Category Archives: Inspire
Science You Can Use: Yes! The first evidence that reforming pediatric breastfeeding care works.
We all know that breastfeeding support in hospitals is important. But we also know that the need for support doesn’t end at hospital discharge. If anything, the show is just beginning. Much of the current emphasis at reforming breastfeeding policies … Continue reading
Last revised on 04/09/2013
Science You Can Use: New study says breastfeeding is not associated with obesity risk. Let’s take a closer look.
Have you heard the news that a recent study found that breastfeeding is not associated with lowered risk of childhood obesity? But you may also have heard that breastfeeding protects against obesity. In fact, the Surgeon General writes that not … Continue reading
Last revised on 03/21/2013
Science You Can Use: Can skin-to-skin and laid-back breastfeeding help older, non-latching babies?
We all know about the importance of skin-to-skin contact in the early hours and days of breastfeeding. But a new study from Sweden takes a look at a different question: can skin-to-skin contact and a laid back position resolve severe latching-on … Continue reading
Last revised on 03/14/2013
Science You Can Use: For sexual assault survivors, does breastfeeding affect depression and sleep?
An area of breastfeeding that gets little attention - but impacts an astoundingly large number of women - is the experience of sexual abuse survivors. When I spoke with Penny Simkin, author of When Survivors Give Birth, for a podcast … Continue reading
Last revised on 02/18/2013
Science You Can Use: Racial gaps narrowing in breastfeeding rates
The CDC’s announcement today of its updated breastfeeding statistics by race contained some especially good news for the “breastfeeding gap” between African American mothers and mothers of other races. First, there is good news across the board. The CDC reports … Continue reading
Last revised on 02/08/2013
Science You Can Use: Think donor milk is expensive? Wait ’til you see the alternative.
As Neil Patrick Harris declared on a late night talk show a few years ago, pasteurized donor breastmilk doesn’t come cheap. At the time he was purchasing it directly for his daughter who had some gastrointestinal problems. “It cost more … Continue reading
Last revised on
Science You Can Use: Breastfeeding may reduce ovarian cancer risk by up to 91%, finds new study.
One in 72 American women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer sometime during their lives. It’s a hard disease to detect, and is the most deadly of all gynecological cancers. So prevention of ovarian cancer is especially important. Past research … Continue reading
Last revised on 01/16/2013
Science You Can Use: Study finds over 700 types of bacteria in breastmilk
We are learning more and more about the complex fluid that is human milk. We know, for example, that breastmilk contains hundreds of types of complex sugars to feed good bacteria, pathogen-specific antibodies, even cancer-fighting properties, among many other remarkable … Continue reading
Last revised on 01/10/2013
Booby Traps Series: Lawmakers have expanded our rights to pump at work. Now the hard part.
This is the 68th post in a series on Booby Traps, made possible by the generous support of Motherlove Herbal Company. Pumping at work isn’t easy. I remember how much time and commitment it took when I did it, nearly … Continue reading
Last revised on 01/01/2013
Science You Can Use: With education and support, can overweight and obese moms beat the breastfeeding odds?
A few weeks ago I wrote about the plethora of research in 2012 on breastfeeding and maternal obesity. One of the conclusions I think you could reach in reading this new research is that, while obesity does seem to be … Continue reading
Last revised on 12/27/2012
