Should You Breastfeed? By Kasia Labocki, MPH
Breastfeeding is a mother’s unique ability to provide nutrition and nourishment to their infant. This process begins after birth and continues for as long as a mother decides. Within the first hour of arriving into this world infants are capable of latching on to a mother’s breast to obtain superior nutrition and optimal heat from their mother. Simply said, a child was born to be breast fed. It’s recommended by the nations top medical institutions, including but not limited to: American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Family Physicians, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, American College of Nurse-Midwives, American Dietetic Association and American Public Health Association that most infants breastfeed for at least 12 months and exclusively breastfeed for the first 6 months. Despite these recommendations, exclusively breastfed infants are not common. Less than one-third of infants are exclusively breastfeeding at 3 months of age and almost 80% of infants in the United States stop breastfeeding before the recommended minimum of one year. Many mothers utilize the alternatives available to breastfeeding with artificial breastmilk, known as baby formula, due to the misconception that it is equivalent to human breastmilk. But despite the many varieties and great advances in baby formula, it does not and cannot replicate breast milk. A mother’s milk has a specifically designed, species specific, unique chemical composition that meets ALL of a child’s biological needs and is very different than artificial breast milk. Know the facts . . .
Baby formula has gone through advances in chemical composition and chemical manipulation in efforts to imitate breast milk. In 1980, Congress passed the Infant Formula Act requiring minimum amounts of essential nutrients, vitamins and minerals to be included in all baby formula compositions. Babies may now receive adequate nutrition from these compositions, but the quantities and quality of proteins, carbohydrates and fats differ from formula to formula. The substrate, bovine milk, that formula primarily utilizes is used to support a less intelligent herbivore – cows. Formula is digested differently than breast milk and takes up to twice as long. It’s also important to realize that the baby formula industry is a business. They have provided society with a conception that bottle feeding is the norm. Manufactures are quick to distribute free products and coupons to hospitals, doctors offices and new mothers. Marketing strategies are cleverly implemented to make the product desirable to the consumer. Due to the human thought that richer milk is better, baby formula may even contain palm or coconut oil purely for the purpose of providing a creamy appearance. So yes, baby formula and breastmilk are compositionally different. The purpose of this article is not to minimize the effectiveness of baby formula. Children successfully grow, thrive and receive more than adequate nutrition from this product. Baby formula by no means is “bad” for children. It’s important to recognize however that although it is a great substitution, it does not replace breastfeeding. Researchers consider breastmilk to be the “gold standard” and optimal form of infant feeding over formula because formula does not provide the same benefits.
The benefits of nursing are abundant, and to be more specific include health, nutritional, immunologic, developmental, psychological, social, economical and environmental benefits (as stated by the American Academy of Pediatrics). Research does not replicate all the benefits of breastmilk with baby formula. When infants are brought into this world they have a underdeveloped and not fully functioning immune system. Breastmilk aids in the full development of the immune system and brain development. When a mother is at risk for infection the same organism is likely to effect the infant. The mother’s infectious agent sets off a series of events that migrate into the breast milk to fight the specific infectious agent challenging the mother, therefore enhancing the infant’s resistance to infection. Infants benefit from this unique host recognition system available through the breastmilk. Breastfeeding has been linked to decreased rates of infectious diseases including but not limited to bacterial meningitis, diarrhea and urinary tract infections. Research also indicates that breastfeeding is linked to decreased rates of overweight and obesity, asthma, ear infections, stomach viruses, type 1 and type 2 diabetes and certain cancers such as lymphoma, leukemia and Hodgkin’s disease. Mother’s benefit from breastfeeding as well. Research has found mother’s to be linked to lower rates of diabetes, breast and ovarian cancer, decreased postpartum bleeding, earlier return to pre-pregnancy weight and decreased risk of hip fractures and osteoporosis in post menopausal period. Infant mortality rates are also reduced by 21% (in the United States) in breastfed infants. Additional research continues and as time progresses other benefits are added to this list daily.
Research based evidence clearly demonstrates that breastfeeding is good for both mother and child baby. So why is it that 80% of infants stop breastfeeding before the recommended time of one year? Breastfeeding doesn’t come without its challenges and obstacles. Although it’s a natural process a mother’s body was made to do, it may not come naturally to everyone. Breastfeeding can be difficult, painful and frustrating. A child may have a difficult time latching on causing great discomfort to the mother. Breasts become engorged and swollen and nipples can be raw and even bleeding. There are also conditions by either the mother or child where breastfeeding is not in the best interest for the child. In this situation breastfeeding should not be continued. The work place and society often provide insufficient support. Legislation does allow a mother to breastfeed their children in public in almost every state. But this can still be a very awkward and uncomfortable scenario for a new mother. Even hospitals and health care professionals are often under trained and lack the answers, guidance and support a mother needs. This included with the commercial promotion of formula and the belief that bottle feeding is normative all works against instead of for a mother to nurse. But things are improving as society is recognizing more and more the full benefits of breastfeeding a child. Nursing covers have advanced in convenience and breast pumps are ingenious. Employers are recognizing that support to a nursing mother is good for their overall business. Children’s stores and malls are implementing nursing rooms. Pediatricians and hospitals are hiring lactation consultants. Medical organizations are calling all health care professionals and leaders to enthusiastically promote and support breastfeeding mothers and babies. There are also community organizations, such as La Leche League, that are readily available and to answer any questions and provide hands on support to mothers.
New and expected mothers need to educate themselves and make informed decisions on how to feed their newborns. Just because formula is received in the hospital or in the mailbox does not mean it has to be used. Mothers often give up on breastfeeding because they lack the confidence and knowledge to continue. Common misconceptions include that a child prefers the bottle, enough milk is not being produced by the mother and formula supplementation is necessary. This is often not the case. Breastfeeding is not easy. But if a mother can overcome all the obstacles and receive support from friends, family, health care professionals and society – not only will mother and child benefit – but society overall. Efforts to promote breastfeeding supports “a public health movement that not only provides optimal nutrition to infants, but also lessens the occurrence of infectious and chronic diseases, thereby improving the health of our nation,” states former Acting Surgeon General, Dr. Steven Galson.
Sources:
American Academy of Pediatrics: Policy Statement (2005). Breastfeeding and the Use of Human Milk. Pediatrics, 115(2), 496-506.
Galson, S.K. (2009). Surgeon General’s Perspectives. The 25th Anniversary of the Surgeon General’s Workshop on Breastfeeding and Human Lactation: The Status of Breastfeeding Today. Public Health Reports, 124, 356-258.
La Leche League International. (2004). The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding, Seventh Revised Edition. New York: Plume.
Moore, M.L. (2001). Research Update: Current Research Continues to Support Breastfeeding Benefits. The Journal of Perinatal Education 10(3), 38-41.
Newton, E. R. (2004). Breastmilk: The Gold Standard. Clinical Obstetrics and Gynecology, 47(3), 632-642.
Shealy, K.R., Scanlon, K.S., Labiner-Wolfe, J., Fein, S.B., Grummer-Strawn, L.M. (2008). Characteristics of Breastfeeding Practices Among US Mothers. Pediatrics, 122, 550-555. Retrieved from http://www.pediatrics.org/cgi/content/full/122/Supplement_2/S50
