Breastfeeding Discussion from Milkalicious
Hot new research released this month shows that sleeping in bed with your baby at 3 months protected against weaning to up to age 12 months. Despite the possible pros, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission warns parents not to place their infants to sleep in adult beds, stating that the practice puts babies at risk of suffocation and strangulation. And the American Academy of Pediatrics agrees. From January 1990 to December 1997 there were 121 deaths that were attributed to a parent, caregiver, or sibling rolling on top of or against a baby while sleeping. Over 1.5 million babies die every year related to misuse of infant formula, this is equal to the population of Northern Ireland.
Is the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission focusing their efforts in the right area? Please share your thoughts and experiences on this or feel free to ask me about any breastfeeding questions or concerns!
Milkalicious was founded in 2008 by Jennifer Ritchie and Jennifer Kusmier,
2 businesswomen/moms, who were interested in making their passion for breastfeeding a community-based business. The Jennifers work tirelessly to increase long-term breastfeeding rates in Orange County by offering breastfeeding support to new mothers. Both founders are certified through UCSD as Lactation Professionals, and Jennifer Ritchie is currently the Vice President of the Orange County Breastfeeding Coalition. For more on Milkalicious and Jennifer Ritchie visit milkalicious.org
Tags: breastfeeding, lactation, lake, milkalicious, mybestbirth, ricki
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Cherylyn on -
I agree with Nichole. I have breastfed all of my 5 kids, and the youngest is 2 months old right now. With all of my kids the demand fluctuated with their age and their growth spurts, and the milk supply fluctuated according to the baby's demands as well as hormonal changes in my body. However, I nursed my babies on demand and always had enough milk for them. My babies are fast nursers as well, and are done eating after only a few minutes. I don't minding breastfeeding more often when they nurse so quickly. As long as your child is growing well and staying healthy, I think you should just keep at it. You are doing a great job!
-
Permalink Reply by christine a. ruiz-falkowski on -
My three year old daughter has slept in my bed since the day she was born. She has also been nursing that long. My 14 year old son and my 12 year old daughter were formula fed because bad advice from my pediatrician and a lack of support helped me decide to give up breastfeeding. My older children were in and out of my bed until about 9 years old. As toddlers they used "blankies" and "binkies". They both had ear infections and were on antibiotics several times by the time they were three. My three year old has never had any kind of security item. She is more outgoing than my other two, she had a virus once and has never been on antibiotics. Everyone has their own experience. For me, the family bed and long term breastfeeding has been a beautiful, life-changing experience.
-
Permalink Reply by Jennifer Ritchie on -
Thank you so much for sharing!!
-
Permalink Reply by Gena Kirby on -
Definitely, there is no attempt to warn people about the dangers of imitation baby milk, or induction or c sections how many babies die from being born in american hospitals? It's more than 121 in 7 years!
-
Permalink Reply by Valentina Herrera on
-
Hi, my baby is 8 months, breast fed exclusively for the first 6 and now venturing with different fruits and veggies... but my problem is he already has 6 teeth (4 up, 2 down) and inevitably my breasts are starting to pay, he doesn´t bite them but I have the little teeth marks outside my areola. From the beginning he is not one to let go of the boob by himself so I always have to pull out with my pinkie, lately he wants to hang on longer and It feels like he´s chewing on my nipples. There has not been blood or anything that dramatic, just some soreness because he does not want to let go of the breast.
My question is, should I start slowly weaning him? It breaks my heart to even think about it, and I have no clue how to do it. He loves breast feeding, it soothes him like nothing else and it seems unlikely that he will wean himself anytime soon. What do you recommend? Do you have some tips on how to start weaning him slowly so that he´ll be completely weaned by 12 months, which is my "at least" goal.
Thanks!
