Weaning a Preschooler

One of the very last pictures I have of my son nursing. He weaned when he was 4 1/2 years old, while I was pregnant, with some gentle encouragement from me. There was just no milk left for him, and he kept checking to see that it was empty. He nursed for the last time on December 21st, 2007.

Breastfeeding Poll at GMTV

Please take aminute to vote here.....

http://www.gm.tv/index.cfm?articleid=1&articleaction=displayPoll&pollid=1197&pollpos=1

101 Reasons to Breastfeed Your Baby

101 Reasons To Breastfeed Your Baby
Written by Leslie Burby© All rights reserved.

1. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends it

2. Breastfeeding promotes bonding between mother and baby

3. Breastfeeding satisfies baby's emotional needs

4. Breast milk provides perfect infant nutrition

5. Not breastfeeding increases mother's risk of breast cancer

6. Formula feeding increases baby girls' risk of developing breast cancer in later life

7. Formula Feeding is associated with lower I.Q.

8. Breast milk is always ready and comes in a nicer package than formula does

9. Breast milk helps pass meconium

10. Breast milk contains immunities to diseases and aids in the development of baby's immune system.

11. Breast milk is more digestible than formula

12. Suckling helps shrink mother's uterus after childbirth

13. Suckling helps prevent post-partum hemorrhage

14. Nursing helps mom lose weight after baby is born

15. Pre-term milk is specially designed for premature infants

16. The World Health Organization and UNICEF recommend it

17. Breastfeeding protects against Crohn's disease (intestinal disorder)

18. Formula feeding increases risk of baby developing type I (juvenile, insulin-dependent) diabetes.

19. Breastfeeding decreases insulin requirements for breastfeeding mothers

20. Breastfeeding stabilizes progress of maternal endometriosis

21. Not breastfeeding increases mother's risk of developing ovarian cancer

22. Not breastfeeding increases mother's risk of developing endometrial cancer

23. Formula feeding increases chances of baby developing allergies

24. Breast milk lowers risk of baby developing asthma

25. Formula feeding increases baby's risk of otitis media (ear infections)

26. Formula feeding may increase risk of sudden infant death syndrome (S.I.D.S.)

27. Breastfeeding protects baby against diarrheal infections

28. Breastfeeding protects baby against bacterial meningitis

29. Breastfeeding protects baby against respiratory infections

30. Formula fed babies have a higher risk of developing certain childhood lymphomas

31. Breastfeeding decreases chances of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis

32. Breastfeeding decreases child's chances of contracting Hodgkins disease

33. Breastfeeding protects baby against vision defects

34. Breastfeeding decreases chances of maternal osteoporosis in later life

35. Breast milk is an intestinal soother

36. Cows milk is an intestinal irritant

37. Formula-fed babies are more at risk for obesity in later life

38. Breastfed babies have less chance of cardiopulmonary distress while feeding

39. Breastfed babies have less chance of developing ulcerative colitis

40. Breast milk protects against hemophilus b. virus

41. Breastfed babies require shorter pre and post-surgical fasting

42. Breastfeeding results in less sick days for parents

43. Breastfeeding enhances vaccine effectiveness

44. Breastfed babies have less chance of developing necrotizing enterocolitis

45. Breastfeeding is a natural contraceptive

46. Breastfeeding is easier than using formula

47. Breast milk is free

48. Formula is expensive

49. Formula costs the government (and taxpayers) millions of dollars

50. Breast milk is always the right temperature

51. Breast milk always has the right proportions of fat, carbohydrates and protein

52. Breast milk acts like a natural tranquilizer for baby

53. Breastfeeding acts like a natural tranquilizer for mom

54. Breast milk tastes better than formula

55. Breastfed babies are healthier over-all

56. Breastfed babies are less likely to die before their third birthday

57. Breastfed babies require fewer doctor visits

58. Breastfeeding mothers spend less time and money on doctor visits

59. Fewer waste packaging products

60. No bottles to tote

61. Less cow induced global greenhouse gasses

62. No need to refrigerate

63. Cows milk is designed for baby cows

64. Human milk is designed for baby humans

65. Natural pain relief for baby

66. Perfect food for sick baby

67. More sleep for mom

68. More sleep for baby

69. More sleep for dad

70. Less equipment to maintain and store

71. Less equipment to buy

72. Breast milk has never been recalled

73. Fresh breast milk is never contaminated with bacteria

74. No need to worry about which brand is better

75. No need to worry about adding contaminated water

76. Breastfeeding helps reduce cruelty to farm animals

77. Facilitates proper dental and jaw development

78. Breastfed babies get fewer cavities

79. Less money spent on corrective orthodontia

80. Better speech development

81. Less chance of baby getting eczema

82. Breastfed babies have great skin

83. Less gastrointestinal reflux (Spit-up)

84. Easier to clean spit-up stains

