Breastfeeding: Why It’s Important & How To Get It Right

Due to her physical limitations, my baby girl was unable to breastfeed. I was crushed. I felt like a terrible mother, unable to provide for my child. I pumped eight times a day, but it was so tiring that after two weeks I was ready to give it up. A kind NICU nurse shared an encouraging fun fact that kept me going: 

“When your baby is sick, your body detects the illness. It changes the nutritional makeup of your milk to provide Josephine with the exact nutrients she needs to get better.”

Wait a minute… so you’re telling me that my body is better than a CVS pharmacy? It gives the right medicine, at the right time, for the right baby? Yep! And more than just medicine, Mama’s milk helps Baby gain the right amount of weight, grow according to her genetic blueprint, and even develop her emotional and cognitive intelligence. Breastmilk, specifically your breastmilk, is the best possible sustenance your baby could receive and I hope that this post will convince you of the numerous benefits that only you can bring to your little one. 

MENTAL & PHYSICAL BENEFITS FOR BABY

As touched on above, your body has the secret sauce to meet your baby’s every need. Unsurprisingly, rates of colds, illnesses, and respiratory infections drop dramatically in breastfed infants. But breastfeeding goes beyond childhood maladies – it has been definitively proven that breast milk saves lives, and bolsters the lifelong health of the babies who enjoy it. 

It is no exaggeration to say that breastfeeding literally saves lives. In fact, newborn death is 33% higher for babies who don’t breastfeed within the first 2-23 hours after birth. The practice is also associated with a lower likelihood of SIDS and leukemia. The Office of Women’s Health states that “If 90 percent of (US) families breastfed exclusively for 6 months, more than 700 deaths among infants could be prevented.” 

As if all this wasn’t crazy enough, the benefits continue after infancy. Exclusive breastfeeding annually prevents 800,000 deaths of children under 5 years old. All from milk? Yes! Remember that doctors and professionals come together to make formulas, but their combined professional experience is maybe a few decades. Sure that’s impressive, but it can’t compete with the billions of years of primal knowledge residing within YOU! You were designed over millennia to give your baby exactly what she needs, when she needs it. Your body adjusts the nutritional content of your milk to boost your baby’s long term immunity and raise her chances of survival. Mama, no formula could ever compete with you! 

In addition to saving lives, breastfeeding strengthens long term physical and mental health as well. Mama’s milk lowers Baby’s chances of developing asthma, types 1 and 2 diabetes, and obesity. And the outcomes appear to be dose-dependent too. Better health is reported for babies that are exclusively breastfed for 6 months, as opposed to 3 or 4. And lastly, premature infants that receive their mothers’ milk are far less likely to experience necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), an inflammation of the intestine with a mortality rate as high as 50%. Mental health benefits include early walking, higher IQ scores, advanced verbal intelligence at school age, and enhanced overall neurodevelopment in your child. 

MENTAL & PHYSICAL BENEFITS FOR MOM

The body works hard for Baby, but it hasn’t forgotten us mothers in the process! From hormonal changes to physical woes, we go through a lot after giving birth. Fortunately for us, we have a built-in recovery system…breastfeeding! 

The mind relaxes when the body does what it should do, hence the numerous mental health benefits associated with breastfeeding. The postpartum period can be challenging and stressful, and as many as 50% of new mothers experience postpartum depression or anxiety. Exclusive breastfeeding lowers rates of both! Breastfeeding moms also develop better bonds with their babies, feel more confident in their mothering skills, and get better sleep than those who opt for formula. 

But enough about the mind, let’s talk about the body! Who wants to drag that extra baby weight around? Not me! Breastfeeding burns several hundred calories per day, helping mothers to melt those pounds like butter in the sun. They will also enjoy lower rates of premenopausal breast cancer, ovarian cancer, type 2 diabetes, and calamities associated with metabolic syndrome such as heart attacks and strokes. In fact, communities with the lowest rates of breastfed babies coincidentally have the highest rates of breast cancer. 

HOW TO START YOUR BREASTFEEDING JOURNEY ON THE RIGHT FOOT…ER, BREAST

With all these perks, why are only 13% of babies still breastfed at 6 months of age? Unfortunately birth and postpartum interventions commonly pushed on pregnant women put both them and their babies at a disadvantage. Let’s go through what you can do to better your chances of a happy breastfeeding journey. 

Tip 1) Skip The Epidural

You might be familiar with how birth hormones facilitate labor and delivery, well they can also help you post-pregnancy as well! 

Unfortunately the frequent use of epidural analgesia inhibits the body’s hormonal process, making breastfeeding (and birth for that matter) much more difficult. During an undisturbed labor, the body releases an abundance of oxytocin to facilitate uterine contractions. In the first hour after birth, this “love hormone” is then used to cement the mother-baby bond needed for the infant to relax, trust, and recognize her mother as a source of nourishment. Unfortunately this beautiful relationship is watered down by common medications. 

An epidural reduces mom’s production of oxytocin, thereby watering down the bond she and her baby experience after birth. It may take several hours (or even days!) for a baby to warm up to his mother. At this point, both are at a great disadvantage. They are likely to experience difficulties with breastfeeding, and most moms will not continue the practice for longer than three months. 

