La Leche League of Dalton

06/30/2025

New Jersey Breastfeeding Coalition
1h ·
Carrie Johnson advises breastfeeding mums after dehydration
By Andrew Ffrench Reporter
"Carrie Johnson, the wife of former prime minister Boris Johnson, has urged breastfeeding mothers to eat and drink properly after she had a short spell in hospital with severe hydration.
Mrs Johnson, 37, whose fourth child with the former leader of the Conservative Party was born on May 21, said a two-night hospital stay was “not on my postpartum bingo card”.
Her warning came in a Instagram story alongside a photo of Mrs Johnson in hospital cradling baby Poppy Eliza Josephine.
Mr and Mrs Johnson live at Brightwell Manor in Brightwell-cum-Sotwell, near Wallingford.
Britain experienced a heatwave at the weekend when temperatures topped 30C, with an amber heat health alert issued.
Mrs Johnson wrote: “Being hospitalised for two nights for severe dehydration was not on my postpartum bingo card.”
She urged “breastfeeding mums” to make sure they eat and drink enough, “especially if your babe is clusterfeeding”.
Advice on the NHS website tells new mothers to drink plenty of fluids and to have a drink beside them as the settle down to breastfeed. Water, lower fat milks, lower sugar or sugar-free drinks are all good choices.
Mrs Johnson thanked everyone who has helped them get through a “brutal” week.
She wrote: “This week has honestly been brutal. “Mastitis (me), reflux (her), dehydration (me). What a pair we are!
“But thank you for all the kind messages, especially all the brilliant advice on reflux. Really appreciate it and made me feel way less alone going thru it all.
“And as ever, thanks to our amazing NHS.”
Her message came as a second amber heat health alert in two weeks came into force on Friday.
The amber alert, which covers London, the East Midlands, South East, South West and East of England, will last until 6pm tomorrow.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has also issued a yellow alert for Yorkshire and Humber and the West Midlands for the same time period, with the agency warning of significant impacts across health and social care services.
Mrs Johnson also shared photos of herself and her husband holding new baby Poppy.
"Back from hospital now and time for cocktails and pizza with my tiny baby snoozing on my lap," she posted. "Life doesn't get any better."
The couple married in 2021, the year after Carrie gave birth to their first child together, Wilfred.
She gave birth to Romy, their second child, in December 2021, and Frank, their third, in 2023.
In January, Mrs Johnson was treated at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford for flu and pneumonia and thanked NHS staff for looking after her and her family. "
https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/.../25276912.carrie-johnson.../
Key Threats to the Health of Pregnant, Breastfeeding, and Postpartum Women
https://www.epa.gov/.../climate-change-and-health...
Heat Illnesses
Extreme heat events are expected to last longer and become more frequent and intense as the climate changes. Heat-related illnesses can occur when a person is exposed to high temperatures and their body cannot cool down. Increases in average and extreme temperatures are expected to lead to more heat illnesses and deaths among vulnerable people, including pregnant women.
Exposure to extreme heat can also lead to dehydration and kidney failure in pregnant women. Pregnant women are also more prone to heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Extreme heat exposure in pregnant women has been associated with low birth weight, preterm birth, and infant mortality.
Overlapping Vulnerabilities
Pregnant, breastfeeding, and postpartum women may also be members of other groups with specific vulnerabilities to climate change. For instance, pregnant women from communities of color, low-income groups, and certain immigrant groups may face increased risks to certain climate impacts, less access to care, or higher incidence of chronic medical conditions when compared to other groups.1 These groups of people are also more likely to live in areas with higher levels of air pollution, older infrastructure, and increased risk of flooding, all of which may be worsened by climate change.
https://www.epa.gov/.../climate-change-and-health...
Breastfeeding and hot weather
https://www.breastfeeding.asn.au/.../breastfeeding-hot...

