What Can We Do Right NOW to Make Breastfeeding Easier for Moms?

Best for Babes Foundation is a non-profit organization that is raising awareness of the "Booby Traps"(TM) facing breastfeeding moms. They are committed to "giving breastfeeding a makeover," and sharing critical information with the public; and supporting moms so that they can make informed feeding choices and receive support whether they choose to breastfeed, formula feed or both.

Their work requires financial support. Without donating any money yourself, you can help them meet their financial goals. Right now Best for Babes is in the running to receive a $20,000 donation from the Chase Community giving campaign on Facebook. They only need to be in the top 200 to win. Voting ends July 12th, and winners are announced on July 13th! You can vote for them HERE. You have to be a member of Facebook to vote. Don't be confused by all the voting options (ie., receiving gift votes for voting for other charities); the priority is getting each person to vote one time for Best for Babes (http://www.bestforbabes.org/; Facebook: www.facebook.com/bestforbabes). If you are not a Facebook member, please share this information with those who are.

Here is a short video that provides a quick view of the "Booby Traps"(TM) Best for Babes is committed to minimizing to help moms overcome barriers to breastfeeding.



For a short video highlighting the people and organizations involved with Best for Babes in helping breastfeeding moms, view Best for Babes breastfeeding nonprofit for Michelle Obama's "Let's Move" Obesity Campaign.

I believe removing our culture's squeamishness around breastfeeding is one of the most important actions Best for Babes is taking. They share information and positive breastfeeding images and stories, including those of celebrities, bringing these into the mainstream. Mothers, their friends and families, community members, AND their health care providers are commonly uncomfortable around breastfeeding.

Discomfort around breastfeeding is a huge cultural barrier and personal barrier for many moms. Minimizing it is a crucial first step to helping moms breastfeed with ease. Sharing vivid breastfeeding images that evoke positive emotions has been central to the success of Breastfeeding with Comfort and Joy in helping moms prevent and solve breastfeeding problems. Sharing positive images, "giving breastfeeding a makeover" is central to the work of Best for Babes.

Removing our society's discomfort around breastfeeding could be incredibly helpful for the learning curve of breastfeeding because as Robert Schiller, MD says in his foreword to Breastfeeding with Comfort and Joy learning to breastfeed is like learning to ride a bike. Children often find success in learning to ride a bike because they and those around them have SEEN the joy bike riding brings and that it works! The child and teacher are both comfortable with the learning process required for successful bike riding. The child is comfortable getting on the bike for multiple attempts; because he trusts the process, believes in himself and feels the support of those around him.

This learning process ideally unfolds at birth as is noted in one Best for Babes "Booby Traps"(TM) regarding the impact of birth on breastfeeding. For more information about breastfeeding and birth, see the previous post here Mothers Yearn for Their Babies at Birth.

When our image driven culture is immersed in positive breastfeeding images, it will help our culture more easily embrace breastfeeding. This will give mothers the clear message that breastfeeding their babies is fully supported, not just by data on its benefits but by a societal comfort zone that is consistent with what moms are being told about breastfeeding's importance in their health and their babies' health.

Check out Best for Babes recent full page ad in USA Today (see p. 23 of this document) putting out that much needed positive breastfeeding image and message for the public to embrace! "The miracle isn't the bra. The miracle is ....."

Mothers Yearn for Their Babies at Birth

I have been caring for newborns for over 20 years. I make a point of asking moms about their babies’ births and listening to their stories when we meet. The long term relationships I have developed with many of these families has led me to conclude that birth has a profound impact on the ease with which a mom adjusts to mothering her new baby.


Mothers are usually eager to share and process their birth experiences. Moms speak of their emotional responses as well as the basic descriptions of interventions and types of births. The emotions around birth range from blissful pride and awe to profound sadness and disappointment, even when the moms’ feelings have been dismissed because their babies are healthy. A common theme in all of these stories has been the shock from the denial of contact with their babies or the importance of having that yearned-for close contact at birth. I have noticed the hugely positive impact of keeping moms and babies together at birth on breastfeeding, bonding, and mom’s self-confidence and emotional state.

How many breastfeeding problems could be prevented if we facilitated this close contact at birth?

Dr. Michel Odent, a French obstetrician and author of such books as Birth Reborn observes, “It has been my experience, in thirty years of obstetrics, that when a mother and her baby are allowed to be alone together in the first two hours after birth the mother will learn how to put the baby to her breast correctly, without anyone’s help.”

Most of the time moms and babies have been separated at birth for routine procedures. Progress has been made in many settings where routine procedures are delayed but often only when the mom knows and remembers to request it. Far more progress has been made in this area for vaginal births than for Cesarean births over the years in my community. With approximately one-third of all births being by Cesarean, mom-baby contact needs to be optimized in our operating rooms as well as our birthing rooms.

