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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 »

Happy Hypno-Mom births 7 weeks early after only 3 classes!

Tuesday, March 6th, 2012

Jennifer and Joe of Gwinnett County, GA have an enjoyable birth in a hospital setting, even though their little one surprised them 7 weeks early after only 3 classes!

 

Here is how they explained it to me:

Hi Nicole, Joe and I are going to give ourselves an A+ on our homeplay [homework]. Instead of going to our baby shower on Sat we went ahead and had a baby! Our yet unnamed daughter was born 7 weeks early and we are both doing great. We were told to expect a 3lb baby based on gestational age, but she ended up being 5lb 4oz  [Instructor note: baby weight estimates are often erroneous]. She is in the nicu as a precaution but is doing well so far.

Your classes made birthing with no epidural a pleasant and wonderful experience despite very little going according to plan.

The plan: full term or late, stay at home until the last minute, no epidural, no intervention, no IV, no episiotomy. What happened: we had a house full of guests that came from out of town for my baby shower. Everyone went to bed and two hours later (1am) my water broke (I’d never had a birthing wave [contraction]). The Dr. wanted us to come in right away. I grabbed my purse thinking that my ipod with the Hypnobabies cds was on it. The Dr. on call was the only one in the practice I didn’t like and felt he was not going to be respectful of our choices which bothered me [Instructor note: choosing a compatible Care Provider is crucial to a satisfying birth experience. Often a practice has multiple care providers that rotate 'call' and Affirmations and Visualizations that focus ONLY on what you DO want can go a long way to getting the most supportive of them.].

 

It was clear after a few hours that we were going to have a baby (as opposed to try and delay birth [labor] which was an option). I had to have an IV to get antibiotics for the baby and had to have constant fetal monitoring because we were so early. We also discovered no ipod in my purse. So far, nothing according plan. At 5am we decided to send Joe home to get the ipod, a few things and to have his folks feed the dogs and horses. We estimated that it would take 1 hour max. 2hrs later he hadn’t gotten back to the hospital and things were moving quickly. The Dr. told me “his wife tried self hypnosis and she couldn’t make it to 6cm dilated before she was begging for drugs.” [Instructor Note: How's that for supportive and positive?? To a Mama who is highly suggestible :( ]

 

I was anxious about the health of the baby, not having the Hypnobabies, no Joe and a disrespectful Dr. I tried all of my Hypnobabies techniques but couldn’t relax or get comfortable, was feeling panicky, and was in a great deal of pain. They told me 4 or 5 times that Joe better hurry and asked about pain. I told them I wanted to try natural but wasn’t sure. The nurse told me that I needed to have a liter of IV before an epidural so she recommended turning up the drip while I was thinking which I agreed to. (But probably shouldn’t have done). Then Joe showed up with the cds and a laptop (he couldn’t find the ipod). In no time I was able to pull it together. The cds helped, but Joe was critical. Holding my hands and doing the shoulder press during pressure waves [contractions] made all the difference. Within 15-20 minutes I was comfortable, relaxed and in control. I couldn’t have done it without him [Instructor note: Birth Partner preparation and participation is an integral part of the birth experience]. Unfortunately the IV had slowed things down [Instructor note: common side effect of pushing IV fluids is dilution of hormones both natural or synthetic] and at noon the Dr. was worried about the baby and pressured us to start pitocin. We negotiated waiting another hour and a lower dose. The Dr. was pissed but I didn’t care [Instructor note: this Mama remembered that SHE was in charge and could make informed decisions using BRAND].

 

Our daughter was born at 3:21 after a hour of pushing. It was clear that Eastside rarely sees natural births and I think I started pushing too early because they told me “push when you are ready.” I realized 40 min in that I should have waited until the urge to push was stronger and I was more effective [Instructor note: bummer! pushing techniques are discussed in detail in Class 5 :) ]. I also ended up with an episiotomy despite telling him in advance I didn’t want one and arguing with him while pushing. I think we had different definitions of medically necessary [Instructor note: it is perfectly reasonable to follow up with the hospital regarding patient rights].

All and all, I’d say the birthing was comfortable and wonderful experience. The nurses are still talking about it because they had never seen a Hypnobabies birth and many said they had never seen anyone so relaxed.

So I don’t think we’ll be coming to class on Monday!

A few days later, I got the follow up announcement that their little girl had been named:  

 

What a whirlwind week!  We had to cram a month’s worth of planning into 7 days (find a pediatrician, install car seat, get diapers, pick out a name she has to live with forever – no pressure or anything).  Rosalie Frances is home and doing great.

I feel fantastic and have already told a few folks about Hypnobabies. The other moms in the hospital discharge class all looked awful –  maybe I got off easy with a 5lb 4oz baby but I prefer to think that it is because of Hypnobabies.  I feel blessed that for me giving birth ended up being such a wonderful experience.

 

The moral of this story should be that a birth does not have to be PERFECT to be enjoyable or satisfying. As Janet Balaskas wrote in her book, Active Birth, “No matter what happens, birth is an adventure.” This is actually how I named my business (Adventures In Childbirth). All along the journey of pregnancy and childbirth, there are choices to be made and each one leads toward the experience you will have. I liken it to a ‘choose your own adventure’-type book we all read as kids… take a right and turn to page 143 to see what happens or go knock on the door and turn to page 433. Where will your birth lead you? Are you prepared physically, mentally and emotionally to accept the path that YOUR birth will take? I can help you! Contact me today 

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Posted in Blog Adventures, Gwinnett County, GA, Hypnobabies® Childbirth Hypnosis, Local Birth Stories, GA | 1 Comment »

Marlowe sings Jingle Bells 2011

Friday, January 13th, 2012

Merry Christmas 2011

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Posted in Blog Adventures, Gwinnett County, 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 »

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