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Can you really call yourself a breastfeeding advocate if you participate in events that are sponsored by formula companies???

Thursday, March 8th, 2012

In response to this post on a public forum:

 

This caught my attention on a few levels.

A) I AM a breastfeeding advocate

B) I AM participating in upcoming events that will be sponsored by formula companies

C) I AM a recently Certified Lactation Counselor that has to abide by a Code of Ethics

 

 

First- let’s comprehend what the word ADVOCATE means…

This is me and Kelli of Birth Stories on Demand. I was nursing Zephyr while wandering around Parents Palooza in Atlanta. I look extra silly cuz she had just asked… “would it be weird if I nursed your baby?” LOL

NOUN: A person who publicly supports or recommends a particular cause or policy.

VERB: Publicly recommend or support: “they advocated breastfeeding for every child”.

 

Second- since this was posted by and commented on by  fellow Lactation Professionals, let us now explore the Code of Ethics for each Certification represented

 

ORIGINAL POSTER: can you really call yourself a breastfeeding advocate of you participate in events that are sponsored by formula companies???

Comment #1: It might depend on the circumstances

Comment #2: as an IBCLC, I cannot.

Comment #3: Professionally, ethically (and my personal morals) would prevent me from doing that. However, I do know that some who work in hospital settings are not always given a choice as to what events they attend

Original Poster: I just can’t support an event that has a formula company as a sponsor. I’m not saying that formula is bad because it can save lives, I just think their marketing is um …. flawed.

Comment #5: If there is only a formula company at a large event and no breastfeeding advocates, then you really aren’t giving moms much of a choice are you? All they will see is formula formula formula. It seems a no brainer to me that you would want to be at the same events in order to educate those moms and mom to be’s that might not otherwise be exposed to the benefits of breast feeding.

Comment #6: Yes, because a person is not one thing or one event or one moment

Comment #7: As a pro-BF mom, I try to do my part to encourage it. But when I ended up needed to give my 2nd daughter formula, I understood a little more how the other side sees it. There really are times when it is necessary. Even LLL says that the goal is to nourish the baby.

So, we see here 2 IBCLC’s, the Original Poster is a CLE and I am a CLC (posting MY comment on THIS forum, instead :) )

The IBCLC Standards of Practice from International Lactation Consultant Association can be found here.

The CLC Code of Ethics from Academy of Lactation Policy and Practice, Inc can be found here.

The CLE Code of Conduct from Childbirth and Postpartum Professional Association can be found here.

Upon review, you should find that NO WHERE does it state that a Lactation Professional (whose ‘job’ is to increase breastfeeding initiation and duration based on WHO and UNICEF strategies) should ethically, morally or professionally prohibit themselves from participating in an event where there might or will be a formula company present. But the language can sometimes be confusing in those pesky Codes and Policies, etc…

Maybe by now you are wondering why I am so concerned with this ‘harmless’ question?

Well, I am participating in at least 2 upcoming events in the Atlanta area that will be sponsored by formula companies. So, I kinda took this as a personal affront to my professional ethics and personal morals. Since I am recently certified, I wanted to be certain that I was not indeed violating a professional policy (even though the idea seemed ridiculous). So, I called The Center for Breastfeeding (a major focus of The Healthy Children Project), who offered my training, to be sure. The woman that looked into this for me reviewed the Code of Ethics, checked with another colleague of hers and even checked on the IBCLC Standards of Practice to assure me that the only way this would be a conflict would be if one of us lactation professionals were to accept PAYMENT from a formula company for participation in an event. Now THAT makes sense! So, come on Lactation Professionals- join me at the Atlanta Baby and Child Expo at the Fabulous Fox Theatre in May and the Baby Shower Expo with Dr. Oz in June! Tell them I sent you and let’s overpower the aforementioned um…flawed marketing tactics.

