Breastfeeding in public has long evoked a great deal of debate and even controversy. The Equality Act passed in April 2010, has meant that mums cannot be discriminated against in England and Wales which includes being asked to leave a venue or be unfavourably treated because they are breastfeeding. Whilst this is supportive, there is still a significant resistance to breastfeeding in public. In Scotland, the right to breastfeed in public has been part of their legislation for more than a year.

Mothers have to endure a great deal of pressure to breast feed, with numerous articles in the media promoting the benefits of breastfeeding. There is also a lot of help and advice on breastfeeding, particularly from the National Childbirth Trust who actively promote breastfeeding. NCT also introduced the ‘Booby Awards’ to praise those establishments that encouraged breastfeeding with their attitude and facilities, whilst also listing some businesses that seemed to have a poor track record. However, I believe that it should purely be a mum’s choice on how she feeds her baby and as a company; Freedom Babe does not promote either way.

If a mother decides she wants to breastfeed, then breastfeeding in public will be a necessary part of her regime. However, it is clear from a recent survey of 1200 new mums conducted in conjunction with the NCT, that many mums fear the public reaction; with a staggering 65% of respondents saying that they would not even attempt breastfeeding in public. Many new mums had found the whole experience of breastfeeding in public to be a very stressful process and over half of them said they had been asked to leave the premises. On many occasions, mums have had to disappear into the toilet to breastfeed, with establishments unable to provide any more suitable facilities.
There are obviously many mothers who need support in order to breastfeed in public. Locking herself and her baby away in a toilet for 20-30 minutes is not the experience she wants. However, the unease felt by many mothers breastfeeding their baby in a public area is an unacceptable situation.

There are fortunately alternatives available which can support new mothers. There are specific clothing items that can make it easier to breastfeed including nursing bras and specially adapted tops. Many mums struggle with using blankets or cloths to cover up during feeding but these are often awkward and clumsy. Purpose made clothing accessories such as nursing aprons or breastfeeding covers; provide a much needed aid to new mothers. They have the advantage that they can be used in conjunction with everyday clothing. Not only do they provide a secure and discreet cover, they also allow the baby to have a cocooned environment; without the distractions of other children or activity within the establishment. It also means that there is less pressure on mums trying to feed quickly.
Breastfeeding should be a choice for new mothers and one that is freely made with knowledge of the benefits without the pressures currently inflicted by the whole experience of breastfeeding in public.

By: Dawn Callery

Source: Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding 

Research by the University of Otago in Christchurch and Wellington has shown that breastfeeding of infants has a clear protective effect against children developing asthma or wheezing up to six years of age.

There has long been debate over this issue in the scientific literature, but this latest study of 1105 infants in Christchurch and Wellington over six years demonstrates that exclusive, or indeed any breastfeeding, has a protective effect on the development of asthma in young children.

The study team asked questions about breastfeeding and gathered information on wheezing and asthma in the children at 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 years.

The protective effect against the development of asthma is even stronger in those infants and childrenwho are atopic, that is those who have allergies and are therefore more vulnerable.

Exclusive breastfeeding for three months within this atopic sub-group reduced current asthma at six years by 59%, bringing their risk down to that of non-atopic children.

“These are very robust and convincing results which support a global public health message to breastfeed to prevent asthma,” says lead author Dr Karen Silvers from the University of Otago, Christchurch.

“If every infant in this NZ cohort had been exclusively breast fed for six months, as is recommended by the WHO, current asthma would have been reduced by 50% at two years, 42% at three, 30% at four, 42% at five and 32% at six years.”

She says the evidence is particularly strong for exclusive breastfeeding in infancy as being protective against asthma.

The study shows a waning of the impact of breastfeeding after four years of age, which Silvers says is to be expected as children are exposed to other risk factors for asthma and wheezing as they age. However, the fact that exclusive breastfeeding protects well beyond the exclusive breastfeeding period (introduction of foods or other drinks) is remarkable.

Dr Silvers says overall this study is further convincing evidence of the known benefits of breastfeeding for mother and child.

The study has been published in The Journal of Paediatrics and was funded by: the Health Research Council, Child Health Research Foundation, Canterbury Medical Research Foundation, Asthma Research Foundation and the David and Cassie Anderson Bequest.

Source: Breastfeeding 

 Breastfeeding and Asthma

Because more and more women are choosing to breast feed their babies, more and more are also finding that they enjoy it enough to continue longer than the first few months they planned on.  Breast feeding to 3 – 4 years of age is common in much of the world recently, and is still common in many societies for toddlers to be breast fed.

Because mothers and babies often enjoy to breast feed, you shouldn’t stop it.  After six months, many think that breast milk loses it’s value – which isn’t true.  Even after six months, it still contains protein, fat, and other important nutrients which babies and children need.

The fact is, immune factors in breast milk will protect the baby against infections.  Breast milk also contains factors that will help the  immune system mature, and other organs to develop and mature as well.

It’s been shown and proven in the past that children in daycare who are still breast feeding have far less severe infections than the children that aren’t breast feeding.  The mother will lose less work time if she chooses to continue nursing her baby once she is back to work.

If you have thought about breast feeding your baby once he gets passed 6 months of age, you have made a wise decision.  Although many feel that it isn’t necessary, breast milk will always help babies and toddlers.  Breast milk is the best milk you can give to your baby.

