H1N1 INFLUENZA & breastfeeding (Japan)

Due to the recent cases of H1N1 (swine) influenza in Japan, LLL Japan has issued a press release in Japanese :
http://llljapan.org/binfo/flu.html
and also the Japanese Association of Lactation Consultants:
http://www.jalc-net.jp/FAQ_ans/influ2009.html
These may be useful to share with your doctor in case you have flu symptoms and are breastfeeding.

For information on the H1N1 influenza in English see:
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/breastfeeding.htm (breastfeeding)
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/guidance/pregnant.htm (pregnant mothers)

La Leche League in Tokyo

We have a wonderful resource in Tokyo in La Leche League,a volunteer organization which offers up-to-date resources and information on breastfeeding, with trained Leaders (experienced breastfeeding mothers themselves) who hold monthly discussion meetings and offer free individual breastfeeding assistance via email and telephone. We have meetings in English, Japanese and French available for women in Tokyo in several different locations each month.

La Leche League has been very active in Tokyo for almost 30 years, and each group has a library for members of fantastic and up-to-date books on birth, breastfeeding, parenting in general, fertility, losing weight after baby, starting solid foods, mothering twins, premature babies, sleep solutions, fussy babies and much more! We have access to breastfeeding information in many languages, and one Tokyo group even has materials in Hebrew!
To find your nearest group, please see http://www.llli.org/Japan.html

Many wonder why anyone would have a meeting about breastfeeding. They may ask, "Who goes to these meetings and what do they talk about?"
At Group meetings La Leche League Leaders and other mothers share experiences, give suggestions and offer support and encouragement. LLL meetings are ideal for learning from and making friends with other mothers. These meetings provide time for mother-to-mother sharing in a friendly and accepting atmosphere. The informal meetings are attended by expectant, new and experienced mothers and their babies. Most Groups rotate through a series of breastfeeding topics, however every meeting is different and the questions of the attendees are always given top priority.

Why LLL meetings? In generations past, many mothers had plenty of support for breastfeeding their babies because their mothers, grandmothers and sisters had breastfed. Now many of us live far away from our families and most likely, they didn't breastfed. Breastfeeding is natural, but it is a learned art. Attending an LLL meeting and seeing other mothers breastfeed their babies helps new and expectant mothers learn how to nurture their babies too.

Who attends LLL meetings? Women interested in breastfeeding are welcome to attend LLL meetings. Women are encouraged to begin attending meetings as soon as they know they are pregnant or before, if they are interested! Attending early in a pregnancy gives mothers plenty of time to learn as much as possible about the womanly art of breastfeeding. Most Groups have an extensive lending library of books especially for breastfeeding families on the topics of breastfeeding, nutrition, parenting and childbirth. The LLL comprehensive guidebook, THE WOMANLY ART OF BREASTFEEDING is offered for sale by most Groups. More here: http://www.llli.org/FAQ/LLL.html
Or contact one of the Leaders in Tokyo listed here http://www.llli.org/Japan.html

"Breastfeeding is... making lunch for your child"

"Breastfeeding is nothing fancier than making lunch for your child. Maybe you need a specialist’s help to do that – maybe something makes it hard for you to open the jar, for instance – but mostly you just need to see other mothers, all making lunch in different ways, from different ingredients, all feeding their children, as mothers always have."

Beautiful quote from Diane Wiessinger's web siteCommon Sense breastfeeding

Come to La Leche League on April 10th 2009 in Shibuya, and see how much more the real world has to offer breastfeeding mothers...things you cannot learn from books or online!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzZJYYrUDwM
Beautiful breastfeeding video from LLL Bulgaria.

LLL Founder's speech online

Mary Ann Kerwin, one of the founders of La Leche League, spoke at the LLL Japan conference on 23rd August 2008. You can listen to her speech entitled "Breastfeeding: Love that lasts a lifetime" It's a bilingual presentation.
1hour 18min 10sec　(13.7MB)

「母乳育児 ～生涯続く愛情～」
メアリー・アン・カーウィン（ラ・レーチェ・リーグ創設者のひとり）
第2回　ラ・レーチェ・リーグ日本主催　エリア・コンファレンス2008
2008年8月23日 東京　独立行政法人　国立オリンピック記念青少年総合センター　大ホール1時間18分10秒　13.7MB
ここをクリックすると音声を聞くことができます。

Speech is available at:
http://www.llljapan.com/education/podcast/MAKinLLLJapan2stconf.mp3

LLL and Angelina!