06/04/2025

Lysozyme is an enzyme in breastmilk that kills bacteria, and also protects against viruses and fungi. It increases in concentration when your child is about 6 months old, and again after a year.
Both those milestones coincide with increased mobility, when our babies start to explore, when eeeeverything goes in the mouth, and when walking means reaching further away.
Our babies’ immune system is very immature at birth and takes around 6 years to become fully mature. There is emerging evidence that a baby’s immune system can become chronically inflamed if it is required to kick in by itself before it has developed sufficiently.
So the support of protective factors in breastmilk could play a role in the timescale of natural term weaning (when a child stops breastfeeding of their own accord, without outside interruption) which is anywhere between 2ish and 7+ years old.
References and further reading at https://human-milk.com

06/02/2025

Unpopular fact time….
We humans have evolved to drink our mother’s milk until anywhere between the ages of around 2 and 7+ years old. Some babies stop earlier, some children carry on for longer. This is known as natural term breastfeeding, or natural term weaning. It’s thought that the eruption of the permanent set of teeth influences this timescale.
Many cultures around the world breastfeed until natural term, including many women in the Western world. This age range is only surprising in cultures that interrupt breastfeeding, often without realising it or knowing which norms are biololgical and which are cultural.
The concentration of fats and proteins increase as the baby grows into a toddler, along with increased levels of antibacterial and antiviral components such as lysozyme, which is an anti-inflammatory and destroys bacteria. Lysozyme increases in concentration from about 6 months old, and keeps increasing after the first year.
The concentration of Lactoferrin also increases over time. Lactoferrin inhibits the growth of some cancerous cells. It also helps our babies to absorb their own iron stores, whilst binding to the iron in our baby’s body which prevents it from being available to harmful microorganisms that need iron to survive. Lactoferrin also kills the bacteria strep mutans, which causes tooth decay and cavities.
Our body’s immune system takes around 6 years to become fully mature, so the support of the protective factors in human milk could play a part in the timescale of natural term weaning.
It is also associated with reduced risk of diseases for the mother, including breast cancer.
We acknowledge that many mothers find it difficult to establish breastfeeding in the first place, that breastfeeding is a multi-layered investment on the part of a mother and that natural term feeding might not feel like - or be - a possibility for many.
We also acknowledge that lack of information about our biology contributes to the lack of support for mothers when they want to establish - or continue - breastfeeding, but cannot find the help they need from people who understand why it matters so much.
Let's continue to turn that around ❤
More info at www.human-milk.com/science

05/24/2025

https://www.news-medical.net/news/20250520/Longer-breastfeeding-boosts-brain-growth-and-thinking-skills-in-teens-study-shows.aspx?utm_content=333416243&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&hss_channel=fbp-147128995540

Longer breastfeeding duration is associated with greater cortical thickness, surface area, and improved fluid cognition in adolescents. These brain structures and cognitive benefits remain stable over two years and support current recommendations for extended breastfeeding.

05/21/2025

02/01/2025

For your information:
https://www.local3news.com/local-news/erlanger-east-is-now-host-to-a-mothers-milk-bank-of-tennessee-milk-depot/article_e15147b6-df80-11ef-b4fc-07ebbc18635d.html?fbclid=IwY2xjawIKYV5leHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHRmF-zw8IEpS4x-VCta5mr7cDoU2EobSiM2frrFp_uD2GmubVXGN3PqTUw_aem_re4TBd-qZPylS1QkU4o3uw

The opening of a milk donation depot marks a significant step forward in supporting infants who rely on breast milk as a lifesaving intervention.

10/17/2024

Happy Birthday La Leche League 🎉🎉🎉
Today marks the 68th anniversary of the first LLL meeting🧡💚💙

05/24/2024

La Leche League of Dalton is changing our meeting format to better serve our area families. We are moving away from monthly meeting and will now be planning quarterly gatherings. Our first gathering will be in September. Location to be announced soon. In the meantime, if you need any help with breastfeeding/lactation, feel free to message us on Facebook or call/text our leaders.

Catherine at (706) 286-4702
Rachel at (706) 639-3642
Patty at (706) 260-1384

Send a message to learn more