Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding is a special experience that creates a bond between mother and baby that no one else can experience. It is a great way to save money on formula and there are health benefits for both baby and mother.  According to WebMD " Breast milk contains antibodies that help your baby fight off viruses and bacteria. Breastfeeding reduces your baby's risk of having asthma or allergies. Babies who are breastfed exclusively for the first six months, without any formula, have fewer ear infections, respiratory illnesses, and bouts of diarrhea. They also have fewer hospitalizations and trips to the doctor."

At Lamaze Family Center our two-hour class, to be taken before your baby arrives, covers the basics of breastfeeding plus information on life with a breastfeeding baby, nutrition, proper latch, how fathers/partners can help, and avoiding or managing problems. Each couple will have an opportunity to practice various breastfeeding positions. Have you registered for a class yet? 

Celebrate World Breastfeeding Week!

World Breastfeeding Week Event: Creating A Supportive Breastfeeding Culture...In Our Homes, In Our Workplaces...In Our Communities

Don't miss this cool event on Thursday August 4, 2011: 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm -- Downtown Library: Multi-Purpose Room

Joanne Motino Bailey, Director of the University of Michigan Nurse-Midwifery Service, leads a distinguished panel in a discussion of breastfeeding in conjunction with World Breastfeeding Week (August 1 - 7). World Breastfeeding Week is celebrated every year in more than 120 countries to encourage breastfeeding and improve the health of babies around the world.

The panel, which includes local health professionals Linda Faubert, RN, LC; Lauren Helms, MD; and Katherine Pasque MD, will discuss many key issues, including basic support of breastfeeding from partners, family and friends; return to work strategies (including conversations with colleagues and supervisors); and societal influences. The event is co-sponsored by the Center for Breastfeeding Excellence, Mott Children's Hospital.

Stephanie Schaldenbrand, Lamaze's Executive Director, will be in attendance to represent LFCAA and our ongoing education and support for breastfeeding moms and babies.

Introduction of Solid Foods and Obesity

An interesting blurb underscoring another benefit of breastfeeding:

A study appearing in the March edition of the journal Pediatrics examines the association between timing of the introduction of solid foods during infancy and obesity at 3 years of age.

Researchers studied 847 children in a prospective pre-birth cohort study, with obesity at three years of age as the primary outcome. The timing of introduction of solid foods was measured as less than 4 months, 4 to 5 months and 6 or more months. 67% of the infants were breastfed in the first four months of life, and 32% were formula-fed. By 3 years of age, 75 children (9%) were obese (measured by a body mass index greater than or equal to the 95th percentile for age and gender). Among breastfed infants, the timing of solid food introduction was not associated with odds of obesity. However, among formula-fed infants, introduction of solid foods before four months was associated with a sixfold increase in odds of obesity at age 3 years. To review the study online, go to http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/127/3/e544.

From the National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition Newsletter

Lamaze Staff Members Represented at UofM's Breastfeeding Support Team

By Cara Genisio, LCCE

Earlier this month I was fortunate to attend a meeting with the Breastfeeding Support Team at the University of Michigan Hospital. The BST is a group of labor and postpartum nurses with additional training in breastfeeding; they work to provide support to breastfeeding mothers and their newborns during the time that the moms and babies are at the hospital after birth.

Moira Tannenbaum, one of our Breastfeeding class instructors, attended the meeting with me, and we were both proud to represent the Lamaze Family Center and to speak for the prenatal educators in our community. Attending the meeting definitely strengthened my pride in what the LFCAA does to provide a supportive space for nursing moms, both before and after their babies are born.

All of us moms—and I include myself, as a nursing mom of a four-month-old boy—know how vital emotional and social support are to successful breastfeeding. The feeling that we can breastfeed safely and confidently in public; the feeling that our families and health care providers understand the patterns and rhythms of normal newborn breastfeeding; the knowledge that there are resources in our community should we encounter some bumps in the road—all of these things contribute to a strong foundation, a dependable surface to stand on and hold us up despite the inevitable challenges that we face in our personal breastfeeding journeys.

Welcome to the Lamaze Family Center Blog!

We are excited to be able to communicate with you in a fun, fast and interactive way.

Our appeal is broad:

• If you are pregnant and looking for a comprehensive, evidence-based childbirth class, look no further than our Lamaze classes, taught by certified Lamaze instructors.
• We have two board-certified lactation consultants on staff who teach our monthly breastfeeding classes and we also offer a fun infant care workshop/bootcamp to get you ready to care for your new baby.
• Recently had a baby and looking to connect with other new moms? Join one of our Mother's Groups.
• Struggling with the overwhelming reality of being a new mom and can't kick the "baby blues?" We host a monthly Postpartum Depression group facilitated by therapists/social workers.
• Is your child over 1 year old, but not old enough for preschool? We offer weekly parent-toddler playgroups, an interactive art class for 18months-3yr olds, an outdoor science camp perfect for your 2-3 yr old, and more.

We'll post articles and photos to keep you up to date on what is happening at Lamaze and the world of evidence-based childbirth education, as well as fun tips and ideas for your growing family.