Furthermore, because oxytocin is necessary for milk production, a medicated mother tends to experience delayed onset lactation. It can take days for her milk to come in. In the meantime, her baby has no choice but to drink formula, and both are at a higher risk for the mental and physical problems associated with an early cessation of breastfeeding.

All this to say, don’t get an epidural!

Tip 2) Golden Hour

The Golden Hour is your ticket to a first class seat on the parenting train. It starts with Baby’s immediate placement on Mom’s skin. Baby will cry for a bit before relaxing, awakening, and performing a nine-step series called the “breast crawl” laid out below: 

STEP 1. BIRTH CRY - Crying and confused, Baby is immediately laid on Mom's chest. 

STEP 2. RELAXATION - She rests and recovers in the safety of Momma's arms. 

STEP 3. AWAKENING - Growing curious, she starts to explore her surroundings with small movements of the head and limbs. 

STEP 4. ACTIVITY - At this point, she recognizes Mom as a trusted source of nourishment and begins "pushing" with her legs and arms.

STEP 5. CRAWLING - Attracted by the scent of Mom's breasts, Baby successfully shifts herself toward the scent of her milk. 

STEP 6. RESTING - Baby rests while she regathers her strength. She may show signs of hunger such as hand-sucking or mouth-moving. 

STEP 7. FAMILIARIZATION - At this point, Baby has positioned herself near the nipple and will start brushing or licking the area.

STEP 8. SUCKLING - Once Baby has taken the nipple in her mouth, she will begin to suckle hungrily. 

STEP 9. SLEEPING - That was hard work! It’s time for a well-earned nap in Momma’s arms.

I highly encourage you to watch a “breast crawl” video on YouTube; it’s truly amazing to watch a wobbly newborn follow its unfettered instincts. Keep in mind that the breast crawl will probably not occur after a medicated delivery. Baby is likely to be groggy as the anesthetics can take up to a week to leave his system. As mentioned above, skip the epidural! 

Tip 3) Choose a Baby-Friendly hospital

These institutions must meet a series of prerequisites to attain the “baby-friendly” qualification. A few of these requirements include keeping moms and babies close, training staff members to support breastfeeding, guiding new mothers to learn their babies’ cues, and counseling parents on the risks of bottles, pacifiers, and formula. In addition to the above, baby-friendly hospitals are forbidden from giving “mixed signals” in the form of bottles or formula freebies. The staff at these hospitals want you to breastfeed and will go out of their way to make it easy for you. Click here to find one in your area!

WHAT IF BREASTFEEDING IS NOT AN OPTION?

From adoption to inability to lactate, many situations render breastfeeding an impossibility. If this is your case, take heart and know that there are plenty of options. 

1. Donor Milk

Search for milk banks and FaceBook groups in your area. These are wonderful resources for hungry babies to get rich nourishing milk from kind-hearted donors. And while it won’t be quite the same as the milk of a biological mother, it will still offer many immune and developmental benefits. 

2. Skin-to-skin Care

In addition to the milk, the very act of breastfeeding is incredibly important for a baby. Why? Because skin-to-skin contact is needed for neurodevelopment. A long term study on preemie babies showed that those who received continuous skin-to-skin care were more socially intelligent, less hyperactive, and even wealthier than their peers in adulthood. This is significant because the infants studied began at a disadvantage and greatly surpassed all expectations. So if breastfeeding is not an option, you can still mimic the act with donor milk and lots of baby snuggles. 

3. Lactation Consultants

Low supply, inverted nipples, tongue tie… they’ve seen it all! IBLCE and LaLeche League are excellent, parent-friendly resources. Everyone involved in these organizations is passionate and knowledgeable, and will work tirelessly to assist wherever you’re having trouble.  

I sincerely hope that this article sways you in the breastfeeding direction. And if it’s simply not a possibility, hey I get it! Take heart that there are steps you can take to still give your baby the best. While I wish I could have breastfed my daughter, I’m confident that she got what she needed with the circumstances that we were given.

SOURCES

"Kangaroo care: the radical skin-to-skin approach to saving premature babies." The Guardian. (Corner. 2017.)

''I didn't know what to ask about: First-time mothers' conceptions of prenatal preparation for the early parenthood period." Journal of Perinatal Education. 27(3), 163-174. (Palsson. 2018.)

"The risks of not breastfeeding for mothers and infants. Obstetrics and gynecology." Obstetrics & Gynecology. 2(4), 222-231. (Stuebe. 2009.)

 Your guide to breastfeeding. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office on Women’s Health. (2018.)

"Relationship between use of labor pain medications and delayed onset of lactation, human lactation." Journal Human Lactation. 30(2), 167-173. (Lind, Perrine, Ruowei. 2014.) 

"Healthy birth practice #6: Keep your baby with you – it’s best for you, your baby, and breastfeeding." Lamaze International. (Crenshaw. 2019.)

"The risks of not breastfeeding for mothers and infants. Obstetrics and gynecology." Obstetrics & Gynecology. 2(4), 222-231. (Stuebe. 2009.)

 "Optimal duration of exclusive breastfeeding." Cochrane Library. (Kramer, Kahuma. 2012.)