Breastfeeding: A Childless Woman's Perspective

Maternity by Pablo Picasso

DISCLAIMER: Please do not read my avid support of breastfeeding as a judgement against those who choose not to.  My primary objective is to normalize breastfeeding in our society!

This week the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA), and breastfeeding advocates in more than 170 countries worldwide are celebrating World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) for the 19th year with the theme "Talk To Me!  Breastfeeding: a 3-D Experience"

When we look at breastfeeding support, we tend to see it in two-dimensions: time (from pre-pregnancy to weaning) and place (the home, community, health care system, etc). But neither has much impact without a THIRD dimension - communication! 

Communication is an essential part of protecting, promoting and supporting breastfeeding. We live in a world where individuals and global communities connect across small and great distances at an instant's notice. New lines of communication are being created every day, and we have the ability to use these information channels to broaden our horizons and spread breastfeeding information beyond our immediate time and place to activate important dialogue. 

This third dimension includes cross-generation, cross-sector, cross-gender, and cross-culture communication and encourages the sharing of knowledge and experience, thus enabling wider outreach.

As a childless, and therefore not nursing, woman, this issue may not seem to pertain to me.  Though, WABA’s call to action  is to reach beyond the borders of nursing moms and health care professionals, and include traditionally uninvolved parties. Supporting breastfeeding is EVERYBODY's job!  

Living Simply

There is nothing more organic, natural and whole than human milk for your human babe.  So, if you are into simple living, breast isn't best, it's the only option!  Also, there is no better way to save a boatload of cash than breastfeeding your baby for the first few years of her life.  Especially now that the Affordable Care Act requires the following to be covered by insurance without a copay, coinsurance, or deductible:   

Comprehensive lactation support and counseling, by a trained provider during pregnancy and/or in the postpartum period, and costs for renting breastfeeding equipment. -Women's Preventive Services: Required Health Plan Coverage Guidelines

Insurance will pay for pump rentals, lactation consultants, and maybe even breastfeeding classes.  That means that exclusively breastfeeding mamas will spend $0 on nourishing their baby.

Education

The ability to swim is instinctive in most mammals.  While swimming comes naturally to some, others require more education. But we all possess the innate ability to keep ourselves afloat.  Generally, if one takes swimming lessons, and learns proper techniques, she can swim like a champ!  Likewise, breastfeeding comes easily to some women, while others find it to be one of the biggest challenges of being a new mother.  Just because it is supposed to be natural and instinctive, does not mean one can't benefit from education and support in the art of breastfeeding.  

Unfortunately, this education is not readily available in a lot of hospitals.  While you would hope that nurses working with first-time mamas would be super educated in the art of breastfeeding, this is not always the case.     If you are interested in furthering your education in the art of breastfeeding, find a certified lactation counselor.   The International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners (IBCLC) is the global authority that determines the competence of practitioners in lactation and breastfeeding care.

La Leche League has been supporting nursing mothers for more than 50 years.  You can attend a local LLL meeting or use their extensive online resources!  All LLL leaders are experienced mothers who have breastfed and have been specially trained by LLL to help moms with all aspects of breastfeeding.  They are also available by phone whenever you have breastfeeding questions or concerns.

But education doesn't end with breastfeeding moms.  Western society at large needs to be exposed to and educated about breastfeeding.  When kids are taking reproductive health classes in high school, they need to be taught about the functionality of breasts and the benefits and normalcy of breastfeeding.  They need to understand their bodies in order to appreciate their power.  

 Hortense Breastfeeding Paul by Paul Cézanne

Exposure

As was the case with overcoming previously held social taboos, we must bring breastfeeding out into the open in order for it to become a social norm.  The idea that nursing in public is somehow immodest, indecent, obscene or gross is completely absurd.  First of all, if you have issues and can't handle seeing a mom nourish her child, perhaps you should examine why that is.  Because you are the one with the problem, not the nursing mom.  If you are not willing to examine your own issues, there is an even simpler way of dealing with it:  LOOK AWAY!  NOBODY IS FORCING YOU TO WATCH!!!!!

There are many reasons why people claim to feel "uncomfortable" around breastfeeding, and I would like to discuss and respond to them all.  However, since there are so many I will just leave it at this.  If you have a problem with seeing a woman nurse her child, you are wrong and you need to fix your issues.  This is not a matter of opinion.  It is just truth.  Women have the right to nourish their children in whatever way shape or form they deem is best.  In most states, legislation affirms a woman's right to breastfeed her child in ANY location where she is otherwise permitted to be, irrespective of whether the nipple of the mother's breast is uncovered during or incidental to breastfeeding.

Breastfeeding at the Cloisters, NY

Lactivism

Are you a lactivist?  Well, you should be!  Here are a few events that will be taking place this month;

Whole Foods Market National Nurse-In 

This protest was made necessary after a mother was harassed by employees for breastfeeding at her local Whole Foods.  The purpose of the nurse-in is to convince Whole Foods Market to publicly and officially support the healthy and natural act of breastfeeding within their establishments by providing a nondiscriminatory environment for families who choose to breastfeed and by adopting a global policy to ensure such an environment.   Visit the Whole Baby Foods blog for more info.

