December meeting

We are looking forward to seeing you this Thursday 8 December at 53 Zetland Rd from 10.15am to 12pm to talk about Starting Solids.


See the Meetings and Info page for directions, or phone one of the Leaders for further details.


The Bristol Leaders

Breastfeeding Matters

The latest edition of our members magazine Breastfeeding Matters is out http://www.facebook.com/pages/Breastfeeding-Matters/136580916400946

November LLL meeting

You are invited to the Bristol LLL meeting on Thursday 10 November from 10.15am to 12pm at 53 Zetland Rd. The topic will be Common Breastfeeding Concerns. See the Meetings page for more info and a map.

New Milk Bank in Bristol

A Milk Bank has now opened at Southmead Hospital in Bristol. Contact a Leader if you would like to find out about donating. More info in this article and on the Southmead linkL

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-15534863

New Books in our Library!

April and Floredia recently went to the annual LLL Conference and returned with 3 new books for our library. They are:  


'Depression in new mothers' by Kathleen Kendall-Tackett; 'How Mothers Love'  (and how relationships are born) by Naomi Stadlen; 'Parenting for a peaceful world' by Robin Grille


See the 'Group library' page for a list of our existing library books which are free for LLL members to borrow.

Museum meet up

Come to 'Mums Talking' at the Bristol Museum and Art Gallery this Thursday 27 October from 10.30am where La Leche League mums and Leader Charlie will be getting together in the cafe for a cuppa. Also check out the toddler play area where there are many interesting things for older babies!

Breastfeeding and sleep

Thanks to Syreeta for sharing this link. Here is more information on the research which shows how breastfeeding mothers get more sleep! Science & Sensibility 

Adjusting to life as a breastfeeding family

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We're looking forward to seeing you on Thursday 13th October from 10.15am at 53 Zetland Road, Redland to discuss Adjusting to life as a breastfeeding family (Series 2)


See Meeting Info page for directions. 

Special offer on Memberships for NEW members.

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Have you put off becoming a LLL  member. Not sure how it benefits you. New members joining between October and January have the option of a half year membership, which gives you 3 magazines between October and April. See membership tab for more benefits.

For members who support breastfeeding groups - why not get your group to take out a health professional membership ( no proof of status required)  your group can then  receive 6 copies of our bimonthly magazine as well as having access to the LLLGB Panel of Professional Advisors, receive copies of Information Sheets and leaflets as they are published, receive information about training opportunities and help us to provide quality information to breastfeeding families.

Click lllgbbooks.co.uk - Memberships for more information or see the tab above on how your local group can benefit.

Breastfeeding Today - New Spetember Addition availabe online

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The lastest edition of the LLL magazine Breastfeeding Today can be found online by clicking  here plus past issues. It is an international magazine from La Leche League International full of inspiring stories, helpful information, news and reviews for expectant parents , breastfeeding mums their families and supporters at all stages of the parenting journey . If the statements “I can’t put my baby down! My baby always wants to be held. I can’t get anything done.”rings true for you then the article on holiding your baby might be for you........no hands required.

positioning, tongue tie

It was lovely to see some of you at the meet up at the Bristol Museum cafe this morning. We talked about positioning your baby very close so as to enable them to open wide and latch on, and you can find out more here including pictures and descriptions of breast support techniques. There is more info about  the 'laid back' position at biological nurturing. La Leche League International also as some ideas for helping to heal sore nipples.


There is more information about tongue tie on the Milk Matters website.

Mums Talking

Come to the Bristol Museum and Art Gallery cafe (top of Park St) BS8 1RL on Thursday 22 September from 10.30am to 12pm to catch up with other breastfeeding mums and their children. We'll be in the cafe or in the toddler play area next door.

What do you need to breastfeed?

Hope you had lovely summer holidays and got some sunshine.


We're looking forward to seeing you on Thursday 8 Sept from 10.15am at 53 Zetland Road, Redland to discuss what you really need to breastfeed successfully.


See Meeting Info page for directions.

