Although I'm not a mother, breastfeeding has been on my mind lately due to a close friend who's struggling to get the hang of it. I've been trying to keep her spirits up by joking and laughing with her about my friend's mother's (from the last entry) advice on the subject. She says, "Breastfeeding is best when you can get another woman to do it!" Her children often tease her about passing them off to the other women in a hippie commune in the 70's. Many women enjoy breastfeeding, however many also struggle with the process. "Doctors worldwide recommend exclusive breastfeeding...Breast milk should remain in the diet for a year or more, according to the World Wide Health Organization" (Berger, (2012), 153). But what about the mother's who struggle? What are their options?
We know that breast milk is a magical concoction of balanced nutrition, including fats, nutrients, and micronutrients promoting optimal brain/body development, as well as antibodies to help fight infection and disease; but, did you know it can also help deter school drop-outs and teen pregnancy (Berger, (2012), p. 152)? Why would anyone not breastfeed when it creates so many benefits for the infant, the mother, and the family. There are several reasons, in fact. One particular reason is for pre-term deliveries; often at this stage of pregnancy, the mother's milk has not come in yet limiting her ability to nurse her infant. Luckily, solutions to this issue are taking cues from past when wet-nurses were commonly employed, or other eager lactating women in the community kindly shared their own breast milk. Today, doctors are even known to prescribe beast milk from local milk banks--a place where woman can safely donate and receive breast milk. If you are interested in learning more about this type of service, please visit www.milkbank.org , Mothers' Milk Bank located in Austin, Texas. I was very happy to see the services and opportunities they provide, and in the future, I will certainly recommend that new mothers talk with their physician and look into this wonderful option before they give up on breastfeeding altogether.
Another issue preventing breastfeeding, in my mind, would be that of an HIV-positive mother. However, it seems that breast milk is so powerful that "In some African nations, HIV-positive women are encouraged to breastfeed because their infants' risk of catching HIV from their mothers is lower than the risk of dying from infections, diarrhea, or malnutrition as a result of bottle feeding" (Cohen, 2007; Kuhn et al., 2009) (Berger, (2012), p. 152). In fact, according to Unicef, "In West and Central Africa, exclusive breastfeeding could save hundreds of thousands of the three million children under five who die annually"("Promoting and Protecting Breastfeeding", Unicef). The article goes on to say that while breastfeeding is a cultural tradition in the region, the problem is that only about "20 percent of infants under six months are exclusively breastfeed...rates remain among the lowest in the world" ("Promoting and Protecting Breastfeeding", Unicef). The solution seems to only be accessible through long-term, wide-spread promotion of health care practices and support groups within these communities; once again, education is "the key to this life-saving practice"("Promoting and Protecting Breastfeeding", Unicef).
References:
Berger, K. S. (2012). The developing person through childhood (6th ed.). New York, NY: Worth Publishers.
Mothers' Milk Bank, http://www.milkbank.org/milk-banking/milk-for-your-baby/
Unicef, "Promoting and Protecting Breastfeeding",
http://www.unicef.org/wcaro/english/4501_5055.html
I was shocked when reading your blog that a child has better chances of having diarrhea or catch an infection then get transferred HIV from breast feeding. I was also excited to see that they are working on ways for mothers to have milk ready for there children. I understand the convenience of formula but it is hard to argue the benefits of breast feeding.
ReplyDeleteHi Angie,
ReplyDeleteOnce breastfeeding is established the benefits for the mother and baby are vast. I enjoyed reading your post. It is nice the way you combine your personal experiences with the research. I can empathize with your friend who is trying to establish breastfeeding with her new baby. I remember having doubts when I first had my daughter and was beginning to breastfeed. I think that it is not talked about enough in our society. People think that it is something easy to do, but it is not necessarily. It is very important for women to have support and encouragement from family, friends, and the medical field. I remember worrying that I wasn't producing enough milk and that my daughter was still hungry, but the body will catch up fast. It is a wonderful thing called supply and demand. I never realized how important that support was until I was in the situation myself. I am lucky that I had people to help me.
-Mary
Angie,
ReplyDeleteInteresting blog post this week! I too, have no had children so it was interesting to read about breastfeeding from your perspective as well! The benefits that come from breastfeeding our astonishing, it is amazing to read about the developments that breastfeeding can have. I also have many individuals close to me that have had troubles with breastfeeding, it was great to hear from Mary that support can help and supply and demand can come into play when mothers are running low on milk