Wait on Elective C-Sections

This information has been circulating on the web, but you can read more in the article below on why you should wait on elective C-sections.

Looking at 24,000 full-term babies, researchers found that those born at 37 weeks to mothers who had elective repeat C-sections were two times as likely as babies born at 39 weeks to have complications, including breathing problems and bloodstream infections, reports The Washington Post.

http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/health/2009/jan/It-s-Better-to-Wait-on-Elective-C-Sections--Study-Says.html

Breastfeeding Tips from Israel

One of the things I have noticed in my job is that the challenges and misconceptions concerning breastfeeding seem to be the same all over the world from Malaysia to Canada and many countries in between. As a global trend, much of the world skipped a generation of breastfeeding and is, today, in a breastfeeding knowledge deficit. Today, I have a great example from an Israeli blog about the top 10 misconceptions of breastfeeding.
http://greenprophet.com/2009/01/06/5657/breastfeeding-misunderstanding/

Improving Breastfeeding Support in the Workplace

Good article on how support in the workplace for breastfeeding increases when workers know a mom who has breastfed.

Employees who know a co-worker who has breastfed or used a breast pump at work are more likely than others to favor workplace policies supporting breastfeeding, says a study published recently in the International Breastfeeding Journal. Among 407 employees surveyed at a large U.S. company, most favored giving women space and time off to pump milk during the workday.
http://blogs.wsj.com/juggle/2009/01/07/how-nursing-friendly-is-your-workplace/

Benefits of Leave on Breastfeeding and Reduced C-Sections

Great article on the benefits of ante and post natal maternity leave for breastfeeding and reduced C-sections. To sum up:

"The findings suggest that if a woman postpones her return to work, she'll increase her chances of breastfeeding success, especially if she's got a job where she's on the clock and has less discretion with her time," said Guendelman. "Also, women who are in jobs where they have more authority may feel more empowered with how they use their time."

No-duh line:
The study authors noted that just having maternity leave benefits offered by an employer was not helpful in breastfeeding establishment unless the leave was actually used, indicating the importance of encouraging the use of maternity leave and making it economically feasible to take it.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-01/uoc--slm122308.php