A few things about Formula…

What the WHO (World Health Organization) says:

“because of the hazards associated with using breast-milk substitutes, infant formula was no ordinary consumer product, but that, up to the age of four to six months, it should be treated more as a nutritional medicine that should be used with the advice and under the supervision of health workers. The report also noted that, even seen from the viewpoint of fostering competition, direct advertising to mothers with infants in the first four to six months of life was singularly inappropriate because:
· advertising infant formula as a substitute for breast milk competes unfairly with normal,
healthy breastfeeding, which is not subject to advertising, yet which is the safest and lowestcost method of nourishing an infant; and
· advertising infant formula as a substitute for breast milk favours uninformed decisionmaking, bypassing the necessary advice and supervision of the mother’s physician or health worker.
In this respect, the report concluded, it can be considered that advertising of infant formula fails to achieve the objectives of ensuring best quality and the lowest cost and creating an informed public, which are among the benefits assumed to be a result of direct advertising.”
“Those who suggest that direct advertising has no negative effect on breastfeeding should be asked to demonstrate that such advertising fails to influence a mother’s decision about how to feed her infant.”
“Proper use of infant formula should rather be the result of informed decision-making based on objective and consistent advice, and appropriate supervision. This message is implicit in the final paragraph of the preamble to the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes, which states:
Believing that, in the light of the foregoing considerations, and in view of the vulnerability of infants in the early months of life and the risks involved in inappropriate feeding practices, including the unnecessary and improper use of breast-milk substitutes, the marketing of breast-milk substitutes requires special treatment, which makes usual marketing practices unsuitable for these products.
No breast-milk substitute, not even the most sophisticated and nutritionally balanced formula, can begin to offer the numerous unique health advantages that breast milk provides for babies.
Nor can artificial feeding do more than approximate the act of breastfeeding, in physiological and emotional significance, for babies and mothers alike. And no matter how appropriate infant formula may be from a nutritional standpoint, when infants are not breastfed or are breastfed only partially, feeding with formula remains a deviation from the biological norm for virtually all infants.”
http://www.who.int/nut/documents/infant_formula_trade_issues_eng.pdf“
18. The vast majority of mothers can and should breastfeed, just as the vast majority of infants can and should be breastfed. Only under exceptional circumstances can a mother’s milk be considered unsuitable for her infant. For those few health situations where infants cannot, or should not, be breastfed, the choice of the best alternative – expressed breast milk from an infant’s own mother, breast milk from a healthy wet-nurse or a human-milk bank, or a breast-milk substitute fed with a cup, which is a safer method than a feeding bottle and teat – depends on individual circumstances.19. For infants who do not receive breast milk, feeding with a suitable breast-milk substitute – for example an infant formula prepared in home-prepared formula with micronutrient supplements – should be demonstrated only by health workers, or other community workers if necessary, and only to the mothers and other family members who need to use it; and the information given should include adequate of inappropriate preparation and use. Infants who are not breastfed, for whatever reason, should receive special attention from accordance with applicable Codex Alimentarius standards, or a instructions for appropriate preparation and the health hazards the health and social welfare system since they constitute a risk group.”

Other interesting articles:
The Deadly Influence of Formula in America Linda Folden Palmer, DC

http://www.babyreference.com/InfantDeaths.htm

Dangers of Formula
http://www.lactivist.com/dangform.html

http://www.organicconsumers.org/school/milk061004.cfm

Breastmilk in the news….

Sometimes I just check out what is happening in the news when it comes to one of my more passionate topics… breastfeeding…

Africa…
Anti-HIV agent found in breastmilk… this agent could also help prevent infection in adults

Canada
Mothers milk is high in Transfats… it is one of the highest sources of transfats found… Solution? A change in mothers diet can cut it out within days…

UK
A Hospital dealing with preemies is running low on their supply of donated breastmilk…

India
Hospital in Mumbai has set up a “Breast Milk Bank”

Norway
Experts now recommend that children be breastfed up to the age of two or three because of a range of health benefits

USA
Breastmilk causes more cavities then Cow milk… Tests in Rats… using Cola, honey etc… no saliva in rats… all of the substances left to “pool” in mouth… Breastmilk comes in second best after Cow milk… somewhere in the article it mentions that formula is equalto/less then breastmilk.. but of course breastmilk remains the culprit…
(don’t they know that breastmilk DOESN’T pool in the mouth when baby falls asleep?!?!)

