Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding – A Beautiful Way of Nurturing our Children

By Sherry Bushnell

Breastfeeding, designed by Our Heavenly Father, is a wonderful way to nourish our babies. If all mothers could breastfeed their babies until they were two years old, we could probably eliminate many of the childhood diseases that plague us today. Breastfeeding is just the beginning of having a mind and heart to nurture our children as God allows us.

Commitment to the idea of nurturing (and breastfeeding is just one of the many ways to nurture) should begin before birth. Getting a birth mom to grasp the reality of nurturing (and that breastfeeding is just a part), would go a long way in helping her feel confident in her commitment to “best for baby” attitude.

A mom who chooses to nurture her baby by breastfeeding for 6 months or longer, gives her baby a definite health advantage, both immediately and in the future. AAP states that breast milk in general and breastfeeding reduces the incidence and severity of diarrhea, lower respiratory infection, ear infections, bacterial infections, botulism, UTI’s and colon infections. In later years, breastfeeding reduces the incidences of Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, lympohoma, insulin dependant diabetes, allergies and other chronic digestive problems. In addition, breastfeeding has been shown to increase cognitive development.

The benefits of breastfeeding are also wonderful for the mother and her health. Nurturing our children also requires that we take care of ourselves over the long haul. Supporting our bodies to function as a nourisher of our children means that we will eat right, get good rest, and arrange our lives so that we are not too stressed out to meet the needs of our family. Breastfeeding is just the beginning of making healthy choices. Not to mention that breastfeeding is cheaper, less work, and doesn’t require a mobile kitchen-in-a-diaper bag. Even a number of important studies state that moms get to reap great benefits. Increased levels of oxytocin result in less postpartum bleeding and more rapid uterine involution. Nursing a baby causes ovulation to be suppressed (for most moms) and less menstrual blood loss over the months after delivery. Moms who choose to breastfeed find that they return to pre-pregnancy weight sooner, and that natural child spacing occurs, due to delayed ovulation. However, did you know that moms who nurse their babies have improved bone remineralization after pregnancy with a reduction in the number of hip fractures during the postmenopausaul period? Reduced risk for ovarian cancer and premenopausal cancer also are among the benefits. Breastfeeding increases our chances of being around to nurture our grandchildren!

Have you ever noticed that if a mom can hang in there with the nursing relationship for 3 weeks after baby is born, that they are hooked! Sometimes getting the baby and mom to work together isn’t always easy. For instance, one of our moms worked on nursing for a few weeks and quit, due to extreme pain. After she stopped, she found out that she had a yeast infection in her breasts. If only there had been some outward signs, but there was no reddening, abnormal discharge, and baby did not have thrush. Sigh….

If I could encourage first-time moms, that are getting used to the idea of breastfeeding and all that the relationship entails, I would say…breastfeeding begins about the 6^th month before baby is born. Toughening up the nipples (without stimulating labor) is a good way to proactively think about nursing before baby is born.

Today, increasing the number of moms choosing breastfeeding is a national health objective. Breastfeeding rates have increased only slightly since 1990, but the number of moms breastfeeding is still lower than levels reported in the 1980’s. Obstacles to mothers starting a breastfeeding relationship with their child and continuing include physician apathy and misinformation, insufficient prenatal education about breastfeeding, disruptive hospital policies, maternal employment, lack of societal support, lack of support from family members and the community, the media portrayal of bottle-feeding as glamorous and normal and commercial promotion of infant formula.

I appreciate the approach that many pediatricians use in supporting moms that breast feed. They forthrightly tell moms that breastfeeding is best. With confidence, they are voicing the official stance of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Yet, ironically, in the same waiting room of these doctor’s (or hospital midwives), Enfamil and Nestle and other brands of formula vie for mother’s attention at birth, waiting in the wings for the “trials” of breastfeeding to occur.

I like it when pediatricians have a lactation specialist on call and can refer moms, right away if they have any concerns or struggles. If health professionals are really serious about supporting breastfeeding, then they should remove the formula ads, free diaper bags with coupons for formula and free formula samples from the waiting room, replacing them with LLL posters and magazines about breastfeeding and nurturing children. Choosing not to breastfeed should be the exception and resources in the “back room” available upon request. So much for my ideal health professional.

As a nourisher of our children, we all have differing views on what is best for our children as they grow older. Daily we make decisions about what they eat and how much, what they should or should not wear, and who or what they should do to occupy their time. This is God’s design and our God-given responsibility. Helping new moms to consider healthy choices for their newborn babies gives them practice in being an advocate for the future. Not only do we need to prepare new moms to practice screening commercials and ads proclaiming what is best, funniest, most entertaining, and tastiest, we need to help them consider the here and now.

Exclusive breastfeeding is the ideal nutrition. It is enough nourishment to support optimal growth and development for the first 6 months after birth. Then the choices to make our own baby food or to buy the pre-made variety comes about. Mothers who choose to start their babies out on solid food at six months may be paving the way for food sensitivities later. It might be temping to try to get a baby to “sleep through the night” by adding rice cereal to a babies diet, but true ovulation suppression involves nursing at night. Pacifiers, teething biscuits, supplemental bottles of juice or even vitamins are usually not necessary before 6 months of age.

God has designed moms to have a perfect supply of nutrients in the breast, available upon request for the tiny baby, who is learning to trust, through his mother meeting his needs.

