Breastfeeding
Mamas on Bedrest: Should Breastfeeding be the Law?
August 4th, 2010
Mamas around the US are weighing in on the “Breastfeeding should be mandatory”statement declared by supermodel Gisele Bundchen. Mamas on Bedrest, Should Breastfeeding be the law?
There are many reasons that mothers should be encouraged to breastfeed their babies. First of all, breastmilk contains antibodies that are protective to the newborn. We all know that a newborn has a very sensitive, immature immune system. Breast Milk contains many of the antibodies and protective agents from the mother that protect the newborn from illness and disease until its own immune system becomes more competent. Research has shown that babies who breastfeed exclusively for at least 6 months have a lower incidence of allergies, ear infections and other childhood illnesses. The following are many of the cited health benefits (from www.womenshealth.gov and www.aap.org):
Breastmilk adapts to meet the nutritional needs of the nursing child. The initial colostrum that feeds a newborn is dramatically different from the mature breast milk that nourishes a nursing toddler. Yet at each stage, breast milk is just the right composition of protein, carbohydrates, fats and water needed to meet the nutritional needs of the nursing child. Breast Milk also has enzymes that make it easier to digest so that there is little to no stomach upset in the child.
And one can’t deny the economics of breastfeeding. Breast Milk is free. It is always ready, no mixing necessary and it is always the right temperature. Some breastfeeding advocates has gone so far as to say that low income women should be forced to breastfeed. Low income, less educated women are less likely than women of higher economic and educational status to breastfeed. Their children are also more likely to have frequent ear infections, allergies, asthma and other childhood illnesses. Proponents state that educating and encouraging lower income and less educated women to breastfeed their babies could reduce healthcare costs and improve the long term health, intelligence and well-being of lower income children. (There is currently no data to support these claims)
But opponents of mandatory breastfeeding state that breastfeeding is not for every mom. Many women cite pain, inability to produce sufficient quantities of milk, lack of support for breastfeeding amongst their famiies and friends, work schedules and feeling embarrassed while nursing as reasons they did not breastfeed for very long or at all. Still, breastfeeding has many benefits for mama as well including:
- Reduced risk of breast, ovarian, cervical, and endometrial cancers
- Reduced risk of anemia
- Protection against osteoporosis and hip fracture in later life
- Reduced risk of mortality for women with rheumatoid arthritis has bee associated with total time of lactation
- Helps mother’s body return to its pre-pregnancy state faster-promotes weigh loss; 1/2 of calories needed to make milk is pulled from fat stores
- Helps delay return of fertility and to space subsequent pregnancies
- Moms miss less time from work due to child related illnesses
- Helps the uterus contract after birth to control postpartum bleeding
And althoug it is not listed here, breastfeeding has been linked to reduction in post partum depression. (Read our previous blog posts -April and May 2010-on the topic!)
US culture does not support breastfeeding as evidenced by restaurants and other public establishments banning breastfeeding or banishing breastfeeding mothers to restrooms to feed their babies. Breastfeeding mothers have had to file lawsuits to be able to breastfeed their babies or to have breastfeeding/breast pumping areas available in their workplace. The US’s lack of paid maternity leave makes it nearly impossible for new mothers to establish breastfeeding. When faced with the choice of staying home to breastfeed and/or adjusting their work environments or schedules in order to breastfeed, many women are not only unwilling but are also unable to make such concessions. Many women say they won’t have a job to come back to and can’t put their entire family’s security in jeopardy.
The breastfeeding debate will wage on and every mama will have to decide for herself what is the best method of feeding her baby. Since August is World Breastfeeding Month, Mamas on Bedrest, take this time on bedrest to consider what is the best method for you to feed your baby and if it is breastfeeding, gather your resources and support now. Mamas on Bedrest & Beyond is pleased to offer several resources for breastfeeding mamas on our website as well as in our Amazon.com store.
How are you planning to feed your baby? Share your comments with us below.
If we can be of assistance, don’t hesitate to contact us at info@mamasonbedrest.com
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Bed Rest is best in the first 1-2 weeks post partum.
January 5th, 2010A few months back I had a booth at a baby fair. During a lull in the participant traffic a woman strolled by and had the teeniest little bundle strapped to her chest. I asked her how old her baby was and she replied, “5 Days old.”
Her response took me aback. Okay, perhaps this is going to seem judgemental, but what could this woman have possibly needed at this baby fair, a consignment show I might add, that necessitated her bringing her 5 day old infant out amongst a throng of people? This show was at a local convention center and while it was mostly clean, it is not a place that I would have brought my newborn and most especially with the hundreds of people passing through.
But this mama’s presence brought up other questions for me. Why wasn’t she home resting after recently giving birth? How was breast feeding going? How was she feeling? Given that she was at the show, I can only surmise that she was feeling pretty well, but as a former clinician, I had to wonder what impact her early post partum sojourn was having on her recovery.
Pregnancy, labor and delivery (along with death) are very likely the most natural events in all creation. All animals experience these stages as they bear offspring and even though these are very natural events, I do believe and will state here that we need to treat the processes with respect. Obstetrics has become a very scientific, interventional discipline within medicine and we have gotten away from allowing a woman and her body to go through many of the natural processes surrounding pregnancy, labor and delivery. Sure, we are able to detect and intervene when abnormalities and/or problems arise, but we have also begun intervening when no intervention is necessary. Women are losing some of their inherent physical wisdom and as such we are seeing more and more reasons to ” intervene”.