I would like to emphasize the role of the doula in keeping mom and baby together at birth and after. A doula is there for mom, believes in mom and supports mom in all her efforts and supports those present at her birth. Doulas have been found to positively impact labor, birth and breastfeeding. I believe this is because of the combination of their steadfast belief in mom, expertise, and focus on mom’s needs, and the ability to follow her lead and not to interfere with her unique process.
I have found myself incredibly frustrated and saddened by the unnecessary separation of mothers and babies at birth. Skin to skin contact at birth is what mothers desperately want and I have wondered why they have been denied this immediate skin to skin contact that is so beneficial to both mom and baby.


In terms of hospital staff I want to respect the huge demands on their time and the need to complete the overwhelming number of tasks at hand. In terms of surgeons and anesthesiologists, I want to respect their comfort zone as they have a huge responsibility and must dictate policy. So how do we convince these incredibly overworked professionals to make difficult adjustments in the way they have been practicing for years?

I have thought: Seeing is believing. Listening to moms will speak to their hearts. They can adjust and will be motivated to make it work.

So I began my search for images of moms and babies skin to skin and/or breastfeeding in the operating room. Recently, with the help of Preparing For Birth, Mother’s Utopia, and Amy Romano of Science and Sensibility, I was alerted to a blog post with a photograph and a mother’s story of meeting her baby in his "birthday suit" in the operating room, and the video below that shows a baby skin to skin with his mom and feeding at birth in the operating room. I posted these and asked for moms’ comments. I am hoping that the images and comments help moms get that yearned-for closeness at birth when possible and that health care personnel become comfortable with the adjustment in procedures necessary to make this happen.



For more information:


A medical journal article presenting modifications of Cesarean birth procedures with a description of how to do skin to skin in the OR: “The natural caesarean: a woman-centred technique”

For more beautiful images of babies and moms skin to skin at birth, its benefits and to hear from moms about what it meant to them, check out this video:

Keep Your Baby With You After Birth – Lamaze Healthy Birth Practice 6

Here is a sampling of some of the comments from moms about skin to skin contact at birth.

This one from a dear friend and colleague Anne Samojedny, PT cranial sacral therapist. Our professional relationship began after finding ourselves together in our first course in cranial sacral therapy together over 10 years ago. We co-treat patients and find that the birth experience has a huge impact on breastfeeding and much of our cranial work is devoted to healing birth trauma.


I sent her the video and her response was:

“This is really beautiful. I can relate. When my C-Section experience came up during a cranial session, my therapist asked me what the experience was like. I said I felt like I had been crucified. It was frightening and humiliating to be "tied up" on the arm boards. My experiences certainly have influenced my practice.”

These comments from Breastfeeding with Comfort and Joy facebook page:


Katherine Sims Roberts -

… needing an emergency C-section, something that I had not prepared for at all. To this day, the thing that still pains me the most is that so many other people held/touched him before I did. ... I absolutely believe that had I been allowed to have skin to skin contact right away instead of delayed by 45min to an hour or more, our nursing relationship would have been much easier from the very start, and that the memory of those early minutes/hours would not cause me so much regret and pain.

Anne DeAtley

… right after the surgery they held Alex over the curtain and b/c they hadn't restrained my arms I reached up to touch my baby and was quickly yelled at "Don't touch him!" and he was whisked away. …

Carrie Lyn Woods-Bryant

I had 3 c-sections and had trouble getting breastfeeding started with all three. Especially my third. I did go onto breastfeeding successfully and for extended time with all 3. But I feel that had I been allowed to have skin to skin and be allowed to breastfeeding on the table, I would not have had such a difficult time getting started in addition to having a difficult time with bonding. My c-sections were extremely emotionally painful for me and if only doctors would get on board with just how important it is for the woman and the baby to have this first very important contact.

Tracye Kingsley Mason

Skin to skin is divine perfection.

Babies Fouroneone:

What a great video! Thanks so much for sharing this! Will show to our director and hope to implement this!

Sarah Stoddard-Gunn:

What a beautiful video. The most painful part of my daughter's delivery was being unable to see, touch, or breastfeed her. She was perfectly healthy, yet I was told that skin-to-skin contact was "impossible" until I was in the recovery room. I may send this video to my old providers.

Stork Stories post: Skin to Skin Minutes after C/S in OR … Speaking Up and Making it Happen (A must read: An ob nurse with 35 years experience shares her efforts in keeping moms and babies together at birth in the OR with an amazing story of a mom, vocal and adamant about what she wanted, ensuring her baby was ON her at the moment of birth.)

Comments from the Stork Stories post:

from Mamalade: I had a c-section 8 months ago and had this been me I would have avoided many many months of painful flashbacks, therapy, and nightmares. You probably single-handedly turned this scary and deeply traumatic event into a wonderful, if disappointing, birth story. I wish more medical “professionals” were as wise and caring as you. Please continue to speak your truth and help women bring their babies into the world as they were meant to.

from VK: I wish you had been at my section. I argued for skin to skin until they let my baby get cold and then they had an excuse to put him in an incubator and call him ‘ill’. I didn’t see him again for 6 whole hours. It was agony and it still gives me nightmares where he dies and they give me a different baby because I am screaming and screaming for him…Even poorly babies do better on their mums, so why is our birth culture so barbaric?

