Milk banks -- human milk for those in need

Birth Issues Summer 2004
by Jodine Chase
"Pop your head into the freezer of any breastfeeding mother and you'll spot a few bags or bottles of expressed breastmilk. Even stay-at-home, 24-7 moms have faced the possibility of separation from an exclusively breastmilk fed infant, and most express milk and set it aside in case the need arises. Some wind up with freezers full, literally. And what do you do with a freezer full of breast milk after baby has weaned? Twenty years ago in Edmonton, that milk could be donated to the University Hospital's breast milk bank. Today? From time to time donation requests are carried via Edmonton's lactating underground and women empty their freezers to meet the need. In recent years women have offered donor milk for a baby whose mom was unexpectedly hospitalized, for a cancer patient unable to tolerate any other food, and for a foster baby failing to thrive...."

Probiotic May Block HIV from Breast Milk
Tue 25 May, 2004 21:51
By Karla Gale
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)
"Lactobacillus, a benign gut microbe that helps prevent more serious infections such as diarrhea in children, could become a weapon in the war on AIDS. Colonizing an infant's digestive tract with the so-called 'probiotic' may protect them from being infected with HIV present in breast milk, according to a report at the American Society for Microbiology general meeting in New Orleans. With the success of treating HIV-infected mothers before delivery to prevent transmission of the virus to the baby, breast-feeding is now the major route by which infants do become infected in Africa..."

Ivanhoe's Medical Breakthroughs - Preemies Need More Breast Milk
Reported May 24, 2004
(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Premature infants born in multiple births aren;t getting their fair share of breast milk, say researchers publishing in the May/June issue of Ambulatory Pediatrics. That's important because these babies are often at the greatest risk for medical problems and need to have the optimal nutrition that only breast milk can provide.Researchers compared the breastfeeding behaviors of mothers who had full-term multiple births, full-term singleton births, pre-term singleton births, and pre-term multiple births. They were encouraged when they found full-term multiples -- twins or triplets -- were just about as likely to receive breast milk as full or pre-term singleton births...."

Control on breast milk substitutes urged

China Daily
2004-05-21 06:32
"An allout war against fake powdered milk has been launched across China following the deaths of 12 babies from malnutrition in Fuyang, in East China's Anhui Province. Investigations have revealed the infants, aged between four and six months, died after being fed milk powder with little, if any, nutritional value. As a result of consuming these products, More than 100 other infants in Fuyang are suffering from 'big head disease,' so-called because their heads grew abnormally large, while their torsos, arms and legs were reduced to skin and bone...."

No nipples, please we're British
Breastfeeding film censored
ELEANOR COWIE
May 21 2004
"IT lasts only five seconds, and the offending item is hardly shocking in a world where films now consist almost entirely of sex scenes. But a brief promotional film encouraging people to vote in the European elections has been censored in Britain to spare viewers from a glimpse of bare nipple.The advert begins screening in 2200 cinemas around the country next Friday, but the opening shot of a breast-feeding baby has been deemed too shocking for British eyes...."

Boston Medical Center awarded grant to support breastfeeding
Posted By: News-Medical in Miscellaneous News
Published: Wednesday, 19-May-2004
"The Breastfeeding Center at Boston Medical Center (BMC) has been awarded a $40,000 grant from the Trustees of the Theodore Edson Parker Foundation to help support the Hospital Education of Lactation Practices (HELP) Lowell Program.

An innovative, education-based program, HELP Lowell aims to raise breastfeeding rates among new mothers, with a focus on women from minority and impoverished backgrounds. Lowell has the third lowest breastfeeding rate of any city in Massachusetts.
"

Discovery Channel :: News :: Breast Baring Popular in 1600s
By Jennifer Viegas, Discovery News
May 17, 2004
"Women of the 1600s, from queens to prostitutes, commonly exposed one or both breasts in public and in the popular media of the day, according to a study of fashion, portraits, prints, and thousands of woodcuts from 17th-century ballads. The finding suggests breast exposure by women in England and in the Netherlands during the 17th century was more accepted than it is in most countries today. Researchers, for example, say Janet Jackson's Super Bowl baring would not even have raised eyebrows in the 17th century...."

Health Check: 'Aids has brought the makers of formula milk a marketing opportunity to die for'

By Jeremy Laurance
17 May 2004
Independent.co.uk
"It used to be so simple. Breast was best. No argument, no dispute, end of story. And when manufacturers of baby milk infant formula, such as Nestle, started promoting their products in the developing world it provoked an outcry which reverberates today. A study published in The Lancet confirms 20 years of research showing that breast is best. Bottle feeding, research shows, may have led to the early deaths of thousands of children in the West. But the role of breast feeding in the developing world is even more important...." [ Addresses problems with use of formula to prevent AIDS in third-world countries; briefly notes Durban research on exclusive bf. - JC ]

Guardian Unlimited | The Guardian | Bottle-fed babies 'face higher risk of heart death'
Sarah Boseley, health editor
Friday May 14, 2004
The Guardian

