EPIBI Starter Pack Nursing Pads-item code SP-soy/soy or -soy/lace

We recently started to sell the EPIBI Starter Pack.

Why did we create it?  Previously, EPIBI Nursing Pads were sold as either Day Pads (for average leaking) or Eve Pads (for heavy leaking).  Then, customers asked, "Can I use the Eve Pads during the day?"  or "Can I continue to wear the Day Pads at night?"  Then, several of our buyers suggested that we combine the two styles and have the breastfeeding mom decide which ones suit her needs.

We also decided to change the language from Day Pads to Regular Absorbency Pads; Eve Pads to Super Absorbency Pads.  Two different colors offset each other and make the nursing mom feel beautiful.  The outer cover comes in either soy bean fabric or lace.  

Recently, at the National WIC Association (NWA) Conference in San Diego, many lactation specialists and nutritionists visited our booth and liked the EPIBI Starter Pack. 

We welcome all nursing moms and breastfeeding specialists to try our nursing pads.

Elly Hann, creator of EPIBI reusable antimicrobial nursing pads & washable hypoallergenic diaper liners

Enigma of "lumpy" EPiBi Nursing Pads

Heather, one of our astute buyers, told me recently that one of her clients did not like EPiBi Regular Absorbency Day Nursing Pads, because looked lumpy after a wash.  She loved the Super Absorbency Eve Nursing Pads.

My immediate response was to assure her that when the pads were tested inside a standard, well-supported nursing bra, similar to a sports bra, we could not see the outline of the EPiBi Nursing Bra.

But Heather's question nagged me.  To find out, we re-tested one of our pads after washing it.  Sure enough, it got lumpy around the edge, and concealment was hopeless.  After it was worn inside a nursing bra for an hour, however, it gradually conformed to the anatomic shape of the breast.  Soon, we could hardly tell there was a nursing pad inside the bra.

It was an enigma, but technical or engineered fabrics are full of interesting characteristics.  When the lighter weight EPiBi Regular Absorbency Nursing Pads are washed and hung to dry, gravity pulls the stretchy fabric in one direction - towards the ground.  When it's completely dried, it obviously looks distorted.   Inside the nursing bra, initially all the lumps show up.  Then, gradually, warmth of the body re-shapes it into the original contoured shape.  As each hour passes by, the EPiBi Nursing Pad becomes more concealable.

It's fun to work with technical or engineered textiles.

Elly Hann, creator of EPiBi antimicrobial washable nursing pads & hypoallergenic diaper liners

Mother's milk - protective shield for the baby

Last weekend, I attended a conference sponsored by San Diego County Breastfeeding Coalition.  During Q&A, a nurse-lactation consultant quoted her child's pediatrician telling her that "babies are allergic to mother's milk".

This got me thinking more about what's in human milk, besides all the necessary fats, proteins, immunoglobulins, sugars, and something else tremendously beneficial for the baby.

Today's article in the San Diego Union Tribune by Nicholas Wade describes a study by researchers at the University of California, Davis - Bruce German, Carlito Lebrilla and David Mills.  Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences published a review article of their work. 

The article said:
 1)  At least 21 percent of human milk is made up of "complex sugars".  Complex sugar (carbohydrate) molecules are sugars with 3 or more single sugar molecules bonded together.  Infants cannot digest complex sugars.  Think of the potato starch.  Complex sugars are starch.
 2)  Infants drinking breast milk get a helping hand from bacteria called Bifido (or Bifidobacterium Longum).  Bifido species get in the action and help break down the indigestible component of milk, such as lactose. 
3)  Human milk's complex sugars also fool the nasty pathogenic bacteria and viruses.  Instead of the pathogens binding to cell surface receptors (a necessary step in infection),  they bind to the complex sugars.  Mother's milk protects the infant from getting infected.

This doesn't sound like breast milk causing an allergic reaction.  It sounds more like baby's genes favor drinking mother's breast milk.

