yes, more benefits for MOTHERS who breastfeed

i have nursed my son now for 2 years and still going...i know my milk will probably change to colostrum soon and my son may wean, but yes - 2 YEARS and counting!

in any case, i don't always love nursing my son, and often find it a chore, but the benefits, first for him and now for me, are important to me.

i am aware of several of the benefits already - reduced risks for breast, ovarian and cervical cancers, reduced risks for r.a. and osteoporosis, but there are more! i read bbc news a lot as they cover all types of health stories so of course this one caught my attention...

Breastfeeding 'protects mother'

highlights:

"...women who breastfed for more than a year were 10% less likely to develop the conditions than those who never breastfed.
Even breastfeeding for at least a month may cut the risk of diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. "

"The latest US study, by the University of Pittsburgh, focused on nearly 140,000 post-menopausal women.
On average, it had been 35 years since the women had last breastfed - suggesting the beneficial impact lasts for decades. "

"...breastfeeding for more than a year cut the risk of high blood pressure by 12%, and diabetes and high cholesterol by around 20%. "

the safety of homebirths

i had hoped for a homebirth the first time around with c, but then he decided to be a preemie and a footling breech (rare) to boot! so my plans of moving freely around my home, and having a natural experience with the comforts of familiarity, evaporated in an instant.

now pregnant with #2, i am going to be trying for a homebirth again. i really connected with my midwife the first time around and feel like i can trust her, and myself, implicitly.

i live in a country where homebirths are not the norm, and are in fact often scoffed at, or thought of as less safe.

which brings me to my point - more evidence on the safety of homebirthing...

Home births 'as safe as hospital'

some highlights...
"Research from the Netherlands - which has a high rate of home births - found no difference in death rates of either mothers or babies in 530,000 births."

"But even when she needed to be transferred to the care of a doctor in a hospital, the risk to her or her baby was no higher than if she had started out her labour under the care of a midwife in hospital."

"The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) said it supported home births "in cases of low-risk pregnancies provided the appropriate infrastructures and resources are present to support such a system." (UK)

weather wars

spring is a funny time of year
people will boast or groan day to day as the temp fluctuates
i think that's the thing about spring
there's no consistency

the only thing we know for sure is summer will come

but the up and down see saw 10 degrees up, then 15 then down 5, makes it all a bit messy

i guess this was sparked by looking at the weather network and seeing that tomorrow will be 6 degrees colder than today but 14 degrees warmer by the weekend.

temperamental temperatures

excellent story on preemies and human milk

the drop in rates of nec were of particular interest in the hospital used in the story
as well as the stats that any former nicu mom knows - way less preemies go home on human milk than their full term counterparts

april showers

bring october babies?

i haven't written in a while
mostly because i have been so nauseated and so exhausted
and now - 14 weeks pregnant

i am starting to get little gaps here and there where i don't feel hungover

i've done acupuncture
and homeopathic remedies

all in an effort to feel a little better
and hopefully soon
as it's been a long time coming since i last felt well