Archive for the ‘Education’ Category

Medical Release Form for Not Breastfeeding

Sunday, June 11th, 2017

Last week the blog was on research that emphasized no formula feedings.  Years ago John and I developed a release form for not choosing to breastfeed.  This form is based on a medical release that John had to sign before his eye surgery; it is not used for natural family planning classes.  It is, however, very popular at breastfeeding conferences.   This release form is below:

MEDICAL RELEASE FORM
When Choosing Not to Breastfeed

NAME OF THE BABY:____________________

SITUATION:  I have chosen not to breastfeed my baby for personal and/or for medical reasons.  I understand that not-breastfeeding entails health risks to my baby and to myself.  While my formula-fed baby may be healthy, I understand that research shows that breastfed children are overall healthier as babies and also in their later years compared to their formula-fed peers.  While I may be healthy now and in later years, I understand that research shows that I may suffer some adverse consequences from not breastfeeding.

RECOMMENDATIONS:*  Mothers should do exclusive breastfeeding for six months and nurse for at least one year.  Anything less is second best.

ALTERNATIVE:  I may choose to use donated breastmilk.

RISKS OF NOT-BREASTFEEDING:*
I understand that medicine, breastfeeding, and formula-feeding are not exact sciences.  I understand, however, scientific research shows that not-breastfeeding exposes my baby to increased risks of the following diseases:
• leukemia                      • lymphoma
• type 1 diabetes            • obesity
• diarrhea                       • type 2 diabetes
• allergies                       • ear infections
• asthma                        • respiratory tract infections
• eczema                        • urinary tract infections
• bacterial meningitis       • multiple sclerosis
• botulism                      • inflammatory bowel disease
• gastroenteritis             • necrotizing enterocolitis
• Crohn’s disease           • ulcerative colitis
• autoimmune thyroid disease
• sudden infant death syndrome

I realize my child may have a poorer school performance with lower cognitive scores during grade school and high school.  Likewise there might be more doctors’ visits and hospital visits because I did not breastfeed.

By not breastfeeding I understand that I, as the biological mother, may have an increased risk for the following diseases:
• breast cancer               • ovarian cancer
• lupus                          • thyroid cancer
• anemia                        • endometrial cancer
• rheumatoid arthritis
• osteoporosis (increased chance of a hip fracture)

I hereby certify that I have read (or have had read to me) and understand the possible risks of not breastfeeding my baby, whether by choice or for medical reasons.  All of my questions regarding the risks have been answered to my satisfaction.
Mother’s Signature:_____________________________Date;____________________
Witness/Professional Signature:__________________________Date:______________

*The above recommendations and risks are found at the following websites:  American Academy of Pediatrics: aap.org, American Academy of Family Physicians: aafp.org, and the U. S. Breastfeeding Committee: usbreastfeeding.org.  See USBC’s “The Benefits of Breastfeeding” and “The Economics of Breastfeeding.”

© 2006 Sheila Kippley.

Breastfeeding: The best choice is no formula.

Sunday, June 4th, 2017

Two scientific articles promoting breastfeeding were published May 1, 2017 by the European Respiratory Journal.  One article stressed the benefit of longer breastfeeding or exclusive breastfeeding to reduce the risk of wheezing illness.  

The other article, “Formula one: best is no formula,” stressed the importance of breastfeeding in early life for having healthy lung function.  Why?  Because abnormal lung growth patterns are established early in life.  One factor, besides other factors, responsible for poor lungs is “short duration of breastfeeding.”  As the researchers said:  Breast is best; formula is worst.

Is anyone listening?  Interestingly, the absence of formula is the answer for respiratory outcomes.   “The public health implications are stark.  The extent of use of formula feeds described in this study is nothing short of a disgrace.”  In their opinion, there was no reason why many of these mothers did not breastfeed for more than a year.

“Those nurses, midwives, health visitors and primary care paediatricians who are responsible for the care of babies need to take a long hard look at themselves and ask why their promotion of breast feeding is such a failure.”  Regarding formula, “Maybe it should carry a health warning for specific subgroups.  Overall, the message is stark and clear—get it right in little lungs or it will go wrong and stay wrong in big ones.”

Many studies show the benefits of breastfeeding.  This study goes one step further by greatly reducing the cause of poor health:  no formula feeding for little ones.  

Sheila Kippley
Next week:  a medical release form for not breastfeeding

Natural Family Planning Prevents Breast Cancer in Two Ways

Sunday, October 18th, 2015

October is the month in which emphasis is placed on finding a cure for breast cancer, but not much is said about preventing it.  Natural Family Planning is a great way to reduce a woman’s chance of getting breast cancer.  How?  By using systematic NFP instead of the Pill and by breastfeeding instead of using formula.

To those who are informed, the most obvious way to reduce the risk of breast cancer is simple: Never take the Pill.  If a young woman takes the Pill for 4 years or more before her first full-term pregnancy, she increases her risk of breast cancer by 44%.   The World Health Organization has stated that the Pill is in a Group 1 (worst kind) carcinogen.  Every October Pink article ought to be warning against the Pill!

Breastfeeding, God’s own plan for spacing babies—especially via ecological breastfeeding, greatly reduces a mother’s risk for getting breast cancer.  The American Institute for Cancer Research states that breastfeeding, especially exclusive followed by extended breastfeeding, reduces the risk of maternal breast cancer.

Researchers of a 2002 study involving 147,000 women said that a major contributor to the high incidence of breast cancer in the USA is that mothers do not breastfeed or breastfeed for too short a time.  “If women in developed countries had 2.5 children, on average, but breastfed each child for six months longer than they currently do, about 25,000 breast cancers would be prevented each year, and if each child were breastfed for an additional twelve months, about 50,000 breast cancers might be prevented annually.”

What needs to be said by those involved with promoting breast cancer prevention is that taking the Pill and formula-feeding are high risk factors for breast cancer. Even when breast cancer has occurred in a family relative, the woman who breastfeeds reduces her chance of getting pre-menopausal breast cancer by 59%! One in 8 women will develop breast cancer and almost 40,000 die from this disease every year.

With ecological breastfeeding, the presence of amenorrhea is a factor for the decreased risk of ovarian cancer as well as breast cancer.

Natural Family Planning, whether it be systematic NFP to avoid the Pill or to breastfeed for an extended duration, needs to be widely promoted for all its health benefits, especially during the breast-cancer prevention month of October.

For more information on breast cancer prevention, read “Breast Cancer: Risks and Prevention” by Breast Cancer Prevention Institute.
(This blog was adapted from a 2013 blog.

Sheila Kippley
The Seven Standards of Ecological Breastfeeding: The Frequency Factor