La Leche League gets some good publicity thanks to Angelina Jolie and this picture of her breastfeeding one of her twins on the front of W magazine. (Click on her name for the video).

Are celebrity breastfeeding mothers any more worthy of note than the mothers who do this every day? Of course not. But the more that breastfeeding is portrayed as normal, the happier I am.

One vote and $80,000 could go to La Leche League!

Quick! Go to the link below before October 15th, scroll down and vote for La Leche League. Every vote guarantees $2 to LLL, and there is $80,000 to be given away!

Click this link.

It only takes a few seconds, and helps such a worthy cause!

World Breastfeeding Week, 1-7 August 2008

This year’s theme established by the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Advocacy (WABA) is: “Mother Support: Going for the Gold.” ILCA has added the tag, “Every­one Wins When Babies Breastfeed” as a reminder that we ALL play a role in providing the support new mothers need to meet their breastfeeding goals.



In conjunction with the Olympics in August 2008, WBW 2008 calls for greater support for mothers in achieving the gold standard of infant feeding: breastfeeding exclusively for six months, and providing appropriate complementary foods with continued breastfeeding for up to two years or beyond. La Leche League International, a founding member and Core Partner of the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA), is celebrating World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) through its La Leche League (LLL) Leaders and LLL Groups around the world. LLLI has a current presence in 68 countries.

See more at

In memory of Edwina Froehlich

From Hathor the Cowgoddess.
http://www.thecowgoddess.com

Edwina Froehlich was one of the 7 Founders of La Leche League. She passed away at the beginning of June after a long and wonderful life. For more details, please see http://www.llli.org/edwina.html
You can donate to the special LLL memorial fund via a link on that page, or leave a comment for her family. Without Edwina and her co-founders starting LLL all those years ago, many of us would not be the parents we are today. The influence LLL has had on my own life, my kids lives, and the lives of so many other mothers and babies, is profound.

Here is the information in Japanese.
エドウィナ・フローリック
ラ・レーチェ・リーグ創設者の1人
1915年1月5日　―　2008年6月8日
ラ・レーチェ・リーグ創設者の1人、エドウィナ・フローリックが2008年6月8日
（日）、脳梗塞により他界しましたことを謹んでご報告申し上げます。エドウィ
ナはアメリカ、イリノイ州、インバーネスの出身で、200万以上の販売部数があ
るTHE WOMANLY ART OF BREASTFEEDING （日本語版『だれでもできる母乳育
児』）の共著者でもあります。

1956年、エドウィナを含む７人の創設者はイリノイ州のフランクリン公園で集
い、自信を持って母乳で育てられるように役立つ情報を分かち合いました。それ
から間もなく、たくさんの女性がこのグループに関心を持ち、非営利のボラン
ティア団体としてラ・レーチェ・リーグが組織化されたのです。

生前のエドウィナのエピソードをご紹介いたします。

「その当時は、“乳房”という言葉を活字で目にしない時代でした。報道機関に自
分たちの団体名を知らせるときのことを考えて、私たちが何の活動をしているか
わからない名称を選ばざるを得ませんでした」　

そこで、創設者たちは団体名にスペイン語の“ラ・レーチェ（乳）” という言葉
を使うことにしました。それが草分け的な存在となり、ラ・レーチェ・リーグが
スタートしたのです。そして今やアメリカ国内すべての州と、日本を含めて世界
68カ国で活動を続けています。
THE WOMANLY ART OF BREASTFEEDINGは、これまでに8ヵ国の言葉に翻訳され英語
点字版も入手できます。また、その日本語版『だれでもできる母乳育児』も、皆
さまより根強い支持をいただいています。