Still on the aspect of our professional responsibilities, let’s consider the 3 strategies needed for increasing breastfeeding initiation and duration as mentioned above …

1) Promotion- focuses on advantages of breastfeeding on a personal, community, state or global level

Where better to PROMOTE the advantages of breastfeeding that at the local  maternity, baby and child expo? Of course, this is along with other promotional opportunities- but, specific to this post.

photo by Andie Freeman Photography... Marlowe at 1 year

 

2) Protection- Focuses on governmental, manufacturer, and social responsibility to assure breastfeeding’s ability to compete with commercial interests

Includes addressing improper marketing practices as described in the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes

I know that I have personally, before and after becoming a lactation professional, participated in 2 local Atlanta events to force the government to protect a breastfeeding woman’s rights. Last year, there was the Forest Park Nurse In and just last Monday there was the Georgia Statewide Nurse In. PS- I Googled ‘creative ways to dispose of formula samples’ and got a big fat goose egg, but I did see 6 (SIX!) links for free formula samples. Anyone got any good ideas?

I don't want to eat under a blanket

 

I don't want to eat in the bathroom

 

 

 

3) Support- Focuses on the interaction of helpers with family as well as program development and implementation

Letting women know how to find support and education locally is crucial to achieving their goals in breastfeeding. You can find some local resources on my website.

 

 

the family that nurses together... photo by EarlyGirl Photography

So, YES! since I have breastfed both of my kids anytime, anywhere and encourage all Mamas to do the same, since I drive around with a Breastfeeding for All bumper sticker and Breastfed Baby on Board decal, since I am a member of the Community Breastfeeding Coalition in Athens, since I plan to educate families and allow them to have informed consent regarding infant feeding practices, I CAN call myself a breastfeeding advocate AND I can participate in events that are being sponsored by formula companies BECAUSE I am there for the greater good of promoting, protecting and supporting breastfeeding initiation and duration! Thanks for asking :)

As I sit writing and rereading and digesting all this, I begin to wonder… should you call yourself a hypocrite if you are a breastfeeding advocate, yet use formula? Hmmm. That will wait for another day.

Thoughts?

 

 


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Posted in Athens, GA, Atlanta, GA, Blog Adventures, Gwinnett County, GA | 1 Comment »

Hypnobabies Birth in Athens, GA (my fellow classmate in 2009)

Friday, March 2nd, 2012

Hypnobabies birth of Samantha Riley Pope 4-12-09 as written by her Hypno-Mom Jody from Athens, GA

It was 3 am Easter Sunday morning and I started having cramps. I thought, “Hmm, could this be it?” The cramps definitely became pressure waves so I decided to walk around the house to see if they would go away. Of course I was kind of excited thinking this could be the beginning of my birthing time. I put on my headphones and listened to Hypnobabies scripts around 4am or so. Around 4:30 I started timing my pressure waves. They seemed to keep coming pretty regularly and at 6:30 am I woke my husband up to have him time my pressure waves. They were 55 seconds long and about every 3-4 minutes. I thought I was well on my way!

I called the doctor and he said to “hang out at home” for a bit. Called back around 7 and he said I could make my way to the hospital. I was dilated 3cm at 9am when we got there. At noon I was 4 cm. I walked the halls and used different positions for comfort. The nurses kept telling me what a great job I was doing and how well I was handling the pressure waves. A little later I told my husband and my sister, both of my birthing partners, to just hang out while I listened intently to my Hypnobabies scripts. After a while I told them that I wanted to think about an epidural.

I ended up getting an epidural and at 6pm I was complete and started pushing. I pushed for an hour and 42 minutes. Samantha started to come out and then her shoulder got stuck. While 4 pairs of hands were inside me or pressing on my tummy to help her get her shoulder out I was using my Hypnobabies “Peace” cue! Even though I had an epidural I could feel the pressure waves and feel the pushing and feel the crowning. While the hospital staff was helping Samantha to come out and which could easily have been a stressful situation, I continued to use my Hypnobabies strategies and relax while we all did our part to get my baby out. And sure enough, out she came without any shoulder or collar bone injuries!

