Breastfeeding 101

2/21/2008

Let’s start with the big question--why breastfeed? Study after study has found that nursing benefits baby and mother in both the long- and short-terms:

Benefits to baby:

• Decreased risk for many early-life diseases and conditions, including ear infections, respiratory tract infections, atopic dermatitis, type 2 diabetes, diarrhea, and sudden infant death syndrome.
• Reduced risk of both obesity and high blood pressure later in life.
• Reduced risk of several childhood cancers, including leukemia and some brain tumors.
• Boosts immunity as antibodies are passed from mom to baby.
• Transfers immune-promoting beneficial bacteria like Lactobacillus and Bifidus to populate the baby’s gut.
• Breast milk is the ideal that all formulas seek to emulate.

Benefits for mother:

• Decreased risk for type 2 diabetes, ovarian cancer, and premenopausal breast cancer.
• Faster postpartum weight loss
• Nursing is free.

The longer a woman nurses, the greater the benefits. Yet only about a third of mothers exclusively nurse for three months, and only one in ten babies is still getting all her nourishment from mom at six months.

Lack of cultural support for breastfeeding is a major reason for these dismal statistics. Heavy advertising for commercial baby foods and formulas, the lack of information and training available for women who might nurse, the difficulty in expressing milk at the workplace, and the shortage of public places to nurse all combine to make this most natural activity seem odd, or even shameful. Many states have actually had to pass laws protecting the right to nurse in public.

I’ve spent a good portion of my career encouraging new mothers to nurse for as long as possible and as exclusively as possible. Despite all the roadblocks I listed above, I see more and more moms making the smart choice. It’s also a pleasurable choice. Mom can enjoy the deep emotional and physical connection to this child whose every calorie has come from her. As for the baby, just watch as he latches onto the breast, rolls his eyes back, and sinks into a near hypnotic state of total relaxation.

Here are eight tips to successful nursing:

• Find a lactation consultant. Physicians rarely have the time during an office visit to provide the step-by-step instruction in nursing that a first-time mother needs. I utilize an excellent lactation specialist, who can spend the necessary time teaching both parents the best techniques and answering their questions and concerns.
• Minimize stress in your life. Clear everything else from your calendar for that first week or two so you can have the peace and quiet to get breastfeeding off to a good start. Babies sense maternal stress and feed poorly as a result
• Rest when your baby rests. Fatigue reduces milk supply, so don’t waste your down-time on anything but sleep. Take the phone off the hook, and explain to your friends and family why you’re doing it.
• Lower expectations. Nursing is a skill that improves with practice, so don’t worry if the first week or two seem difficult. It takes a little time and effort for the milk to fully come in, and for you and your baby to get in sync.
• Drink lots of fluids. Breast milk is 85-90% water, so it’s essential to keep the liquids coming in during and between nursing times. You’ll need to drink more fluids than ever before.
• Eat well and with frequency. Breastfeeding is hard work and requires an ample supply of good-quality calories.
• Eat organic food as much as possible. Pesticides do travel through breast milk so you want to limit their intake as much as possible, but there is unanimous agreement among the experts that the benefits of nursing by far outweigh any chemical exposures from it. In fact, it’s very likely that components of the breast milk counteract the negative effects of chemicals. To reduce exposure to mercury, I advise not eating fish at all while nursing. If you do eat fish, choose the lowest mercury options. If not, take a mercury-free fish oil supplement to make sure you get the essential fatty acids so important to you and your baby.
• Allow demand feeding. The more your baby sucks, the more milk you will produce. I don’t encourage continuous feeding, but rather nursing 10-15 minutes per side and then resting.

While I’m a strong advocate for nursing, I do realize that some mothers cannot nurse because of required medications or other issues, and that some have tried breastfeeding and not been successful. Whether or not you nurse your baby is a very personal choice, and I can only offer my advice and support.