La Leche League Leaders are often asked whether smoking cigarettes impact a mother’s ability to breastfeed. It is not the role of La Leche League to judge a parent’s decision to smoke. We are here to provide fact based information which allows parents to make their own decisions. So what does some of the research say?
Many of the lists of “things new parents need to have on hand when baby is born” include a breast pump if you are planning to breast feed. Some parents wonder if having a breast pump is a real need or a niche market that has been created by breast pump manufacturers.
We have long known that babies who are breastfed have a lower risk of getting an infection and that their immune systems develop differently. The biological mechanisms behind these differences are still under investigation by scientists.
In the early days of breastfeeding you are naturally going to spend more time sitting and nursing. It is helpful to create yourself a nursing nest spot (or two) so that everything you might want is within arm’s reach once you get baby latched on. Here are some tips from other mothers of the things they found important to have at hand:
Somewhere in the six to twelve month range many mothers find their previously totally focused nursing baby has become a wiggler who can’t nurse in public, or if someone else is in the room, or the TV is on, or the cat walks by, or…! What happened to the baby whose whole life revolved around breastfeeding and, more to the point, how do you keep breastfeeding through this stage?
As the holidays approach many families will be flying with a breastfeeding child. This week we share some tips and tricks from experienced travellers that can help things go more smoothly for you and baby. We also have an update on the regulations that apply to breastmilk and baby food in your carry-on luggage.
As Canada prepares to welcome Syrian families, many of whom will have young children or who may have children within the next few years, those who support breastfeeding families formally and informally need to be prepared with resource materials in Arabic. These will be especially important for Syrian families who move to communities without other Arabic speaking families or health care professionals.
When a group of first-time pregnant women talk about breastfeeding and the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Canadian and American Pediatric Societies' recommendation for breastfeeding (exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months and then breastfeeding continues along with complementary foods for as long as mother and baby choose) someone will inevitably ask, “but what do you do when they get teeth?” Our logical side says it must be possible to breastfeed a child with teeth because humans have been doing it for thousands of years, but the thought of teeth near your tender nipple
World Prematurity Day was celebrated on Nov 17 2015. One of the key recommendations from several different studies into improving the long term outcomes for premature babies is the provision of human milk either at the breast or via other feeding methods.
Women who have Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes or who are considered insulin resistant or “pre-diabetic” can breastfeed and doing so is good for mother and baby. For more about the role of breastfeeding in diabetes prevention for babies and insulin resistant women check out our Thursday’s Tip from last week
To encourage, promote and provide breastfeeding, chest feeding and human milk feeding support and educational opportunities as an important contribution to the health of children, families and society