Two news items came across my virtual desk this morning:

The first made me cranky:

> The hazards of breastfeeding
> Mother's milk is best for a baby, but it's not a mother's only option
> Dr. Barry Dworkin
> The Ottawa Citizen

> The American and Canadian pediatric societies advocate breastfeeding for
the
> first 12 months of life. Health care professionals universally support
this
> recommendation. Breast milk is the best source of nutrition for newborns
and
> infants.
>
> In my practice, I observe many mothers equating breastfeeding to their
> competency to be good mothers. This narrowed perspective -- the dependency
> upon one aspect of newborn care -- can be damaging to the mother's
well-being.
> There can be tremendous guilt if breastfeeding does not go well, their
baby is
> not gaining weight, not latching properly, or their technique is poor.
>
> The stress from these problems can in themselves make matters worse.

He goes on to say he's never heard of nipple confusion and that babies with
a poor latch need to supplement with formula.

http://makeashorterlink.com/?P6095274


The second made me smile:

> Peers help new mothers with breastfeeding problems
> By HELEN BRANSWELL -- Canadian Press
> TORONTO (CP) -- Programs that match new mothers with women who have
> successfully breastfed can increase the length of time the new moms
breastfeed
> their babies, a new study suggests.
> First-time mothers paired with a peer volunteer were 2.5 times more likely
to
> breastfeed to three months than women who did not receive peer support,
> principal author Cindy-Lee Dennis showed in her doctoral thesis, which was
> published Tuesday in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
> "It didn't decrease the number of problems but it helped the mothers to
cope,"
> Dennis said Monday.

<snip>

http://www.canoe.ca/Health0201/08_breastfeeding-cp.html

-- Jodine Chase
Lactnet lurker by night, news analyst by day.

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