Pump it up!

Yesterday was my first day back at work after a long and enjoyable 6-month maternity leave. As difficult as it was to leave my baby, I knew he was in good hands (his father's) so it made the transition easier. When he has to go to regular daycare in August I am sure I'll be a wreck, but that is another post for another day.
So yesterday was my first day pumping full-time! To all the moms out there who are exclusively pumping for their babes because they had latch issues or supply issues....god bless ya! I don't think I could do this full-time! It's so time consuming, painful and arduous. Watching that slow drip into the bottle is like Chinese water torture. I was so stressed about making enough milk for the baby to eat for the next day that I could barely concentrate on anything else. I was able to get 4 oz my first pump, which was great. The second two only yielded 3 oz, but 10 oz is actually just enough. I have a decent freezer stash built up so I am not worried yet. I am drinking my mother's milk tea, trying to get enough rest, trying to stay stress-free. Here's to all the working moms who are pumping in order to continue giving their babies the best food possible. It's tough but so worth it. An extra special shout-out to those of you pumping in bathroom stalls, your car, janitor's closets and other less than ideal spaces. You are amazing and your babies are lucky to have you!

$2.5 BILLION

Yes, billion, with a "b." That is the current amount of yearly sales in the formula market in the US, according to an article in the NY Times. The article is actually about a new "organic" formula produced and sold by Similac that contains a controversial ingredient, cane sugar, as a sweetener. Since the formula companies are trying (and failing) to duplicate breastmilk, which is extremely sweet and is the preferred taste by infants, they need to add something to the formula so that it tastes good (although if you've ever tasted commercial formula, you know how disgusting it is...that stuff will gag you!) The Scientific Committee on Food (the EU's version of our FDA) has stated that cane sugar-sweetened formulas be banned by the end of 2009. Europe is concerned with the increasing rates of obesity among its young people, and we know how big the problem is here in the US, yet the FDA does not regulate which sugars can be used in infant formula. The use of this sugar is a bit troublesome, according to pediatricians, because it so sweet that it will lead to overconsumption. Besides, parents who are buying "organic" infant formula are assuming they are buying a superior product, when it may actually be more damaging than regular formula.
Anyway, my favorite part of this story is the first quote from a woman who describes herself as a "yoga mom" and has been formula feeding her son since the SECOND he was born: “When I saw the organic at Publix, I bought it, no questions asked."
If you are such a "yoga mom," perhaps you should have asked some questions and done some research. Wouldn't a true "yoga mom" be breastfeeding her son anyway?

Breastfed babies ARE smarter

Sorry I have not updated in a while. Things were kind of hectic here. My mom was sick and I was back and forth from home to hospital visiting her and I didn't have much time to get online. However, I did see this article in the news: Breastfeeding raises IQ. Isn't this a big, giant "DUH"? Of course the comments sections at all of the outlets that ran this story were full of remarks about how formula is just as good as breastmilk, especially now that there are DHA and ARA supplements in it. I guess some people can bconvince themselves of anything. Why is it that whenever the topic comes up, people who formula feed come out of the woodwork with comments about how mothers shouldn't be made to feel guilty if they don't want to or can't breastfeed. I understand that some mothers (a VERY tiny percentage) can't breastfeed because of an inadequate milk supply and another VERY small percentage because of medical problems, but what is everyone else's excuse? If you were exposing your newborn to cigarette smoke or drinking while pregnant, your doctor would have no issue making you feel guilty in order to stop, so why is it so bad for women to feel guilty for not breastfeeding? I am not saying that formula is the equivalent of giving your baby drugs or alcohol. I definitely think formula has its place, for adoptive parents, for supplementation purposes and emergencies, but I just don't understand why anyone who could breastfeed would choose to give their baby formula full-time. I just don't have much respect for the folks who don't even try. Even 6 weeks of breastmilk while you're on maternity leave is better than none at all. Of course this article mentions that I probably feel this way because mothers who breastfeed are different. They "tend to be smarter. They tend to be more invested in their babies. They tend to interact with them more closely. They may be the kind of mothers who read to their kids more, who spend more time with their kids, who play with them more," added Kramer, who led the study published in the journal Archives of General Psychiatry.
Agreed!

Tig ol' bitties

Halle Berry debuted her post pregnancy body Sunday at the Silver Rose Gala in Beverly Hills, just six weeks after giving birth to daughter Nahla Ariela.






She looks sickeningly good. And you know with those tig ol' bitties that Ms. Berry is breastfeeding! According to the Celebrity Baby blog, while hosting the celebrity charity golf tournament, Ms. Halle took to the stage and told the golfers, "I'm going to have to leave. My baby is calling for my breasts. So, if I don't see everyone later, thank you!"
Love her!

An all-time high for black breastfeeding!

I was feeling really depressed last week about the rates at which black women breastfeed. I posted an informal poll on a gossip site for sistas that I frequent, wanting to know how many had breastfed their babies. It was abysmal! Besides me, only one other woman had breastfed. When I asked the women why they chose to use formula, I heard, "I am a picky eater so I decided not to breastfeed"; "I was stressed out when I had my baby and my doctor told me it wasn't good to breastfeed if you're stressed out"; and "I don't breastfeed because formula has DHA & ARA in it now so it's the same thing." Oh, Lawd! The last excuse we've all heard before. Lots of people believe that formula is "just as good" as breast milk even though it has been proven again and again to be an inferior infant food. So needless to say I was thrilled when I came across this article today on Yahoo! news. According to the CDC, breastfeeding rates are at an all-time high, with about 77% percent of moms breastfeeding at least briefly. I know a lot of women only breastfeed for 6 weeks or so, but some breastmilk is better than none! I am thrilled that so many babies are getting the food they deserve, at least for a little while.
The even better news? The percentage of black infants being breastfed has had the most dramatic spike, up to 65% from a shockingly low 36% in 1994. Historically we've always had the lowest rates, so this study gives me hope.

First post!

Welcome to my new blog, Blacktating! I've chosen this title because I am a black mom who is currently breastfeeding my first child. I have been inspired by Jennifer James, current writer of The Black Breastfeeding Blog over at Mommy Too! magazine to begin my own blog. While Jennifer's blog deals mostly with the history of black women breastfeeding (check it out..she's dug up some amazing pics and slave narratives on the topic), this blog will mostly talk about my own trials and tribulations with breastfeeding and breastfeeding in the news. So welcome! Grab a cup of tea, your Boppy and kick up your feet and enjoy.

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