Breastfeed your kids

[Rochelle]

So how do you get yourself certified organic? 

Well breastmilk obviously is organic, and as far as I know, there's no certification process to put the organic label on anything.

Hence the organic, artificial baby formula I saw at work :p

[41mag]

I thought for animal products (milk, etc) to be certified organic, the animal producing it had to be fed an organic diet.

[Lloyd Danforth]

I find it hard to believe they could test it for all of the possible bad stuff that could be transferred by the producer to the milk.

[Rochelle]

I thought for animal products (milk, etc) to be certified organic, the animal producing it had to be fed an organic diet.

Yea, but not for things like baby formula, or cereal, or the half million other things that are labelled organic nowadays. You know, as oppposed to those inorganic, silicon chips I used to eat....

[Rochelle]

Aren't you a La Leche League Leader, Kate?

[PassionatePantherrr]

I'd be glad to offer my experiences with breastfeeding my little one too, if someone needs help (I'm larger busted, which makes for different positioning and breast support while nursing, if this is a potential issue for the mom-to-be)

[toowm]

Just keep in mind that not breastfeeding is a personal choice that we should accept, even if it is discouraged.

There are situations where breastfeeding is impractical, like when feeding big, hungry twins.

[Raineyrocks]

Just keep in mind that not breastfeeding is a personal choice that we should accept, even if it is discouraged.

There are situations where breastfeeding is impractical, like when feeding big, hungry twins.

Yup, I totally agree.  I didn't mean to sound judgmental towards anyone not breastfeeding, if I did sound that way I'm sorry!   If I had twins those suckers would've been getting bottles just like my twin and I did.

[Rochelle]

There are situations where breastfeeding is impractical, like when feeding big, hungry twins.

Actually, you can do tandem breastfeeding. It's just more challenging.

One instance where it would really be impossible to breastfeed (as opposed to impossible) is if you're taking any medications that would seep into the milk. My sister had a patient in the SICU who was on something and in there for something (do I get points for vagueness?) and she had just given birth a few weeks before and wanted to keep breastfeeding. So, the nurses just had to keep pumping her and throwing all the milk away because none of it could be used, but if they didn't pump her, she'd not only be in pain, but also go dry. It was a really sad situation, but they were doing all they could to make sure that she would still produce milk by the time she went home.

[Vote Tyler Stearns]

I'm entering this thread late in the game, but have to share my experiences with both a breast fed and formula fed baby.  I breast fed 1st born for 9 months.  He had horrible colic, was terribly sick for first 5 years (had to have 2 sets of ear tubes, tonsils and adenoids out, on maintenance antibiotics for 2 straight years, as well as every other medicine in the book), poops were explosive AND stinky (hey someone else, maybe Rainey, mentioned that breastfed baby poops don't smell, etc.), awake and wailing EVERY 2 hours at night for 2 straight years, and has lots of environmental and drug allergies.

Formula fed babe absolute opposite.  Seldom sick, slept through the night after 1 week, happy digestive system, rarely fussed & cried. 

Although I believe the science about breast feeding's benefits, we can't always assume that breast fed = healthier/happier baby and formula fed = unhealthier/unhappy baby.  Maybe we're the exception to the rule, so to speak, but I say to each his own...whatever gets you through the night (and day). 

[Raineyrocks]

I'm entering this thread late in the game, but have to share my experiences with both a breast fed and formula fed baby.  I breast fed 1st born for 9 months.  He had horrible colic, was terribly sick for first 5 years (had to have 2 sets of ear tubes, tonsils and adenoids out, on maintenance antibiotics for 2 straight years, as well as every other medicine in the book), poops were explosive AND stinky (hey someone else, maybe Rainey, mentioned that breastfed baby poops don't smell, etc.), awake and wailing EVERY 2 hours at night for 2 straight years, and has lots of environmental and drug allergies.

Formula fed babe absolute opposite.  Seldom sick, slept through the night after 1 week, happy digestive system, rarely fussed & cried. 

Although I believe the science about breast feeding's benefits, we can't always assume that breast fed = healthier/happier baby and formula fed = unhealthier/unhappy baby.  Maybe we're the exception to the rule, so to speak, but I say to each his own...whatever gets you through the night (and day). 