As a final note, I want to emphasize that we must make every effort to keep moms and babies together not just in the immediate postpartum time, but also in the days and weeks after the birth as well, so that mom can recover and she and her baby can establish breastfeeding with the greatest ease possible. Ideally, moms’ responsibilities should be limited so that they can be with their babies and not distracted by household duties, child care, and dressing for visitors.
In support of this practice, Camila Alves speaks at Celebrity Baby Blog about the tradition in Brazil of allowing for downtime after giving birth: “We call [it the] 40-day break after the baby.”
And also from CBSNews.com producer, the story of his baby with the inability to move his facial muscles, being able to establish breastfeeding after weeks of mom and baby working together on their own. It speaks to the expertise of parents and the importance of keeping mom and baby together after birth.

Update: This blog post is part of the Healthy Birth Blog Carnival #6 MotherBaby Edition. For more insight and information on keeping mothers and babies together at birth hear from other bloggers at the carnival here.

New book release: Women's Bodies Women's Wisdom

Christiane Northrup, MD notified me of the release of the newest version of her book, Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom. I own the previous editions of this book and I ordered the newest version today. For years, I have referred to Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom for comprehensive guidance regarding my patients' health AND my own health. Links to order can be found at the end of this post.

I am especially excited about the latest release of Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom because in this edition, the comprehensive guide is entirely rewritten and updated and is designed to teach everything that can go RIGHT with the female body. This approach can help a woman thrive in her body by correcting negative beliefs that undermine her, and by imprinting the health giving joy and confidence that comes with the discovery of the amazing abilities of her body.

It is my belief that when we focus on what can go RIGHT, we actively recruit our bodies' strengths and healing abilities, and are in a much better place to problem-solve when discomforts and problems arise. It is the same approach that has made Breastfeeding with Comfort and Joy so helpful to countless women struggling with significant breastfeeding problems before finding this breastfeeding book.

Inside the new Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom you will discover:

• New material on sexuality—and how to have a more fulfilling sex life.
• The spiritual and scientific principles behind healing from terminal illnesses, and how you can utilize these principles for your own health and the health of others.
• Vital information about how to truly dissolve PMS and ease menstrual cramps.
  
• Extraordinary facts on Vitamin D—and why it is crucial for breast, cardiovascular, and immune system health.
• The importance of the preconception diet and how to greatly decrease your risk of birth defects.
• How to birth naturally, despite the current induction and C-section epidemic.
• All you need to know about thyroid function, including proper blood tests.
• Life-saving facts about cellular inflammation—the root cause of all chronic degenerative diseases—and how to prevent this condition.
• The essentials on the “fountain of youth molecule”—and how to enhance your levels of it for vibrant health.

You can purchase Dr. Northrup’s beloved classic everywhere books are sold. Purchase at your favorite local bookseller or online in paperback from Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, and Borders and in hardcover from Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, and Borders. To read an excerpt, go to www.drnorthrup.com

Pregnant Teens-A Model of Care and Hope

A Doula Story is a moving hour-long documentary about a doula who works with pregnant teenagers in Chicago. The doula, Loretha Weisinger, shows and explains how she nurtures the pregnant girls so they can nurture their babies. She also exposes the challenges these girls face as she follows them through their pregnancies, births and their lives afterward.

There is a call to action that begins with the opening words printed on the screen.

"One out of nine births in this country is to a teenager."

"Many face their pregnancy and parenthood alone."

This call to action intensifies as the viewer witnesses Loretha Weisenger's understanding and compassion for each girl. By her actions, she clearly shows us what is needed to provide hope for a better life for these families.

From the film's description at Black Public Media's website:

"A Doula Story documents one African American woman’s fierce commitment to empower pregnant teenagers with the skills and knowledge they need to become confident, nurturing mothers. Produced by The Kindling Group, a Chicago-based nonprofit organization, this powerful film follows Loretha Weisinger back to the same disadvantaged Chicago neighborhood where she once struggled as a teen mom. Loretha uses patience, compassion and humor to teach “her girls” about everything from the importance of breastfeeding and reading to their babies, to communicating effectively with health care professionals."

We see the significant barriers to breastfeeding these girls face. At the same time, it is clear that when these girls do breastfeed, the health and emotional benefits can be crucial and satisfying for the mom who can take pride in her unique gift that only she can give to her baby. Watching Ms. Weisinger help these girls to breastfeed, reminded me of a story a WIC breastfeeding counselor shared with me.

The WIC counselor was working with an African American woman whose baby was thriving on breast milk. The woman weaned her baby when she returned to work because she was overwhelmed by a lack of support and the increased demands of returning to work when her baby was quite young. Subsequently, her baby ended up in the emergency room many times for illnesses and intolerance to the different formulas. In frustration, the mother said to the WIC counselor, "Why didn't you chain me to a chair and make me breastfeed?" The WIC counselor's response was that she had to respect the mother's right to choose. What choices did this mother really have? She wanted to breastfeed but the barriers overwhelmed her.

If you wish to learn more about the services and mission of Marillac House, where Ms. Weisinger works, click here

Click here to view the hour-long film.