In addition to the early pressure waves and stuck shoulder, here is another event where my hypnosis practice really paid off: I had third degree tears from my baby coming out and the issue with the shoulder, so as the doctor was stitching me up with his many yards of medical thread, I kept up with my Peace cue — for the entire 30 minutes of stitching.
I was a little disappointed I didn’t continue solely with hypnosis for the duration of my birthing time and wondered what I could have done differently, but I was so glad I had the training. I felt calm throughout my entire birthing experience – from the moment of the first pressure wave to the moment I could see my daughter’s shiny pink legs (and especially when her shoulder was stuck and when they whisked her away to get oxygen after she was born.)

I am so glad I took the Hypnobabies classes; they were great. And Samantha is such a calm happy baby. I really wonder if our daily prenatal sessions of hypnosis have to do with her calm demeanor!?

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Posted in Athens, GA, Blog Adventures, Hypnobabies® Childbirth Hypnosis, Local Birth Stories, GA | No Comments »

Are you a Playful Parent?

Wednesday, November 23rd, 2011

Playful Parenting: An exciting new approach to raising children

I have heard of the practice of playful parenting in my circles, and had a marginal idea of what that meant. I recently grabbed this book, Playful Parenting, at a local Goodwill. Now, I am only about 25 pages in so I haven’t really gotten to the meat and potatoes of it but the gist looks to me like instead of yellin’ and screamin’ to get your way (remind you of anyone? LOL), turn it into something fun, positive and memorable. I hope to one day finish the darn book and write a little review for y’all here :) In the meantime, I wanted to share my revelatory  ’playful parent’ experience from my dinner table last night…

My 2 1/2 year old was what everyone called a great eater. She would eat lots of food, with a great variety and sophisticated palate. Now- not so much. When she is hungry she asked for a few staples:

 

  1. Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich
  2. Yogurt
  3. Quesadilla
  4. Smoothie
  5. Snack (crackers, cheese and the like)
I could go into further infuriating details about her food aversions, but that’s a whole other post!

 

Last night I made her a plate with a main dish, applesauce and lima beans. We argued back and forth about the plate of food. Eventually Gigi offered some ketchup dip and Marlowe obliged by eating the main dish. Now, on to the lima beans. These lima beans were pretty darn good, too! I used a bit of EVOO, coarse salt and our family’s secret ingredient ( Montreal Steak Seasoning). But, there was no convincing her. Not 5 bites, not one bite; no planes or trains; no bribery of bath or TV; NOTHING. We were full blown tug-of-war at this point. I was fuming, she was crying.

While this IS NOT my daughter Marlowe, this is the very reaction to lima beans she had- NO! :(

Then, it hit me. Suddenly I thought like a playful parent! Here’s how it unfolded…

 

I asked Marlowe if she wanted to see Mommy catch the lima bean in her mouth. So I threw one in the air (like popcorn) and caught it in my mouth. We cheered and clapped. She laughed and asked for more (BTW- since she had been crying and upset she actually signed for more. That’s how she still uses her Baby Signs :) )  Back to the topic at hand. So I did a few more and then asked if I could throw one at her to see if she could catch it. She wasn’t so sure. I mean, they were STILL lima beans. So the first one took some verbal prying to get her mouth open wide enough to actually warrant a throw. But soon she caught on and I made the first one. She thought it was hilarious! I then took my turn before trying with her again. It was working!! She was eating the loathsome lima beans :) I made sure to miss a few, also (on purpose, of course LOL) which she also thought was fun. But, in the end she ate the 5 friggin lima beans. Success. With play.

 

Have you been a playful parent lately? Please share with us!

 

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Posted in Athens, GA, Atlanta, GA, Baby Signs® by Adventures In Childbirth, Blog Adventures, Goodwill Hunting, Gwinnett County, GA | No Comments »

Is it true that only 10-12% of women experience PROM (Premature Rupture Of Membranes)?

