Heba Jad NFSC 360 Julie Schneider Lactation Project Part I 10/23/2012

Lactation Interview (Part 1) For this project, I was thinking about someone who Im close to, to make her feel comfortable talking to me and answering questions about such a topic that some women may get shy talking about it. So, I decided to interview my older sister Shatha and she was very delighted to be my interviewer. The reason behind her decision on breastfeeding was that she had always wanted to breast feed her children, and what really made her attach to it is that our mother is a breast cancer survivor, and she had learnt in the past that breast feeding can prevent her from breast cancer. Our family supported her decision of breast feeding and also supported her during that period. Moreover, after reading so many books about breast feeding, she realized how important breast milk is for the child by providing a strong immune system and a healthy life. She also learnt that when breast feeding, it helps the mother to get back into shape faster. Shatha slightly changed her eating habits while breast feeding, she ate all types of food and liquids that made her milk stronger, like fruits, vegetables, milk and other dairy

product, and breads and cereals. She also tried to avoid some kinds of foods, for example garlic, to prevent her child from getting gassy. When Shathas child turned 15 months, she got really sick with a very strong flu, she had to take a lot of medications including antibiotics. Of course, she was advised not to breast feed until she stops all the medications. That period lasted longer than she expected, so when she was healed she didnt get back to breast feeding. Shatha didnt experience any kind of problems while breast feeding, but she told me an interesting thing. She said that when her baby was first born, she used to feel a little bit of pain on her nipples and felt like they were swollen, what she used to do is that she used to take a little bit of her breast milk and spread it on her nipples. She said the swelling used to immediately disappear and she wouldnt feel any pain at all. When she used to go out for work, she used to pump milk and store it. She had never used any kind of formula for her baby. When she used to go out, she used to breast feed in public and not worry about whose around, she had a special scarf for nursing that she used to carry everywhere, that scarf really made her feel comfortable. Shatha first introduced solids to her infant when he was five months old. She started feeding him puree vegetables that she used to blend using the blender, then she started with fruits, lastly she introduced him to solid food that she used to cook for her husband and herself. I was very happy to interview my sister about her breast feeding experience, and it was nice to see how much she supports breast feeding and encourage it to all the mothers she knows.

Heba Jad NFSC 360 Julie Schneider Lactation Project Part II 10/23/2012 Lactation Interview (Part 2) According to Chapter 6 of Nutrition Through the Life Cycle book by Judith E. Brown, in the early 1900s, almost all infants in the United States were breastfed. As safe human milk substitutes became widely available, breastfeeding rates steadily declined, reaching levels below 30% in the 1950s and 1960s, and then rose dramatically in the 1970s. In the early 1980s levels peaked above 60%. My nephew, was born in 2010. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the breast feeding rates during the year of 2010 was finally met by the Healthy People 2010 national objective for breastfeeding initiation. However, rates of breastfeeding at 6 and 12 months as well as rates of exclusive breastfeeding at 3 and 6 months remain stagnant and low. When comparing breastfeeding rates between different races (White women, Black or African American women, and Hispanic or Latino women), it is shown that in the early postpartum period, at six months, and at twelve months; white women tend to breastfeed the most. After that comes the Hispanic or Latino women, and lastly, who they have the lowest breastfeeding rates are Black or African American women.

When I think about a plan that can improve community breast feeding rates, the first thing that I think about is that mothers should be trained on breastfeeding their infants while they are in the hospital. In my opinion, I think the first person that should support the mother to breast feed is her babys doctor and the nurses that are in charge while she is at the hospital. I think infant formulas shouldnt be an option in hospitals, unless the mother has some medical conditions that prevents her from breastfeeding. The current resource that is available in Butte County is Women, Infant, and Children (WIC). WIC supports breast feeding by encouraging the mothers to breast feed in different ways. For example, it provides the mother information through counseling and breastfeeding educational materials, the mothers are also provided with follow-up supports with peer counselors. WIC also rewards the mothers who choose to breast feed by making them eligible to participate in WIC longer than non-breastfeeding mothers, providing them with breast pumps or nursing supplementation to help support continuation of breast feeding, and lastly, mothers who exclusively breastfeed their infants receive an enhanced food package. I think WIC is a very good resource for mothers who are thinking about breast feeding their children, it is a good encouragement. WIC looks like it has all the correct information and support to help mothers breast feed their infants and continue for at least a year.