Blog Giveaway: Nipple Cream from Motherlove

WE HAVE A WINNER!!

Scroll down to the end of the post

Do you know a pregnant or new mom who would like to try out Motherlove products?

Motherlove just celebrated their 20^th anniversary -- they have been making natural, safe and effective products (without toxins!) for women since before any other company thought it was necessary. To give you an idea of the history and legacy of this company, Motherlove has been in business over twice as long as any other truly-safe brand. Their products are all rated 0 on Skin Deep for toxicity (zero is the lowest possible rating).

Their most popular product is the More Milk Plus galactagogue which has been considered effective by both lactation counselors and moms alike. My sister used More Milk Special Blend which we bought for HKD$390 at MamaBBShop in Tsimshatsui. Locally, this product is not available except from multiply resellers through pre-orders. Nearest retailer would be Hong Kong or you can choose to order from the Motherlove website - worldwide international shipping is available through UPS. Shipping costs may be calculated through the online shopping cart. 
Motherlove products are now locally available from Hatch & Latch!

For this giveaway, Motherlove is offering their Nipple Cream.

The Nipple Cream is the only USDA Certified 100% Organic nipple cream on the market today, and Motherlove has been making this product lanolin-free for over a decade. Completely safe for mom and baby, Nipple Cream is a softening salve for sore, cracked nursing nipples. Helping to quickly heal skin and relieve discomfort, the cream is safe for ingestion and does not need to be wiped off prior to nursing.

Ingredients are: extra virgin olive oil, beeswax, shea butter, marshmallow root and calendula - all certified organic ingredients. Motherlove further assures moms that the Nipple Cream does not contain lanolin (which contains pesticides) or Vitamin E (which should not be ingested by infants). Check out Motherlove's Blog for more on what ingredients should not be in nipple creams/ointments.

To join this giveaway, here's what you need to do:

1. Visit Motherlove's Product page and leave a comment on which product you'd love to be locally available.

2. Like Chronicles of a Nursing Mom on Facebook and Like Motherlove on Facebook

3. Tweet about this giveaway - @crazydigger Win Motherlove's Nipple Cream http://bit.ly/d9OsT3

4. Blog about this giveaway

*1 entry per item - you can do just 1 or all 4 :D

Don't forget to leave a comment about the entries you did. You don't have to leave 1 comment per entry. I will print your entries and have my daughter Naima draw, ala Chuvaness style. :) This contest is open to all Philippine residents and I will ship your item to you for free. Contest ends on 30 October 2010, 12midnight - extended to 2 November 2010!

CONTEST IS CLOSED. WINNER TO BE ANNOUNCED SHORTLY.

Sorry for the delay.. but I'm happy to announce that we have a winner.

Congrats Kirei_Tenshi!! Please email me within 72 hours to claim your prize. Otherwise, we will have to draw another winner.

A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing?

What do you think of milk companies banding together with the purpose of improving awareness of and access to appropriate nutrition for infants and young children?

I recently came across this organization - Infant Pediatric and Nutrition Association of the Philippines which is a "trade association" composed of Abbot, Fonterra, Mead Johnson, Nestle and Wyeth. Their website has a lot of broken links but I found the website of their developer, which lists down their purposes, goals, etc. Here are some screenshots and I let you be the judge.

Why do these milk companies need to band together? The screenshot above may be too small.. so here are their guiding principles and objectives

Guiding Principles and Objectives

To promote responsible business practices and ethics among IPNAP member-companies;

1. To provide infants and young children food products that are scientifically formulated, safe, nutritious, and of the highest quality;
2. To disseminate up-to-date, factual and trustworthy information on infant and young child nutrition;
3. To develop better public understanding of matters relating to the Industry;
4. To be a key contributor in the development of appropriate regulations governing the Industry, and to ensure compliance therewith;
5. To engage key stakeholders in achieving the IPNAP vision and mission; and
6. To be an effective voice for the industry.

First photo and set of officers is as of 2009-2010 - could this be in response to the Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations and the Supreme Court's ruling that the same is valid (except for a couple of provisions)?

Definitely an organization to keep an eye on - particularly on how they could insidiously engage "key stakeholders" towards achieving their vision and mission - like that of Mead Johnson's partnership with the DSWD.