Tuesday, November 22nd, 2011

I am beginning to wonder how accurate this statistic is… in 2009, my baby’s birth began with a release of fluid and pressure waves followed about an hour or so behind. I have supported several women recently whose membranes have also released and their births waited and waited to get going.

Matter of fact, my 2 most recent births went down just like that. They each had very different outcomes, with very different Mamas and birth teams. Of course, in my classes I teach about and give references to the question “What do I do if my waters release before my birthing time begins?“. But, when the care provider says ‘come on in’- that’s what they tend to do, go on in. What happens next is never an easy resolution.

I recently came across this blog post that cited 13 studies on expectant management (wait and see) vs. planned management (augmentation/induction).

I have to say that, of the 2 births I mentioned above, the Mama that was able to listen to her body and try alternatives to chemical induction/augmentation was able to achieve a positive birth experience that most closely matched her vision. Her son was born at 43 hours ruptured. You can read her story here:  http://www.adventuresinchildbirth.com/liams-birth-story

Out of the 13 studies, the vast majority showed less than favorable outcomes for those births that were intervened upon.

The best defense against any unnecessary intervention is education. Learn how to get TRUE informed consent and refusal.

 

Did your water release before or after your pressure waves came on? Tell us how it all unfolded!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Posted in Athens, GA, Atlanta, GA, Blog Adventures, Gwinnett County, GA, Hypnobabies® Childbirth Hypnosis | 1 Comment »

Great ways to share technology with young kids

Monday, November 21st, 2011

Do you have a ’smart’ phone that your even smarter kids enjoy?  Feeling a bit stingy when it comes your “iToy”?

Local parents from Atlanta to Athens weigh in on great ways to share your techno-gizmos with your littles.The games, apps and activities seem to make travel much more enjoyable for parents and kids alike! With the holidays fast approaching, you may want to look into some of theses faves-

 

  • Netflix
  • Simon-type games
  • apps with  ABC/spelling games, reading, puzzles, coloring programs and some of the digital storybooks
  • GPB (Georgia Public Broadcasting) app is great;  lot’s of good kid cartoons there and it’s free
  • Koi Pond
  • Duck Duck Moose (they are interactive “books”)
  • Presidents vs. Aliens
  • Learn Chess
  • Random House kids
  • Plants vs Zombies
  • 123sculpt
  • Sketchbook

 

Now, how do we keep our very fragile (and expensive!) piece of equipment protected from our so very eager youngins? Try an Otterbox Defender or similar!

 

 

 

 

 

Care to share your child’s favorite activity using modern technology?

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Posted in Athens, GA, Atlanta, GA, Blog Adventures, Gwinnett County, GA | No Comments »

Zephyr signs DOG

Thursday, November 10th, 2011

Here’s DOG - finally got it on camera; sorry it’s kinda dark :) This is Zephyr’s favorite sign!

 

What is your baby’s favorite sign?

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Posted in Athens, GA, Atlanta, GA, Baby Signs® by Adventures In Childbirth, Blog Adventures, Gwinnett County, GA | No Comments »

Vistaprint Booty take 2

Wednesday, November 9th, 2011

So, I did it again… this time I got a bit less, but still a great value in my opinion.

look at my haul this time :)

1 Small Lawn Sign and Holder

1 Keychain

1 Pen

1 Sticky Note Pad

10 Calendar Magnets

1 Small Banner

100 Double Sided Postcards

Grand total with sloooow shipping (BTW- My order was processed on 10/31 and it arrived today Nov. 7 :) ) 115 items = $34.78

 

Original Price You Pay
Product Total: $91.89 $12.95
Shipping & Processing
(Slow 21 Days):		 $21.83
Total: $113.72 $34.78
You Saved $78.94!

Have you gotten a good deal recently that has helped to grow your small business? Please share!

