To-wen Tseng Blogs Archives - San Diego County Breastfeeding Coalition

Writing blog posts for my local breastfeeding coalition is all about storytelling for social good. So today I am going to tell another breastfeeding story. It was 1949, in the middle of Chinese civil war. A mother trying to escape from the war-torn China got on a refugee boat in Guangzhou with her 3-year-old and…

When I was pregnant with my first child, during a prenatal interview, my then future pediatrician asked me if I planned to breastfeed. I said, “I will try if I have milk.” He told me, “With proper support, virtually every mother has milk.” It was this statement that motivated me to make a breastfeeding plan.…

This year may feel different to many of us, but here at San Diego County Breastfeeding Coalition, we continue to protect, promote and support breastfeeding through education, outreach and advocacy in our community. While we might have to do things a little differently, we are grateful that we are able to carry on with our…

Extended breastfeeding, which is considered breastfeeding beyond one year in the U.S., has been a popular topic among my mom friends and readers. It seems my mom friends never stopped debating and my mom readers never stopped asking “shall I stop breastfeeding when my child turns one?” “Does extended breastfeeding lead to tooth decay?” “Why…

Today I said goodbye to my breast pump.

The infant formula advertisements have increased since the outbreak of COVID-19. The World Health Organization(WHO) warned that countries failed to stop harmful marketing of breast-milk substitute. Market Watch predicted that the global infant formula market is going to grow due to the COVID-19 impact. Investigative journalists reported on the evidence of this harmful practice of formula marketing. Pandemic…

Recently I read an economic analysis report which argues that breastfeeding isn’t free and that work should be included in the GDP (gross domestic product). “What we measure reflects what we value and shapes what we do,” economists Nancy Folbre and Julie P. Smith wrote in the report. “International systems for measuring the economy have institutionalized the…

The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) recently changed its visitor limitation guidance: it is now recommended that two designated support persons can visit a NICU patient at the same time. Before this update, the guidance suggested only one visitor be allowed in the NICU. It is a major win for California postpartum families. Recognizing and…

The global COVID-19 pandemic highlights the importance of protecting breastfeeding—the optimal nutrition for infants—to improve child health and survival. “I am seeing way too many emails from formula reps to hospital administrators who are trying to use the pandemic to sidestep state, industry or Baby Friendly guidelines on their in-hospital marketing practices,” tweeted Kimberly Seals Allers, author…

My first child was born right before Mother’s Day. I’ve always said that he is my Mother’s Day present. This year that “Mother’s Day present” turned seven years old. I took him to the pediatrician for his annual wellness check. At the door of the clinic, I saw a very little baby, probably two or…