Breast feeding is often in the news… however… where are all the stories about the dangers of Formula…
I will never understand why someone would CHOOSE to give such a horrible substance to their child, something that clearly causes Cancer, Allergies, Digestive problems, Obesity, Diabeties and even Death… the WHO even states that Formula is only to be used as a last resort and is the 5th and last choice to Infant feeding…
I am tired of talking about how Breast is Best… Breast is the norm and the rest is inferior and dangerous and should only be used as a last resort after all other possibilies have been tried…
It is time that Formula gets into the news… It is time that the companies pay for all the crimes they have commited and all of the children they have killed….

I am going to be giving my first Babywearing class!!

I got word the other day that everything was OK to give a babywearing class at a local org…. I talked with the director the other day about when I was available and we set a date… I thought she was just going to put an add up in the center but she will be doing that and she sent out a newsletter with all the fall activities and such and it was on it too… I can’t believe that it is so official (in writing and everything LOL) Anyways.. There needs to be a minimum of 5 inscriptions for it to go ahead so it is not certain yet but it is pretty close!

about Katrina…

The whole Katrina disaster makes me mad… I can understand the storm but it is what happened after that makes me mad….I can’t believe how much disregard for human life is being seen… even now.. a week later… The stories are heart wrenching and I really can’t imagine what it was like to be in those conditions…
I also can’t imagine what reasons could be good enough to explain why it took so long for help to come to those people… Why did people go so long without food and Water?
There are so many things that tick me off… One thing is that the whole thing seems to have such a harsh underlying racial aspect that I just can’t ignore and to what I have seen the media can’t even ignore…
Of course breastfeeding came to my mind…. I may be looked down upon for thinking this but why the heck where babies starving to death and dying of thirst… I can’t help but put the blame on the Formula companies and society in general for this… People in our culture feel like they are so immune to not having the basics like drinking water that they don’t even give a second thought… There were children born during the days after the hurricane or during the hurricane and they were talking about how scared they were of running out of formula… not even desperate times can make them change their views…
I cried when I saw a small 10 day old baby limp and needing nourishment… For sure the mom still had a bit of milk or could relactate… did she try?
Of course the Formula companies come off as heroes when they send trucks of baby formula… but they are the reason why the babies where starving in the first place…
A woman can make milk even in dire situations and though it is true that she needs to replenish herself the amount of water that it takes to feed two (her and the baby) can be given to her alone and both would survive and even better, the baby will have a clean source of milk complete with antibodies and even agents that work against diarrhoea (therefore they run less risk of getting even more dehydrated)
I really don’t want to come off as sending an “I told you so” message I just think that in the light of such disasters I really hope that in the future people can see that there are further risks to Formula feeding and that this is the exact reason why Nestle is seen as such evil in parts of the world that have children dying everyday because formula was brought in but there is no clean water supply….

I’m now nursing a 3 year old!

Wow… I can’t beleive it!
Xavier turned 3 yesterday… 3 years ago I knew that I would nurse past a year but never thought about nursing to age 3… now that I am here though I wouldn’t have it any different… I still love nursing Xavier and I hope that his brother will nurse for at least the same amount of time…

PPD…. (and breastfeeding…. or lack of)

I have encountered many people lately that have suffered greatly from PPD (post partum Depression) A running theme that I have often encountered is that many of the Moms are not breastfeeding and have never breastfed, or tried and it didn’t work out for whatever reason (informed or uninformed) …
I believe that PPD is very real and that it is something that many women go through… However, I also believe that it is diagnosed too much and that medication is given when it is not always the best answer… However, there is something else that I am starting to believe more and more…
When our child is born the natural thing is to breastfeed (Formula is not natural no debate could convince me otherwise) when a women doesn’t breastfeed however, the body stops producing the hormones to make milk….(milk production is activated by demand which then makes the body produce hormones which develops the milk) Anyways, when these hormones are no longer in production the body actually think that the baby has died which makes the body in question start the process to become pregnant again…
If your body believes that your offspring has died wouldn’t the logical conclusion be that sometimes the body reacts negatively chemically and therefore not breastfeeding could be a cause of PPD?
Another thing is that breastfeeding helps create a very strong bond between Mom and baby. This is why Breastfeeding is one of the fundamentals in Attachment Parenting. Couldn’t it also be that this lack of bonding that is often a cause of PPD also come from the lack of not breastfeeding?
I do completely understand that PPD is a medical condition that can stem from many reasons or even no reason at all but I really believe that the lack of breastfeeding can often have a lot to do with it…

Update on Pre-natal and babywearing….