"Decades of bottle-feeding babies may have left a costly legacy, in both human and financial terms, of a generation of adults at higher risk of death and disability from heart disease and stroke than they should be, according to research published today. The paper, published in the Lancet, one of the world's leading medical journals, establishes beyond doubt that breastfed babies become healthier adults...." [Hurray for headline writers! - Jodine]

BBC NEWS | Health | Breast-feeding 'cuts heart risk'
Health experts say breastfeeding is best for mother and baby
"Scientists have found further evidence that being breast-fed reduces a person's risk of developing heart disease as an adult. Institute of Child Health researchers examined over 200 teenagers whose feeding had been studied as babies. The study, published in the Lancet, found those who were breast-fed had healthier cholesterol levels than those who were bottle-fed. It was also linked to reduced levels of a protein linked to clogged arteries.... "

Survey - Serious misunderstandings about breastfeeding

Posted By: News-Medical in Women's Health News
Published: Monday, 10-May-2004

"A survey published today by The UK Department of Health for National Breastfeeding Awareness Week (9 - 15 May) shows that serious misunderstandings may be stopping women, particularly young women, from breastfeeding. Although the benefits of breastfeeding are well known, the UK has one of the lowest breastfeeding rates in Europe. Almost a third of women (29%) in England and Wales never try to breastfeed compared to 2% in Sweden. Younger women in particular are less likely to breastfeed with over 40% of mothers under 24 never trying. The new survey of 1000 women shows:

Myth: Over a third (34%) of women believe that modern infant formula milks are very similar or the same as breast milk

Fact: Infant formula milk does not contain the antibodies, living cells, enzymes or hormones present in breastmilk. Breastmilk is designed for each individual baby and changes over time whereas infant formula milk is designed for every baby...."

Breastfeeding mother told to take case to WHO
Top Stories from NZCity
Mother advised to take case to WHO after being asked to take her son out of preschool because she breastfed him
14 May 2004

" A mother whose three-year-old son was kicked out of preschool after she was seen breastfeeding him has been advised to take her case to the World Health Organisation. Julie Guest from La Leche League, an organisation which promotes breastfeeding, says WHO advises breast feeding till the age of at least two, and beyond that if possible....
"

Scotsman.com News - Latest News - Babyfood Companies 'Breaking Breastfeeding Code'

By Ju-Lin Tan, PA News
Thurday, May 13, 2004
"Efforts to increase breast-feeding rates are being hampered by wide-spread baby food marketing malpractice, a health campaign group warned today. Many company promotions are in violation of the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitute but are currently permitted by UK law, according to the International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN)...."

The New York Times > Business > Media & Advertising >Ad Council Changes Its Strategy
By NAT IVES
Published: May 6, 2004
New York Times
"THE Advertising Council has often depended on serendipity to shepherd its public service campaigns to the right audiences. With no budget to buy commercial time, print ads or billboard space, the group distributes campaign materials to media outlets nationwide - and then hopes the campaigns are used. But the Ad Council has switched tactics this year, asking big media conglomerates for the first time for specific donations of time and space for months ahead. The first round of negotiations has produced media commitments valued at $250 million from companies including Clear Channel Communications, the United States division of Hachette Filipacchi Media and theMeredith Corporation." [When the breastfeeding campaign is finally released, it looks like the new Ad Council placement strategy could mean broader reach. - JC]

These very sweet photos are floating around on the 'net. - JC

Breast-fed babies more likely to survive
The Globe and Mail
By ANDRÉ PICARD
PUBLIC HEALTH REPORTER
Thursday, May 6, 2004 - Page A21
"Breast-fed babies are significantly less likely to die in the first year of life than those who are formula-fed, even in prosperous countries such as the U.S. and Canada, according to a new study. Researchers in the U.S. found that breast-fed babies were less likely to die of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), infectious diseases and even injuries. Overall, their mortality was about 21 per cent lower, but the longer a newborn breast-fed, the lower the child's risk of dying prematurely."

Phuket Gazette - online English newspaper for Phuket, Thailand,: "Milkmaid of human kindness
BANGKOK: You won't find many 71-year-old women bragging about their bosoms, but a fortune teller in Bangkok recently invited reporters to squeeze her breasts to prove that they were filled with milk. And not just any old milk. The woman, whose chest measures an impressive 38 inches, claims to have an abundant supply of "supernatural" milk that can ease pain, cure paralysis and ward off black magic...."

Breast cancer charity rejects Nestlé's £1m: "

Independent.co.uk
By Maxine Frith, Social Affairs Correspondent
06 May 2004
"A leading breast cancer charity has rejected a £1 million promotional deal with the food giant Nestlé because of ethical concerns over the company's promotion of formula baby milk in the Third World. Breakthrough Breast Cancer has decided not to profit from an offer by Nestlé, which has been accused of repeatedly breaching an international code banning the marketing of baby milk in developing countries. Every 30 seconds a baby diesbecause of contaminated water in a bottle-feed of formula milk..."