-
Permalink Reply by Jennifer Ritchie on
-
Hi Valentina,
First off, a baby pulls on the nipple for one of two reasons, either too much milk or not enough. How do you feel your milk supply is doing? Do you pump at all, if so, what type of volume are you getting? Because of the sucking mechanics involved during breastfeeding, it is impossible for the baby and suckle and bite and suck at the same time. Thank god! The best advice I can give you is try to make the feed as efficient as possible, so that he doesn’t linger. Doing breast compressions (squeezing the breast and holding) will help the baby empty the breast quicker, and will give your nipples a break. But, if you have a reduced milk supply, that may be contributing to the problem.
I am hoping you can stick with breastfeeding as long as possible, so please let me know!
Best,
Jennifer Ritchie
Milkalicious
-
-
Oh! by the way he also sleeps in our bed... It´s the only way he´ll sleep through the night! No problems in that department...
-
Permalink Reply by Jennifer C on -
We have co-slept from day 1 and my son is now 18 months old and still breastfeeding. I don't know how we could do it without co-sleeping b/c my son can night-nurse without disturbing me too much. He usually wakes up at least once to night-nurse. Right now we have a side-car crib attached to our bed which gives us all plenty of space. I love co-sleeping. :D
-
Permalink Reply by Holly C on -
If you read deeper into the statistics of those 121, you'll find that many of the parents had outside issues that contributed to their unsafe cosleeping. Many, if not most, were known to Child Services and many, if not most, were using drugs and/or alcohol on the night the child was smothered. Or had some other outlaying issue for which they should not have been cosleeping. It's rather irritating that it's stated so broadly, as though cosleeping in general was the issue instead of a bunch of irresponsible parents who coslept while drunk/high/on medications/etc.
Even if they had coslept perfectly healthy and by every cosleeping safety standard, 121 deaths is still far less than the thousands that die each year of SIDS which happens in cribs and yet no one ever opposes that as being unsafe.
-
Permalink Reply by Cherylyn on
-
My husband and I have co-slept with each of our 5 children so far, and I would have it no other way. Our youngest is 2 months old and sleeps with me every day and night (including a nap each day, which I love). Particularly when the baby is very small, I find it very comforting to have my baby next to me where I can hear and feel his breathing and movements and know that all is well. I've also breastfed all of my children, and night feedings are so much easier when I can just nurse the baby in bed with me. The baby never has to wake enough to actually cry because I am tuned in to his hungry cues even when we're both sleeping, and can simply put him to the breast and we both fall back asleep easily. I never have to get out of bed to go to the baby or prepare a bottle, and we both sleep better because of it. My baby nurses longer at night time feedings, but I think it's because he nurses less often during the night than during the day (about twice each night), and it doesn't bother me at all because we are usually just sleeping through the feedings anyway. My babies have never slept well in cribs. They always sleep more soundly and longer when they sleep with me. On the few occasions I tried putting my baby in a crib with my first baby, I would wake up worrying about whether or not the baby was breathing, and would have to get up just to check, and it interrupted my own sleep quite a bit.
I've always been a deep sleeper, and as a teenager it took a huge amount of effort just to wake me. However, when I sleep with my baby I am always aware of where the baby is and instinctively know how to lie with him. I usually sleep on my side with the baby in front of me, and I feel like I'm being a protective shell as I can curl my body around him. I'm also very active when I sleep. I change positions often throughout the night, but I just move the baby when I shift positions, and keep him in a safe place next to me no matter which side I'm lying on. My kids are all wiggly sleepers now, and sometimes I wonder if they got that from me moving them around through the night as babies!
-
Permalink Reply by Evie MacRunnel on -
Is the 1.5 million babies from the U.S. or in all the world? If it is in all the world this could be from poorer areas where the parents over dilute the formula to make their formula supply last longer. Please clarify. Also it would be good to cite your information for legitimacy.
-
Permalink Reply by KM on -
I find it difficult to believe that co-sleeping is so hazardous when it's practiced almost exclusively in many other parts of the world.
I'm a little confused as to the relation between co-sleeping and the misuse of formula??
- ‹ Previous
- 1
- 2
- 3
- Next ›
© 2013 Created by MyBestBirth Admin.
