Creating Community at Home and in School

Healthy Families Conference Announcement

Vancouver, BC – On April 18-19, 2009 educators and parents from across the Pacific Northwest will gather to participate in an event designed to inspire, support, and connect the amazing individuals who contribute to building community for our children at home and in school.

Conference visionary Margo Running, of LifeWays Childcare Society, is launching this new conference in Vancouver because she hears educators and parents asking the same questions: “How do we simplify, slow down in order to give quality time to our children, in our home, in our care and in our school? How do we create a community around our children?” Margo says this two-day conference is packed with presentations, breakout sessions, workshops, discussion groups, and meals that will create a collaborative and participatory setting; each participant will gain a toolkit of resources and contacts.

The Healthy Families Conference is aiming to provide individuals with the skills and strategies they need to nurture strong relationships within their families and create strong ties for children within their community and is the first of its kind in Vancouver.

This conference has attracted some of the biggest names in parenting and early-childhood development. Peggy O'Mara (Editor/Owner of Mothering Magazine - Santa Fe, New Mexico) jumped at the chance to come to Vancouver for the opportunity to connect with this diverse audience of parents and educators; Peggy will be speaking on Finding & Creating Community.

Event Details – Healthy Families Canada is hosting the conference at the UBC Student Union Building (6138 Student Union Boulevard) on April 18-19, 2009. Registration is available online at www.healthyfamiliescanada.org and individuals can register at the early-bird rate of just $200 prior to March 15, 2009 (group discounts are also available). Questions about the conference can be sent to info@healthyfamiliescanada.org.

Media Contact – If you are a member of the media and would like to learn more about emerging stories regarding the Healthy Families Conference or would like to interview Margo Running or Peggy O’Mara please contact Corwin Hiebert by phone at 604-803-2019 or by e-mail at: corwin@redwagonmanagement.com.

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Sweet Home Birth Boxes - the supplies you need no matter what your birth plan includes!

Breastfeeding Furor Post Script

The furor continues after The Atlantic published Hanna Rosin's op. ed. The Case Against Breast-feeding this month.

Some of the latest news:

MSNBC picked up the article to spread it further into the mainstream consciousness. At the end of article there's an option to discuss it on Newsvine. Have a look at the comments. Many thank yous from women who themselves couldn't or didn't want to breastfeed. All these women who did not or could not breastfeed applaud The Case Against Breastfeeding because it makes breastfeeding the villain and assuages their own guilty consciences.

Brings me to the point Dr. Newman makes about guilt and breastfeeding. He says "In order to prevent women feeling guilty about not breastfeeding what is required is not avoiding promotion of breastfeeding, but promotion of breastfeeding coupled with good, knowledgeable and skillful support."

Once again, we have to remember that difficulties breastfeeding are not because breastfeeding is the problem; it is usually because mothers are not getting the support they need from spouse or family, the work place, the community, health care practitioners, the government...the list goes on.

Of course, The Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine issued a statement this week in rebuttal. You can read it here.

Here also is the response from the American Academy of Pediatrics:

In the article, "The Case Against Breast-Feeding" by Hanna Rosin, the author skims the literature and has omitted many recent statements including the 2005 statement of the American Academy of Pediatrics which supports the value of breastfeeding for most infants.

This policy references every statement with scientific evidence from over 200 articles which meet scientific standards for accuracy and rigor. The statement was meticulously reviewed by the Section on Breastfeeding, the Committee on Nutrition and numerous other committees and approved by the Board of Directors of the Academy. Breastfeeding and Maternal and Infant Health Outcomes in Developed Countries, a study released by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (the AHRQ Report) strongly supports the evidence of benefits demonstrated in the breastfeeding research.

The evidence for the value of breastfeeding is scientific, it is strong, and it is continually being reaffirmed by new research work.

The American Academy of Pediatrics encourages women to make an informed decision about feeding their infants based on scientifically established information from credible resources.

David T. Tayloe, Jr., MD, FAAP
President, American Academy of Pediatrics

Thank you to Tanya Lieberman at Motherwear's Breastfeeding Blog for posting that. Her response is also well worth a read as she tackles some of the scientific claims.

And here is a joint letter to the editor of The Atlantic from the United States Breastfeeding Commitee.

I'm interested to see a round up of the blog posts and articles that address Rosin's science. I think there should be something forthcoming from Phd In Parenting who also put together a collection of the voices who responded to the feminist issues in the original article. Thank you to Annie for including us in such great company.