Summer Social, 25 Aug

The next La Leche League meet up will be a Summer Social at Cotham Gardens Park in Redland on Thursday 25 August from 10.30am to 12ish. Bring a picnic if the sun is shining! This is the park just opposite Redland Train Station. Buses 8 & 9 stop next to it.


The next meeting at 53 Zetland Rd will be on Thursday 8 September from 10.15am.

Toddler manners!

At the meeting on 11 Aug we talked about ways of managing toddler feeding needs and fitting them in with our own. Some helpful books are:


The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding
Mothering Your Nursing Toddler
Adventures in Gentle Discipline


Have a look under the tab 'Group Library' for a full list of our library books.


There is plenty to read about reasons to breastfeed a toddler at kellymom  

World Breastfeeding Week Special Offer

This week (1 - 7 August) is World Breastfeeding Week and to celebrate La Leche League international has got a special offer on. You can get the Womanly Art of Breastfeeding, LLLI annual membership and the book BabyBabyOhBaby for a special price. See here for more info.

Park meet up

Come and play in the park, or ask a question if you have one, this Thursday 28 July. We'll be in the play equipment area of Greville Smythe Park from 10.30am til around noon. There is parking on Ashton Road. Everyone welcome.

Busy meeting

I couldn't be at the meeting this week, but I hear it was lovely and busy! Remember that you can call an LLL Leader in between meetings if you have a concern you'd like to talk through.


There is also lots of great info online at www.llli.org A good place to start is the FAQs section.

The Nights

The meeting this Thursday 14 July will be about  'night-time parenting' and we'd love to hear your experiences and suggestions. All welcome at 53 Zetland Rd at 10.15am. More info and map on the Meetings Info page.

Big Bristol Breastfeed

The Big Bristol Breastfeed today in town was a lovely day and with so many gorgeous mums and babies! It was a pleasure to see everyone just getting together. Here is a photo for those who couldn't make it. See Big Bristol Breastfeed on Facebook for many more:

Big Bristol Breastfeed

We had a lovely time in the park today, despite the showers!

You are all invited to the Big Bristol Breastfeed this Saturday 25 July. We'll be meeting at Anchor Square (near Millennium Square), next to @Bristol anytime from 10am to 4pm, with a main gathering at 12pm. It promises to be a great day with lots of passionate Bristol breastfeeders coming together to raise awareness, so do come along with friends and family to celebrate Breastfeeding Awareness Week. 

To find out more, look for Big Bristol Breastfeed on Facebook. Here is a picture of the recent 'flashmob' gathering of breastfeeding mums in Manchester.

Summer Social, 23 June

There is a Summer Social tomorrow, 23 June, which will be in Cotham Gardens Park if it is not raining, or even just a few showers.
If it is really wet, we'll head to Rimando's cafe on Gloucester Rd. See the Meetings Info page for directions.
See you there, the Bristol Leaders

New edition of Breastfeeding Today

You can read the latest edition of the international magazine from La Leche League here: Breastfeeding Today

When you need to leave your baby

It was great to see lots of people at the meeting on 9 June. The meeting got a little hectic, so do remember that you can contact a Leader in between meetings if you had a concern that we didn't get a chance to talk about at the meeting.


It was lovely to see Lorraine and Callum again and to welcome Daisy to her first LLL meeting!

There are a few information sheets that LLL publish that are helpful if you are going back to work or if you need to leave your baby with someone else for a length of time. These are:


When Mum Can't Be There
Workday Practicalities
Working and Breastfeeding
Storing Your Milk
Hand Expression of Breast Milk
Choosing a Breast Pump


They cost 75p each and you can get them from here.



There are also some useful books in our library on working and breastfeeding, such as Hirkanis Daughters.


We look forward to seeing you on Thursday 23 June from 10.30am to 12ish for the next Summer Social in Cotham Gardens Park, or Rimando's Cafe if it is raining, to celebrate Breastfeeding Awareness Week!.


