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.