Another sign that we’ve reached the turning point in the breastfeeding movement is that there are several independent films in the works that have to do with breastfeeding and donor milk. I was a little disappointed that Michael Moore’s film “Sicko,” about the ”crazy and sometimes cruel” U.S. health care system, did not touch on the absurdity of systematically preventing moms from succeeding at breastfeeding despite the fact that it could save $13 billion and 900 lives per year, at the very least–and we think that is a conservative estimate. The good news is that several independent film makers think this absurdity should be the subject of a documentary that examines our cultural and institutional “booby traps” and how we ended up in this mess.
Left to Right: Katja Esson (Director, "Latching On"), Bettina Forbes (Co-Founder, Best for Babes), Debbie Zimmerman (Executive Director, Women Make Movies), Gina Ciagne (Director of Breastfeeding & Consumer Relations, Lansinoh Laboratories)
Katja Esson’s short film, ”Latching On,” does a great job covering much of this ground. I attended the premiere screening of her documentary at the Tribeca Film Center a couple of weeks ago and got a chance to chat with the director over a dinner sponsored by Lansinoh prior to the viewing. Like me, Katja Esson is a native of Germany, and was struck by the enormous cultural differences between her native country, where breastfeeding is accepted and embraced, and the U.S., where bottlefeeding is the norm. Even though she has no kids of her own, Katja spent seven years plumbing the depths of the anti-breastfeeding culture in the U.S.. She and I agree that the biggest booby trap is the lack of designated Baby-Friendly Hospitals in the U.S.–if new moms can’t even make it through two days of exclusive breastfeeding with their healthy, full-term babies without out being “booby-trapped”, than how can we expect them to get to the six months recommended by the AAP and every other medical & health organization? We really loved meeting some of the stars of the film, some of whom are already old friends of BfB like Heather Kelly, IBCLC and Felina of the Upper Breast Side. We were captivated by ”Glam-ma” (not Grandma) a glamorous and hip black woman who tells explains that she breastfed for economic decisions because there were no free handouts of formula through WIC. Her daughter-in-law is on the fence about breastfeeding and her story steals the show. The film, which is distributed by Women Make Movies, is already one of their top-selling films of the year and has tremendous potential for raising awareness and putting pressure on the barriers, not moms. Lansinoh’s ByMomsForMoms did a fantastic video interview with Katja Esson and Debbie Zimmerman (Executive Director of Women Make Movies) which explains how the film can “open eyes” and reach classrooms, libraries and even women’s prisons. We will be staying in touch with Katja, and Women Make Movies to see how Best for Babes can help market the movie to reach the largest audience possible (and hopefully capture attention of the media), and we’ll be following the film’s attendance at festivals on Facebook. Here’s the trailer:
Before the screening of “Latching On”, we also met Beth Poague, who is the process of making a documentary called “Supply & Demand: Uncovering Breastfeeding in America”. This film also shows great promise for educating and raising awareness of the barriers that keep moms from making informed feeding decisions and achieving their personal breastfeeding goals. She interviews our Board Member, Marsha Walker and we are excited to see her film develop. Thanks to Laura Keegan, RN, FNP and author of Breastfeeding with Comfort & Joy for introducing us to Beth.
Kevin West is making a full-length documentary called “Mother’s Milk: The Movie” which expands on a short film he created in 2009 that I found very moving and inspiring. The movie will highlight the work of the Human Milk Bank Association of North America and the desperate need for donated, screened, pasteurized human milk for babies whose mothers can not breastfeed, or who have been prevented from succeeding. We’re extremely excited about the potential of this film because we think it will have mass-market appeal and be able to drive the demand for human milk and give hope to mothers who want to give their babies the next best!
A miserable, tongue-tied baby, courtesy of flickr.com
Kudos to the researchers at the University of Florida for drawing attention to a major “Booby Trap” in helping mothers achieve their personal breastfeeding goal, as published online in Pediatrics. Many in the breastfeeding community have known for a long time that an unusually short frenulum, the connective tissue under the tongue, is more common than people realize and can be easily and quickly snipped by credentialed professionals to allow the baby’s tongue to move properly and milk the breast. If left undiagnosed and untreated, this condition, commonly called “tongue-tie,” can in severe cases result in low weight gain with a great deal of frustration and suffering for the baby, and extreme nipple pain, mastitis and frustration and agony for the mother. Contrary to popular belief, not all doctors are permitted to perform this procedure, so it is important to find one that is (see bottom section).
