ANM Makes Life Easier for Moms!

by Glenni Lorick, IBCLC

You're sitting at home with your newborn wishing you had some Motherlove nipple cream today. You could order it on Amazon and get it in 2 days. OR you could call us and have it delivered to your door today! We guarantee delivery on anything in the store from breast pumps to galactagogues to diapers within 24 hours of the moment you place your order. Ninety percent of the time, you will receive your merchandise the very same day. If you live in one of the outlying areas, it may be the next day.

You will always get free delivery on your Best Chair!

Prices range from $2 to $15 depending upon where you live. We will bring your purchase directly to your door. Obviously the closer you live to the store, the cheaper the delivery rate. However, if you prefer to meet in a central location close to where you live, we can negotiate a significantly reduced delivery fee. We've been meeting moms to drop off purchases in various places for several years. Any purchase over $250 merits free delivery, so when you order your chair from us, it won't cost you an extra penny to get it delivered to your door!.

Curbside Assistance

We also offer free curbside assistance for those times that you have a sleeping baby in the car, a tired toddler, or are feeling under the weather and don't want to share your germs. Call us when you get here (256-489-2590), we will meet you at your car, pick up your payment and bring your purchases to you. If you're just dropping off a pump or scale that you've rented, there's no need to even get out of your vehicle!

Our goal at A Nurturing Moment is to make your life as a mother easier. We nurture mommies so that you can nurture your baby!

Alabama Makes mPINC Improvements!

by Glenni Lorick, IBCLC

According to recently released data, Alabama improved its mPINC score by 5 points to an all-time high of 72 in 2015. You might wonder what in the world that means, and why it is cause for celebration, so I will gladly explain it! The mPINC survey is conducted by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) each year to assess maternity and infant feeding practices at hospitals and birthing centers across the country. The acronym stands for Maternal Practices in Infant Nutrition and Care.

The mPINC survey questions measure infant feeding care practices, policies, and staffing expectations in place at hospitals that provide maternity services. The survey measures a range of factors affecting breastfeeding. Our 72 puts us well ahead of Mississippi (60), Arkansas (67) and Puerto Rico (69). Nevertheless, we lag behind Utah (75), Louisiana (76), Alaska (82), Washington (83) and Colorado (85) - and most of the country, to be honest. We ranked 47th out of 53 respondants.

Labor and Delivery Care

Some of the really encouraging results include that 76% of our facilities are making sure that mothers and babies have 30 minutes of skin-to-skin contact within 1 hour after a vaginal birth, and 51% are making sure that this happens within 2 hours after a cesarean birth. However, less than half are making sure that mothers have the initial breastfeed within the first hour of life. More disturbing is that only 24% perform routine procedures with baby on mom's abdomen/chest.

Feeding of Breastfed Infants

The really good news here is that 90% of Alabama facilities do not give water or glucose water to breastfed infants. However only 76% make sure that the first feed for infants whose mothers have declared their choice to breastfeed is actually breastmilk. Most disappointing is that only 18% of Alabama facilities would say that formula supplementation of breastfeeding infants is rare. 

Breastfeeding Assistance

Here is our only 100% - we as a state are perfect in documenting feeding choice in patient charts. We are also very good about having facility staff provide breastfeeding instruction to parents and teach breastfeeding cues. In 78% of our facilities staff actually directly observe a feed. However, only 32% do not routinely offer pacifiers to breastfed infants. It is worth noting that 97% offer prenatal breastfeeding classes, and 83% have a designated staff member coordinating lactation services.

Contact Between Mother and Infant

A startling 41% of mothers and infants are separated during the transition period immediately following birth. Only 24% of facilities report not separating mothers and infants during the stay (in a normal, healthy situation). And only 8% perform routine infant procedures, assessment and care in the mother's room.

Conclusions

Since the first mPINC survey in 2007, Alabama has improved in many areas. Our overall score has increased by 17 points. While that is exciting, it is not enough. We still have a very long way to go to truly normalize breastfeeding in our state. Sadly, 41% of our institutions still routinely provide discharge packs containing formula samples and coupons.  85% of Alabama hospitals receive free formula. Only a dismal 20% of Alabama hospitals have written breastfeeding policy that incorporates all 10 steps of the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative. The only Hospital in North Alabama to actively seek this designation is Madison Hospital. Nevertheless, as mothers demand more support for breastfeeding and gravitate toward facilities that support them, we can expect to see our numbers continue to improve! I look forward to seeing the 2016 numbers next year!

Breastfeeding Calendar Pre-Sale Ends Next Week

February is courtesy of Kat Parker Photography.

by Glenni Lorick, IBCLC
Wouldn't you love to have a year's worth of beautiful breastfeeding images in your 2017 calendar? Noted area photogrpahers have come together to create a masterpiece that you will treasure. Featured photographers include Lighthouse Photography, Jennifer Myers, Jennifer Daniels Photography,  Heartstrings Photography, The Paper Jay, Count It Joy, Regina Kyle, Kat Parker Photography, Sylvester Photography, AP Photo Creations, Sarah Buchanan Photography, Krystal Ness and Kim Jones Photography.

Lighthouse Photography captures the magic of October cotton.

You have the opportunity to purchase a calendar now at the presale price of just $15. We have extended the deadline for presales through November 20 in order to allow as many of you as possible to get your preorder in. Your $15 is a tax-deductible donation to The MOM Foundation. Each year The MOM Foundation helps scores of local mothers in a variety of ways by providing free gently used nursing bras, cloth diapers, low cost breast pump rental and sliding fee lactation services. You can actually just click here to make that order.

Jennifer Daniels Photography brings us December.

So as you make out your Christmas shopping list think about which of your friends needs this gorgeous calendar. It would be the perfect Christmas present for your favorite doula, lactation consultant or midwife. Just think what a great pro-breastfeeding message it would send to have this calendar hanging in your pediatrician, Ob/gyn or family doctor's office. Go ahead and preorder now while you're thinking about it. Calendars will be available for pick-up at A Nurturing Moment by mid-December. Or you can request to have your calendar sent to you for just $5.

How You Give Birth Affects Your Breastfeeding Relationship

By Glenni Lorick, IBCLC

When thinking about birth option, mothers often fail to take into account the impact of birth on the initiation and establishment of the breastfeeding relationship. In this video I talk about that impact, and offer suggestions for mothers who want to get off to the best possible start.

Several key points to remember include the following:

• Research shows that babies born in an unmedicated birth tend to latch better right after birth than babies born to mothers with epidurals.
• Regardless of birth method, the single most important factor is skin-to-skin contact with your baby.
• It has been suggested that frequent feeding during the first 96 hours of life help to create prolactin receptors on your milk glands increasing the total amount of milk your body will ultimately produce. It isn't unusual for a newborn to nurse as many as 18 times a day in the early days. Let your baby nurse as frequently as he wants to.
• If you have a Cesarean, push for skin-to-skin in the operating room. If your hospital does not allow it, provide evidence for its efficacy and push. (the article referenced above includes several studies). The more mothers who push for it, the more quickly it will become accepted as routine practice.
• Make sure your care team is aware of your breastfeeding plan. As long as you and baby are both healthy, there is absolutely no reason for you to be separated at all. The AAP recommends that the newborn remain with mother throughout the recovery period. 

How did your birth impact your breastfeeding? Please leave a comment to help other mothers!