And just for fun, Hathor the Cow Goddess's take on it all.

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Sweet Home Birth Boxes - the supplies you need no matter what your birth plan includes!

Birth Video Contest

Do you feel strongly about the need for mother/baby-friendly maternity care? Do you want to win $1000?

Check out this video contest from Birth Matters Virginia. It will be judged by Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein of The Business of Being Born and by author/birth expert Dr. Sarah Buckley. Contest closes on Mother's Day, May 10, 2009. All contest rules and info can be found here. You can also join their Facebook group to learn more.

You don't need to be a filmmaker to enter. Birth Matters is encouraging amateurs to enter as well and the site has suggestions and tips for those who've never made a film before.

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Sweet Home Birth Boxes - the supplies you need no matter what your birth plan includes!

The Birth Survey

US Mamas:

Some of you may know about this already; it went national in August 2008. It's worth posting here just to continue spreading the word. I have utmost respect for these kinds of initiatives and really wish that we could do this in Canada too.

Non-profit organization the Coalition for Improving Maternity Services (CIMS) has started a project for collecting feedback on maternity care in the United States. You can take the survey to share your experience/information and you can also access data about the caregivers in your area so that you can make informed decisions as you choose your practitioner and your care facility.
From the Birth Survey website:

The Transparency in Maternity Care Project was birthed in February of 2006 by the Grassroots Advocates Committee (GAC) of the Coalition for Improving Maternity Services (CIMS). We are a volunteer group dedicated to ensuring public access to quality of care information specifically related to maternity care providers and institutions. It is our intention to extend the current social trend toward transparency in health care into the virtually overlooked maternity care arena.

The Birth Survey is structured around the Coalition for Improving Maternity Services (CIMS) evidence-based 10 Steps to Mother-Friendly Care and other quality of care indicators. The creation of The Birth Survey has been inspired by Childbirth Connection's Listening to Mothers Survey (Harris Interactive, October 2002) and the A-CAHPS (Ambulatory Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems) program and surveys.

We believe that women of childbearing age must have access to information that will help them choose maternity care providers and institutions that are most compatible with their own philosophies and needs. We hope that the Transparency in Maternity Care Project will provide information that will help women make fully informed maternity care decisions.

We also believe that maternity care practitioners and institutions must have access to feedback from their patients. We hope that doctors, midwives, and hospital administrators will find the information generated through the Transparency in Maternity Care Project useful in quality improvement efforts.

Women need accurate, objective data in order to make fully informed choices about birth settings and providers. Practitioners and hospital administrators also need data to evaluate whether they are delivering quality care. We hope this project will fill a void by providing much needed information that benefits all parties engaged in maternity care.

Take the Survey. View Survey Reports. View Intervention Rates. Spread the word. Or just learn more about the project. The Birth Survey.

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Sweet Home Birth Boxes - the supplies you need no matter what your birth plan includes!

Sneak Peek at Pantley's New Book

Just wanted to share with you how excited I am that I have been selected to review an advance copy of Elizabeth Pantley's new book The No-Cry Nap Solution. I should be getting my copy in early December and I look forward to reading it and sharing my thoughts with you. It's especially timely for me as I have been struggling with a few nap issues with my children so I really can't wait to get my copy.

From the publisher:

The No-Cry Nap Solution: Guaranteed Gentle Ways to Solve All Your Naptime Problems

Bestselling parenting author brings her solutions to your naptime dilemmas

Will your child only nap in your arms, in a swing, or after elaborate rituals? Does your child take cat naps--or none at all? Let world-renowned, trusted parenting author Elizabeth Pantley help you. She'll guide you with the same sensitive expertise and gentle approach used in her other No-Cry bestsellers.

Research shows that naps improve health, mood, growth, and well-being. Yet children often resist the naps they need. The results are fussy, crying babies and cranky, grouchy kids who also have trouble sleeping at night!

In The No-Cry Nap Solution Pantley explains to parents of children ages newborn to kindergarten the importance of napping to both behavior during the day and sleeping during (and through!) the night. She then shares with you her gentle, loving techniques--tested on families of all sizes and circumstances--and shows you how you can customize her solutions for your own family. Pantley addresses issues such as children who resist naps, dealing with schedule changes, turning short naps into longer ones, helping a child go from needing motion to sleep to "stationery"� sleep, nursing at naptime, solving daycare napping problems, and more.

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Sweet Home Birth Boxes - the supplies you need no matter what your birth plan includes!