Campaign highlights benefits of breastfeeding
4NI - Northern Ireland On The Internet
5 May 2004
"The Health Promotion Agency (HPA) has launched a campaign aimed at highlighting the benefits of breastfeeding to mothers in Northern Ireland. The campaign aims to raise public awareness about the health benefits for both baby and mother, and to normalise breastfeeding so it becomes socially acceptable in the province. Research carried out by the HPA shows that over one third of people in Northern Ireland consider breastfeeding to be embarrassing and over half feel breastfeeding should not be seen in public..."

Mothers encouraged to breastfeed premature babies
05/05/2004. ABC News Online
Wednesday, May 5, 2004. 7:43am (AEST)
A visiting American paediatrician is urging Australian hospitals to encourage mothers to breastfeed very premature babies...."

Breastfeeding Helps Health Even Later in Life
"Study Links Breastfeeding to Lower Stress, Anxiety Levels in Adulthood
By Charlene Laino
WebMD Medical Reference 
Reviewed By Brunilda  Nazario, MD
on Tuesday, May 04, 2004

May 4, 2004 (New York City) -- There's more good news about breastfeeding. A new study shows that as little as one month of breastfeeding in infancy results in less physical and psychological problems when these infants become adults. Breastfeeding is linked to many postitive effects on infant health, such as increased size and growth, and it is possible that some of these benefits impact on later psychological well-being, says Iracema Leroi, MD, an honorary lecturer in the department of psychiatry at the University of Manchester in the U.K. Its positive impacts on bonding and cognitive development also probably play major roles in reducing stress later in life, she explains. The study was presented here at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association. In the study , those who were breastfed for at least one month reported less stress, anxiety, depression, and other psychological problems in adulthood than those who were bottle-fed or breastfed for less than a month. 'Males in particular suffered lower stress later in life,' says Leroi. She tells WebMD that the study is particularly important because of 'its very rich database.'..."

Breastfeeding Mothers Taking Martek's DHA Results in Better Sustained Attention in Children
Data Presented at Pediatric Academic Societies' Meeting
COLUMBIA, Md., May 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Martek Biosciences Corporation (Nasdaq: MATK) announced today that a study presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies' Annual Meeting in San Francisco, California, showed that five-year-old children whose mothers received a 200mg dose of Martek's docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) for the first 4 months of breastfeeding performed better on a test of sustained attention than those whose mothers received a placebo. DHA is an essential fatty acid naturally present in breast milk, and a key building block of the developing infant's brain and
visual system. American women's breast milk levels of DHA are among the lowest in the world because of low DHA intake in the diet. Supplementation of DHA during breastfeeding elevates these levels...."

Protein in human milk reduces risk of obesity
"News-Medical.net
Protein in human milk reduces risk of obesity
By: News-Medical
Published: Monday, 3-May-2004
Researchers at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center have conducted the first study to detect the presence of a protein in human milk that may explain the association between breastfeeding and reduced risk of obesity later in life. The protein is adiponectin, which is secreted by fat cells and affects how the body processes sugars and lipids -- fatty substances in the blood. It's been suggested that adiponectin is involved in the metabolic syndrome, which includes insulin resistance, obesity, type 2 diabetes and coronary artery disease and occurs in 20-25 percent of adults. Higher levels of adiponectin have been associated with less disease. If adiponectin is present in human milk, the Cincinnati Children's researchers theorized, the protein could have an influence over the metabolic 'programming' of infants. That is, it could affect adiposity, or 'fatness,' later in life...."

Overweight moms have trouble nursing
By KATHLEEN DOHENY HealthDay
May. 3, 2004 05:45 PM


Overweight new mothers are more likely to quit breast-feeding early or not try it at all, and now researchers have found a reason why.

Women who are heavy have a diminished response to their baby's suckling, and this can adversely affect milk production, said Kathleen M. Rasmussen, a professor of nutrition at Cornell University and lead author of the study, which appears in the May issue of Pediatrics.
"

Breastfeeding helps against low weight infants and infection

By: News-Medical

Published: Saturday, 1-May-2004

A new study shows that human milk protects extremely low birth weight infants from developing sepsis -- an overwhelming infection and a leading cause of illness and death in these tiny babies. In fact, the more human milk given as a percentage of nutritional intake, the lower the risk of sepsis during the hospital stay, according to the researchers from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center."

HIV test after wrong woman's breast milk given to baby
By: News-Medical

Published: Saturday, 1-May-2004
"An Australian hospital has been forced to test a baby for HIV, hepatitis and other infectious diseases after she was given the wrong woman's breast milk.

Doctors at Bankstown hospital in Sydney's west have finally written to mother Magdalena Guevarra, confirming her five-week-old daughter Madeleine is free from such infections following the mix-up a month ago...."

Breastfed Babies Less Likely to Die, Study Finds (washingtonpost.com)
By Rob Stein
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, May 3, 2004; Page A03
"Breastfeeding appears to reduce significantly the chances that babies will die in their first year of life, researchers reported yesterday. An analysis of a nationally representative sample of about 9,000 U.S. babies found that breastfeeding decreased the risk of dying from any cause by about 20 percent, the researchers reported.... "