Dr. Elly Hann, creator of EPiBi antimicrobial washable nursing pads & hypoallergenic diaper liners 

How to evaluate washable nursing pads

Frequently, I get asked about how to find the best washable nursing pads.  These are my criteria.  Some people may disagree,  however coming from wound care field, these criteria are important for healthy skin for a breastfeeding mother:

1)  It's contoured without artificially inserted or sewn pleat.
2)  When you squeeze, it squeezes softly.
3)  If you are prone to nipple irritation or mastitis (breast infection), try the certified antimicrobial washable nursing pads.  Stay away from disposable nursing pads.  Federal Trade Commission website can tell you whether a fabric is antimicrobial or not.
4)  Choose the washable pad with a silky smooth surface.  Cotton is not a smooth surface, because it will pill up.  Anything that pills up with washing is not good for your skin.  Non-abrasive fabric is better.
5) "Moisture proof" is to be avoided.  It has a vinyl layer that will stop moisture from evaporating quickly.  It can contribute to infections.  Choose a nursing pad with breathable layers.  Breathable fabric layers also allow "quick dry".

Dr. Elly Hann, creator of EPiBi antimicrobial washable nursing pads & hypoallergenic diaper lilners

Diabetes and pregnancy; breastfeeding lowers blood sugar

An article from the August 11, 2010 issue of Diabetes Forecast by Tracey Neithercott caught my eye.  Baby Talk is an instructive article for all diabetic patients planning on a pregnancy.  I am not an endocrinologist (hormone and diabetes specialist) or an Obstetrician, so I am quoting Ms. Neithercott's article for my readers.

Before pregnancy, the following things help to prepare your body for a better pregnancy outcome:  Quit smoking, bring down Hemoglobin Alc under 7%, take folic acid, make an appointment with a dietician, stop drinking any alcohol, avoid foods that can be associated with environmental toxins or bacteria (such as uncooked meats, uncooked seafood, tuna or mackerel with known high mercury content), and exercise more consistently (squeeze in a power walk at lunch).

During pregnancy, focus on eating healthy meals, achieve pregnancy parameters in Hemoglobin A1c levels, blood pressure, and weight management your health care team recommends.  Recently, Institute of Medicine recommended pregnancy weight gains according to pre-pregnancy weight of the woman.  For underweight women, 28 ~ 40 lbs of gain; for normal weight women, 25~35 lbs; for overweight women, only 11~20 lbs.  You should follow those guidelines your obstetrics and diabetes team set out for you. 

Some obstetric teams are more familiar with managing diabetic patients in labor.  Be sure to discuss your options up front.  To avoid post-delivery hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), management of  your insulin and meal plans should be done by your doctor rather than the hospital physicians and nurses.

Jennifer Wyckoff, M.D. of University of Michigan recommends diabetic women to breastfeed.  Breastfeeding tends to lower glucose (blood sugar) levels.  A diabetic nursing mom is recommended to eat the same amount of calories as during pregnancy, because breastfeeding requires more calories and nutrients.

Dr. Wyckoff also says that breastfeeding can reduce the baby's chance of developing
Type 1 diabetes.  Helpful immunolgobins from the mother can protect the baby and lessen his/her chance of developing Type 1 diabetes later.

For further reading, go to forecast.diabetes.org/babystories

Brought to you by Elly Hann, creator of EPiBi antimicrobial washable nursing pads & hypoallergenic diaper liners

antimicrobial layer in EPiBi products

I get asked by many lactation specialists and nurses about what makes EPiBi Nursing Pad's antimicrobial properties different from other nursing pads.

EPiBi Nursing Pads are the only antimicrobial nursing pads on the market.  The antimicrobial layer in the inner lining of the EPiBi pads is permanently bound to each and every fiber of the fabric.  It does not wash off - repeat washing does not eliminate antimicrobial effect.  It also does not leach out onto the skin, like silver products used to.  It biodegrades in about 5 years and does not harm the fish, like some heavy metals do.

Some people claim that bamboo has natural antimicrobial effect.  Recently, the Federal Trade Commission cited four companies for falsely claiming bamboo having an antimicrobial effect.  They were fined and ordered to permanently retract such a claim.  When I spoke to a textile microbiology professor @ Colorado State University, he told me that some of his graduate students measured antimicrobial effect of bamboo fabrics.  There was none.  His students' findings were published in textile journals.

Someone told me this week that silk has natural antimicrobial effect.  I wonder about that.  When I spoke to a silk merchant from Italy, his company had to treat their fibers with an antimicrobial substance to make it antimicrobial.  It seems to me he knows more about silk than just about anybody else in the world.

I invite readers to comment, because there is a lively discussion out there amongst folks advocating "only natural" products.  Your comments are welcome.

Elly Hann
creator of EPiBi hypoallergenic diaper liners & EPiBi antimicrobial washable nursing pads
www.epibi.com

why organic cotton?

I wonder why breastfeeding women are in love with organic cotton nursing pads.  Having come from wound care background for hospice patients, it made me think of an analogy. 

