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SALT LAKE CITY — Most new moms don't meet their own breastfeeding goals; a blogger dad wants to ban the practice of bank tellers handing out lollipops; and have you see what's being dubbed the "best graduation video ever"? These are the stories making parenting news headlines this week.
New mothers not meeting breastfeeding goals
Most new moms don’t meet their own breastfeeding goals. That’s according to a study released Monday.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study was based off of a survey of 3,000 pregnant women conducted between 2005 and 2007. Those women filled out questionnaires about their breastfeeding intentions, and CDC researchers followed up on their progress.
Among women who prenatally intended to exclusively breastfeed, more than 85% intended to do so for 3 months or more; however, only 32.4% of mothers achieved their intended exclusive breastfeeding duration.
–Pediatrics
What researchers found was that of the 85 percent of women who planned to breastfeed for thre months, only 32 percent actually followed through. Fifteen percent of the mothers stopped breastfeeding before they left the hospital.
Several factors influenced the women’s decision to discontinue breastfeeding their child, researchers say, including the actions of hospital staff in the hours following the birth.
“We do know the hospitals have an important role to play. It's certainly a short period of time, but it's a very critical period of time," Cria Perrine, a CDC epidemiologist who led the study, told Reuters.
Other items that factored into the decision dealt with the mother’s health and social status. For example, mothers who were obese or smoked were less likely to continue breastfeeding, and married mothers were more likely to continue on to their goal than single mothers.
Researchers hope to use their findings to better educate hospital staff on how to teach and promote breastfeeding.
No more courtesy lollipops at the bank?
One daddy blogger doesn’t like the idea of bank tellers and grocery store clerks giving his children lollipops, as is a common occurrence at many businesses. In fact, he wants to see the practice banned.
Share Your Story:
Facebook: Motherhood Matters
Do you agree with DadCamp? Should courtesy lollipops be banned at banks and grocery stores? Share your thoughts on the Motherhood Matters Facebook page.In his June 4 blog post on Babble, DadCamp says there are two main reasons for the proposed banning: A) it’s candy from strangers; and B) it’s candy.
“I’m not a total Grinch. I do appreciate the treats at Halloween, and Christmas, and Valentine’s Day, and Easter, and birthday parties .. etc, I just don’t think random people should offer candy to kids they don’t know,” he writes.
He goes on to say he doesn’t see why sugar should be handed out as a token of politeness because “it’s not something you need to introduce to a toddler or preschooler’s diet.”
Do you agree or disagree? Share your thoughts here on the Comment Board or on the Motherhood Matters Facebook page.
Possibly the best graduation video ever
A 2012 graduate of Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Springs, Md., has created what could be termed “the greatest graduation video ever.”
Tolu Omokehinde said he spent seven months photographing his school and editing the video into a 4-minute piece, “Photographic Journey: Life at Blair.”
The video originally appeared on Blair High’s school newspaper website and was later posted on Mashable.com.
Omokehinde said he created the video as a thank-you to his school and the newspaper, to which he served as managing photo editor.