85. Breast milk contains no genetically engineered materials

86. Contains no synthetic growth hormones

87. Lack of breastfeeding associated with multiple sclerosis

88. Less chance of inguinal hernia

89. Better cognitive development

90. Better social development

91. Decreased risk of baby developing urinary tract infections

92. Suckling optimizes hand-to-eye coordination

93. Protects mothers against anemia (iron deficiency)

94. Less money spent on menstrual supplies

95. Self confidence booster for mom

96. Breast milk is good for combatting eye infections

97. Breast milk is a good natural antibiotic for wounds

98. No worry about latest ingredient discovered to be missing from formula

99. Much nicer diaper changes

100. Breastfed babies smell fantastic

101. It's what breasts were designed for!


For the medical resources supporting these reasons to breastfeed your baby... please go to www.promom.org

Breastfeeding commercial

http://www.breastfeeding.nhs.uk/en/fe/page.asp?n1=2&n2=7

A beautiful breastfeeding commercial by the NHS in the UK.
Enjoy!

Help Cancel Nestle's Participation at Winnipeg Baby Show

January 3, 2008

ACTION ALERT – Help cancel Nestlé’s participation at Winnipeg Baby Show

The Winnipeg Baby and Kids Show, held this year February 2nd and 3rd, is a conference geared towards expectant and young families. It is designed to showcase local baby-oriented merchants and provide families with parenting information and services.

One of the exhibitors at this year's show will be Nestlé Nutrition. Other participating local businesses who are concerned with infant health have contacted INFACT Canada and asked that we help them protest Nestlé’s involvement, because of the corporation’s aggressive and dangerous marketing of infant formula.

Help us get Nestlé removed from this event! Send a letter to Deanna England (deanna@showtimeprod uctions.ca), the exhibitor coordinator for the Winnipeg Baby Show. Let her know Nestlé’s presence at the show is unacceptable. The company should not be allowed to participate until it demonstrates that it can market its infant formula reponsibly and without endangering the wellbeing of infants. Write your own letter or cut and paste the one below.

For more information on Nestlé’s unethical marketing practices, visit www.babymilkaction. org.

deanna@showtimeprod uctions.ca

Dear Ms. England,

I’m writing to express my displeasure at finding that Nestlé Nutrition is one of the exhibitors at the upcoming Winnipeg Baby and Kids Show.

The Baby Show is supposed to provide families with information and services that will help them do what all families want to: live healthy and happy lives. But as you may be aware, Nestlé is notorious throughout the world for misleading parents about its products and prioritizing profits over infant health.

In many parts of the world, using infant formula is extremely dangerous. The proper use of artificial baby food requires clean water, sufficient family income, and a literate parent to read preparation instructions. In many regions of the world, all three of these things are in severely short supply, making artificial feeding a frequently deadly practice . The World Health Organization estimates that 1.5 million infants and young children die each year because they are not breastfed. Impoverished women in these countries have little incentive to formula feed. It is expensive, often costing a whole month’s worth of family income, and it needlessly exposes their children to serious health risks. Yet Nestlé continues to dissuade mothers from breastfeeding and aggressively promotes its infant formula in areas where its use is known to frequently be fatal. Its marketing techniques, which are in violation of UNICEF and WHO guidelines, are not limited to simple billboards. Nestlé convinces mothers that formula is the “Western,” “advanced,” and “modern” way to feed babies.

The company also pays health workers in the Philippines to promote their product to impoverished mothers. That country has breastfeeding rates so low that 10,000 infants die there each year from inadequate nutrition.Earlier this year, the UK’s Guardian newspaper documented how Nestlé targets impoverished mothers in Bangladesh with formula advertising, often with fatal results. In Armenia, Nestlé pays doctors a commission for each prescription they write for Nestlé formula, even though the WHO recommends Armenian mothers exclusively breastfeed their children for six months.Marketing tactics like these are dangerous, and violate the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes (the WHO’s guidelines for formula marketing).

Nestlé’s violations of these important guidelines are numerous and well-documented, and demonstrate incontrovertibly that Nestlé is much more interested in making profits than promoting infant health. Evidence of their violations can bee seen at http://www.ibfan. org/site2005/ abm/paginas/ articles/ arch_art/ 302-17.pdf.Until the company reforms its unethical marketing practices, Nestlé has no place being an exhibitor at an event designed to help families and babies.

Please show your commitment to infant health and cancel Nestlé’s participation in Winnipeg’s Baby Show.Thank you very much for your understanding on this important issue.

Sincerely,