FOXNews.com - Views - Junk Science - Polluted People?
"Friday, April 30, 2004
By Steven Milloy
California State Sen. Deborah Ortiz, D-Sacramento, is pushing legislation intended to scare Californians about their own bodies. Doing the bidding of environmental extremists, apparently, is more important to Sen. Ortiz than the health and welfare of her constituents. In March, Sen. Ortiz introduced California Sen. Bill 1168, requiring the monitoring of chemicals in the bodies and breast milk of Californians. This 'biomonitoring' bill passed the Senate Environmental Quality Committee last week. The bill calls for examination by June 2006 of breast milk for the presence of chemical contaminants in three economically, racially and geographically diverse communities...."

HK set for great milk sale to mainland visitors - APRIL 30, 2004
Straits Times

"HONG KONG - The spate of fake milk powder scandals in China looks set to generate windfalls for Hong Kong retailers who have stocked up on infant formula before legions of expected buyers from the mainland come here for holidays next week...."

The Australian: Breastfeeding 'reduces SIDS risk' [April 29, 2004]: "Breastfeeding 'reduces SIDS risk'
By Louise Perry
April 29, 2004

AFTER years of debate Melbourne researchers have come closer to proving breastfeeding reduces a baby's chances of dying from SIDS.

A baby's difficulty in waking up is thought to be one of the main factors in Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.

The Monash University researchers found two to three-month-old babies who were breastfed woke up more easily than babies of the same age who were fed with formula.

The research, published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood, studied 43 healthy babies who had been breastfed or formula fed, and looked at how readily they woke from their two basic sleep states - quiet sleep and active sleep. Active sleep is a deep sleep when dreaming occurs and usually kicks in towards the morning, which is when babies normally succumb to SIDS."

High-tech hospitals fail babies - BreakingNews - http://www.theage.com.au:
April 27, 2004 - 6:05PM
"High-tech western hospitals were failing premature babies by making it difficult for mothers to breastfeed, a breastfeeding medicine expert said. Professor Jane Morton is one of the world's first directors of a department of Breastfeeding Medicine, at the Stanford University School of Medicine in California. Speaking from the United States ahead of a visit to Australia to speak to breastfeeding advocates, Prof Morton said her position should exist at all big universities and hospitals...."

'Over the last 10 years or so the research that shows the benefits of breastmilk and the risks of formula, particularly for pre-term babies, is stronger,' Prof Morton said."

saStar Telegram | 04/20/2004 | Donated mothers' milk helps sick babies thrive: "Posted on Tue, Apr. 20, 2004
By Jan Jarvis
Star-Telegram Staff Writer
"When William Daley was born prematurely on March 8, he weighed only 2 pounds 6 ounces.
He turned 6 weeks old Monday, and little William is getting bigger by the day, thanks in part to breast milk donated by a stranger because his mother could not produce it.'We're absolutely thrilled and blessed to have this option for our son,' said his mother, Carol Daley of Arlington. 'We're very thankful that women are willing to do this....The Fort Worth Milk Bank -- a consortium involving Cook Children's Medical Center, Harris Methodist Fort Worth hospital and Baylor All Saints Medical Center-- will be located in the Child Study Center. The bank, which is in the final stages of becoming a nonprofit organization, has collection sites in Bedford and Plano.'" [A second milk bank in Texas, yay! - JC]

No evidence that breastfeeding makes maternal HIV worse
"26 April 2004
Michael Carter
AIDSMAP.com
"Breastfeeding is not detrimental to the health of HIV-positive mothers, according to a study published in the April 30th edition of AIDS. Investigators in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, conducted a prospective cohort study involving 698 HIV-positive mothers between 1995 and 1997. The study was undertaken because earlier studies had produced conflicting evidence about the risk of maternal HIV disease progression after breastfeeding..."

