Wednesday, January 29, 2003

Martek's DHA and ARA Oils Now Available in Infant Formula in Canada
Wednesday January 29, 9:16 am ET

COLUMBIA, Md., Jan. 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Martek Biosciences Corporation (Nasdaq: MATK - News) announced today that Mead Johnson Nutritionals? Canada has introduced a new DHA- and ARA-fortified infant formula to its line of Enfamil products. The new formula, Enfamil A , contains Martek's proprietary blend of plant-derived docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and arachidonic acid (ARA). Enfamil A is the first and only formula in Canada to contain these nutrients...."
Breast milk enters Chinese cuisine Tuesday, 28 January, 2003, 14:43 GMT

"Chinese chefs will go to great lengths to please their customers and the unusual ingredient they are reported to be using of late seems to confirm that reputation.

According to local newspapers, a restaurant in southern Hunan province has started offering dishes cooked with human breast milk.

When the customers are having the human milk banquet, they can experience maternal love at the same time

Restaurant owner



Two dishes were offered for the first time on 25 January, featuring abalone and perch.

The eatery, in the provincial capital Changsha, is said to be hoping to expand to the town of Shenzhen - a booming economic zone, across the border from Hong Kong. " [One could point out that breast milk has always been the first human cuisine... - JC]

A diary with pictures - JAN 29, 2003, Straitstimes.aisia.com,
"
STRAITS TIMES photographer How Hwee Young's brief was simple: Go snap a group shot of breastfeeding mothers at a World Breastfeeding Week event in Plaza Singapura.

That assignment would take her all of three hours to complete. But the end result - capturing 'a rare moment when they were so exuberant' - made the effort worthwhile. It was published in The Straits Times (ST) on Aug 5, 2002.

This heartwarming picture is among 240 colour shots which have been compiled in a 128-page book, A Year In Pictures 2002." [A great picture. Unfortunate wording, "a rare moment when they were so exuberant..." - JC]
Breastfeeding row goes to the topJanuary 28, 2003

"VICTORIAN Attorney-General Rob Hulls has issued a please explain to the Melbourne Racing Club over an alleged ban on breastfeeding at committee room functions.
Mr Hulls today said racing clubs were able to make their own rules regarding admittance to the course, but such rules could not be used to get around equal opportunity laws.

"The Melbourne Racing Club is on Crown land and the Melbourne Racing Club needs to understand that we have laws in this state that make it quite clear that you cannot discriminate against a person on the basis of breastfeeding."

Mr Hulls' comments follow a dispute between the Mayor of the City of Glen Eira, Peter Goudge, and the club, after his wife was told she was not allowed to breastfeed their 12-week-old son at a committee room function yesterday." [Hmmm, the mayor's wife. Good for her for making a stink. - JC]

Sunday, January 26, 2003

Bed sharing, smoking, and risk of cot death Clinnix.net,
(Monday, 27th January 2003)


"Mothers who share a bed with their baby and who smoke could be putting their children at risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) according to UK researchers.

They warn that mothers should be told of the risks of SIDS (sometimes referred to as cot death) both before and after the birth, so they can do all they can to avoid it.

Smoking has long been recognised as a risk factor for SIDS. And despite advice given by health professionals and via the NHS Pregnancy Smoking Helpline, many women continue to smoke during pregnancy, or start smoking again when their baby is born. [ I think it's going to be hard to convince moms of this until we can tell them why... - JC]
The Mexican Paradox Santa Fe New Mexican, Barbara Solow, 25/1/2003 "Decades of scientific research have posited that low income and lack of access to early prenatal care are the best predictors of unhealthy births. But when it comes to immigrant Latinas, a surprising and mysterious phenomenon kicks in: Although they get less prenatal care and are more likely to be living in poverty, studies show first-generation Latinas - especially those from Mexico - have healthy babies. Having fewer low birthweight and pre-term babies (those born before 37 weeks) means lower infant mortality. Nationally, the rate of infant deaths per 1,000 live births for Latinas is 5.6, compared to 5.7 for whites and 13.5 for African Americans.
A report by a statewide task force to be unveiled early next month reveals that what's known as the "Mexican Paradox" is at work in North Carolina. The report found that between 1996 and 2000, the rate of infant deaths per 1,000 live births to Mexican-born women was 6.1, compared to 6.6 for whites and 15 for African Americans. (For non-Mexican Latinas, it was 5 and for U.S.-born Latinas, 6.3.)" [A fascinating article, it also addresses the loss of this advantage as cultural pressure forces these women away from their traditional practicies (including breastfeeding) and diets. - JC]

Wednesday, January 22, 2003

CNN.com - Toobin: Breast milk murder trial has broader implications - Jan. 21, 2003
"(CNN) In California a mother is accused of killing her 3-month-old son, and the alleged weapon in this case was her own breast milk. Prosecutors told the Los Angeles Times that Amy Prien took methamphetamines while nursing her son Jacob. The baby later died from an overdose of the drug, and Prien was charged with second-degree murder. CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin discussed the case with CNN anchor Bill Hemmer.