“It is called a frenotomy, and it is far simpler than a circumcision, which we do fairly routinely . . . It literally takes longer to fill out the consent form for the procedure than to do the actual procedure itself.”
The tongue motions required to breastfeed are more complex than those required to drink from a bottle (hence the benefits to the baby’s jaw & speech development). Sullivan explains:
“If you take a bottle with an artificial nipple, there is not a lot a baby has to do to get milk.”
“To get milk out of the breast, they have to make a vacuum and if they cannot get their tongue to the roof of their mouth, they cannot do this. They also need to use their jaw and tongue to move the milk along through the milk ducts in the breast.
“If they just bite on the nipple (like a bottle), first, it hurts (the baby’s mother) a lot and second, it blocks off all those little tubes, which keeps the milk stuck in the breast.”
Isabella Knox, associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington says that 4 million babies are born each year, so 40,000 to 100,000 babies are affected by the condition.
“That’s a lot of babies,” Knox says. “I don’t think general pediatrics training gives us a lot of skills in supporting breastfeeding . . . we don’t really know how to help somebody and for some people it is not always a priority.”
According to Futurity.org, “Sullivan is part of an international organization focused on issues related to tongue ties. She and other members of the group’s screening committee are working to develop a screening tool that would help nurses quickly screen for a tongue tie while assessing the baby after birth.”
“There is not a lot of literature about frenotomy, and there are still a lot of doctors who say, ‘Is this really necessary?’” Sullivan says.
“Whether or not there is an epidemic or whether we ignored tongue ties and are looking for them now, this is something that is coming up more often in nurseries.”
Danielle Rigg, CLC & Co-Founder of Best for Babes, who experienced tongue-tie with her second child says that “doctors and health care professionals are not only unaware of ankyloglossia or tongue-tie, they often confuse “frenotomy,” which is a very simple, relatively painless and easy to perform procedure for newborns, with “frenectomy,” or “frenuloplasty” a more involved procedure used to free the frenulum in older children and adults who have shown signs of speech and mechanical pathology. Because of this confusion, it can be hard to find a doctor or health care professional who will perform it. The other problem, according to Jenny Thomas, MD, IBCLC is that contrary to popular belief, not all doctors (like herself) are allowed to perform the procedure, even if they recognize it and want to fix it. ”Most area hospitals, clinics and malpractice carriers consider this MORE than a minor office procedure and classify it validly as a surgical procedure, albeit a quick one. That means, for those places, you need surgical credentials (proving you’ve been mentored and have done enough procedures to not get sued). You then get surgical privileges in your institution and then subsequently need increased malpractice insurance,” explains Dr. Thomas. From what we understand from Dr. Thomas, some hospitals have an ENT (ear, nose & throat doctor) on staff who is educated about tongue-tie and performs all needed procedures, and paying increased premiums so all doctors can perform them isn’t necessary. (And then there is a whole debate about whether doctors are over-performing the procedure to make money.) However, from what we’re hearing from moms, there are plenty of hospitals that don’t have a credentialed doctor performing the procedure, and at those hospitals, moms are up a creek. To make it worse, some lactation consultants (even IBCLCs) are not experienced in recognizing the condition either, so it’s easily missed. (On the other hand, we’ve heard of lactation consultants who have, in a pinch, used a sterilized fingernail to slice the frenulum).
Purchased from Dreamstime.com
Danielle had to track down an oral surgeon, the only one in her area (at that time Montclair, New Jersey) who was willing to do it. “I went straight from the hospital, and although my daughter was less than two days old, she had already learned painful latching habits and I was already bleeding. The procedure took less than a minute, there was no blood, my daughter didn’t even cry,” says Danielle. ”When I tried to thank the surgeon, Dr. Richard Riva of Chatham, New Jersey, he said ”you go nurse that baby, tell me how it feels, and then thank me’. It immediately felt much better, though as a CLC I knew I would have to work with my daughter to help her re-learn a proper latch before all the pain would go away. When I expressed my gratitude to Dr. Riva, here were his words of wisdom:
”Every child deserves to have the pleasure of breastfeeding successfully, and every child deserves the pleasure of licking an ice-cream cone, both of which are aided by this procedure.”