Teaching new moms to read their baby’s needs before they cry out in hunger, also prepares them to “read” their teens as they meander through this valley. A mom that takes the time to nurse her baby for a year or more, will probably take the time to listen and nurture her older child later. Helping a new mom look for increased alertness, activity, mouthing his or her fist, or rooting can all be signs that her baby needs what only she can provide. In fact, reassuring a new mom that her baby will need to be nursed every 2 hours or even less, if they are in a growth spurt. That way when others may try to persuade her that her baby is feeding too much or is demanding, she will be confident that her baby’s needs are normal. Many moms are used to the formula 4 hour feeding schedule and may transfer this to breastfeeding. It is my opinion that mothers should sleep with their babies and carry them close to their hearts with a sling or tummy pack in the first few months. The babies that are thus cradled are secure and actively reach out later and are not whiney unless sick.

I believe that there are instances that the ideal mommy/baby relationship cannot include nursing. It is amazing how much some mother’s grieve the loss of this ability. The situations where breastfeeding is not in the best interest of the baby include a baby who has PKU or galactosemia, illegal drugs. A mom who is taking medication that is transferred to her baby may need to pump and dispense milk temporarily, when she is undergoing radioactive isotopes, antimetalbolites, cancer chemotherapy agents and a small number of other drugs or therapies. Most common illnesses, such as colds, flu, skin infections, or diarrhea, cannot be passed through breast milk. In fact, if a mother has an illness, her breast milk will contain antibodies to it that will help protect her baby from those same illnesses. A few viruses can pass through breast milk, however. HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, is one of them. Women who are HIV positive should not breast-feed. Viruses such as herpes, hepatitis, and beta streptococcus infections--can also be transmitted through breast milk. But that doesn't always mean a mother with those sicknesses shouldn't breast-feed. Breast cancer is not passed through breast milk. Women who have had breast cancer can usually breast-feed from the unaffected breast. Even mothers who must take daily medication for conditions such as epilepsy, diabetes, or high blood pressure can usually breast-feed. They should first check with the child's pediatrician, however. To minimize the baby's exposure, the mother can take the drug just after nursing or before the child sleeps

Books and tables are available for the midwife or LLL consultant who wishes to dispel the fears a mom (or her loved ones) may have about whether a medication or medical procedure might be dangerous for her baby.

As a nation, I believe that presently we may be facing health problems in our children that could have been prevented through breastfeeding instead of chemically concocted, commercial formula. (By the way, I do acknowledge being grateful for formula, as I did nourish an adopted child with Down syndrome with supplemented breast milk, and with formula later). I know that we cannot begin to understand the complex benefits of nursing babies. While greater knowledge about human milk has helped scientists improve infant formula, it has become "increasingly apparent that infant formula can never duplicate human milk," wrote John D. Benson, Ph.D, and Mark L. Masor, Ph.D., in the March 1994 issue of Endocrine Regulations. "Human milk contains living cells, hormones, active enzymes, immunoglobulins and compounds with unique structures that cannot be replicated in infant formula."

Luke 11:27 states that, “Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked.” God gives a blessing to those who nurse their babies. And Philippians 4:19 My God shall supply all your needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Even when a mom cannot nurse for some reason, the benefits of breast milk, donated from someone else can give the better nourishment for a baby. Pray about finding donor breast milk, in the event that a mom needs assistance in feeding her baby, at least for the first few months. Mothers of many critically ill and premature babies can't supply the breast milk their babies need, and due to lack of adequate supplies of breast milk, these babies must be fed formula. For premature and critically ill babies, breast milk can help make the difference for the baby's health, their best nutrition, and even their survival. Ironically, those that need breast milk the most are not getting it.

I especially like Numbers 11:12 “Have I conceived all this people? Have I brought them forth, that You should say to me, Carry them in your bosom, as a nursing father carries the sucking child, to the land which You swore to their fathers?” God implies the importance of the nursing father. To nurse is used in this instance to support, be faithful, firm, to build up and to give assurance. Husbands need to be the strength behind their nursing wives. A supporting daddy is vital to a mom’s successful nursing relationship with his baby. With a dad’s disapproval or lack of support, a mom may very well give up breastfeeding right away. If a father likes what he sees as his baby being nourished and loved by being breastfed, he can help mom by verbally praising her. He can express his love for her by getting up in the middle of the night for diapers, wipes, new sheets if baby throws up, rocking or burping baby while mom sleeps, getting her drinks of water or food and providing her protection privacy when needed.

I believe that dads need to make nourishing their babies via breastfeeding as big a commitment as mothers do.

Nourishing a family of children is a blessing and a lot of work. Breastfeeding, designed by God, is a wonderful way to start precedence in cultivating an attitude of nourishing our children. Mothers who can should breastfeed their babies for as long as they are able. As a nation, we could probably eliminate many of the childhood diseases that plague us today if an all out, honest, nation-wide support for breastfeeding could be implemented. In looking at God’s word, breastfeeding is just the beginning of having a mind and heart to nurture our children.

I would like to do more to help birth parents to grasp the reality of nurturing their children forever and lend the idea that breastfeeding is just a part. This elementary beginning would go a long way in helping birthparents feel confident in their commitment to “best for my baby or child” attitude.

Resources taken from:

Mothering From The Heart - www.motheringfromtheheart.com

Christine’s Breastfeeding Links

AAP Policy - Breastfeeding and the Use of Human Milk – Work Group on Breastfeeding 100