There has been a study among breasfeeding mothers that working moms are more likely to stop breastfeeding between two to six months due to their work.  So, what do you do to continue breastfeeding even when you are working? Here are a few things you can consider and follow so you can still breastfeed your child even when you’re back to work.

Purchase a quality breast pump that will be appropriate for your needs. If you plan to pump for most of your baby’s daily feedings, then buy a pump that can give you the most benefits. A double electric pump will enable you to save time because it can pump both breasts at the same time.  There are different types of breast pumps available in the market that will suit your daily pumping needs. Choose the one that will be affordable and appropriate for your situation.

Talk to your employer before going back to work about your pumping milk at the office. Tell your boss about what you intend so you can get his or her support. But if your boss is hesitant about it, then reassure him or her that this will not keep you from accomplishing your responsibilities in the office.

Determine and keep your daily schedule for pumping milk. Find out the times when you have the most milk and schedule your pumping session at these times. It is also recommended to express milk after three to four hours but be flexible in case there are emergency and urgent situations at work. Whenever possible, add an extra pumping session to your daily schedule. In this way, you will have extra milk for those times when you cannot pump because of a busy schedule.

Relax while having your pumping session. As you pump milk from your breast, do not think about the things that you still need to do. Instead of filling your mind with work-related concerns, try to think about your baby and enjoy the moment. You can close your eyes and give your time to rest while doing it. You can also look at the picture of your baby or imagine holding your baby.

Store expressed milk properly. Always label the bottle of expressed milk  with the date before placing it inside the refrigerator at home or on an insulated lunchbox when you are at work. This will ensure that the milk pumped earlier will be consumed first than those that were extracted at a later time. Keep an extra bottle of expressed milk inside the fridge at home. At room temperature, breast milk can last up to 10 hours. Inside the refrigerator, it can be stored up to 8 days. It can be even last up to 2 weeks when stored inside the freezer compartment.

Determine your baby’s daily feedings. Find out how many bottles of milk your baby can drink within the time that you are away for work and add an extra bottle so you won’t have to worry about having an extra pumping. Also, monitor which of the bottles you have placed on the fridge had been consumed and if there is any bottle of milk left for your baby.

Dress up suitably for your pumping sessions. You can bring a jacket, a blazer or a cardigan sweater to work  to cover up any leak spots  after a pumping session. To avoid embarrassment, it is best to bring something that you can wear over your blouse or office uniform when the unexpected happens. You should also wear absorbent nursing pads or bring an extra for leaks. Breastfeeding working moms are also advised to wear printed tops instead of plain-colored ones so that leaks may not be easily seen.

With proper planning for your pumping at the workplace, you don’t need to worry working mom. You can do it! Just follow these tips and you’ll be able to handle the role of a breastfeeding working mom.

The mini is also the only birth control pill that has a long-term study available, meaning that babies who nursed while their mothers took this pill were followed into adolescence to determine any effect. None have been documented, although there have been concerns about exposing the new infant to unnecessary steroids.

The mini-pill has to be taken everyday with no breaks in between packs and at the same time everyday in order to be effective.

In the article, from the “Mother and Baby” magazine, Blundell wrote about how she bottle-fed her baby since birth because “I wanted my body back”. (And some wine)”. “They’re part of my sexuality, too…And seeing your teeny, tiny, innocent baby latching on where only a lover has been before feels, well, a little creepy,” she added.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in India and most other countries recommend complete breastfeeding up to 6 months. Still, Blundell has not been not swayed – “there are all the studies that show [breastfeeding] reduces the risk of breast cancer for you, and stomach upsets and allergies for your baby. But even the convenience and supposed health benefits of breast milk couldn’t induce me to stick my nipple in a bawling baby’s mouth,” she declared.

A spew of criticism and comments were left behind, following the article published on this month’s copy of the magazine. An enraged mum even commented that “As a formula-feeding mum who was unable to breastfeed, I am left wondering whether, thanks to this piece, people who see me giving my baby a bottle may assume that I am doing so because I…found the idea ‘creepy’.”

Breastfeeding advocates and parents feel that, even if the article was meant to be a tounge-in-cheek view of the issue, that it was in rather bad taste, especially if somebody came across it while “feeling vunerable post-natally and struggling with breastfeeding.” Many others felt it might have been a turn-off from mothers who were thinking of breastfeeding.

