By Yvonne Camero
As a registered dietician and a mom, I am well acquainted with the enormity of conflicting information surrounding breastfeeding.
Sore and scared in those early postnatal weeks, I felt juxtaposed between isolation and over-exposure; a loss of independence and privacy; a vulnerability to misguided advice to bring one moment of contentment to my newborn's face.
I studied breastfeeding as a postgraduate student, but having my own baby brought a slap of reality to my romantic ideals.
I applaud the author of "The stresses and strains of breastfeeding" (see link at the bottom of this article) for speaking out about the difficulties of establishing breastfeeding.
It does not always come naturally. It is not always easy.
To make breastfeeding work requires gritty determination and patience - but it does get better.
Five months down, I am still exclusively breastfeeding, my son is thriving and I'm proud of it.
The World Health Organisation promotes exclusive breastfeeding from birth to six months. Here's why you should be determined to do so:
For your baby's sake:
- The yellow, sticky first milk or colostrum richly provides protein, vitamin A and IgA antibodies to "immunise" your baby from birth against bacterial and viral exposure.
- Colostrum minimises jaundice by stimulating your baby to pass meconium stools.
- Breast milk has a unique, dynamic and complete nutritional composition with many compounds that cannot be replicated in formulas, specific to your baby's gestational age, development requirements, time of day, duration of feed and contact with illnesses.
- Breast milk comprises the ideal renal solute load, omega 3 fatty acids for good organ function, long chain triglycerides for brain development and highly bioavailable lactoferrin to prevent anaemia.
- The risk of eczema, asthma, allergies and diabetes is decreased.
- Jaws are correctly exercised for speech and tooth development.
- Breast milk provides a mild disinfectant for cleaning eyes, blocked tear ducts and scratches.
- Breast milk relaxes your baby and displaces swallowed air to burp easily, stop hiccups, pass wind and stools, relieve tummy gripes and make him sleepy.
- The process promotes mutual bonding.
- Infant mortality is reduced 25-fold if the child is breastfed for more than three months.
And for your sake, breastfeeding:
- aids healing of cracked nipples when latching is correct.
- reduces bleeding, contracts your uterus and resizes to your pre-pregnancy shape and weight.
- lactation amenorrhoea method of contraception for three to four months if strictly exclusive.
- reduces the risk of brain, ovarian and breast cancer and hip fractures.
- breast milk is free, clean, warm, convenient and allows you to be more mobile, and
- reduces hospitalisation costs by preventing illness, growth faltering, dehydration, diarrhoea and ear infections.
The worst form of misinformation I encountered was the "10-minutes-on-each-side-every-3-hours" and variations thereof.
Newborns are also learning to breastfeed for the first time and suckling employs a fatiguing peristaltic tongue and jaw action.
They do not drink the same volume of fore-and hind-milk at each feed. It is therefore absurd to forbid them to suckle when they are obviously hungry again soon after a feed.
Furthermore, by design, babies should be suckling very frequently to stimulate breast milk production.
The only way your body knows how much milk to make is by gauging how frequently the breasts are used. Demand feeding establishes successful breastfeeding.
After all, don't you also snack or have something to drink between meals?
Yes, I did spend "one hour on, one hour off", or so, but now I have plenty milk.
Yes, breastfeeding is time devouring, but here's a lifeline - the football position.
Hands-free breastfeeding means I can work on the computer, organise my admin, read, eat and even type this article! I've even made waffles while breastfeeding!
Also, some mornings I have woken up so exhausted that I felt ill. An absolute must is to find your own way of breastfeeding lying down or leaning back so you can sleep while little one is latched.
Expressed breast milk is not an indicator of how much breast milk your baby is actually drinking.
Babies are more efficient at extracting your milk than your fingers or any pump will ever be.
If your baby is gaining weight each week he is getting enough.
If he is not gaining, then breastfeed more often to increase your milk supply and ensure you are keeping your baby latched on one side for as long as possible to obtain the richer hind-milk, not just the thirst-quenching fore-milk.
In closing, with every kind of formula at my disposal, I have helplessly watched all too many babies die needlessly of diarrhoea caused by unhygienic and incorrect reconstitution of formula milk or mixed feeding.
If only they had been exclusively breastfed. It is irresponsibly dangerous to recommend formula feeding to the general South African public.
Much more needs to be done to deliver correct and consistent breastfeeding counsel to new mothers in hospital.
If you know anyone who is breastfeeding, they need your support.
If you are the one breastfeeding, in the words of Adsa (Association for Dietetics in South Africa), "If it's about nutrition, ask your dietician."