The Milk of Human Kindness

Ezzo, author of Baby Wise, has no real education

Amy Philo — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 19:37:04 +0000

http://www.ezzo.info/feeding.htm

Reprinted from the above website:

Infant Feeding Advice

Take A Brochure

This printable tri-fold brochure educates parents and professionals about issues raised in Babywise & Preparation for Parenting. Permission is granted to copy and distribute.
Download here

Babywise and Preparation for Parenting (also known as Let the Children Come: Along the Infant Way) have been criticized by hundreds of professionals in pediatric medicine, human lactation, psychology, anthropology, child development, and theology. Problems have been associated with these programs — cases of slow weight gain, failure to thrive, depressed babies, even hospitalization. Its feeding recommendations were the subject of a warning sent out by the AAP.

The following are some of the concerns experts share :

Lack of expertise and credentials. The primary authors of the material, Gary and Anne Marie Ezzo, are self-proclaimed experts. Gary Ezzo has no background or expertise in child development, psychology, breastfeeding, or pediatric medicine, and holds neither an associate’s nor a bachelor’s degree from any college. His master of arts degree in Christian ministry was granted through a program that awarded credit for life experience in lieu of an undergraduate degree.
Anne Marie Ezzo worked only briefly as an R.N. decades ago. The Ezzos raised two daughters who are presently estranged from them.

It is unclear what, if anything, Babywise co-author Dr. Robert Bucknam contributed to that book, since versions of the book for the Christian market are essentially the same (though with added religious material) and do not have his name on the cover.
Risks for breastfeeding mothers and babies. Breastfeeding on a parent-determined schedule (including a “flexible routine” as it is called in Babywise) may reduce a mother’s milk supply and contradicts the recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), which has stated, “The best feeding schedules are the ones babies design themselves. Scheduled feedings designed by parents may put babies at risk for poor weight gain and dehydration.”
Poor breastfeeding information. Although it is presented as authoritative, the breastfeeding information presented in Babywise is inaccurate and substandard (compare with the AAP Breastfeeding recommendations from the 2005 AAP Policy Statement on Breastfeeding and the Use of Human Milk).
One Size Doesn’t Fit All. All babies and mothers are treated alike without any respect given for individual differences in breastmilk storage capacity, rate of milk synthesis, rate of infant metabolism or stomach capacity. In actuality, the number of feedings one mother’s body requires in order to supply her baby with plenty of milk each day will be quite different from other mothers around her. Similarly, breastfed babies need varying amounts milk in varying numbers and sizes of feedings, and they do not feed exactly the same way from one feeding to the next in any case. Ezzo seemingly expects all babies to respond in an identical manner. This is no more realistic than expecting adults to consume the same amounts of food on the same schedule and grow (or lose weight!) at the same rate.
A high-pressure presentation impacts parents’ perception of what is at stake:
- Pressure to maintain the regimen. The rules for sleep, feedings and wake time are portrayed as critical to follow in order to achieve a healthy outcome, while health and behavior problems for the baby, and sleepless nights for the parents, are predicted if the program is not followed. (Flexibility is praised but is described as small, short-term adjustments to the prescribed regimen. Parents are warned against making open-ended adaptations.)
- Misplaced moral dilemmas. How well the parents and the baby adhere to the program is framed as a moral or biblical issue (e.g. permissiveness on the part of parents, uncooperativeness on the part of the baby).
- Parents are reluctant to give up on the method. Health care professionals have observed that even when their babies were doing poorly on the program, parents often wanted to stick with it.

Essential Reading:

AAP Media Alert | PDF version
This media alert was issued after the AAP evaluated On Becoming Babywise.

“Examining the Evidence for Cue Feeding” | PDF version
by Jan Barger, RN, MS, IBCLS and Lisa Marasco, MA, IBCLC

“Babywise Advice Linked to Dehydration, Failure to Thrive”
by Matthew Aney, MD, AAP News

For Further Information

Critiques, reviews and professional analyses of Babywise and Prep
Heath Care Professionals Quoted in News Reports
News reports and media coverage
Comparisons of Ezzo and AAP Advice
Personal stories of former Babywise users
Frequently Asked Questions

Parents Misusing Leashes – Experiment – ABC

Amy Philo — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 05:59:43 +0000

This is an interesting news piece on what people do – and don’t do – when they see children being mistreated on leashes.

