Breastfeeding: A Childless Woman's Perspective

Maternity by Pablo Picasso

DISCLAIMER: Please do not read my avid support of breastfeeding as a judgement against those who choose not to.  My primary objective is to normalize breastfeeding in our society!

This week the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA), and breastfeeding advocates in more than 170 countries worldwide are celebrating World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) for the 19th year with the theme "Talk To Me!  Breastfeeding: a 3-D Experience"

When we look at breastfeeding support, we tend to see it in two-dimensions: time (from pre-pregnancy to weaning) and place (the home, community, health care system, etc). But neither has much impact without a THIRD dimension - communication! 

Communication is an essential part of protecting, promoting and supporting breastfeeding. We live in a world where individuals and global communities connect across small and great distances at an instant's notice. New lines of communication are being created every day, and we have the ability to use these information channels to broaden our horizons and spread breastfeeding information beyond our immediate time and place to activate important dialogue. 

This third dimension includes cross-generation, cross-sector, cross-gender, and cross-culture communication and encourages the sharing of knowledge and experience, thus enabling wider outreach.

As a childless, and therefore not nursing, woman, this issue may not seem to pertain to me.  Though, WABA’s call to action  is to reach beyond the borders of nursing moms and health care professionals, and include traditionally uninvolved parties. Supporting breastfeeding is EVERYBODY's job!  

Living Simply

There is nothing more organic, natural and whole than human milk for your human babe.  So, if you are into simple living, breast isn't best, it's the only option!  Also, there is no better way to save a boatload of cash than breastfeeding your baby for the first few years of her life.  Especially now that the Affordable Care Act requires the following to be covered by insurance without a copay, coinsurance, or deductible:   

Comprehensive lactation support and counseling, by a trained provider during pregnancy and/or in the postpartum period, and costs for renting breastfeeding equipment. -Women's Preventive Services: Required Health Plan Coverage Guidelines

Insurance will pay for pump rentals, lactation consultants, and maybe even breastfeeding classes.  That means that exclusively breastfeeding mamas will spend $0 on nourishing their baby.

Education

The ability to swim is instinctive in most mammals.  While swimming comes naturally to some, others require more education. But we all possess the innate ability to keep ourselves afloat.  Generally, if one takes swimming lessons, and learns proper techniques, she can swim like a champ!  Likewise, breastfeeding comes easily to some women, while others find it to be one of the biggest challenges of being a new mother.  Just because it is supposed to be natural and instinctive, does not mean one can't benefit from education and support in the art of breastfeeding.  

Unfortunately, this education is not readily available in a lot of hospitals.  While you would hope that nurses working with first-time mamas would be super educated in the art of breastfeeding, this is not always the case.     If you are interested in furthering your education in the art of breastfeeding, find a certified lactation counselor.   The International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners (IBCLC) is the global authority that determines the competence of practitioners in lactation and breastfeeding care.

La Leche League has been supporting nursing mothers for more than 50 years.  You can attend a local LLL meeting or use their extensive online resources!  All LLL leaders are experienced mothers who have breastfed and have been specially trained by LLL to help moms with all aspects of breastfeeding.  They are also available by phone whenever you have breastfeeding questions or concerns.

But education doesn't end with breastfeeding moms.  Western society at large needs to be exposed to and educated about breastfeeding.  When kids are taking reproductive health classes in high school, they need to be taught about the functionality of breasts and the benefits and normalcy of breastfeeding.  They need to understand their bodies in order to appreciate their power.  

 Hortense Breastfeeding Paul by Paul Cézanne

Exposure

As was the case with overcoming previously held social taboos, we must bring breastfeeding out into the open in order for it to become a social norm.  The idea that nursing in public is somehow immodest, indecent, obscene or gross is completely absurd.  First of all, if you have issues and can't handle seeing a mom nourish her child, perhaps you should examine why that is.  Because you are the one with the problem, not the nursing mom.  If you are not willing to examine your own issues, there is an even simpler way of dealing with it:  LOOK AWAY!  NOBODY IS FORCING YOU TO WATCH!!!!!

There are many reasons why people claim to feel "uncomfortable" around breastfeeding, and I would like to discuss and respond to them all.  However, since there are so many I will just leave it at this.  If you have a problem with seeing a woman nurse her child, you are wrong and you need to fix your issues.  This is not a matter of opinion.  It is just truth.  Women have the right to nourish their children in whatever way shape or form they deem is best.  In most states, legislation affirms a woman's right to breastfeed her child in ANY location where she is otherwise permitted to be, irrespective of whether the nipple of the mother's breast is uncovered during or incidental to breastfeeding.

Breastfeeding at the Cloisters, NY

Lactivism

Are you a lactivist?  Well, you should be!  Here are a few events that will be taking place this month;

Whole Foods Market National Nurse-In 

This protest was made necessary after a mother was harassed by employees for breastfeeding at her local Whole Foods.  The purpose of the nurse-in is to convince Whole Foods Market to publicly and officially support the healthy and natural act of breastfeeding within their establishments by providing a nondiscriminatory environment for families who choose to breastfeed and by adopting a global policy to ensure such an environment.   Visit the Whole Baby Foods blog for more info.

Big Latch On
On Saturday, August 6, 2011 at 10:30am local time in locations across the USA and beyond, nursing mothers will gather to celebrate World Breastfeeding Week and try to break the world record for the most women breastfeeding simultaneously!  I will be offering my support locally at No Sugar Added in Claremont, CA.