Children's Health - Breast milk proteins may cause colic - Medical Posting
[Headlines in medical reports covering this research are unfortunate - see example below. - JC]

"Breast milk proteins may cause colic
Medical Posting
April 24, 2004
Mom's diet that excludes cow's milk, eggs and other foods reduces crying

Colic in breast-fed newborns may happen because the baby is sensitive to proteins in the mother's diet that are excreted in her breast milk...
"

Alcohol and Breastfeeding
alcoholism.about.com

Mothers Receive Conflicting Advice About Safe Practices

Mothers who breastfeed are receiving conflicting advice, on and off the Internet, about whether it's okay for them to consume alcohol without affecting their babies.

When About Pregnancy and Birth Guide Robin Weiss asked me to research this subject for her World Breastfeeding Week Special, I thought, no problem."

Last-born sextuplet becomes first to go home from hospital
Beacon Journal | 04/20/2004 |
"Lucy Arlene Hanselman has left the building!
"Lucky Lucy'' was outfitted in a special yellow dress Tuesday to leave the hospital, the first of Ohio's first sextuplets to go home. She and Isabella Jean, Sophia Ivy, Kyle Allen, Logan James and Alex Edwin were born Feb. 26 to Jennifer and Keith Hanselman at Akron General Medical Center. The babies arrived via Caesarean section, all in the same minute. They were born at 28 weeks, old enough to survive, but premature enough to create a great deal of worry. Now, those worries are beginning to evaporate, beginning with Lucky Lucy, as workers in the neonatal intensive care unit at Children's Hospital nicknamed her. In the next several days, each of her five siblings could graduate from the hospital to the Hanselman home in Cuyahoga Falls. "We thought the first to go home would have been one of the boys,'' Jennifer said. But Lucy turned out to be the one who was doing the best,'' she continued, with her daughter nuzzling in her arms. ``She's a good bottle feeder.''...So why was Lucy first? "It's fundamentally when babies who are born premature have the ability to maintain good body temperatures, eat by mouth and have a mature breathing drive, which Lucy has,'' Kokomoor said. Lucy is belting down about eight bottles a day. Each contains a little less than 2 ounces. That's big doings for someone as tiny as Lucy. Once home, her parents plan to keep her close to the hospital's routine. That means feedings every three hours. "She (Lucy) usually sleeps in between. Feeding is a big job,'' Jennifer said knowingly. Jennifer and Keith regularly help with feedings at the hospital -- Jennifer during the day and Keith at night. Jennifer -- who had pumped breast milk for the sextuplets the first six weeks -- now uses NeoSure, a formula for premature babies that was donated by Similac."

Avoid feeding infants fluoridated water, researchers cautionBy: News-Medical.net
Published: Friday, 23-Apr-2004
"Infant formulas prepared with fluoridated water increase dental fluorosis risk, according to the April 2004 Journal of the American College of Nutrition(1) and other studies. To prevent this tooth staining, researchers caution against mixing infant formulas with fluoridated water. Fluorosis, white-spotted, yellow or brown stained, sometimes pitted or crumbly teeth, is the too-late warning sign that babies overdosed on fluoride. Neither a nutrient nor essential to health, fluoride, can also damage bones.(1a) ...
"

Decline in breastfeeding rates undermines children's development, says UNICEF: "    GENEVA, April 23 (Xinhuanet) -- The United Nations Children's Fund(UNICEF) said Friday that the recent milk powder infant deaths in China appear to confirm trends of decreasing breastfeeding patterns in China, which may have significant long-term impacts on the physical and intellectual development of children.

    UNICEF expressed its sincerest condolences to the families of the 13 infants who died from the consumption of tainted powdered milk and warned that the problem is believed to be more serious and widespread with some 45 milk-producing companies being included in a warning list by the Food and Drugs Administration of China.

    While there is extensive scientific evidence that breastmilk is the best for infants, especially during the first months of life, exclusive breastfeeding rates during the first four months of life in China have been declining from around 76 percent in 1998 to 64 percent at the present time, the UN agency said.
"

The Daily Telegraph | Not the breast way
By ZOE TAYLOR Medical Reporter
Daily Telegraph
April 23, 2004
"ONLY a tiny proportion of babies in NSW are being exclusively breastfed to the recommended age of six-months..."