In spite of this, there were some who took rather well to the article, applauding what they called her “refreshing” view. Said the editor of the magazine, Miranda Levy, “This was her personal experience, and has a place in the debate…We have made readers feel ‘normal’ and less of a ‘failure’ for not managing to breastfeed – a situation which is incredibly common.”

Is breastfeeding “creepy”? What do you think?

We’ve all heard of the benefits of breastfeeding for baby… it’s the perfect infant nutrition, enhances your baby’s cognitive development, etc. But did you know that breastfeeding has a whole host of benefits for mummy dearest too?

Here are 12 of them…

1) Breastfeeding promotes bonding between mother and baby

2) Breastfeeding helps mom lose weight after baby is born

3) Breastfeeding helps shrink mother’s uterus after childbirth

4) Breastfeeding helps prevent post-partum hemorrhage

5) Breastfeeding decreases chances of maternal osteoporosis in later life

6) Breastfeeding is a natural contraceptive

7) Breastfeeding acts like a natural tranquilizer for mom

Breastfeeding saves time and space. There are no bottles to tote, no need to refrigerate, less equipment to buy, maintain and store

9) Breastfeeding protects mothers against anemia (iron deficiency)

10) Breastfeeding reduces one’s risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer

11) Breastfeeding mums suffer less from postpartum depression

12) Breastfeeding mums have less sick days! Since their kids are statistically healthier, they spend less time at home from work to look after sick kids!

A recent study carried out under the US federal government’s Women’s Health Initiative study on chronic disease, found that of 139,681 postmenopausal women, those who had breastfed for at least one month had lower blood pressure, better cholesterol and less frequent diabetes, all known factors for cardiovascular risk.

On average, 35 years had passed since the women had last breastfed, suggesting the benefits of breastfeeding last many years.

The study which will appear in the May issue of “Obstetrics and Gynecology, also found that the longer mothers breastfed, the more apparent the cardiovascular benefit, the study also found.

Women who breastfed for more than a full year had their cardiovascular risk reduced by 10 percent.

Victoria Lambert enumerates a number of reasons why breast milk is good not just for the baby but for the mother as well. Breast milk helps boost a baby’s immune system and aids a baby’s healthy mental development. Mothers benefit from breastfeeding as it helps them easily shed off the extra pounds that they gain during pregnancy and it also helps prevent breast and ovarian cancers. Lambert said in her article that breastfeeding is still the safest, cheapest and healthiest way of feeding a baby.

Lambert further said that the research conducted by the Norwegian researcher doesn’t really stand up to scrutiny. She said that ultimately, breastfeeding is still best not because of anything that Science can prove but because of something that the generations before us have known all along – it creates a strong bond between mothers and babies.

What’s your stand on this breast milk vs. formula debate? Do you think mothers are short-changing their babies if they choose not to breast feed? Tell us what you think!

Researchers say that breast milk contains elements that are essential in boosting an infant’s immune system. Not only is it good for babies but it’s beneficial for moms as well. Breastfeeding actually helps new moms get their old figure back quickly. Also, it fosters a strong bond between mothers and babies. What’s most important of all is that parents can save a substantial amount of money if they choose to feed their babies the natural way.

But if you don’t produce much breast milk, don’t feel guilty. Formulas are not bad. It’s just that it’s cheaper to feed your infant breast milk than formula. Those who have an abundant supply of natural milk are just very lucky.

Campaigns slogans that say “Breast milk is best” are all over the country that it’s impossible for mothers not to feel guilty when they don’t breastfeed their babies. Due to this widespread campaign, a lot of enterprising women are selling their breast milk online for up to $1,500. Surprisingly, a lot of mothers who are unable to produce natural milk are willing to pay outrageous prices just to give their babies the best.

However, findings in a recent study tell us that formula is just as good as breast milk . Professor Carlsen of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology said that breast milk doesn’t necessarily make a baby healthy. It’s the condition of the mother during pregnancy that makes a healthy baby.

The findings of this study points to the importance of mothers taking care of themselves during pregnancy. Also, it gives a mother more freedom to decide on how to feed her baby without pressure from others or feelings of guilt.

Before I can advise on how to conceive while breastfeeding, we must understand how breastfeeding can influence the chance of subsequent pregnancy.