The Pre-natal went pretty well last night… there where 5 couples that where all ears but one couple in particular…
When asked at the beginning if they where wanting to breastfeed this couple said that yes they would but would like to express to have daddy have a chance to have that bond too… So I made a point of explaining all of the things that Daddy can so even if he doesn’t nurse… (skin to skin, walking, burping, cuddling, bathing) and it seemed to make sense to him… The whole time I was talking this guy had a big smile and was nodding… During the break they told me that they have read a lot of breastfeeding and that all the things they have read where confirmed and they learned many more things… I told them that if they want to succeed they have to go into it saying that they are going to do it… and told them how when I was pregnant I decided that nothing was going to stop me from breastfeeding and I wouldn’t let myself be set up for any disaster so all bottles and samples where thrown out of the house… When I said that A light lit up in this guys face, and right away he said that that was such a great idea… that having samples around just`makes it so much easier for then to be used and for something to hinder the breastfeeding relationship… and that if you have to go out and get Formula you might think about it a bit more… (I really think that the samples they have are going to be leaving the house LOL)
Another thing they asked me about was Vit D… I told them that I have never given Vit D and that it depends on the school of thought… Though the Canadian Paediatric Society recomeds it… the actual fact is that it is a blanket recommendation that really doesn’t have too much weight especially in a fair skinned child born in the summer..

Another cool thing that happened was that the nurse asked me if I had brought my wrap and Sling because she really wanted to show it off and show off the way I wear my baby…. I told her that I have been thinking about giving some classes a the “Carrefour” and she thought it was a great idea and is going to talk to her boss about me being the “official” resource is the region… She even told me that she has gotten a few questions about babywering from people that have seen me in Public and she knew they where talking about me because they described my Ellaroo!
I am still waiting for the answer from “Maman Kangourou” but I am pretty sure to become a retailer and that way I can teach and sell…

Pre-Natal and babywearing classes

I completely Forgot that I am giving a Pre-natal tonight… I Just went over my notes again about the advantages of Breastfeeding for Mom and Baby and the Myths that commonly surround breastfeeding… I could say all of them by heart but I get nervous infronf of a group of people…
Colin is coming with me of course.. I can’t leave him yet with Simon, it’s not that I don’t trust him of course, I just can’t stand the thought of leaving him…

When I went by the Org. that I work with today to get some photocopies done I talked with the directror about giving Babywearing Classes in the Fall and she thinks that it is a great idea… So I might be doing that in the Fall and selling slings and wraps to the moms that attend…

Anyways… wish me luck for tonight…

NIP (Nursing in Public)

OMG!! How can people be so ignorant! There has been so much talk about nursing in Public since Barbara Walters and Star Jones made really awful comments on “The View” (and then of course BW lied about them after a Protest was done!)
Anyways… What can be more natural then feeding a baby… As time goes on I am just getting sick and tired of hearing about the Guilt that is laid on the backs of mom’s that Formula feed because they are tired of hearing about the importance of Breastfeeding… Get Over it… It is proven that Breast is Best! There is no way around it and there are serious risks to not breastfeeding and risks that are associated with Formula Feeding.(Hello!! It is not even TESTED!!!) Of course we never hear about them because we don’t want to make those moms feel Guilty!! OMG Wake up and get over your selves! If you are so confidant in your child being healthy and happy on formula and you really think that Formula carried no risks and that it is just as good as breast milk then you wouldn’t feel guilty!! It is because you know that it is best but you don’t care and just don’t want to breastfeed for reasons that are completely selfish that you feel guilty… and I am not talking about the 1% of Moms that physically can’t breastfeed, or the ones that tried and didn’t have the right support etc… (They didn’t make the choice not to breastfeed, the choice was made for them and that is why formula exits)
No, I am talking about the ones that made the conscious choice not to breastfeed (or weaned very early) for stupid, immature and selfish reasons. The ones that care about taboo’s and that see breasts as sexual items or just don’t want to take the time or the “effort”… I just wish people could get over their hang-ups of the female Breast… What do they think they are made for? If they where made solely for their husbands pleasure it wouldn’t be milk in them but Beer!
Seriously… If someone wants me to use a blanket to cover my child’s head while they are nursing I want them to do the same thing to their child… Formula feeders always use the worst term for NIP and I am sick of it… If I hear “She just whipped out her boob and stuck in her babies face” one more time I am going to yell “at least I am not shoving a artificial nipple full of toxic sludge into my baby, and at least I care enough for my baby to breastfeed him“
OK… Of course not all Formula feeders are like this but as time goes on there are more and more (or I am just hearing it more and more) I am tired of hearing about the right to Formula feed… That’s your right yes… but don’t tell me that the artificial way of feeding a child is better and should be seen and that breastfeeding shouldn’t…
I will Breastfeed my Child in Public when he is hungry and when he needs it! I will hide the fact that I am breastfeeding just because it may make someone feel uncomfortable. If I am expected to do that I expect that women will no longer were Tops that show any amount of breast and that Bottle Feeding Moms will also have the same expectations put on them… Hey I feel uncomfortable too when I see a baby being given a bottle (but guess what! I don’t say anything and I just look away!!!)

