July 2nd, 2008
On Thursday, July 3, 2008, the Tyra Banks show will feature Veronika Robinson (author of The Drinks Are on Me
), who will share her experience with breastfeeding her children until they were ages 7 and nearly 8. She has written about her experience before, in an essay entitled Extraordinary Breastfeeding.
Here’s the blurb from the Tyra Banks show about the episode “Motherhood Controversy”:
With her audience filled with mothers, Tyra hosts a no-holds-barred conversation about the pressures they face today. Tyra speaks with a woman who defends her controversial decision to breastfeed her kids until they were 8 years old, and a woman who believes it is acceptable to breastfeed her children in public. Then a young woman explains her desire to be a stay-at-home wife and mother — even though her own mother raised her to be a career woman. Next, emotions get heated when stay-at-home mothers debate working moms on who makes the better parent.
Perhaps I should be excited to see the topic of extended breastfeeding being discussed on an American talk show, but I cannot imagine the discussion will be productive or enlightening. The promo clip shows Tyra admitting, “I find it quite odd!” And, gee, how did the show manage to find “a woman who believes it is acceptable to breastfeed her children in public”?! I wish nursing in public weren’t controversial, and I hope at least there is a sensible mention of the various federal and state laws that protect a mother/baby pair’s right to breastfeed in public. I won’t be watching (no television at our house at the moment) so please do post a comment here if you get a chance to see the show!
Tags: angela white, breast feeding, breastfeeding, breastfeeding blog, extended breastfeeding, tyra banks, tyra banks show, veronika robinsonShare This
By Angela White, J.D., breastfeeding counselor -- 4 comments
July 2nd, 2008
Me: Ooh, my hip hurts!
Me2: And my arm is asleep!
Me3: And I have to go the bathroom!
Me: Alright, time to get up. Roll over gently and sit up.
Me2: Wait! My tummy muscles didn’t expect that belly weight!
Me3: And my bladder! It’s squishing my bladder!
Me: Stop whining and stand up.
Me2: Oooph.
Me3: I’m up! I hope my water doesn’t break.
Me: Don’t be silly.
Me2: I’m thirsty. Get a drink of water before going back to bed.
Me3: But then I’ll have to go again soon!
Me: Doesn’t matter, you need to stay hydrated.
Me2: And besides, you’ll have to move your hips and arms again anyway.
Me3: Try resting on the other hip this time.
Me: Oooph.
Me2: I just hope I can go back to sleep.
Me3: Feel that? The baby is kicking!
Me: Good, now I know she’s okay.
Me2: Goodnight.
Me3: See you at 6 a.m.
Tags: angela white, breast feeding, breastfeeding, breastfeeding blog, humor, lactation, pregnancyShare This
By Angela White, J.D., breastfeeding counselor -- 1 comment
July 1st, 2008
A while back I asked for reader input on what nurslings call breastfeeding. Here is a compilation of some of the subtle — and not-so-subtle — code words children use for nursing!
boobs
booby monster
deets (from “You want to eat?”)
I love you (awww!!)
milkies
milky time
mimi’s
mommy moo moo juice
more
mum mum
na
na na’s
neesh
num num
nurse
nursies
nursing
[sign language signs for “milk” or “please”]
side (as in “other side”)
ssss
teca or tica (from the Spanish “tomar tetica” or “drink from the breast”)
two-sies
ursing
Have a nursing nickname to add to the list? Leave a comment!
Tags: angela white, breast feeding, breastfeeding, breastfeeding blog, cute kids, funny, humor, lactationShare This
By Angela White, J.D., breastfeeding counselor -- 2 comments
June 30th, 2008
This year’s World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) theme of “Mother Support: Going for the Gold” gives a nod to the 2008 Olympics. In keeping with that theme, the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) has announced two ways to win gold, silver, and bronze WBW medals:
1. WBW 2008 Marathon Celebrations (celebrations that last seven, five, or three days and consist of at least five, three, or two events, respectively).
2. WBW 2008 Global Breastfeeding Wave Event (mass breastfeeding events of 200, 100, or 50 mother-baby pairs breastfeeding for at least one minute).
For more information, visit the WABA WBW site.
Tags: angela white, breast feeding, breastfeeding, breastfeeding blog, lactation, WABA, WBW 2008, World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action, World-Breastfeeding-WeekShare This
By Angela White, J.D., breastfeeding counselor -- 0 comments
June 29th, 2008
According to The Breastfeeding Answer Book
, a paladai is a feeding device used traditionally in India. It is a “low bowl with a spout, shaped like ‘Aladdin’s lamp.’” It has advantages over cup feeding in that it helps babies take a higher volume of milk in the least amount of time, and it reduces milk spillage.
Counseling the Nursing Mother: A Lactation Consultant’s Guide
mentions this supplemental feeding technique:
The paladai — a cup feeding device — has been used to feed babies in India for many years. It is gaining recognition in the Western world as a helpful lactation device (Sideman, 1999). If you are unsure about a cultural practice, do not hesitate to ask your client. Most families are receptive to explaining cultural practices to people who are sincerely interested.
p. 31.
Tags: angela white, breast feeding, breastfeeding, breastfeeding blog, india, lactation, lactation-consultant, paladaiShare This
By Angela White, J.D., breastfeeding counselor -- 1 comment
June 27th, 2008
While I nursed my youngest until she was a few months past her third birthday, and I admittedly was ready for her to wean, there have been several times in the months since when I wished she were still nursing. Here are the top five situations when I have regretted her weaning:
1. Illness. When she got the stomach flu, I wished she were getting antibodies and all-important fluids from breast milk to keep her from getting dehydrated.
