Breastfeeding Best for Mothers as Well as Infants

re: Breastfeeding Best for Mothers as Well as Infants

marylombard — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 22:08:46 GMT

My friend's nurses told her that b/c her milk didn't come in on Day 3 post-birth, she wouldn't get any. She's formula-fed her daughter for two years, and the DD's had numerous ear infections. My midwife (home birth) encouraged me to b-feed colostrum until milk came in--it came in Day 5. Still b-feeding at 22 mos. and loving it. Docs tell me I should start to wean her, but I ignore them. Why don't they know how good this stuff is for baby and me?

Oh, and I'm bfeeding successfully after a *** reduction in 1989. I had trouble bfeeding my son in 1995; we lasted only 8 mos and supplemented with formula, but now I think I could have been more successful with the right support. Docs then told me I needed to use formula so he'd thrive. Hindsight, always 20/20. Sigh....

re: Breastfeeding Best for Mothers as Well as Infants

KellyBelly — Sun, 02 Sep 2007 04:49:43 GMT

I don't know why I feel compelled to comment on the "saggy ***" issue.... but I have breastfed each of my 3 sons for at least one full year. My breasts are NOT saggy and they are the same size as they were before children. Are they as PERKY as when I was 19? NO, of course not! However, I never go without a bra, so they are always supported. I think that is more important (for those fearing SAGGY BREASTS! GASP!!) than whether or not one breastfeeds. I LOVE breastfeeding and am so grateful for those who helped me through the rough spots in the beginning, and also those who breastfed around me, openly, so it wasn't such a foreign concept. I am currently pregnant with my 4th son and look forward to those sweet, precious moments with him (surrounded by all his older brothers!!!!) I feel sad for the moms who don't have the experience....

re: Breastfeeding Best for Mothers as Well as Infants

Alan845 — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 01:43:09 GMT

One aspect of breastfeeding that does not appear to have been mentioned is the feedback cycle that is initiated between the baby and the mother's immune system and *** milk production system. When a baby suckles it leaves a trace of itself on the ***. This trace is absorbed by the mother's skin and analysed by the mother's food and antibody factories. The mother's body then changes the composition of the milk to exactly fit what is required by the baby for the next feed. If there are any infections or diseases present in the baby, the mother produces antibodies which are added to the milk and can eliminate these diseases in the baby at the next feed. So *** feeding is not only about bonding and nutrition - it is also very much about fighting disease and producing an all-round healthy child (and mother).

re: Breastfeeding Best for Mothers as Well as Infants

Musica — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 23:48:19 GMT

On one hand we women are encouraged to breastfeed for at least 2 years, on the other many women are literally forced to go back to work even when their baby is only a few months old, because the family needs the money. The breastfeeding then can become a struggle. And oftentimes, the formula wins... So unfair...

There is a major lack of support for families with small children...

re: Breastfeeding Best for Mothers as Well as Infants

kujosrose1 — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 21:11:53 GMT

What about the perks of nursing? No bottles, no steam sterilizer, no nipples to boil, etc. And how many mothers who feed formula put it in plastic bottles? And warm it up in the microwave? Nursing is so easy once you get started - I'm still nursing my 2 1/2 year old. Yes, I can see some cosmetic changes to my body, but geez, with all of the other things that have changed, that's small potatoes!! My child's health (mental/physical/emotional) is my A #1 priority. I guess if I'd had an intense desire to work in a topless bar after becoming a mother, what my chest looks like might be of great importance to me. The biggest problem I encountered was my husband - he was insanely jealous of my bonding through nursing. It was a major source of contention between us after we brought our little girl home from the hospital. I wish they'd focus a little more of their campaign efforts toward fathers as well to be more involved and supportive.

re: Breastfeeding Best for Mothers as Well as Infants

dad5 — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 04:42:59 GMT

Similac is called that, because it literally lacks everything. It could be good if used to

whitewash a fence, or control insects by starving them to death.