BILL HEMMER: Good morning to you.

JEFFREY TOOBIN: Howdy.

HEMMER: You say significant because it's second-degree murder, not just manslaughter. Why? ..."

Tuesday, January 21, 2003 Posted: 2:04 PM EST (1904 GMT) [A brief legal analysis of the California case where a mother is charged with acting with malice to murder her child. The mother is accused of taking meth and breastfeeding. Details are in an LA Times article, below. (Registration required) - JC]


Breast Milk Cited in Meth Fatality
[Registration (free) required - JC]
LA Times,
By Scott Gold, Times Staff Writer,
MEAD VALLEY, Calif.
...

"At first, the Riverside County coroner labeled it sudden infant death syndrome ? a diagnosis used when investigators can't explain why a healthy baby dies. According to agency documents, there was no sign of injury, abuse or trauma. Jacob's body was "unremarkable" ? well developed and well nourished.

Then a month later, on Feb. 19, 2002, the coroner received a toxicology report: Jacob had overdosed on methamphetamine, a cheap, addictive stimulant.

Investigators swarmed back to the case. Jacob had weighed 13 pounds and was too young to feed himself. The level of meth in his blood was too high to have been ingested through second-hand smoke. The only way a lethal dose could have entered Jacob's system, they reasoned, was through his mother's breast milk.

Prien, now a Perris resident, has been charged with second-degree murder in a case that prosecutors say could lead to the first conviction of its kind in California. Authorities hope to bring her to trial, possibly next month; no date has been set. The 30-year-old mother of three other children faces the possibility of a life prison term.

Though Prien denies having taken methamphetamine at the time of Jacob's death and insists she had already weaned him, Riverside County Deputy Dist. Atty. Michele Levine will go to trial armed with the results of two tests that found meth in Prien's blood around the time of Jacob's death...."




Life Support: Got milk?
"If you're a working mother, it will likely go to waste

Wednesday, January 22, 2003,

By Linda M. Blum ,


A new study showing soaring rates of breast-feeding in the United States is being widely celebrated. The survey of 400,000 new moms in the journal Pediatrics found that 70 percent nursed their newborns before leaving the hospital -- the highest percentage in modern history.
Few also realize that even in sunny, liberal California the sight of a breast-feeding mother is considered unseemly. Although almost half the states, including California, have laws protecting a woman's right to breast-feed in public, contemporary cultural attitudes enshrining breasts as sex objects are rigidly resistant to change. (With the demand for breast-implant surgery also soaring, I guess we think breasts are meant only to be sex objects.)....

Earlier this year, in an upscale mall near my mother's home in Santa Monica, Calif., a woman was asked to stop nursing or leave. But you can see more skin every day at the beach or the 10-plex movie theater nearby.

Those of us in such white communities rarely stop to think what this oversexualization is like for black mothers. Even with today's high breast-feeding rates, black mothers remain less likely to nurse than white women. Public health officials have explained this gap by seeing black women as either less aware of the health benefits or less motivated to follow health advice. In my research, I have found neither to be true.

Besides what I view as a healthy skepticism to often-exaggerated medical claims, black women are already stereotyped in the United States as oversexed and irresponsible. The vulnerability to public exposure and censure they face is a very real danger. Most know that they cannot risk such exposure in the mall, and certainly not at work.

Until we have offered all mothers better options, let's not believe that the United States is such a pro-breast-feeding nation. We are such a wealthy nation, with more super-rich citizens than any other, that I wonder why we can't do better. In Europe, where months of paid leave are common, it is true that taxes are higher. But these nations also tax the rich far more and -- what an idea! -- make the well-being of mothers a social contribution.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Linda M. Blum, author of "At the Breast: Ideologies of Breastfeeding and Motherhood in the Contemporary United States," teaches sociology and women's studies at the University of New Hampshire. She wrote this piece for Newsday." [Blum has crafted an excellent column pointing out the long row the US has to hoe before women are able to nourish their children without hardship. - JC]

Tuesday, January 21, 2003

Breast-Feeding 101 and 102 "BOOKS ON HEALTH,
By JOHN LANGONE, New York Times, January 21, 2003

Review of :
"The American Academy of Pediatrics New Mother's Guide to Breastfeeding," edited by Dr. Joan Younger Meek with Sherill Tippins. Bantam Books, $13.95.