Birth & Breastfeeding News

Dr. Jack Newman's Clinic Needs Your Help

Dr. Jack Newman is a pediatrician, former consultant to the UNICEF Baby Friendly Initiative, and world renowned breastfeeding advocator. His books, handouts, videos and consulting at the clinic have helped countless mothers achieve long-lasting breastfeeding relationships despite challenges,conflicting advice and unsupportive health practitioners.

As of September 30, 2008, the clinic will no longer be receiving any private funding. (Government funding ceased in 2005). They need immediate donations to keep the clinic open and their website (with all of their educational resources) online. For a charitable tax receipt, please send your donation to www.canadianbreastfeedingfoundation.org. Please direct your donation to NEWMAN BREASTFEEDING CLINIC. You can also call 416-498-0002.

Alberta Midwifery Receives Government Funding

In October, the Alberta government announced that midwifery will finally be funded. Though regulated by the government since 1998, families have had to pay out of pocket for midwifery care. As of April 2009, families will now be able to choose midwifery care and their birth place with the service covered. This is great news for midwifery and home birth. Click here for more information.

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Sweet Home Birth Boxes - the supplies you need no matter what your birth plan includes!

Dr. Phil Looking for Home Birth Horror Stories for his show.

Dr. Phil has a page on his website asking for people to share their stories of having a home birth and regretting it.
Please click here to add your POSITIVE story. Maybe he'll be flooded with stories of good outcomes and have no material for the story of regret he's looking for.

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Sweet Home Birth Boxes - the supplies you need no matter what your birth plan includes!

Home Birth Under Attack in America

ABC News reports that the American Medical Association is supporting proposed legislation that would effectively ban home births. Resolution 205 supports the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists' position that home births are not safe.
Read the story...

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Sweet Home Birth Boxes - the supplies you need no matter what your birth plan includes!

Savvy Mom Baby Shower Gift Guide

Our Baby Bath Box was chosen as a SavvyMom Pick for the Dream Baby Shower Gift Guide. If you live in the Greater Toronto area you can enter to win all of the items in the guide. And if you live elsewhere, you can pick up one of our Baby Bath Boxes in the SHOP for the next baby shower you have to attend!

The Baby Bath Kit is 100% natural just like your baby. Everything you need to keep your baby clean, sweet smelling and cozy. All products are natural or organic.

Contents:

• 1 Bamboo hooded towel
• 5 Bamboo washcloths
• 1 Angel Baby Shampoo & Body Wash - 160mL
• 1 Angel Baby massage oil - 30 mL

Why Bamboo? Find out the benefits of bamboo.

Find out why you should choose natural skin care products.

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Sweet Home Birth Boxes - the supplies you need no matter what your birth plan includes!

Midwives Now

Some vocal Pomegranate midwifery clients from the Sea-to-Sky Corridor are demanding that midwives become integrated into the maternity care services there. They have put together a website for their cause: www.midwivesnow.com. On the site there is a letter they have written to send to their MLA as well as some prominent members of the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority to expedite the integration of midwives. Please sign this letter in their support.

Pomegranate has been accepting patients from communities such as Squamish and Pemberton since they opened their doors two years ago, and many of these woman have to drive long hours and traverse natural obstacles to get the care that they rightfully deserve to have close to home. There are midwives who are eager to set up their life in the Sea-to-Sky Corridor and offer comprehensive maternity care to women and families.

Please forward the weblink to others who agree that solving the maternity care crisis in BC includes integrating midwives across the province.

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Sweet Home Birth Boxes - the supplies you need no matter what your birth plan includes!

We'll See You at BirthFest!

We are exhibiting at BirthFest again this year. The second annual celebration of bellies, birth and babies is co-sponsored by Birth Lounge, Britannia Community Centre and Eastside Family Place. This free event is for the whole family – live music, local maternity care services, local vendors and more.

Last year we had so much fun. The gym was packed despite the downpour outside. Kids were dancing, parents were chatting, prizes were won and there were great vendors showcasing their wares. We are really looking forward to being a part of it again this year.

Britannia Community Centre
Gym D
March 8th from 10am – 3pm.

For more information visit www.birthlounge.com

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Sweet Home Birth Boxes - the supplies you need no matter what your birth plan includes!

Sweet Home Featured in Shared Vision

We are excited to share with you that Sweet Home has been featured in Vancouver's February issue of Shared Vision under the ENVISION section. Check it out!

