Here are the amazing results of a new study:
If 90% of US families could comply with medical recommendations to breastfeed exclusively for 6 months, the United States would save $13 billion per year and prevent an excess 911 deaths, nearly all of which would be in infants ($10.5 billion and 741 deaths at 80% compliance).
The study was published today in Pediatrics, the Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
One of the study’s authors was quoted in a CNN story:
Dr. Melissa Bartick, one of the new study’s co-authors, says the vast majority of extra costs incurred each year could be saved “if 80 to 90 percent of women exclusively breastfed for as little as four months and if 90 percent of women would breastfeed some times until six months.” Bartick is a hospitalist — a doctor who specializes in the care of hospitalized patients — at Cambridge Health Alliance, an instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School and a mother of two.
Bartick and her co-author Arnold Reinhold found that most of the excess costs are due to premature deaths. Nearly all, 95 percent of these deaths, are attributed to three causes: sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS); necrotizing enterocolitis, seen primarily in preterm babies and in which the lining of the intestinal wall dies; and lower respiratory infections such as pneumonia.
Breastfeeding has been shown to reduce the risk of all of these and seven other illnesses studied by the study authors.
Bartick calculates $10.56 million for each of the estimated 911 children’s deaths. Researchers also included the direct costs of health care and parent’s time missed from work. They did not include the cost of formula, which is another added cost for moms who don’t breastfeed.
Click here to watch a video interview with the author of the study.
New Study Says Lack of Breastfeeding Costs Lives and Billions of Dollars
California Company Fined For Firing Mom Who Breastfed
A California taqueria has to pay $46k to a worker it fired for breastfeeding. Here’s the piece in Forbes. And here’s the story in the San Francisco Chronicle:
Marina Chavez gave birth to her fourth child a month prematurely in April 2007 and returned to work at a Los Angeles-area taqueria 30 days later, needing the $7.55-an-hour cashier job to feed her family.
On her third night back, her boyfriend brought their newborn son to work and Chavez breastfed the child in their car during her lunch break.
The next night, she got a call from the company’s general manager, Jaime Acosta, who, according to a state civil rights commission, told her he didn’t want her back at work until she was done breastfeeding. When Chavez said she couldn’t wait that long, Acosta replied that he didn’t like her attitude and she was fired, the commission said.
Her dismissal has led to a precedent-setting ruling by the state Fair Employment and Housing Commission in San Francisco. The decision, made public last week, said punishing a female employee for breastfeeding during a work break amounts to sex discrimination…
That isn’t what happened, Acosta said Friday. He said he fired Chavez for incompetence and insubordination, an assertion he also made to the commission, which didn’t believe him.
“I did not fire her because she was breastfeeding,” he said in an interview. “I just made a comment to her – ‘Is it safe to be out here in the parking lot?’ ” If the law requires employers to allow breastfeeding, he said, “I have no problem with that.”
Acosta said the small company, which owns three taquerias in Inglewood and Hawthorne, would appeal the ruling, but might have to file for bankruptcy because of the damage award.
A 2002 California law requires employers to provide a reasonable amount of break time for an employee who wants to breastfeed an infant child, unless a break would seriously disrupt the employer’s operations. California also allows a mother to breastfeed her child “in any location, public or private.”
No state court or agency had previously considered, however, whether denying the right to breastfeed amounts to sex discrimination. Awarding damages to an employee in such a case is rare if not unprecedented in the United States, said Loretta McCallister, spokeswoman for La Leche League, a support organization for breastfeeding women.
“That’s teaching employers that there’s nothing wrong with it,” she said.
Hooray For An Enlightened NYC Radio Station… 1010 WINS
Gotta love the radio station 1010 Wins in New York City for doing a piece on some of the stumbling blocks women face when breastfeeding. Bettina Forbes, of the group Best For Babes, was interviewed for the story. She calls these problems “booby traps.”
Click here: Download file
Also, here’s Best For Babes latest ad, appearing just in time for August, which is Breastfeeding Awareness Month.
CBS Early Show and The Facebook Breastfeeding Story
Of course I had insomnia last night… and I NEVER have a problem sleeping. And I somehow managed to drop and crack my hair dryer this morning… but I made it to the CBS Early Show studio on time. It’s amazing how easy it is to get around Manhattan at 6:45 a.m.
