The Mommy Blawg

NOT JUST FOR SELLING BEER

Mothering Magazine's latest issue, which featured a nursing mother and baby on the cover, caused a bit of a stir in New Mexico. The Santa Fe New Mexican reports that complaints prompted employees of Vitamin Cottage, a local retail establishment, to cover the offending breast with paper. And, the paper reports, Hastings stores requested that the distributor of the magazine use plastic wrapping, as is sometimes used on magazines with "adult" content.

The article goes on to state:

"The U.S. Department of Health and Human Resources in its Healthy People 2010 initiative is trying to increase the number of women who breast-feed. Its goal is 75 percent of new mothers, 50 percent of mothers of 6-month-olds and 25 percent of mothers of 1-year-olds."

"Currently, fewer than half of mothers of newborns exclusively breast-feed their babies, and fewer than 12 percent are still at it six months later. In Norway, Australia, Iceland, Sweden and Kenya, "initiation" rates are greater than 90 percent."

"Breast-fed babies have fewer allergies, respiratory illnesses and cases of diarrhea and are less likely to be obese in adolescence. And, some studies show, they even have higher IQs."

The New Homemaker blog (Jan. 16, 2004) reprinted the comments of a Vitamin Cottage spokesperson, who said ,"We are 100% behind breast feeding and the rights of breast feeding mothers. I myself breast fed my children while working and in public."