We adore the amazing women at Pump Station & Nurtury. 

The Pump Station stores are based in Los Angeles (Santa Monica, Hollywood, Westlake Village) and serve as resource centers providing a wide variety of classes & workshops,  play groups, and new baby care classes.  Their classes span from pregnancy to childbirth and beyond. 

The Pump Station & Nurtury team are experts in their field.  They provide a comfortable and compassionate environment for new moms interested in all things breastfeeding including support groups, lactation consultants, high quality nursing bras and more.  They have been generous to provide us with information on breastfeeding in honor of breastfeeding awareness month.  For more information, please visit www.pumpstation.com

Breastfeeding Facts 

Due to increasing scientific research, the World Health Organization,American Academy of Pediatrics and Surgeon General of the United States recommend human milk as the natural food of choice for the human infant during the first year of life. To help you be more fully informed, this handout compares breastfeeding (the biological norm), with artificial infant feeding (our cultural norm).If you choose to breastfeed your baby, consult with your doctor prior to delivery, take a breastfeeding class and read a breastfeeding manual.

1. The mother has a higher risk of prolonged bleeding during the postpartum period; the uterus is delayed in returning to the pre-pregnant state. Breastfeeding encourages normal contractions that quickly return the mother's uterus to the pre-pregnant state.
2. There is a higher incidence of ovarian and pre-menopausal breast cancer among mother's who choose artificial feeding.Twenty-four months of breastfeeding helps protect the mother from the future risk of ovarian and breast cancer.
3. The mother choosing artificial feeding is slower to lose those extra pounds and return to pre-pregnancy weight.Breastfeeding burns 750-800 extra calories per day.
4. Mother hours are spent purchasing and preparing artificial milk, (i.e., formula).Breastfeeding mothers do not have to get up at night to prepare and heat bottles.
5. Artificial milk costs between $900 to $ 4,700 the first year.Additional food costs for the breastfeeding mother runs approximately $120 per year.
6. Artificial milk must be refrigerated and heated, even when going out with your baby.Breast milk is readily available with no added inconvenience for the mother.
7. Working mothers feeding artificial milk miss more work hours due to infant illness.Breastfeeding mothers can minimize disruptions to their work hours by easily pumping and storing their milk while at work, due to advances in pump designs.
8. Mothers feeding artificial milk substitutes miss the pleasurable experience of nursing at the breast. Breastfeeding triggers the release of oxytocin (commonly called the "maternal hormone") which creates a heightened sense of relaxation in both mother and infant.
9. Artificial feeders miss the special physical bond that grows between a nursing mother and her infant.
10. Artificially fed babies have foul smelling stools due to a different mix of bacteria in their intestines.Breastfed babies have seedy, yellow stools that have a mild, inoffensive odor to both mother and infant.

1. Artificial infant feeding has been described as the world's largest experiment without scientific controls.It is an incomplete, inferior food that resulted from political, sociologic and economic trends within the United States during the last century.Although artificial milk is the result of science trying to improve an infant nutritional intake, breast milk is "species specific", precisely engineered by nature to meet the infant's nutritional needs.
2. Artificial milk exposes infants to allergens present in cow milk and soy products.An infant with a family history of allergies is at a higher risk of developing allergies to dairy and soy products. Current scientific studies support breastfeeding as a protective factor against allergies.The manufacturers of artificial milk have no studies citing the protective effects of their products.
3. Artificially fed infants are sick more often than breastfed infants with ear, respiratory and intestinal infections, resulting in increased doctor visits, hospitalizations, and antibiotic use. Studies show there is a fifty-fold difference in hospitalization rates between breastfed infants and artificially fed infants.
4. Artificial milk is harder for the infant to digest and moves slower through the stomach and intestines, which results in abdominal distension and discomfort.Breast milk is rapidly absorbed, requires less energy for digestion and is immediately available to fuel growth in the infant.
5. Artificially fed infants are more likely to have diarrhea and/or constipation.Breastfed infants have a soft, easily passed stool that is consistent and uniform.
6. Artificially fed infants suffer a higher incidence of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome), juvenile diabetes, obesity, hypertension and immune system diseases in adulthood.Breastfeeding protects against all of these diseases and syndromes.
7. Sucking is vital to babies.Artificially fed infants spend less time sucking during feedings.Breastfed infants flutter their tongues against the mother's nipple 3,000 to 4,000 times per feeding.This releases calming hormones within both mother and baby.
8. Artificially fed infants have slower development of mouth and facial muscles when compared to breastfed infants.This results in poorer speech and dental development.
9. Upon reaching elementary school age, artificially fed infants demonstrate lower levels of growth and motor development, plus lower I.Q. scores than breastfed infants.Breastfed children score 5 to 7 I.Q. points higher than the average on standardized intelligence tests.
10. Artificially fed infants must wait while the formula is being prepared.Rushing to feed a hungry, crying formula-fed baby can result in human error; overheating the feed, inaccurately mixing, and/or possible contamination of the product.
11. Mother-infant contact is shortened with artificial feeding.Breastfed infants receive the emotional and psychological benefits of heightened skin-to-skin and eye-to-eye contact.