もう1人の創設者、ベティー・ワグナー・スパンディコーはエドウィナにはじめ
て出会ったときのことを、次のように語っています。

「私はエドウィナの考えすべてに賛同しました。その一言ひとことにうなずき、
熱心に聞き入ったのです。はつらつとした姿にすっかり魅せられました」

エドウィナはラ・レーチェ・リーグ理事会のメンバーで、今までに何度かセクレ
タリー、会計、副議長の役職に就きました。また1956年から1983年まで、理事長
秘書を務めています。ほかの創設者の話によると、エドウィナは、どのようなこ
とでも最後まで成し遂げる精神の持ち主であったということです。ラ・レー
チェ・リーグで困難な状況にあったとき、エドウィナは次のように語りました。

「こんなことで、くじけないでおきましょう。皆で協力して乗り切り、うまく対
処しながら少しずつ解決すれば、私たちの本当の使命に取り組めます。私たちの
使命はほかのお母さんが満足のいく母乳育児をできるようにサポートすることです」

エドウィナはアメリカ、ニューヨーク州、ブロンクスのハーン家で、1915年1月5
日に生まれました。イリノイ州、シカゴのマンデュレン大学を卒業後、ジョン・
フランシスと結婚、3人の子どもに恵まれました。夫が1997年に亡くなってから
は、3人の息子、ポール、デイビッド、ピーターと、その3人の妻、そして9人の
孫に支えられて、その後の人生を過ごしました。

ラ・レーチェ・リーグ日本で活動する105人のリーダーと世界各国の約9000人の
リーダーは、　 「１対１の人間的なあたたかみを大切にしながら、お母さんが
お母さんを援助する」という心のこもった母乳育児サポートに大きく貢献したエ
ドウィナの訃報に接し、深い悲しみに包まれています。　 ７人の創設者から私
たちが受け継いだ、母乳で育てたいお母さんを援助するという使命を、これから
もいっそう熱意を持って果たしていく所存です。

なお、8月23日と24日に東京で開催予定の第2回エリア・コンファレンス2008に
は、創設者の 1人、メリー・アン・カーウィンを来賓として招いています。半
世紀にわたる母乳育児支援の歴史を持つ、ラ・レーチェ・リーグからの最新情報
を得て、温かい励ましの精神を感じていただきますように、皆さまの参加を心よ
りお待ち申しあげております。

　　　　ラ・レーチェ・リーグ日本　

BIG DAY OUT PICNIC MAY 18TH

View Larger Map









The picnic is a 50th birthday celebration! Celebrating the volunteer work of La Leche League around the world.
50 years of mother-to-mother support for breastfeeding!

LLL's five (5) trained and accredited volunteers in Tokyo help over 600 families a year, by phone, email and in person at their monthly discussion meetings. All proceeds will go to furthering the LLL mission of providing information, education and support for all women who wish to breastfeed.

Click here for more details.

Please click on the links for our generous sponsors for this event:
Tokyo British Clinic English Doctor, full medical service
Kikokushijo Academy International School School for returnees and international students
Furla Yoga Pre-and post-natal yoga
Star photography Family portraits
Mikey the clown Magic, parties and fun!
Gymboree Play and Music for families
Notting Hill Cakes Great baked goods
Tanoshii Piero Our clowns for the picnic
Blue Sky Tokyo Baby slings and webpage hosting
Tokyo Clothing Imports Maternity and children's wear
Keyshots Photography Kerry Raftis photography
Aardvark Japan Bravado nursing bras and hand made baby shoes
Babies-O-Natural Natural baby products and cloth diapers
Montessori Friends International School

...and more.

You don't need to be breastfeeding and your kids don't need to be small to join this event. You will be supporting a worthy cause while enjoying a fun day out in a great park in central Tokyo!
If you would like to be a sponsor of this event, or to donate an item for the silent auction, please contact LLL by email
If you would like to contribute even a small amount of money to LLL, please click the button below and you will be taken directly to Paypal's secure site:

Tell your friends, bring your families, your food and your generosity and...
...BE THERE!!

LLL is also conducting an online survey about experiences of breastfeeding in Japan.
Click here to take part.

European breastfeeding promotion

A trucking company in Italy has given breastfeeding (and La Leche League) some fabulous publicity!! The wife of the owner was helped by a volunteer LLL Leader after her baby was born, and this was her novel way to say thankyou!

Breastfeeding conferences over the summer

I was fortunate to be able to attend 2 fabulous breastfeeding conferences over the summer.