When To Stop Breast Feeding

No matter what others may tell you, breast feeding  only needs to be stopped when you and the baby  agree on it.  You don’t have to stop when someone
else wants you to – you should only stop when  you feel that it’s the right time.

Being pregnant doesn’t mean you have to stop breastfeeding your child. Long ago doctors believed it actually took nutrients away from the baby inside you, however that is not the case. Even today we have people that believe this and they will argue with you the entire time.  Only you can decide if you should stop breastfeeding your toddler or not. Don’t let someone else make that decision for you.

Reasons to Stop A few reasons you might want to stop breastfeeding may be if you are feeling constantly drained of energy. Or maybe your child has started to bite. Sometimes your milk will just dry up, this is your body’s way of telling you that it has had enough and to take a break.  Mastitis could play a big role in making you stop immediately as well. Mastitis is an infection in the breast when it isn’t expressed enough and gets engorged.

Stopping or Weaning If you do plan on stopping because you are pregnant, make sure it is for the right reasons. If your child has reached a certain age, it might be best. But never just yank it away from them.  Your child could wonder why it is being taken away. Wonder if they had done something or become discouraged about the new baby coming. Some children decide to wean themselves, which is a big help to you and you won’t feel so guilty about it. You can choose to do it cold turkey, or slowly wean him/her off. Cold turkey can have some bad results.  Try limiting his/her feeding times to certain hours and gradually as time passes take away more. Your child will quickly stop on his/her own and it won’t be a traumatic event.

Continuing to Feed If you do plan on continuing to breastfeed while you are pregnant, talk with your doctor about it. Not all the time will the doctor agree with your decision.  Sometimes he/she may see something in your health that you don’t. Listen carefully and find out if it is a health reason or simply his/her own belief.  If it is the doctors belief, you can always seek out one that agrees with you.  Being pregnant is hard enough at times, knowing you have someone in your corner will only relieve the stress.  Don’t be surprised if your family and friends want to say something about it and they will probably give you all kind of advice on how to stop and what they’ve read. Nicely explain to them it is your decision and you”ll do what you think is best for your children. Try finding a support group in your area so you have someone to vent to or talk about these issues. Check out if there is a La Leche League near you or online that you can join.

Remember that as long as you take proper care of yourself and your body, you”ll be able to safely breastfeed while pregnant.

In your third trimester, your baby was old enough to start getting a taste of the foods his or her mommy likes.   Now that your baby is here and you’re breast feeding, your baby will get an even better taste of your favorite food.

Typically if you are nursing your baby you should produce anywhere from 23 to 27 ounces of milk a day. In order to do this, you need to increase your calorie intake by about 500 more a day.

You also have to increase your water consumption to at least 2 1/2 to 3 quarts of water a day.  You may notice that you are thirstier during nursing session.  This is because the water you drink goes right to milk production.    Try not to drink more than 3 quarts of water a day.  Anything more than 3 quarts can reduce the amount of milk your body produces.

As stated earlier, you need to up your calorie intake. Plan to take in about 2500 calories a day or more if you are planning to nurse for longer than three months. These extra calories should not come from junk food. Junk food and sweets are just empty calories and offer no nutritional value to you or your baby. Eat more protein.  A good rule of thumb is to eat 1 gram of protein each day for every pound you weigh. If you weigh 150, aim to eat 150grams of protein a day.

If you were not doing so during pregnancy, adopt the six meals a day program. Eat breakfast, a midday snack, lunch, a mid afternoon snack, dinner and a night time snack. Your body is going to be making milk continually so it is a good idea to keep it charged with calories through out the day.

There are some foods you might want to avoid during pregnancy. Pretty much everything passes through breast milk and to the baby. This is why the first thing pediatricians advise nursing moms to do when their baby has colic is to look at what they are eating. Chocolate has been blamed in many cases of colic and can cause an upset tummy for most babies.  f you have a baby with a tummy ache think back to see if you had a candy bar or even a cookie in the hours before you nursed. The best advice is to stay away from chocolate while you are nursing.

Stay away from greasy and spicy foods while you are breastfeeding. Greasy foods sometimes upset adults stomachs, imagine what it  would do to your baby’s immature stomach?  Wait until your baby is older and no longer nursing before you start making trips back to McDonalds.

You may also want to stay away from garlic and onions while you are breast feeding. Both of these can flavor the breast milk and you may find that your little one  will not nurse if you have eaten these. Your little one may be just a tad too young to appreciate the taste of garlic and onions anyway. Remember it takes a few hours for the food you eat to make its way into your breast milk. You may have eaten one of these foods right before you nurse and see your baby is fine but by either the following nursing session or the one after you might find your baby having a reaction then.

Your breast milk does not only taste like what you eat, but also what you drink. Just as with pregnancy, you should stay away from a lot of caffeine while breastfeeding. You might need some coffee or caffeine filled soda to keep you functioning and a cup or two will not hurt you or your baby, but too much could have disastrous effects. Just as we experience the jitters and shakes from too much caffeine, your baby does also. Keep your caffeine down to a minimum.

You have made an excellent choice breastfeeding your baby.  Keep it up by making good choices as to what you eat.