The people who put this in nursing homes should be forced to take it themselves.

My brother died in one of these "homes" and they fed it to him! He ended up with

kidney stones, and blindness.

Its all about corporate profits, and the ends justify the means.

Anyone saying that ANYTHING is better than *** milk is a bold faced liar, and

never did any research. That's like saying Aspartame is better than sugar.

Have a diet coke, buddy. See how that works for you.

Dennis

re: Breastfeeding Best for Mothers as Well as Infants

shebebrain — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 23:07:42 GMT

After my first child (planned home birth), it took 5 days for my milk to come in! My mom (who had bountifully breastfed six), my midwife, and my lactation consultant all supervised me nursing- I wasn't doing it "wrong" or not often enough. My poor daughter cried and kept sucking round the clock, but nothing was coming. She lost weight rapidly and became dehydrated. We finally gave her a little water to tide her over. I think the midwife said she had never had to give water before. If I didn't have the social support and/or were under a regular doctor's care, my baby would have been on formula for sure! I have more sympathy than some do for moms who gave up because they "didn't have enough". It took ONE MONTH for my daughter to nurse herself back up to birthweight. I nursed her almost constantly, at any time of day or night, but I was simply "low-flow." My breasts didn't get huge, didn't overflow, almost never dripped between feedings, and I gained six pounds while breastfeeding exclusively, eating less than I did when I was pregnant. I had to think back to how I ate before pregnancy and get back to that. Even then, I struggled for two years to get to pre-pregnancy weight.

Not enough is said about how long it takes for some women's milk to come in. Milk-cow types (and "experts") often expect that everyone would have the same easy-flowing experience, if only they were doing it "often enough" and with correct positioning. Also, I had an excruciating breastfeeding experience the first few months as my inverted nipple turned right-side-out. Then that side turned into my best "producer."

That said, now that I have just recently found this site and am converted to a full-fat diet (after 20 years of lowfat living), I hope to have a different experience next time.

re: Breastfeeding Best for Mothers as Well as Infants

Esther M. Cook — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 22:35:50 GMT

Yes, it IS possible to run out of milk while breastfeeding. There are few things more horrifying than having your beloved child screaming in pain (from any cause) and being unable to do anything about it. A time or two when I was *** feeding, both breasts ran dry.

Well, the hospital had given me a little formula, so I opened it up and offered it to my child. Her expression said it was nasty. She drank only a little and decided to go hungry a little while until my milk came back. She stopped screaming because she saw what the situation was and howling would do no good. Babies can be a whole lot smarter than you think.

Well, I did NOT give up, nor did I passively wait for this horror to happen again. I went to my nearest health food store to look for literature on the subject and found an article on the benefits of uterine hormones, one of which required the mineral silver. I bought a silver-plated fork or two at a local thrift shop for next to nothing. I figured I would need only a tiny amount of silver and this should be enough. It was. I always had all the *** milk I needed after that, and weaned my precious at 19 months.

re: Breastfeeding Best for Mothers as Well as Infants

Hathorhetep — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 18:54:50 GMT

My son was born after a lengthy labor @ 11 PM. Natural delivery, no epidaural, and a lot of discomfort/pain, but patience and support from my husband, midwife, and family helped. When he was born, after the delivery room procedures, they let me rest, (1 AM) but ignored the order to keep baby with me in my room. At 4 AM I was able to get a nurse to bring him into my room. They had already given him a bottle! I told them NO, read the orders, and they didn't 'get it', but complied with a bassinet in my room. He took to the *** eagerly, and within 2 days we 'had it down' so there was no feeding discomfort on my part, until that first tooth came in!

The staff gave us 'gifts' - magazine subscriptions, formula, disposable diapers, Pedialyte© - it was a joke of a horror show they didn't get! They insisted i take it because it was "hospital procedure". After disposing of the formula, I gave the stuff away to one of my welfare mom friends who had too many kids close together - it was a blessing for her, because she would have gone to buy that stuff anyway and couldn't afford to keep up w/ her child expenses.

