Please join us in welcoming our co-Leader Naomi's newest addition to her family!!
His name is Zachary and he weighed 9 pounds, 12 ounces; born Wednesday the 20th.
Congratulations Naomi and family!
Friday, May 29, 2009
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Employed Mothers and Business Bottom Line
LLL Breastfeeding Helpline—US and the Department of Health and Human Services Join Forces to Help Employed Mothers and Business Bottom Line
May 13, 2009—The La Leche League (LLL) Breastfeeding Helpline—US, in conjunction with the United States Department of Health and Human Services, is initiating a program to expand its nationwide outreach to breastfeeding mothers with the goal of focusing on the special needs of employed mothers. The new outreach will assist mothers with breastfeeding management help and provide information on securing employer support for their decision to breastfeed.
Now more than ever with recent influenza outbreaks, mothers are concerned about the health of their babies, and breastfeeding has been shown in numerous studies to promote health in infants. This new program is designed to help mothers demonstrate to employers that healthier babies translate into significant bottom line benefits for companies. It is particularly important to note in these tough economic times, that for every dollar spent on lactation support, employers save $3.
Breastfeeding employees help the business bottom line in numerous ways:
Lower medical costs and health insurance claims for breastfeeding employees (up to three times less for breastfeeding employees); Reduced turnover rates (86-92% of breastfeeding employees return to work after childbirth when a lactation support program is provided compared to the national average of 59%); Lowered absenteeism rates (up to half the number of one day absences); and Improved productivity, employee morale and company loyalty.
The LLL Breastfeeding Helpline—US is toll-free (1-877-4-LALECHE) and staffed around the clock, seven days a week by trained lactation counselors. As part of the new program, the helpline counselors have been given additional training in assisting mothers and breastfeeding specialists so that they can help callers demonstrate to their employers the benefits of supporting breastfeeding employees.
While all nursing mothers need information and support, employed mothers also need to know how to approach their employers about their needs. New mothers may feel wary about approaching their supervisors or colleagues about their special needs, which may include a place to express milk in privacy; flexible breaks and work options, education, and support.
The Department of Health and Human Services has produced a toolkit to help these mothers. The Business Case for Breastfeeding toolkit is a comprehensive resource kit that is designed to help employers create a breastfeeding friendly work environment. It includes booklets for business and human resource managers to use to support breastfeeding employees and also an employee’s guide to breastfeeding and working. Also included is an outreach and marketing guide with reproducible resources and a CD-rom.
In addition to direct telephone help those who call the helpline will be directed to other resources. A link will direct them to additional breastfeeding information, including information on the LLL Breastfeeding Helpline—US’s web site http://www.lllusa.org/helpline.php, and to the free, downloadable “Easy Guide to Breastfeeding” http://www.4woman.gov/pub/BF.General.pdf , and a free tool kit that can be used in presenting the Business Case for Breastfeeding to employers
http://www.womenshealth.gov/breastfeeding/programs/business-case/.
It is estimated that 15% of US mothers who are planning to return to employment do not even begin breastfeeding because of the anticipated difficulty of combining breastfeeding and employment. One study found that in the month a mother starts work, her odds of weaning are 2.4 times the odds of a mother who did not start working that month.
“When working mothers call the LLL Breastfeeding Helpline—US and receive information and support, they are then able to explain to their employers why breastfeeding not only benefits babies, but also companies," said Susan Prado, BA, LLLL,IBCLC,RLC, coordinator of the Helpline. "From their knowledgeable employees, employers are then able to realize the bottom line benefits of establishing a lactation program. As a result, breastfeeding duration rates for employed mothers will increase.”
May 13, 2009—The La Leche League (LLL) Breastfeeding Helpline—US, in conjunction with the United States Department of Health and Human Services, is initiating a program to expand its nationwide outreach to breastfeeding mothers with the goal of focusing on the special needs of employed mothers. The new outreach will assist mothers with breastfeeding management help and provide information on securing employer support for their decision to breastfeed.
Now more than ever with recent influenza outbreaks, mothers are concerned about the health of their babies, and breastfeeding has been shown in numerous studies to promote health in infants. This new program is designed to help mothers demonstrate to employers that healthier babies translate into significant bottom line benefits for companies. It is particularly important to note in these tough economic times, that for every dollar spent on lactation support, employers save $3.