Big Latch On
On Saturday, August 6, 2011 at 10:30am local time in locations across the USA and beyond, nursing mothers will gather to celebrate World Breastfeeding Week and try to break the world record for the most women breastfeeding simultaneously!  I will be offering my support locally at No Sugar Added in Claremont, CA.


In Closing

To all of you nursing mamas out there, I offer my undying support of your decision to nourish your babes the natural way!!  

To mamas who were or are unable to nurse, I can only encourage you to seek out as much information and professional help as you possibly can.  Your OB/GYN and even your primary care physician may not be the best sources of help, try a lactation consultant or La Leche League.  I understand that some moms have genuine medical issues that prevent them from making enough milk for their babes, but there is always donor milk!  

To everyone else, I encourage you to do what you can to support breastfeeding moms in your community.  When you see a mama nursing in public, use it as a teachable moment with your kids, whatever their age.  If you are still around when she is finished nursing, approach mom and thank her for setting such a great example for the community at large and commend her for her thoughtful decision.  Every time I have done this, I am always greeted by a warm, yet sometimes surprised, smile!

Diapering Our Way to a Better Planet



The Great Cloth Diaper Change in conjunction with the anniversary celebration of Claremont's premiere natural baby boutique, No Sugar Added, is happening this Saturday, April 23, 2011.

 As a local sponsor of The Great Cloth Diaper Change, and since Earth Day is fast approaching, I decided it would be a good opportunity to discuss cloth diapering.  My goal is not necessarily to convert every reader to cloth diapers.  Rather, I hope to educate people about the viability of cloth as an option. 



















Cloth diapers have changed exponentially since I wore them 30 years ago and they have never been easier to use.  Upon starting my research for this article, I was shocked and a bit overwhelmed at the copious types of cloth diaper options.  There are all-in-ones, hybrids, pocket diapers, prefolds, and many more!  However, it doesn't take long to form an opinion about which kind is best for you.  Each type has specific features and conveniences that appeal to almost every mom.

Of course, the most common roadblock for people considering cloth, is the unpleasant task of cleaning the diapers.  However, this part of cloth diapering has never been easier.  I was amazed to find a brilliant product called biodegradable diaper liners.  It is a roll of material that visually resembles a dryer sheet, but it is made of biodegradable materials.  Just place the liner in the cloth diaper before you put the baby in.  When it's time to change, you simply pick up the corners of the liner and conveniently place it (and your baby's deposit) into the toilet to flush.  This eliminates the need to dunk diapers in the toilet to rinse them out.

Laundering diapers does take some time and energy, but can be worth it, when you consider the benefits of cloth.  Also, diaper services still exist and will do the dirty work for you. In Los Angeles, we have a few organic diaper services including Blessed Bums and  Luludew!  Both have the added bonus of setting aside diapers just for your baby, so you get the same ones every week.  This can give you the peace of mind of knowing that only your baby has worn those diapers.  And, Luludew diaper service is less than $20 per week!

Cost
Of course, it can be more convenient to be able to dispose of every diaper you remove from your baby, but there is high price to pay for such a convenience.  As a nation we spend more than $3 billion on 18 billion disposable diapers every year!  A baby can easily use 8000+ in the first 2-3 years of life.  While it is certainly possible to spend more on cloth diapers, than on disposable diapers, the opposite is usually true.  All things considered, cloth diapering is usually much less expensive than disposable diapers.  If you make your own cloth diapers, or buy them secondhand, you can save even more!

The graphs, below, show the average cost of several different diapering options.  The following was assumed to calculate costs:  8 diaper changes per day, and 3 disposable wipes OR 1 reusable wipe per change.  When calculating cloth costs, I assumed 1 flushable/ biodegradable diaper liner per change, unscented dye-free detergent, 50 reusable cloth wipes, 5 wet bags, and 30 all-in-one cloth diapers.  I did not include the cost of laundering the cloth diapers, because water and energy rates are too variable for me to do a decent national analysis.  I did, however, include the cost of an $80/month diaper service in one category.  The costs listed are the total cost to diaper one baby/child for two and a half years.

The first graph shows the costs of two categories of disposable diapers and wipes.  The first is a basic, no frills, bleached, scented, cheapest you can find diaper and wipe.  The second is a more "eco-friendly," undyed, unscented, partially biodegradable diaper and wipe.

The second graph shows the cost of four different cloth options.  Online w/ Service: purchased online plus the cost of diaper service.  Local:  Purchased locally at a non-chain store or boutique.  Online:  purchased online.  Secondhand:  previously owned or you make your own diapers and wipes.

Cloth diapers offer even more saving possibilities if you plan to have more children.  If you think ahead and buy gender neutral cloth diapers, you can use them for your subsequent babies.  If you don't or can't use them for subsequent babies, you may still be able to save money.  No Sugar Added, a natural baby boutique in my beautiful city of Claremont, California, has a trade-in program, in which they offer store credit to customers who bring in "slightly-loved" cloth diapers.

