Baby talk: More food for thought about breastfeeding

Before World Breastfeeding Week comes to a close, here's some additional food for thought:

1. Have you ever tried to make your kids eat under a blanket? Relatedly, "Why can't you just nurse with a cover?"
2. Design Mom's latest "Growing a Family" post was about breastfeeding and one mom's decision to switch to formula after two frustrating months. (I love this series, BTW.)
3. Celebrity breastfeeding roundup: 
1. Gorgeous woman breastfeeds; all other moms be like, "STAHP. I'm wearing stained yoga pants." (But kudos on the breastfeeding!)
2. Blossom, aka Mayim Bialik, is a certified lactation consultant. 
3. Not ironic: Alanis supports breastfeeding and is adorable. 

In case you want actual, helpful information on breastfeeding, we recommend visiting La Leche League or  WomensHealth.gov. A friend also suggested the book Breastfeeding Made Simple when I was pregnant, in case you want to dive into the topic in print. 

Photo: "The cornstock madonna" by Orin Crooker from the Library of Congress collection here

Baby talk: Hooray for breastfeeding!

Oh, hey! The first week of August is world breastfeeding week, and one of us old married ladies will participate this year. While we know that breastfeeding is a personal (and sometimes medical) decision, we think it's important to help educate everyone about the benefits of this natural human process.

Did you know... 

• Breastfeeding reduces the risk of ear infections, diarrhea and stomach problems for kids.

• The metabolic energy needed to breastfeed a baby each day is the amount you’d use to walk seven miles.
• Adolescents and adults who were breastfed as babies are less likely to be overweight or obese. They are less likely to have type-2 diabetes and perform better in intelligence tests.
• Breastfeeding reduces the risk of breast cancer and ovarian cancer in moms.

• Almost three-quarters of moms produce more milk with their right breast (and it has nothing to do with being right-handed).
• U.S. breastfeeding rates were lowest in the late 1960s and early 1970s, when only 20 to 25 percent of mothers breastfed.

• In 2011, 74.6 percent of U.S. babies were breastfed (ever).

The illustration above is by Kathleen Founds, a writer and illustrator who colors giant squids and obsessively revises her novel in Marina, California. Thanks for letting us share, Kathleen! 

Facts came from the Office on Women's Health, the World Health Organization and The Bump.