Booby Good for the Brain....well, duh!

Thanks to my hubby for forwarding me this great article. Any BF-ing advocate can give you study after study of increased test scores being attributed to breastfed babies, as many a new story have already spouted. This study, though, done at the University of Colorado & American University, is a tad different in that it shows the incremental benefit of each month of continued breastfeeding on both high school exam scores and college attendance levels. The comparison is made between siblings, so that variables such as socioeconomic status and parenting style are taken out of the equation. Its really quite interesting and just another reason I feel happy to do extended breastfeeding with our son.

minimum the maximum

do we, as American's, usually consider the recommended minimum as the maximum? do a minimum of 30min of cardio 3x a week, says the doc. What do you think the patient does....only 30 min. get a minimum of 5 fruits and veggies a day, what's on your plate? doubt 6

i ask because a conversation caught me off guard the other day....i was speaking to a fellow mommy about our upcoming GI appt, and the allergies i fear our little guy may have (corn, wheat, dairy, so potentially soy too). the first question out of her mouth was "what will you do when you switch to formula at 1 year?"......ummmmm.......(quick quick, say something) ....ummmmm........(still processing, not realizing that this is a normal question in our country)...."he'll still have breastmilk in his sippy cup" i respond sheepishly to the what appears to be the other mommie's surprise.

the AAP recommends exclusive breast feeding for at minimum the first 6 months of life, but goes on to say that

Breastfeeding should be continued for at least the first year of life and beyond for as long as mutually desired by mother and child

there's the key word "At least". I feel like so many in our society see the first birthday as a trigger point to quit BF-ing, as if the AAP saying that its a minimum, that BM suddenly is useless or not a superior nutrition to formula at 366 days old. ah, no - it still rocks at 366 days old and way way way beyond. still keeps their gut flora perfect, passes antibodies, keeps them from getting certain diseases, provides optimum nutrient balance, yada yada yada, would you like me to go on?

i guess i just found it funny, how much i have changed in respect to how i think and feel about all things mommy. a simple question like that made me stumble because i have changed so much. wow. i haven't even thought of alternative liquids for him, even thinking beyond a year besides my momma jug juice and water. like seriously, didn't even cross my mind. i just never envision there being a need - i produce what he needs, end of story (in my head)

well, here is my official, thought out answer because we may indeed be facing this issue.

i'll keep pumping and bf-ing as long as we still both love it as much as we both do. as we introduce new foods and liquids, if he is allergic to the aforementioned types of milk, there is always hemp or coconut milk. how great would that be to tell my super straight and narrow parents their grandson is drinking hippie pot smoker milk. priceless

BF-ing an adopted baby

I love how I trip up on these things. Its like when you go to Wikipedia, start at Walt Disney and end up at Quantum Physics. Ah, the internet, its a beautiful thing!

My path to finding this information is funny, but useless for those of you who continue on so the normally verbose me will pass that part of the story and get to the meat of the story. Who knew you could breastfeed an adopted baby?!?!?! I tumbled on this Dr. Newman article. Being adopted, I had to read on. What a brilliant and beautiful gift beyond the initial adoption that the adopted mother is giving her child. what dedication, what love.....

Now here is where the new found LACTIVIST* in me comes out.....well, what are the feelings on this in the adoption agency world - do they advocate it? do they educate their potential adoptive mothers about this? I wonder if adoptive mothers even realize that they can breastfeed, or do they just never even think that's a possibility and just run with the formula? hmmm.....do I feel a new crusade coming on? damnit, I wish it wasn't NYE, I'd call the adoption agency I came from and ask.

LACTIVIST - someone who positively promotes the beautiful act of breastfeeding, but does not look down on those who have tried unsuccessfully, or where breastfeeding detracts from the mother-child bond