"A century ago, a majority of American women breast-fed their infants, and more than half of all babies were still being breast-fed beyond the first year of life.

But as glass bottles, rubber nipples and formulas became available ? and as more women began working outside the home ? breast-feeding rates hit a record low.
Advertisement


Today, the contributors to this excellent guide say, about 68 percent of American newborns are nourished by their mothers' milk.

But again, conflicts with work and lack of support, along with concerns about breast-feeding, have forced many women to give up nursing early.

Of the American newborns breast-fed in 2000, the authors note, only about 31 percent were still nursing at 6 months, and fewer than 18 percent by a year...."
Mom Charged for Drugged Breast Milk

Posted: January 20, 2003 at 9:02 a.m.

"PERRIS, Calif. (AP) -- Prosecutors have charged a 30-year-old mother of three with second-degree murder after investigators said her infant son died when he ingested methamphetamine through her breast milk.

The prosecution of Amy Prien for the death of 3-month-old Jacob Wesley Smith could lead to the first conviction of its kind in California, according to legal experts.

"She knew the drugs were dangerous, but it was more important to her to have the self-gratification," said Deputy District Attorney Michele Levine. "Responsibility for Jacob's death falls at her feet."" [An edited version of this story was also filed by AP with the unfortunate lead sentence: "Authorities in California are accusing a
woman of killing her son through her breast milk." - JC]

Monday, January 20, 2003

SoCal mom awaits trial after son ingests meth through milk"AP Wire | 01/20/2003 | Posted on Mon, Jan. 20, 2003


PERRIS, Calif. - Prosecutors have charged a 30-year-old mother of three with second-degree murder after investigators said her infant son died when he ingested methamphetamine through her breast milk.

The prosecution of Amy Prien for the death of 3-month-old Jacob Wesley Smith could lead to the first conviction of its kind in California, according to legal experts.

"She knew the drugs were dangerous, but it was more important to her to have the self-gratification," said Deputy District Attorney Michele Levine. "Responsibility for Jacob's death falls at her feet."

No trial date has been set, but authorities said they hope to begin next month. Prien faces the possibility of life in prison if convicted.

Prien has denied taking methamphetamine at the time of Jacob's death last year and said she is the victim of overzealous prosecutors.

"I'm not the person they say I am," Prien told the Los Angeles Times in an article published Monday. "And they know it."

Court documents alleged Prien, who is free on $100,000 bail, used a variety of drugs including PCP, LSD and methamphetamine.

"I never used speed when I was pregnant or when I was breast-feeding," Prien told detectives, according to court documents.

Prien said she believes a roommate may have been involved, although authorities said they have ruled him out.

"This has been very poorly handled," said Jacob's grandfather, Jack Haskins. "Amy is like any other kind of woman. She has her ups and downs. She's a little strong-willed. But she would never hurt those children."..."

Saturday, January 18, 2003

'It's child abuse if you don't breastfeed'"

January 17 2003 at 01:56PM



By Patrick Leeman

Mothers, except those who are HIV-positive, who deliberately avoid breastfeeding their babies are guilty of "child abuse".

This is the view of Dr Neil Moran, chairperson of the Breastfeeding Committee of Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Hospital in Phoenix."

Moran, Sister Vanitha Naidoo, trainer and co-ordinator of the hospital's breastfeeding programme, and their team, recently won a "Baby Friendly" award from the World Health Organisation and United Nations Children's Fund.

This prestigious award is granted to only a few hospitals in South Africa, and is recognition by the organisations that the hospital has routines, policies and staff that support breastfeeding.

Mothers forced to send breast milk by mail
RELATED LINKS"


19 January 2003
By DEIDRE MUSSEN

Increasing numbers of vulnerable premature babies are being shunted around the country because there is no room in hospitals.



One stretched Auckland hospital has even considered sending newborns to Australia in its search for hospitals to take the 20 mothers and babies it is transferring each month.

Hospital staff say the transfers cause stress to families, put babies' health at risk and can affect breastfeeding.

