared with 3.5 percent of normal-weight women. Throughout the course of the study, the likelihood of stopping breast-feeding rose with BMI.” Because breastfeeding in Denmark is almost universal and has many social supports, researchers speculate that there could be a biological mechanism triggered by obesity that interferes with breastfeeding. They also note that some the heaviest women in their study were able to initiate and establish breastfeeding; it may be that for some heavy women, more breastfeeding support, such as from lactation consultants, would help them successfully nurse their babies.

Battle SCHIP: New York Governor Eliot Spitzer announced that his state may sue the federal government over its plan to impose restrictions on the State Children’s Health Insurance Program that would require states to insure 95% of poverty-level children before expanding the program to offer coverage to middle-income children in need of health coverage. Also at issue is the proposal that middle-income children remain uninsured for a year before becoming eligible for SCHIP. Governor Spitzer argues that the new regulations conflict with the existing law and with the “moral imperative” the government has to make sure children have access to health insurance.