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Sweet Home Birth Boxes - the supplies you need no matter what your birth plan includes!

Waterbirth International needs your help!!

The following was posted on the Waterbirth International website last week. Please note this week's update at the bottom of this post as well.

For twenty plus years Waterbirth International and Barbara Harper have been guiding mothers and their providers, offering education and birth pools all over the world. Waterbirth International is facing the very difficult truth that the Gentle Birth World Congress - a fabulous success in every way for international and local attendees - drained all of our resources. With the help of those around the world the doors will stay open while we reorganize and seek new volunteers and board members.

We still need to raise $175,000 in donations to cover the debts from the Congress.
With such a large sum to raise, we need each of you to support this cause. When you support waterbirth, you are making a statement that you want and need options, choices and more control.

Can you help us stay open to take the next phone call?

• to convince an obstetrician to incorporate waterbirth into his/her practice
• to work with the nurse midwives to install pools in their facilities
• to educate an entire hospital on the benefits of allowing women freedom of movement in the water
• to continue our resource services for parents and professionals

We have freely given these services over the past 20 years. We want to continue to give them freely, but we need your help to keep the phones turned on and the volunteers working.

How much is it worth to see waterbirth become the norm in the US, like it is in the UK? I think we only need a few more years to make that happen. Women really do want waterbirth to be an available choice in every hospital. They need choices now, more than ever.

If we need to call every single waterbirth parent personally, we will. We don't want 25 years of pioneering work to end and the vision of safe and beautiful waterbirth to go away.

Please do the following:

• DONATE any amount you can
• Become a MEMBER of Waterbirth International
• Buy a birth pool for your local midwives
• Buy a birth pool for yourself
• Buy a birth video and donate it to your local library
• Spread the word around the world: Post this message on other sites and blogs

UPDATE:

World community rallies support.

Midwives, parents, doctors, doulas, childbirth educators, grandparents, business owners - all send letters of support along with donations, membership and orders in the Waterbirth International eStore!! In just one week enough donations came in to pay bills, wages and taxes for Waterbirth International staff. There is still a long way to go, but many groups are hosting fund raisers in all parts US and around the world. The statement was loud, clear, strong and demonstrative - Waterbirth International MUST stay open to help millions more women and families.

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Sweet Home Birth Boxes - the supplies you need no matter what your birth plan includes!

The Business of Being Born

This isn't exactly new news, the buzz about this film has been growing for a few months now, but I wanted to be sure to share it with you. Ricki Lake, actress and former talk-show host (remember?), has produced a new film on birth in the United States called The Business of Being Born which is in limited release around the US right now.

Birth: it’s a miracle. A rite of passage. A natural part of life. But more than anything, birth is a business. Compelled to find answers after a disappointing birth experience with her first child, actress Ricki Lake recruits filmmaker Abby Epstein to examine and question the way American women have babies.

The film interlaces intimate birth stories with surprising historical, political and scientific insights and shocking statistics about the current maternity care system. When director Epstein discovers she is pregnant during the making of the film, the journey becomes even more personal.

Should most births be viewed as a natural life process, or should every delivery be treated as a potentially catastrophic medical emergency?

The film is getting rave reviews within the birth community: the film was screened at the Gentle Birth conference (hosted by Waterbirth International) in Portland, OR in September 2007 and Ricki Lake is on the cover of the most recent issue of Mothering Magazine. Mothering Magazine online also has an interview with Ricki Lake which you can listen to right now.


The film includes amazing birth advocates like Ina May Gaskin, Robbie Davis-Floyd, Dr. Michel Odent and Dr. Marsden Wagner. I really can't wait to see this film. The trailer is incredibly inspiring and I am overjoyed to see someone who has the possibility of reaching so many people spreading the message that birth is normal and natural.

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Sweet Home Birth Boxes - the supplies you need no matter what your birth plan includes!

Birth & Breastfeeding News This Week

New Maternity Care Recommendations in the UK

Government advisory body the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) has laid out recommendations for how women should give birth in an attempt to standardize the currently varied practices across the country.

It says that women should be given information and support to make an informed decision about where they would like to give birth.

Among the options of the surroundings for labour are a home birth, hospital birth and water birth – with the latter not currently available to all women in labour.

Other Nice recommendations include supportive one-to-one care for women in labour; clinical intervention only being offered if the labour is not progressing well; and informing women about the risks and benefits of choosing epidural analgesia.

