Champaign Urbana Public Health: Learn About Breastfeeding

05/15/2014

The deadline to participate in The Mommy and Baby Expo 2014 has been extended to Monday, June 2 for all vendors and sponsors! Please fill out the attached form and return it to us to reserve your spot now. Spaces are limited and filling up quickly. There’s no better way to reach moms and babies in our community, and we can’t wait to see you there!http://static.ow.ly/docs/The_Mommy_and_Baby_Expo_Application_Form_25t0.pdf

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01/02/2014

We are thrilled to announce that Common Ground Food Co-op has joined the ranks of Certified Breastfeeding Friendly Businesses in Champaign-Urbana!

08/29/2013

Reminder! Tomorrow is the BFF group at CUPHD. Hope you will join us at 9:30!! We're usually there until 11:30, so come even if you're running late!

07/18/2013

A mom asked me if I might have an idea why her son seemed to react negatively -- upset stomach and a change in stool -- once a month around what she guessed was probably ovulation time. Other moms have mentioned that their milk supply seems... to decrease during their period and/or that their babies don't seem to like the taste of their breast milk while they are menstruating. The little research that exists suggests that around ovulation, the permeability of the mammary epithelium increases and more sodium and chloride enter the cells, while lactose and potassium exit the cells. This also suggests that other things may pass across the membrane and make the milk taste different. Have you experienced anything like this? Tell us your story! http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1250691/

1. Breast milk composition was followed for a period of 28 days in five women during lactational amenorrhea and in another two who were taking oral contraceptives. The milk composition was also studied in two women during an anovulatory menstrual cycle and in six women during an ovulatory menstrual…

05/02/2013

The other day a mom asked me how long she *could* breastfeed.

I shared with her that the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends "exclusive breastfeeding for about the first six months of a baby's life, followed by breastfeeding in combination with the introduction of complementary foods until at least 12 months of age, and continuation of breastfeeding for as long as mutually desired by mother and baby." http://www2.aap.org/breastfeeding/faqsbreastfeeding.html

Then I shared with her that the World Health Organization recommends that babies be breastfed "up to two years of age or beyond." http://www.who.int/nutrition/topics/infantfeeding_recommendation/en/

Lastly, I shared with her that worldwide, children breastfeed for much longer than is typical in the United States, though there are more children that breastfeed past six months or even a year in the United States than we know because our lack of support for these mother-child dyads keeps them hidden behind closed doors. http://www.kathydettwyler.org/detwean.html

After sharing this information with her, she seemed pleasantly surprised but then brought up another question for which I did not have an answer. Wasn't the time and space afforded to pumping moms only legally mandated for a year? How could she continue to breastfeed if she could no longer pump? I realized I didn't know the answer to that question as I had not yet met anyone facing that challenge. I told her that I would get back to her with the correct information.

After perusing the laws -- I've attached a useful link below -- I discovered, much to my chagrin, that she is correct. The Federal Law does clearly state that the time and space for pumping moms need only be provided until the baby turns one. However, Illinois Law does not specify any time frame, so a deeper investigation of state-to-state laws is definitely warranted. Also, though the law and the AAP and WHO recommendations are obviously not compatible, it is definitely worth talking directly with your employer about continuing to make time and space available for you to pump after your baby turns one year. It is also important to remember that after one year, you won't need to pump as often as you did in the first 12 months. Many employers may not know this. In fact, any pumping you do will allow your child to continue to receive breast milk.

So, this is the new topic for investigation. Why is it that Federal Law and the AAP & WHO recommendations do not support each other? Is it an issue? Does it matter if you pump during the day after 12 months? Perhaps not. Lots of women find that at this age they are breastfeeding much less often and an early morning and evening feed is all that their child wants. We'd love to hear your thoughts and your experiences about pumping beyond a year.

http://breastfeedinglaw.com/

05/02/2013

A special note: tomorrow the breastfeeding mom's group will be getting crafty by making breastfeeding necklaces!! These useful (and pretty) distractions save hair and ni***es from being twisted by sweet little fiddling hands. Come make one!

http://www.mommynecklaces.com/Nourish-Necklace_p_492.html

Nourish Necklace- The Nourish Necklace is available in 2 Color Choices: Rainbow Black and White If you are sending the Nourish Necklace as a gift, the packaging includes an explanation about the products intended use. The Nourish Necklace comes packa

05/02/2013

It's Thursday! That means that the BFF mom's group is meeting tomorrow, Friday, at 9:30 in the conference room at CUPHD. Come join us!

04/09/2013

It surprises a lot of moms that leftover breastmilk does not need to be thrown away after a feeding. It can be saved until the next feeding.

Not throwing away precious breastmilk (hard pumped!) is crucial to a mother's confidence if she is pumping and feeding her baby with a bottle. I also think being careful with breastmilk by limiting waste shows respect for all the work mothers do (and continue to do) to produce and maintain a milk supply in a culture that is not particularly supportive or accommodating to breastfeeding dyads.

If a baby is offered five ounces of breastmilk and only drinks two ounces, throwing away the remaining three ounces is bound to cause the mother to feel that she doesn't have "enough" milk for her baby. Baby will "seem" to be three ounces short at some point and there begins a vicious cycle. This is most likely to happen with care providers -- family members, day care providers or even dads -- who don't realize the many things they can do to help maintain the breastfeeding relationship. Let's talk about what those things are:

Things to do to support YOUR breastfeeding superstar:

--freeze/store breastmilk in 2 to 4 ounce amounts in order to limit waste
--only defrost as much as you need (defrosted breastmilk needs to be discarded after 24 hours)
--start with less breastmilk, add more if necessary
--save left over breastmilk until the next feeding
--mimic breastfeeding as much as possible: watch baby's cues, pace the feed, hold the bottle almost horizontally, make sure the baby's lips fl**ge out like a fish
--try not to feed the baby close to a time that the mother is coming to breastfeed (lunch or at the end of the day), this helps limit the number of times she has to pump

http://kellymom.com/bf/pumpingmoms/milkstorage/reusing-expressedmilk/

Q: Should breastmilk left over from a feeding be dumped immediately (like formula), or can you save it and give it to baby later? A: It is probably safe to save the left-over milk for use at the next feeding,

04/04/2013

Guess what's tomorrow?? That's right the breastfeeding mama's group at CUPHD. Come one, come all. 9:30 to 10:30 in the conference room. Bring the little ones and ask at the front desk and they'll point you in the right direction.

04/02/2013

We would like people to know that they can email or post questions about breastfeeding here on this page. We would love to help!

03/28/2013

Important Reminder! Tomorrow is the BFF Mom's Group at CUPHD in the conference room from 9:30 to 10:30. We would love to have you join us! Be there or be leaky!

03/28/2013

Thanks to Shane Rhoades Photography for letting us use their photos for our Profile and Cover pictures!! They are amazing and beautiful!

http://shanerhoades.com/

We capture all aspects of life specializing in motherhood photography, engagements, weddings, high school seniors, commercial, and so much more!