In one case, an Auckland mother had to courier her breast milk to Wellington after her premature twins were transferred because of hospital overcrowding.

Chris Rowe, 37, was left in Auckland when her 14-week premature twin sons were flown to Wellington Hospital due to staff and space shortages at the neonatal intensive care unit of Middlemore's Kidz First children's hospital.

"We sort of had them and the next minute, they are all off way down the other end of the country," she said.

Initially, Rowe had to stay on in Auckland to care for her two older sons, aged five and eight, but joined the babies in Wellington last week. Until then, she expressed breast milk and couriered it to her babies.

For the past 18 months Kidz First has transferred one baby a week to other neonatal intensive care units.

"It's just hopeless," said newborn special care clinical leader Dr Lindsay Mildenhall. "

"Breastfeeding is important and if your baby is 400 miles away, you're not going to breastfeed very well."

Friday, January 17, 2003

DDN | FDA searching for stolen baby food
"West Chester Twp. warehouse belongs to jailed Yemeni
By Wes Hills
e-mail address: wes_hills@coxohio.com
Dayton Daily News

Agents for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration searched for adulterated or repackaged baby food in the West Chester Twp. warehouse of a Beavercreek man the FBI is investigating on suspicion of funding a terrorist....

In addition to the 100 pallets of Enfamil and Similac infant formula, Griswold said law enforcement officers also saw in their earlier search "two or three machines used to reshrink wrap products, a stamping machine that imprinted the words "use by this date," a quantity of rubbing alcohol and what appeared to be new boxes used to package infant formula."

Griswold said that "certain criminal enterprises specialize in the illegal repackaging and resale of expired infant formula. These groups typically purchase large quantities of soon-to-expire and expired infant formula then repackage it so as to appear new. On other occasions, these enterprises steal such formula."

Griswold said there is "probable cause" to believe that the warehouse held evidence of "the possible adulteration, misbranding and counterfeiting of food products." [I keep coming across of reports of baby formula theft rings tied into with possible terrorist suspects. It's a bizarre thing. Is it just me, or is this a common occurrance?? - JC]
GKV Communications said it has been named agency of record for Martek Biosciences Corp.Sunspot.net, business, 17/1/2003

"GKV will handle advertising and media buying and planning for Columbia-based Martek, which developed and manufactures two polyunsaturated fatty acids that are licensed and sold to seven infant formula manufacturers and used in a variety of foods and beverages for people of all ages.

Billings for the account were not disclosed."
Baby milk manufacturers are violating international marketing code
"Monitoring compliance with the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes in west Africa: multisite cross sectional survey in Togo and Burkina Faso BMJ Volume 326, pp 127-130
Manufacturers of formula milk are violating the international code of marketing of breast milk substitutes in west Africa, say researchers in this week's BMJ.

Two survey teams monitored compliance with the code, adopted by the World Health Assembly in 1981 to ensure the proper use of breast milk substitutes. The study involved health facilities, sales outlets, distribution points, and the news media in Togo (a country without legislation on the marketing of breast milk substitutes) and Burkina Faso (which has such legislation)."

Thursday, January 16, 2003

Is Your Infant’s Nutrition Being Compromised by Cost? -- www1.internetwire.com

GORDONSVILLE, VA -- (INTERNET WIRE) -- 01/15/2003 -- "Baby formula that is more like breast milk is now available on store shelves. Last year the FDA approved the addition of DHA and ARA, two fatty acids, to infant formula, which had already been available in much of Europe and Asia over the past four years. Eventually the enriched formula is expected to replace non-DHA formula. But, even though sales are on the rise?these formulas are expensive increasing the cost of formula an average of 33% more per ounce. This is taking the annual cost of formula from $1,200 to $1,400."

[Note this WalMart news release comes complete with a video news release and b-roll footage including interviews with a mother expressing concern about the high cost of formula, and with a doctor representing the infant formula industry who talks about breastfeeding. It's a good study in marketing technique. When was the last time a pro-breastfeeding message went out via VNR? - JC]
Nestlé 'breaking code on baby milk for Third World'


By Jeremy Laurance Health Editor,

17 January 2003,


"Western companies including Nestlé and Danone are accused today of breaching an internationally agreed code on the promotion of baby milk in the developing world, which is contributing to the deaths of thousands of children.

Every 30 seconds, campaigners claim, a baby dies from unsafe bottle feeding. Yet despite the marketing code and an international boycott of the companies involved over more than 20 years, the trade continues....
The survey was conducted by Victor Aguayo and colleagues, and published in the British Medical Journal. The authors say urgent action is needed to ensure families get objective information on child feeding "at a time when it can mean the difference between life and death".

