Increasing breastmilk supply ... with a cookie?

I was getting my daily fix of Parentdish when I came across this article: "Do We Really Need a Breast-Feeding Cookie?" Well, maybe we don't need one, but they sure are a cute idea!

There are a couple of kinds, but I have to give the award for Best Name to Milkin' Cookies. The company that makes them, says, "they contain galactogogues -- ingredients that can help increase breastmilk production -- and they taste great." Their ingredients include whole wheat flour, flaxseed, wheat germ, and oats.

But if you're not interested in shelling out $44 (for 30 cookies) to increase your milk supply, there are plenty of other free and natural ways to do it! Here are a few:

• Try to do as much at-the-breast nursing as possible. Baby is the best way to increase milk supply because your body will create a supply in reaction to your baby's demand.

• Plan a "baby moon." That means clearing your calendar for a weekend so you and your baby can spend two solid days nursing on demand. I can almost guarantee that you'll see an uptick in supply.

• Stay hydrated. And that doesn't mean downing a gallon of water. It's a myth that over hydrating will increase supply. Just drink to thirst!

• Try these pumping related tips. Squeeze in extra pumping sessions; pump one breast while your baby nurses from the other; and massage your breasts before, during, and after pumping.

And if you're hungry, it won't hurt to munch on some yummy Milkin' Cookies, too. :)

For employers: Break time requirement for nursing mothers

The U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division posted a helpful fact sheet providing general information on the new break time requirement for nursing mothers. This was included in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that amends Section 7 of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

I strongly suggest that employers read the fact sheet in full, and download and print the PDF. But here are some of the most important takeaways that I pulled right from the document:

• Employers are required to provide “reasonable break time for an employee to express breast milk for her nursing child for 1 year after the child’s birth each time such employee has need to express the milk.”

• Employers are also required to provide “a place, other than a bathroom, that is shielded from view and free from intrusion from coworkers and the public, which may be used by an employee to express breast milk.”

• If the space is not dedicated to the nursing mother’s use, it must be available when needed in order to meet the statutory requirement.

• The FLSA requirement of break time for nursing mothers to express breast milk does not preempt state laws that provide greater protections to employees.

• Employers with fewer than 50 employees are not subject to the FLSA break time requirement if compliance with the provision would impose an undue hardship.

• Employers are not required under the FLSA to compensate nursing mothers for breaks taken for the purpose of expressing milk. However, where employers already provide compensated breaks, an employee who uses that break time to express milk must be compensated in the same way that other employees are compensated for break time.

I'm happy to see these requirements are being publicized by the Department of Labor. Moms, be sure to pass this link along to your coworkers and HR department.

Getting pumped for BlogHer 2010

Let the countdown begin -- 10 days until Lansinoh and ByMomsForMoms roll into BlogHer 2010! We're newbies over here, and could not be more excited to make our first appearance at the show. And you won't be able to miss us, because Lansinoh is sponsoring the BlogHer Lactation Lounge located on level two. It's a more private spot where breastfeeding moms can get comfortable while they nurse or pump.

And there's another great reason to stop by if you're breastfeeding, breast pumping, or know someone who is: We'll be raffling off three Lansinoh Affinity Double Electric Breast Pumps! To enter, just drop off your business card or blog card at the Lactation Lounge. Then watch the blog and our Twitter handle (@ByMomsForMoms) after the show to see who the lucky winners are!

Outside of the Lactation Lounge, you'll see us on the floor with our camera and mic covering the entire event. Our blogging team will be decked out in Lansinoh purple, interviewing attendees to get the inside scoop on their reactions to the conference, their favorite speakers and presentations, and some background on what they blog about. Want to be interviewed? Send me an e-mail, we'd love to meet you. :)

Contact the InfantRisk Center for safety information on breastfeeding and medications

Back in May, we posted for the first time about the InfantRisk Center, when we did a podcast with its founder, Dr. Thomas Hale. I promised to provide the phone number in July when the center officially opened its doors, so here it is!