Source: In The News UK

NICE indeed! I’m especially pleased about the bits I’ve highlighted. Though, I suppose one issue (of the many that have come up over this, most of which I’m not familiar with because I’m not overly familiar with the medical system in the UK) is that there is a lot of debate about when labour is not progressing well—by who’s timetable??

As is to be expected, reaction in the UK to this announcement has been all over the map. Childbirth groups have welcomed the guidelines and encouraged health organizations to implement them as soon as possible. On the flip side, Prof James Drife, a specialist in obstetrics and gynecology at Leeds University, says that because midwife-led maternity units are not staffed by consultants trained to deal with life-threatening emergencies during birth thousands of women may need to be rushed to hospital if complications arise, possibly putting the lives of mother and child at risk.

Related articles:
Water birth 'provides the safest form of pain relief'
The Facts about Birth in the UK


More commentary on the case of the homebirth death in Oregon reported last week

Elise Hansen, regional representative of the Oregon Midwifery Council, wrote a letter co-signed by 15 midwives lamenting that home birth makes the news only when there are deadly complications.

I couldn’t have said it better myself!


Bill Maher
I don’t watch Bill Maher. I don’t have a tv. But I have noticed the web ripples he’s caused with his latest “New Rules” on breastfeeding in public. Louise Marie Roth, who writes regularly at HuffingtonPost.com wrote this excellent piece in response. I took a class in persuasive writing in University and it makes me incredibly happy to read a well-researched, cool-headed response to small-mindedness and ignorance. It’s easy to get angry and write something scathing or equally small minded; It’s a lot more difficult to have the control to present a well thought-out argument that puts someone in their place without letting your emotions get in the way. Kudos to Ms. Roth.


The Politics of Breastfeeding
This commentary from the Toronto Star examines the recent rise in activism for breastfeeding rights. Here’s a choice quote:

So don't people have a right to not be comfortable with public breastfeeding? Sure, but even the YMCA this week said it's time to start dealing with their discomfort as the problem, and not the breastfeeding mom. Those who are uneasy can leave, or look away, or just get used to it. Or as Gilmore says, think of it this way: "What about the rights of the baby – to eat?"

Vitamin D
The Canadian Pediatric Society urged pregnant and breastfeeding women to increase their daily vitamin D intake to up to 2,000 IU. This goes against Health Canada’s recommendation to take 200 IU a day. Health Canada says that 2,000 IU is the maximum allowable safe intake. However, this is the second time in recent months that a health advocacy group has recommended an increase in Vitamin D without the backing of Health Canada. In June, the Canadian Cancer Society said that adults should increase their daily intake to 1,000 IU. This week, Health Canada continued to assert that no changes to Vitamin D intake should be made until further studies showed evidence of a need to revise recommendations.

Vitamin D is included in most multivitamins, some foods, such as milk, are fortified with it, and it is also found in oily, cold water fish, such as salmon. Vitamin D has been shown to offer protection from multiple sclerosis, diabetes, cancer, asthma, osteoporosis, dental cavities and inflammatory bowel disease.


Increase spending to support midwifery?
The Green Party’s platform (in Ontario’s provincial election) includes a promise to increase funding of midwifery training by $10 million over four years, increasing the amount of midwives in the province. Cool.

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Sweet Home Birth Boxes - the supplies you need no matter what your birth plan includes!

Birth News This Week

World mortality rate for children under five hits a historic low
UNICEF has reported that deaths of children under five has fallen below 10 million per year for the first time in modern history. UNICEF says:

much of the progress reflected in the new child mortality figures is the result of widespread adoption of basic health interventions such as early and exclusive breastfeeding, measles immunization, vitamin A supplementation to boost children’s immune systems, and the use of insecticide-treated bednets to prevent malaria.

Proper treatment of pneumonia, diarrhoeal diseases and severe malnutrition, and treatment of paediatric HIV/AIDS, are also important for child survival – as are hygiene promotion and access to safe drinking water and sanitation.

Despite the progress, UNICEF’s executive director Ann M. Veneman stressed that there is still a long way to go. “The loss of 9.7 million young lives each year is unacceptable,” she said. “Most of these deaths are preventable and, as recent progress shows, the solutions are tried and tested.”


Legalized Midwifery in Saskatchewan Could be Delayed Again
The Regina Leader-Post reported this week that an unfortunate oversight could delay legislation legalizing midwifery in Saskatchewan even longer. Unlike other provinces, Saskatchewan’s Midwifery Act does not allow midwives to provide professional services to the newborn at birth and for the six weeks afterwards -- just while the woman is pregnant and during labour. The process has already taken eight years but the council trying to establish a Saskatchewan College of Midwives doesn’t want legislation to move ahead without amending the Act.