NEWS.com.au | Fake baby milk scandal worsens (April 23, 2004)From correspondents in Beijing
news.com.au
April 23, 2004
"TWO companies linked to a fake baby milk powder scam in which dozens of babies have died or fallen ill are being investigated as the scandal widened today with new cases emerging. In a sign that more babies could be affected, local newspapers in at least eight provinces reported the discovery of dangerous infant formula with little or no nutritional value. According to hospitals in Fuyang, Anhui province,171 171 infants have suffered malnutrition since May last year after being fed with milk powder containing just a fraction of the recommended amounts of protein and other nutrients...."

Chinese babies die from drinking fake milk

"Associated Press, Apr 20
SHANGHAI, China — Dozens of infants in eastern China have died from malnutrition after being fed fake milk formula with virtually no nutritional value, state media reported Tuesday.
The widely reported deaths prompted demands from Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao for a 'thorough investigation and severe punishment' of the formula's manufacturers, according to the website of the official China Daily and other media...."

Martek and DSM Enter Into New Agreement on Arachidonic Acid Production, Supply and R&DMonday April 19, 9:18 am ET
"COLUMBIA, Md. and DELFT, Netherlands, April 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Martek Biosciences Corporation (Nasdaq: MATK - News) and DSM Food Specialties B.V. (DSM) today announced that they have entered into a new agreement extending the existing relationship between the two companies involving the production and supply of arachidonic acid (ARA). ARA is a long-chain fatty acid which, in combination with docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), supports infant brain development. Under this agreement, the companies will increase production of ARA, cross license certain intellectual property relating to ARA, and perform joint research and development to expand applications for ARA...."

Fluid could help preemies thrive
WFAA.com | News for Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas | Health/Science
06:45 AM CDT on Friday, April 16, 2004
By JANET ST. JAMES / WFAA-TV
"When babies are born prematurely, one of the challenges is getting them to tolerate breast milk or formula. New research mimicking nature may help overcome that challenge...."

Nutritionist Barbara Schneeman Named to FDA Post

UC Davis News & Information
April 15, 2004
"UC Davis nutrition professor Barbara Schneeman has been appointed to lead the Office of Nutritional Products, Labeling and Dietary Supplements within the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. Beginning May 3 in her new position, she will oversee the development of policy and regulations for dietary supplements, nutrition labeling and food standards, infant formula and medical foods...."

Valley Advocate: Feeding Frenzy
: "Feeding Frenzy
How big business and politics conspire against breastfeeding mothers
by Maureen Turner - April 15, 2004
" A couple of months before your due date, you sign up for a childbirth class. In addition to the usual stuff -- practicing diaper changes on a much-handled rubber doll, sitting on the floor with your partner breathing your way through make-believe contractions -- there's a special session on feeding your baby. You can sign up for one of two classes: breastfeeding or bottle-feeding. You pick breastfeeding. The night of the class, the instructor asks each mom-to-be to introduce herself and say what she's looking forward to about nursing; most say bonding with their babies. A few women have brought along husbands or partners. They don't say much, except for one guy, who wears a fanny pack and looks about a half-generation older than his wife. He talks about how his mother didn't breastfeed him and how glad he is that his wife plans to breastfeed their baby...."

CNN.com - Cows eat herring for new milk - Apr 14, 2004
Wednesday, April 14, 2004 Posted: 1405 GMT (2205 HKT)
Canada's Neilson Dairy sells the new DHA-enhanced milk.
" WINNIPEG, Manitoba (Reuters) -- Some landlocked Canadian cows are enjoying a little seafood with their hay and grain so they can produce a new kind of milk being touted for its benefits for the brain, eyes and nerves. The milk, produced by herring-fed cows in Ontario, provides a fatty acid also common in salmon, trout and mackerel to diets of people who don't eat enough fish, said Larry Milligan, a researcher at the University of Guelph, which developed the milk...."

VOANews.com - WHO, UNICEF Launch Strategy to Encourage BreastfeedingSteve Baragona
Washington
12 Apr 2004, 22:49 UTC
"UNICEF and the World Health Organization have launched a global strategy to encourage breastfeeding. Currently, UNICEF figures show only 39 percent of mothers exclusively breastfeed their children for the first six months of life. The new action plan aims to double that figure over the next decade. Experts say breastfeeding makes for healthier babies. Mother's milk provides the best nutrition, and protects babies from diseases. But UNICEF's Miriam Labbok notes that the aggressive international marketing of infant formula has contributed to the decline of breastfeeding. ..."

