Natural Family News

Many of you may have seen the recent article about Kati Kim who was lost in the Oregon snow for 9 days with her 7 month old and 4 year old. What you may not have read was that Mrs. Kim kept her children alive by breastfeeding them after food ran out. She was already nursing her 7 month old daughter, but she also nursed her 4 year old daughter prior to being rescued. Doctors have said that it is very likely that the breast milk made the difference between life and death for the two girls.

Unfortunately, Mr. Kim did not survive. Please be praying for the mother of these young girls at this time. Additional information on help for the family is available here.

Women on the popular blog site LiveJournal are calling foul at the company’s decision to brand images of breastfeeding as ‘inappropriate.’ Many users of the site have joined together to urge LiveJournal’s parent company SixApart to address their concerns and reevaluate the policy.

Small “userpics” of no more than 100 by 100 pixels represent LiveJournal members throughout the site. Users can define one of these icons as “default icon” which plugs it into the user’s public profile. These default icons were originally not permitted to be ‘sexually explicit or graphically violent.’ Recently, icons which depicted breastfeeding were cited as being ‘inappropriate’ by the LiveJournal abuse team, a group of volunteers who monitor complaints on the site. After clarification was requested, LiveJournal changed their FAQ to reflect a no nudity rule and is claiming that icons with visible areola or nipple are not permitted. Whether or not areola is visible in a photograph is dependent on a number of factors, including skin tone of the mother and physical changes during pregnancy.

Claimed Live Journal Abuse Staffer ‘Erin’ in a post on the site, “That’s really a matter for the FCC to decide. LiveJournal’s policies on this mirror what would be allowed on primetime TV or in a PG-13 movie.” However, this is not true. The FCC does not consider the act of breastfeeding on television to fall under the definitions of indecency or obscenity.

Breastfeeding is exempt from nudity laws throughout the United States as well as countries such as Canada. Advocates are urging LiveJournal to adopt the same criteria. “It is regrettable that LiveJournal has chosen to target breastfeeding mothers instead of standing up for the protection provided them by law,” says Carrie Patterson, executive director of ProMom.org, a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing public awareness and public acceptance of breastfeeding. Advocates state that the feeling that breastfeeding should be hidden only fosters the idea that the natural act of nourishing a child is scandalous.

Breastfeeding bloggers who have refused to change their default icon have been suspended from the site. These users, as well as others questioning the policy, have been treated poorly by the site’s volunteer abuse team, something that is not unusual according to other site users.

More than 1,000 LiveJournal users complained, and SixApart issued an apology to the group. However, the company refuses to consider modifying their policy and continues to suspend users whose default icons are deemed inappropriate. Although LiveJournal stated a clarified rule, mothers are still reporting major inconsistencies in its application.

The breastfeeding debacle is only the most recent in a long line of incidents that have people wondering if the abuse procedures as a whole should be reviewed for fairness and propriety. Complaints have been raised about users’ privacy, inconsistent enforcement of the Terms of Service, conflicting information and responses from abuse team members, and discourteous replies to users seeking clarification on the rules.

Activists are now working together to get this policy changed and to clarify the policies and procedures of the LiveJournal abuse team. While some are refusing to continue paying for the service, others have moved to different journaling websites to protest what they feel is a violation of their rights. For more information, contact Carrie Patterson at 678-513-6329 or carrie@promom.org or visit Pro Mom for more information.

Information on the specific user default icons that were deemed inappropriate by LiveJournal and SixApart can be found in This Gallery. All icons presented in this gallery are used with permission of the creators.

Filipino mothers are hoping to set a Guiness World Record on May 4th when they gather at a stadium for a group nurse. The current record is held by a group of Berkley, California moms and was set in 2001. The organizers hope to encourage more mother to breastfeed.

SearchMothers.com, an interactive online monthly magazine, which focuses on motherhood, spotlights the issue of nursing in public this month.

Lumberton, NJ (PRWEB) April 7, 2006 — Interactive online monthly, SearchMothers.com, which offers community message boards, resources, and insightful articles for single mothers, spotlights the topic of ‘mothers nursing their babies in public’.

