GIVE IT YOUR BREAST SHOT

     Contrary to what some might think, those mammary glands on the front of a woman's chest are actually designed by Mother Nature to nurse young.  Yes, it's true, they do serve some secondary purposes such as attracting men, making the bearer a better candidate for a job at Hooters and, of course, for catching food that falls from one's mouth. But nature seems to have provided them specifically to ensure the survival of the species.

    It's remarkable how they work, really.  As in other mammals, when a newborn sucks on the breast a signal goes to Mom's brain causing release of a hormone called prolactin, which, in turn, stimulates milk production. There's no thinking involved.  In fact, the more often baby nurses and the less Mom consciously thinks about it the better the system seems to work.  It's a wonderful setup of supply and demand and if two or more infants are born at once the breasts will make enough for all.  How cool is that?!

    For many years now large corporations have made and successfully marketed infant formulas.  These formulas reward the companies and their stockholders but do not really benefit mothers and infants.  Infant formula companies have done such a good job of marketing their products that many women honestly believe that formula is just as good as breast milk.

    It is not.

    Sure it's better than starving to death but there is not one formula that comes even close to the perfect food that nature makes with such apparent ease.  Breast milk has the ultimate balance of nutrients for human infants (go figure!) and also supplies many antibodies against disease.

    Breast-fed babies have fewer respiratory problems, fewer ear and other infections and less gastrointestinal trouble than their formula-fed counterparts.  They suffer less often from SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome), Celiac disease and from life-threatening neonatal infections. Human milk promotes optimal brain development and intelligence.  Mom's who nurse their babies bleed less in the days following delivery, return sooner to their pre-pregnancy weight and lessen their chances of developing breast, uterine and ovarian cancer later on.  It's a win-win for baby and Mom.

    I almost never see breast-fed babies in my ER with any serious illness.  Most of the sick infants I attend are formula-fed.  In addition to predisposing youngsters to illness, formula also seems to contribute to obesity in children, with all of the ramifications of that condition. 

    Childhood obesity has become a significant health problem in North American society in the past few years. Infants who are breastfed rarely become obese unless they eat like pigs later on in life, and mothers who nurse their young are often more health conscious than their bottle-feeding counterparts, as far as what they feed their children once weaning has taken place.

    Breast milk is the perfect food for babies.  It is the birthright of every child. 

    Over the years I have encountered all kinds of mothers.  The one common thread among these women seems to be a desire to provide the best of everything for their children.  It is bewildering then when one meets a new mother who refuses to nurse her baby.  The most important thing a mother can do for her child in the first year of life is to provide it with human milk.  It's interesting to think that if any other mammal refused to nurse it's young we would consider such behavior to be aberrant and we would likely not want to mate that animal again. 

    Some mothers who want to nurse their babies encounter difficulties such as sore nipples, concerns about having enough milk, doubts from well-meaning but misinformed family members or friends, and even misinformation from doctors and other health care professionals.  These Moms sometimes give up breastfeeding because they believe they cannot be successful at it. This is a sad result of our tendency, over the years, to get away from Mother Nature, and a reflection of our profit-driven society.

    I feel that if a healthy woman is "unable" to breastfeed her infant it is because we as a society and we in the medical profession have failed that mother and her child. 

    It should be a very rare exception to the rule when a mother does not nurse her baby, and yet we sometimes behave like it matters not whether a child receives human milk.  In truth it matters a lot.  The common problems women encounter, especially when nursing their first baby, are each surmountable, with the proper support and education, and if we as a medical community and society do not support a woman's efforts, then shame on us.

    Women who "fail" at breastfeeding should not feel guilty.  If anything, they should feel disappointed that they have not received the support and encouragement they and their wee babies deserve. They have been disempowered as women and as mothers, and the appropriate emotion would be anger toward the society that allows that to happen.

   There are many good books on breastfeeding to help women get started and enjoy a full and satisfying head start on raising their young.  These books are available to borrow free from your local library and they can be purchased at all bookstores.

   If you are pregnant please plan to breastfeed your baby.  If you are an expectant father or grandparent please give that new Mom every bit of encouragement and help she needs.  If you are a Mom who did not nurse your babies, forgive yourself and those who should have supported you, and move on.  You can make up for it by giving any pregnant or new mother all the help and support you can.

Marlene Buckler, MD, FACEP          www.StayOutOfMyER.com

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