Why would anyone ever place a wet cotton pad on moist, warm skin just waiting for possible infection?  Wound care medicine stopped using cotton dressings on injured skin, because cotton stayed wet and got stuck on the wound.  When it was peeled, it tended to peel off the top layer of the injured skin (epidermis).

So, what is it about "organic cotton" that would behave differently from regular cotton?  Well, there is no difference at all, other than having no chemicals being added to growing and manufacturing it.  Then, does it make any sense to use cotton pads or organic cotton pads on vulnerable skin?

To me, it does not make any sense for a breastfeeding woman to use cotton pads.  Pads incorporating synthetic, technical or engineered fabrics that can manage moisture, trauma, and infection make much more sense.

Elly Hann, creator of EPiBi antimicrobial nursing pads & hypoallergenic diaper liners

Baby Behavior

I recently attended a conference sponsored by the Orange County Breastfeeding Coaliton, CA.  One of the guest speakers, Dr. Jane Heinig presented tools for developing a baby-friendly hospital.  One of her references also named the following site for Q&As on baby behavior.

I looked it up, and it was very educational.

www.secretsofbabybehavior.com

Elly Hann, creator of EPIBI Nursing Pads & EPIBI Diaper Liners
the only antimicrobial, skin-friendly pads

"Pregnancy exercise slims babies"

Posted 04/05/2010 on BBC News - Pregnancy exercise 'slims babies'

Researchers in New Zealand (Paul Hofman, M.D.) and the U.S. followed pregnant women in a study group.  One group was asked to exercise bicycles for 40 minutes sessions, 5 times each week.  The other group was not asked to exercise. 

The following are the findings:
1)  Exercise group's babies weighted less by average of 0.32 lb. (143 grams).
2)  Babies' length did not different in the two groups.
3)  Babies in both groups were well nourished

Study's conclusions:
1)  Larger babies are more likely to become obese
2)  Exercise during pregnancy can improve the health of mother and child.

How to find the best reusable nursing pad?

I have evaluated nearly ten different types of nursing pads available in the market.  These things are what you should be looking for if you are breastfeeding and want something better for your skin.

1)  A lactating woman should use naturally contoured pads without pleats.  Pleats will dig into the engorged lactating breasts and cause pressure problems against the skin.  Pleats may occasionally cause pain.

2)  The reusable nursing pad on the breast side should be soft and smooth to touch.  Cotton tends to get rough and pill up after a couple of washes.  Pilling and roughening of the lining fabric can rub on injured, soft skin.  A lactating woman with nipple injuries should avoid cotton pads or disposable nursing pads.  There are reusable nursing pads on the market that use engineered, technically superior fabric to eliminate pilling. 

3)  The absorbent material should be breathable.  Looks for reusable nursing pads with "breathable" fabrics.   Skin tends to overheat and stay wet if the nursing pad is not breathable.  Some examples of non-breathable absorbent materials are gel, silicone, felt & sponge.  Similarly, disposable nursing pads are not breathable.

4)  Choose soft and thin nursing pads over thick & heavy ones.  Thin nursing pads (for an average milk leaker) tend to dry faster against the warmth of the skin.  Technical fabrics designed to handle moisture protect the skin better.

5)  For a lactating woman with cracked nipples or skin irritation, she may want to consider using reusable nursing pads with an antimicrobial layer.  An antimicrobial layer keeps the pad cleaner and discourages skin infections.

All comments are welcome.
Elly Hann, creator of EPIBI Nursing Pads & EPIBI Milk Pads
www.epibi.com

Breastfeeding and Other Health Issues for New Moms

Hello Nursing Moms,
According to an email summary I received from Dr. Nancy Wight, a neonatology in
San Diego,  The White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity has released its report on ending childhood obesity in a generation.  Breastfeeding is on pages 13~17 of this report.
Go to http://www.letsmove.gov/tfco_fullreport_may2010.pdf to read more.

Dr. Wight writes:

Recommendation 1.3:  Hospitals and health care providers should use maternity care practices that empower new mothers to breastfeed, such as the Baby-Friendly hospital standards.

Recommendation 1.4:  Health care providers and insurance companies should provide information to pregnant women and new mothers on breastfeeding, including the availability of educational classes, and connect pregnant women and new mothers to breastfeeding support programs to help them make an informed infant feeding decision.

