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A Pea In a Pod’s Swimwear and MilkMakers Cookies

While the summer is quickly drawing to a close there are still many days at the beach and the pool left before we have to officially put away our summer wear.

A Pea in the Pod has you covered — literally!

Check out these fabulous one pieces, including the smocked maternity tankini swimsuit in navy. Plus, A Pea in the Pod has a $20 off $100 purchase that ends TODAY! Be sure to take advantage of the savings!

MilkMakers

While breastfeeding is a breeze for some moms, for others it can be a challenge. If you are having difficulty producing enough milk for your little one, consider MilkMakers.

MilkMakers are cookies that come packed with ingredients that help increase your milk supply like oats, brewer’s yeast and flax seed. Moms are advised to eat one to two MilkMakers each day to increase milk supply. And the packages can be stored in the freezer to maintain freshness.

Click the MilkMakers site to order.

We’ve All Been There

This is the cutest post I’ve read in a long time. As a breastfeeding mom of two, I’ve been here twice and each time it was harder for me than for my little ones.

Ties That Bind: WIC and the Big Three

Since I started this blog, I have been heavily in favor of WIC initiatives to get more poor moms breastfeeding. In fact, I’ve reported several instances where some of these new initiatives are actually working, and even an instance where it’s working so well black children are getting rickets since breast milk contains no vitamin D. It is with the below information, however, that makes me angry at how wrong I’ve been all along.

Chris Edwards, a CATO Institute scholar and top expert on federal and state/local tax and budget issues, blogged about a recent article in the International Journal of Breastfeeding: WIC’s promotion of infant formula in the United States by University of Hawaii professor, George Kent which I also read.

Truly, I’ve never been one to know how WIC works and I certainly never understood the close ties between WIC and the three largest infant formula companies: Mead Johonson, Ross Laboratories, and Carnation. I’ve now learned that:

  1. In 2005, only .6% of the federal WIC budget was set aside for breastfeeding promotion at $34 million. (That sounds like a lot, but not when the total budget is 5 billion dollars.).
  2. In fact, the total numbers of WIC mothers who breastfeed have gone up, but so too have the numbers for non-WIC mothers.
  3. In 2001, WIC received 1.4 billion dollars in rebates from the infant formula companies, which allowed 2 million more recipients of WIC to be served.
  4. WIC supplies about half of all infant formula in the United States.

What this says to me: The federal government has little interest in seriously promoting breastfeeding to poor and minority moms because it simply does not bode well for its bottom line. In effect, by WIC supporting, in large part, formula-feeding, doling out free formula vouchers and receiving rebates from formula companies in return, they are supporting, even encouraging, the inferior health of minority and poor infants and women. Even though, on paper, WIC encourages and “adheres” to the American Academy of Pediatrics ‘ Policy Statement on “Breastfeeding and the Use of Human Milk” (2005), their actions, as stated in Kent’s article, overwhelmingly prove otherwise.

One Inspiring Breastfeeding Mama: Monica Utsey

I am always overjoyed and heartened to hear the wonderful stories about breastfeeding mamas like Monica Utsey.

Monica gave birth to a preemie, Ayinde, in April of last year, but despite his initial inability to nurse, she was doggedly determined to breastfeed when it would have seemed much easier to feed him formula along with the slew of other medications he was being given to keep him alive and thriving. In truth, it may have seemed easier for some, but for Monica, formula was unthinkable. With the help of her husband, Eric, son, Zion, family, friends and an extended network of DC Mocha Moms, Monica was given so much avid support, encouragement and pure love that she was able to produce enough milk to fill the NICU refrigerator, her own freezer and her mother’s freezer, filling 24-32 bottles each day. In fact, Monica was in such loving, caring company during that stressful time she was able to produce enough milk for Ayinde’s growing, little body and produced even more to donate to a milk bank. It’s no wonder Ayinde is now home and healthier than ever. Monica’s powerful, potent breast milk no doubt played a major part in saving his life.

Congratulations to Ayinde for having a beautiful breastfeeding mama and to the whole Utsey family! We honor Monica and her pumping prowess. Through her milk, she gave sweet life to her beautiful baby boy. She never gave up and we’re singing it from the rooftops to praise her accomplishment.

Want to know more about Monica and Ayinde’s story? Follow Ayinde’s journey on Monica’s blog: We Gave Praises and He Came.

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