In my opinion, this woman should not have been at this baby show. I would have rather she remained at home, resting and tending to her baby. Now I am sure that there are many out there who will vehemently oppose this view and I welcome your responses so that we can discuss the issue. But I believe for the first week, and possibly the first two weeks, new mamas should remain in bed, resting, nursing and recovering from their deliveries. Here are my reasons:
Pregnancy, labor and delivery are stressors on a woman’s body. On the scheme of things they are good stressors, but they are stressors none the less. The very process of developing an entire human being, bringing that being forth to this physical plane and then preparing to feed and nurture that being requires a lot of physical energy. For example, pregnant women are at greater risk for contracting colds and other viruses than their non-pregnant counterparts because much of the energy their bodies would normally use to fight infection is being used to help grow the baby. Their circulatory systems (heart and blood system) are temporarily stressed; their hearts are working harder circulating the increased blood fluid load which is being used to help feed and nurture the growing baby. The joints and connective tissues are stressed as they adapt to support the additional weight pregnant women must carry. All of these “stressors” miraculously take place and the body adapts to fulfill the task at hand, but once the stress is removed, it’s time to recover.
A woman’s Body needs to recover after pregnancy and delivery. I stated above that pregnancy, labor and delivery are natural processes that stress the body. So just like ordinary stress, once the stressor(s) are removed, the body needs a period of recovery during which it resets itself back to baseline. Robert Sapolsky, Ph.D, describes the effects of stress humorously and eloquently in his book “Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers.”
Sapolsky describes how zebras in the deserts of Africa are initially in a calm (resting) state. When a predator comes along, like a cheetah, the zebras’ bodies react with the fight or flight reaction in order to prepare to defend themselves or to escape. Once the Cheetah is gone and the zebras are relaxing in safety, their bodies revert back to their normal calm states. In his book, Sapolsky uses this analogy to explain why we humans are at risk for heart attacks and ulcers-when we stay stressed, remaining in the fight or flight state even once the stressors are gone, we use up all of our resources and over time don’t have reserves from which to draw to protect ourselves when confronted with future stressors.
The same analogy can be used for new mamas who get up too soon after delivery. A woman’s body has stretched and organs have moved in order to accommodate pregnancy. Now that the baby is delivered, a time of rest is needed for a woman’s body return to baseline; for the muscles of the abdominal wall to recoil and for her uterus to migrate back down within the pelvis behind the pubic bone. This process is aided significantly by breastfeeding in the early post partum. Many women (myself included) recount that as their newborn suckled, they could feel their uterui contracting. These contractions aid in the uterine migration back into the pelvis. If a woman is up and about, the contractions will occur during nursing (if she nurses) but the abdominal muscles won’t contract and “flatten out” as much because they are also being used to hold her upright. Likewise, the uterus may or may not fully migrate back into the pelvis leaving her with a “pooch”. Activity in the early post partum has also been associated with increased lochia (post partum vaginal discharge) dizziness and lightheadedness. Time to recover can alleviate these adverse reactions.
Rest aids in breastfeeding. Finally, as if a woman’s body has not done enough, those mothers who are planning to nurse will find it easier to “get nursing going” if they aren’t moving about trying to keep order in the home and resume full activity levels. Again, breast milk production takes a lot of physical energy (about 800 extra calories daily!). If a woman is trying to run her household, care for older children, heal from pregnancy labor and delivery and breastfeed her body may not have the physical energy to meet all of its demands. At least in the first 1-2 weeks, if a woman can focus on letting her body recover; eating well, sleeping as much as she can and establishing nursing with her infant, she is more likely to be have ample milk supply for her infant and to be able to nurse for as long as she and her infant decide.
I know that many will disagree with me regarding early post partum bed rest. Post partum bed rest is not as confining nor need be as stringent as bed rest prescribed in the high risk ante partum woman. However, in those first 1-2 weeks after delivery, if a woman can give her body that time to recover and to establish nursing, both she and her infant will greatly benefit.
Breastfeeding: Natural But Not Always Easy
August 3rd, 2009This week is World Breastfeeding Week and on Twitter & other social networking sites there has been vigorous discussion about the merits of breastfeeding. I am a proponent of breastfeeding but I am not in favor of chastising or belittling a mom who chooses not to breastfeeding.
While breastfeeding is best for an infant and is “natural”, it isn’t always easy. My first baby was born 3 weeks early and while she was eager to nurse, she didn’t know to open her mouth wide to nurse and I didn’t know how to evert her lips to open her mouth. She also had breathing issues such that when she nursed, her oxygen saturation dropped to about 85%. Thankfully I had access to some GREAT lactation experts, one who even came to my home, who coached me and enabled me to nurse for 10 1/2 months when my daughter decided she was done.
Sometimes nursing problems arise that require medical attention. My son was a nursing champ right out of the womb. He immediately latched on expertly drawing in much of my breast. We both enjoyed nursing and were cruising along despite my ever increasing weariness. I asked my OB about my increasing fatigue and when my thyroid and other hormone blood levels came back “normal”, I was told my fatigue was due to being a new mom with 2 young children (newborn & 3 1/2yrs). But that didn’t seem to be it. I felt completely drained of life. I consulted with a couple of other practitioners but no one found anything wrong. Well, 8 months post partum I got a flu-like virus and my milk production abruptly stopped. I tried everything; fenugreek, milk thistle, warm baths..nothing helped. On Thanksgiving Day, my son and I both sat on the sofa and cried. It would be a full year later before my “sluggish” thyroid and adrenal fatigue would be diagnosed by an alternative practioner who did saliva hormone levels.
Breastfeeding is best, but it’s not always easy. If you are having problems with technique, consult with an experienced lactation expert as soon as possible, such as La Leche League or local midwives and doulas trained in lactation. If the underlying problems are with your health be persistent, see multiple practitioners if necessary, so that your concerns are addressed and as much as possible, nursing is maintained or re-established.