PRESS RELEASE: Toilets and Breastfeeding…not a Clean Flush According to New Heights, Inc

"Hundreds of women across the country are being directed into filthy and unsanitary restrooms in order to breastfeed their babies. With little or no alternative, women often use restroom stalls designed specifically for individuals with disabilities or they leave the establishment altogether.


(PRWEB) April 13, 2004--Many public establishments across the country have yet to build “family rooms” that provides a gender friendly space where parents and guardians can tend to the care of their children. As a result, a small company located in Northern Virginia is on a giant mission to change those statistics.

As a single mom and part owner of New Heights, Inc., Ronna Stockard suggests that, “Any establishment can set aside as little as 200 square feet of space in order to accommodate a multitude of family care needs.” She went on to say that, “Fathers are especially frustrated by the lack of gender friendly facilities that are clean and safe for them to use as well....”
"

When Mom can't, or won't, breast-feed, firm has option
(Free registration required)
Chicago Tribune
By Martin Patience
Columbia News Service
Published April 11, 2004

"NEW YORK -- The Web site for Certified Household Staffing appears like a throwback to Victorian times, when the moneyed classes hired teams of servants. The site sports images of butlers with bow ties, nannies in black and white uniforms and gamekeepers dressed in tweeds. But the agency offers another service associated with times long past: wet nurses. Robert Feinstock, 65, the owner of the Beverly Hills, Calif., company, believes his business is one of the few in the United States that offer wet nurses, or women who suckle other people's children. He says he provides a needed service to mothers who want their children to thrive on breast milk but for whatever reason are unable to perform the task themselves....
"

NEWS.com.au | Drugs give women no relief (April 12, 2004)
By Sue Dunlevy
April 12, 2004
news.com.au
"PETHIDINE, one of the most widely used painkillers in childbirth, does little to reduce the pain of labour and may hinder early breastfeeding. A review of studies of the effectiveness of the drug has found it sedates women enduring the agony of childbirth, rather than relieving their pain. A Thai study in 2002 found only 23.8 per cent of women claimed pethidine provided effective pain relief in labour, according to an article in Australian Prescriber."

By JOAN LOWY
Scripps Howard News Service
April 08, 2004
"Maine is about to become the first state to ban a widely used flame retardant that has been found in the breast milk of American and European women and that studies show is accumulating rapidly in people, wildlife and the environment. A bill approved this week by the Maine legislature bans the sale of products containing the brominated flame retardant known as deca beginning Jan. 1, 2008. The ban is contingent on a finding by the state Department of Environmental Protection and the legislature that safer alternatives are available...."

Avoid Feeding Babies Fluoridated Water, Researchers Caution
Posted by NYS Coalition Opposed to Fluoridation on Friday April 9, 2004 at 3:33 am MST
"New York - April 2204 - Infant formulas prepared with fluoridated water increase dental fluorosis risk, according to the April 2004 Journal of the American College of Nutrition(1) and other studies. To prevent this tooth staining, researchers caution against mixing infant formulas with fluoridated water...."

New row: Nova presenter Kate Langbroek.


Kate's new breastfeeding row
Kate Langbroek breastfeeding in public has caused another storm
08apr04

THERE was drama at Seven Stones in St Kilda yesterday when radio host Kate Langbroek was asked to stop breastfeeding her baby in the restaurant.

Langbroek was flabbergasted at My Restaurant Rules contestant Peter Georgas's request that she move to the lounge area to feed little Lewis Lewis, after she had finished her meal...
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,9219845%255E2902,00.html

Woman buys car after selling her breast milk
Ananova
March 31, 2004
"A woman who has sold over 500 litres of her breast milk since last May, has bought a car with the income. Anette Lie was paid 11 pounds per litre and has made a total of 5,275 pounds, says Nettavisen quoting the Kanal 24 radio station."