And don't forget the Big Bristol Breastfeed! This will be a great gathering of Bristol breastfeeding mums, also to celebrate Breastfeeding Awareness Week. It will be on Saturday 25 June from 10am to 4pm in Anchor Square, next to @Bristol. There is a mass breastfeed planned for 12pm. It promises to be a lot of fun so come along and spread the word. There is more info on the Big Bristol Breastfeed Facebook page.

Working and breastfeeding

The meeting this Thursday will be at 53 Zetland Rd and the topic is juggling breastfeeding with working. This can mean retuning to work full time, fitting in some part time paid work or trying to fit in looking after your own needs and those of your family whilst you've got a little one at home with you. We'd love to see you and hear your experiences and any questions you may have on the subject. There will, of course, be plenty of time for other topics.

The meeting will start at 10.30am so come anytime from 10am to get settled and a cup of tea! Bring a little food to share if you can.

See you there, Charlie and Vicky

comfort feeding

Thank you for a lovely meeting today, with some lively toddlers! We talked about ways of getting both mums and babies comfortable when breastfeeding. We mentioned biological nurturing, and you can find out more here.

La Leche League publish a number of leaflets on positioning and latch, such as Comfortable Breastfeeding, Nipple Pain, which you can get here

There is also online information about positioning here

We also talked a little about breastfeeding and fertility and there are some more articles here

We look forward to seeing you at the next meeting, which is a 'Summer Social' in Greville Smythe Park, on Ashton Rd, at 10.30am on Thursday 26 May.

Are you breastfeeding comfortably?

The meeting tomorrow, Thurs 12 May, will be at 53 Zetland Rd at 10.30am. We'll be talking about breastfeeding and comfort. All welcome.

Should Mothers Avoid Nighttime Breastfeeding to Decrease Their Risk of Depression? By Kathleen Kendall-Tackett

Kathleen Kendall-Tackett recently wrote an article questioning the advice given to mothers at risk of depression to avoid nighttime breastfeeding. It is assumed that breastfeeding mothers get less sleep, and this would therefore have a negative impact on their mental health. However, Kendall-Tackett examines research on breastfeeding mothers and reveals that breastfeeding mothers get more sleep.  She says:

At first glance, it may seem to be [good advice to avoid nighttime breastfeeding]. Since breast milk is lower in fat and protein than formula, we might assume, as I once did, that breastfeeding mothers sleep less than their formula-feeding counterparts. When a mother’s mental health is at stake, avoiding nighttime breastfeeding might be worth the risk it poses to breastfeeding. However, recent research has revealed the opposite: that breastfeeding mothers actually get more sleep – particularly when the baby was in proximity to the mother. And that has major implications for their mental health.

The author reviews studies of mothers at 4 weeks postpartum, during the first month and at 3 months. In each of these studies the breastfeeding mothers got the most sleep, especially when they were bedsharing. Mothers who were exclusively breastfeeding at 3 months got an average of 40mins more sleep per night than those who supplemented.

Not only did the breastfeeding mothers get more sleep, but the sleep they get is better quality. Another study compared the sleep quality of breastfeeding and bottlefeeding mothers and found a significant difference in the amount of slow-wave sleep. Breastfeeding mothers got an average of 182 minutes compared with 63 minutes for the exclusively bottlefeeding mothers. “Slow-wave sleep is an important marker of sleep quality, and those with a lower percentage of slow-wave sleep report more daytime fatigue and pain.”

Another recent study of 2,830 women, published in the journal Sleep (“not known for its support of breastfeeding”) found that mothers who were not exclusively breastfeeding had more disrupted sleep and a higher risk of depression.

Kendall-Tackett concludes that exclusive breastfeeding including at night helps reduce the risk of depression due to the deep restorative sleep stages and the ease with which mum falls asleep and returns to sleep after feeding.

Dr. Kendall-Tackett PhD IBCLC is a health psychologist, International Board Certified Lactation Consultant and La Leche League Leader who specialises in writing about breastfeeding, women’s health and depression. She is the author of many breastfeeding research articles and co-author of Breastfeeding Made Simple. There is more information on her websites: www.UppityScienceChick.com and www.BreastfeedingMadeSimple.com

CHANGES TO DAY AND VENUE!!!!!