In 1988, a group of scientists met in Bellagio, Italy to define a set of guidelines that a woman could use to predict her return to fertility during breastfeeding. The scientists reviewed data from studies regarding return to fertility and determined that breastfeeding can provide up to 98% effective contraception if three criteria are met:

a. The mother has not experienced the return of her menstrual periods (bleeding up to the 56th postpartum day is considered part of the postpartum recovery process and is not counted as menstrual bleeding);

b. The mother is fully or nearly fully breastfeeding; and

c. The baby is less than six months old.

These guidelines later defined a new method of family planning called the Lactational Amenorrhea Method or LAM. Clinical trials have shown that LAM is at least as effective as the Bellagio scientists predicted it would be. Fewer than 1% of LAM users in three clinical trials became pregnant when all the three LAM criteria were met.

Of the three LAM criteria, the return of menses is the most important indicator of fertility. The studies conducted by Family Health International in Pakistan and the Philippines have shown that pregnancy is rare even beyond six months and the end of full breastfeeding among women who do not experience vaginal bleeding. Only 1.1% of the women in Pakistan and 2.6% of the women in the Philippines conceived during 12 months of lactational amenorrhea.

The pattern of breastfeeding exerts a strong effect on the resumption of menstruation and fertility. However, defining what is meant by “full” breastfeeding can be difficult. The following definitions are currently being used by family planning counselors who are teaching LAM:

a. Full breastfeeding can be exclusive (no other liquid or solid is given to the infant) or almost exclusive (vitamins, water, juice or ritualistic feeds are given infrequently to the infant).

b. Nearly full breastfeeding means that the vast majority of feeds (at least 85%) are breastfeeds. There can be some supplementation with another liquid or food, but supplementation never replaces or delays a breastfeed.

The Lactational Amenorrhea Method is, however, a temporary method of family planning. To continue effective pregnancy protection, a woman who uses LAM must be ready to switch to another family planning method when any one of the LAM criteria changes. She should be made aware that:

a. Once her periods return, breastfeeding will no longer protect her from a new pregnancy. She should consider any vaginal bleeding (after the 56th postpartum day) to be a warning that her fertility is returning, even if that bleeding does not resemble her regular menses.

b. If she starts to give the infant any food or drink on a regular basis or experiences disruptions in her breastfeeding routine, such as returning to work or ceasing to breastfeed at night, she is no longer protected from pregnancy.

c. Once the infant is older than six months, the chance of becoming pregnant, even before her periods return, is increased.

If any of these changes occur, a woman should choose another contraceptive method if she wants to be protected from pregnancy. There is no need to discontinue breastfeeding, however. Family planning methods that are recommended for breastfeeding women include barrier methods, IUDs, male or female sterilization, and hormonal methods that contain only progestin, such as progestin-only pills (”minipills”), injectables and Norplant. Contraceptive pills containing both estrogen and progestin (the most common kind of birth control pill) have been associated with reduced breastmilk production and should be considered a last-choice method.

If you are breastfeeding according to the Lactational Amenorrhea Method without the intention of contraception, then the other ways to determine your fertile period is to use your body’s physiological changes during your normal menstrual cycle.

As you can see from the diagram below, ovulation tends to occur just before a spike in body basal temperature. That is the temperature just before getting out of bed in the morning. This is due to the heat-producing hormone progesterone created by the corpus luteum. So to increase the chance of pregnancy, you and your partner should act as soon as you see the rise in temperature.

The other way is to observe your vaginal fluid. As you enter your fertile period, the cervical fluid becomes more gelatinous and transparent. This is to allow easier sperm mobility during this fertile period. For images on how a woman’s cervix and cervical fluid changes during the course of the normal menstrual period, look at http://beautifulcervix.com/photos-of-cervix/, especially at Day 17 and 19.

Ovulation Cycle

Answered by:

Dr Dana Elliott Srither MBBS (S’pore), Grad Dip Family Medicine, is a certified Family Physician who believes in the principles of “Get Well” and “Stay Well”.

Got a burning question? Drop an email to doctor@theasianparent.com and we’ll get a Doctor reply back within a week.

A lot of experts say that breast milk is the ultimate source of nutrition for babies. Its components help protect babies against infection and diseases. Nutrients found in breast milk such as protein, calcium and iron are easily absorbed by a baby’s body than those found in infant formula.

As a bonus, mothers also benefit from breastfeeding. This practice helps mothers recover from childbirth quickly and it also prevents the occurrence of either ovarian or breast cancer. More importantly, it brings a mother closer to her baby.

