I'm not in the habit of writing movie reviews.  It's definitely not my niche, and coming from a father whose key criteria for a "fine film" includes guns, fire, and helicopters, I grew up watching anything and everything and never became the most discerning filmgoer.  I'm also terribly behind in my movie viewing--my Netflix queue has been capped to the point that I received an email telling me that they are not allowing me to add any further movies.

Until now.

My friend, Amy, who is clearly much more up-to-date with current books and films, asked me to see a midweek movie, and having worked like a madwoman for the past few weeks, I welcomed the break.  Last night we saw "Precious", based on the novel "Push" by Sapphire.  Aside from the acting being superb (and potentially award-winning?), the story itself is remarkable.  You're probably wondering why, on a breastfeeding site, I would write about a movie.  There were quite a few breastfeeding "moments" in the film and without giving away too much, I must mention one of the most poignant scenes.  You may already know that Precious is a 16 year old girl, pregnant with her second child.  She's been emotionally and physically abused her entire life, living in conditions that are absolutely unimagineable to most of us, but the sweetest moment comes when she delivers her baby boy.  She stares at him so lovingly, takes her arm out of her hospital gown, and begins to breastfeed the baby.  It is such a beautiful moment--the nurturing and love that she gives to her baby is amazing, despite having grown up being tortured every day, breaking the abuse cycle which so many victims encounter.

If you get a chance this weekend, please see this movie.  It will change your life. 

In my prenatal breastfeeding classes, I'm the first one to tout the benefits of breastfeeding ad nauseum throughout the two hours I have everyone's captive attention. And yes, one of the myriad perks of breastfeeding is that you may get back into your prepregnancy jeans faster than your formula-feeding counterparts. At the same time, it's not my thing to focus on losing weight and burning calories and dieting while breastfeeding (I actually can't stand that kind of conversation with my non-breastfeeding friends and family either...It never seems to go anywhere positive...)  I give a very general "you need to eat about 500 extra calories a day while breastfeeding" speech, but that's where I leave it. 

Breast-Feed the Baby, Love the Calorie Burn, a recent article that ran in the New York Times, did quite the opposite.  The first two-thirds of the piece focused on becoming a size 4 again; burning a significant amount of calories from breastfeeding alone; and feeling like a "yummy mummy".  The other third?  Yeah, sure...it gave a little face time to women who don't have it as easy with their weight loss while breastfeeding.  I'm not unrealistic...I know how desperately newly postpartum moms want to get out of their maternity clothes and feel like they're getting back into shape.  I simply see this kind of article as a disservice to the breastfeeding process.  My fear is that if the focus is on the calorie burn, too many moms are going to start experimenting with cutting even more when they realize their weight is dropping, potentially decreasing their milk supply. 

It may sound like a wild and crazy idea, but...my recommendation?  Eat well and exercise.  It's the safest way to go while breastfeeding.  It works, but unfortunately it's neither novel nor controversial.  Oh well.

In recent times we've heard, to our utter shock, about: major companies and organizations disregarding and/or fighting the needs of breastfeeding moms who work for them; bosses and higher-ups not adhering to state laws protecting breastfeeding mothers in the workplace; and courts denying appeals of breastfeeding mothers who feel that their breastfeeding relationships with their babies are threatened by the lack of support in the workplace.

Well, perhaps these work environments need to take some lessons from our military's breastfeeding regulations and policies. These people get it! Want to be impressed? Here's the lowdown:

• The Air Force offers four-month deployment deferrals after the birth of a baby.  One mom stated, "The fact that you're in the military, hurrah, hurrah, let's go to war, let's do this, do that, you're not a woman, you're unisex, and once you've had the baby, you're no longer a woman, but back to being unisex. I think the nursing keeps you thinking-I'm a mother, I'm a woman, and I'm taking care of this child. That in itself keeps you sane, you don't lose your identity."
• The Army will defer mobility for 6 months following the birth of a baby.  Active-duty breastfeeding moms stationed in Landstuhl, Germany, get 12 months!
• The Marine Corps allows for 6-month deferments.
• The Navy will provide for a 12-month non-deployment period and lactation support in the workplace.

I think these policies are fantastic and should be mimicked everywhere. 

A special thank you and a salute to all in the different branches of our military.  And an extra kudos to the breastfeeding moms who are protecting their babies while protecting us at the same time.  Your service is commendable!

It's American Diabetes Month and there's no better time to talk breastfeeding!  If you are pregnant and have diabetes (not gestational), OR if you have been breastfeeding and are diagnosed, this is important information to have at hand.  Here are the guidelines for The Diabetic Breastfeeding Mother.