The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding

FACT SHEET

The Surgeon General's Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding outlines steps that can be taken to remove some of the obstacles faced by women who want to breastfeed their babies.

How many American women breastfeed their babies?

• Three out of four mothers (75%) in the U.S. start out breastfeeding, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's 2010 Breastfeeding Report Card.
  
• At the end of six months, breastfeeding rates fall to 43%, and only 13% of babies are exclusively breastfed.
  
• Among African-American babies, the rates are significantly lower, 58% start out breastfeeding, and 28% breastfeed at six months, with 8% exclusively breastfed at six months.
  
• The Healthy People 2020 objectives for breastfeeding are: 82% ever breastfed, 61% at 6 months, and 34% at 1 year.
  

What are the health benefits of breastfeeding?

• Breastfeeding protects babies from infections and illnesses that include diarrhea, ear infections and pneumonia.
  
• Breastfed babies are less likely to develop asthma.
  
• Children who are breastfed for six months are less likely to become obese.
  
• Breastfeeding also reduces the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
  
• Mothers who breastfeed have a decreased risk of breast and ovarian cancers.
  

What are the economic benefits of breastfeeding?

• Families who follow optimal breastfeeding practices can save between $1,200–$1,500 in expenditures on infant formula in the first year alone.
  
• A study published last year in the journal Pediatrics estimated that if 90% of U.S. families followed guidelines to breastfeed exclusively for six months, the U.S. would annually save $13 billion from reduced medical and other costs.
  
• For both employers and employees, better infant health means fewer health insurance claims, less employee time off to care for sick children, and higher productivity.
  
• Mutual of Omaha found that health care costs for newborns are three times lower for babies whose mothers participate in the company's employee maternity and lactation program.
  

What obstacles do mothers encounter when they attempt to breastfeed?

• Lack of experience or understanding among family members of how best to support mothers and babies.
  
• Not enough opportunities to communicate with other breastfeeding mothers.
  
• Lack of up-to-date instruction and information from health care professionals.
  
• Hospital practices that make it hard to get started with successful breastfeeding.
  
• Lack of accommodation to breastfeed or express milk at the workplace.
  

What can the health care community do?

• More hospitals can incorporate the recommendations of UNICEF/WHO's Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative.
  
• Provide breastfeeding education for health clinicians who care for women and children.
  
• Ensure access to International Board Certified Lactation Consultants.
  

What can employers do?

• Start and maintain high-quality lactation support programs for employees.
  
• Provide clean places for mothers to breastfeed.
  
• Work toward establishing paid maternity leave for employed mothers.
  

What can community leaders do?

• Strengthen programs that provide mother-to-mother support and peer counseling.
  
• Use community organizations to promote and support breastfeeding.
  

What can families and friends of mothers do?

• Give mothers the support and encouragement they need to breastfeed.
  
• Take advantage of programs to educate fathers and grandmothers about breastfeeding.
  

What can policymakers do?

• Support small nonprofit organizations that promote breastfeeding in African-American communities.
  
• Support compliance with the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes.
  
• Increase funding of high-quality research on breastfeeding.
  
• Support better tracking of breastfeeding rates as well as factors that affect breastfeeding.
  

To order a printed copy of The Surgeon General's Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding, call 1-800-CDC-INFO begin_of_the_skype_highlighting or email cdcinfo@cdc.gov and reference the publication title. For a downloadable copy, visit www.surgeongeneral.gov.

Supporting the Sisterhood Part 2

In my quest to provide healthy, quick, and easy recipes to new mamas, here is the second installment with a fabulous easy recipe for homemade pizza dough. I love this recipe because it is so easy to include a plethora of vegetables to spice up the flavor and add to the health benefits. Think broccoli, red peppers, spinach, etc. Prepare the dough in the morning (when babies like to sleep the most) and roll, add toppings, and bake for dinner (when babies tend to be the most fussy). Add a salad and you have a full, healthy meal! Enjoy!

Ashley Treadwell's Easiest Pizza Dough Ever:

4 cups of flour (I use 1 c whole wheat and 3 cup white)
2 1/4 tsp (or one packet) yeast
1 Tbsp kosher salt
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 3/4 cup warm water

Add all dry ingredients to food processor and pulse to mix. Turn processor on and add olive oil. Add water slowly until dough forms a ball (you may not use all the water)
Let rest for 2 minutes.
Process for an additional 30 seconds.
Turn dough out onto floured surface and knead until elastic and smooth (1-5 min). Put into oiled bowl and cover with saran wrap and leave to rise - 1-2 hours (or all day).

When you are ready to cook the pizza, divide the dough into 2 balls. Roll the dough, on a floured surface, into a circle. Add jarred sauce and pre-shredded cheese.

To cook: place pizza dough of a floured cookie sheet or pizza stone. Precook dough at 425 for 5-10 minutes. Then add the toppings and bane for an additional 10 minutes or so.