If you were fortunate enough to be asleep at 7:40, here’s what you missed. The show did a story about the online protest of Facebook’s decision to ban some breastfeeding photos from the site. As of today, more than 95,000 people have joined the group “Hey Facebook, Breastfeeding is Not Obscene.” And during the virtual nurse in on December 27th, roughly 11,000 people put breastfeeding pictures on their Facebook pages. According to the protest organizers, the Mothers’ International Lactation Campaign (M.I.L.C.), Facebook is still pulling down some pictures. Here’s a link to those pics. And here’s the video from this morning’s show:
Watch CBS Videos Online
Facebook is clearly trying to have it both ways here. The site says it won’t take down all breastfeeding photos, just the ones that users complain about and that show a visible nipple. Does Facebook really want to put itself in this policing position?
A fun footnote to the day… I was on with media guru Jeff Jarvis who runs the blog Buzz Machine. (Waiting to see if he posts anything on this). He has a new book out called “What Would Google Do.” Today, maybe Facebook is asking itself the question, “What should we have done?”
New Study Says Breastfeeding Helps You Lose Weight
A new study found further evidence that breastfeeding can in fact help you lose weight. Here’s the link to the study in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
And a summary from WebMD:
Researchers concluded that women who gain a reasonable amount during pregnancy and breastfeed exclusively are likely to lose all pregnancy weight six months after giving birth. They also estimate that women who breastfeed retain 2 kilograms (4.4 pounds) less than women who don’t breastfeed at six months after giving birth.
Breast Cancer Awareness Month
My brother (the doctor) sent me an email yesterday suggesting I do a blog post about National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I thanked him, and then realized that it was sort of troubling that I needed that reminder. It was troubling that, in essence, I needed a reminder to do a monthly breast self-exam.
For some reason I’ve always been a bit negligent in this department. Maybe it’s squeamishness. Maybe it’s that I can’t tell what’s normal and what’s not. Maybe I’m afraid I’ll find something wrong. So now, in recognition of this month, I’m resolving to be more diligent.
A while back, when I was still breastfeeding, I actually had a huge bump on the side of my breast. It really freaked me out. Fortunately, it went away as soon as I fed the baby and was no longer engorged. But I did go to the doctor anyway. She did a thorough check and determined that I was fine.
Breastfeeding can actually decrease your chances of getting breast cancer, but you are still at risk. Heike Malakoff is someone who knows this all too well. She was diagnosed with breast cancer shortly after weaning her twin sons. She has now started an organization called Check Your Boobies. Her website can teach you how to do a breast exam on your self. It will even send you a monthly reminder to do so.
So take the time to think about this aspect of your health. Have your doctor do a breast exam at your next check up. Ask her if it’s time for you to get a mammogram. And sign up for the Check Your Boobies email reminder.
For more information on breast cancer, or to make a donation to a breast cancer organization, check out these sites:
The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation
American Cancer Society
National Cancer Institute
Breastfeeding Bill Passes Massachusetts House
Hooray for my home state of Massachusetts. Today the state is one step closer to protecting a mom’s right to breastfeed in public. From Boston.com:
The bill makes it clear that women who are breastfeeding can’t be charged with crimes such as indecent exposure or lewd and lascivious conduct, said Representative David Linsky, the Natick Democrat who championed the bill. It also makes it clear that places of public accommodation, such as restaurants, hotels, or stores — cannot prevent women from breastfeeding their children or tell them to leave the premises.
Supporters say Massachusetts is one of only three states that don’t have such a law.
The bill will now go to the Senate, where a slightly different version has already passed, said Linsky.
Linsky said he hoped the House and Senate could resolve the differences between the two versions by the end of the session and send legislation to the governor’s desk.
To find out about the laws in your state, click here.
Are You Breastfeeding or Pumping While At Blogher?
If so…send me your stories. I’d love to hear what everyone writes about on this topic this weekend.
If you don’t know what Blogher is, click here.
Unfortunately, I’m not there. But I get to eat cake all weekend!! Going to my cousin’s son’s first year old birthday, and my grandmother’s 88th birthday. Go Nana!
Tongue Tied Babies
We’ve all had one of the those moments where we stutter, stammer, or are at a loss for words. “I’m tongue tied,” we might joke. But for some babies, being tongue tied is actually a serious problem. Tongue tie, or Ankyloglossia, is a condition that restricts the tongue’s movement. The frenulum, the piece of skin that attaches the tongue to the floor of the mouth, is shorter than normal. This can make it difficult for the baby to latch on properly. Some tongue tied babies don’t gain enough weight, and breastfeeding can be painful for the mom. Long term, tongue tie sometimes causes speech problems.
A new study, just published in Pediatrics, found that a freunulotomy, a minor surgical procedure to cut the frenulum, can improve breastfeeding. Here’s the study abstract:
OBJECTIVE. There is evidence that infants with ankyloglossia can experience breastfeeding difficulties including poor attachment to the breast, suboptimal weight gain, and maternal nipple pain, which may lead to early weaning of the infant. No studies have investigated the cause of these breastfeeding difficulties. The objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness of frenulotomy in infants experiencing persistent breastfeeding difficulties despite professional assistance by measuring changes in milk transfer and tongue movement during breastfeeding before and after frenulotomy.