We went home after 48 hours, and he never had a bottle. He went to a sippy cup for water. He did not have any juices until he was about 20 months old, and not on a daily basis until after age 4, about 4 oz. 4-6 days a week. Fresh fruits & veggies, occasionally organic baby food too, supplemented breastfeeding until age 2. We slowly introduced whole grains, poultry, & seafood into his diet. No cow milk until he was about 7 or 8. He then had beef once a year as a treat with his grandpa until he was 12, when he started to have it 2 or 3 meals weekly. He does not have my lactose intolerance (age 18), perhaps because we waited until he had a more developed digestive system. Dairy & beef are among the primary foods that my husband's ancestors ate for thousands of years, so I feel that small amounts in the diet are okay for him and our nearly grown-up son.

re: Breastfeeding Best for Mothers as Well as Infants

Hathorhetep — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 18:17:40 GMT

I breastfed my son exclusively to the age of 5 1/2 months, then let him have a little water now and then along with the breastfeeding until he was about 7 months, then began feeding him natural & organic homemade baby food and then Earth's Best nat. & org. baby food to introduce him to some other tastes. I was able to get it through our diaper service.

I was usually vegetarian and occasionally pescatorian - weekly i would eat fish and/or shrimp, calamari, octopus,or eel as protein sources in addition to tofu, tempeh, soymilk, goat's milk, and occasionally cheeses or yogurt in small quantities (cow dairy allergy). My son was one of the healthiest kids in his whole school, missing only a few days a year on average throughout elementary school.

Breastfeeding was a comfort, too. He was weaned at 2 yrs. old. When he was tired and he knew he couldn't nurse anymore, he'd just plead to rest his head on my ***, and wanted a nipple in or next to his ear so he could 'feel' like he was still nursing! That lasted about 3 months. He would run to get in bed with his dad & me if he awoke in the night, but he liked having his own bed. We let him do it, and he rarely came to us in the night after the age of 5.

I maintained a size & 1/2 above my 'norm' while breastfeeding. Not reducing my caloric intake after weaning and less exercise caused me to gain weight. My breasts are large - the sagging was reduced when I lost weight and did weight lifting exercises to strengthen the Coopers ligaments and shoulder/chest area. Good posture helps breasts to 'lift' a bit, too. Proper fitting bras for exercise and fashion are good - don't freak out about being a size larger or a cup size larger or smaller, or if it costs over $20! I'm happy with a healthy teen, better posture & strength, and better quality lingerie. I was low income, but clean food & proper bras are worth the effort and cost. They are more important than cable, alcoholic beverages, and other non-essentials.

re: Breastfeeding Best for Mothers as Well as Infants

Gary J Collins — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 17:43:47 GMT

I have been living in the Philippines for 8 months. When I first saw the local television I was astounded at the advertising. There seems to be only advertisments for Unilever products, powdered milk based formulas.and other "junk food".

All the adds for childrens milk (and other food) in very slanted towards the idea that if your child is not getting the product then it will be dumber smaller and underweight.there is great stress on the "fact" these products are fortified with one or more vitamins and/or minerals.

In the supermarkets, you have to search to find fresh milk, if it is stocked at all. In one store, I asked for fresh milk and was pointed at UHT milk. To the young person I asked, that was fresh. She was shocked when I pointed out the different dates printed on the carton. The packaged date (three months ago) and the use by date (two days before that days date). .Incidently if you want soy based drinks there is a huge range displayed of these.

