Wednesday, June 25, 2003

Men can nurture children as well as women can

By CATHERINE SNYDER Tuesday, March 4, 2003

"One of our neighbors gave birth to preemie twins, a boy and girl, in January. We don't know the family well, but one day recently the woman called our house at wits' end: Her husband was working out of state and the twins had been crying for hours. Both babies are underweight and have severe digestive problems. One is too weak to breastfeed and is scheduled for heart surgery.

Could one of us come over to help? Did we have any formula?

My husband, John, took the call and told her he'd be right over. Before he left he asked me - in bed with a cold - where we keep our backup can of formula. "Are you sure you want to do this? I can go," I said, pulling the covers aside.

I surprised myself: Here I was falling back on gender stereotypes, as if a father would be less qualified than a mother to tend to screaming babies. But there it was: "I can go." Sniffle, sneeze.

John urged me to rest and tend to our son, Anthony, and then left with the formula and a pocketful of Mother's Milk tea bags; brewed, these are supposed to stimulate the flow of milk.

I followed half an hour later expecting to have to rescue John and our neighbor from pandemonium. Instead I found a picture of tranquillity: John sitting on a couch in the nursery with the girl fed and sleeping in his arms; the boy propped up beside him making healthy progress on a bottle of milk.

Our neighbor used the time to call the pediatrician, pump more breast milk, use the bathroom and compose herself. She was sleep-deprived, hungry and thirsty. She made many phone calls to friends and neighbors, trying to line up help for later. Some of these calls went to fathers.

As I learned, and as many new parents find out, men are every bit as nurturing as their partners are." [I want neighbours like this! - JC]

Monday, June 23, 2003

Babies Aren't the Only Beneficiaries of Breast-Feeding: "Babies Aren't the Only Beneficiaries of Breast-Feeding
Carrie Boretz for The New York Times

By LIZ GALST

"Breast is best' "— that is what health care providers and advocates tell mothers who are making decisions about how to feed their newborns.

What is usually meant by that statement is this: compared with bottle feeding, breast-feeding offers incomparable benefits to children, even to those fed that way for a relatively short time. Among the benefits are reduced risks of asthma, lymphoma, sudden infant death syndrome, meningitis, pneumonia, inflammatory bowel disease, allergies, infections, diarrhea and colds. In a majority of studies, breast-fed children have I.Q.'s 3 to 10 points higher than children who are nursed by the bottle. ..."
Taipei Times - archives: "Breastfeeding has many benefits, association says
By Melody Chen
STAFF REPORTER
Monday, Jun 23, 2003,Page 2

"'The purpose of the association is to create a friendly environment for breastfeeding in Taiwan.'

The Breastfeeding Association Taiwan (BAT)
President Chen Shui-bian's (³¯¤ô«ó) daughter Chen Hsing-yu (³¯©¯§±) shared the benefits of breastfeeding in an article posted on the Breastfeeding Association Taiwan (BAT) Web site, which will be launched on 29 June.

A founding member of the association pointed out yesterday that breastfeeding is not seen as being trendy in this country and that the promotion of the practice faced many obstacles.

The BAT has 172 members -- most of them are intellectuals and 16 of them are males. Chen Hsing-yu is an honorable member, the association said."..."

Sunday, June 22, 2003

Art for breastfeeding friendly shops
Express & Star News, Stafford
Report by Caroline Redley
Jun 21, 2003, 09:14:00

The artwork of five Staffordshire high school students is to be showcased in shops and businesses which have being officially declared as "breastfeeding friendly".

The pupils from King Edward VI High School in Highfields, Stafford, have come up with the winning sticker which will now be produced and handed out to all those places which allow breastfeeding.

Between them Laura Forster, Ellie Jenkins, Emma Wymer, Jade Seva and Jessica Baker, who are all in Year 10, have designed a sticker which carries a distinctive big tick logo and the words "freedom to feed".

Friday, June 06, 2003

Yahoo! News - Chubby Babies at Risk for Staying That Way Chubby Babies at Risk for Staying That Way
Thu Jun 5, 5:37 PM ET
Add Health - Reuters to My Yahoo!

By Eric Sabo

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Fat babies may be happy babies, but infants who put on pounds too quickly are more likely to be overweight as adults, according to a new study.



Research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (news - web sites) suggests that newborns who have bulked up by 4 months of age are twice as likely to tip the scales 20 years later when compared to babies who gain weight more slowly.