Whether obese mothers nursed or used formula, their children were more likely to be heavy. In the past decade, researchers have come up with ever more elaborate ways to tease out the truth.
One paper focused on sibling pairs who were fed differently, and its results put a big question mark over all the previous research. The economists Eirik Evenhouse and Siobhan Reilly compared rates of diabetes, asthma, and allergies; childhood weight; various measures of mother-child bonding; and levels of intelligence.
Almost all the differences turned out to be statistically insignificant. Nearly all the researchers I talked to pointed me to a series of studies designed by Kramer , published starting in Kramer followed 17, infants born in Belarus throughout their childhoods.
He came up with a clever way to randomize his study, at least somewhat, without doing anything unethical. He took mothers who had already started nursing, and then subjected half of them to an intervention strongly encouraging them to nurse exclusively for several months.
The intervention worked: many women nursed longer as a result. And extended breast-feeding did reduce the risk of a gastrointestinal infection by 40 percent. This result seems to be consistent with the protection that sIgA provides; in real life, it adds up to about four out of babies having one less incident of diarrhea or vomiting.
Kramer also noted some reduction in infant rashes. Otherwise, his studies found very few significant differences: none, for instance, in weight, blood pressure, ear infections, or allergies—some of the most commonly cited benefits in the breast-feeding literature.
By her third child, she may no longer breast-feed—giving researchers the sibling comparison that they crave—but many other things may have changed as well. Maybe she is now using day care, exposing the baby to more illnesses. Surely she is not noticing that kid No.
On paper, the three siblings are equivalent, but their experiences are not. What does all the evidence add up to? We have clear indications that breast-feeding helps prevent an extra incident of gastrointestinal illness in some kids—an unpleasant few days of diarrhea or vomiting, but rarely life-threatening in developed countries.
We have murky correlations with a whole bunch of long-term conditions. If a child is disadvantaged in other ways, this bump might make a difference. But for the kids in my playground set, the ones whose mothers obsess about breast-feeding, it gets lost in a wash of Baby Einstein videos, piano lessons, and the rest. So overall, yes, breast is probably best. They were of the generation that had fought the formula wars, and had lived through the days when maternity wards automatically gave women hormone shots to stop the flow of breast milk.
Released in , the new policy recommended exclusive breast-feeding for six months, followed by six more months of partial breast-feeding, supplemented with other foods. The National Organization for Women complained that this would tax working mothers, but to no avail. The ads came out just after my second child was born, and were so odious that they nearly caused me to wean him on the spot. One television ad shows two hugely pregnant women in a logrolling contest, with an audience egging them on.
She falls off the bull and the crowd moans. Plans were made to do another ad showing rubber nipples on top of insulin syringes suggesting that bottle-feeding causes diabetes , but then someone thought better of it. The seventh edition of The Womanly Art , published in , has ballooned to more than pages, and is filled with photographs in place of the original hand drawings.
The experience of reading the edition is like talking with your bossy but charming neighbor, who has some motherly advice to share. So you know what you can do with this damned fork. A bout seven years ago, I met a woman from Montreal, the sister-in-law of a friend, who was young and healthy and normal in every way, except that she refused to breast-feed her children.
She just felt that breast-feeding would set up an unequal dynamic in her marriage—one in which the mother, who was responsible for the very sustenance of the infant, would naturally become responsible for everything else as well. At the time, I had only one young child, so I thought she was a kooky Canadian—and selfish and irresponsible.
But of course now I know she was right. I recalled her with sisterly love a few months ago, at three in the morning, when I was propped up in bed for the second time that night with my new baby note the my.
And why should he do more? The Bitch in the House , published in , reframed The Feminine Mystique for my generation of mothers. We were raised to expect that co-parenting was an attainable goal. But who were we kidding? Even in the best of marriages, the domestic burden shifts, in incremental, mostly unacknowledged ways, onto the woman.
Breast-feeding plays a central role in the shift. In my set, no husband tells his wife that it is her womanly duty to stay home and nurse the child.
Instead, both parents together weigh the evidence and then make a rational, informed decision that she should do so. How long you nurse for is highly personal, and some parents find they need additional support if their baby is nursing longer than their friends and family expected them to nurse. A great place to find support for nursing little ones of any age is La Leche League meetings!
There, like-minded people will support your decision to nurse as long as you and your baby choose. LLL France Article. For best printing results, open the llli. Although you can view the site well in any browser, printing from other browsers might not operate correctly. Click the Print button that is displayed on the web page not the Print command on the browser menu or toolbar.
This opens the browser print window. The window displays a preview of the document that will be printed. The preview might take a minute to display, depending on the document size. In the Printer box, select the desired printer. Click the Print button. Improving positioning helps eliminate many cases of sore nipples. You may have noticed this description is long. Be assured that many mothers have successfully accomplished breastfeeding their babies for centuries and you too will learn how to best position your baby.
The suggestions are meant to gives you ideas on how you and your baby can learn to breastfeed and enjoy the breastfeeding experience. Full Positioning Article. You can breastfeed while pregnant; some mothers go on to nurse both their new baby and their older child after the birth.
Family, friends and healthcare professionals may express concern if you are breastfeeding while pregnant. Their concerns might include perceived risk to the health of your unborn baby, and they may also worry about your well being. There is no evidence that breastfeeding during low risk pregnancy leads to increased chance of harm to mother or baby. Full Pregnancy Article.
When your baby is strong enough to come out of the incubator, hold him skin-to-skin on your chest. Skin-to-skin means that your baby will be nestled upright between your breasts. You can drape a blanket over you both for warmth. Your warmth, smell, and familiar heartbeat will feel comforting to your baby. He will be soothed and calmed which will aid in his development. He may start to root for your breast and try to nurse for the first time. Fathers and other support people can also hold babies in this way.
Perhaps your baby is now strong and mature enough to begin feeding directly at your breast. It may take some time to encourage him to do it correctly. Many mothers of premature babies find the cross cradle hold very useful for this stage.
Full Premies: Positioning Article. If your baby is not strong enough to feed at the breast, you can still give him your milk. Begin to pump as soon after birth as you are able.
It will help if you can use a full-size, hospital-grade pump, with a double-pump kit; many NICUs Neonatal Intensive Care Units have these pumps available for use. Ask at your hospital.
Pumping both breasts at once will save you time. Save your colostrum, the first milk. This is the perfect first feed for your baby to have. Full Premies: Pumping Article. It is important to know that you can still provide milk for your child when you are away and you can maintain your breastfeeding relationship.
When you are pumping milk for your baby, it is important to clean your pumping accessories properly, whether at work or at home. One type of breast massage involves using your fingertips to apply gentle pressure to your breast and move your fingers in a circular motion. After a few seconds, you can move your fingers to another spot. Start at the top of your breast and spiral the breast toward the areola using the circular motion.
Then switch to the other breast. In order for the baby to suck effectively, he will need to draw your nipples far back in his mouth. If you have flat nipples, the baby may have a problem latching. On the other hand many mother have successfully breastfeed with flat or inverted nipples. Full Preparing Article. Reflux Why Infant Reflux Matters. Whatever you are experiencing, from increased desire, to no desire at all, and everything in between, others have been there before you.
Discussing your experiences with others, such as at a La Leche League meeting, can be a reassuring way to feel that you are not alone. Full Breastfeeding and Sex Article Lactancia y sexo. It can be hard to hard to continue your breastfeeding relationship if you are told you are not safe for your baby for a full third of the day!
LLL believes there are many safe sleep options available to parents with infants. Education and accurate information are the keys to unlocking Sweet Sleep solutions! Full Sleep: Bedshare Article. Sleeping with our babies is an instinct as old as motherhood itself. What are the facts? The highest risk is during the first six months. The greatest SIDS risk factors are smoking during your pregnancy and placing your baby face-down for sleep. One in five SIDS deaths occurs in daycare.
Full Sleep: Safe Sleep Article. If you are a nonsmoker, sober and unimpaired, a breastfeeding mother, and your baby is healthy and full-term, one his back, lightly dressed, and you both are on a safe surface, the solid research indicates your automatic behaviors and responsiveness as a breastfeeding mother make it practically impossible to roll over on him.
Other smoothing risks are simple to deal with and are covered below. Full Sleep: Safe Surface Checklist. Some parents choose not to discuss their sleeping arrangements with medical caregivers, even if asked. If you do choose to, here are some points you may find helpful. You change your position and shift your pillow and covers and turn on the white noise, you count sheep and try to meditate, and finally you watch a movie or read until you fall asleep.