I understand that dairy products are not part of the traditional diets here which can be part of the problem.

re: Breastfeeding Best for Mothers as Well as Infants

monique_82420 — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 12:29:29 GMT

It's nice to see other ppl have the same opinions as me & practice attachment parenting (extended breastfeeding, co-sleeping etc.) Sometimes I feel so alone! I breastfed my daughter until she was 2 1/2 & my son is still currently breastfeeding at 19 months. I tandem nursed the 2 of them for 6 months. It is something that has changed my life. I lost 65 lbs effortlessly between the 2 of them. My weight has stablized now though. My breasts are very saggy now, but that can be due to weight loss too. I myself would not care if my breasts fell off! It would be well worth it!

re: Breastfeeding Best for Mothers as Well as Infants

Amazinglove14 — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 11:53:36 GMT

As the mother of 11 naturally born children ranging in age from 24 down to 4 yrs old at this writing, a LLL leader in my area, a doula, and Midwife's assistant I have seen and heard it all. I breastfed all of my children (except the first-1 yr) for at least two years each and nursed infants and toddlers tandem, nursed through pregnancies and all. Breastfeeding is much more then feeding a baby! It is bonding, communicating, security, pacification, health concious and much more. The benefits of nursing a baby are tremendous for moms, dads, and babies. I think fathers get left out of the breastfeeding relationship too much and that needs to change. Make it a family affair as much as possible. Use that loveseat in your living room for what it is called and sit there to nurse w/hubby or father......TOGETHER! I also believe that older children benefit from having the experience of seeing babies breastfed and seeing their mothers be the complete nourishment of thier siblings. It shows commitment and teaches about relationship, nurturing and care of infants which needs to be taught these days and will overflow into other relationships they have in their future. Our children also sleep with us. I know this is a cultural NO NO in our country but not in any other country. I do not encourage mothers who do not breastfeed to sleep with their infants because I do not believe they are as instinctive and intuitive with their babies as breastfeeding mothers are. So much more to say here but time does not allow nor is there space. Hope this helps or encourages someone. Kelly in MI

re: Breastfeeding Best for Mothers as Well as Infants

Gill2345 — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 10:37:45 GMT

Here is a *** feeding query from Sarah Walters in a UK magazine. Is there a possible connection between peanut allergies and groundnut-based feeds given to dairy herds? The hypothesis is: Peanut allergy is caused in children (with a predisposition to allergy) by antibodies to peanuts in cow's milk products but especially in pasteurised and unpasteurised liquid milk. Mothers know to avoid peanuts during pregnancy and lactation but this does not prevent the allergy. Many children have an allergic reaction on their first exposure to peanuts so something has triggered their IgE response. There are more cases of peanut allergy amongst children who have been breastfed. Breastfed children are more likely to be weaned onto fresh cow's milk. Formula fed babies often stay on formula milk for 2 years. The immune system may be immature for the first two years. China and India have high peanut consumption, low dairy milk consumption and low peanut allergy. Chinese immigrants to the USA, consuming milk from nut feed cows, show average peanut allergy. France has nut fed herds but uses mainly UHT milk and has low peanut allergy. Does UHT destroy IgE protein? Peanuts are not a natural feed for cows. If human mothers can produce immunoglobulins against peanuts which they pass to their child in *** milk, is it not reasonable to assume that cows might do the same? Gill

re: Breastfeeding Best for Mothers as Well as Infants

ambyrelly — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 10:28:11 GMT

yup, i am from the Philippines and our breastfeeding rate is truly sad. with my 2 kids (5 & 7 years old), i insisted on everything natural, from lamaze births without any anaesthesia whatsoever to pure breastfeeding up to 2 years. THE FUNNY THINGS WAS my mother-in-law (who is a doctor in the province) was the first one to nag me about giving them formula because they didn't fatten up like the other babies. she also refused to believe that i didn't have anaesthesia when my husband told her --- until they brought me to the room and saw me wide awake with the baby. THE "CONTINUING EDUCATION" OF DOCTORS IN THE PHILIPPINES IS USUALLY SPONSORED BY THESE PHARMA COMPANIES so you can see how unideal the situation is. sigh. but at least, my ob-gynecologist who is one of the most respected in her field, is proud of me. i'd hear from her other patients how she she tells them about me and puts me up as a model for them to emulate =)