We’d like to add, that every mom deserves to have a positive breastfeeding experience without the trauma of severe nipple pain caused by this condition and other undiagnosed but easily solved breastfeeding issues. Danielle should not have had to leap through the extra hoop of finding an oral surgeon outside of the hospital. Best for Babes hopes that the American Academy of Pediatrics will push for every hospital to have a credentialed doctor who can perform the procedure, education on diagnosis as a requirement in the core pediatrics curriculum in medical school, and that the nurses associations will do the same.While they’re at it, they should require doctors to complete at least a week-long training similar to what the Healthy Children Project offers to train certified lactation counselors, and/or work with the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine to develop a curriculum. Luckily, pediatricians who are already Fellows of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine (look for FABM after their initials, similar to FAAP for Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics, and FACOG for Fellow of the American College of Obstetrics & Gynecology) are educated in all things breastfeeding. We’re sure our friend and supporter Dr. Ruth Lawrence, Chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics Breastfeeding Section, has been working on this for years.
What can parents do
1. Get a second opinion. If you suspect your baby has tongue-tie while still in the hospital, ask if there is an ear nose or throat doctor (ENT) on staff who is trained in diagnosing tongue-tie and performing frenotomies. You may want to get the opinion of a highly recommended IBCLC (you made need to bring someone in from outside the hospital). Tongue-tie is not a black and white issue and some will see a problem where others have missed it. If you can’t get help from within the hospital, see an ENT in private practice, an oral surgeon, or a dentist. Read the stories here of moms who have navigated this booby trap.
Earth Mama Angel Baby is a proud sponsor of Best for Babes
2. Politely and diplomatically educate your pediatrician, and other health care professionals and encourage him/her to be part of the solution. Many doctors don’t know about breastfeeding issues because they weren’t trained, but when enrolled instead of attacked, can be powerful advocates for change.
3. Spread the word to moms. Share this page with any expecting or new mothers. If we can prevent even one mother and baby from suffering through this unnecessarily, we will be ecstatic!!
4. Be gentle to mothers who couldn’t breastfeed. There are a lot of mothers out there whose babies were not diagnosed with tongue-tie, suffered miserably, thought they couldn’t produce enough milk, and agonized over their baby’s lack of sufficient weight-gain, blaming themselves or their babies, and quit breastfeeding long before they intended to. We never judge a mother who quit breastfeeding as “not being committed” because we can not truly stand in her shoes, and most of the time she has been booby-trapped and didn’t know it.
“My son has a tongue tie we didn’t find out about it till he was 10, after years of speech classes at school. That plus nipple confusion caused us much stress trying to nurse and we gave up a lot sooner than we wanted to.”
We can’t help but wonder, how many children and adults have suffered from preventable speech problems because we live in a bottle-feeding culture? It should be added to the next study on potential cost savings. If more babies were diagnosed with tongue-tie properly, not only would moms who want to breastfeed have a better chance of succeeding, but some speech pathology in formula-fed babies could be prevented. It could save parents and children much worry, distress, poor performance in school, teasing from friends, etc. So not diagnosing and treating tongue-tie is a booby-trap for breastfeeding AND formula feeding parents!
Have you experienced this “Booby Trap”? Have you had any success with educating your doctor or health care professionals? Let’s hear it!
The Best for Babes Foundation is releasing a provocative new breastfeeding ad in a special Pregnancy & Wellness Report to be inserted in USA Today on June 25th in the greater metropolitan areas of Los Angeles, Chicago and New York. The Best for Babes Foundation was established in 2007 to fight the barriers to breastfeeding, and to give breastfeeding a makeover by using mainstream marketing and branding.
