Breast Feeding

This is how I envision it. Start with a bold guerrilla action, a call to arms. (Or another female body part). The idea would be to wake society up (some segments more so than others) and spur action to free women from yet another form of bondage. I figure a photo op could be declared to ensure maximum exposure. And I personally guarantee that many of my colleagues would show up. Of course, you've got to bill the thing right.

If early humans had been vegans we might all still be living in caves, Swedish researchers suggested in an article Thursday. When a mother eats meat, her breast-fed child's brain grows faster and she is able to wean the child at an earlier age, allowing her to have more children faster, the article explains. That provided a distinct competitive advantage for early humans when limited resources and a small population made it difficult for them to thrive. "Eating meat enabled the breast-feeding periods and thereby the time between births to be shortened," said psychologist Elia Psouni of Lund University in Sweden.

The health benefits of breast-feeding for mothers and babies are widely known. Studies have shown it may improve cognitive development among children and could reduce a woman's risk of getting breast cancer or cardiovascular disease. But new research suggests that some very obese woman may not breast-feed as much or for as long as their normal-weight counterparts. The study, released in the January issue of the journal Obesity, looked at information about 3,517 white women and 2,846 black women from 2000 to 2005.

A TV actress with a PhD in neuroscience, Mayim Bialik, 36, takes on a third career as author with Tuesday's publication of "Beyond the Sling: A Real-Life Guide to Raising Confident, Loving Children the Attachment Parenting Way" (Touchstone). Bialik, who starred in the '90s sitcom "Blossom," is a regular on CBS' Caltech comedy, "The Big Bang Theory," where she plays a nerdy neuroscientist. Bialik, who earned her degrees at UCLA, is married to her college sweetie, Michael Stone; they have two sons -- Miles, 6 1/2, and Frederick, 3 1/2. -- What is attachment parenting and why did you write the book?

Breast-feeding infants for at least six months appears to give kids' an advantage in school, according to a study published Monday in the journal Pediatrics . Many other studies have also found a small effect on school performance from breast-feeding. This study, however, was unique in that boys appeared to benefit the most. The researchers, from the University of Western Australia in Perth, have followed 2,868 children since the early '90s. The study showed that, at age 10, boys who were breast-fed for six months or longer scored higher in math, reading and spelling compared with boys who were breast-fed for less than six months.

Re "State OK for Breast-Feeding in Public Nears," April 4: It really disappoints me that women are still being subjected to unspoken rules dictating what we can and cannot do with our bodies. The reluctance on the part of Gov. Pete Wilson to sign a bill protecting mothers from being discriminated against while breast-feeding in public signifies the tragic demise of common sense. As Dr. Bruce Smith said, breasts were designed for the express purpose of nurturing a child. Why are Assemblywomen Marilyn Brewer (R-Newport Beach)

I am appalled at Judge Richard Wells' decision in favor of Cafe Rodeo's policy against allowing women to breast-feed their infants at their tables ("Judge Rules for Cafe in Suit Over Breast-Feeding," Metro, June 30). There is something fundamentally wrong with a society which allows smoking in public, which medical experts agree can only be harmful to everyone involved (the smoker and all those nearby), but does not allow breast-feeding in public, which medical experts agree can only be beneficial to everyone involved (the mother and child)

Breast-feeding is often encouraged for women with multiple sclerosis. It's not only good nutrition for the baby, studies have suggested it may protect the mother against a relapse of the disease. A study published Wednesday casts doubt on that assertion, however. Researchers followed 298 women with multiple sclerosis for one year after delivery. About one-third of the women breast-fed their babies for at least two months and the remaining did not breast-feed or only did so for a very short time.

Re "Lactivists, Chill Out!" Commentary, June 9: I think what is most important for women who are breast-feeding their babies to get a clue on is that the majority of us do not want to be near women who are breast-feeding. I breast-fed two babies for nine months each and would never have dreamed of subjecting people near me, much less sitting 6 inches away, to something so private. If you have to be in that situation, pump what you need. Pulling out a part of your body that is typically left covered is tacky, even if you are nourishing your baby.

Shari Roan's profile of Louisiana State University fitness and nutrition expert Melinda Sothern was excellent ["The Birth of Obesity," Dec. 19]. Sothern postulates that the obesity epidemic may have roots in the 1950s because "a generation of young women … smoked, spurned breast-feeding, and restricted their weight during numerous, closely spaced pregnancies. " We know that there is great work being done around the nation to combat this "obesity trinity. " Sothern believes we can reverse the epidemic and so do I. As a breast-feeding advocate, I support the surgeon general's call to reduce the barriers to breast-feeding.

Breast-feeding is often encouraged for women with multiple sclerosis. It's not only good nutrition for the baby, studies have suggested it may protect the mother against a relapse of the disease. A study published Wednesday casts doubt on that assertion, however. Researchers followed 298 women with multiple sclerosis for one year after delivery. About one-third of the women breast-fed their babies for at least two months and the remaining did not breast-feed or only did so for a very short time.

Breastfeeding is universally recommended as the superior method for feeding infants because it's linked to long-term prevention of various illnesses including asthma, diabetes and obesity. A study released Monday puts more emphasis on breastfeeding by showing it may have a lasting impact on metabolism. French researchers analyzed three years of data following 234 children and how they were fed after birth. One group of children received only breast milk for the first four months of life.

Breast-feeding infants for at least six months appears to give kids' an advantage in school, according to a study published Monday in the journal Pediatrics . Many other studies have also found a small effect on school performance from breast-feeding. This study, however, was unique in that boys appeared to benefit the most. The researchers, from the University of Western Australia in Perth, have followed 2,868 children since the early '90s. The study showed that, at age 10, boys who were breast-fed for six months or longer scored higher in math, reading and spelling compared with boys who were breast-fed for less than six months.

Breast-feeding at work should become a lot easier as employers adhere to a provision of the Affordable Care Act of 2010. In a report released Friday, women's health advocates estimate that the provision will increase the breast-feeding rate among U.S. women, a statistic that now ranks well below other developed nations. Under the new law, employers must provide nursing breaks and a private, sanitary place where mothers of children younger than 1 who work as nonexempt employees can express breast milk.

The health benefits of breast-feeding for mothers and babies are widely known. Studies have shown it may improve cognitive development among children and could reduce a woman's risk of getting breast cancer or cardiovascular disease. But new research suggests that some very obese woman may not breast-feed as much or for as long as their normal-weight counterparts. The study, released in the January issue of the journal Obesity, looked at information about 3,517 white women and 2,846 black women from 2000 to 2005.

State lawmakers forged into the final 72 hours of their legislative year by passing a flurry of measures Wednesday that included a jab at the Culligan Man, a bow to breast-feeding mothers and an effort to thwart the potential perils of cosmetic surgery. With the fate of California's biggest issues -- including a potential re-plumbing of the state's water system -- still unresolved, lawmakers churned through scores of bills as the clock ticked toward the end-of-session deadline at midnight Friday.

Police in Ohio say a woman has been charged with child endangering after another motorist reported she was both breast-feeding a youngster and talking on a cellphone while driving. Police in the Dayton suburb of Kettering say the caller told them he saw the woman Thursday morning and followed her to a school parking lot. Officer Michael Burke says authorities used a license plate number to track down Genine Compton, 39.