The April 2006 issue features an editorial by Chris Mulford, RN, International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, (IBCLC) and Co-coordinator, Women & Work Task Force, World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA). “Attitudes Can Change:
Supporting Mothers and Their Babies in Public Nursing” is an important commentary aimed at pregnant and nursing mothers. Ms. Mulford is an active breastfeeding advocate, who has liasoned with various U.S. organizations to bring this breastfeeding issue to the forefront. She is also a La Leche League, Leader Reserve (LR).

Other articles this month include “Breastfeeding in Public”, “Helping Kids with Divorce”, “The Financially Challenging Single Life”, “Easter Egg Decorating”, “How to teach your Baby Sign Language”, “Stop the Diaper Changing Battles”, “Taking a Road Trip with Your Baby”, and more. The site also offers a free, interactive Pregnancy Calendar for soon-to-be mothers.

SearchMothers.com contains original and syndicated articles in departmental topics such as Custodial Mothering, Parenting, Pregnancy, Relationships, Healthy Living, Work and Career, and Childcare. Additionally, visitors can find an assortment of regulars such as the community Message Board Area and interactive tools; Editor’s Picks for the Month, polls, pre-screened links, and RSS feeds to relevant Mother’s news. The site also offers a searchable web directory. Search functionality looks at the pre-screened links in the directory, which are to quality-content websites, podcasts, research and other online resources.

Submitting your website, podcast, blog, or RSS feed to SearchMothers.com is free and easy. All sites and/or feeds are reviewed. The suggested site’s content needs to relate to and/or benefit mothers and their family to be listed.
SearchMothers.com regularly publishes reader contributions. Readers can simply email their submission or idea to the Editor for publication consideration. Submissions from all readers are welcome.

About SearchMothers.com
SearchMothers.com provides reliable and useful online resources for all types of mothers. It is an independent online monthly magazine, and known as a trusted resource for single mothers and mothers-to-be.

The press release I’m about to post is going to make some of you very angry. It made me angry. And then I read the part after the asterisk. Oh, so funny!

Here is the release:

Key nutrients critical for older infants’ development
Conference at Experimental Biology explores advances in infant feeding over past 25 years
SAN FRANCISCO (April 6, 2006) – According to Nancy Krebs, M.D., a professor of Pediatrics at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center and former Chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Committee on Nutrition, it can be difficult to meet the nutritional needs of older infants. Since human milk alone is no longer adequate to meet infant nutritional requirements after 6 months of age, the importance of complementary foods was stressed. In older infants, Krebs showed that meat could be a critical complementary food for providing recommended zinc and iron levels.
John L. Beard, Ph.D., a professor of Nutritional Sciences at Pennsylvania State University, stressed iron is critical in the developing nervous system. “All data to date, in three species, suggest a critical period exists in early life that requires the adequate delivery of iron to the brain,” he said.

Krebs and Beard, along with other international and U.S. speakers presented yesterday to nutrition scientists at the Experimental Biology* meeting. The special session, Advances in Meeting the Nutritional Needs of Infants Worldwide, highlighted achievements and challenges in infant nutrition and health outcomes over the past quarter-century, stressed the importance of breastfeeding infants in the first six months of life and also provided an overview of opportunities for further research and progress.

Kim F. Michaelsen, M.D., Ph.D., a professor of Human Nutrition at the Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University in Denmark described improved breastfeeding rates over the past 25 years as well as the benefits of human milk. In a new analysis of United States Agency for International Development data from 20 developing countries, Bernadette M. Marriott, Ph.D., from RTI International, confirmed the high prevalence of breastfeeding throughout the first year of life yet also noted the common use of water, sweetened beverages, and solid foods as well as the less common use of animal milks and infant formulas over this same period in these countries.

As noted by the AAP in its 2005 Policy Statement Breastfeeding and the Use of Human Milk, “Infants weaned before 12 months of age should not receive cow’s milk but should receive iron-fortified infant formula.” Conference participants, moderated by William C. Heird, M.D., professor of Pediatrics, Children’s Nutrition Research Center at Baylor College of Medicine, underscored the importance of nutrition throughout infancy, particularly the need to improve the nutritional quality of complementary foods in older infants’ diets. In that respect, Dr. Heird noted the progress made in infant f0rmulas with the addition of important nutrients like taurine, carnitine, nucleotides, and long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids over the past 25 years.

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Note to Editors: Experimental Biology is a multi-society, interdisciplinary, scientific meeting attended by 12,000 independent scientists and sponsored by the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB). This research was presented as part of the American Society for Nutrition section of FASEB on April 5.

