BREASTFEEDING

I am unashamedly an advocate of breastfeeding. I know that’s unfashionable. But I’m also convinced that if more women knew just how much better breastfeeding is for the baby – and for them! – they would be advocates too. We all know it’s better, but it’s way, way, way better. Here’s some of the advantages:

We all know it’s nutritionally superior, but it’s so much superior that we’re talking about a totally different product. The companies which make formula (the proper name for which is Artificial Baby Milk, which I think says it all) are always trying to catch up, but since many components of breast-milk can’t even be identified, this is totally impossible. Also – get this – each mother’s milk is unique to her baby! It’s true. A mother’s milk changes in response to her baby’s changing needs. No more one-size-sort-of-fits-all – breast-milk is tailor-made for each precious consumer. Formula will never, ever, be able to replicate that.

Breast-milk protects your baby from illness in a variety of ways. One way is that there’s no possibility of contamination from badly-cleaned bottles, or spoilage. Another is that there’s too much iron in formula (it’s made from cows’ milk, and baby cows need a lot of iron), very little of which gets absorbed. This means that a lot of iron gets passed through the baby’s body undigested. Which is great news for the bacteria which cause gastric problems – they thrive on iron. With formula, it’s party-time! With breast-milk, there’s very little iron for them to live on. But it gets worse (for the bacteria, better for your baby). Breast-milk contains components which mop up the little iron which does get through undigested! This is one reason why breast-fed babies suffer significantly less gastric illness.

So your baby is much less likely to get an illness. And even if they do, they’ll recover much more quickly. Why? Because breast-milk contains antibodies to help the baby’s immature immune system fight off the illness. These antibodies are produced specifically by the mother’s body in response to any illness, they aren’t there all the time. Formula, on the other hand, contains absolutely nothing to protect your baby.

Breast-milk is almost pre-digested when the baby drinks it, which means that even if they are ill and vomiting, they’ll more than likely still get enough nutrition and liquid, which translates to much fewer hospital admissions with dehydration. Also because it’s so easily and completely digested, the nappies of breast-fed babies tend to be much less unpleasant to deal with. Once the baby starts solids that changes, but six months of inoffensive nappies is an advantage which cannot be ignored!

This pre-digestion is the reason why breast-fed babies need feeding more often than their bottle-fed peers, and this is perhaps viewed as one of the disadvantages. There’s a perception that formula is somehow stronger and more nutritious as it keeps them full longer. But this is so not true – the truth about formula is that its large proteins (again, intended for large baby cows) are very undigestible, which is what keeps baby full for longer. I always think bottle-fed babies spend their days experiencing that after-Christmas-dinner feeling. So yes, breast-fed babies need feeding more often (a breast-fed newborn will need feeding about every 2 ½ hours in comparison with a bottle-fed baby’s 3-4 hour feeding schedule). So, breast-fed babies not only get better nutrition, they probably get more nutrition as well! And think of all the time you’re saving by not having to mix and wash bottles. And the time you’re not spending being up with a sick baby.

A breast-feeding mother produces hormones which relax her (which God knows we all need during the stressful time of early motherhood!) and which help her bond with her baby. Not that anybody is for one moment suggesting that only breast-feeding mothers bond with their babies – of course not. But these hormones are Nature’s helping hand. Breast-feeding mothers also suffer less post-natal depression.

It’s well known that dairy is mucus-forming, and this applies to babies being fed formula too. Breast-milk doesn’t have this effect, and this is one reason formula-fed babies suffer more ear infections. Another is that bottle-fed babies are fed on their backs, breast-fed babies on their sides, and simple gravity means that breast-milk goes into the tummy not the ears. More ear infections is a factor in increased speech difficulties later.

You’ll save a fortune on orthodontics too! There’s a very different technique required of the baby to breast-feed than to bottle-feed. Breast-feeding is harder work, and this working of the jaw muscles develops them so that teeth tend to come in better. And this also makes it easier for the child to learn to talk.

Breast-fed babies develop their fine and gross motor skills sooner, too.

Breast-milk is always available (no preparation time!!), is totally sterile, at the right temperature. It’s so handy – apart from any other advantages, I think this is probably reason enough to breast-feed. You can do it lying down, even asleep (remember, it’s the baby doing the work, not you. Once the baby is a few months old, you’d be amazed how little effort on your behalf it takes).

Breast-fed babies suffer way less allergies and asthma too. Or, since breast-feeding is what nature designed, it’s actually more true to say that formula-fed babies suffer more allergies and asthma.

It’s considered a disadvantage of breast-feeding that only you can do it. And yes, this is true, there’s no point denying it. Only you can do it. It can be a little bit of a tie, for a little while. But even though you have to bring baby everywhere with you, the thing is: you can effortlessly bring baby everywhere with you. Best-selling author Sarah Webb brought her beautiful daughter Amy-Rose to a posh dinner last year! It’s for a very short period of time that a baby cannot be left.

