Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding is the practice of a woman feeding an infant (or sometimes a toddler or a young child) with milk produced from her mammary glands, usually directly from the nipples. Babies have a sucking instinct allowing them to extract the milk.

Breast milk purchased online may contain bacteria

Study Shows Buying Breast Milk Online is Likely to Cause Illness in Infants – More than three-fourths of breast milk samples purchased over the Internet contained bacteria that can cause illness, and frequently exhibited signs of poor collection, storage or shipping practices.

Good bacteria arrive from mum’s gut via breast milk

Breast is best: Good bacteria arrive from mum’s gut via breast milk – Another study is highlighting benefit of breastfeeding babies. Important ‘good’ bacteria arrive in babies’ digestive systems from their mother’s gut via breast milk, and this finding does confirm that when it comes to early establishment of gut and immune health, ‘breast is best’.

Early baby formula use helps mothers breastfeed longer

Early formula use helps some mothers breastfeed longer – Giving small amounts of formula in the first few days of life to infants experiencing high levels of early weight loss actually can increase the length of time their mothers end up breastfeeding, revealed by researchers at UC San Francisco, US.

Cesarean delivery rates varied tenfold in US hospitals

U of M researchers find wide variation in cesarean delivery rates among US hospitals – Cesarean delivery is the most common surgery in the United States, performed on 1.67 million American women annually. The latest study, appearing in Health Affairs, shows that cesarean delivery rates varied tenfold across U.S. hospitals, from 7.1 percent to 69.9 percent.

Option B+ prevents mother to child transmission of HIV

Innovative policy to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV shows positive impact — New approach in Malawi dramatically increases the number of mothers on treatment – The number of pregnant and breastfeeding women in Malawi with HIV who started life-saving antiretroviral treatment increased by more than 700 percent in one year. The new treatment option, called Option B+, offers all pregnant or breastfeeding women infected with HIV lifelong antiretroviral treatment (ART), regardless of the stage of their HIV infection.

Mothers who breastfeed baby is rising – CDC

More mothers are breastfeeding — African American mothers need more support – Percentage of mothers who start and continue breastfeeding is rising, says Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). From 2000 to 2008, mothers who started breastfeeding increased more than 4 percentage points. During that same time, the number of mothers still breastfeeding at six months jumped nearly 10 percentage points, from 35 percent in 2000 to nearly 45 percent in 2008.

Illegal Internet pharmacies – FDA acts

FDA takes action against thousands of illegal Internet pharmacies — Agency participates in international Operation Pangea V to protect consumers from potentially dangerous, unapproved drugs – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, in partnership with international regulatory and law enforcement agencies, took action this week against more than 4,100 Internet pharmacies that illegally sell potentially dangerous, unapproved drugs to consumers. Actions taken include civil and criminal charges, seizure of illegal products, and removal of offending websites.

Persistent loud snoring linked to problem behaviors in young children

Study links persistent and loud snoring in young children with problem behaviors – Persistent and loud snoring in young children is associated with problem behaviors – hyperactivity, depression and inattention, according to Dean Beebe, PhD, director of the neuropsychology program at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.

Prevnar 13 vaccine approved for people ages 50 and older

FDA expands use of Prevnar 13 vaccine for people ages 50 and older – Prevnar 13, a pneumonia vaccine, is approved for people ages 50 years and older to prevent pneumonia and invasive disease caused by the bacterium, Streptococcus pneumoniae.