The first was La Leche League International's 50th anniversary conference in Chicago from July 17th to 24th, attended by over 3000 people and the second was the Australian Breastfeeding Association's Hot Milk conference in Melbourne from August 1st to 4th attended by 1800 people.

The superb calibre of speakers at both, and the enormous range of topics, both breastfeeding- and parenting-related made both events very inspiring and extremely worthwhile. Over the next little while I plan to add some of the information to this blog so stay tuned!

Self diagnosing your breastfeeding problem

Living here in Japan without much support in our own language, and with so much information freely available on the internet, self-diagnosing your own breastfeeding problems seems easy and economical.

The trouble is that there is a lot of dubious information out there, and it can be hard to sift through it all to get to the good stuff when you have a crying or hungry baby on your knee, and you need a few more hours sleep yourself.

Getting qualified expert help may be crucial to the success of your breastfeeding relationship, so I encourage you to make contact with a real live person if you can, rather than to rely on articles from the internet alone. Years of experience helping real live mothers and babies with their specific breastfeeding situations counts for a lot when it comes to helping you and your baby. Having someone listen to exactly what is happening in your life with baby can help zoom in on the real problem, and following up with some well-referenced internet reading can be a good way of confirming your options.

La Leche League's network of trained volunteer Leaders all over the world helps mothers by phone or email, and discussion meetings are held in many different countries. Here in Japan we have English speaking Leaders in Tokyo, Sendai and Wakkanai, and occasionally there are Leaders on the US military bases. See here for contact details.

There are more international Board certified Lactation Consultants (with the intials IBCLC after their name) around the world now than ever before, and this past year alone, Japan has almost doubled the number of IBCLCs, to 270. As the qualification becomes more and more recognised as the gold standard in breastfeeding management and care, then we will hopefully see more and more staff in hospitals and clinics getting certified. It is a rapidly growing profession and it is very exciting to see improvements in the level of skill and care provided. For IBCLCs in Japan go here or here.

In the meantime, I continue to hear stories every week of parents who were given wrong advice or misinformation and the breastfeeding relationship has suffered as a result, maybe even ended prematurely. Parents are understandably disappointed (sometimes angry) when they hear that there may have been other options.

One example that comes to mind is the common advice by doctors in Japan to wean for 3 days while taking antibiotics. This is usually just wrong. There are many antibiotics which are perfectly safe to take while breastfeeding, and anyway, weaning is not something that can be done "cold turkey" for 3 days...then you would end up being very engorged and possibly even with mastitis from milk stasis, and a severely depleted supply when breastfeeding resumes. Telling the mother to wean for 3 days can have devastating consequences . And what about the baby? What will the baby drink for those 3 days? We know formula changes the way your baby's body works, and why would you do that unnecessarily for antibiotics? A tiny little bit of antibiotics in the milk has far less impact on your baby's health than 3 days of formula. Dr Thomas Hale has written an excellent book called Medications and Mother's Milk to which your doctor can refer to ascertain the safety of medications while nursing.

Another example is when a mother who is concerned about low milk supply is told by her doctor to "pump her milk to see how much she has". A mother expressing her breast, by hand or machine, is nothing like a baby drinking breastmilk directly! For a mother already worrying, being able to express only a few drops just confirms her fears, and is not productive to the ongoing breastfeeding relationship. Expressing milk does not give an accurate picture of the available milk. It would be more constructive for the doctor to educate the mother about ways of knowing her baby is getting enough. (We can judge if baby is getting enough milk by checking the urine and stool output, and by ensuring baby is breastfeeding frequently enough, not by measuring the mother's ability to efficiently express her milk, which is a learned skill in itself.)

It is incredible how much is misunderstood about fully breastfed babies and the way women's breasts work. Perhaps it is because the doctors and nurses have so little experience with successfully breastfed babies that they don't really have the faith or the belief that it is possible to fully nurture a child with breastmilk alone. Or perhaps it is just a general reflection of our society that doesn't value breastfeeding and the special relationship between a mother and baby. But if any of us can read articles on the internet and be informed about current breastfeeding topics and developments, you would hope that a health professional working with mothers and babies would also be keeping up-to-date too.

