Ode to Breast Milk

I spend a lot of time reflecting on how lucky I am to have a healthy and happy son, but I also realize that it is more than just luck.  Besides genetic and gestational variables that have led to Abel’s healthy development, I believe that the most important single reason why he is healthy is breastmilk.  This is some AMAZING stuff.  I always assumed that formula and breastmilk were functionally the same – they fill up a baby and give it the nutrients he/she need to grow.  While formula does provide the necessities, breastmilk provides so much more.

My List of Amazing Breastmilk Facts:

• A child that is breastfed for the first year scores an average of 8 points higher on IQ tests, even when controlling for parents education, socioeconomic factors, etc.
• Breastmilk provides a major immunity booster that leads to babies having half as many ear infections as formula fed infants.
• Babies’ stomachs are sensitive and breastmilk is the most easily digested protein. Breastfed babies almost never experience constipation.
• Breastmilk, even when not ingested, is a powerful antibacterial agent.  It can be applied directly to skin, and even into babies’ eyes, to cure rashes and irritation.  (We’ve actually tried this – it works!).
• The composition of a mother’s breastmilk changes throughout the day to reflect the mother’s hormonal level, and actually contains sedatives at night which helps the baby sleep.
• The composition of a mother’s breastmilk changes as the child grows to reflect their changing nutritional needs. 
• Best of all – a breastfed babies poo doesn’t smell bad!!!!  (I will miss this as we transition to solids . . .)

I know, this list sounds too good to be true, but these facts are widely known. I want to make clear that my intention is not to make anyone feel bad for not breastfeeding – it is a very personal decision that every mother should make based on what is best for her and her child.  Also, a great many mothers are not able to breastfeed for a variety of reasons. Babies who are formula fed are happy and healthy too.

My hope is that no mother chooses not to breastfeed due to societal pressures or a lack of support.  Breastfeeding is hard, very hard at times.  The first few weeks are problematic for most new mothers, as our experience can attest.  Luckily, we had the support of a lactation consultant who was willing to drive across town on Saturday night to help Abel latch properly and calm our anxiety.  We were fortunate, many mothers don’t have that level of support and give up breastfeeding because of the initial difficultly.  That is a shame because mothers need support. Lots of it.  Gone are the days when the village midwife would stick around for a few days until a new mother got the hang of it.  Choosing not to breastfeed is fine, but it is a decision that should not be made out of duress.

The other reason breastfeeding may not be chosen by mothers is that it is not embraced by mainstream society. Breasts are taboo - sexual and scandalous.  Of course there is nothing sexual our scandalous about feeding an infant the way nature intended, but that logic does not trump the stigma that breastfeeding has in our culture.  A woman who breastfeeds in public in the United States is likely to get stares from some and possibly even disdain from others. This is so unfortunate because that mother who is the object of curiosity or derision, is doing the absolute most caring thing possible – nourishing and caring for a vulnerable baby.  We should do so much more to encourage breastfeeding in the US, not only because it is the right thing to do, but because it will greatly benefit the country.  The education system will benefit by having brighter kids, the healthcare system will have fewer sick children, and a great deal of money will be saved on producing formula.

Taipei is striving to make breastfeeding easier and more publicly acceptable.  There are breastfeeding rooms in all subway stations, museums, libraries, and hospitals.  These are nice rooms – leather recliners, sinks, water dispensers, and changing tables.  By law, women cannot be stopped from breastfeeding in public.  There is also a public ad campaign to make the public aware of how important breastfeeding is to a baby’s health.  The ads have a photo of a breastfeeding mother with information and statistics on how it helps – the photo alone is very important in that it desensitizes it in their minds.

I am proud to have a wife who has worked so incredibly hard to give our son the best possible start.  It would have been easier to do it differently, but she persevered through many difficult weeks after the birth when feeding was not so smooth.  She continued as we traveled across the country in our car and over the ocean by plane.  Now that she is the primary breadwinner, it is very inconvenient to have to pump enough breastmilk to feed him while she is working. Every day she has to take time to pump while at work, first thing in the morning, and after Abel goes to sleep.  She does it all so that he is well-fed and healthy.  Having a healthy son is not due to just luck, it is a result of the hard work of a very caring and loving mother.