(originally posted in August 2010 – dusted off without any edits ) It seems like these days the breast pump has joined the ranks of baby registry basics: every new mother assumes that she needs one. Like most spaces where breastfeeding and consumerism meet, there are good and bad aspects to this. The fact that it’s automatic is a big YAY!: it means that breast milk is what mothers assume their babies will drink. But breast milk doesn’t equal breastfeeding – and there are important [...]

CDC says hospitals not promoting breastfeeding: With only 3.5% of facilities having at least 9 of the 10 baby-friendly steps, you can see how they came up with this headline. But it’s actually worse than this – because in fact, it’s very likely that hospitals are promoting breastfeeding. They tell mothers about all the “benefits” of breastfeeding and all how very important and normal breastfeeding is to their infant’s short- and long-term health. And then they take none of the steps that have been shown [...]

It hasn’t been a great week in the annals of breastfeeding help. I am feeling frustrated and discouraged and a little hopeless. This week, I answered 19 emails from mothers at various stages of nursing their babies – and none of them were suffering because of their own choices.  For several, my helping was to grieve with them the breastfeeding goals that wouldn’t be met and hope that my support would help them move forward with their families. These are the weeks where I wonder [...]

Boobies in the news for the week ending April 8, 2011 – letdown blues, ibreastfeeding newsletter, Medela eats up Bravado, breastmilk HIV drug resistance, making breastfeeding pretty, perception of the breastfeeding mother’s IQ.

Boobies in the news: a special edition with just one story, told five slightly different ways with a reminder to not throw out the wheat while we separate the chaff.

Boobies in the news for the week of January 28, 2011: closing the door on breastfeeding, funding support to fight obesity, Frankel on beer, cancer survivors benefit from breastfeeding and mother sues Playtex for nipple trauma, while Medela recalls pumps.

Boobies in the news for the week of January 21, 2011: beautiful breastfeeding shots, cover-up fail, UK breastfeeding policy stumbles, Canadian experts lose train of thought & the US Surgeon General takes a leap forward.

Breastfeeding in the news for the week of January 7, 2011: more Facebook controversy, hating Celine Dion a little less, rare tongue-tie, breastfeeding in Yemen and the dangers of swaddling

Boobies in the news for the week ending November 26: three views of milk-sharing, oxytocin as a sales tool & false reporting in breastfeeding research.

My November Carnival of Breastfeeding post. Breastfeeding as adopted adult – finding support from my mom who never breastfed and never will. Figuring out that breastfeeding support is about values, not experience.