Recommendation 1.5:  Local health departments and community-based organizations, working with health care providers, insurance companies, and others should develop peer support programs that empower pregnant women and mothers to get the help and support they need from other mothers who have breastfed.
Recommendation 1.6:  Early childhood settings should support breastfeeding.

Dear Nursing Moms and lactation educators, your comments are welcome.

This blog is from Dr. Elly Hann, creator of EPIBI Nursing Pads, the only skin-friendly, reusable nursing pads with an antimicrobial layer.

On-demand feedings for pre-term babies

18 February, 2010
http://www.cfah.org/hbns/archives/getDocument.cfm?documentID=22228

Question:  Feeding pre-term infants on schedule vs. on hunger cues - what works better?

There is a new review of available medical literature from Health Behavior News Service that shows that feeding pre-term infants on hunger cues can help them gain more weight and faster hospital discharge.

Drs. William McGuire of U.K. and Jay Gordon of Cedars Sinai-UCLA Hospital conclude there is some rigidity by neonatologists to adhere to set feeding schedules.   This practice may conflict with breastfeeding on demand.  By about 34 weeks, pre-mature infants are ready to transition from tube feedings to on-demand feedings.  Hunger cues are crying, sucking or breast/bottle refusal were physical cues used for demand feeding. When babies are fed on schedule by tube feedings, more complications may occur.  They also proposed hospital staff become more interested in promoting breastfeeding and do more to promote it. 
Many studies support breastfed babies have higher survival rates in NICU.  Studies also show a positive association between supportive staff attitude and breastfeeding by moms.

EPIBI Nursing Pads & women's health

posted 15 February, 2010

Hello nursing moms and lactation professionals,  we have finally launched a new type of nursing pads.  EPIBI Nursing Pads are like washable dressings-washable, moisture-wicking, breathable, and anti-microbial.  Our pads are thin, more concealable than any other washable nursing pads in the market.

Think of our inner layer like a parachute fabric.  A parachute needs to glide through the air with minimal air friction, and it also needs micro-channels to allow air flow through the fabric.  Our inner layer in contact with the skin works like a parachute material.  Micro-channels within the fabric allow air flow, which helps with quick dry.

Our studies show that even when the pad gets wet, it gets damp within 20 minutes, and by 40~60 minutes, it feels almost dry:  Better skin-safety and comfort.

The anti-microbial material is permanently bound to each fiber of the fabric, and it does not get washed away or move out of the fabric.  It biodegrades within 5 years.

We are meeting with lactation specialists and retailers to spread the word.  EPIBI Nursing Pads are currently on sale at Kaiser hospital in San Diego, St. Joe's in Orange, CA, and UCLA Medical Center gift shop.  ellyhann@epibinursingpads.com,
aka the nursing pad lady

Anti-depressants for breastfeeding moms

Friday, Jan 29, 2010

New moms attempting to breastfeed need to be aware of problems associated with certain types of anti-depressants. Yahoo Health quoted an article published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology about a class of anti-depressants, SSRI (Selective Serotonin Re-uptake Inhibitor).  Drugs such as Prozac and Paxil showed delayed onset of lactation for these women.  Further details can be found in:  http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/cbc/100127/science/science_breastfeed_antidepressant_ssri_1

The study found:
1) 431 new moms took the SSRI medications,
2) It took @ 85 hours for SSRI-taking moms to establish milk flow;
3) 69.1 hours for women not taking SSRI medications,
4) Breastfeeding moms taking SSRI drugs may benefit from extra support of a lactation consultant,
5) More data are needed for full recommendations

*Serotonin is one of the neurotransmitters that governs milk secretion at the right time.  When this chemical is reduced, it can affect milk product of breastfeeding moms.

So, what happens to the breastfed babies of moms taking SSRI?
Go to:    http://www.breastfeeding.org/newsletter/v2i4/page2.html                                                Amount baby can get
Antidepressant    Trade Name     with respect to what mom gets    Use during BF OK?
Fluoxetine                  Prozac                 6.5%                                  Least desirable SSRI
Bupropion               Wellbutrin               <3.0%                                  Probably OK
Citalopram                 Celexa                     4.4%                                 Probably OK
Nefazodone               Serzone                  <1.0%                                 Probably OK
Paroxetine                  Paxil                        2.0%                                   Preferred
Sertraline                   Zoloft                       1.8%                                   Preferred
Venlafaxine                Effexor                     4.6%                                 Probably OK


Brought to you by the nursing pad doctor:  ellyhann@epibinursingpads.com

Breastfeeding and Other Health Issues for New Moms

Tuesday, 26 January, 2010

For those of you who are new nursing moms, have you had some trouble figuring out how to calculate the amount of breast milk required to meet your baby's needs?  This question can be troublesome if you need to pump and save.  Here's the quote from Kittie Frantz, R.N., Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, who developed the app for Breast Milk Calculator.