And – whisper this – breast-feeding is a wonderful experience to share with your baby. People get funny when I say this, I think it’s because breasts are associated with sexuality they think there’s something not-right about that. But you know, breasts were designed to feed babies, any other purpose is the perk, not the purpose! And we seem to be quite able accept that we use the same mouth to sexually kiss our partners, socially kiss our friends, and huggingly kiss our babies. So, it’s a wonderful warm fuzzy experience, and far from it being a disadvantage that I’m the only one who can do this for my baby, it’s a privilege. I’d no more want somebody to take over that ‘chore’ than I’d want somebody to make love with my husband to save me the trouble.

All this has referred to breast-feeding infants. But listen, hold onto your hats now. Human babies were actually designed to be breast-fed until about four years of age! Wait! I’m not suggesting you should do that. But what I am saying is that if that’s what nature designed, then it certainly isn’t strange or weird or abnormal to breast-feed a baby for longer than a few months. What about six months? Or a year? Two years? I know, I know, it sounds bizarre. To be honest, if somebody handed me a fine lump of a two-year old and said, ‘feed this,’ I’d probably resist the idea. But your baby starts off small and gets bigger one day at a time, and even at two years old they’re still just your baby. I’m not saying you have to, or should, breast-feed for this long, I’m just suggesting you might like to be aware of the possibility.

And you know what, breast-feeding a toddler is all advantage and no disadvantage. The slight limitation of breast-feeding an infant, i.e. that you have to be with them all the time, doesn’t apply with toddlers. They’re well able to go a day or even two without a feed if needed. But the advantages still apply that it helps protect them against illness – very important at the toddler stage when they’re going out into the world much more and meeting much more viruses and bacteria. And an advantage that really comes into its own at this stage: you can avoid tantrums. Now, every child is different, there’s no guarantee. But as William Sears MD says, in his twenty years of experience of being a paediatrician, he’s noted that breast-fed toddlers tend to be much mellower.

It’s tough being a toddler. You’ve discovered the world and you want to explore it and your carers keep telling you no, keep thwarting you! It’s so frustrating. But if you can have a quick ‘nurse’ it really puts your world back together. And all those inevitable knocks and bangs: a quick feed is the ultimate ‘kiss and make better’.

You might also be interested to know that women who breast-feed increase their protection against breast cancer. And the longer you feed (cumulatively, i.e. adding up how long you feed each child), the more protection you get. And breast-feeding women suffer less osteoporosis than otherwise. Breast-feeding also means you get your figure back quicker, too, and it can act as a contraceptive (although on no account depend on it for contraception without expert advice).

If any of this has resonated with you and you would like to know more,I would encourage you, during your pregnancy, to contact your local branch of La Leche League.

La Leche League are an international organisation, set up in the fifties in America (hence the strange name – La Leche is Spanish for ‘the milk,’ as in that time and that place you couldn’t use the word ‘breast’ even in the context of breastfeeding!), which has since become international.

Their purpose is to provide information and support to breast-feeding mothers. I attended meetings in my pregnancy and it was probably the best thing I ever did. With all due respect, hospital staff may not be interested in and/or experienced in breastfeeding enough to help you, nor may they have time. 

La Leche League provides mother-to-mother support; all the Leaders are experienced breast-feeding women themselves. There are monthly informal meetings which are both informative and friendly. There you can get advice on all aspects of breast-feeding from technical questions on the one hand, to dealing with the reactions of family on the other.

At a parent-and-toddler group once I overheard someone say, “Don’t go near La Leche League they’ll have you feeding for years.” And it’s true that, unfortunately, the organisation has that reputation. It’s unfortunate because it’s far from the truth.

La Leche League is about supporting breast-feeding, not encouraging or advocating it. They want to help you breast-feed for exactly how long you want to do it. If you feed for six weeks and come to a meeting looking for help to wean, then that’s what you’ll get.

Having said that, breast-feeding is their raison d’etre, and most of the people you’ll meet at meetings will be feeding for quite a long time (the other mothers who wanted to breast-feed for a month or so, have got what they needed from the group and moved on).

Also, they have a fairly detailed philosophy about which they make no secret. But equally, they merely offer this philosophy, at each meeting you are encouraged to take what you find useful and leave the rest. So, they actively promote a-la-carte-ism!

That statement, though, about having you feeding for years might have a grain of truth in it. They don’t have any agenda to prolong how long you breast-feed. But if someone witnesses older babies breast-feeding, and seeing the benefits, and sees that it’s possible, and realises that it’s normal … it’s not surprising that maybe they might decide for themselves to continue breast-feeding for longer than they otherwise would.

But there’s two things about that: the first is that this is purely the mother’s own decision, not coercion in any way. And also, inherent in the statement, ‘Don’t go near them, they’ll have you feeding for years,’ is the assumption that this is a bad thing. But I hope you'll realise from what I've said above, that extended breastfeeding is actually a good thing!