By Elita of Blacktating.com for the Best for Babes Foundation ©2010

What a week for breastfeeding, Babes! Nursing moms were the focus of the White House, a TV show, the fashion world and more!

Supermodel Gisele Bundchen made lots of friends in the breastfeeding blogosphere last week when she blogged about the transformative nature of motherhood. Gisele’s words about breastfeeding were so beautiful I have to quote them in full:

Courtesy of Gisele Bundchen's Blog

“I’d also like to talk about a very important issue, which is breastfeeding. It’s essential for the newborn and creates a bond between mother and her child. It’s a unique moment when the body changes to nurture; it’s the Nature’s blessing! Breastfeeding, mainly the first days, poses some challenges, but the reward is sublime. In addition to having all the proteins, fats, and vitamins the baby needs, breastfeeding is an act of love and affection. It would be great if all the mothers could experience the breastfeeding.”

We couldn’t agree more and it’s why we work so hard to support moms so they can meet their breastfeeding goals!

Gisele’s letter inspired our post on mainstream breastfeeding and pregnancy magazine covers-hint, hint, Gisele!  The fashion world gave props to nursing mother Rachel Feinstein in the May 2010 issue of American Vogue.

In research news, a study shows what we’ve all believed for some time: breastfed babies know “when to say when,” and bottle-fed babies are often overfed, regardless of whether they’re getting breastmilk or formula. This could explain why breastfed babies are less likely to be obese. A baby who is nursing is learning to self-regulate milk intake and is able to stop when full.

This is another reason we were so excited to see breastfeeding recommendations in the White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity report. Thanks to our board member Marsha Walker for combing through the 124-page document and finding the 70 recommendations specific to breastfeeding, which included hospitals becoming designated as Baby Friendly and educating day care workers on the importance of breastfeeding and how to handle breastmilk.

Ever wondered what’s really going on inside your breast and your baby’s mouth during breastfeeding? A new ultrasound video reveals the true nature of the mechanics of breastfeeding. It turns out it’s NOT all about compression, and these findings could help to diagnose babies with a weaker suck and allow moms to pump until the baby can be brought back to the breast. Although this study’s findings are interesting and may potentially affect how breastfeeding problems are managed, keep in mind that the study was funded by Medela. As a pump and breast shield manufacturer, Medela obviously has a stake and great interest in how these items are used and would benefit financially from their increased use.

So we already know pediatricians don’t learn much about breastfeeding in medical school, but what about the nurses who are taking care of moms post-partum? It turns out they don’t learn much about breastfeeding either. No wonder so many moms feel they weren’t properly supported by nurses after birth!

Did you catch ABC’s “What Would You Do?” segment on nursing in public? The candid camera show wondered what would happen if a manager harassed a breastfeeding mother and asked her to leave a café. Would the patrons stand up for the mom? The show not only tackled whether the race or age of the mom made a difference in how she was treated, but also what would happen if alcohol was involved. Although I liked some parts of the experiment, it quickly devolved into shaming and inaccuracy. Anne at Dou-La-La has an excellent post examining all of these issues. If you caught the show, what did you think?

We’ve been so pleased with all of the new “Likes” our Facebook fan page has received. Remember, for every new “Like,” our fabulous sponsors will donate $1 to the cause! We asked you last week, “I really got the hang of breastfeeding when my baby was ____ old” and you were overheard saying:

Ahmie Polak Yeung about five minutes. Had a fantastic CNM, unmedicated birth, straight to my belly & breast and was nursing before they could get the APGAR

Jenna Conley Stevens About 6 weeks with Gianna, day 1 with Athena….she was my champion nurser! Errr, IS my champion nurser haha.

Roberta Stewart 6 weeks. It didn’t hurt anymore, latch was good, and we’d figured out positions.

Jennifer Sanders I never got hang of it. I thought I did, but she decided I’m doing it wrong and does it her own way. For example, she thinks downward facing dog is a nursing position.