Earlier this year, researchers in Scotland examined the disjunction between the idealism of exclusive breastfeeding and the reality experienced by many families. The World Health Organization recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of life for all babies. Other organizations, such as the American Academy of Pediatrics, recommend that all babies consume breast milk for the first 12 months of life for maximum immune and developmental benefits. According to the Scottish study, most women find these goals unrealistic, despite the known long-term benefits of breastfeeding for both mother and baby.
Breastfeeding can reduce the incidence of diabetes, asthma, obesity, ear infections, upper respiratory tract infections, and SIDS. In fact, the World Health Organization has been quoted as calling colostrum, the breast milk a mother produces in the first few days after a baby is born, “the baby’s first immunization” because of the immunological benefits it confers. to newborns. According to the authors of Breastfeeding Made Simple: Seven Natural Laws for Nursing Mothers, “exclusive breastfeeding for six months by 90% of US mothers could prevent 911 infant deaths and save the US health system US 13 billion dollars”. Research has also shown that babies who have been breastfed excel in speech and language development and have higher IQ levels. Breastfeeding also provides innumerable health benefits for mothers: there is a significantly lower incidence of aggressive breast cancer, osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, ovarian cancer, and diabetes in women who have breastfed.
If a mother and baby have so much to gain from breastfeeding, why are exclusive breastfeeding rates at 6 months postpartum only 15% in the US, according to the CDC? Despite the great promotion of the benefits and pleasures of breastfeeding, it is likely that these low rates are due to a lack of support within the infrastructure of the health care system and in our communities in general. In fact, the mothers interviewed in the Scottish study said that a lack of support from healthcare providers, family and friends contributed to their decision to stop breastfeeding before their baby was 6 months old.
The unfortunate reality is that not all healthcare professionals are fully supportive of breastfeeding, and what’s more, not all healthcare professionals have the knowledge or skills to provide breastfeeding support and advice during nursing challenges. . Many women receive some breastfeeding education before delivery, such as during a job education class, but then receive very little ongoing guidance postpartum. Furthermore, the women in the study were correct when they said that many healthcare providers paint an optimistic picture of breastfeeding, choosing only to talk about the beautiful bonding experience the mother-infant nursing dyad has while breastfeeding or the benefits of breastfeeding. for long-term health. Very few of us really talk about the common challenges and pitfalls a woman may face in establishing breastfeeding for fear of discouraging new mothers from starting. In the end, however, women who are faced with the challenges of latching on, sore nipples, pumping milk at work, or being reprimanded in public while breastfeeding are often surprised by these challenges or feel guilty about not achieving the “ideal image.” “of a baby. nursing mother. These are just some of the challenges breastfeeding mothers may face.
To say that many women do not receive the support they need from their communities to continue exclusive breastfeeding for up to 6 months after delivery would be an understatement. While some businesses support breastfeeding by having on-site lactation consultants, clean places to express breast milk, and on-site nurseries, many employers still do not have good systems in place to support a mother who needs to express milk every so often. time. hours to maintain your milk supply for your growing baby. Although many states have laws that protect a woman’s right to express milk in a clean place other than a bathroom, up to 3 years after the birth of her baby, some women are asked to express milk in the tiny company position. bathroom. Others struggle to get the rest time they need to pump every few hours to avoid engorgement that can lead to a breast infection.
Breastfeeding mothers have been escorted off planes, asked to leave restaurants and courthouses, and dragged into department store dressing rooms while nursing their babies. The reasons cited? Some members of the public find breastfeeding lewd, offensive, or inappropriate. In Maine, the law states that “a mother has the right to breastfeed in any place, whether public or private, as long as she is authorized to be there.” There is a great need to raise public awareness of the rights of lactating mothers to encourage mothers to continue breastfeeding and maximize the health benefits for her and her baby.
So where do we go from here? First, we need to change cultural attitudes around breastfeeding in the US Breastfeeding our babies is the way nature intended for us to feed and nurture our offspring. There are often a number of key moments in the first 6 months of a baby’s life when mothers are faced with the decision to persevere through the challenges of breastfeeding or switch to formula or exclusively feed solid foods. However, increased support from knowledgeable and trained healthcare providers using a non-judgmental counseling approach that extends beyond the first 6 weeks postpartum is critical during these critical times. Let’s be open and honest about the realities of breastfeeding, which can be difficult and frustrating at times and wonderfully momentous at other times. By supporting each other, we can reach the goal of exclusively breastfeeding for the first 6 months of life, one day at a time, one feeding at a time.