Breastfeeding

I have a friend (who shall remain nameless) who informed me, when I brought it up, that she did not intend to breastfeed at all.  Immediately I began to do what I hate having done to myself, preach.

Knowing my friend as I do, I jumped to the immediate (and unfair) conclusion that she didn’t want to breastfeed simply because it involved breasts.  My friend is ever so slightly (and may she forgive me) buttoned up; and not the most likely person to lead a frank discussion of last night’s performance of the Vagina Monologues.

It is often too easy for her friends to embarrass her by talking, even in a lighthearted way, about what the rest of society might consider ‘natural’ and ‘normal’ human, biological, actions.  Such as sex.

So, I can see why I assumed I knew the reason she wouldn’t want to breastfeed.  Also, there’s a little joke amongst her friends that nothing, nothing, should be allowed to get in the way of her work schedule including sex; so I can see where I formed these conclusions in the first place.

But the point of my sitting down to write her this little missive was not solely to piss her off and give our friends something to smile about.  I want to be able, when asked, to come up with legitimate and persuasive reasons why breastfeeding ought to be attempted, at least for the crucial first six months of life.

Colostrum (the breast milk mothers make right after giving birth) is jam packed with vital nutrients and antibodies.  Everything your little kiddo needs when he or she leaves the protection of your womb.  It supposed to be anywhere from translucent to a kind of yellowish tinged, but the color changes after a bit, as your milk matures, about four or five days after giving birth.  See a little video clip here on colostrum http://www.breastfeeding.com/helpme/helpme_video_colostrum.html

Compared to formula breast milk, it is far easier for little stomachs to handle.  I’m not willing to bad mouth formula. There are some mothers and babies who genuinely need it. Some for health or medical reasons, and I’m glad it’s around for them.

That being said, the exclusive use of formula, sans any breastfeeding at all, has been linked to increased hospital visits and general ill health in babies.  A little list of ailments for these kids can include; allergies, respiratory infections, asthma, obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, eczema, and SIDS.  While breastfeeding is linked to a decrease in all these aforementioned areas.  Even a reduction in the risk of cancer!

And while your bodies only mindset, as far as the feeding the baby is concerned, is nutrition, nutrition, nutrition!  It’s often the case that the companies who make formula (to be fair this is true of any business) care mostly about the bottom line.  And God knows we put our trust in a lot of unscrupulous people on an everyday basis. I’m just not so eager to trust them with my infant.

Go online and visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infant_formula#Uses.2C_risks_and_controversies, scroll down to the portion about Melamine contamination and read away…

The benefits don’t stop at the baby. Breastfeeding shrinks your uterus down faster after birth, leads to a more relaxed state of being, helps you shed the baby weight faster (breastfeeding can take about 400-ish calories a day from you), it can even reduce your chances of breast cancer, ovarian cancer, endometrial cancer, amongst other nasty things.  So there’s a lot in it for mothers as well as their kids. I don’t see any reason anyone wouldn’t give at least that first crucial six months over to breastfeeding.

Here’s to hoping that my friend forgives me for dragging her into my typings and that she thinks again about her stance on breastfeeding.

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