If you are breastfeeding and you are worried about anything in relation to your baby, as well as your doctor, get in touch with LLL or an IBCLC, and go over your concerns with them. Use them as a sounding board, for an instinct check. Sometimes what looks at first glance like a possible medical problem may just require a minor breastfeeding "tweak". Sometimes your baby may be doing something like refusing solid foods, or suddenly waking more at night or being very gassy. Check in with your LLL Leader or local IBCLC about these, as sometimes even if it doesn't look breastfeeding-related it might be! And sometimes, just talking to an experienced mother can help you decide if you should get a qualified opinion on things.

There is no substitute for your human resources who specialise in breastfeeding...we will do everything we can to support you and get you heading in the right direction, to reach your own breastfeeding goals. Providing you with the best information, the most up-to-date and reliable resources is what we do. Yes, this is a shameless plug...we LOVE what we do!!

TPG true or false answers

Answers to the Tokyo Pregnancy group True or False quiz.

TRUE or FALSE

Babies don’t need any other food or drink apart from breastmilk until at least 6 months of age because breastmilk has all the nutrients a baby needs in the right amounts for optimum health and growth.

TRUE

Breastfeeding means you won’t get any periods until your baby is weaned (ends breastfeeding).

FALSE Your menstrual cycle generally returns after baby starts solid foods, or starts to sleep through the night. Some people have periods returning as early as 2 months after birth and some much later, like 18 or more months after birth.

Rooming-in with my baby in the hospital/clinic will make it easier for me to learn my baby’s signals and respond to him more quickly

TRUE

I will probably be especially tired if I breastfeed only.

FALSE Being a new parent can be tiring, no matter how you feed your baby. Breastfeeding is much less hassle than bottles and sterilizing equipment and looking after a child who could be more prone to illness.

Baby’s heart rate, oxygen levels and body temperature are better regulated when baby is placed in skin to skin contact with mother’s bare chest

TRUE Skin to skin contact on mother's chest is great for all babies, and can often help solve many breastfeeding problems! Not just 5 minutes a day, lots and lots of skin to skin….you are your baby’s natural habitat!

An occasional bottle of formula in the hospital or at night is nothing to worry about

FALSE Babies can quickly develop a preference for the rapid flow or hard teat of the bottle, and may not go back to breastfeeding easily. Formula also changes the way the baby’s body works, and can allow the entry of pathogens and allergens into the baby’s gut, which can increase the risk of allergies and illness later on. Even just one bottle does that.

Breastfeeding on demand develops bad habits and a clingy child.

FALSE Breastfeeding on demand allows a baby to self-regulate his own intake. If his needs are met at the breast (food, warmth, comfort) he will grow up feeling very secure and loved. Some babies take longer to become confident in their surroundings than others, and breastfeeding can help ease them through transitions and feel more secure in new places. The breastfeeding relationship is about so much more than just the milk.

It is difficult to satisfy a baby with breastmilk alone

FALSE Breasts make milk according to the degree of breast fullness. So if baby takes milk out, your breast is emptier, so you make milk faster again. If baby has unrestricted access to the breast, and you can hear him swallowing when he nurses, you should be able to make as much milk as your baby needs. (Refer also to the "use it or lose it" label in the right-hand column for more information)

Breastfeeding helps to lower a mother’s risk of osteoporosis (losing bone density)

TRUE

I need to introduce a bottle as soon as possible so that baby learns to take one from my husband or a babysitter

FALSE Be careful introducing bottles before breastfeeding is well established, as baby may prefer the bottle and reject your breast. Babies can learn at any age to take a bottle from a caregiver if mother is not available for breastfeeding.

Baby needs additional water in hot weather

FALSE Babies need only breastmilk for the first six months of life (unrestricted access) In hot weather your milk has a higher water content. (Amazing stuff!) Baby may need to drink more frequently.

At each feed in the first few days after birth, my baby needs only half to one teaspoon of colostrum (the first milk in your breasts, full of antibodies and immunities).

TRUE but baby needs to feed very frequently, about 10 or more times day.

A new breastfed baby’s bowel movements are liquid.

TRUE (they look like yellow yoghurt!)

A healthy breastfed baby might do 5 poos a day

TRUE In fact they may do more than that, and that is OK too. Minimum 2 poos a day after the third day. Less than that means you need more help with breastfeeding.

