MMA Breastfeeder calls out double standard
Jackie Owens is not just a Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) Ring Girl, but the mother of three children. She recently posted to Facebook two images, side-by-side: one of herself in the MMA ring and one of herself breastfeeding. She went on to speak about the double standard in society and in social media when it comes to women’s bodies. Owens said she’s shared both photos on social media sites, and is bothered by the split reactions and responses between the two.
“I have received an amazing amount of support, and criticism, on both. Ironically, on different ends of the spectrum, even from the same individuals. Guess which one had positive vs negative feedback. Smh. If seeing the picture on the left is ok with you, then seeing the picture on the right should be ok with you.”
72 Year old mom breastfeeding
After 46 years of marriage and decades of prayers, Daljinder Kaur of Amritsar City, India has given birth to a healthy baby boy at age 72. She underwent fertility treatment at the National Fertility and Test Tube Centre for two years, with two failed attempts, before finally conceiving through in-vitro fertilization. She is now breastfeeding her son Aramn Singh, who was born April 19.
“I feel blessed to be able to hold my own baby. I had lost hope of becoming a mother ever. I used to feel empty. There was so much loneliness.”
Photo via Twitter: The Independent
IVF-themed pregnancy announcement to spread encouragement
Macy Rodeffer decided to not just announce her pregnancy in a cute way, but she decided to use the opportunity to spread hope to other couples and mothers struggling to conceive. When sharing the news of her rainbow baby, Rodeffer built a heart shape around a onesie that read, “Worth the Wait and Wait and Wait,” by using her IVF medication.
“I knew that my announcement would hurt women still waiting for their baby, because I’ve been there before myself. It was important to me that my announcement not only convey my joy, but also share my struggle and encourage women not to give up,” Rodeffer told The Huffington Post. “While I don’t expect everyone to share their infertility struggle (as it’s a deeply private thing), I felt passionate about being an advocate for women with infertility and pregnancy loss.”
Rodeffer shares more of her story on her personal blog, Martinis & Medicine.
MACY LYNN RODEFFER
Myth-Busting: Does breastfeeding and/or pumping cause saggy breasts?
It’s no secret that a mother’s body goes through a lot in pregnancy, delivery, and breastfeeding. It may sound selfish, but worrying about your post-baby body happens. We have good news, though! According to Dr Geetika Gangwani, Lactation Consultant at IBCLC, breastfeeding and/or pumping are not the cause of saggy breasts, so no reason to let that stop you from feeding or pumping.
“It is a common misconception that breastfeeding or the use of breast pumps causes breast sagging and it is not true. It is only when the nursing mother fails to wear a good quality bra while breastfeeding that the breasts sag. Also, lack of exercise and not taking proper care of the body can lead to breast sagging.”
Sagging breasts are commonly related to breastfeeding when it is actually pregnancy itself that can cause the change, according to a 2008 study published in the Aesthetic Surgery Journal. The increased size during pregnancy does not shrink down until after breastfeeding (for moms who breastfeed), but it is actually the pregnancy hormones that change the size that can result in sagging when they shrink down.
Moms working long hours have trouble breastfeeding
Every working mom knows the struggle to continue breastfeeding. It takes true commitment to continue pumping to feed your baby, but now a new study actually concludes that the more hours a new mom works, the tougher it is for her to continue breast-feeding. Mothers working 19 or fewer hours a week were much more likely to maintain breast-feeding through their babies’ sixth month of life (recommended by doctors), compared to moms who had returned to full-time employment, said lead researcher Ning Xiang.
“Every effort should be made to enable new mothers to spend more time with their newborn to establish and maintain breast-feeding,” said Xiang, a research assistant with the University of Queensland Institute for Social Science Research, in Australia. [Read full report here.]
Military moms pose for breastfeeding photoshoot
Photographer and founder of the “Normalize Breastfeeding” project, Vanessa Simmons has done it again. Her photos are doing just as intended–gaining attention and working to normalize breastfeeding for all moms. Her new series features military mothers in uniform.
“I have learned that many active duty moms are struggling to find support to continue nursing and pumping once they return to work full-time,” Simmons explained to the Huffington Post. “I hope that others recognize the difficulty at hand for every mother to breastfeed their baby, yet I also hope that they see the strength of the women who serve our country while serving their families simultaneously. I am inspired by their stories, I am impressed by their bravery in the midst of mothering, and I am grateful to have the opportunity to share the images that I have captured.”
VANESSA SIMMONS / CANDID PERSPECTIVE PHOTOGRAPHY
