Tuesday, March 08, 2005

Ivanhoe's Medical Breakthroughs - Study Shows Antidepressants Safe for Nursing Mothers
Reported March 8, 2005
Study Shows Antidepressants Safe for Nursing Mothers
By Amanda Jackson, Ivanhoe Health Correspondent
"ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Thirteen percent of women experience postpartum depression. Many breastfeeding women, however, elect to not take antidepressants because of fear of exposing the infant to the drug through her breast milk. Now, a new study presented at the annual meeting of the American Society for Clincial Pharmacology and Therapeutics in Orlando, Fla., shows antidepressants are safe for nursing mothers to take. Researcher Amy Lee, MSc, of the University of Toronto/Hospital for Sick Children, explains that previous short-term studies suggest there is minimal exposure of the drugs to nursing infants and they are not considered a risk. However, women become confused because their doctors often warn them of antidepressant use because of the lack of long-term neurodevelopmental studies. In fact, the American Association of Pediatrics states, 'Exposure to maternal psychotropic medications through the breast milk may be of concern to the nursing infant.'..."
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Breastfeeding 3-year-old is not a problem
Tuesday, March 08, 2005
BY DR. KENDALL SPROTT
For the Star-Ledger
"My grandson is almost 3 years old and still breastfeeding. My daughter-in-law doesn't seem to mind. She is a good mother, but I feel he's a little too old to be nursing. I've tried to gently raise the subject, but she just plays it off. I don't know if I should butt out. What do you think?
"Breast milk is the ideal food for babies and breastfeeding is the natural method of transferring the milk. Psychological advantages of breastfeeding benefit both the mother and child....Breastfeeding beyond the first year of life is not unusual and breast milk is still an excellent source of nutrition....As long as the mother feels comfortable in providing her breast, it is usually not a problem, psychologically, for either of them....The most important conclusion you made is that she is a good mother.... I suggest that you continue to be supportive and not try to discourage the activity...."
HeraldNet: Best for babies: "
Published: Tuesday, March 8, 2005
"By Debra Smith
Herald Writer
When Marlene Cooper's first child arrived, the 20-year-old mother was too stressed and overwhelmed to breast-feed. Julie Busch / The Herald
Marlene Cooper of Edmonds breast-feeds her 2-month-old daughter Domina. Cooper feels breast-feeding is beneficial for her daughter as well as their relationship. "You become a lot closer with the child. with bottle feeding you're not as close," Cooper said.The Edmonds woman was working at a fast food restaurant. The job, which she planned to return to, didn't exactly make pumping breast milk easy. Cooper, now 28, knows breast milk is better for babies and cheaper than formula. When she became pregnant with her second daughter last year she was determined to give breast-feeding a try. For Cooper, breast-feeding wasn't easy at first. She took her daughter home less than a day after she delivered. Like many babies, little Domina slept through most of her stay at the hospital, providing few opportunities for Cooper to master breast-feeding. Once she got home, Cooper's nipples cracked and bled. She sought help from a lactation specialist and learned her baby wasn't latching on properly....

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