This is my Rant!

Ahhhh…..the joys of Parenthood… before I had kids I had a completely different idea of what being a mom was and what children were really like… Having a child changes Everything!
To be Honest, I knew this but I didn’t know to what extent it was going to be… the thing about it all is that the more I understood this, the more I accepted it, the easier and more fulfilling life as a mom became.

I quickly understood while watching my first son sleep in my arms that my life was never to be the same again, the life before ‘motherhood’was gone.
But that was what being a mother was… Wasn’t it?
Should I try to be the person I was before but with kids?
Can’t they just come with me everywhere?
Life will never be the same, but is it bad?

No, of course not… I am going to the next level, I am now a Mom.

Going back I have always been the black sheep in my surrounding. My ideas seem always where always stray and radical to many that surrounded me. Parenting has not been different.

When I was Pregnant I knew that I was going to breastfeed. I didn’t know anybody that did really but I never understood why. Why give a chemical soup instead of Breastfeeding. It is proven to be best, it is the natural way to feed our young, it is free and it is so much less hassle.

Everyone around me had an excuse why they couldn’t breastfeed…
“My breasts are too big”
“My breasts are too small”
“My milk never came in”
“My milk wasn’t rich enough”
“My baby was too big”
“My baby was too small”
“I had to take Meds”
“It hurt too much”
Etc, Etc, Etc, Etc……

Could it all be true… I had to read up on it more….
Then I started seeing it.. “99% of all women can breastfeed exclusively”, “It is very rare that a women can’t breastfeed” etc…
I understood 99% the excuses that I heard came down to two things
1)they don’t want to breastfeed and just make up excuses (because it is easier then trying to defend themselves and their thoughts)
2)they do want to breastfeed but lack the confidence in their body to do it and get caught up in the bad advice of Doctors, Family and/or friends.

I wouldn’t be one of those… I will breastfeed, I will give my child the best start in life.

When my son was born I knew that I could do it and I knew that my body was made to nourish this child that I had given birth too. I knew I was going to succeed because I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Other things came over me when he was born also. My insticts took over completely. I knew that he needed to be in my arms often, he was inside me just hours before, the world could be a scary and cold place and he needed me and I needed him. We brought him into our bed, I fed him when he was hungry, It didn’t feel right if he cried… these ideas where always seeming to clash with others around..

They thought he would be spoiled, that he was manipulating me…
“Let him cry, it’s good for his lungs”,
“Babies just need to cry sometimes”,
“He has to learn to be by himself sometime”
“He’ll never be able to go to sleep/be on his own”
“He has to learn to Self-Soothe”

None of this made sense to me… Wasn’t he just a baby?
Isn’t Crying the only way that he can communicate what he needs?
Isn’t he the one that knows what he needs and when?
I dived into books and internet sites and slowly I started seeing the words Attachment Parenting more and more while searching for things and searching for support…
Surely I wasn’t the only one that thought this way? Maybe ‘they’ are who I am looking for? Maybe ‘They’ are who I am!

From then on I identified myself as an AP Mom and from then on I have had trouble being comfortable in the mainstream world and way of thinking…

This is my Rant…