Links to Resources
If you want a
full list of links and resources, click on the links button above.
Below you'll find those that relate to the questions asked in the quiz.
1. Which best
describes how you were fed as a baby?
If you want to know more about your mother’s (or other family
members’) experiences of pregnancy, birthing, and early mothering, here are some
guidelines
for interviewing them on these sometimes sensitive
subjects. (Coming Soon.)
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2. How much
experience or exposure have you had with nursing?
Seeking out nursing moms?
Here are a few possibilities:
Organizations
La
Leche League - an
internationally recognized authority on breastfeeding with
over 3000 groups in more than 60 countries. Meetings are free to members
and non-members alike and you don't have to wait until your baby is born to go.
Contact
www.lalecheleague.org
or call 847-519-7730 to find a group near you.
Hospitals, birth centers, and other community organizations may also offer
breastfeeding support groups. And La Leche League or your local WIC office
(Women, Infant and Children) may offer a breastfeeding peer counselor program
nearby, proven to enhance women’s nursing experiences.
Internet Sites
The Breastfeeding Advocacy Page.
Includes many
breastfeeding-related discussion forums:
www.promom.org.
Militant
Breastfeeding Cult. The name is really tongue and cheek, poking fun at
the label a formula-feeding advocate has bestowed upon some breastfeeding
advocates. Really, it is a helpful site for enthusiasts and activists with
many stories:
www.militantbreastfeedingcult.com
MOBI – Mothers Overcoming Breastfeeding Issues.
Provides a safe place “for women who are/were unable to breastfeed,
feel unsuccessful in breastfeeding, are/were experiencing severe breastfeeding
problems, or experienced untimely weaning.
http://www.internetbabies.com/mobi/
BFAR- Breastfeeding After Reduction. An organization that
provides information and support to women who wish to nurse after having had
breast reduction surgery. It also helps to educate health care providers so they
can be better informed to help their patients:
http://www.bfar.org/index.shtml
ABRW - The Adoptive Breastfeeding Resource Website.
For women who want to nurse adopted babies:
http:www.fourfriends.com/abrw. Along
with lots of info, the site contains stories, message boards and support groups.
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3. My overall
attitude
toward breastfeeding is:
Looking for
Information that compares bottle-feeding to breastfeeding? Infant formula
to breast milk? Here are some good
sources of information.
Breast or Bottle?-
Lactation consultant Diane’s Wiessinger offers an
interesting comparison of facts between breast milk and breastfeeding on the one
hand, and formula and bottle-feeding on the other.
Solids? Wait a Bit… -
Common sense guidelines from Diane on when to introduce solid foods.
The
Formula Decision. Diane offers some food for thought as you
think about how to feed your baby.
Barbara's article:
Is
Breastfeeding Truly Best?
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4. What or who
most influences your breastfeeding decisions?
Barbara's Article: Choosing
a Knowledgeable Health Care Provider
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5.
Do you think that your birth experience will (or
did) influence your ability to get breastfeeding off to a good start?
Resources on the connections between childbirth and
breastfeeding.
Books
Impact of Birthing Practices on Breastfeeding: Protecting the Mother and Baby
Continuum.
By Mary Kroeger with Linda J. Smith. Jones and Bartlett. 2004.
Articles
Barbara's Article:
Help
Your Baby Breastfeed Before It’s Even Born
Organizations.
See the list below, following question 6.
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6. Which statement most
accurately describes your thoughts about
giving birth?
A wealth of
resources exist to promote mother and baby-friendly maternity care. Here
are some links to wonderful organizations and information.
Organizations
CIMS: Coalition for Improving Maternity Services:
A coalition of individuals and national organizations that promotes an
evidence-based, wellness model of maternity care. Its mission is to promote
normal birth, improve birth outcomes and reduce costs:
http://www.motherfriendly.org/
The Maternity Center Association's
long-term national program to promote evidence-based maternity care. Provides
access to information from scientific studies, professional guidelines,
government reports, and more, including tools for pregnant women to use in
choosing a care giver, a birth setting, labor support, etc. Their goal is to
help and encourage women to make informed birthing decisions.
http://www.maternitywise.org
Lamaze International: Lamaze
promotes, supports and protects normal birth through education and advocacy.
If you still think of it as the “hee-hee-hoo” organization that tells women how
to breathe during labor, visit their website to see how much they’ve changed.
www.lamaze.org
Citizens for Midwifery
– A national consumer-based group that promotes the Midwifery Model of Care.
Site also contains state by state legal information on the status of direct
entry midwifery; a grassroots E-mail list, many links and more.
http://www.cfmidwifery.org/
ICAN
- International Cesarean Awareness Network, Inc.
An international, non-profit
member organization that works to help lower the rate of unnecessary c-sections
and to encourage positive birthing experiences through education and advocacy:
http://www.ican-online.org/
Articles and Fact Sheets
General
Childbirth Education
Barbara's
Article:
Making Informed Birth Choices
CIMS:
Having a Baby? 10 Questions to ask
An excellent guide of what to look for and ask about in order to obtain
"mother-friendly" care during your birth.
CIMS
Fact Sheet:
The Risks of Cesarean Delivery to Mother and Baby.
Another excellent resource from the Coalition for
Improving Maternity Services. What you don't know can hurt
you...
National Center for Health Statistics -
Preliminary Births for 2004: Infant and Maternal Health:
A report from the CDC's
National Center for Health Statistics summarizing selected 2004 preliminary
maternal and infant health birth data for the U.S. Look at Table 1 and
Figure 1.
ICAN (International Ceasarean Awareness
Network): Your Right to Refuse: What to do if your hospital has “banned” VBAC:
Books
●Baby
Catcher: Chronicles of a Modern Midwife,
by Peggy Vincent. Scribner. 2002.
www.babycatcher.net
●Ina
May’s Guide to Childbirth, by Ina May Gaskin. Bantam Books. 2003.
Immaculate Deception II: Myth, Magic, and Birth, by Suzanne Arms.
Celestial Arts. 1994.
http://www.birthingthefuture.com/
●The
Thinking Woman’s Guide to a Better Birth,
by Henci Goer. Perigee. 1999.
www.hencigoer.com
●Gentle
Birth Choices
by
Barbara Harper. 2005.
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7. Which
of the following best describes your thoughts about
how babies should sleep:
Safe sleep and
nighttime parenting are huge issues in the early days of parenting. Check
out the following resources.
James McKenna, Ph.D. Director of the Mother-Baby
Behavioral Sleep Laboratory at the University of Notre Dame, has written many
wonderful articles on these issues. You can access them at:
http://www.nd.edu/~jmckenn1/lab/media.html
Barbara's Article: Parenting in the Dark: What the
American Academy of Pediatrics says about bed sharing and what's wrong with
their statement:
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8. Your
first reaction when you see someone nursing in
public is:
More resources
about nursing in public.
La Leche
League: Breastfeeding and the Law. Includes A Current
Summary of Current and Proposed Breastfeeding Legislation, including laws
relevant to nursing in public: http://www.lalecheleague.org/LawMain.html
An
excellent article about nursing in public is found at:
http://www.lalecheleague.org/NB/NBNovDec00p196.html
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9. How long do
you think a mother should continue nursing?
More resources
about "extended" nursing
(coming soon).
Click here for one mother’s story on
salon.com. A version of this story appears in The Breastfeeding
Café.
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