Dial 806-352-2519 to speak to medical professionals at the InfantRisk Center for counsel on medications that are safe to use while breastfeeding. Staff will be available to receive calls from anywhere in the U.S. between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. CST from Monday to Friday.

Misinformation about which medications are safe and which are not can make moms stop breastfeeding their babies before they otherwise would have. Dr. Hale's call center, developed in conjunction with the Laura W. Bush Institute for Women's Health at Texas Tech University, provides the accurate, evidence-based information about the effect of medications on lactation that moms need to make informed decisions that will keep their children happy and healthy.

Lansinoh provided $20,000 in support of this important resource for moms. Interested in donating? You can do so through Texas Tech's donation page.

New series: Mom Blogger of the Week!

Big news! Next week ByMomsForMoms is kicking off an ongoing feature that will put the spotlight on our favorite blogging moms. As you might have guessed by now, I dubbed the series Mom Blogger of the Week. :)

We've already reached out to a number of our favorite bloggers, and many of them will be featured here in the coming weeks and months. They'll be sharing the experiences they've had and lessons they've learned as mothers, writers, business women, journalists, and more. These women will be featured in the form of Q & As, guest blog posts, podcasts, and videos.

My hope is that our Mom Bloggers of the Week will bring ByMomsForMoms readers new and unique perspectives on motherhood, careers, and how the two might intersect. At the same time, I think this will strengthen an already vibrant community of moms who share their lives online.

Do you have any burning questions you've always wanted to ask a mom blogger? Whether it's for a specific blogger you follow, or just a general question you'd be interested to see these women answer, post them in a comment and the questions will be sent to them.

Share your breastfeeding story with the National Women's Health Information Center

Before I joined Lansinoh five and a half years ago, I had the pleasure to spend two years working for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office on Women's Health where I co-managed the National Breastfeeding Awareness Campaign.

A while back (actually about a year and half back), I came across a website that I've been meaning to share ever since. Womenshealth.gov is the website for the National Women's Health Information Center (NWHIC), a service of the Office on Women's Health. Their vision is simple and refreshing -- to ensure that "All Women and Girls are Healthier and Have a Better Sense of Well Being."

They have an extensive breastfeeding section where they've posted the stories of dozens of women who breastfed their babies. I submitted my own story in 2009, but many moms have shared their own experiences since.

Each one is an honest look at real moms' breastfeeding challenges and successes. Brittany talks about being the mother of premature twins and feeling that first latch after just a week, when her doctors said it would take two or three. Amanda shares her struggle with postpartum depression and the difficult decision she had to make between her health and her commitment to breastfeeding. I could go on and on. The stories are incredible.

Each submission has its own inspirational voice. I urge anyone with a story to tell to share it on this forum. Womenshealth is looking for stories about positive breastfeeding experiences to be published in their new guide. Submit yours using this contact form.

Whether you're interested in submitting or not, the website offers important health information and access to a number of hotlines where you can get your questions answered about a wide range of women's issues, breastfeeding included.

Miss last week's #BFChat? Catch up, and log in tomorrow!

One of my favorite things to tweet during our #BFChats is affirmations. Last week, I kicked off our chat with this one: "Breastfeeding is normal (not always easy but normal)." I sprinkled a few other affirmations throughout the chat and I think it's a trend I'll continue!

I also tweeted a clever line that I borrowed from a Facebook group with the same name. "If breastfeeding offends you, put a blanket over YOUR head." It's humorous and very true. We also covered:

• Why you should continue breastfeeding when your baby's sick.
• What to do with frozen milk.
• How Dad can have more bonding time with baby.

Read all about it on Twitter by searching #BFChat, or watch the video below to see a scrolling screen cap of the chatter. There were a few newbies who joined us last week, and I hope to see you all again tomorrow at our usual time, 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. EST. It's a great chance to ask questions and get answers from moms (and me!) in real time. Talk to you soon. :)