In light of the recent Facebook controversy, and taking into consideration many of the comments received, I thought I'd take it upon myself to offer my Top 5 Nursing Cover-Ups list to you. (I'm not Oprah, but I do have my own "favorite things"!) These allow you to nurse in public discreetly and they're really easy on the eye as well. So check 'em out and pick one up!

Hey, I'm the first to admit to being a complete Facebook junkie. I have over 500 "friends" and log on, mostly to procrastinate, about 10 times a day. I play Scramble. I have snowball fights with my friend, Jamie. I have my let-it-all-hang-out IM conversations with my friend, Kevin. I check in every night with my Trumbull High School and Skidmore College class pages, just in case there's someone I missed. But I have to say, in the last week or so, I've been a bit bummed out...Personally and professionally, I'm a bit turned off and may be bordering on breaking up my relationship with the site.

Recently, many moms on Facebook noticed that pictures of themselves breastfeeding their babies had been flagged for removal. They formed a group called “Hey Facebook, Breastfeeding Is Not Obscene!” (and of course, I joined!) to protest a policy that prohibits members from uploading any content deemed to be “obscene, pornographic or sexually explicit,” which, ridiculously, is how these pictures were viewed. One of the group's founders, Stephanie Knapp Muir, says the company’s policy is discriminatory towards women. She states, “If they were removing all photos of any exposed chest — male or female — in any context, at least that would be fair, but they’re targeting women with these rules. They’ve deemed women’s breasts obscene and dangerous for children and it’s preposterous."

In a lame attempt to justify the policy, Barry Schnitt, a spokesperson for the company says, “We think it’s a consistent policy. Certainly we can agree that there is context where nudity is not obscene, but we are reviewing thousands of complaints a day. Whether it’s obscene, art or a natural act — we’d rather just leave it at nudity and draw the line there.” Hmmm.

Muir countered Schnitt's response by expressing that she understands how hard it is for Facebook to deal with millions of photos. "[However], they need to be more discerning as to what they’re classifying as obscene. It’s highly offensive to mothers and babies to be lumped in as true obscenity.” Amen.

So what should those of us who are Facebook-obsessed do to protest? Maybe we can start a sister site, Breastbook...Thoughts? Join me in my forum to talk about this!

During an early morning grocery store run on Friday, I received a frantic phone call from my mom declaring, "DO NOT call your sister until she calls you today! They were up until 4am with the baby and can't even see straight. She finally fell asleep and they're going to do the same now." I was unfazed..."Yup. No problem." My mom, clearly more disturbed by this news than I was, asked, "Do you think everything is all right?" Continuing down grocery aisles, I answered, "Sure, everything is all right. She's having her 3 week growth spurt and the good news is that it sounds really textbook."

As necessary as they are, growth spurts can be enough to make you vomit, and seeing the light at the end of the tunnel may be a mere impossibility. Typically occurring at weeks 2, 3, and 6 and then again at 3 and 6 months of age, growth spurts leave as quickly as they come. So when your baby is feeding very frequently, somewhere around these times, be rest assured that this is normal and to be expected. Here are the details on growth spurts to post on your fridge for those times where you're at your wits' end. And to make you feel better, my sister and brother-in-law, two days later, are now laughing about this.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has announced new research entitled “Juggling Work and Breastfeeding: Effects of Maternity Leave and Occupational Characteristics”. The study looked at breastfeeding duration in new moms aged 18 or older, who gave birth to one healthy baby between July 2002 and December 2003. Mothers who took a maternity leave of six weeks or less, or between six and 12 weeks, was associated, respectively, with a fourfold and twofold higher risk, of poorly established breastfeeding. The study found that women who returned to work within six weeks of giving birth were three times more likely to stop breastfeeding compared to women who did not return to work. In addition, women working in inflexible or non-managerial jobs, and those with high psychosocial distress, were at a greater risk of stopping breastfeeding. Women who took maternity leave after delivery (versus before giving birth) determined breastfeeding success.

Remember that the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that babies be breastfed exclusively for the first six months of life, at which point complementary foods are introduced, and continuing through the first year of life, or for as long as mutually desired. The authors of the study recommend that pediatricians encourage women to take maternity leave, and to push for extended and paid postpartum leave, in addition to having more flexibility in working conditions for breastfeeding women.