Have you breastfed a nursling other than your own? Your sister’s baby or your friend’s? Cross-nursing, or “shared feeding,” continues to be a hot topic, and I have been contacted by a television producer for a major morning news outlet in the United States. Please email me if you are interested in being put in touch with her to discuss your experience.

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Required attribution: Malingering

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A study for the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases revealed new ideas about the ability of breastfeeding to prevent rheumatoid arthritis. BBC News reports:

They found women who had breastfed for 13 months or more were half as likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis as those who had never breastfed. Those who breastfed for between one and 12 months had a 25% decreased risk. The study also found that simply having children and not breastfeeding did not seem to protect the women against developing rheumatoid arthritis.

More study is needed in this area to determine exactly what role breastfeeding and lifestyle choices play in the prevention of rheumatoid arthritis. In the meantime, add this to the list of reasons extended breastfeeding is beneficial for both mother and baby!

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In honor of Mental Health Month, the Health and Wellness Channel focuses on mental health topics today. The good news is that breastfeeding protects maternal mental health. According to a study by Kathleen Kendall-Tackett in the International Breastfeeding Journal:

Breastfeeding has been shown to reduce stress and protect maternal mood. Breastfeeding also reduces stress of babies of depressed mothers and protects them from the harmful effects of maternal depression. Treatment approaches that are anti-inflammatory have efficacy in treating depression. These include EPA and DHA, exercise, cognitive therapy, herbal anti-depressants such as St. John’s wort, and standard antidepressants.

Unfortunately, many breastfeeding mothers will get poor medical advice from their doctors about the benefits and risks of traditional anti-depressant medications or alternative depression treatments while breastfeeding.

Treatment Options for Postpartum Depression in Breastfeeding Mothers

Check out these resources for information:

the study quoted above: Kendall-Tackett, K. “A New Paradigm for Depression in New Mothers: the Central Role of Inflammation and How Breastfeeding and Anti-Inflammatory Treatments Protect Maternal Mental Health.” International Breastfeeding Journal. 2007, 2:6 (March 30, 2007).

Thomas W. Hale Ph.D.’s Medications Forum

the lactation and medication LactMed database

the American Academy of Pediatrics Transfer of Drugs and Other Chemicals into Human Milk

Kellymom.com on alternative treatments for postpartum depression

Kellymom.com on psychiatric medications and breastfeeding

Technical Resources for Medical Professionals and Others:

Depression In New Mothers: Causes, Consequences, And Treatment Alternatives by Kathleen Kendall-Tackett, Ph.D., IBCLC; see La Leche League book review here.

The latest edition of the drug and lactation guide Medications and Mothers’ Milk by Thomas W. Hale, Ph.D.

More on Mental Health

For more posts on mental health, see the mental health theme day round-up by Alicia at Mental Health Notes.

Your Experience

Breastfeeding mothers, please feel free to leave a comment about your personal experience with depression. As always, I remind mothers to consult a physician when considering any treatment (traditional or alternative) while breastfeeding.

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The Quintessence Foundation plans the 8th annual Breastfeeding Challenge, scheduled this year for October 11, 2008. Basically it’s a friendly competition to promote breastfeeding:

This fun event is a challenge for which geographic area (province, state or territory) has the most breastfeeding babies, as a percentage of the birthrate, latched on at 11am local time.

Last year’s event involved 5,383 babies at 230 sites across Canada and the United States! Registration is open now for this year’s event. Visit the Breastfeeding Challenge 2008 invitation for more information.

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