Dear Bristol mums
The forthcoming meetings over the summer will be on THURSDAYS and take place at different locations.
The Series Meetings are to be held on the 2nd THURSDAY of every month and will be at 53 Zetland Road, Redland, Bristol BS6 7AJ.
There will be Summer Socials held on the 4th THURSDAY of every month and these will be in a local park or cafe. Check the individual event listing for the location. Summer Socials are meet ups for breastfeeding mums and their families and friends.
The next meeting will be on Thursday 12 May, 10.15am - 12pm, at 53 Zetland Rd, Redland BS6 7AJ.
Tell your friends and help spread the word! Ring a Leader for more info.
With love from the Bristol Leaders.

Meeting on Wed 13 April is MOVING

The meeting today, Wed 13 April, will not be at Charlie's house as the children are ill. Instead Vicky will be at the Hen and Chicken on North St from 10.30am for anyone who wants to go along for a cup of something and a chat.

Very sorry about the late notice. With love from the Bristol Leaders.

Starting solids and healthy eating for the family

You are invited to the next meeting which will be on introducing solid foods and the wider issues that come up at this time. The meeting is on Wed 13 April in Southville, Bristol. It is the Easter hols so if there are a few older children around we may wind up early and end up in the garden (fingers crossed the sun holds).

laid back breastfeeding

This is a great article about laid back breastfeeding
www.nancymohrbacher.com/blog

Making toddlers happy

On Wed 23 March, at the Coffee Morning in Bradley Stoke, we'll be talking about the many joys (and tribulations) of breastfeeding a toddler. Hope to see you there!

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'Is breastfeeding advocacy anti-feminist?' an essay by Katherine Dettwyler

This article looks interesting http://www.lactivistleanings.com/education/is-breastfeeding-advocacy-anti-feminist-an-essay-by-katherine-a-dettwyler/

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Expectations versus reality

The meeting today was really enjoyable, thanks so much for coming and sharing your experiences. We talked about many different things, but here are some links to further information on some of the topics.

We talked about things that we would have liked to have known about breastfeeding before we had our baby. Some mothers mentioned positioning and how to know if baby is latched on well. Here is the La Leche League information on positioning and latch: http://www.llli.org/NB/NBlatch.html

We also talked about 'laid back' breastfeeding and some further information can be found at www.biologicalnurturing.com There are also videos of babies self attaching on youtube and this behaviour is retained for months if not years. Babies who have not breastfeed before have self attached at 3 months.

There are some good video clips of babies breastfeeding at www.drjacknewman.com

There were concerns about how to know if a young baby is getting enough milk. Here is our page on how to access this: http://www.llli.org/FAQ/enough.html And you can get our fact sheet on this subject here http://www.lllgbbooks.co.uk/product/192/is_my_baby_getting_enough_milk_-_pad_of_50/default.aspx (75p)

Also here http://www.llli.org/thewomanlyartofbreastfeeding you can download Chapter 20 of the new Womanly Art of Breastfeeding which has a 'Tear Sheet Tool Kit' which is single pages of helpful information for new parents, including a nappy log.

We also talked about breastfeeding past the first year and here is a link to some of the benefits http://www.kellymom.com/bf/bfextended/ebf-benefits.html

And we mentioned baby led weaning which you can find out more about here www.babyledweaning.com and is one of the ways in which you can introduce babies to solids at the middle of the first year.

Finally, all this information and much more can be found in the fabulous Womanly Art of Breastfeeding which you can get from here http://www.lllgbbooks.co.uk

The next meeting will be in Southville on 9 March as there is no Coffee Morning this month.

The Bristol Leaders

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La Leche League GB’s response to the article reported in the British Medical Journal, January2011, questioning the recommendation to introduce solid food to babies at 6 months

La Leche League has been providing breastfeeding information and support to parents for over fifty years.  We support the view of The World Health Organisation (WHO), The Department of Health (DH), and other eminent organisations, that infants should be exclusively breastfed for around the first six months of life to achieve optimal growth, development and health. Thereafter, to meet their evolving nutritional requirements, infants should receive appropriate complementary foods alongside continued breastfeeding.