So it is really better for mothers to breastfeed their babies? However, many women who wish to give breast milk to their babies cannot do so because of their inability to produce milk? Those who want to avoid giving their babies infant formula because of its inadequacies, really have little choice but to use donated breast milk.

History of Milk Sharing

Wet nursing, the practice of nursing another woman’s baby, was once a profitable way for women to earn a living. However, with the invention of infant formula and technological advancements that help ‘milk-less’ mothers to produce milk, wet nurses eventually disappeared. Doctors who were aware of the amazing properties of human milk found a new way to provide breast milk to sick babies and children. Milk banks were introduced to the public.

In the early part of the twentieth century, unwed mothers were hired to feed sick babies whose mothers were unable to provide milk for them. These milk donors continued to breastfeed their children so that they could continue to produce milk. They were screened for diseases through a rigid set of physical examinations. Now, mothers who wish to donate milk have to go through a series of tests, more comprehensive than the previous ones, to ensure that they are qualified to give milk.

Donated milk is stored in milk banks. However, milk banks only dispense milk to those who have prescriptions, and they can be very expensive. We know for a fact that mothers want their children to have the best in nutrition. So what can these women do if  they can’t produce milk and milk banks are too expensive ?

That’s where this new rising trend called “milk sharing” comes to play. Milk sharing can actually provide a solution for mothers who cannot breastfeed. Many mothers who have an abundance of breast milk are more than willing to share their milk. They advertise their excess milk in internet forums. Some just find it a waste to throw the milk away and some do it to earn a quick buck.

There is also evidence that milk sharing happens between friends and neighbours – “cross-sharing”. However, a lot of individuals and organizations are against unrestricted milk sharing because of the various risks involved in this practice. So before you start sharing milk with anyone try taking into consideration several factors concerning this practice.

Advantages of Milk Sharing

If a mother cannot produce milk, her baby can still benefit from all the components of breast milk through milk sharing. Donor milk will still be easily absorbed by her baby’s body because human milk is species-specific. Donated milk can still protect a baby from diseases.

Donor milk can also be therapeutic for babies suffering from food intolerance, children with tissue and organ damage, and children recovering from illnesses. It can also help premature babies who are on the brink of death.

Mothers who are too weak or unable to breast feed their babies can expect donor milk to provide for the medicinal and nutritional needs of their babies.

Risks of Casual Milk Sharing

Medical experts do not advise mothers to casually share milk because of the risks involved with the practice. A lot of viruses can be transmitted through breast feeding such as HIV and Hepatitis B. New strains of bacteria can also be passed on to babies through milk sharing.

While mothers may think it safe to share milk with close friends or family members, however, medical experts frown on the idea. “A lot of diseases do not show symptoms. So someone who is considered safe may not really be safe. Can you imagine the shock that could arise if a baby becomes ill because of an unknown disease that was transmitted from a close friend or family member?,” asks Kiran Singh, a nutritionist.

Safe Way to Do Milk Sharing

If you have an abundant supply of milk and would like to be a milk donor, then you have to make sure that you are in good health. You will have to go through screening at a regulated milk bank.

Screening is usually done in two stages. First, a potential milk donor will have to fill-out a questionnaire that will ask her to show details of her medical history. A donor may not be allowed to donate milk for a variety of reasons some of which include blood transfusion within the last twelve months, organ or tissue transplant within the last twelve months, use of illegal drugs, use of prescription drugs, smoking, history of hepatitis or chronic infections, and drinking of hard liquor 24 hours prior to donating.

If a potential donor passes the first stage of screening, then she proceeds to the second stage where she has to go through blood tests.

It’s Your Decision

Milk sharing with close friends or family is not necessarily safer than doing it with a stranger. Sometimes, family and friends may not be aware of any disease that they may have or they may be reluctant to reveal things about their medical history. So I think it all goes down to taking precautions.

While breast is best, infant formula isn’t all that bad. So if you were to choose between casual milk sharing and infant formula, then I suggest that you go with the latter. If you really want to give your baby breast milk, then you should go to a regulated milk bank. It may be more expensive than milk from a friend or from an internet forum but it is safer for your baby.

What about you? Would you share your milk?  Would be okay if someone else shared their milk with your child?  Would it have to be another family member or close friend?  What about in times of emergency?