If the hospital staff check my positioning during breastfeeding and it looks fine, but I am still having pain, it is possible there is something wrong with my breasts.

FALSE More likely you need some fine-tuning of your positioning and latch. Just because it looks fine to the staff doesn’t mean it is fine. If you have pain, it is not fine, but it doesn't mean something is wrong with your breasts. Call LLL or me.

It is hard to know how much milk baby is drinking at the breast, so pumping my milk is a good way to know how much I have available.

FALSE. Babies are much better at removing milk than pumps or hands. You might have a fantastic milk supply but not be able to express very much at all. Pumping puts another piece of technology between you and your baby. All feeds should be at the breast, and watch baby’s diaper output to know he is getting enough. After the first couple of days, you will see about 5-6 very wet diapers, and between 2 and 5 stools a day. If you are really worried about milk supply and baby’s weight gain, call or email LLL or me, and in the meantime, go to bed with your baby and feed, feed, feed! It's called a "babymoon"!

If you would like to receive LLL's meeting reminder notice each month, please send an email here and let us know who you are and your due date. If you would like further clarification for anything in this post, please post a comment at the link below or email me and I am happy to provide further resources.

La Leche League Feb 2007

We had a fabulous turn-out at the La Leche League meeting in Shibuya today. 25 mothers and 15 babies, including 9 expectant mums, which must be a new record! The group was just so alive and wonderful with all those babies and bellies! I always feel so privileged to be able to be involved in the births and breastfeeding experiences of so many women, even in just a small way. Every single one is special and it never ceases to amaze me how much we learn from the babies themselves.

Epidurals and breastfeeding

There is more and more evidence that breastfeeding is affected by birth practices, particularly the epidurals mothers receive during labor.

Epidural use is not all that common in Japanese hospitals, but if there was a survey done on the non-Japanese mothers' use of epidurals, the rates would definitely be higher than for the local mothers.

This video gives an interesting discussion of the situation being seen in North American hospitals where epidural use is much more common. The doctor describes how babies born to mothers who have had epidurals during labor are having more difficulties getting breastfeeding started. Their behaviour is affected by the medications. They are usually sleepier, may have disorganised sucking patterns and are often subject to other kinds of interventions, as are their mothers.

One thing to note is that the comments she makes about the medications passing into the mother's colostrum are not supported by the evidence. Dr Thomas Hale who specialises in pharmacology and lactation, reports that the fentanyl transfer from epidural anesthesia during labor into mother's milk is poor and probably clinically unimportant. The milk is not the concern: more important is the effect of the epidural on the baby during labor, and the different breastfeeding behaviours being observed when compared with babies whose mothers had unmedicated births.

I think what this all means is that all mothers should be informed of the potential risks of epidurals and other birth interventions, and if possible you should take childbirth classes here or in your local area to learn about resources for coping with labor. Read some good birth books and ask lots of questions.

Ideally, staff in the hospital or clinic should be well versed in how to help mothers and babies get breastfeeding off to the best possible start...lots of skin to skin contact with baby on mum's chest, keep mother and baby together at all times, give baby time to come to the breast, if baby is having trouble, you might need to express some of your colostrum and feed it by syringe or spoon, very sleepy babies may need to be woken for feeds and gently encouraged to continue feeding for long enough and so on. Unfortunately, we cannot control what level of skill the staff have, nor how supportive the hospital or clinic will be of breastfeeding.

The best idea then, is to learn as much as possible about breastfeeding during pregnancy. Mothers-to-be can attend La Leche League meetings, both parents can take classes here if they are available in your area, so everyone knows what to expect with normal breastfeeding, and can recognise if things are going well or not after your baby arrives.

For a more technical review of epidurals and breastfeeding see here where the author states "There is evidence to show that epidural anesthesia probably does diminish the neonate's early ability to suckle. " A recent breastfeeding journal article concludes "women and their clinicians may feel that sufficient evidence has accumulated to justify offering extra support to establish breastfeeding if women have received high doses of analgesics in labour."

Make sure you get the support you and your baby need.

To supplement or not?