Response on homebirth issue
The Register-Guard paper of Eugene, OR ran this opinion piece on homebirth that is a fitting response to some of the negative opinions that have run in Canada.com papers across the country following the news of a coroner in Quebec calling for changes to Quebec midwifery in his report into the death of an infant at a homebirth in late 2006. The piece is obviously intended for an American audience, but nevertheless it is well-written and presented.

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Sweet Home Birth Boxes - the supplies you need no matter what your birth plan includes!

Nursing Mom Told to Leave Public Pool at YMCA

A mother of three says she filed a complaint with the human rights commission on Monday after a lifeguard at the Scarborough (Ontario) YMCA asked her to move from the pool deck where she was breastfeeding her baby.

Carolynn Prior, a midwife, said the incident occurred on Sept. 1 when she was nursing her 5-month-old son while watching her older children, ages 7 and 9, take swimming lessons. According to Prior, a lifeguard approached her, suggested she would be more comfortable in the childcare facility and said "this is a family place and it might offend someone."

Steven Heipel, vice-president of communications of the YMCA of Greater Toronto, acknowledged that the incident occurred and called it "an error in judgment" by the lifeguard and the supervisor she consulted.

I see a lot of stories about this kind of thing while trolling the news and I always feel incredibly relieved that I live in Canada. Nine times out of ten, these stories are about the States. In fact, it seems that this comes up almost every day, to the point it’s not really news. I would assume it happens everywhere everyday. We only tend to hear about it when someone decides to publicly stand up for themselves and their babies. (As an aside, I wonder if it happens more often in Canada too but perhaps we aren’t as vocal about it?)

My son just turned two (today, in fact) and we are still nursing. In my experience, I really could breastfeed anytime, anywhere. I never had any problems. Now that my son is older, can talk and understand more and is eating and drinking other foods, I often do ask him to wait until we are at home or at least in a place that’s more convenient, simply because it’s easier. It is getting a bit more interesting now that he’s older and people have opinions about how old is too old to nurse, but I can honestly say that I’ve never been made to feel bad because I was nursing, in public or otherwise. And for this, I am so grateful for not being American.

It’s easy for Canadians to list all of the ways that we are not like our southern neighbours and the rest of the world giggles at us, because in many ways our cultures are homogenous. But thankfully, we are different in some very important ways. In my work on breastfeeding and birth culture, I’m consistently relieved to be Canadian and saddened at the state of affairs in the United States.

I would like to believe that this incident in Ontario is an isolated event but perhaps, the problem is more widespread than I think?

Please share your breastfeeding experiences with us. I’d love to have your comments. In your experience breastfeeding, how supportive was the atmosphere in Canada? Or in America?

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Sweet Home Birth Boxes - the supplies you need no matter what your birth plan includes!

Breastfeeding News This Week

Toronto Plan Embraces Nursing Moms
The Public Health Department in Toronto has come up with a new plan that, if passed, would request restaurants and city-owned venues to voluntarily display a breastfeeding friendly decal. The decals, adapted from Health Canada's "Breastfeeding Friendly; Anytime, Anywhere" symbol, would let nursing moms know that they're welcome. The plan would go into effect in the spring of 2008 if it is passed this week.

Facebook in hot water over breastfeeding stance
Facebook is embroiled in controversy over the removal of photos showing mothers breastfeeding. The social networking site permanently closed Karen Speed’s account saying that she violated Facebook’s terms prohibiting posting photos that contain “nudity, drug use, or other obscene content.” Response to the move has been overwhelming, with a support group Hey, Facebook, breastfeeding is not obscene! (Official petition to Facebook) has grown to over 18,000 members in just 3 weeks.

Check out the group’s wall posts to see comments from supporters. The Toronto Star also has online comments showing both sides of the debate:

http://www.thestar.com/Speakout/Voices/article/255772
http://www.thestar.com/comment/article/255973

It seems to me that sometimes public perception of lactivists is that they are trying to push their choices (and their breasts) in everyone’s faces. Conservatives may see it as infringing on their rights not to see breasts in public and don’t understand the point of public photos of breastfeeding. This seems fair enough. Though, the comments I read about this still smack of sexualization of the issue, as if they believe that the women posting the photos get some perverted enjoyment out of it.