Around 3 am, or maybe 4, you wake up hungry. You forgot to put a snack by the bed, so you get up, pee, and get something to eat. Happily you wake up only once that night; the night before, you made 3 trips to the bathroom. You shifted your position when you wanted, ate when you wanted, and woke at different times from the night before. A small baby can do every single one of those things too, but only with a caring and responsive support system, which is usually Mama.
The Mama-support-system has arms that help with shifts in position. It has warmth, comfort, and reassuring sounds. It has a snuggly breast that offers food, comfort, and sleep-encouraging hormones; and it has an adult brain that does the problem-solving.
The problem-solving may go something like this: Breast? Try breast again? Full Sleep Training… or not Article. First, congratulations on the birth of your new special baby. Second, congratulations on making the choice to breast feed your new baby.
How wonderful that you want to give your baby the gift of your milk. Babies with special needs experience special benefits from breastfeeding beyond the many advantages to typical newborns. Right now, you are probably struggling with conflicting feelings. Like most parents, you are joyful and excited to meet your new baby. At the same time, you may have feelings of disappointment, anger, helplessness, even guilt.
Allow yourself time to process these feelings of grief, remember that your baby is a baby first and a baby with special needs second. Babies born with Down syndrome, cleft lip or palate, cardiac problems, cystic fibrosis, a neurological impairment or other special needs will benefit from human milk even more than other babies.
It offers the perfect nutrition to keep your baby as healthy as possible, and be strong for any surgeries or treatments they may need. The special bond and breastfeeding hormones produced will help to keep you calmer and more in touch with your baby as well. Full Special Needs Article. Human milk provides immunity factors for as long as the baby nurses, and many of the health benefits of breastfeeding continue well into childhood and beyond.
Feeding complementary foods to your baby before he is ready is typically messy and inefficient as he will naturally push the food out with his tongue as long as the tongue-reflex is functioning. By waiting for him to be developmentally ready, he becomes an active participant in eating, rather than merely a passive recipient. This helps to put him in charge of how much he eats, teaching him important fullness cues. Starting solid foods before your baby is ready will not increase his sleep at night, is not necessary for larger babies, and does not initially increase calories.
Full Starting Solids Article. It is essential to properly store your expressed pumped milk to maximize its nutritional, immunological and antioxidant qualities. Human milk has anti-bacterial properties that help it to stay fresh and when stored per recommendations, human milk can maintain many of its nutritional qualities making it safe for use.
Over time nutrients may break down in expressed milk lowering the quality and as such, it is important to try to give your baby the freshest expressed milk to ensure its rich quality. This information is based on current research and applies to mothers who have healthy, full-term babies. Full Storing Human Milk Article. Because La Leche League Leaders are very interested in infant nutrition, we are often asked about infant formulas or artificial baby milks.
However, our area of expertise is breastfeeding, so recommending a specific infant formula is beyond the scope of La Leche League. Please consult with your health care provider. Full Supplementing Article. Finding out you are pregnant does not mean you must stop breastfeeding your toddler.
Many mothers choose to continue breastfeeding throughout pregnancy, while others decide to wean. If you continue breastfeeding through your pregnancy, you may find yourself breastfeeding both an infant and an older sibling. Is it safe? Changes during pregnancy Milk supply and colostrum The practicalities of tandem nursing The emotional side of tandem nursing. No evidence exists that the use of tanning beds has any effect on human milk or breastfed babies.
However some mothers have reported getting burnt nipples and breasts when using tanning beds: this is extremely painful so be sure to cover your nipples and breasts and use caution.
If you are offered any vitamins or medications to enhance the tanning process you can check them with your health care provider before taking them.
The active ingredient in most fake tans is DHA, and some self tanners use erythrulose. Both are non toxic: neither substance can absorb beyond the outermost layer of your skin, and so cannot contaminate your breast milk or harm your baby. In many countries both breastfeeding and tattooing are enjoying a resurgence in popularity. You may be wondering if it safe to breastfeed your baby if you already have a tattoo. You might be thinking of getting a tattoo or having a tattoo removed and wish to continue breastfeeding without interruption.
Tattoos are created by injecting ink into the dermal second layer of the skin. Tattooists use a hand-held electric machine that is fitted with solid needles coated in the ink. The needles enter the skin hundreds of times a minute to a depth of up to a few millimeters. The ink that is used in tattoos in the United States is subject to FDA regulation as cosmetics, but none are approved for injection under the skin. Tattoo inks are made from various compounds, including heavy metals such as, cadmium, cobalt and manganese.
There are synthetic and vegan brands of ink available. It is generally assumed that ink molecules are too large to pass into breastmilk during the tattoo process. Once injected into the skin the ink is trapped, however it is unknown whether the ink can pass into breastmilk as it slowly breaks down in the body months to years later. Full Tattoos and Breastfeeding Article. Of course! Teething can present some new challenges but breastmilk continues to be the best food for your baby.
Sometimes when the teeth are moving under the gums and as they pop through the gums, your baby may be uncomfortable and unhappy. Nursing can come to the rescue and help sooth in those fussy times. The American Academy of Pediatrics AAP encourages breastfeeding for at least a year and as long as mother and baby choose to continue. These organizations know that extended nursing provides many benefits for baby and mother and that, with the right approach and techniques, teething can be managed in a way that is mutually acceptable to both mother and baby.
It is important to remember that when the baby is breastfeeding, his tongue extends beyond the bottom gum to draw in the nipple.
This helps cushion the nipple from the edges of the new baby teeth. Often the greater discomfort for baby is when the teeth are moving under the gums preparing to erupt. The pressure on the gums can be very uncomfortable and clamping down on something firm can feel good. Full Teething Article. The thyroid is a gland found in the front of your neck. It secretes hormones that play an important part in lactation by regulating prolactin and oxytocin.
When the thyroid is not functioning correctly, it can impact milk production. There is also connection between thyroid disorders and autoimmune problems.
The immune system is suppressed during pregnancy to protect your baby. This is a good thing. Problems with the thyroid can begin before or during pregnancy, in the postpartum period, or later in life. They can also occur along with other medical conditions, which can make diagnosis and treatment more challenging.
Full Breastfeeding and Thyroidism Article. Persistent nipple pain in the early weeks of breastfeeding, or nipple pain that appears after several weeks or months of pain-free nursing, may be caused by thrush, which is a yeast infection of the nipples. Thrush is caused by a yeast fungus, usually Candida albicans. Additional symptoms can include:. When thrush occurs, the discomfort tends to be reported in the nipple region and almost always in both breasts as it is very contagious.
You may be at higher risk for developing thrush if you or your baby has had a recent course of antibiotics, your nipples are cracked or damaged, or you are taking oral contraceptives or steroids such as for asthma. Full Thrush Article. There are plenty of reasons to quit smoking, both for you and your baby. But breastfed infants are at lower risk for these diseases compared to artificially fed infants, even when their mothers continue to smoke.
And breastfeeding helps to protect babies from the potential risks of environmental smoke. Full Tobacco Article. Toddlers breastfeed for many of the same reasons babies breastfeed: for nutrition, comfort, security, for a way to calm down and for reassurance.
Toddlers The Dad of a Breastfed Toddler. Tongue-tie or ankyloglossia is the condition where the lingual frenulum, the band of tissue that attaches the tongue to the floor of the mouth, restricts tongue movement. Many tongue tied infants have difficulties initiating and maintaining a latch.
Infants who are unable to latch properly have difficulty effectively transferring milk and therefore may struggle with weight gain. Mothers can experience nipple pain and, due to ineffective suckling, insufficient milk supply.
Full Tongue and Lip Ties Article. La Leche League is an international, nonprofit, nonsectarian organisation. We at La Leche League International have all nursed our babies.
LLLI is committed to serving everyone inclusive of race, ethnicity, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, physical or mental ability, socio-economic status, political views, gender identity, sexual orientation, family structure, or other protected status.
Trans men, trans women, and non-binary individuals may choose to breastfeed or chestfeed their babies. You do not need to have given birth to breastfeed or chestfeed, as we can also see in the experiences of those nursing adopted babies. Please note that some of the links in this post will take you to articles or websites where you may notice gendered language.
Traveling with a baby can be difficult! In many cases, babies travel well. Bringing your baby with you to a special event can be exciting… or nerve-racking! There are a few things many families have found work when traveling with babies. As always, take what feels right for your family and leave the rest. The car seat — do some research to make sure the car seat you buy for your baby suits your needs.
Whichever one you choose, look for one you feel confident installing, removing, and moving around. It is also helpful to be very well acquainted with how the car seat buckles and tightens.