I am curious how many of our readers have ever had to use a leash and what ages / circumstances they were used for.

http://abcnews.go.com/WhatWouldYouDo/video/mom-puts-kids-leash-12196285

Two $50 Flower Gift Certificates *** RAFFLE to benefit The Indiana Star Foundation

Amy Philo — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 06:07:48 +0000

Two $50 Flower Gift Certificates *** RAFFLE to benefit The Indiana Star Foundation **** – Two Drawings – We have two $50 flower gift certificates to raffle off!!! (donated by http://www.proflowers.com/) – For the next week you can buy raffle tickets (for $5 each) by donating to the cause here:

http://pledgie.com/campaigns/6067.

To enter, just use PayPal (through PayPal you can use your bank account or a credit card) on our Pledgie page, and then email amy@uniteforlife.org with your contact information and # of raffle tickets you bought, so we can send you the gift code if you win!!!

Tardive Dyskinesia: Reglan Use in Preemies and Breastfeeding Mothers

Amy Philo — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 18:18:52 +0000

From Lawyers and Settlements:

February 20, 2010. By Heidi Turner //

Nurse Discusses Reglan Use in Infants

Lexington, GA: Terry P, a nurse in Georgia, worked with premature babies in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). She says she cannot remember a single premature baby in her care who was not given Reglan, despite the fact that there is still little information available about the long-term effects of Reglan on infants.

"Reglan is used to help with gut motility," Terry says. "It's used for premature babies because their bodies are not ready to work like yours and mine. When you try to feed them, their peristalsis [muscle contractions that move food through the digestive tract] is not as efficient. Doctors try to boot it up with Reglan.”

However, Reglan is also used to enhance breast milk production, and Terry says infants could be exposed to even greater quantities of the drug that way.

“The thing is, you might be giving the infant only a small amount of Reglan, but when you weigh only 500 grams, that’s a lot of medication to take in.”

“There was one doctor in particular who was a ‘breastfeed your baby or you’ll kill it’ doctor,” says Terry. “Some women can’t do it. Breast milk is the best thing for babies—they can digest it best. But not all women can do it. This doctor was writing prescriptions for Reglan to increase breast milk production.”

Premature babies have a premature neurological system, which means they react to noise, touch and other stimulus by becoming jittery and moving their arms and legs up and down. “Even sound will cause that jitteriness,” Terry says. “But they shouldn’t stay that way all the time.”

Under normal circumstances, the infant can be calmed down. “But if the drug is increasing that jitteriness, they’re messing the babies up by giving them Reglan,” says Terry. “The thing is, they were all on Reglan. There was not one premature baby who was not given Reglan.

“They were given Reglan as soon as feeding was incorporated. Say there is a baby who is 24 weeks gestation—normal is approximately 40 weeks. Once the baby is stabilized and the blood oxygen is good, they start tube feeding the baby and start the Reglan with the feeding so that the gut will contract like a normal gut and the food will move through. That could be as soon as a week after birth.

“The thing is, you might be giving the infant only a small amount of Reglan, but when you weigh only 500 grams, that’s a lot of medication to take in.”

Reglan now carries a black box warning alerting patients to the risk of tardive dyskinesia, especially if the drug is used for longer than 12 weeks. However, some critics argue there is still insufficient evidence to show that Reglan is safe for infants. According to the labeling information, serious Reglan side effects “happen more often in children and adults under age 30,” including uncontrolled spasms of the face and neck muscles, or muscles of the body, arms and legs.

If you have an infant who was treated with Reglan and are worried about potential side effects, contact a doctor to discuss your concerns.

Reglan Legal Help

If you have suffered losses in this case, please send your complaint to a lawyer who will review your possible [Reglan Lawsuit] at no cost or obligation.

Announcing increased web presence & networking options for babywhys readers!

Amy Philo — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 07:50:51 +0000

originally uploaded by babywhys.