2. Physical comfort. When my daughter started patting my cheeks and rubbing my arms and climbing all over me until I started to get secretly annoyed at the intrusion on my personal space, I realized that she simply needed more physical contact with me to make up for the time we used to spend nursing. When she patted my cheeks, she essentially was asking me to pat her cheeks. “Give me some physical attention, Mama!” was her unspoken plea.
3. Thirst. If I were a better planner, I would always keep a full Sigg water bottle in the car to satisfy the thirst that inevitably develops in the course of running errands in the hot, dry California sunshine. Maybe I had just gotten used to having liquid satisfaction ready at the breast, because there have been several times out and about where I’ve wished we didn’t have to search out a drinking fountain or another source of water.
4. Nap time. For a long time, the only way to get my daughter to nap was to nurse her or take her for a drive in the car. Now most days she skips a nap entirely, even though she might really need it. I do not usually force the issue unless we are all miserable (at which point she gets offered the choice of going for a drive or resting on the bed or the couch.) Those are the times I really miss nursing.
5. Meltdowns. I try my best to anticipate my child’s needs and keep her from getting too thirsty, hungry, or tired. Sometimes I miss the early warning signs though, and my daughter has a meltdown. It was lovely when breastfeeding was the cure-all that could end even the worst of tantrums. Now I’ve got to be even more vigilant and creative in my parenting!
Tags: angela white, breast feeding, breastfeeding, breastfeeding blog, lactation, weaningShare This
By Angela White, J.D., breastfeeding counselor -- 1 comment
June 27th, 2008
~ The Rhode Island breastfeeding laws already exclude breastfeeding mothers from disorderly conduct laws (and require employers to provide a safe place to breastfeed or express milk), but a new bill just passed by the state Senate and House provides that “A woman may feed her child by bottle or breast in any place open to the public.” No word yet on whether and when Rhode Island governor Donald Carcieri plans to sign the bill into law. The new law would take effect on March 1, 2009, and would allow for injunctive relief against anyone who violates the law, along with compensatory damages and reasonable attorney’s fees and costs paid to the plaintiff.
~ Speaking of breastfeeding law violations, the Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog discusses how a California company was fined $4,000 for violating a workplace pumping law.
~ In a New York Times obituary for La Leche League founder Edwina Froehlich, another LLL founder Mary White is quoted as saying, “We used to tell the mothers the three main obstacles to successful breast-feeding were doctors, hospitals and social pressure.” Unfortunately things are slow to change. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently reported that hospitals do poorly on breastfeeding support.
~ The Chinese policewoman who breastfed nine babies during the recent earthquake crisis has been promoted for her efforts.
~ A Tennessee woman who was breastfeeding her 3-month-old son outside a county courtroom was asked by officers to move to a more discreet location. Tennessee law protects breastfeeding in public for infants 12 months and younger.
Tags: angela white, breast feeding, breastfeeding, breastfeeding blog, breastfeeding laws, lactation, rhode island, tennesseeShare This
By Angela White, J.D., breastfeeding counselor -- 0 comments
June 27th, 2008
No poll results have surprised me more than these. I understand that the pool of readers who actually answer the polls here (only a very small fraction of people who visit the blog — I hope more of you vote in the latest poll to help me name my baby!) might be quite skewed, but I still was shocked to find that nearly 2/3 of voters co-sleep with their breastfed infants under age 12 months. With all the bad press and debate about the safety of co-sleeping, I didn’t realize how many families find that co-sleeping works for them!
Tags: angela white, breast feeding, breastfeeding, breastfeeding blog, co-sleeping, cosleeping, crib, lactation, pollShare This
By Angela White, J.D., breastfeeding counselor -- 4 comments
June 27th, 2008
Okay folks, I need your help. Here I am at 35.5 weeks of pregnancy and this third baby girl remains nameless beyond the fond nickname Baby Egg White, III. I thought about naming her Tertia, given she is the third girl, but I think I prefer something more traditional. So here’s your chance to offer your input. Please vote in the poll!
My general criteria (although not all the names I put in the poll meet this criteria and I reserve the right to ignore these guidelines completely in the final selection!):
1. Must go well with last name “White.” That means no “Lily White,” “Ebony White” etc.
2. Easy to spell, with very few if any alternate spellings.
3. Not in the current top 10, or even 50.
4. Doesn’t make anything funny with the initials.
5. Doesn’t “run into” the “wh” sound in “white.” For example, names that end in “o” like, I dunno, Caro, sound like “carowhite” all one word; same with names that end in “th” like “Elizabeth” (beautiful name, but to me it makes the last name sound like “Thwhite.” Maybe that one can be reconsidered).
ETA:
6. Does not mean “spawn of the devil” or the like.
ETA again (apparently I’m very picky):
7. Also very easy to pronounce, which eliminates perfectly lovely names like “Caroline” which can be pronounced Carol-lyn or Carol-line.
ETA again again (for heaven sakes, it’s a wonder my first two children even have names):
8. Must also have acceptable (if any) shortened names/nicknames; for example, Megan White is nice, but Meg White is not (sounds like Egg White and has terrible teasing potential).
You may also suggest a different name in the comments section, but please do so anonymously (choose the name Anon and put in a fake email like anon@anon.com) because I can guarantee that I will reject any name that will always remind me of the person who suggested it (that’s why I don’t ask, say, my dry cleaner, for input).
What should Angela White name her baby girl?
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By Angela White, J.D., breastfeeding counselor -- 33 comments
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