Many families find it beneficial to practice how to get their babies into and out of their car seats from the front passenger seats and a seat on the side of the car seat. It can be difficult to take your little one out of the car seat and carry them to you in your seat — especially if it is cold or rainy outside. Practice which seat in your vehicle you are able to nurse in the best and learn how to get your baby out of and back into their car seat from your nursing seat safely.
Full Travel Article. Cuando Son Dos, Amamantar Gemelos. Covid vaccines and breastfeeding Deutsche: Impfungen This post provides information about vaccines a nursing mother or parent may need, and some ways to comfort a baby who has received a vaccination.
Full Vaccines Article. It is a known fact that human milk is the superior infant food. Human milk is the most complete nutritionally, immunologically, and is the only food designed specifically for your baby. Full Vitamin D Article. If your baby is healthy and doing well, there is no need for vitamins, iron, or other supplements in the early months apart from vitamin D. Furthermore, many mothers have found that vitamin or fluoride supplements may cause fussiness or colic in their infants.
By treating each mother and baby as a unique pair, unnecessary supplementation can often be avoided. Exclusively breastfed babies do not need water supplements — your body makes the perfect milk for your baby, actually changing the composition as he needs more or less water. Water supplements may also stop you establishing your milk supply as your baby will ask to breastfeed less.
This article from LLL Canada gives more information about breastfeeding and hot weather. Full Water Supplements Article. If your doctor decides you need to take a drug medicine for a medical condition, make sure that they know how important it is for you to continue breastfeeding and check to see if a breastfeeding compatible drug can be used.
You may not need to wean permanently, or at all. Depending on the age of your breastfeeding child, and the frequency with which they breastfeed, certain drugs may have little or no effect on him. Are you feeling ready to wean completely? Sometimes just cutting back on the amount of times you breastfeed will make you feel better, breastfeeding can sometimes be overwhelming. Breastfeeding is a two-way street. If you resent it when you sit down to breastfeed, your child will pick up on this.
If your baby is under a year or older, sometimes , you will have to substitute a bottle feeding for a missed breastfeeding. An older baby may accept a drink from a cup, a nutritious snack, or just a distraction in the form of a game, a toy, or change of scene. Remember, the first supplemental feed, from a bottle, or of solid food, is the beginning of weaning. Weaning does not need to be all or nothing. Your baby will probably fight the switch from your warm, soft breast to a plastic substitute.
Full Weaning: How To Article. Are you thinking about weaning? Your child may be a few weeks or months old, or may be a breastfeeding toddler. Some mothers decide to continue breastfeeding until the baby outgrows the need. This is called natural weaning or child-led weaning. In modern Western society, this is rather unusual.
At a typical LLL meeting, you may find many mothers practice extended or natural weaning. You can review the Toddler Nursing article if this seems right to you.
They can help you with any difficulties you may experience. All LLL Leaders have breasted at least one baby, for at least one year. Were you planning on continuing breastfeeding, but your baby has other ideas? Do you worry baby is trying to wean? Full Weaning: Unexpected Article. You are not alone in wondering about losing weight. Many women are anxious to return to their pre-pregnancy shape and weight after childbirth.
While breastfeeding burns about calories extra per day to fuel milk making, this may not always contribute to weight loss postpartum — many factors like pre-pregnancy weight, diet, physical activity level, etc will impact weight loss after birth Institute of Medicine, ; Dewey, On average, exclusively breastfeeding mothers may see a loss of pounds a month and over time, breastfeeding moms tend to lose more weight than mothers who do not breastfeed.
It is recommended that you wait at least weeks postpartum to start to lose weight, as your body needs this time to recover from childbirth and establish a good milk supply. Many mothers lose weight in the early months by following a well-balanced diet and eating to hunger.
Full Weight Loss: For Mothers. Choosing the right person and right setting takes care. You want to find a setting that will provide the kind of care and attention you would give. You want a setting that respects breastfeeding and your expressed breastmilk. This may take some homework on your part.
Visits to the locations you are considering will be important. Here are some things to consider:. For best printing results, open the llli.
Although you can view the site well in any browser, printing from other browsers might not operate correctly.
Click the Print button that is displayed on the web page not the Print command on the browser menu or toolbar. This opens the browser print window.
The window displays a preview of the document that will be printed. The preview might take a minute to display, depending on the document size. In the Printer box, select the desired printer.
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