They add: "Infant mortality in Togo and Burkina Faso is among the highest in the world. Every year sub-optimal breast feeding is the underlying cause of an estimated 3,300 infant deaths in Togo (25 per cent of all-cause infant mortality) and over 6,200 infant deaths in Burkina Faso (11 per cent of all-cause infant mortality).""
Benefits of cod liver oil not an old wives tale
Clinnix, Wednesday, 15th January 2003

"Maybe your grandma was right about cod liver oil - research has shown that mothers who supplement their diet with cod liver oil while pregnant and breastfeeding are likely to have more intelligent children than mothers who don't take the supplement. The study, which is published in the online version of the journal Pediatrics, found that children whose mothers took cod liver oil while they were pregnant scored higher on mental tests at the age of four than children whose mothers had not taken the supplement. "
Mothers in Britain receive third lowest maternity pay in EU

By Matthew Beard

16 January 2003, The Independent


"Maternity pay in Britain is the third lowest in the European Union, a global study into state provision for new mothers reveals today....
The issue of state support for mothers is part of a drive to achieve a work-family balance being promoted by ministers. But sceptics claim the Government's family-friendly agenda is to highlight the working tax credit, child tax credit and better leave for parents planned for the Budget in April, eclipsing tax rises for the childless.

Karen Gadsden, 30 - 'I pleaded for an extra two weeks off'

In theory, Karen Gadsden, 30, had up to a year after the birth of her daughter, Cerys, to go back to her job as arts teacher at a west London school.

But she was forced by the family finances and cost of child care to drastically reduce the breastfeeding and go back to work. Her paid leave ran out after 18 weeks and, just as she was due to start at a school in Acton, her five-month-old daughter stopped eating. "I pleaded with the headmistress to give me another two weeks off [unpaid] and she agreed, probably because she has children of her own," said Ms Gadsden. "I eventually returned two days before the end of the summer term and was entitled to payment for the school holidays, which was lucky."

She returned part-time in September, dashing to the staff toilets between lessons to siphon off breast milk for use later. "I think it is hypocritical of the Government to promote the virtues of breast milk when the system doesn't make it realistic."

Wednesday, January 15, 2003

Study: New Moms Should Avoid Fries, Chips
Tue Jan 14, 6:12 PM ET,

By Ned Stafford ,

NUREMBERG (Reuters Health)
"Pregnant women and nursing mothers should sharply limit--or even cease--eating French fries, potato chips or other foods that contain the chemical acrylamide, according to study released Tuesday by German researchers.


The researchers said they issued the warning for pregnant women and nursing mothers because fetuses and newborn babies are particularly susceptible to the potential harmful effects of acrylamide, a possible carcinogen. The results of the study were to be broadcast nationwide Tuesday evening on a German television news program."

Friday, January 10, 2003

EnfaCare LIPIL Infant Formula Powder RecallNewsrelease: "EVANSVILLE, IND., January 9, 2003 -- Mead Johnson Nutritionals, in keeping with our commitment to provide safe and healthy nutritional products, is initiating a voluntary recall of 505 cases of EnfaCare LIPIL 12.9 ounce powdered infant formula. The cases and cans are coded BME01, with an expiration date of January 1, 2004 (embossed 1JAN04). This voluntary recall is being initiated because the product is contaminated with Enterobacter sakazakii (E. sakazakii). E. sakazakii, commonly found in the environment, is a food-borne pathogen that can, in rare cases, cause sepsis (bacteria in the blood), meningitis (inflammation of the lining of the brain), or necrotizing enterocolitis (severe intestinal infection) in newborn infants, particularly premature infants, or infants with weakened immune systems." [Formula recalls happen all the time - see how often by looking at this google search result window.
Google Search: infant formula recall - JC]

Wednesday, January 08, 2003

Breast milk may help control growing appetite
Kim Severson, Chronicle Staff Writer Wednesday, January 8, 2003, San Diego

"In the complex battle to halt the growing epidemic of childhood obesity, breast-feeding is emerging as a simple but apparently effective weapon.

Results of a study presented Tuesday at a statewide conference on childhood obesity shows that not only do breast-fed babies learn early on how to control their appetites, but they might also experience metabolic and hormonal changes that make them better equipped to maintain ideal weight later in life."

