Mothers who find breastfeeding so hard that they give up should not blame themselves, researchers say.
A Norwegian study concludes that difficulty feeding a newborn may be down to higher levels of the male hormone testosterone during pregnancy.
via BBC News.
An article in a magazine for new mothers that described breastfeeding as “creepy” has drawn widespread criticism.
Mother & Baby Magazine’s deputy editor Kathryn Blundell said she bottle fed because she did not want to put her “fun bags” in a “bawling baby’s mouth”.
via BBC News.
Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen says that all mothers should be made to breastfeed their babies for the first six months of their lives.
In an interview with Harper’s Bazaar magazine, she said: “I think breastfeeding really helped [me keep my figure].
via BBC News.
Pregnant women in the UK should be told to routinely take vitamin D supplements, researchers say.
The team at University College London Institute of Child Health says official bodies currently offer conflicting advice.
Writing in the British Journal of Nutrition, they say there is a “strong case” for a daily dose of vitamin D in pregnancy.
via BBC News
Breast-feeding seems to provide an immune system boost to infants, helping to prevent respiratory and gastrointestinal illnesses in babies, according to new research.
Babies who were breast-fed exclusively for four months, and then partially until they were six months old, had a reduced risk of respiratory and gastrointestinal infections compared to babies who had never been breast-fed, the Dutch team found.
via Health24
“It implies something special, whereas breastfeeding is the physiological norm, and suggests that formula is the standard way to feed babies.
“Breastfeeding is the only case where the biological norm is expressed as the exception rather than the rule,” she continued.
What is important, Lesley Backhouse says, is communicating to new mums that breastfeeding is free and easy, and the normal way to feed a baby.
via BBC News
In Written Answers, Shona Robison (SNP) said,
There is a large and robust body of evidence demonstrating the short and long term health benefits of breastfeeding for both mothers and infants, including evidence from the World Health Organization, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD and the World Cancer Research Fund.
The Scottish Government has adopted as policy the World Health Organization guidance recommending exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of an infant’s life.
via TheyWorkForYou
June 8, 2010 — Several provisions in the federal health reform law PL 111-148 will significantly improve health insurance coverage and support services for pregnant women and new mothers, who frequently face “seriously deficient” options in the current market, the Washington Post reports.
According to the Post, about 85% of women have given birth by age 44. However, some insurers consider pregnancy a pre-existing condition and charge pregnant women higher premiums or refuse to cover costs associated with childbirth. Currently, low-income pregnant women can receive coverage through Medicaid, but they usually lose it 60 days after giving birth unless they are very poor, the Post reports.
Starting this fall, all new health insurance plans will be required to cover certain preventive screenings and services — such as folic acid supplements and counseling for smoking cessation — for pregnant women at no additional cost. In addition, Medicaid will begin covering smoking cessation counseling and drug therapy for pregnant women. The law also includes a provision to require employers to provide paid breaks for women to express breastmilk, as well as a location that is not a bathroom to do so.
A hospital in south-west London is calling on new mothers to help replenish its near-empty milk bank.
The neo-natal unit at Kingston Hospital is close to full capacity but has a shortage of milk.
via BBC News
Pregnant women who drink plenty of milk may be protecting their child from developing multiple sclerosis (MS) in the future.
MS is a nervous system disease that attacks the material, called myelin, that covers nerve fibers. This disrupts signaling between nerves and causes nerve damage, leading to symptoms such as numbness, tingling, fatigue, loss of vision, and possibly, paralysis. The disease most often strikes adults after age 20, but it can develop in children.
Growing evidence has suggested that vitamin D, found in fortified milk, may lower one’s risk of MS. Now, researchers with the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston have shown that it’s possible this protective benefit could begin while a baby is developing in the womb.
via WebMD
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