Breastfeeding employees help the business bottom line in numerous ways:
Lower medical costs and health insurance claims for breastfeeding employees (up to three times less for breastfeeding employees); Reduced turnover rates (86-92% of breastfeeding employees return to work after childbirth when a lactation support program is provided compared to the national average of 59%); Lowered absenteeism rates (up to half the number of one day absences); and Improved productivity, employee morale and company loyalty.
The LLL Breastfeeding Helpline—US is toll-free (1-877-4-LALECHE) and staffed around the clock, seven days a week by trained lactation counselors. As part of the new program, the helpline counselors have been given additional training in assisting mothers and breastfeeding specialists so that they can help callers demonstrate to their employers the benefits of supporting breastfeeding employees.
While all nursing mothers need information and support, employed mothers also need to know how to approach their employers about their needs. New mothers may feel wary about approaching their supervisors or colleagues about their special needs, which may include a place to express milk in privacy; flexible breaks and work options, education, and support.
The Department of Health and Human Services has produced a toolkit to help these mothers. The Business Case for Breastfeeding toolkit is a comprehensive resource kit that is designed to help employers create a breastfeeding friendly work environment. It includes booklets for business and human resource managers to use to support breastfeeding employees and also an employee’s guide to breastfeeding and working. Also included is an outreach and marketing guide with reproducible resources and a CD-rom.
In addition to direct telephone help those who call the helpline will be directed to other resources. A link will direct them to additional breastfeeding information, including information on the LLL Breastfeeding Helpline—US’s web site http://www.lllusa.org/helpline.php, and to the free, downloadable “Easy Guide to Breastfeeding” http://www.4woman.gov/pub/BF.General.pdf , and a free tool kit that can be used in presenting the Business Case for Breastfeeding to employers
http://www.womenshealth.gov/breastfeeding/programs/business-case/.
It is estimated that 15% of US mothers who are planning to return to employment do not even begin breastfeeding because of the anticipated difficulty of combining breastfeeding and employment. One study found that in the month a mother starts work, her odds of weaning are 2.4 times the odds of a mother who did not start working that month.
“When working mothers call the LLL Breastfeeding Helpline—US and receive information and support, they are then able to explain to their employers why breastfeeding not only benefits babies, but also companies," said Susan Prado, BA, LLLL,IBCLC,RLC, coordinator of the Helpline. "From their knowledgeable employees, employers are then able to realize the bottom line benefits of establishing a lactation program. As a result, breastfeeding duration rates for employed mothers will increase.”
Thursday, May 14, 2009
How Can I Get Some Sleep?
Sleep is one of the number 1 issues we talk about at meetings. It is no surprise to any new parent that they will be tired, but sometimes it can seem overwhelming!
Here is a bit of information that will hopefully help you to get some rest or at least, some peace of mind. (if you aren't too tired to read that is!)
Breastfed infants need to breastfeed at least eight to twelve times every 24 hours, usually every two to three hours. Most babies will gradually sleep for longer stretches at night, but they will continue to need night feedings for months.
A baby's immature digestive system isn't ready for solid food until sometime around the middle of the first year, and solids given too early may actually upset a baby's tummy and disturb sleep. Giving your baby cereal will not necessarily encourage sleeping longer at night.
La Leche League International FAQ on Sleep
http://www.llli.org/NB/NBsleep.html
The University of Notre Dame Mother-Baby Behavioral Sleep Lab
http://www.nd.edu/~jmckenn1/lab/
Durham University Parent Infant Sleep Lab
http://www.dur.ac.uk/sleep.lab/
Books that may interest you…
• Sweet Dreams: A Pediatrician's Secrets for Baby's Good Night's Sleep ~ Paul M. Fleiss
• Helping Your Baby to Sleep: Why Gentle Techniques Work Best ~ Beth Macgregor and Annie Gethin
• The No-Cry Sleep Solution: Gentle Ways to Help Your Baby Sleep Through the Night ~ Elizabeth Pantley
• The No-Cry Sleep Solution for Toddlers and Preschoolers ~ Elizabeth Pantley
• Nighttime Parenting: How to Get Your Baby and Child to Sleep ~ William Sears, MD
• Crying Baby, Sleepless Nights: Why Your Baby Is Crying and What You Can Do about It ~ Sandy Jones
• Sleepless in America: Is Your Child Misbehaving...or Missing Sleep? ~ Mary Sheedy Kurcinka
• Sleeping With Your Baby: A Parent's Guide to Cosleeping ~ James J. McKenna, PhD
• Good Nights: The Happy Parents' Guide to the Family Bed (And a Peaceful Night's Sleep) ~ Jay Gordon, M.D. and Maria Goodavage
Some Studies that may interest you...