The real issue is not whether or not we have the right to post public photos of breastfeeding. The issue is breastfeeding is the natural way to feed a baby. Breastfeeding is the actual purpose of breasts. Breastfeeding is the healthiest choice for babies. Breastfeeding rates are too low because women are not being supported in their choice to breastfeed. Or to get really outrageous, let’s not even call it a choice—women are not being supported in their duty to breastfeed. Breastfeeding rates are too low because our society is still laden with holdovers from our Puritanical, Victorian history as embodied by people who think that breastfeeding is obscene.

A woman posting on the wall of the Facebook group above made a very valid point along these lines: It’s pretty sad that we need decals to show which areas are breastfeeding friendly. The whole world should be breastfeeding friendly.

For more...

Breastfeeding does not protect against asthma, allergies
A new study published in the online British Medical Journal seems to corroborate the HHS story about science not supporting their proposed ads. The study of over 13,000 children in Belarus showed that contrary to earlier findings, extended breastfeeding does not seem to be associated with lower rates of asthma and allergies, and in fact, was associated with higher rates of certain types of allergies.

As I trolled the news, I found it rather interesting to see the ways the study was reported in various news outlets. Time’s headline was: What Breast-Feeding Can't Do. It’s funny how some headlines focused on the negative aspect as if they were just waiting for evidence that breastfeeding isn’t as good as everyone thinks. Compare this with the more neutral stance of the AFP (Breastfeeding has no impact on asthma risk, says study) and Medical News Today (Breastfeeding Makes No Difference To Risk Of Asthma Or Allergy). Clearly it's all semantics, but it seems like these two headlines are focusing on the fact that the risk of allergies and asthma are more or less the same, whether you breastfeed or not, rather than focusing on breastfeeding as being flawed.

The study’s authors say that it is the first randomized trial of human lactation. It compared a breastfeeding group with a control group that did not receive extra urging to breastfeed. By one year, 20% were still breastfeeding versus 11% in the control group. It does make me curious how this can be considered a study of extended breastfeeding if only 11%-20% actually succeeded in breastfeeding to one year. I wonder if the data would be different if the extended breastfeeding rates were more like 50%-75% instead.

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Sweet Home Birth Boxes - the supplies you need no matter what your birth plan includes!

The Return of the Wet Nurse

The Daily Mail in the UK ran a story today on the growing trend of wet nursing both in the UK and in California. Occasionally called cross-nursing or shared feeding, reasons for the resurgence of the practice range from medical (a women hurt in a car accident) to convenience (mother’s returning to work too soon but wanting their children to enjoy the benefits of breastfeeding) to vanity (women with breast implants who have difficulties breastfeeding).

The article explains the serious health risk this practice poses, as breast-milk can pass on everything from HIV and syphilis to TB and hepatitis. Furthermore, breastfeeding groups like La Leche League explain that breastmilk changes as the child grows and contains different enzymes and antibodies. Spokeswoman Anna Burbidge says “Your milk will not have the makeup which will necessarily suit another child and it also worries me that it might affect the baby psychologically to be fed so intimately by another woman, or even more than one.”

The article also discusses the idea that many people are outraged by the practice because it is the last mothering taboo, because we think it is too sensual, too intimate. I wondered if this argument was suggesting that those who are worried by the practice are being “prudish”? In fact, my objection to the idea of wet nursing is rooted in something else entirely.

Since when did our culture get so screwed up that it is more important to work than to feed your own child!?! I know the cost of living is outrageous. I know that it’s hard to make ends meet on a single income. I know that mothers want a life and a career too, that we don’t want to stay stuck at home with the chores and the kids, feeling like our identities are entirely wrapped up in our kids. But has anyone looked at the alternative? We’ve become a society that would rather our identities be wrapped up in consuming, in having the big house, the two cars, in climbing the corporate ladder, being successful. We have fallen into this trap where we live a certain way because we think we have to. Could we not make sacrifices so that we can feed our children ourselves??

I am all for women’s rights, for equality, for not being automatically given the role of Susie Homemaker just because I am a woman. I am glad that we got the vote, that we can wear pants, that we are allowed to have any job we are interested in. I am ecstatic that my husband changes diapers, was present at my son’s birth, helps with the housework. I feel fulfilled by my activities that aren’t directly related to my family (my work, my friends, my hobbies).

