Milkworks

Breastfeeding: reduces asthma?

Oxytocin and Breastfeeding

This opinion piece from the New York Times discusses the importance of oxytocin, and the activities that increase it, including breastfeeding: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/02/opinion/02brooks.html

How To Use Your Hands When You Pump

A recent study done at Stanford University showed that moms who use their hands while pumping can obtain twice the milk supply as "passive" pumpers.  See a video demonstration at: http://newborns.stanford.edu/Breastfeeding/MaxProduction.html

Breast-Feed the Baby, Love the Calorie Burn

Catherine Saint Louis, New York Times, November 11, 2009
New York Times Fashion & Style columnist takes a different twist on discussing the benefits of breastfeeding. Read the complete article here.

Breastfeeding increases sleep duration of new parents

Doan T, Gardiner A, Gay CL, Lee KA. Department of Family Health Care Nursing, School of Nursing, University of California at San Francisco
A new study has been released about who gets more sleep - breastfeeding moms or moms who are supplementing formula? Despite cultural myths that moms and dads will sleep more if they give formula, breastfeeding parents actually got more sleep! The abstract can be found here.

Key Findings of the 2005 National Immunization Survey Regarding Breastfeeding Practices: Initiation and Duration of Breastfeeding

National Department of Health and Human Services Center for Disease Control
Recently released statistics from a 2005 survey by state show that 21 states in the United States achieved the national Healthy People 2010 objective of 75% of mothers initiating breastfeeding. CDC maps by state show a significant increase of percentage of babies ever breastfed between 2004 (55 - 64%) and 2005 (equal to or greater than 75%). [view CDC survey results][2005 map][2004 map]

Breastfeeding May Reduce Mom's Risk for Diabetes

By: Brigham and Women's Hospital - http://www.emaxhealth.com/
Moms who breastfeed may be protected from Type 2 diabetes. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that mothers breastfeed infants for at least a year to help a baby's growth, development and overall health. Now a study from Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) has found benefits for mothers as well. Researchers demonstrated that breastfeeding a child for one year may reduce a woman's risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by 15 percent. This study appears in the November 23, 2005 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. [read article]

Comparison Of Breastmilk and Formula

askdrsears.com - Dr. William Sears
Fat is the most important nutrient in breastmilk; absence of cholesterol and DHA, vital nutrients for growing brains and bodies, may predispose a child to adult heart and central nervous system diseases. Leftover unabsorbed fat accounts for unpleasant stools in formula-fed babies. [read article]

Fat Content of Breast Milk Increases with Time

By Amanda Gardner - HealthDay Reporter
The longer a mother breast-feeds, the higher the fat and energy content of her breast milk. However, experts are not sure what this finding, which appears in the September issue of Pediatrics, signifies. "This is the first study to analyze the fat and energy content of breast milk of mothers who breastfeed for longer than a year," said study co-author Dr. Ronit Lubetzky, who is with the department of pediatrics at Dana Children's Hospital at Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center in Israel. "There are more and more women who choose to breast-feed for longer time periods, and there are not many studies about the nutritional value of their milk during this prolonged lactation." [read article]

The Academy Of Breastfeeding Medicine

Guideline on co-sleeping and breastfeeding
The Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine is a worldwide organization of physicians dedicated to the promotion, protection, and support of breastfeeding and human lactation. One of the goals of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine is the facilitation of optimal breastfeeding practices. This clinical guideline addresses an aspect of parenting that has a significant impact on breastfeeding: infant sleep locations. [read article]

Breastfeeding: Best for Baby and Mother Section on Breastfeeding

AAP - Newsletter
- Congenital Tongue-Tie and Its Impact on Breastfeeding
- Pediatricians Needed to Make National Breastfeeding Awareness Campaign Successful
- The California Perinatal Quality Care Collaborative
- Chapter Breastfeeding Coordinator Reports from California, Florida and Indiana
[read newsletter]

Organizational Principles to Guide and Define the Child Health Care System and/or Improve the Health of All Children - Breastfeeding and the Use of Human Milk

American Academy of Pediatrics Policy Statement [read article]