Sleep Duration From Ages 1 to 10 Years: Variability and Stability in Comparison With Growth
Oskar G. Jenni, MD, Luciano Molinari, PhD, Jon A. Caflisch, MD and Remo H. Largo, MD
Child Development Center, Department of Pediatrics, University Children's Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Published online October 1, 2007
PEDIATRICS Vol. 120 No. 4 October 2007, pp. e769-e776 (doi:10.1542/peds.2006-3300)
* Sleep duration during early and middle childhood shows large variability among children, as well as trait-like long-term stability and state-like yearly fluctuations within children. An individual approach to the child's sleep behavior is needed; expectations in terms of appropriate sleep duration of the child should be adjusted to the individual sleep need.
Breast-feeding Increases Sleep Duration of New Parents
Department of Family Health Care Nursing, School of Nursing, University of California at San Francisco, CA 94143, USA.
Journal of Perinatal & Neonatal Nursing. 21(3):200-206, July/September 2007.
Doan, Therese RN, IBCLC; Gardiner, Annelise; Gay, Caryl L.; Lee, Kathryn A. PhD, RN, FAAN
* Parents who supplement their infant feeding with formula under the impression that they will get more sleep should be encouraged to continue breast-feeding because sleep loss of more than 30 minutes each night can begin to affect daytime functioning, particularly in those parents who return to work.
And here is an article that explains why controlled crying or "cry it out" isn't as healthy as we may have been lead to believe.
http://www.naturalchild.org/guest/pinky_mckay.html
* Disclaimer – LLLI does not necessarily endorse the above. Please use your judgment when deciding which book or website may be useful to your family. As we say in all of our meetings, please take what works for you and leave the rest.
Here is a bit of information that will hopefully help you to get some rest or at least, some peace of mind. (if you aren't too tired to read that is!)
Breastfed infants need to breastfeed at least eight to twelve times every 24 hours, usually every two to three hours. Most babies will gradually sleep for longer stretches at night, but they will continue to need night feedings for months.
A baby's immature digestive system isn't ready for solid food until sometime around the middle of the first year, and solids given too early may actually upset a baby's tummy and disturb sleep. Giving your baby cereal will not necessarily encourage sleeping longer at night.
La Leche League International FAQ on Sleep
http://www.llli.org/NB/NBsleep.html
The University of Notre Dame Mother-Baby Behavioral Sleep Lab
http://www.nd.edu/~jmckenn1/lab/
Durham University Parent Infant Sleep Lab
http://www.dur.ac.uk/sleep.lab/
Books that may interest you…
• Sweet Dreams: A Pediatrician's Secrets for Baby's Good Night's Sleep ~ Paul M. Fleiss
• Helping Your Baby to Sleep: Why Gentle Techniques Work Best ~ Beth Macgregor and Annie Gethin
• The No-Cry Sleep Solution: Gentle Ways to Help Your Baby Sleep Through the Night ~ Elizabeth Pantley
• The No-Cry Sleep Solution for Toddlers and Preschoolers ~ Elizabeth Pantley
• Nighttime Parenting: How to Get Your Baby and Child to Sleep ~ William Sears, MD
• Crying Baby, Sleepless Nights: Why Your Baby Is Crying and What You Can Do about It ~ Sandy Jones
• Sleepless in America: Is Your Child Misbehaving...or Missing Sleep? ~ Mary Sheedy Kurcinka
• Sleeping With Your Baby: A Parent's Guide to Cosleeping ~ James J. McKenna, PhD
• Good Nights: The Happy Parents' Guide to the Family Bed (And a Peaceful Night's Sleep) ~ Jay Gordon, M.D. and Maria Goodavage
Some Studies that may interest you...
Sleep Duration From Ages 1 to 10 Years: Variability and Stability in Comparison With Growth
Oskar G. Jenni, MD, Luciano Molinari, PhD, Jon A. Caflisch, MD and Remo H. Largo, MD
Child Development Center, Department of Pediatrics, University Children's Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Published online October 1, 2007
PEDIATRICS Vol. 120 No. 4 October 2007, pp. e769-e776 (doi:10.1542/peds.2006-3300)
* Sleep duration during early and middle childhood shows large variability among children, as well as trait-like long-term stability and state-like yearly fluctuations within children. An individual approach to the child's sleep behavior is needed; expectations in terms of appropriate sleep duration of the child should be adjusted to the individual sleep need.