 

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Posted in Athens, GA, Atlanta, GA, Blog Adventures, Gwinnett County, GA | No Comments »

Dry Erase Drama

Tuesday, November 8th, 2011

Tonight when I arrived to class, there was a message on the dry erase board.

**not the original message** HI :)

When I tried to clean the board, I realized that the marker was permanent. Must’ve been the Sharpie Laundry Marker left near the board. Looks are so deceiving…

The offending Sharpie Laundry Marker on a dry erase board

 

In class, one student offered a tip to remove the marker. Apparently, if you cover the permanent marker with dry erase, it will essentially dissolve the permanent ink. Call me skeptic…

It won't wipe off!

 

using EXPO Dry Erase Marker to cover the permanent marker

and whaddya know? It worked! Now, I won’t have to buy a new board :) Winning- oh, wait; SAVING!!

Viola! All gone :)

Thought I’d share this fun tip! Enjoy.

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Posted in Athens, GA, Atlanta, GA, Blog Adventures, Gwinnett County, GA | 1 Comment »

Zephyr Signs MORE

Friday, November 4th, 2011

Zephyr has been signing ‘milk’ and ‘dog’ for a couple of weeks now, but this is really just the beginning of his using more:

 

His very helpful big sister Marlowe is sitting on the other side of me, so you can hear her input as we go along :)

What was your little one’s first sign? Was it a ‘mealtime’ sign (milk, more, eat, all done) or something else?

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Posted in Athens, GA, Atlanta, GA, Baby Signs® by Adventures In Childbirth, Blog Adventures, Gwinnett County, GA | No Comments »

You did what with your WHAT?!

Thursday, November 3rd, 2011

I ate my placenta.

Not like in chili or anything, but yes, I ingested an organ that once was inside my body nourishing my son. Sounds weird, huh? I always thought so, too. Then, after I got into the ‘birth’ community, I learned all the wonderful benefits of using placenta medicine:

  • Increase milk production

  • Help with postpartum depression

  • Speed the return of your uterus to its pre-pregnancy state

  • Replenish your iron and energy

  • Help with energy levels

  • Lessen postnatal bleeding

  • Useful with menopause

There are a few different ways to prepare a placenta for consumption. Some of those ways do include meals, like chili or jerky :)  But, in general it is found in a capsule form. You just take a few pills through the day, just like any other vitamin or supplement. The biggest difference is that the makeup of the placenta gives you a delivery of nutrients and hormones specifically designed by and for you.

 

Some of the know nutrients found in placenta are:

  • Gonadotrophin: the precursor to estrogen, progesterone and testosterone

  • Prolactin: main hormone to produce milk

  • Oxytocin: for pain and bonding; produced during breastfeeding to facilitate bonding of mother and infant.

  • Thyroid stimulating hormone: boosts energy and helps recovery from stressful events

  • Cortisone: combats stress and unlocks energy stores

  • Interferon: stimulates the immune system to protect against infections

  • Prostaglandins: anti-inflammatory

  • Hemoglobin: replenishes iron deficiency and anemia

  • Urokinase inhibiting factor and factor XIII: stops bleeding and enhances wound healing

  • Gammaglobulin: immune booster that helps protect against postpartum infections.

Placenta can also be made into a tincture (or essence), soaked in grain alcohol and used throughout the day in water or directly under the tongue. But, before the placenta is prepared for consumption some people also like to make keepsake art. Kinda like baby’s first footprint, only waaaay cooler!

I chose to encapsulate my placenta in hopes of healing from postpartum depression. At six months is when I recognized that I needed some help, so I defrosted that bad boy and sent it over to a specialist. Since then, I have learned lots more, and am know offering the services myself. Never thought that would happen! Check out everything I can do with your placenta  here.

Did you use placenta medicine postpartum? What your experience? Love to hear from the locals!

 

 

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Posted in Athens, GA, Atlanta, GA, Blog Adventures, Gwinnett County, GA | No Comments »

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