PATIENTS AND METHODS. Twenty-four mother-infant dyads (infant age: 33 ± 28 days) that were experiencing persistent breastfeeding difficulties despite receiving professional advice were recruited. Submental ultrasound scans (Acuson XP10) of the oral cavity were performed both before and ≥7 days after frenulotomy. Milk transfer, pain, and LATCH (latch, audible swallowing, type of nipple, comfort, and hold) scores were recorded before and after frenulotomy. Infant milk intake was measured by using the test-weigh method.
RESULTS. For all of the infants, milk intake, milk-transfer rate, LATCH score, and maternal pain scores improved significantly postfrenulotomy. Two groups of infants were identified on ultrasound. One group compressed the tip of the nipple, and the other compressed the base of the nipple with the tongue. These features either resolved or lessened in all except 1 infant after frenulotomy.
CONCLUSIONS. Infants with ankyloglossia experiencing persistent breastfeeding difficulties showed less compression of the nipple by the tongue postfrenulotomy, which was associated with improved breastfeeding defined as better attachment, increased milk transfer, and less maternal pain. In the assessment of breastfeeding difficulties, ankyloglossia should be considered as a potential cause.
For more informtaion, Kellymom.com has a series of articles on this topic. And here’s an excellent article that can help you figure out if your baby is tongue tied. Surgery is not the only option. (Read this too). But bottom line, talk to your pediatrician and a lactation consultant to figure out if your baby is tongue tied, and what is the best treatment option.
The Winner of the Medela Freestyle Pump
AND A FURTHER UPDATE: To see a comment from Hope, the pump winner, read below. She lives in Malaysia! There are pumping moms around the world!
Hi Andi! Thank you for giving me the chance to participate and win the Medela Freestyle. I was and still am really excited upon hearing the good news. It’s great to know people at Mamaknowsbreast and Medela care about women and their needs as they venture into motherhood. As a reader from Malaysia, I believe your quest in spreading knowledge on the importance of breastfeeding is truly inspiring! I’m sure you’ve touched the hearts of women all around the world. Keep up the great work! Thank you and God bless! 
UPDATED: Thank you to everyone who left a comment for a chance to win a Medela Freestyle Pump. I loved reading what you had to say! There really is no shortage to pumping stories! And now…drum roll… the winner is Hope. Congratulations! Here’s her comment:
I’m due this coming October and I’ve been reading up on how to provide the best for my baby. My mom exclusively breastfed my brothers and sisters and I, and I’d love to do the same for my baby. The only difference is that my mom didn’t have to go to work, whereas I do. So, I’ve been reading up on breast pumps and I’ve found that Medela is the best in the market! But it’s quite pricey and I don’t know if I can afford it. That’s why I was ecstatic when I found this contest. It’s like a blessing in disguise. A lot of great information and the chance to win a Medela Freestyle Breastpump. It’s the most practical solution because it’s lightweight and compact, yet has everything I would need to include breast pumping in my daily schedule. I’ve also been reading on bpa-free bottles and to know Medela has taken this into account just gives me more confidence in the name itself. I really hope to win so that I can always provide the best for my baby. PS: During our last checkup, we found out our baby’s a boy!
Posted by: Hope | June 29, 2008 08:55 PM
BACK TO THE ORIGINAL POST:
Ok, all you pumping mamas…here it is. The latest and greatest pump from our friends at Medela. The Freestyle is Medela’s first hands-free, double-electric pump. Just attach it to your bra and get back to your emailing and phone calls. It’s really small, light-weight and best of all, the Medela bottles are BPA free.
Medela is giving away this pump. So if you’d like a chance to win, leave a comment answering this question: What is your best pumping story? And if you haven’t had a baby yet, why do you need this pump? (The deadline to enter is July 1, 2008).
This post is part of our monthly breastfeeding carnival. To read the other entries about pumping, go here:
* The Motherwear Breastfeeding blog has tips for introducing a bottle to a breastfed baby.
* Raising Baby Bee writes about pumping at work.
* Breastfeeding Mums has some pumping tips.
* Breastfeeding 1-2-3 writes about exclusively pumping for a baby with a cleft palate.
* Hobo Mama writes about donating milk for an adopted baby.
* Adventures of a Breastfeeding Mother shares her pumping tips.
* Mike and Toni’s writes about how a pumping experience turned into a business idea– hands free pumping supports.