Breastfeeding as Part of the Curriculum

I came across this blog from a nursing mom who is a doctor in Davao City. In her post entitled "Breastfeeding and Medical School", she shared that what was taught in medical school was the difference between cow's milk and breastmilk and how to lecture on breastfeeding. "HOW TO BREASTFEED" was not at all taught. I think that this is the reason why most pediatricians pay lip service to breastfeeding by simply telling moms "mag-breastfeed kayo" without really showing moms how to do it -- they themselves don't know how either!

Meanwhile, over in PhdinParenting's Post on the AAP Conference sponsored by big formula companies, commentators noted how pediatricians were not at all trained in nutrition - which I believe is also a reason why most of them believe that formula is equivalent or closely approximates breastmilk.

Interestingly, a July 2010 article in Pediatrics Magazine entitled "Residency Curriculum Improves Breastfeeding Care" had the following conclusion:

A targeted breastfeeding curriculum for residents in pediatrics, family medicine, and obstetrics and gynecology improves knowledge, practice patterns, and confidence in breastfeeding management in residents and increases exclusive breastfeeding in their patients. Implementation of this curriculum may similarly benefit other institutions.

I am unsure if the release of that article resulted in this development - but the American Academy of Pediatrics has a breastfeeding initiatives website and more importantly, has recognized the need to further train physicians to support breastfeeding moms and has established a Breastfeeding Residency Curriculum. Given that our own Philippine Pediatric Society, Inc. is highly influenced by the AAP, I'm hoping that a similar curriculum be developed and applied to the local medical schools as well. I checked the PPS website and found a Committee on Breastfeeding chaired by 2 doctors with an immediate project of polishing breastfeeding guidelines for health care providers.

What is interesting about the conclusion in the Pediatrics Journal and the proposed guidelines is that they are meant not only for pediatricians but for all health care providers. I can't emphasize how important it is to find not only a breastfeeding friendly pediatrician but a BF friendly OB-gyne as well. I've heard too many stories from moms who were told by their ob-gynes that since they had mastitis, they had to stop breastfeeding or were told to stop breastfeeding due to medicines being given to them (without bothering to check MIMS if the medicines were safe for lactation or if an alternative safe medication can be given)!

In 2009, the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine released Protocol No. 19 - Breastfeeding Promotion in the Prenatal Setting, which I think is a must reading not only for ob-gynes but also for moms who are shopping for ob-gynes. The protocol outlines how ob-gynes can transform their clinics into one supportive of breastfeeding moms and likewise provides guidelines for examining moms during specific periods of their pregnancy.

Remember my POLL in August on whether mandatory breastfeeding should be made a law? Results below:

Yes! While breastfeeding may not seem the right choice for every parent, it is the best choice for every baby. - Amy Spangler

4 (9%)

No! Breastfeeding is a personal choice - Bethany Frankel

8 (18%)

A mandatory breastfeeding information law would be better

20 (46%)

A mandatory breastfeeding curriculum for pediatricians and ob-gynes would be better.

29 (67%)

A stricter restriction (with steeper penalties) on formula milk marketing would be better.

24 (55%)

The top answer was a mandatory curriculum in medical school. Obviously, too many of my readers have been "victims" of uninformed medical providers and I'm sure most (if not all moms) would have had an experience with a non-breastfeeding friendly health provider - whether their ob-gyne, pediatrician or nurse! It is time to change the medical school curriculum!

Nurse Me Tender - Would you buy one?!

Oh my gosh!! What will they think of next?!!

Nurse Me Tender was invented by Christa Anderson who nursed her baby up to 11 months. The gadget straps the bottle to your chest with the purpose of stimulating nursing and can be used by both male or female caregivers.

Reminds me of Meet the Fockers?!!! Would you buy one?! I don't think I will!

Celebrating Motherhood - a Blog Contest

Head on over the The Painter's Wife where my online store, Mama.Baby.Love is a sponsor of Eliza's "Celebrating Motherhood" Contest. I met Eliza once during a La Leche League meeting and we've been Gmail chatmates ever since. Her husband is a painter (obviously - from her blog title!!) who did her header. I'm envious that her husband also has lined up paintings of Eliza when she was pregnant and while she is breastfeeding her son, Basti. I would also love a breastfeeding painting! Anyways, for more details of the contest and how to join, check out her blog. Good luck!