Breast vs bottle

[my3labs]

On the radio today they were talking about two studies done on breastfeeding. One was done in 1971, the second in 2004.
In 1971 only 25 percent of new moms were breastfeeding. In 2004 it was up to 75%.
The dj's were talking about why women had made the change back to breastfeeding recently. It was pretty a interesting conversation. Anyway, all of the women called and agreed that breast milk is best and that marketing of formula, working moms, etc., were the reason for the decline in breast feeding back in the 70's. At one point, one of the hosts commented that humans are the only species that drinks the milk of another species (DUH.......is anyone else listening). I was pretty happy about that comment.
So...the final straw was this chick who called and said that a baby sucking on her "boob" was not normal, that it was a sexual object and that it was not natural for a baby to suck it for milk...that was her boyfriends' job. I thought for sure that this must be a young girl with no kids, but no......it was a mom of two. She actually said, and I quote here "If breast milk was so natural, why do we have grocery stores that carry formula".
I shit you not.
Carry on.

[Bowwowmeow]

Isn't it a shame that having an IQ below 50 doesn't cause infertility? :drool:

[paul]

So...the final straw was this chick who called and said that a baby sucking on her "boob" was not normal, that it was a sexual object and that it was not natural for a baby to suck it for milk...that was her boyfriends' job. I thought for sure that this must be a young girl with no kids, but no......it was a mom of two. She actually said, and I quote here "If breast milk was so natural, why do we have grocery stores that carry formula".
I shit you not.
Carry on.

:shakehead::eek:
unbeliverable

[Oracl]

Isn't it a shame that having an IQ below 50 doesn't cause infertility? :drool:
:agree:

[thevegantwins]

I'm so glad my vegan neighbor didn't hear that radio show. This poor woman is in tears regularly over having problems breastfeeding and while she has spare organic soy formula when they are absolutely out of breastmilk, she is doing everything possible to breastfeed. They are even using a breastmilk bank, Milkshare (www.milkshare.com), and her husband drove 13 hours each way to Virginia the other day to bring back a 2-week supply of donor breastmilk.

I think women who dismiss breastfeeding as unnatural or abnormal need some serious psychological help. Formula is created in a pharmaceutical lab. How natural is that?

[Gliondrach]

Has your neighbour tried anything to increase her milk supply? I found the following information:

Throughout the world, over the ages, many natural herbal galactagogues have been used, most of them very successful to increase breast milk supply. But it is extremely important to seek the advice of a specialist in the herbal galactagogue field before self medicating with herbal galactagogues.

There are many dangers in using any of them without professional guidance.

Anise Seed (Pimpinella anisum ) - Has a mild estrogenic effect. Also used to ease colic and gas pains and can be drunk by the nursing mother to relieve colicy babies.

Blessed Thistle (Cnicus benedictus ) - Blessed thistle is a bitter herb useful for liver and digestive problems and its ability to increase and enrich the flow of milk.

Chaste Berry (Vitex angus-castus) - Chaste Berry has a normalizing effect on the progesterone function of the pituitary gland. Vitex stimulates prolactin production and is used by nursing mothers to increase milk supply. A controlled study found that women who took vitex had an increase in milk production over women who took a placebo. It is not recommended for use after the third month of pregnancy as it may bring on the milk production too early.

Fennel Seed (Foeniculum vulgare) - Like anise, fennel is traditionally used to increase milk supply and also as a carminative to dispel gas. Fennel is a bitter. Bitter seeds and herbs are important for stimulating the release of digestive juices.

Fenugreek (Ritornello foenum-graecum) - Traditionally very popular. Don't be surprised, fenugreek will make your sweat and urine smell like maple syrup! To use simmer 1 1/2 teaspoons of seed per cup of water for 10 minutes and drink 3 cups a day.

Hops (Humulus lupulus ) - Highly estrogenic properties useful for increasing milk production and regulating hormonal production. Hops are also a sedative useful for insomnia and a digestive bitter. It is best used fresh for its hormonal actions and dried for its sedative actions.

Milk Thistle Seed (Silybum marianum ) - Particularly useful when liver imbalances are involved.

Nettle Leaf (Urtica urens ) - Nettles is one of our best female tonic herbs! It is an abundant source of trace minerals and vitamins and will help to enrich and increase milk production. One of the best sources for digestible iron.

Suggested use is 1 ounce of herb per pint of water and taken 1/2 - 1 cup 3 times a day.
Avoid: Large amounts of sage and parsley may decrease flow of milk.

Mother's Milk Tea
1part Blessed Thistle
1 part Fenugreek
1/2 part Hops
2 parts Fennel
1 part Nettle

Grind the seeds a bit so that water can come in contact with the inner parts when you brew your tea. To prepare: pour boiling water over the herbs, cover and allow to steep for 10 minutes or more. Usual dosage is about 1 ounce of herb per pint of water.

Most of these herbs are bitter and you may want to add a pinch of stevia to sweeten but remember that bitter is good for you. When the bitter principal hits your taste buds it stimulates the release of bile and other digestive juices and this is important for good digestion. Bitters don't work if you don't taste them.

.herbal-products.biz/breast-milk/herbal-galactagogues.htm




-----------------
There are some suggestions here for increasing milk supply. It, and other sites, say that nursing mothers need to have adequate fluid intake and extra calories. And some herbal remedies mentioned near the end:

There are certain food supplements as well as prescription medications that may increase your milk supply. Before using any of these, it is important to rule out other problems such as illness in mother or baby. Many herbal supplements have been used for many years to increase milk production, with the most popular being Fenugreek, Blessed Thistle, and Red Raspberry. Brewers Yeast (containing B vitamins) is another commonly recommended treatment for low milk supply. I usually recommend that mothers try Fenugreek capsules (2-3 capsules taken 3 times daily) along with Blessed Thistle tablets (same dosage). You many want to add Brewers Yeast tablets (3 tablets taken with meals, 3 times per day) and Red Raspberry tea or capsules several times each day. I know that seems like a lot of capsules to take, but if you don’t want to take them all, the Fenugreek seems to be the most effective. Fenugreek is rated GRAS (generally regarded as safe), but when taken in large doses may cause lowered blood sugar, so should be used with caution by diabetics. It is in the same family with peanuts and chickpeas, and may cause an allergic reaction in moms who are allergic to them. It may cause a maple syrup odor in urine and sweat. For the majority of mothers, it causes no problems, and can be very effective. It has not been known to cause any problems for the babies of the mothers who take it.

.breastfeedingbasics.com/html/increasing.shtml

[thevegantwins]

She drinks copious amounts of Mother's Milk tea, does acupuncture, takes fenugreek, a Chinese herb, eats lots of leafy greens, drinks lots of water and started taking Domperidone (a drug that does increase milk supply [I know, I took it] banned in the US but she orders it from New Zealand). She's tried pretty much everything and has been to lactation consultants, doulas and La Leche League meetings. I have never met anyone so committed to breastfeeding. I thought I was doing so much when I had problems breastfeeding, she has gone way beyond what I tried. I cry on the phone when I talk to her because I know her pain. It's such a horrible feeling to want to exclusively breastfeed and not be able to especially when there are so many stupid women who deliberately chose not to breastfeed.

[Bowwowmeow]

I'm very near to considering it a form of child abuse to refuse to breastfeed, unless there is a physical problem like your poor friend has, vegantwins. I think formula should only be available by prescription for those who cannot produce enough of their own milk.

[Gliondrach]

She is probably very anxious, to say the least. That won't be good for her milk production. She would do well to find time for relaxation - if she's not already doing it.