"I just finished an iPhone app for breastfeeding.  It is called BREAST MILK CALCULATOR and it is fabulous for nursing moms.  The app uses the standard calculation pediatricians and dieticians use to determine how much milk an infant needs to sustain a certain weight. The mom can enter baby's birth date and weight and the app will tell her how much baby had to have received to maintain that weight and how much more to gain. This is great for working moms who need to know how much milk to leave for the sitter or just get a confidence boost when she wonders if she is making enough milk."

So, best wishes to you all hard-working nursing moms.  ellyhann@epibinursingpads.com
 

Breastfeeding

Friday, 22 January, 2010

Persimmon Scientific's washable nursing pads will soon be released. EPIBI Nursing Pads and EPIBI EVE Nursing Pads will be released to select baby stores associated with hospitals and specialty stores staffed by lactation educators. We at Persimmon Scientific, Inc.
are committed to meeting the needs of nursing moms by providing high quality, skin-friendly engineered fabric-based washable nursing pads.

EPIBI Nursing Pads and EPIBI EVE Nursing Pads are unique for their rapid moisture wicking, moisture absorption away from the skin, and breatheability of the fabrics. They are also the only antimicrobial washable nursing pads in the market. Soft and gentle on the skin, we call them the "Feel Good Nursing Pads" for nursing moms.

First sets will be provided as samples to lactation educators and the Newborn ICU nurses. Pediatricians and interested Obstetricians will be next.

We would like to thank all those professionals and nursing moms who have patiently waited for our first product release. Thank you all from the Persimmon Scientific team!

Elly Hann
Founder & CEO, Persimmon Scientific
ellyhann@epibinursingpads.com

Breastfeeding and Other Health Issues for New Moms

Sunday, 17 Jan, 2010
New study from the Institute of Medicine recommends that obese pregnant women should gain less weight. Amount of weight gain for obese pregnant women is controversial, because some obstetricians believe that traditional advice of weight gain of up to 20 pounds can cause more health problems for these women. Dr. Raul Artal at St. Louis University Medical Center is a physician concerned about the impact of current IOM (Institute of Medicine) recommendation, which was published in 1990. He thinks this is too much. With close medical supervision, only 10 lbs of weight gain is healthier for obese pregnant women. Obese women suffer from numerous health problems before, during, and after pregnancy. Their infants are at higher risk for childhood obesity and juvenile diabetes.

I'm thinking: Wouldn't it be better to prevent our obesity epidemic (2 out of 3 pregnant women in U.S. are obese) - increase green space for all of our children - urban and suburban, get them off the electronic toys, nurture love for physical fitness, bring in improved and nutritious lunches, get rid of soda machines at schools, and improve nutrition education and fitness to all teenagers? Get everyone walking, running, cycling, skating, whatever it takes to keep people moving.

Obesity is defined as BMI (Body Mass Index calculates your risk for health problems related to being overweight) of 30 or greater. Go to Jennycraig.com for a free BMI calculation.

Please contact ellyhann@epibinursingpads for any comments.

Breastfeeding and Other Health Issues for New Moms

Date 04 Jan, 2010

The U.S. Dept of Health and Human Services lists the benefits of breastfeeding:

Exerpts from Melinda Johnson, American Dietetic Assn. and Dr. Ruth Lawrence, Professor of Pediatrics & Obstetrics-Gynecology @ University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry in New York.

1. Breast milk strengthens your baby’s immune system. A protein called CD14 helps your baby’s antibody-making defense system.
2. Breast milk is alive with helpful microbes (germs). Breast-fed babies' stomach and intestines carry different type of bacteria that can play a protective role.
3. These intestinal microbes may reduce your baby from developing allergies later in life
4. There may be some some evidence that breast-fed babies may be less likely to develop obesity.
5. Breast-feeding moms’ brains release certain hormones (happiness chemicals) during breastfeeding.
6. Breast milk is the perfect food for the growing child. A type of fatty acid called Omega-3 fatty acid helps develop the baby’s nervous system.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20100104/hl_hsn/forbabyandmomalikebreastfeedingmaybebest
EllyHann: www.epibinursingpads.com