Breastfeeding sets babies up for success
Soon Song decided to breastfeed her child before 9-month-old
Hannah was born.
”
I thought I’d try breastfeeding,
”
she said.
”
There are a lot of studies that they have a healthier immune
system and it’s better.
”
At first Song struggled to nurse her daughter.
Breastfeeding sets babies up for success
Soon Song decided to breastfeed her child before 9-month-old Hannah was born.
“I thought I’d try breastfeeding,” she said. “There are a lot of studies that they have a healthier immune system and it’s better.”
At first Song struggled to nurse her daughter.
“It was all new to us,” said Song, 32. “She was just screaming her head off.”
But with the help of hospital staff and a nipple shield that made it easier for Hannah to latch, Song has successfully been feeding her daughter breastmilk for nine months.
“The first 48 hours after birth is a critical time for women who breastfeed, as it’s during those first few days that milk production begins,” said Jane Heinig, the executive director of the University of California, Davis, Human Lactation Center.
Song fed Hannah on demand at first, about two hours between feedings that took about 45 minutes. Now that the baby is eating more solids, Song feeds her breastmilk in between solid snacks.
Song also pumps her milk from time to time so her husband can feed the baby on the rare occasions when she is away from home.
Song, however, is rare according to a study published by the California Women, Infants and Children Association (CWA) in September. A study found that at Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital 95.1 percent of mothers tried breastfeeding, but only 16.6 percent of new moms used that method exclusively. San Benito County ranked 48th among California’s 58 counties.
Benefits last a lifetime
“Breastfeeding should not depend on where you are born,” said Karen Farley, of CWA, in a report issued in September. “Our report shows that virtually all of the hospitals with the lowest exclusive breastfeeding rates reported here serve low-income and minority women – the very population most affected by poor health outcomes such as diabetes and obesity.”
As soon as women become pregnant free coupons and diaper bags promoting formula start arriving in the mail. Movies rarely depict breastfeeding mothers and children play with dolls that come with baby bottles. Some hospitals even give away free samples of formula as women leave the hospital with their newborns.
But the benefits of breastfeeding are undeniable (see box.)
Studies have found that children and adults who were breastfed have lower rates of many health issues such as diabetes, obesity and allergies.
Margaret Nunez works as a lactation consultant in San Benito County.
“Some moms don’t have the experience or the help, or education,” Nunez said. “They tend to not know how to breastfeed and feel, ‘Oh no, it’s not going good.'”
Frustrated moms may resort to giving the baby formula from a bottle, Nunez said, but that often leads to nipple confusion.
“The baby’s smart,” she said. “The first thing they will go for is the bottle” because it is easier to get the milk out of it.
Nunez offers classes once a month in Spanish and English, and she also has videos at the WIC office that can be checked out to patients.
Breastfeeding a challenge for young moms
Irene Parra is a lactation counselor who works with the Adolescent Family Life Program at the Family Resource Center in San Benito County. She works with teenage mothers and one topic that often comes up is breastfeeding.
“A lot of the girls are willing to try or already have the idea,” Parra said.
She has pamphlets that she hands out to the teenagers who are interested in breastfeeding that debunk some of the myths or misunderstandings around it.
“We talk about antibodies, the bonding with the baby,” she said. “You burn quite a lot of calories. You don’t have to use money to buy formula and it’s more gentle on the baby’s tummy.”
Parra said they provide the information, but do not pressure the girls to choose breastfeeding over formula.
“We always stress that it’s their decision,” Parra said.
For many girls, they may be hesitant to breastfeed if their plans include going back to school or work. While pumps can be used during the day so that moms can store their milk, some girls may feel uncomfortable finding a space on campus and storing milk away from home, Parra said.
Like the young girls Parra works with, Lizbeth Avina had her first child when she was 16. When she applied for WIC she received a magazine about how nursing is better for the baby.
“I was not economically stable,” she said, adding that formula is costly.
Her mother had breastfed Avina and her siblings, however, so the concept was familiar to her.