Supporting the Sisterhood

As a mom of a new baby, or a mom with any small-aged children, it can sometimes feel impossible to have any energy left to create a homemade meal. However, the best way to support your health, and your children's health, is with non-processed, homemade, healthy meals. So where can you find recipes for these meals? From the sisterhood! Here is your first recipe. I will be collecting recipes over the next few weeks and posting weekly on my blog, so that you will have a one-stop resource of quick, easy, healthy meals you can make to support your health and sanity. Enjoy!

If you have any to add to the collection, please feel free to post!

Baked Chicken and White Beans

From: Liz Ingle

2 large or 4 small chicken breasts (soaked in marinade for at least 1 hour)

1 can of Great Northern White Beans, rinsed and drained

½ small brown onion, diced

1 teaspoon white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon, plus ½ tsp. olive oil

1 teaspoon oregano

1 tablespoon water

Pinch of salt

Pinch of pepper

For marinade:

½ cup lite Italian dressing

½ teaspoon salt

¼ dry white wine

Directions:

For Chicken: Combine ingredients for marinade in a Ziploc bag, whisk together and add chicken to bag. Soak for at least an hour or up to overnight. Preheat oven to 365 degrees, add chicken to baking dish with a small portion of the marinade, cover with foil and bake for 30 min or until juice in chicken runs clear.

For Beans: In a medium saucepan, add 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add diced onion and sauté until translucent. Add drained canned beans; stir to mix onions and beans. Add remaining olive oil and water. Heat ingredients together for a couple minutes, then reduce heat to low. Add the vinegar, oregano, salt, and pepper. Cover and let simmer on low until beans are soft and warm, approximately 5 – 10 min. Add additional water if needed (bean mixture should be moist so as not to burn in the pan).

Book Recommendations for New Moms

Over the past 5 years, I have been collecting books to help guide my lactation consultant practice, as well as my own journey through motherhood. My passion for practicing holistically has really grown, since I have seen such a benefit of using herbs, homeopathy, acupuncture, and better nutrition with my own family. I hope that you will find a useful resource in this book list to help you along in your own journey.

Breastfeeding:

The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding by Diane Wiessinger, Diana West, and Teresa Pitman

Everything you wanted to know about breastfeeding, from prenatal to weaning. This book is easy to read, incredibly informative, and has great web and LLLI resources.

The Breastfeeding Mother's Guide to Making More Milk by Diana West and Lisa Marasco

Find the cause of your low milk supply; discover effective ways to make more milk; learn how to keep up your milk supply.

Mother Food by Hilary Jacobson

Food and herbs that promote milk production and a mother's health, with special sections on colic, allergy, depression, weight loss, and low milk supply.

Mothering Multiples: Breastfeeding and caring for twins and more by Karen Kerkhoff Gromada

A guide to breastfeeding and raising multiples, while maintaining individuality and family.

Sleep:

The 90-Minute Baby Sleep Program by Polly Moore, Ph.D.

Teaches parents how to follow their babies' natural sleep rhythms for better night and naps.

The No-Cry Sleep Solution by Elizabeth Pantley

Gentle ways to help your baby sleep through the night.

Maternal Health:

Natural Health after Birth: the Complete Guide to Postpartum Wellness by Aviva Jill Romm

Herbs, nutrition, yoga and practical wisdom to help moms through the postpartum years.

Mothering the New Mother by Sally Placksin

A support and resource guide to mother's feeling and needs after childbirth.

After the Baby's Birth by Robin Lim

A practical guide to postpartum health, focusing on natural and holistic practices.

Infant/Toddler/Child Health:

Naturally Healthy Babies and Children by Aviva Jill Romm

A guide to herbal remedies, nutrition, and health for your child's ailments.

The Holistic Baby Guide by Randall Neustaedter, OMD

A holistic approach to alternative care for common health problems of newborns, infants, and toddlers.

Child Health Guide by Randall Neustaedter, OMD

A holistic pediatrics guide for parents. Learn how to build a strong immune system, feed your child, and treat ailments at home without drugs.

Happy Baby: The Organic Guide to Baby's First 24 Months by Robert W. Sears, MD, FAAP and Amy Marlow, MPH, RD, CDN

A guide to healthy, green living with your newborn through toddler.

The Vaccine Book by Robert W. Sears, MD, FAAP

Tools to help parents make informed decisions about each childhood vaccine.

Another Delicious Recipe - Roasted Corn Chowder with Chicken

As a mom of two preschool age boys, I am constantly searching for easy, yummy recipes that don't take a ton of time to make. This recipe was inspired by a recipe I found on the Gluten-Free Goddess web site, one of my favorite cooking web sites. Now, this recipe was a little too spicy for my boys, so I set aside some chicken for them and used the rest in the soup. This soup would be perfect for leftover Thanksgiving turkey, as well. Enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving!

