Summary of Articles for November and December

Each month I'd like to post the links to all of my articles that were published. Since I didn't do this for November I'll include both November and December in this summary of articles. If you like any of my articles, please share the links with your friends. I'd also love some feedback in the comments if you have something you'd like to say about what I've written.


For your reading pleasure and in no particular order, here they are:

My Water Childbirth Experience


Breastfeeding While Pregnant


Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (VBAC) 


Using Pregnancy Calendars


Finding the Right Breastfeeding Support


Considering Home Childbirth?


Sorting Through Childbirth Information


What Are Doulas and What Do They Do?


Ectopic Pregnancy Signs and Symptoms


Considering Natural and Epidural Childbirth


The Role of a Postpartum Doula


Adjusting to Life With a Breastfeeding Infant


Breast Pumps: Different Options for Different Situations


Thinking About Stopping Breastfeeding?


Ways to Support Prenatal Development

The International Breastfeeding Symbol

Mothering Magazine held a contest:

"The image of a baby bottle on an airport sign announcing the location of a 'parents lounge' infuriated us and got us thinking: Isn't there an international symbol for breastfeeding? We called around. Spoke to lactivists and breastfeeding organizations all over the world. No one had seen or heard of an international symbol for breastfeeding. This is our official call for entries. The women's bathroom sign . . . the handicapped parking sign . . . the no-smoking sign. So we put out a call: How would you like to see your breastfeeding design up there with the greats?"

They received over 500 entries from artists everywhere, and from those chose 13 finalists, and eventually one winner. Here is the winning piece:

It's clear and concise. I've been using it as my profile picture on Facebook, and it's been wonderful to help spread the breastfeeding support.

Click here to read the article about the winning artist, and

Click here to download the symbol for free.

Two Hundred Hospitals Nationwide Will Replace Formula Sample Bags with Breastfeeding Support Sample Bags

"This month, 200 hospitals across the country are replacing their formula discharge bags and samples with the country’s first breastfeeding support promotional discharge bag.

"The “Healthy Baby Bounty Bag” contains product samples, coupons, and information that support and encourage breastfeeding without a packet of formula and without conflicting and contradictory messages about breastfeeding. Hospitals including UCLA Medical Center, Children’s Hospital in Boston, Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City, and Exeter Hospital are among the first to distribute Healthy Baby Bounty Bags to new moms."

Click here for the article on growingyourbaby.com and for a list of the items in the bags.

Visit www.cottonwood-kids.com/gift for all the details.

Click here if you want to contact Cottonwood Kids They're a small company, and they can use lots of support and word of mouth to spread the word about the good work they're doing!

Breastfeeding Cafe in Salt Lake City

The Breastfeeding Café runs August 1 - 31 at the Main Library in downtown Salt Lake City. At this year's Breastfeeding Café new and pregnant mothers will find classes, discussions and instructions on this normal and healthy practice. All classes and events are free!

"It provides optimal nutrition for your baby, and can quickly calm a fussing child. Unfortunately, breastfeeding is not really the norm in our society and women are often encouraged to give it up sooner than they should. But, many Utah moms and health professionals say breastfeeding can literally save the day, and have plans to show what they mean at this year's Breastfeeding Cafe."

"One example of how breastfeeding saved the day is this harrowing story from Oregon. After nine days of waiting in their car, snowbound in the wilderness, Kati Kim and her children were rescued. Remarkably, Kim's 4-year-old and 7-month-old daughters survived the ordeal because Kim was able to breast-feed both of them."

"it's important for moms to understand that even small inconveniences, like delayed appointments, power outages or car problems can upset the family feeding schedule. Breastfeeding is the healthiest and easiest solution to those trying days."

Click here for the Breastfeeding Cafe 2009 Calendar

Click here for the whole article

See www.utahbreastfeeding.org for more information or to volunteer.

You can find more information about breastfeeding at www.babyyourbaby.org. Or, you can call the hotline at 1-800-826-9662.

Breastfeeding Best for Mom & Baby

"Nature has intended that babies would be fed breast milk, and the body is made exactly to produce the perfect food for babies. And breastfeeding is recommend for all babies."

I'm so proud of my local news for airing more stories about pregnancy, childbirth and babies. This particular article focuses on breastfeeding and the benefits for mother and baby:

Breastfeeding Best for Mom & Baby

At the end of the article there is a link to Baby Your Baby, which can be a valuable resource for expectant parents, offering information on breastfeeding and other pregnancy concerns.

Do Hospitals Discourage Breastfeeding?

I believe they do, for many reasons. Unfortunately it can undermine a new mother's will to breastfeed her newborn.

But you don't have to take my word for it. The New Born Baby blog has a recent post about hospitals and the way they handle breastfeeding. It's a really good read, and not too long. In the post they mention the Baby Friendly Initiative. I learned a lot about this initiative when I attended the Utah Doula Association's Conference recently.

The Baby Friendly Initiative is intended to help hospitals transform their infant feeding programs to more fully support breastfeeding and only offer supplemental feeding when medically necessary. This initiative is amazing, and I hope more hospitals will strive to become officially Baby Friendly. Right now, only one hospital in the state of Utah has achieved Baby Friendly status.

One big hurdle for most hospitals is that the formula companies give them free infant formula, which they lose by becoming Baby Friendly. However, the representative from the University of Utah Hospital that spoke at the conference I attended said that they found when they renegotiated their contract with the formula companies they were given lower prices on adult formula and the cost of formula for the hospital as a whole remained the same even though they now have to pay for infant formula. What they thought would be the hardest step turned out to be one of the easiest.

I fully support breastfeeding and the Baby Friendly Initiative. Please take some time to educate yourself about these programs and issues.