“I only breastfed at the house,” she said. “I stayed at home for the first year. I was pretty segregated because I would get looks.”
She talked about how people would stare when she was out in public with her daughter because of her age.
Now she is 26 and has two more children, including 15-month-old Natalia.
“I felt more comfortable when I was older,” she said. “I don’t care about what people think. Plus I don’t get the looks I used to.”
Veronica Aldana, has been breastfeeding her 11-month-old daughter, Tonantzin, since she was born.
“I knew first hand I wanted to if I could,” Aldana said.
With her older son, who is in school now, she didn’t breastfeed.
“My older son was premature,” she said.
He was born at 32 weeks and had to stay in the hospital for several weeks. She used a pump and brought milk into the hospital.
“Once he came home it was a challenge,” she said, because he had many extra needs as a premature baby.
“It was different,” she said. “At the hospital, I wasn’t able to hold him. He had an oxygen tank.”
With Tonatzin, she was able to breastfeed. Aldana plans to begin weaning her between 12 and 15 months of age.
Failure to thrive
Serena Chapman, the mother of Kayleigh, 9, and Coralann, 11 months, wanted to breastfeed both her children, but was unable to after both her pregnancies.
“With Kayleigh, she had a hard time latching and I saw a lactation consultant,” she said. “I used a nipple shield, tried the pump and tried different things but she was losing weight even though she was eating all the time.”
The consultant and other medical professionals pushed her to keep breastfeeding. Finally she tried a formula for babies with milk protein allergies.
“She stopped crying,” Chapman said. “She had been crying for two weeks straight.”
Chapman stopped eating dairy and corn to see if that would help since mothers can pass allergens to their babies in breastmilk. It didn’t help.
When Coralann was born, Chapman said it was a different experience.
“[The nurses] said why not try a supplement [of formula],” she said. “They could see I was having trouble.”
Coralann had the same allergy issues as her older sister, so Chapman made the decision to use formula with her youngest daughter as well.
“I had one woman ask me if I regret not breastfeeding,” Chapman said. “I said no. My child was failure to thrive. She couldn’t survive on my milk.”
Benefits of breastfeeding
Pluses for baby
· Breastmilk is the most complete nutrition for infants, with the right balance of fat, sugar, water and protein that human babies need. It is also easier to digest.
· Breastfed babies gain less unnecessary weight and tend to be leaner, which leads them to be less overweight later in life.
· Premature babies do better when breastfed.
· Breastfed babies score slightly higher on IQ tests, especially those who are born pre-maturely.
Pluses for mom
· Nursing uses up extra calories so it helps with weight loss. It also helps the uterus retract to its original size and lessens bleeding after giving birth.
· Nursing exclusively delays the return of normal ovulation and menstrual cycles (consult a doctor about birth control choices)
· Breastfeeding lowers the risk of breast and ovarian cancers, and possibly the risk of hip fractures and osteoporosis after menopause.
· It saves time and money since it is not necessary to buy formula, and heat up and clean bottles.
Pluses for the community
· Breastfeeding saves on health care cost since breastfed infants have fewer medical conditions.
· Breastfeeding mothers miss less work, as their infants are sick less often.
· Breastfeeding is better for the environment because there is less trash and plastic waste compared to that produced by formula cans and bottle supplies.
From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – www.4woman.gov
Resources:
· Family Resource Center – Offers the Adolescent Family Life Program for qualified teens, 634-0686
· Women, Infants and Children – 637-6871
· La Leche Leauge International – www.llli.org//nb.html (groups meet in the greater San Jose and Monterey areas.)
· U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Breastfeeding Helpline – 800-994-9662
· or visit www.4woman.gov/breastfeeding
· Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding
FYI: Even when a baby has allergies, a mother who works closely with her doctors can often removed the allergens from her diet.
There are, however, rare occasions when a mother should not breastfeed, such as a mother who is HIV-positive or taking medication that can be toxic to a baby. Speak to a doctor about any conditions or medications that would disallow breastfeeding.