So much new technology is available that I am very happy to say I am spreading the babywhys love around the internet. You can pitch in and help by following us on Twitter or Facebook and even buying some awareness gear if you like.

Website (which I swear I will update before January! On that note if you would like to be added to the directory of resources drop me a line or send an email. It’s best to send it to amy@uniteforlife.org):

http://babywhys.org/

Blog (If you’re reading this on the blog for the first time, I do not mean to insult your intelligence, just – I plan on sharing this on Facebook and email!):

http://babywhys.wordpress.com/

Twitter:

http://twitter.com/babywhys

YouTube Channel:

http://www.youtube.com/amyphilo

Brand New Facebook Fan Page:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/babywhys/173947821440

Facebook Group:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2476216796&ref=ts

Networked blogs (on Facebook):

http://apps.facebook.com/blognetworks/blog/the_milk_of_human_kindness/

Source for awareness gear:

http://www.cafepress.com/undercovermom

Yahoo email discussion group:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/babywhys/

I am so excited to be able to make new mommy & daddy friends and share the babywhys love! A free bumper sticker or button of your choice from our CafePress store will go to the reader who can guess where I spend at least half of my time online…

Remembering Indiana Delahunty 7-26-08 to 9-13-08

Amy Philo — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 00:36:20 +0000

Tomorrow, September 13, 2009 is the one year anniversary of Indiana Delahunty’s death.

Please go to Christian’s & Matt’s blog to offer some moral support to the family.

http://indibaby.wordpress.com/

Chipmunks Gone Country: The Boobie and Me

Amy Philo — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 02:51:46 +0000

Mindin’ Our Own Business for Mammaries:

“The Boobie and Me”

(nursing in public / mammal advocacy)

What the Media Won’t Tell You About Antidepressants

Amy Philo — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 06:37:48 +0000

Please read this article on The Bitter Pill:

http://uniteforlife.wordpress.com/2009/09/05/what-the-media-doesnt-say-about-antidepressants-pregnancy/

Here are a few excerpts:

In reality, you cannot separate the need for the baby to be healthy and to survive from the mother’s mental state. How many mothers honestly do not worry that something could go wrong with their babies or do not feel responsible for protecting their children? How many women who lost children can go on day by day not feeling anything about that loss? Which antidepressant are you supposed to take to help with depression if you’re dealing with loss after your baby dies from an antidepressant?

…

[T]o quote the ACOG release, “[T]he use of antidepressant medications during pregnancy have been associated with negative consequences for the newborn…some studies have linked fetal malformations, cardiac defects, pulmonary hypertension, and reduced birth weight to antidepressant use during pregnancy.”

…

If you had PPD before, then by all means if you are going to take drugs for PPD, do so after the baby is born and don’t do it while nursing. The time it takes you to get your placebo effect should be well worth it considering the peace of mind and increased safety for the baby.

…

Even after considering the fact that antidepressants actually cause depression and suicide, and work about as well as a placebo, this catch phrase makes about as much sense to me as saying that a mom who is addicted to crack, or drinks 5 coffees a day, or smokes, or is an alcoholic, should be told to keep doing those things if it eases her anxiety or fatigue while pregnant. Or about as much sense as telling women to go take Thalidomide because we’re not really sure that Thalidomide causes problems and it was probably actually the morning sickness causing the birth defects and not the Thalidomide. The jury is still out on whether swallowing RAID or drinking bleach while pregnant is bad for your baby. Perhaps working in a nuclear plant or handling plutonium should be considered safe for pregnant women too.

ACOG’s Anti-Mothers Actions

Amy Philo — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 16:04:31 +0000

Here’s an interesting article on It’s Your Birth Right about some of the discrepancies between what the ACOG says and what the ACOG does. It ends with a warning about the self-interested movement away from good maternity care and towards the best financial outcomes for OBs.

Check it out:

http://yourbirthright.info/2009/09/02/acog-really-you-thought-that-was-okay/

ACOG… REALLY??!! You thought THAT was okay?!

Thanks Nicole!

Four-Baby Laugh-A-Thon

Amy Philo — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 07:36:41 +0000