Environmental Impact
Studies are varied regarding the comparative environmental impact of disposable versus cloth diapers.  Though, common sense can go a long way when making your decision on how to diaper. 

70% of a disposable diaper is made from trees.  Unless you are spending extra money on eco-friendly diapers, you can safely bet that the trees responsible for making your disposables were not sustainably harvested.  30% of a disposable diaper is made of synthetic petroleum based plastic, which is very much non-renewable.  The manufacturing of disposables also negatively impacts the environment.  There are several dyes, scents and chemicals used in disposable diapers.

 And then, of course, there is the most obvious impact of disposables:  we throw them away.  Ah, that magic place:  "Away..."  After all of the time and resources it takes to make, a disposable diaper is used for mere hours before excrement is snugly entombed in its undegradable plastic and dumped, primarily in landfills, where it sits for hundreds of years.

Health
There are several obvious reasons why cloth may be healthier for your baby.  As I mentioned earlier, most disposables are bleached, scented, and contain synthetic petroleum based plastics and chemicals.  So when you use disposables, your baby is constantly exposed to those things for the first 30 months of life.

Here's something you may not know:  It is illegal in most states to put human waste in trash bins for collection.  Did you know that you are supposed to dump the poop out of disposable diapers into the toilet before you dispose of said diaper?  It's true!  Sewage belongs in the sewer, not in your garbage can.

What Now?
Like I said at the beginning, I am not suggesting that everyone needs to exclusively use cloth diapers.  Many families use both cloth and disposable depending on the setting (home or away) or time (night or day).  I am a big supporter of parents making decisions that are best for their families.  I can't tell you what is best for you, but hopefully I can open a few eyes to alternative options.

I want to hear from you!  Please share your experiences with diapers.  What factors did you consider when deciding what method to use?  If you exclusively use disposables, did you ever consider cloth?  Would you consider cloth in the future? 

Have a wonderful Earth Day!  Hope to see you Saturday at No Sugar Added!

How to Get Publicity For Less Than $1.50

Last fall, I started a new business venture and new life journey as a birth doula.  It is such amazing work, and I love every minute of it, but marketing myself and my services is hard work!

I recently became aware of an opportunity to sponsor The Great Cloth Diaper Change. which is being held locally in conjunction with the anniversary celebration of No Sugar Added (a local natural baby store).  I wore cloth diapers as a baby, and I'm so happy to see that they are making a comeback!  The requirements for being a sponsor include: a donation of cash to cover expenses or a prize for a raffle drawing and "goodies" to go in 100 goody bags that will be distributed to participants.  This sounded like such a great idea, but I have no marketing budget, so I wondered if I could pull it off. 

I decided to donate a gift certificate for the raffle and coupons and breastfeeding cards for the goody bags.  "What is a breastfeeding card?"  Glad you asked.  It is a small card displaying the text of CA civil code section 43.3 which states in part "...a mother may breastfeed her child in any location, public or private..."  Its a wonderful thing to have on hand as a breastfeeding mom.



Breastfeeding Cards

I was then faced with designing and printing all of the these things!  The designing part wasn't difficult, as I have some graphic design experience.  But the potential prohibitive price of paper and printing was posing a problem, given my budget of almost nothing.  I needed a strong cardstock or thick paper for the gift certificate and BF cards, as well as some nice paper (preferably undyed and recyclable) for the coupons.  I decided to print at home, hoping I had enough ink left in my printer.

As I mentioned in my very first post, I am not a big fan of shopping at big chain stores and I purchase secondhand goods as much as possible.  I decided to make the round of local thrift stores to look for paper for this project and asked my mom if she wanted to join me.  She seemed so confused when I told her what I was shopping for, commenting that she didn't think that thrift stores sold paper.  I assured her that one can find almost anything at a second hand store, including paper.

The very first thrift store we visited had a small, ugly, journal type book with the most beautiful papyrus-like paper inside.  There were 52 sheets of  4x6 paper; enough to make 100 small coupons for the goody bags.  And, it only cost 49 cents.  After a little more searching at the same store, I found a never-used 8x8 scrapbook with 20 pages of heavy cardstock, which cost me 99 cents.

So, for only $1.48, I purchased all the paper I will need for this project! 

I designed the BF cards small (2x2) so I could fit 9 on a single page of cardstock.  They came out great, but now I am debating whether or not to laminate them.  It is definitely an added expense, but durability would benefit the pass-it-on nature of the card.  Hmmm. That's a tough one.  Any thoughts? 

Unbinding the little book of paper took patience, but wasn't too difficult.  After creating a custom page size on my printer, and a few trial runs with scrap paper, I successfully printed 100 beautiful little flyers with coupons to go in each of the goody bags!

At the end of the day, I felt so proud of myself.  I spent less than a day and $1.50 to launch the biggest marketing campaign my little business has seen yet!