Tuesday, January 07, 2003

Breast-Feeding Simplified
Fri Dec 27,11:54 PM ET


FRIDAY, Dec. 27 (HealthScoutNews)

"There's a new Web site that makes it easier for women to overcome barriers to breast-feeding.


The site, called GotMom.org, was created by the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM), offers solutions to daily breast-feeding barriers such as acceptance, embarrassment and harassment...." [Gotmom.org, very cute. Has a lovely picture of a woman nursing a baby. I would have liked to see a mustache on a just-finished-nursing punch-drunk-smiling baby's face, but we can't always get what we want. :-) --JC]
Judge OKs bias suit over breast-feedingThe Sacramento Bee, By Edgar Sanchez -- Bee Staff Writer,
Published 2:15 a.m. PST Saturday, December 21, 2002

"A woman who contends she was harassed for breast-feeding her baby while working for the state Assembly can tell her story to a jury, a Sacramento judge ruled Friday.
...
Harper said her problems began in March 2001, after she gave birth to her first baby and returned to work in the travel office in Sacramento.

Acting on the advice of her doctor, she nursed her child for one-half hour at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. at the Assembly's day-care center. She also used a special nursing room set aside for women to pump milk.

In return, the suit said, Harper gave up her one-hour lunch break.

For three weeks, her bosses accommodated her nursing needs as required by law, the suit said.

But on April 10, 2001, she received a letter from Waldie asking her to restrict the nursing to lunch hour, the suit added."

Sunday, January 05, 2003

Infant formula gifts for New Years' babes "As the first baby, Hailey and her family received a special gift basket courtesy of the hospital containing a teddy bear, baby outfits, baby booties and several other goodies. The hospital also will provide diapers and formula for Hailey when she goes home." [This note, from a Texas newspaper, is typical of the reports of gifts given to literally thousands of New Years Babies across North America. I wonder if anybody has thought of doing a study on the rate of breastfeeding of New Years Babies? - JC]
Skin-tone study tests for vitamin D's secrets - smh.com.au
By Ruth Pollard, Health Writer
smh.com.au
January 3 2003


"Researchers at St George Hospital this year will undertake what is said to be the world's largest study of vitamin D levels in pregnant mothers and their newborn.

The study, which will test 1000 women and their babies over the next six months, aims to track the rate of vitamin D deficiencies in dark-skinned women compared with the broader population.
...
Dark-skin races did not photoactivate vitamin D as well as lighter-skinned people, and they released less vitamin D into breast milk, he said."

Star Telegram | 01/05/2003 | The how and why of milk donation Posted on Sun, Jan. 05, 2003
The how and why of milk donation
By Carolyn Poirot
Star-Telegram Staff Writer


Angela Plunkett says she began donating breast milk to the Mothers' Milk Bank at Austin because she was producing more than her daughter, Hannah, now 2, could consume -- and her freezer was full.

She resumed the time-consuming effort when Emma, now 8 months, was born.

"I had so much milk, I was uncomfortable," Plunkett says. "My first baby was a boy, and he would drink as much milk as I made. There was no over-production. But Hannah would nurse on one side and be satisfied, so I would pump the other side and freeze it for later, thinking production might slow down just when she started needing more."

But production remained high, and Plunkett already had a freezer full of milk in June 2000 when she saw a poster presentation on milk banking at a La Leche League area conference.

Friday, January 03, 2003

Sex makes your brain grow Globe and Mail,
POSTED AT 9:21 PM EST, Thursday, January 2 2002 " Mating triggers the development of new neurons in the smell centre of the brain, a finding researchers hope will provide clues on how to trick other parts of the vital organ to repair themselves after injuries caused by strokes or head traumas.

The possibility hinges on the discovery that a naturally occurring hormone called prolactin - production of which surges after sex and during pregnancy - prompts stem cells in the brain to produce new neurons in the brain's olfactory bulb.

"The importance of it, beyond the basic biology of stem cells, is the fact that prolactin may be an important neurogenic molecule that may have significant potential for generating new brain cells," said Samuel Weiss, an expert in neurological stem cell biology in the University of Calgary's faculty of medicine...." [Sex releases prolactin? Who knew... - JC]
Breastfeeding cuts pain for babiesBBC NEWS | Health | 3/1/2003

"Breastfeeding is the best form of pain relief for babies being given medical treatment, researchers have found.

They looked at how babies coped with the pain of having blood taken from a vein, a procedure called venepuncture.

Drugs are rarely used to help babies with the pain of this and other procedures because of concern over their effectiveness and possible side effects...."