Breast-feeding Increases Sleep Duration of New Parents
Department of Family Health Care Nursing, School of Nursing, University of California at San Francisco, CA 94143, USA.
Journal of Perinatal & Neonatal Nursing. 21(3):200-206, July/September 2007.
Doan, Therese RN, IBCLC; Gardiner, Annelise; Gay, Caryl L.; Lee, Kathryn A. PhD, RN, FAAN
* Parents who supplement their infant feeding with formula under the impression that they will get more sleep should be encouraged to continue breast-feeding because sleep loss of more than 30 minutes each night can begin to affect daytime functioning, particularly in those parents who return to work.
And here is an article that explains why controlled crying or "cry it out" isn't as healthy as we may have been lead to believe.
http://www.naturalchild.org/guest/pinky_mckay.html
* Disclaimer – LLLI does not necessarily endorse the above. Please use your judgment when deciding which book or website may be useful to your family. As we say in all of our meetings, please take what works for you and leave the rest.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Cancelling Toddler Meeting for LLL of Charleston, SC
Due to low attendance we have decided to cancel the La Leche League Toddler Meetings in Charleston, SC for the summer months.
This meeting has been held the 2nd Friday of each month but we will not be holding it in June, July or August.
We will revisit the idea of a toddler meeting this fall.
For questions or concerns, please email or call any of us.
You can find our contact information at
http://www.lllusa.org/SC/
Check out our blog from time to time as well.
http://lllcharlestonsc.blogspot.com/
Happy Summer!
:) The Leaders of La Leche League of Charleston, SC
Brittan, Elizabeth, Kimberly, Mandy, Marlo, Naomi & Samara
For more breastfeeding resources on line go to:
http://www.llli.org/
For Mom 2 Mom support forums go to:
http://www.llleus.org/forums/
This meeting has been held the 2nd Friday of each month but we will not be holding it in June, July or August.
We will revisit the idea of a toddler meeting this fall.
For questions or concerns, please email or call any of us.
You can find our contact information at
http://www.lllusa.org/SC/
Check out our blog from time to time as well.
http://lllcharlestonsc.blogspot.com/
Happy Summer!
:) The Leaders of La Leche League of Charleston, SC
Brittan, Elizabeth, Kimberly, Mandy, Marlo, Naomi & Samara
For more breastfeeding resources on line go to:
http://www.llli.org/
For Mom 2 Mom support forums go to:
http://www.llleus.org/forums/
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Books on Personal Breastfeeding Experience
Here are 3 books to share with you all. These books are compilations of many stories about breastfeeding experiences, some positive and some negative but all deeply personal and thought provoking. Check them out next time you find time to read. :) It is almost as good as sharing a LLL Meeting with other moms all sharing their tales.
Follow the links to find out more about each book.
In The Breastfeeding Café: Mothers Share the Joys, Challenges & Secrets of Nursing, sociologist and author Barbara L. Behrmann addresses these issues and more. Part cultural critique, part support group, Behrmann weaves together stories with information, insight and facts.
Hirkani's Daughters: Women Who Scale Modern Mountains to Combine Breastfeeding and Working Edited by Jennifer Hicks is a compilation of inspirational tales from women around the world, Hirkani’s Daughters tells the stories of modern employed mothers who have overcome various obstacles to continue breastfeeding. Each woman shares how she evaluated her options, and took the path that worked best for her family.
Unbuttoned: Women Open Up About the Pleasures, Pains, and Politics of Breastfeeding By Dana Sullivan and Maureen Connolly
Nursing a baby—it’s the most simple, natural thing in the world, right? Then why is it so fraught and freighted for so many women? In Unbuttoned, a collection of essays edited by Dana Sullivan and Maureen Connolly, 25 women share their thoughts and feelings about breastfeeding, all from the standpoint of personal experience.
Follow the links to find out more about each book.
In The Breastfeeding Café: Mothers Share the Joys, Challenges & Secrets of Nursing, sociologist and author Barbara L. Behrmann addresses these issues and more. Part cultural critique, part support group, Behrmann weaves together stories with information, insight and facts.
