Breast Feeding Basics

Moms generally choose for their children what they feel is beneficial, convenient, or harmless. But what if you found out that something that you thought was a harmless formula choice was actually dangerous for your baby and far from convenient? (more…)

When the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was amended by the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978, Congress intended to include breastfeeding and expressing breast milk as protected conduct under the amendment. Unfortunately, some courts have not recognized breastfeeding and expressing breast milk as covered under the act, so a bill has been introduced to clarify Congress’ intent: the Breastfeeding Promotion Act of 2007 (H.R. 2236).

H.R. 2236 will accomplish the following:

1. It will amend Title VII, Section 701(k) of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to include “lactation” as defined as “feeding of a child directly from the breast or the expressing of milk from the breast.”
2. It will provide for tax credits for employers to provide an appropriate environment for mothers to breastfeed or express breast milk at work.
3. It will give the Secretary of Health and Human Services authority to create a performance standard for breast pumps and identify pumps appropriate for use on a regular basis in a place of employment.
4. It will expand the definition of medical care under section 213(d) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to include qualified breastfeeding equipment and services, like breast pumps and lactation consultants.

The expansion of the definition of medical care in the Internal Revenue Code will allow women to use funds in their Medical Savings Accounts to pay for breastfeeding equipment and services without incurring a tax on the withdrawal.

By expressing (no pun intended) your support for this bill, you can help it move forward to become law. What you can do is contact your representative by phone or by letter and ask her to please co-sponsor the Breastfeeding Promotion Act (H.R. 2236). The bill was sponsored by Rep. Carol B. Maloney, N.Y., and it currently has 25 co-sponsors, among them may be your representative who could use your support.

To learn more about the Breastfeeding Promotion Act, go to the Library of Congress website and enter H.R. 2236 into the bill search engine. From there you can read the bill and see its status and co-sponsors.

The following video is of an interview I conducted with Caroline van Veldhuizen, IBCLC, regarding her research and experience with breastfeeding oversupply syndrome. I myself have suffered from an overabundant milk supply, manifesting symptoms like leaky nipples, engorgement, and mastitis, so this interview was very helpful for me to fully understand the problem and how to manage it. (more…)

Overabundant milk supply: an alternative way to intervene by full drainage and block feeding

By Caroline GA van Veldhuizen-Staas, IBCLC
Private practice, Merkelbeek, The Netherlands
www.eurolac.net

Background:

Too much or too little milk production are common problems in a lactation consultant’s practice. Whereas underproduction is widely discussed in the lactation literature, overabundant milk supply is not. In my practice I work with women who experience moderate to severe oversupply syndrome. In most cases the syndrome can be successfully treated with full removal of milk followed by unilateral breastfeeding ad lib with the same breast offered at every breastfeed in a certain time block (”block feeding”).

Case presentations:

Four cases of over-supply of breast milk are presented. The management and outcome of each case is described.

Conclusion:

Overabundant milk supply is an often under-diagnosed condition in otherwise healthy lactating women. Full drainage and “block feeding” offer an adequate and userfriendly way to normalize milk production and treat symptoms in both mother and child.

Read the complete paper on the International Breastfeeding Journal website.

You can also watch my interview with paper’s author.

Question: How often should I breastfeed my baby?

I created the following video to answer that question:

Breastfeeding is a powerful tool to calm and comfort a distressed child, and according to experts, that distress can go very deep. By breastfeeding our infants for comfort, we may be giving our children a legacy of good mental as well as emotional health. (more…)

Question: Do Big Breasts Make More Milk? 

The simple answer to this question is no. However, size does matter in this situation. If you have small breasts, you will need to nurse a little more frequently to maintain your milk supply at the same level as those who have larger breasts. The science behind this principle goes something like this: (more…)

Question: Can breastfeeding cause cavities?

Whether they breastfeed or not, some babies and toddlers seem to be easily afflicted with cavities. Unfortunately for nursing moms, some dentists claim that breastfeeding, especially at night, contributes to cavities in infants and toddlers. They recommend weaning when the baby’s teeth start to come in. Are these dentists justified in making this claim and recommendation? (more…)