Breastfeeding Around the World

I recently spoke to a nurse who works in Afghanistan providing women health care. She related a story that I've heard repeatedly, which causes me to shake my head in disbelief. She's teaching new mothers about the importance breastfeeding in the first few days of life. In her village infant mortality is staggeringly high. The culture and lack of trained midwives means that new moms are feeding their newborns tea instead of colostrum. They are waiting in vain for their milk to come in. After a 9 month pregnancy, to lose a baby in the first 2 weeks, because they didn't know about the importance of round the clock breast feeding to stimulate milk production, is heartbreaking. When these moms use tea, the water may contain ameobas or bacteria leading to diarrhea, plus they aren't getting the breast stimulation that helps their bleeding slow down after giving birth and their babies don't get enough calories. Tragic.

I saw a video of a nurse in Myanmar, encouraging moms to breastfeed their babies after natural disasters. The World Health organization (WHO) is absolutely right in these efforts. After a natural disaster or other emergency, in areas where the water supply is questionable on a good day, a person risks death from the simple act of drinking water. Babies and toddlers are the most vulnerable to serious bacterial infections leading to diarrhea, dehydration and in some cases, even death when the water supply is compromised. Hopefully, these mothers started breastfeeding right after birth, so they will still be able to produce milk in the event of a disaster that compromises water supply. Tragic.

I recently saw a mom who wasn't able to breastfeed her baby because she couldn't produce enough milk despite pumping 10 times each day around the clock, drinking special herbal teas and visiting 3 lactation consultants. This mom wanted to breastfeed, but despite all of her efforts, she couldn't. She was depressed and felt like a failure. She fed her baby formula, because there wasn't any other safe option. Unfortunately, she was upset because she felt as if she was somehow not measuring up to other people's ideas of what a good mother is just because she wasn't breastfeeding. And this happens every day in developed nations, with clean, safe water when there are safe, healthy infant formulas available. Tragic.

I know of moms who breastfeed and have healthy children despite all the odds against them, giving birth in a war zone, after a tsumani, or when juggling a return to work and other children. And I also know of many more who need more support, fewer mixed messages and more options for feeding their babies.

What I also find tragic is when well-intentioned, well-meaning people take the lessons we're learning from women living in developing countries and try to apply them to women in developed countries. Many times, those lessons get applied in the extreme, leading to guilt, shame and depression when a mom isn't able to live up to the recommendations. Let's face it, all across this country women must return to work or school after giving birth and aren't able to follow the guidelines. Mothers want more support for their choices. They want more help with pumping, mixing up formula and other feeding information. Mothers around the world are trying their best to care for their babies. Each situation is unique and each mom needs support tailored for her circumstances.

Comments

[Macready]

I don't understand . . .if a woman can and does want to breast feed fine . . but I was a bottle baby . . . and I have no problem with it . . . when I discovered I was a bottle baby I was happy about it . . . . there is something yucky about breast feeding . . I think . . and I am so happy I never was . . .

[Barbara Dehn - Huffpost Blogger]

I encourage moms to breastfeed, but recognize that not every mom can follow the recommendations to exclusively breastfeed for 6 months.
Too many women need to return to work, can't produce enough milk, or have a variety of reasons, like being on medications, making breastfeeding not the best choice for them.

It's important not to make any mom feel guilty or inadequate because they are feeding their babies formula. Being a mom is hard enough, and moms are all doing the best they can with their own unique circumstances.

What I advocate is not adding any guilt about how any mom feeds her baby. Supporting each mom in helping her find what works best in her life.

[susanalf]

Whether it’s breast milk or formula, the only way
to go is the “Healthy Way”.

Being a mom myself, I felt badly when I was unable
to supply milk for breastfeeding after countless times
of trying - even with the help of a lactation consultant.

As long as you’re preparing the formula that works best
for your baby by mixing, storing and heating correctly,
your baby is going to grow and strive.

[Barbara Dehn - Huffpost Blogger]

I would caution parents not to make up their own formulas as suggested by one of the commentators. This is very dangerous and can lead to serious consequences. Home made formula recipes do not come close to the safest alternative to breast milk, which is formula that has the right mix of proteins, carbohydrates, fat, vitamins and other nutrients. Don't risk a baby's health with home made formulas.

[RMankovitz]

Hi Barbara:

We share the same goal to support the health of others.

As a research scientist and author of several books on illness prevention, I have spent decades researching wellness, using nature, not the medical or food industries, as my template.

As a result of those studies, I have concluded that most canned formulas are less than healthful, even potentially harmful, beginning with their packaging. Here are just a few examples.

The cans used to package these formulas use liners that are filled with bisphenol-A (BPA), a known endocrine disruptor very much in today's news, and incredibly harmful to babies.

I presume you have been very familiar with the BPA studies over the years, and that you, like I, proactively counseled clients some time ago to avoid using plastic baby bottles, pacifiers, and all canned baby formulas.

Then there are the soy-based formulas. Soy warnings have been issued by the Israeli Health Ministry, by expert scientists with the British Committee on Toxicity, by the Swiss Federal Health Service, by the French Food Agency, by the Cancer Council in Australia, and by other government agencies. They all expressed concern about soy's potential to disrupt the digestive, immune and neuroendocrine systems of the human body. See:

http://www.cocoscience.com/pdf/why_you_should_avoid_soy.pdf

I presume you, like I, counseled you clients to avoid soy.

My opinion: don't risk your baby's health with prepackaged formulas.

Roy Mankovitz, Director
http://www.MontecitoWellness.com

[RMankovitz]

Nature provides a backup for mothers that have difficulty breastfeeding their babies.

A woman does not have to be pregnant to produce breast milk. Induced lactation via nipple stimulation may allow adoptive mothers and even post-menopausal grandmothers to nurse a baby. Here is a link to the La Leche League on the subject:

http://www.llli.org/FAQ/adopt.html .

By the way, guys, men can also lactate in the same manner! In my book "The Wellness Project," I provide a few hypotheses as to why nature enabled non-pregnant and even post-menopausal woman to breastfeed.

There are nationwide milk banks set up to provide human breast milk for your baby. Here is a link to that:

http://www.llli.org/llleaderweb/LV/LVAprMay00p19.html

For those who choose formula, here is a link to recipes so that you can make your own:

http://www.westonaprice.org/children/recipes.html

Roy Mankovitz, Director
http://www.MontecitoWellness.com

[Alarmist]

I'm not quite sure what to make of this article. The bulk of it pushes breastfeeding, and gives examples of how moms who couldn't felt useless. Then at the end, she vaguely says that all choices should be supported? It seems the author basically wants everyone to breastfeed.

[LMPE]

Shall I assume that the people who do the most to discourage breastfeeding are the fundamentalist Christians in the southeastern US?

My mom breastfed me for almost nine months.

[NorthSide]

Upon what evidence would you make that assumption? And how would that affect conditions in Afghanistan?

[simulationist]

I grew up in Georgia, the state not the country, and lived in Florida for 8 years other than that. I know many so called fundamentalist Christians (which in itself is a meaningless label), my sister is an assistant Pastor. All I know are pretty pro-breast feeding. your post indicates that you know absolutely nothing about the Southeastern U.S. Frankly your bigotry is startling...no actually it's not.