Hirkani's Daughters: Women Who Scale Modern Mountains to Combine Breastfeeding and Working Edited by Jennifer Hicks is a compilation of inspirational tales from women around the world, Hirkani’s Daughters tells the stories of modern employed mothers who have overcome various obstacles to continue breastfeeding. Each woman shares how she evaluated her options, and took the path that worked best for her family.
Unbuttoned: Women Open Up About the Pleasures, Pains, and Politics of Breastfeeding By Dana Sullivan and Maureen Connolly
Nursing a baby—it’s the most simple, natural thing in the world, right? Then why is it so fraught and freighted for so many women? In Unbuttoned, a collection of essays edited by Dana Sullivan and Maureen Connolly, 25 women share their thoughts and feelings about breastfeeding, all from the standpoint of personal experience.
Monday, May 4, 2009
New Beginnings - Electronic Publication
Those of you who receive New Beginnings as a benefit of membership of LLLI or who subscribe to the print magazine New Beginnings in the mail may have seen the recent announcement about New Beginnings going electronic.
All current subscribers will be given the option to receive the remaining issues of their subscription in either electronic or print format. All new subscriptions purchased after March 31, 2009 will be distributed in electronic format.
If you have questions about your subscription, please call your local Leader and we will do our best to help you. You can also call LLLI at 847-519-7730 9 AM to 5 PM Central Time.
All current subscribers will be given the option to receive the remaining issues of their subscription in either electronic or print format. All new subscriptions purchased after March 31, 2009 will be distributed in electronic format.
If you have questions about your subscription, please call your local Leader and we will do our best to help you. You can also call LLLI at 847-519-7730 9 AM to 5 PM Central Time.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Breastfeeding Recommended to Protect Infants During Swine Flu Outbreak
Breastfeeding Recommended to Protect Infants During Swine Flu Outbreak
(HealthNewsDigest.com) - Washington, DC - As the nation monitors the intensifying "swine flu" outbreak, the United States Breastfeeding Committee (USBC) recommends breastfeeding as a critical strategy to prevent infection. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued updated guidance today on H1N1 (swine) flu considerations for pregnancy and breastfeeding, stating that: "Infants who are not breastfeeding are particularly vulnerable to infection and hospitalization for severe respiratory illness. Women who deliver should be encouraged to initiate breastfeeding early and feed frequently."
Medical experts agree with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in recommending exclusive breastfeeding for six months and continued breastfeeding for the first year of life and beyond. USBC Chair Joan Younger Meek, MD, MS, RD, FAAP, FABM, IBCLC, affirms the importance of breastfeeding in emergency situations: "Research clearly shows that breastfeeding provides a safe, reliable food source, full of disease-fighting cells and antibodies that help protect infants from germs and illnesses. Mothers exposed to influenza produce specific protection for their infants and transmit this through their breast milk. Infant formula does not provide these specific infection fighting properties. Unnecessary formula supplementation should be eliminated so the infant can receive as much benefit as possible from maternal protective antibodies and other immune protective factors."
Please click the link above for the full article.
For more information on the United States Breastfeeding Committee go to
http://www.usbreastfeeding.org/
(HealthNewsDigest.com) - Washington, DC - As the nation monitors the intensifying "swine flu" outbreak, the United States Breastfeeding Committee (USBC) recommends breastfeeding as a critical strategy to prevent infection. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued updated guidance today on H1N1 (swine) flu considerations for pregnancy and breastfeeding, stating that: "Infants who are not breastfeeding are particularly vulnerable to infection and hospitalization for severe respiratory illness. Women who deliver should be encouraged to initiate breastfeeding early and feed frequently."
Medical experts agree with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in recommending exclusive breastfeeding for six months and continued breastfeeding for the first year of life and beyond. USBC Chair Joan Younger Meek, MD, MS, RD, FAAP, FABM, IBCLC, affirms the importance of breastfeeding in emergency situations: "Research clearly shows that breastfeeding provides a safe, reliable food source, full of disease-fighting cells and antibodies that help protect infants from germs and illnesses. Mothers exposed to influenza produce specific protection for their infants and transmit this through their breast milk. Infant formula does not provide these specific infection fighting properties. Unnecessary formula supplementation should be eliminated so the infant can receive as much benefit as possible from maternal protective antibodies and other immune protective factors."
Please click the link above for the full article.
For more information on the United States Breastfeeding Committee go to
http://www.usbreastfeeding.org/
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