*This conference was sponsored by the International F0rmula Council (IFC), an international association of manufacturers and marketers of formulated nutrition products (e.g., infant f0rmulas and adult nutritionals) whose members are predominantly based in North America. IFC members include all U.S. manufacturers: Mead Johnson Nutritionals; Nestle USA, Inc., Nutrition Division; PBM Products; Ross Products Division, Abbott Laboratories; Solus Products; and Wyeth Nutrition.

Now, back to me– Oh, what a HUGE surprise! I can hardly belive that the International Formula Council doesn’t support extended breastfeeding! You mean Mead Johnson and Nestle want you to think that your breast milk is insufficient past six months? What a shocker!

You may have noticed we have a new advertiser. I highly recommend visiting their site. They have really cute items for sale. My husband’s favorite is a t-shirt that says “I make milk. What’s your superpower?” I like a lot of the homebirth and attachment parenting items. Just click on the link to head over there and find out if there’s something there you like.

Well, you shouldn’t be eating them anyway, but if you’re nursing it’s especially important that you avoid eating trans-fatty acids. A recent study shows trans fatty acids (trans fat) prevent infants from absorbing essential polyunsaturated fatty acids such as DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), which are required by infants’ brains. Trans fatty acids are found in deep fried foods, baked products like pies, pastries, cakes, biscuits and in some margarines.

Bella Online’s breastfeeding editor has written an excellent article on her experience with nursing and cavities. Since two of my children had similar teeth issues, I can identify with her guilt and struggles. My daughter, who had her first major dental work done at 15 months is now almost 6. She has several adult teeth, which so far seem to be okay. I wish there had been more information available on this subject when she was 15 months old. We didn’t wean, but it would have been nice to know there were others out there facing the same problem.

We all know that breast is best. And I, in no way, want to promote the use of formula when breastfeeding is an option. But I wish I had this option when I had to go on medication that required me to stop nursing. I’m sure this would have been better than what we used, instead.

MELVILLE, N.Y., March 10, 2006 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX News Network/ — The Hain Celestial Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: HAIN) today announced plans to introduce and roll out a line of Earth’s Best(R) Organic Infant Formula. The organic milk-based powder formula is patterned after breast milk for easy digestion and meets all FDA requirements for complete infant nutrition including vitamins, minerals and healthy fats. Certified USDA Organic, the Earth’s Best Infant Formula is produced without the use of antibiotics, no genetically engineered ingredients and no artificial flavors, colors or preservatives.

“We’ve been working on an organic infant formula for a long time and are pleased to offer this important product for newborns,” said Irwin D. Simon, President and Chief Executive Officer of Hain Celestial. “Our Earth’s Best brand now offers a broad product line to start babies on an organic path including infant, toddler and kids products with formula, juices, jarred vegetables, fruits and blends, cereals, cookies and bars, crackers, applesauce and soups-all with age-appropriate formulations.

Earth’s Best, the leading brand of organic baby and toddler foods sold in natural food stores, is a trusted name with pediatricians and parents alike. Look for Earth’s Best Organic Infant Formula in the spring. It’s the Earth’s Best Way to Grow(TM) toward A Healthy Way of Life(TM).

Australian coaches are encouraging netballer (is that volleyball) Janine Ilitch to give up nursing her 6 month old baby before competing in the Commonwealth Games.

Really, what business is it of theirs? She isn’t planning to take the baby with her. She plans to pump. They are “concerned” that she will lose too much weight, but I have a hard time believing that’s truly what’s behind this. Maybe they just don’t like the image of one of their athletes expressing milk. I just can’t believe that this is being made into such a big issue.

The Canadian equivalent of the American Academy of Pediatricians is planning to soften their stance on co-sleeping. Citing the realities that parents will co-sleep whether it’s “allowed” or not, the Canadian Pediatric Society hopes that by softening their stance, they can at least offer advice on co-sleeping safely. It’s a start. Will the AAP follow suit? Don’t hold your breath.

I don’t know that this counts as news exactly – it’s not a recent change – but it was news to me. I was surprised to learn that infant formulas do not have to be approved by the FDA. The FDA asks manufacturers for assurances in regards to the products nutritional value and quality control, and they can object to the marketing of a particular formula if such assurances are not received. However, the manufacturer may still market the product even if the FDA objects. Chalk up another reason to breastfeed!