But in our quest for equality, we’ve somehow decided that all the things women used to do (taking care of home and family) are lesser jobs, menial jobs. I wonder sometimes if those jobs aren’t the more important ones: nurturing our children, feeding our families nutritious food, making the home a happy healthy place to grow. Since when did it become so shameful to want to be a part of that? Since when did it become so important to focus on life outside of family (work, friends, hobbies) that we are willing to pay someone else to feed our babies? That we say we have to live this way, we have no choice?

On the one hand, I’m thrilled that the breastfeeding message is getting out there, that women realize there are benefits to breastfeeding. As the Daily Mail says “Yet a steadily growing minority of mothers now believe that wet-nursing is the answer to the eternal dilemma of women who want to go back to work but also want their babies to enjoy the benefits of breast-milk.” (emphasis added) On the other hand, it worries me that these women can’t be bothered to do it themselves.

I can’t help but feel that there is something seriously wrong with our culture when women are so selfish that they want the implants and the job and the house and the perfect accessory, a baby (who is breastfed), without sacrificing anything? Anything but their relationship with their child, that is.

The Daily Mail article has it right when they say it’s one thing to wet-nurse for health reasons (although even then, there are alternatives like the milk bank) and quite another to do it out of convenience. I really hope that this trend remains in the minority and that the only reason it’s making news is because it’s sensational.

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Breastfeeding & Birth News This Week

Nicotine in Breast-milk Shortens Baby’s Naptimes

Hmm…another reason not to start smoking again after your baby is born. A study reported by Forbes showed that babies’ naps were reduced by 37% when mothers smoked cigarettes before breastfeeding. Apparently nicotine shows up in breast-milk after about 30 – 60 minutes and disappears after 3 hours so mothers could time when they smoke, but really, once you’ve stopped why start up again? The article mentions that more research needs to be done if nicotine affects the babies in any other ways.


Rickets on the Rise

The Toronto Star reported in July that cases of rickets, a childhood disease which causes deformations of bones, are on the rise again. Rickets was widespread from its first medical description in 1650 until its eradication from North America in the 1930s. Rickets is caused by Vitamin D deficiency and it seems that the rise in rickets cases comes from over cautious mothers. Vitamin D is added to milk, but families aren’t drinking as much milk as they once were. Vitamin D is absorbed by exposure to sunlight but we are covering our kids in sunscreen and clothing to guard against skin cancer. I’m sure tv and video games have also reduced the time that kids spend outdoors as well. And Vitamin D is not found in breast-milk so exclusively breastfeeding means infants may need a Vitamin D supplement. For a discussion on vitamin D for breastfed babies, check out Today’s Parent (featuring comments from Dr. Jack Newman). See also Breastfeeding and Other Foods or Some Breastfeeding Myths.

As the Star says: “The obesity crisis has brought to light the lack of outdoor activity in both adults and children. Mix this with fears about hormones in milk, skin cancer from sun exposure and mercury in fish such as salmon that contain plenty of vitamin D – and a deficit is created.”

The interesting point about the rise of rickets (for me anyway) is that rickets was a major reason for death in childbirth. Women who had suffered from rickets as children often had deformed pelvises and couldn’t birth their babies. The history of rickets is part of the reason for the still common diagnosis that some women are too small to deliver a large baby (resulting in planned cesarean births). I’m interested to see whether rickets does indeed become widespread again.

In any case, the article recommends living a balanced life: drinking milk, eating fish, spending time outdoors. Everything in moderation, including moderation.


Brace Yourselves

As I suspected last week, the report into the case of the homebirth death in Quebec has started a shit storm of reactions. The latest from today’s Vancouver Province had me so angry that I can’t even begin to formulate a response. I am sure it’s only the beginning too.

I invite everyone to write the Province cool-headed, well-informed letters with sources and suggestions of where to find more info on both the safety of home birth and the insanity of our current maternity system.

We need to find that middle ground where it’s not home OR hospital. What about birth centres? What about home for low risk birth and hospital for high risk birth? What about changing the hospital system so that people actually want to birth there????

My first suggestions, once I calm down, will be to have Ms. Lakritz read Born in the USA: How to Heal a Broken Maternity System by Marsden Wagner and the most recent issue of Mothering Magazine with its pieces on Cesarean Birth and on Homebirth in Holland. Hmm, maybe we should also get her started on Gentle Birth Choices by Barbara Harper and the classic, Immaculate Deception II by Suzanne Arms.

Please post your comments here on what you think of Ms. Lakritz’ commentary.

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