Some doctors are not as supportive of breastfeeding as you would wish. If you are having problems, and the doctor advises supplementing with formula without really investigating how and why breastfeeding is not going as well as it should, you may like to check out the information from the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine. These are protocols written by doctors for doctors on important topics like supplementation (in English and Japanese) based on protecting the breastfeeding relationship. You might even consider sharing the information with your doctor.

Of course your doctor wants to see your baby growing and thriving, but in Japan the supplements are too often a quick-fix solution. Somewhat surprisingly, supplements are routinely offered at many hospitals if a mother complains she is too tired and wants to sleep after the birth. This is just bad practice. Everyone is tired after having a baby...but you learn to breastfeed by breastfeeding, not by having someone else take care of your baby and feed supplements. Then the mothers complain they don't have enough milk, but your breasts don't continue to produce milk if you don't use it! This is known as the "use it or lose it" principle.

Supplementation with formula changes the gut flora in the baby, and can seriously affect your baby's health both now and in the future (allergies, diabetes, ear infections...the list is very long) so it is not something that should be approached lightly. Supplementing with the mother's own milk is always a better first choice, and if supplementation is indicated, mothers need good advice and support on how to express and use their own milk. "Just one bottle won't hurt "...or will it?

To increase your baby's breastmilk intake, also see Dr. Jack Newman's recommendations and contact a local Lactation Consultant or your local La Leche League Leader.

Self-soothing solitary sleep

Sounds cold and lonely doesn't it?

What do you like to do to before you sleep? Apart from the obvious...which for new parents may not even top the list...as the weather gets colder, maybe you like to have a cup of something warm and soothing, a chat and a cuddle with your partner, a bit of a read, maybe even a massage...that sounds like a nice way to ease ourselves into the world of sleep, doesn't it? And it feels good!

Why then do we want our little babies to learn to sleep alone and without human contact from a young age, when we all know how nice the alternative feels? Is it fear that keeps us from being warm, loving and gentle with our babies as they transition to sleep, just as we are with our partners? Is it so important to "teach" our babies self-soothing solitary sleep, when as adults they most likely will not be interested in sleeping like that all?

Breastfeeding, rocking, patting, cuddling, stories, massage...these are the things babies love to do to help make that transition into sleep. Even your dog is happy when he gets stroked and cuddled. What are we really doing to our own human babies with sleep schools, sleep management programs, controlled crying and strict schedules, avoiding eye contact, avoiding human contact, ignoring cries and imposing arbitrary sleep times and expectations?

PS. "Self-soothing solitary-sleeping babies" is a phrase which appears in Pinky McKay's new book, Sleeping like a Baby She is not an advocate of the practice!

What is La Leche League?

La Leche League (LLL) groups around the world run discussion meetings for mothers, generally once a month, which cover all aspects of breastfeeding, from getting started right through until weaning. At LLL meetings, you can bring your babies, your stories and experiences, and also your questions. You can make friends with other like-minded mothers, and get heaps of up-to-date and relevant information on breastfeeding whatever the stage of your baby.

LLL was founded 50 years ago by a group of seven mothers who were breastfeeding at a time when few people were supportive of it. They quickly found that there were many other mothers like them, who knew breastfeeding was best for them and their babies but no one had much information on it. So the network of mothers supporting other mothers grew and grew, and now LLL groups are in over 60 countries of the world!

The Leaders at the meetings are all volunteers, experienced breastfeeding mothers themselves who have completed the training required to become accredited and run a group. Groups are supported entirely by the memberships they sell. You don't have to be a member to attend a meeting or to call a Leader for support, but by joining, you help to keep the library stocked, to ensure that LLL is here for future mothers, and that the Leaders can receive further education and materials to offer the best help they can to mothers.

In Japan we have the following English speaking groups.
Tokyo: Tokyo Central and Tokyo West
There are English speaking Leaders available to help mothers in Sendai, Wakkanai (northern Hokkaido), Atsugi, Yokota and Okinawa.
Japanese groups and Leaders can be found through their website.

If you are a breastfeeding mother and would like to learn more about how to become a LLL Leader and start groups in your area, LLL International has a website where you can get that information. Of course it also carries heaps of breastfeeding and parenting resources, and there are interactive discussion forums where parents can ask breastfeeding questions too.