Thoughts on Breastfeeding
By Michelle Isla, SM
We all remember the famous TIME magazine front cover image
of a mom breastfeeding her 4 year old son with the words “Are You Mom Enough?”
next to it. Here’s an interesting
article (http://blogs.babycenter.com/mom_stories/02172013if-all-moms-breastfed-their-babies-right-after-birth/)
about breastfeeding citing a recent press release by the Save the Children
organization identifying barriers to breastfeeding. In this article the authors parody that
famous front cover image with a similar one stating “Are We Supporting Moms
Enough?” The organization’s recent
breastfeeding report identified the following four barriers to breastfeeding
success:
- cultural and community pressures
- the health worker shortage
- lack of maternity legislation
- aggressive marketing of breast-milk
substitutes – or formula.
As a former lactation counselor for the Seminole County Health Dept.,
having discussed these kinds of topics ad nauseam, I can’t help but feel this isn’t really new
information. The question is, what is
being done about it in this country?
There are certainly initiatives I’ve read about and political discussion
about maternal rights in the workplace, government incentives for corporations,
etc. Sometimes it feels like progress is
too slow! In the meantime the formula
companies continue their unethical propaganda undermining breastfeeding and
contributing to the health epidemic in this country.
While I feel it’s important to stay on top of what’s happening
politically on a national level I also feel it’s equally important to focus on
what WE can do in our day to day to effect change. Although it may not feel like it sometimes we
actually have tremendous power to create change in our communities and that’s
where we can start. One individual CAN
change the world! Does that sound too
idealistic? Well look at it this way,
every single action we make that affects someone’s life contributes to change
in that person’s life. We do this enough
times and inspire others to do the same and we inevitably create a domino
effect. Now, I realize that this bottom
up approach has to also be coupled with top down initiatives. This is why I mentioned earlier that it’s
important to stay on top of what is happening politically and get involved with
organizations that push for legislative change.
As a side note, Moms Rising is an incredible organization that does just
that! Check them out, www.momsrising.org.
Bringing it back to breastfeeding now, how can we as individuals help
increase breastfeeding initiation and duration rates? I say “duration” because the science shows
that the most significant health contributions of breastfeeding occur the
longer we provide our children breast milk.
At Tree of Life we are certainly committed to supporting mothers in
achieving this. We are one of the only
midwifery practices that offers our new mamas a breastfeeding consultation with
an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant within the first week
after giving birth at NO COST to the mother.
We also offer an ongoing breastfeeding support group that meets each
week as this model is statistically proven to increase breastfeeding duration
rates. I’d say we’re off to a good start
at Tree of Life. What can YOU do to
support breastfeeding? Here are some
suggestions:
- refer your new mama friend/neighbor to a lactation
consultant if she is having trouble nursing, make the call for her if
she’s willing!
- Talk to your girlfriends pregnant or not about attending a
breastfeeding class with a lactation consultant prior to giving birth
- Show a new mama how easy it can be to nurse in public
- Smile at the next mama you see nursing in public and tell
her you’re so happy to see her doing it
- “Share” posts on Facebook that have to do with
breastfeeding awareness, there are some cute ones out there
- Tell your care providers (midwife, OB, pediatrician) that
you would really like to see them have onsite breastfeeding support
- Tell your care provider that having that formula
propaganda up on display has been proven to undermine breastfeeding and
affect breastfeeding rates in this country
- Tell the Motherhood Maternity store that you don’t wish to
receive their free formula sample in the mail after you shop there, maybe
you’ll still get it but at least they’ll have heard your piece
- Nurse your baby in public, cover or no cover. I wasn’t much of a coverer myself!
- Share your breastfeeding success stories with other new
and pregnant mamas, offer them emotional support when the going gets rough
for them
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