Wow Malevil, what the heck did you put in your milk?  Only kidding, that's the first time I ever heard of opposite experiences.  Actually now that I'm thinking of it my son, (Jon), had horrible colic constantly no matter what I ate when I breastfed him but never stinky poop.  He had his adenoids and tonsils out too along with tubes in his ears but that was after I was finished nursing him.  I really never stopped to think maybe this isn't right for him and I should try formula, maybe I should have though.

[Rosie the Riveter]

I'm entering this thread late in the game, but have to share my experiences with both a breast fed and formula fed baby.  I breast fed 1st born for 9 months.  He had horrible colic, was terribly sick for first 5 years (had to have 2 sets of ear tubes, tonsils and adenoids out, on maintenance antibiotics for 2 straight years, as well as every other medicine in the book), poops were explosive AND stinky (hey someone else, maybe Rainey, mentioned that breastfed baby poops don't smell, etc.), awake and wailing EVERY 2 hours at night for 2 straight years, and has lots of environmental and drug allergies.

Formula fed babe absolute opposite.  Seldom sick, slept through the night after 1 week, happy digestive system, rarely fussed & cried. 

Although I believe the science about breast feeding's benefits, we can't always assume that breast fed = healthier/happier baby and formula fed = unhealthier/unhappy baby.  Maybe we're the exception to the rule, so to speak, but I say to each his own...whatever gets you through the night (and day). 

colic is most times a dairy, nut, soy, or wheat allergy -- so sometimes a mom may need to change her diet (remove the allergens from her diet) so that her baby can happily breastfeed... If your child has allergies to this day the green stinky poop and fussiness makes perfect sense -- an allergic child may not be digesting properly or is having a reaction to the allergen.

I am glad you were able to solve the trouble at the time --- I will tell you that the above information about some babies allergies to certain foods in mothers diet was probably not known and not even published in medical journals, when your kids were young so most likely you could have never found out or been told by a doctor at the time. Breastfeeding science is still a work in progress, we have come a long way since the 70s and 80s, but still have a long way to go.

[Vote Tyler Stearns]

Hey Rosie (Kate)...I assumed even waaayy back in the 80s  that my breast milk could have contributed to the fussy baby/allergies with babe #1, and I did try and alter my diet to see if removing certain foods would help make a happier baby.  Who knows, maybe my first born would have been even more sickly had I not breast fed!

I guess what I was trying to say was that my formula fed babe was and still is a happy, healthy, peaceful child.  I'm not against breast feeding.  In fact, I highly recommend it to any moms-to-be that I know.  But, I no longer look at formula feeding moms and think less of them (not accusing any of you of doing that...but, I admit that I used to). 

...Now...if they'd sold organic breast milk at the market back in the day...hmmmmmmm. 

[KBCraig]

Anyone else find it hilarious that this is reported by the Middle East Media Research Institute... "MEMRI"? 


http://memri.org/bin/latestnews.cgi?ID=IA35507

The head of the Hadith Department in Al-AzharUniversity, Dr. Izzat Atiyya, recently issued a controversial fatwa dealing with breastfeeding of adults. The fatwa stated that a woman who is required to work in private with a man not of her immediate family - a situation that is forbidden by Islamic law - can resolve the problem by breastfeeding the man, which, according to shari'a, turns him into a member of her immediate family.

[Rosie the Riveter]

Hey Rosie (Kate)...I assumed even waaayy back in the 80s  that my breast milk could have contributed to the fussy baby/allergies with babe #1, and I did try and alter my diet to see if removing certain foods would help make a happier baby.  Who knows, maybe my first born would have been even more sickly had I not breast fed!

I guess what I was trying to say was that my formula fed babe was and still is a happy, healthy, peaceful child.  I'm not against breast feeding.  In fact, I highly recommend it to any moms-to-be that I know.  But, I no longer look at formula feeding moms and think less of them (not accusing any of you of doing that...but, I admit that I used to). 

...Now...if they'd sold organic breast milk at the market back in the day...hmmmmmmm. 

You're funny -- "waaayy back in the 80s"  seems like just yesterday