According to the ad, the real miracle isn’t the bra, but mothers, and their ability to make milk for their own and others’ babies. Best for Babes urges parents to get the right support to navigate the “Booby Traps“–the cultural and institutional barriers that keep mothers from making informed feeding decisions and carrying them out. “Most moms want to breastfeed, and don’t realize how they are being undermined by the very institutions that should be helping them. Whether they breastfeed for 2 weeks, 2 months, 2 years or not at all, they deserve to achieve their personal goals. We’re clearing through the information clutter–much of it misleading–and are showing them how to succeed and who they can trust, much like a personal trainer or nutritionist would for someone who wants to get fit,” says Best for Babes Co-Founder Bettina Forbes.
The ad, which is part of a series of arresting visuals, is the first of its kind that aims to raise awareness of the “WHO-Code“–the World Health Organization’s International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes and direct parents to hospitals, doctors, employers and resources that are WHO-Code compliant. “Most parents don’t know that the WHO-Code was created to protect parent’s right to make an informed feeding decision at one of the most vulnerable and precious times of their lives–the birth of a child, explains Marsha Walker, RN, IBCLC and a leading expert on WHO-Code compliance. “The aggressive marketing of artificial human milk substitutes has been shown to undermine breastfeeding intention and success, and parents should be careful about where they turn for breastfeeding support.” The ad also acknowledges breastfeeding industry companies such as Evenflo, Numom Nutrition, 60 Second Parent, Pumpease, My Baby Experts, Earth Mama Angel Baby, My Milkies, and Be Nice that are WHO-Code compliant and support Best for Babes’ mission to beat the “Booby Traps” and change the cultural perception of breastfeeding.
Unlike government and state breastfeeding campaigns that have come under fire for using scare tactics, unappealing visuals, or making moms feel judged or guilty, the Best for Babes ad campaign is eye-catching, fun, and designed to cheer on, coach and celebrate moms. “We want moms to have an awesome, empowering breastfeeding experience, ” says Best for Babes Co-Founder Danielle Rigg. “All parents want what’s best for their babies. They deserve support and resources, and those who can’t breastfeed deserve access to the next best substitute: pasteurized, screened human milk from a registered donor milk bank.” The six-figure ad campaign was created pro-bono by Frank About Women, a leading marketing-to-women communications group. It has been positively received for bringing levity and a fresh approach to a persistent public health problem. Best for Babes aims to raise funds to continue the series on billboards and bus stations. The USA Today Pregnancy & Wellness Report, produced by Media Planet, will reach 2.2 million readers in Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York; will be distributed to ob/gyn offices and physicians through the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, will be carried in all Destination Maternity stores, distributed at March of Dimes events, will be circulated to 25,000 members of the United States Breastfeeding Committee and all member organizations, and all physician members of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine.
The Best for Babes Foundation, a non-profit 501c3, was established in 2007 to give breastfeeding a makeover by using mainstream marketing and branding to inspire, prepare and empower moms, and to raise awareness of and fight the barriers that keep moms from achieving their personal breastfeeding goals, despite their best intentions. The Best for Babes Web site offers breastfeeding inspiration, help for moms who don’t want to breastfeed, a ground-breaking checklist for expectant moms, important information about navigating the “booby traps,” as well as opportunities to become involved and donate.
In writing about traveling with baby Mason, Kourtney expresses every new mother’s anxiety:
At first, I was scared to travel with him. I’m sure every parent goes through it. You don’t know how your baby will be — what if he gets sick or his ears hurt from the pressure in the cabin? One travel tip I got from my doctor: He told me to nurse Mason during take off and landing. He also recommended I put some breast milk in Mason’s nose because it has antibodies that can help keep him from catching a cold on the flight.
Kourtney Kardashian & Mason, courtesy of People.com
We love that Kourtney comes across as down to earth, and relates to expecting and new mothers, and doesn’t shy away from using this platform to share breastfeeding tips! For months now she has been systematically weaving her breastfeeding experience and tips into her tweets and her interviews with the press; sharing that it is “one of her favorite things.” This is exactly what moms need; to see nursing as a natural part of life that has its ups and downs and challenges, but comes with a lot of perks and is ultimately extremely rewarding. In the case of flying with a baby, it is down right convenient as there is less to carry, breastfeeding helps babies ears adjust to cabin pressure without over-feeding, and it keeps baby calm so other passengers can enjoy the flight too.