Roasted Corn Chowder with Chicken

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp cumin
5 cloves minced garlic
1 medium sweet onion, chopped
1 bag frozen roasted corn, Trader Joe's
1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 14-oz can Trader Joe's Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes with Green Chiles
1 cup seeded, chopped fresh heirloom tomatoes
1 quart chicken broth
1 14-oz light coconut milk
2 rounded cups cooked chicken pieces

To serve:
Fresh lime slices

Heat olive oil in large soup pot over medium heat. Add cumin and cook for one minute. Added garlic and onion and cook for 5 minutes. Add roasted corn, sweet potatoes, canned tomatoes, and fresh tomatoes and stir for a minute. Add in broth and bring to a high simmer. Lower the heat and simmer gently until the sweet potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Add coconut milk and cooked chicken pieces. Heat through gently. Serve with lime slices. Pure heaven! Enjoy!

How and When to Introduce a Bottle to your Breastfeeding Infant

As a mom of two boys, I know the benefit of having a few moments to myself. Sometimes I forget how necessary a yoga class, a nice walk, or even a relaxed trip to the mall is to repair a tired and worn down psyche. For a new mom, this personal time is even more precious since your baby is extremely dependent on you. While this can be magical and beautiful time, it is also very exhausting. We often forget to take care of ourselves.

Breastfeeding moms also have an even more difficult time finding 'me-time' because our darling babies not only need us for comfort, but also for nourishment. So, how do we find that balance between 'me-time' and meeting our babies needs? One of those ways is to have someone else give our babies their nourishment....expressed breastmilk in a bottle.

How do I get breastmilk for a bottle when I am exclusively breastfeeding?
Babies go through growth spurts around 2 weeks and 6 weeks of age. By three weeks, if breastfeeding is going well (baby is back to birth weight and gaining well, baby is peeing and pooping appropriately, and mom's breast tenderness has subsided), it is a good time to start pumping. Choose a time in the morning, when you are most full, and pump after your baby takes a full feeding. You probably won't get much (maybe 1/2oz), but you can put that in the fridge. Do this for a few days until you have about 2-2.5oz. Now you have a full amount for your baby's bottle. Once your baby takes the bottle, replace your breastfeeding session with a pumping session, so that you can keep up with your baby's feeding needs.

Which bottle should I use?
Once your baby feeds easily from breast and bottle, it really doesn't matter which bottle you use. Initially, you will want to choose a slow-flow nipple, to help your baby from becoming 'flow-preferenced.' Also, it is sometimes helpful to choose a bottle that comes with a nipple that looks most like your own anatomy. This way, your baby won't notice a huge difference.

When should I introduce a bottle?
The best time to introduce a bottle is between 3-5 weeks, in between your baby's growth spurts. This way the bottle-feeding shouldn't affect your milk supply.

How should I introduce a bottle?
First off, have someone other than you give the first few bottles. Babies can smell their moms and usually will not want to take those first few bottles from mom, since they would prefer to breastfeed. Have dad, grandma, anyone other than mom introduce the bottle. The goal is to do it in a breastfeeding-friendly manner. Have the bottle-feeder hold your baby in a somewhat upright position. Keep the bottle horizontal, so that your baby has to work for the milk, rather than letting it drip quickly into his/her mouth. This will help your baby from becoming 'flow-preferenced.' Help your baby to pause, as he/she would while breastfeeding, rather than guzzling the whole bottle down in 5 minutes.


Hopefully these techniques will help your baby to take a bottle, as frequently or infrequently as you desire. Now, go and get that pedicure you have been wanting for the past few months, but never had the time to get. You deserve it!

Why do you choose to breastfeed?

Lately, there has been a plethora of articles debating a mother's choice to breastfeed. Do women choose to breastfeed because of the increased health benefits for them and their babies? Do they choose not to breastfeed because they have heard it will hurt and make their boobs sag? Whether a mom has sore nipples, twins, a premature baby, or a difficult birth scenario, it seems like the choice to continue breastfeeding often comes down to whether the mom has the appropriate support system in place, as is described on my favorite new web site, Best for Babes.
I always start my prenatal breastfeeding class by asking the soon-to-be moms to state one benefit of breastfeeding and one concern they have about breastfeeding. While I listen to my moms list the benefit that is most important to them, I haven't really thought about my own reasons for why I support breastfeeding.

Here are my Top 10 Reasons I Choose to Breastfeed

10. Breastfeeding reduces the risk of obesity.

9. Breastmilk is free; formula is expensive.

8. Breastmilk is always available, no matter where you are or time of day.

7. Breastmilk has never been recalled due to manufacturing problems.

6. Breastfeeding protects again respiratory infections and ear infections.

5. Breastfeeding protects against SIDS.

4. Breastmilk provides perfect infant nutrition.

3. Breastmilk provides on-going immunity to the baby, as well as helps to build the baby's own immune system.

2. Colostrum seals the baby's gut closed, providing immediate protection from infection and disease.

1. Breastmilk is what nature intended for women to feed their babies. If I had the milk, then I planned on giving it to my baby.

For 91 more reasons to choose to breastfeed, see the list of 101 Reasons to Breastfeed Your Child at ProMoM, Inc.