When WHO recommended this policy it was based on a systematic review of 3,000 studies on infant feeding.  The article the British Medical Journal published, on 14 January 2011, suggesting that babies need solids earlier than six months of age, is not a new research study or a systematic review of all available evidence.  Three of the four authors of this research have declared an association with the baby feeding industry.

There is clear scientific evidence that breastfeeding protects both the short and long term health of mothers and babies.  It reduces the risk of infections such as gastroenteritis and respiratory, ear and urinary tract infections, particularly infections requiring hospitalisation, even in developed countries such as the UK.  The risk of diabetes and obesity in children and cancer in mothers is lessened and it reduces the risk of postnatal depression and neglect. With the current risk of swine flu, exclusive breastfeeding reduces the risk of the baby catching secondary infections, which could be serious enough to need hospital admission.

• The BMJ article says that delaying introducing solid food may increase the risk of iron deficiency anaemia (IDA)

Breastmilk supplies all the essential nutrients a baby needs for around the first six months of life.  There isn’t a lot of iron in breastmilk because there isn’t supposed to be. It is more completely absorbed by a baby than the kind in formula, baby cereal or supplements.  Breastmilk contains a protein that binds to any extra iron that the baby doesn’t use because too much iron can end up feeding the wrong kind of bacteria in his intestines and this can result in diarrhoea/constipation or even microscopic bleeding. Formula fed babies can have too much iron in their intestines, which causes these problems and ends up reducing their overall iron.

If a baby is started on solids before he is ready iron stores can drop.  Some fruits and vegetables can bind with iron before the baby has a chance to use it.  These foods are often low in iron and so are simply replacing the perfect food for babies with ones with fewer nutrients.

To help ensure a breastfed baby has a good supply of iron, women can look at their diet during pregnancy and ask that the umbilical cord is not cut before it stops pulsating as this adds to his iron supply.

• The BMJ article says that delaying introducing solids may increase the risk of coeliac disease

Coeliac disease is associated with the early introduction of gluten, which is found in cereals.  Currently available evidence on the timing of the introduction of gluten into the infant diet is insufficient to support any recommendations and a study suggesting this should be at four months is considered by many to be flawed.  There is evidence suggesting that not being breastfed at the time gluten is introduced into the diet is associated with an increased risk of subsequently developing coeliac disease.

• The article says that delaying introducing solids may increase food allergies

A baby’s insides are designed to be ready for solid food once his outside has developed enough for him to eat it on his own. If offered too soon he will automatically thrust it back out to protect his digestive tract.   La Leche League suggests mothers look for cues that their baby is ready, such as being able to sit up, pick up food, get it in his mouth and chew without choking, and that often happens around six months.  A baby’s digestive tract needs to be mature before starting solids so the lining of his intestines is sealed against allergens (allergy producers).  If given solids too early allergens can slip through the intestinal wall into the blood stream and the baby produces antibodies against them, which can result in allergies such as eczema.

At around six months a baby starts producing adult-type enzymes, which we need to break down food for digestion.  If he has solids before he can digest them properly it can cause tummy problems and the nutrients will not be fully utilised.

Trials are being undertaken to test if babies with a family history of true allergy might be helped by earlier introduction of certain foods but, as a rule, the majority of babies are less likely to have an allergic reaction to foods by around six months.

• The article suggests that introducing new tastes at an earlier age may increase acceptance of leafy green vegetables and encourage healthy eating later in life

This is purely speculative.  Breastmilk prepares a baby for family food as it changes in flavour depending on the mother’s diet and so exposes the baby to various tastes from birth on wards.  In fact research shows that formula-fed babies often don’t accept new tastes as willingly as breastfed babies.  What a baby prefers to eat will be dependent on many things and will change as he grows.  Some mothers have found that if a baby was encouraged to eat a food he had shown a particular aversion to it caused a negative reaction, perhaps showing that babies instinctively know what to refuse.  If offered a range of healthy foods babies tend to take what they need.