As is evident from the 103 comments on her post, Kourtney Kardashian has a remarkable opportunity to do more for breastfeeding than a whole bunch of government campaigns . . . she can help de-sensitize the squeamish (umm, she tasted her breastmilk), normalize breastfeeding in the public eye, and educate expecting and new moms, parents, siblings, grandparents . . . all through the highly visible media outlets. With her celebrity star-power, perhaps one day no mother will be kicked off a plane for breastfeeding.
Please tell People.com thank you for publishing Kourtney Kardashian’s breastfeeding tips and that we want more! Let them know that she is educating moms and boosting their confidence so that more moms and babies can benefit from the amazing health, economic and environmental gifts of breastfeeding. ( Important note: Even though many of you will notice and protest that Similac sponsors the Moms & Babies column, please keep your comments focused on the positive. We believe that we should reward People.com for moving in the right direction first, and we are also very grateful that People.com has graciously helped spread the word about our exclusive breastfeeding interviews with Gabrielle Reece, Kelly Rutherford and Alysia Reiner. Whenever People.com links to our interview we get hundreds or thousands of more hits on the story which means that we can reach and educate thousands of more people—there are some terrific breastfeeding-friendly editors working at People.com and we need them! Our hope is that eventually we can have a conversation with People.com about the WHO Code and help them find a more suitable sponsor that is truly helping moms and babies start out healthy . . . a sponsor that is not undermining parent’s informed feeding decisions and is not violating the World Health Organization’s International Code that protects moms and babies. For now, however, let’s focus on acknowledging People.com for including breastfeeding in their celebrity stories, and for working with Best for Babes!) Celebrity breastfeeding stories are critical to educating the mainstream and bringing about the cultural acceptance that we need so that all moms can achieve their personal breastfeeding goals. With millions of readers daily, People.com has an incredible opportunity to build on this trend and support the 86% of expecting moms who intend to breastfeed, and who are desperately trying to overcome the booby traps and follow the advice of the American Academy of Pediatrics to nurse exclusively for at least six months.
You can write People.com at editor@people.com or leave a comment on their Facebook fan page. You can also leave a comment on Kourtney’s post where she shares her breastfeeding tips . . . and please ask her to do an interview with Best for Babes! We’d love to hear more about her breastfeeding tribulations and triumphs and be able to share them in greater depth with our readers, along with our resources and tips as certified lactation counselors.
Thank you for helping us put positive pressure on the ”booby traps” by acknowleding media outlets that report on breastfeeding responsibly.
Have you ever asked yourself, “Who benefits from all of this research conducted on breast milk?” It seems that we are constantly hearing about a new study touting the benefits of breastfeeding and breast milk and as as breastfeeding advocates, we get excited and forward the links to everyone we know. But who sponsors the research and why? We challenged readers not to believe every study they see, and in an excellent piece called Full Disclosure on the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine’s blog, Dr. Alison Stuebe takes it a step further, examining how and why certain industries sponsor scientific studies.
Has anyone ever asked you, with eyebrow raised, if you were still nursing? Then you’ll love this piece by blogger Maria from Mommy Melee, who is still nursing and still is not ashamed!
Thought formula company marketing couldn’t get any lower? Then may I present you with Enfamil’s new chocolate formula for toddlers. The Atlantic did a great piece on the dangers of this product and is helping to raise awareness about the WHO Code. We’d love it if you could take a moment and post a comment thanking them. Although it’s important to call out the media when they get it wrong, we also have to remember to commend them when they get it right, so we can see more coverage of how dangerous this aggressive formula marketing really is.
Remember when actress Julie Bowen was on The View and they wouldn’t allow her to show a photo of her nursing her twins in the football hold? Well, she was a guest on the George Lopez show this week and he allowed her to show the photograph.
Beautiful!
If you’re a work out of the home mom like me, I know you can relate to some of the quotes from Vanessa Williams in this month’s Working Mother magazine. In the interview, Vanessa says, “There were definitely times I was torn and wished I could have stayed with my kids. There were times that it was very difficult. Just eight weeks after I’d had my second child, I had to go to England to promote my album for ten days. So I dragged my breast pump through airport security. I was so weepy to be leaving my newborn. Those were tough times.” As a mom who has done the same, I feel her pain, but kudos to Vanessa for making breastfeeding a priority!
