REGION: Nursing promoted during World Breastfeeding Week

Local, national groups encourage breast-feeding

By RANI GUPTA - Staff Writer | Wednesday, August 6, 2008 8:12 PM PDT ∞

Murrieta mother Lauren Runchey stopped breast-feeding her daughter, Aubrie, after two weeks.

But Runchey was spending a lot of time in the hospital, as Aubrie constantly came down with colds and respiratory problems. So when Runchey became pregnant again, she decided to breast-feed her younger daughter, Chloey, now 6 weeks old.

Runchey is glad that her daughter, born nearly three weeks early, is gaining weight, but said breast-feeding isn't always easy.

"Everyone's like, 'Oh, it's a great bonding experience,'" Runchey said. "The reality is it's hard."

For Runchey, the process often has been painful, messy and time-consuming, but she said it's worth it.

"I just like knowing that she's getting the best," she said.

Health officials are hoping more mothers like Runchey will opt for breast-feeding and are stepping up their attempts to encourage the practice. Thursday marks the last day of World Breastfeeding Week, part of a worldwide effort to raise awareness of the benefits of breast-feeding.

In Riverside County, 85 percent of mothers did some breast-feeding while hospitalized after giving birth in 2006. Less than half breast-fed exclusively while in the hospital.

Laurie Haessly, Riverside County's breast-feeding coordinator, said women often formula-feed their children because their families and friends do. She said some don't know that the medical community has come to a consensus that breast-feeding benefits infants because of the antibodies in breast milk that protect against illness.

"It's something moms need to realize," Haessly said. "It's not an equal choice, breast-feeding and formula-feeding."

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that mothers breast-feed their children exclusively for the first six months and continue breast-feeding for at least a year, except when mothers have been advised not to because of conditions such as HIV.

Recent studies show that babies who are not exclusively breast-fed for six months are more likely to develop ear infections, diarrhea or respiratory illness; are more frequently hospitalized; and have a higher postneonatal infant mortality rate, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The department also says mothers who nurse lose their pregnancy weight faster and have a lower risk of breast or ovarian cancer.

Haessly said the county's breast-feeding initiative, known as Loving Support and funded mostly by First 5 Riverside, is meant to bolster the efforts of hospitals such as Inland Valley Regional Medical Center in Wildomar and Rancho Springs Medical Center in Murrieta that offer resources such as lactation educators and breast-feeding support groups.

For nearly a decade, the county has run a 24-hour hotline for mothers with breast-feeding questions that Haessly said draws about 3,000 calls a month. A year ago, the county added lactation clinics and "breast-feeding cafes" where mothers can meet to talk about breast-feeding issues with the help of an expert.

Temecula resident Lidia Pareno started coming to the breast-feeding cafe held at Babies "R" Us in Murrieta when she was seven months pregnant with her son, Brandon, who is now 3 months old. Pareno said she wanted to breast-feed because of the health benefits, but she wasn't sure where to start because her mother had mostly fed her formula.

The other mothers in the group told her how to breast-feed discreetly in public using special nursing tops and so-called Hooter Hiders, brightly colored covers that hide the breast during feeding. They also advised Pareno that breast-feeding would grow easier after an initial tough phase.

"If they hadn't told me, I probably would have given up after the first few weeks because it was so painful," Pareno said.

Aside from the health benefits, Pareno finds breast-feeding convenient because she doesn't have to carry around bottles, and also cheaper.

"It saved me a ton of money on formula," she said.

Contact staff writer Rani Gupta at (951) 676-4315, Ext. 2625, or rgupta@californian.com.

Breast-feeding resources

Riverside County's Loving Support program has breast-feeding support programs throughout the county:

Hotline

Parents can receive breast-feeding support through a free 24-hour hotline at (888) 451-2499.

Southwest County lactation clinics

Temecula

41002 County Center Drive, Building B

9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mondays

Perris

308 E. San Jacinto Ave.

9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesdays

Lake Elsinore

2499 E. Lakeshore Drive, Suite B

9-10 a.m. and 1-3 p.m. on the first and third Wednesdays of each month

9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the second, fourth and fifth Wednesdays

Call (888) 451-2499 to make an appointment.

'Breast-feeding cafe'

11 a.m. on the first and third Wednesdays of each month

Babies "R" Us

24440 Village Walk Plaza, Murrieta

More resources

Riverside County Loving Support

http://www.rivco-nutrition.org/lovsup.htm.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

http://www.4woman.gov/Breastfeeding/index.cfm?page=home

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

http://www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding/