Dear
Barbara,
Summer
greetings
from
The
Breastfeeding
Café!
Inside
you'll
find a
featured
article,
research
findings
from
the
world
of
breastfeeding
and
childbirth,
stories
from
moms,
upcoming
events
around
the
U.S.,
and
much
more.
Whether
you're
a mom
yourself,
work
with
new
moms,
or for
whatever
reason
desire
information
on
childbirth
and
breastfeeding
from a
woman-centered
perspective,
we
hope
you'll
find
the
information
relevant
and
interesting.
In the
last
issue,
I
reported
on the
groundbreaking
National
Summit
to
Ensure
the
Health
and
Humanity
of
Pregnant
and
Birthing
Women.
I left
inspired
and
motivated
to
contribute
my
energies
toward
creating
a
culture
in
which
women's
reproductive
rights
include
the
right
to
birth
normally
in an
environment
of
support
and
respect.
In
this
issue,
I
report
on the
25th
anniversary
conference
of
ICAN,
the
International
Cesarean
Awareness
Network.
For
the
past
25
years,
ICAN
women
have
been
involved
in the
struggle
to
make
vaginal
birth
an
option
for
the
vast
majority
of
women.
It
seems
odd to
think
that
we
have
to
fight
for
our
right
to
give
birth
as our
bodies
intended
us to,
but
this
right
is
clearly
at
stake.
As you
know,
it's
not
just
those
of us
in the
U.S.
who
face
an
uphill
battle
to
birth
normally
and
nurse
our
babies.
Maternity
and
parenting
challenges
affect
women
everywhere.
This
issue
has a
somewhat
global
perspective,
highlighting
the
fact
that
what
unites
us is
greater
than
what
divides
us.
We are
thankful
to
those
of you
who
have
shared
your
stories
with
us
and,
as
always,
we
continue
to
welcome
your
stories,
photographs,
and
suggestions
for
future
issues.
Please
keep
them
coming!!!
Direct
your
thoughts
to
barb@breastfeedingcafe.com.
We
also
hope
you
will
continue
to
visit
the
website,
www.breastfeedingcafe.com
and
spread
the
word
among
your
friends
and
colleagues.
Along
with
The
Parents'
Lounge
and
The
Clinicians'
Corner,
we are
slowing
adding
content
to
The
Birthing
Suite.
This
is
part
of our
on-going
effort
to
draw
attention
to the
powerful
connections
between
childbirth
and
breastfeeding,
to
restore
the
knowledge
about
birth
that
is
slowly
being
lost,
and to
critically
examine
childbirth
practices
in the
US.
If you
do not
wish
to
receive
future
issues,
please
click
the
unsubscribe
button
on the
bottom
of
this
page
and we
promise
never
to
send
you
another
one.
Rest
assured,
too,
that
we
will
not
sell
or
share
your
name
or
e-mail
address
with
anyone
under
any
circumstances!
On the
other
hand,
if you
know
of
someone
who
would
enjoy
this
newsletter,
please
click
the
"forward
to
friend"
button
also
on the
bottom
of
this
page.
With
best
wishes,
Barbara
.
P.S.
No,
you
didn't
miss
the
spring
issue
of
this
newsletter.
We
encountered
a
number
of
computer-related
glitches
that
prevented
us
from
getting
it out
before
the
solstice.
Those
problems
have
now
been
resolved
-
thank
goodness
- and
we are
back
in
business!
|
From
the
World
of
Research |
 |
|
Evidence
to
Support
Mother-Friendly
Childbirth
Have
you
ever
wished
you
could
site
just
the
right
study
to
back
up
your
claim
that
continuous
electronic
fetal
monitoring
is
not
necessary?
That
inductions
lead
to
the
risk
of
poorer
outcomes?
That
c-sections
are
riskier
than
vaginal
birth?
That
an
epidural
is
not
your
best
friend?
Thanks
to
the
CIMS
(The
Coalition
for
Improving
Maternity
Services)
Expert
Work
Group,
all
the
scientific
evidence
to
support
normal,
natural
childbirth,
is
now
at
your
fingertips.
CIMS
recently
released
the
premiere
publication
of
The
Evidence
Basis
for
the
Ten
Steps
to
Mother-Friendly
Care.
Published
as
a
supplement
to
the
winter
issue
of
The
Journal
of
Perinatal
Education,
you
can
purchase
individual
or
bulk
copies
by
cllicking
here.You
can
also
buy
single
copies
through
the
Lamaze
Book
Center.
Click
here
to
download
a
copy
of
the
press-release
that
sums
up
the
findings.
Throw
away
your
clock
and
feed
your
baby!
For
year,
moms
were
told
to
nurse
on
a
schedule.
Unfortunately,
this
formula-feeding
guideline
is
still
sometimes
applied
to
breastfeeding.
A
recent
study
adds
to
the
data
that
breastfeeding
babies
should
not
be
nursed
on
a
schedule.
The
study,
"Volume
and
Frequency
of
Breastfeedings
and
Fat
Content
of
Breast
Milk
Throughout
the
Day,"
examines
babies'
feeding
frequency
related
to
the
amount
of
milk
consumed
and
the
fat
content
of
the
milk,
and
how
these
vary
from
mother
to
mother
and
time
of
day.
The
researchers
conclude:
"Breastfed
infants
should
be
encouraged
to
feed
on
demand,
day
and
night,
rather
than
conform
to
an
average
that
may
not
be
appropriate
for
the
mother-infant
(Source:
Pediatrics:
March
2006.)
Click
here
to
read
the
full
abstract.
Breastfeeding,
Maternal
&
Infant
Health
Outcomes
The
Agency
for
Healthcare
Research
and
Quality
has
released
a
new
evidence
report
on
breastfeeding
and
health
outcomes.
The
report
found
evidence
that
breastfeeding
decreases
infants'
and
mothers'
risk
of
having
many
short-term
and
chronic
diseases.
Click
here
to
learn
more.
Post-Partum
Depression
Does
Not
Mean
the
End
of
Breastfeeding!
Too
often
health
care
providers
treating
women
for
post-partum
depression
fail
to
understand
its
relationship
to
breastfeeding.
Sometimes
breastfeeding
even
takes
the
blame.
The
good
news
is
that
The
New
Hampshire
Breastfeeding
Task
Force
has
recently
published
a
resource
guide
for
health
care
providers
designed
to
help
new
moms
with
post-partum
depression
while
honoring
and
preserving
the
breastfeeding
relationship.
Entitled,
A
Breastfeeding
Friendly
Approach
to
Depression
in
New
Mothers,
with
first
author
being
no
other
than
esteemed
lactation
consultant
Kathleen
Kendall-Tackett,
Ph.D.,
author
of
Depression
in
New
Mothers
(2005),
it
is
available
as
a
free
download.
Click
here
to
access
a
copy
of
this
fabulous
40
page
guide.
|
Did
you
know
there's
a
new
product
on
the
market
that
enables
you
to
test
your
breast
milk
for
the
presence
of
alcohol?
And
did
you
know
that
it's
completely
unnecessary?