While many women experience mood changes during or after the birth of a child, 15 to 20 percent of women experience significant symptoms of postpartum depression and anxiety. This World Breastfeeding Week, UCSD and SDCBC mini-seminar discussed how to treat a women suffering from perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs) and help her with her
Breastfeeding mothers, have you ever thought about becoming a human milk donor? Maybe you are producing more milk than your baby can eat and you feel responsible for what you have. Maybe you want to help vulnerable infants around the country. Either way, being a human milk donor is a deeply rewarding experience. When thinking
When California voters approved Proposition 64 and legalize marijuana last year, the basic idea was simple: a majority of people in the state believe that adults should be able to consume marijuana if they feel like it, just like a glass of wine at 5 o’clock. But how about pregnant and/or breastfeeding women? Shall we tell mothers not to breastfeed if they use marijuana? According to Dr. Lisa Stellwagen (MD, FAAP) of UCSD Medical Center, it’s complicated.
There’s a big global push in from experts to have mothers of newborns breastfeed exclusively for at least six months. And many new moms want to. But only about 60 percent who start off breastfeeding keep it up for six moths or more, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Here’s a
When my first child was born, I did not have a breastfeeding plan. Then my pediatrician advised me about the American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines: exclusive breastfeeding for the baby’s first six months. Then, as foods are introduced, continuing breastfeeding until at least baby’s first birthday. A friend gave me an electric breast pump. Another
A horror story about a mom being forced to dump her breast milk in an airport is circulating on Internet. It reminds me about the two years when I was breastfeeding. I travel frequently for work and flew a few times with my breast pumps during that two years. My impression is that traveling as
Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative Practices: Challenges and Strategies There has been lots of discussion about Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative, a global initiative of WHO and UNICEF. How mommy-friendly is the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative? Is the breastmilk-only mandate putting babies in danger? SDCBC’s recent Spring Mini-Seminar focused on this hot topic. Dr. Nancy Wight (MD, FAAP, FABM, IBCLC),
Themed “California Dreamin,” this year’s California Breastfeeding Summit took place at Anaheim, CA in January. At a recent San Diego County Breastfeeding Coalition’s general meeting, the coalition’s Kim Speckhahn (BS, IBCLC), Kimberly Elkins (EdM, IBCLC) and Dr. James Murphy (MD, IBCLC, FABM, FAAP) shared what they took home from the Summit.
As San Diego flu cases reach new high this season, many mothers are asking, “Can sick moms breastfeed?” From my personal experience, sick moms can totally breastfeed—I once breastfed in an emergency room when down with stomach flu. And my husband was attacked the second day. Our breastfed son, then eight month old, turned out
Once again, it’s a new year with new hope and new challenge. While many of lactation consultants in San Diego County are continue to support breastfeeding families, it is very helpful to learn about the “RBLs”—Regional Breastfeeding Liaisons—at WIC. Having that in mind, San Diego County Breastfeeding Coalition invited four local RBLs to talk about
