Psychological functioning has been found to be relatively poor in women with early menopause compared to women with menopause at the average age. Women with early menopause often have difficulty adapting to an altered self-image, to sexual dysfunction, and to the loss of fertility associated with estrogen deprivation. Breastfeeding for longer amounts of time –…
by Ibone Olza Every time there is a catastrophe I cannot help thinking about the babies, the mothers, the pregnant women, haw how they all will fare. Now that Australia burns, I watch the news with sadness and worry… I think it is crucial that we share the information that people like professor and…
The World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes a “positive childbirth experience” as a significant end point for all women undergoing labor. It defines a positive childbirth experience as one that fulfils or exceeds a woman’s prior personal and sociocultural beliefs and expectations, including giving birth to a healthy baby in a clinically and psychologically safe environment…
By Carmela Baeza, MD, IBCLC My teenage daughter is not feeling well. She´s been running a fever for the last couple of days – possibly the flu. Tonight, around four a.m., I woke up because I heard her calling. She walked into our bedroom, crying softly, kneeled by my side of the bed, and said…
We are proud to announce that the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners (IBLCE) has awarded our Breastfeeding and Mental Health Online Training course with 57 CERPs. Breastfeeding is a fundamental part of the psychological and health processes inherent to maternity, and is intimately tied to maternal and infant physical and emotional wellbeing, as well…
Use of opioids during pregnancy can result in a drug withdrawal syndrome in newborns called neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). A recent analysis of the extent, context, and costs of NAS shows that it is rising worldwide. In the United States, substance use among pregnant and postpartum women is a public health issue. An estimated one…
Nest to protect and wings to fly By Ana González Uriarte, infant psychiatrist and family therapist I just found this text that I wrote 14 years ago… Now that my youngest son has “flown” on his first journey to study abroad for this whole school year and that my 21 year old also begins…
Study suggests that exclusive breastfeeding diffuses the intergenerational transmission of risk for infants born to mothers exposed to intimate partner violence. Women in this situation during pregnancy would benefit not only from psychosocial support, but also from specific breastfeeding support, as this can have major personal and public health benefits. A study from Nôtre Dame…
A recent study from the University of Louisiana (summarized below) has discovered that some mothers with postpartum depression have an “altered expression of oxytocin receptors”. Oxytocin is the hormone of love, human connection and wellbeing; it is produced at high levels during birth and breastfeeding and it is intimately involved in the mother-infant bond, as…
Some dyads (mother-infant pair) start their breastfeeding relationship in harsh circumstances. Frequently, due to medicalized births and unfavorable hospital routines, there are so many interferences to initiate breastfeeding that by the time mother and baby arrive home they are already using bottles and formula – despite mother having desired to exclusively breastfeed. These mothers often…