Can breastfeeding protect babies from spiking fevers after immunizations? A new study shows that exclusively breastfed babies are 54% LESS likely to have a fever after being vaccinated. “When infants are sick and after a vaccination shot, they need not only water, food and a calm environment, but also to be protected,” said the lead author of the study. All things readily provided by breastfeeding.
Finally, Babes, we want to thank you for helping spread the word about Best for Babes on Facebook and getting us to our goal of 2,500 new “Likes,” and $2,500 from our sponsors. This week you were Overheard on Facebook talking about your nursing goals. You told us…
Dawn Davenport Covin with my first it was 1 year until I saw a lady (now friend) nursing an 18 month old and I asked myself why would I stop giving my baby my milk to give her cow’s milk? So, we went on to nurse for 26 months.
Claire Louise Hoyle I said 6 months and done!!! She self-weaned at 18 months and I was gutted!!! See how long we get second time as I have no goal……4 months so far….
Anna Caulkins Swank I never really set goals… always went with an “until they’re done” approach. That ended up being 10 months for Jonny, 20 months for Gracie, 18 months for Levi, and Reagan & Sera are still nursing at 22 months (and not showing any sign of stopping!)
As a service to the media, bloggers, twitter followers, and the members of the professional breastfeeding, ecofriendly and corporate watchdog communities, we have compiled a list of recent activist blogs related to the Twitter Firestorm about the “Nestle Blogging Junket” controversy, sparked by Annie of Phdinparenting.
We also hope that this list is helpful to ALL the expecting and new mothers and parents who deserve to make informed feeding choices, and deserve to carry out those choices, (whether it is breastfeeding, milk bank-feeding, or formula-feeding or any combination thereof) without being “booby-trapped” by cultural and institutional barriers, including myths, misinformation and unethical marketing practices.
Twitter names where known are included for your convenience. Tweets regarding the controversy can be found with the #nestlefamily hashtag on twitter.com (and if you are a breastfeeding, eco, corporate watchdog professional or social entrepreneur who is not yet on twitter, time to get on and follow these people).
This impassioned tweeting and blogging by so-called “mommy bloggers” . . . many of whom are extremely successful journalists, authors, marketing professionals & entrepreneurs . . . has raised enormous awareness about the unethical business and marketing practices of Nestle, has educated thousands about the WHO Code and Baby Milk Action, and has demonstrated the power of social media to bring about change. For example, because of Annie’s advocacy efforts, –and the timing would suggest that it is precisely because of the Nestle firestorm–BlogHerAds has just announced that “it has created a new opt-out category for members of the BlogHer ad network that would allow bloggers to ensure their blogs are compliant with the WHO International Code of Marketing of Breast-Milk substitutes.”
Activist Bloggers: your courage, determination, wit and marketing prowess is breathing new life and excitement into the relatively tiny (and underfunded) breastfeeding community that has been engaged in a Sisyphean task for decades. On behalf of the moms, babies and professionals we serve, our deepest thanks!
Please leave a comment or tweet me with any corrections to this list, links we’ve missed, or helpful suggestions. Special thanks to Crunchy Domestic Goddess for letting us take over the list.
Note: This list was compiled primarily for those who are disturbed by Nestle’s unethical business and marketing practices, including the media, moms, and breastfeeding, environmental, and corporate watchdog activists. In that respect, it is indeed one-sided, as we are not looking to support or defend Nestle! However, in order for lasting change to occur, we agree that it is important to understand the viewpoint of the bloggers who chose to attend the #NestleFamily event and to engage in a respectful and open-minded dialogue with those bloggers. Mom101 (see comment below) suggested we include the best summary with the most productive comments: @OhMommy: Nestle Blogger Event from a Participant, from October 2nd, and we are happy to do so. We appreciate the efforts of bloggers/tweeters like OHMommy and That_Danielle (amongst others) who are keeping this a sane discussion from both perspectives, and who are asking the tough questions.
Bestforbabes.org is the best thing to happen to breastfeeding since the invention of the breastpump! I LOVE the guilt/pressure free way you present everything. --Laura Rimbey, Oregon
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Best For Babes
