Why do I support breastfeeding?

Its Breastfeeding Awareness week this week so I thought I'd share why I feel breastfeeding is important to me.

Some background

I grew up as a child on a small family farm in Cornwall as the eldest of four sisters. Although my Mum breastfed each of us for around a year (unusual at that time) it was from my Dad that I gained most of my ideas about breastfeeding. 

Two things stick in my mind from this time:

Firstly the effort he put into making sure the calves got the colostrum. Normally by allowing the cow and calf alone to get on with it, whilst watching and waiting to check all was well. But occasionally he would have to hand milk the cow, not an easy job with a cow who is upset about being separated from her calf and unused to milking. 

I thought why not just give some milk from the fridge? But even though its from the same species, the antibody rich colostrum looks, smells and is so different and so important that Dad would go to any length to get the colostrum into the calf, risking personal injury in the process.

Secondly, I remember an orphaned calf. This was the only one we ever had to hand rear and again, despite being fed cows milk, it was never as big as the other calves in the field. The difference then wasn't the nutrients in the milk, but rather the mode of delivery - by necessity this calf had to be fed on a schedule rather than the others who could suckle on demand. (It did try to suckle from the other cows in the field, but they would never tolerate it for more than a minute or so.)

Why is this relevant?

Humans, like cattle, are mammals. They have evolved over time to produce species specific milk for their young. Other mammals, such as kangaroos or dolphins similarly have specially adapted milk. The milk of an individual mother is carefully adapted to the needs of her baby. Mothers of premature babies produce milk with more of the nutrients they need and as all babies grow, the milk changes and adapts. 

Trying to feed a human baby milk from another species has its problems - as well as the different levels of nutritional components, such as fats and proteins, live milk contains enzymes to aid digestion, and immune factors and antibodies that play an important part in protecting the infant against disease.

Breastfeeding is natural - formula feeding (the majority of which is based on modified cows milk) has risks. 

What about Mum?

Breastfeeding is also protective for the mother by giving birth but not breastfeeding you increase your risk of illness. The hormones released during feeding can also help you relax - particularly important during those night feeds as they help you get back to sleep quicker. Breastfeeding is also cheaper and, once you've mastered it, easier and more convenient. A breastfed baby is more portable, there is no need to plan taking enough formula or bottles out with you, or wondering where you can warm the milk as you have a constant supply of fresh warm milk at all times. 

So why don't more mothers breastfeed?

Most mothers in the UK start off breastfeeding, however by over 70% give up before they would like. Why is this? The key is support. Without knowing where to access support many mothers who run into difficulties don't know where to turn. And late at night, when you are tired and stressed, the lure of the 24 hour supermarkets is strong.

Don't leave it till after your baby is born...

... before finding out you local sources of support. Some examples are below.

• your local maternity ward - just because you've left hospital (or your baby was born at home) doesn't mean you can't contact them for support. Most maternity units have a number you can ring day or night for breastfeeding support (normally within the first month after birth). You can also go in and see them, even staying in for a few days if you need to. If you had a bad experience at the hospital you gave birth in you may be able to go to an alternative unit nearby.
• The NCT - this is a national charity who, amongst other things, run a Breastfeeding Helpline with trained breastfeeding counsellor available 8am -10pm seven days a week. They can also put you in contact with a local counsellor and support groups.
• La Leche League also run a helpline as well as a highly informative website with answers to many questions. Their local meetings welcome all women interested in breastfeeding, including pregnant mums.
• Other groups include the Association of Breastfeeding Mothers 
• And the Breastfeeding Network - who also run a drugs line for enquiries about prescription and over the counter drugs and breastfeeding and a Bengali/Sylheti supporter line.

More informal support can also come from friends and family with breastfeeding experience and from forums such as I Want My Mum. 

Just keep going!

It may be hard in the beginning, you may feel that you'll never 'get it right' but stick with it. I had a hard time with my first baby, but support from my family and from a local group kept me going. Then one day I suddenly realised I was able to breastfeed without thinking about it and it was such a great feeling knowing that after nine months of growing and nurturing my baby through pregnancy I was able to continue this process by breastfeeding her.