• The article says that delayed introduction to solid foods may be linked to increased obesity

This is in total conflict with the studies showing that early introduction, particularly of sugary foods, is an important factor behind the obesity epidemic and can lead to babies being overfed.  Breastfeeding helps a baby to regulate his own appetite so that when he starts solids he may be better able to avoid over eating. 

La Leche League GB knows that women already receive conflicting advice and information on many aspects of childcare and that this report has caused concern and confusion amongst parents wondering what to do for the best for their children. Babies’ individual development varies and parents are best placed to look for signs that their baby may be ready for solid food, around six months of age.

While we recognise that it is important to ensure that recommendations are based on the best available evidence, and are regularly reviewed, we continue to believe that breastmilk provides everything a baby needs up to around six months of age and that to introduce other foods before a baby is ready is not beneficial.

La Leche League GB offers breastfeeding information and support to all. Established as an Affiliate of LLL International in the 1980s, LLLGB has 68 groups and 245 Leaders.  LLL Leaders are mothers who have breastfed a child for 12 months or longer and undergone an accreditation process. They know that breastfeeding is not always easy and how much difference having someone to talk to can make.  Leaders provide telephone counselling, email support and local group meetings, as well as leaflets on a wide range of breastfeeding questions, information on more unusual situations, access to a panel of professional advisors, and can often lend out books covering various aspects of pregnancy and child care.

LLLGB's national telephone helpline (0845 120 2918) connects mothers directly to an accredited Leader, while our website (www.laleche.org.uk) includes an online help form that enables a mother to receive email help from an LLL Leader.  All our Leaders are volunteers and answer calls from home while looking after their families.

The new 8^th edition of La Leche League International's The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding was published on July 13th 2010 and can be purchased from the  LLLGB SHOP www.lllgbbooks.co.uk.

Written by Anna Burbidge, Chair, Council of Directors, on behalf of La Leche League GB

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Breastfeeding Today - Online magazine.

Did you know that La Leche League International have an online magazine called Breastfeeding Today.
http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/94fb8af9#/94fb8af9/1

Some very interesting articles with links to back issues.

December issue includes articles on :- Laid back breastfeeding and Biological nurturing, Too busy to Breastfeed and when Breastfed children get sick and other stories by mums.

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Membership - Why Join?

All of our meetings are free for Mothers. If you decide that you have benefited from them then why not consider joining LLL for the New Year (Join Feb and get 14 months benefit)

Membership only costs £25 per year (concessions for unwaged families available)
That is about £2 per month! It includes a bi-monthly subscription to Breastfeeding Matters

Investment in you, your child, and future nursing Mothers!

Make new friendships with other nursing Mums.

Gain self confidence for your breastfeeding relationship

LLL lending library- books on birth, breastfeeding, parenting ( for Mums and Dads), etc.

Member discounts on conference fees

How does LLL Bristol Benefit???

Increased funds to purchase new books for the Group Library.

Helps Leaders stay up to date on the newest breastfeeding research and information, so they can help you get the most out of your breastfeeding experience.

Supports La Leche League in its mission to help mothers and promote breastfeeding in Bristol, South West, Uk and around the world.

Ensures that breastfeeding support will continue to be available for other mothers!

Contact a leader if interested and unable to make a meeting or order online here
http://www.lllgbbooks.co.uk/shopping/go_shopping/membership_and_donations/ .

If you are still not sure about a membership and are a UK taxpayer why not make a donation via our membership form. As an organisation we can get an extra 25p of tax on every £1 you give.


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Did you watch or here the news this week? Weaning before six months 'may help breastfed babies'

Has this left you feeling confused and worried or even annoyed ? Here are a few links in response to the news that may help ease your concerns or help to argue your point.

The Unicef UK response to the news.
http://www.babyfriendly.org.uk/pdfs/unicef_uk_response_to_BMJ_article_140111.pdf

The link below breaks down the article that made the news and looks at the sources identified.

Analytical Armadillo: Starting Solids - The Facts Behind Today's Media Hype

www.analyticalarmadillo.co.uk



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