In Closing

To all of you nursing mamas out there, I offer my undying support of your decision to nourish your babes the natural way!!  

To mamas who were or are unable to nurse, I can only encourage you to seek out as much information and professional help as you possibly can.  Your OB/GYN and even your primary care physician may not be the best sources of help, try a lactation consultant or La Leche League.  I understand that some moms have genuine medical issues that prevent them from making enough milk for their babes, but there is always donor milk!  

To everyone else, I encourage you to do what you can to support breastfeeding moms in your community.  When you see a mama nursing in public, use it as a teachable moment with your kids, whatever their age.  If you are still around when she is finished nursing, approach mom and thank her for setting such a great example for the community at large and commend her for her thoughtful decision.  Every time I have done this, I am always greeted by a warm, yet sometimes surprised, smile!

Homemade Baby Food: One More Reason I Love My Mom

My parents adopted me when I was 5 weeks old.  They are my real parents in every sense of the meaning (except genetically).  The woman who gave birth to me was only 17 when I was born, and did not breastfeed me. 

I can understand how breastfeeding a child that you are relinquishing could be heartbreaking.  Though, I wish I could have had the benefit of the customized nutrients and immunities that only she could give me.  My mom tried to breastfeed when they got me, but was unsuccessful.  Breastfeeding resources for adoptive moms were limited if not non-existent in the late 70s.  But at least she tried!!

Despite the fact that I was never breastfed, my parents say that I was a very healthy baby.  I believe that my good health was primarily due to the fact that my mom made all of my baby food in our kitchen at home. 

I recently asked her what led her to the decision to make my baby food.  She said the main reason was that it was better for me than store-bought baby food.  She didn't base this decision on any scientific studies or professional opinions, just the common sense that whole foods were better than processed ones. 

The secondary reason was the high price of jarred baby food. She said,  "You ate A LOT and it would have gotten really expensive if we had bought baby food from the store.  You really ate A LOT.  I'm sorry.  Let's just say you were a good eater."  Oh, my funny mommy.



I wasn't starving!  That's for sure!


She explained that every Saturday, while Dad was doing yard work, she would set up my playpen in the kitchen and crank up the radio while she made my meals for the week.  She cooked a variety of fruits, vegetables and meat and then put them through a food mill which she cranked MANUALLY, thank you very much.  She put my food in ice cube trays, which she then froze.  Later, she would put all of the frozen baby food cubes into a freezer-safe tupperware container.  When it came time to feed me, which sounds like it was a fairly frequent occurrence, she would simply defrost a cube or two.

The idea of Natural Parenting is moving outside the crunchy granola circles and gaining momentum in the mainstream.  Combine that with the state of our economy during recent years and it is easy to see why more and more parents are choosing to make their babies' food at home.

Not surprisingly, this increase in the popularity of homemade baby food has been met by a myriad of products designed to make the process easier.  Here is a run down of some of the baby food products on the market right now.  They all have the same function, that is to turn whole foods into mush so your baby can consume them.  Some of the more expensive ones claim to have options for different textures (blend, puree, chop).

• Manual Food Mills ($8-50) -  These are operated by hand, but when you consider the fact that most of the food you will be milling is soft, it won't take too much muscle.

• Electric Baby Food Processors ($25-$90) - These work much faster than manual mills and require little to no effort on your part.

• All-In-One Steamer/Processor Combo ($60-210) - These electric units have a steamer to cook the food and a processor to mush the food, further simplifying the process of making baby food.  Most units also have the added feature of being able to defrost and reheat the baby food.  Some have the ability to sterilize pacifiers or anything else that fits and needs to be sterilized.  Also, most are dishwasher safe.  Some are sold as a package that also include a rubber scraper, portion freezers (like ice cube trays), and storage containers.

While the all-in-one products can seem to make things easier, there are more cost-efficient alternatives.  Chances are, you already have everything you need to start making baby food.  But if you don't, I believe that you can get started for less than $20.  Visit your local thrift store or 99 cent store.  You will easily find a basic steamer (the metal kind that fans out), ice cube trays, and freezer-safe containers or freezer bags.  If you don't already own a food processor or blender, you can purchase a small single serve blender for less than $15. MooDeals.com has the Hamilton Beach blender (seen below) for less than $12.

There are several benefits to making your own baby food, including saving money, saving the environment and giving your babe the most nutrient-rich food available besides breastmilk.  As I have already mentioned, the cost of store-bought baby food is ridiculous.  It's just food that has been pureed, but somehow it costs up to 4 times more than "adult food".  There is nothing special or better about baby food from the grocery store.

In fact, store-bought baby food has added water and starchy fillers.  My mom never added chemically modified food starch to my applesauce, but Gerber adds it to theirs so they can charge you more money for less nutrients.  Makes a lot of sense, right?  When you make your own baby food, you can be assured that your baby is getting the most out of every bite she takes.

And then there's the planet.  By the time a baby is 12 months, she will have consumed an average of 600 jars of baby food.  Multiply that by the 4 million+ babies born in the United States every year.  Where the heck do all of those jars go?  Food packaging in general is a huge source of waste in this country, but you can make a tiny dent in the waste, by avoiding those thousands of jars and making baby's food at home.

Read this awesome article by the Center for Science in the Public Interest about baby food.  It's long, but the Intro summarizes it pretty well.

When I told my mom about some of the all-in-one baby food makers on the market, she was impressed at the fact that they existed, and even admitted that they could make the process easier.  But she said that even if they had been available when I was a baby, she still would have done it the way she did.

There is one ingredient that my mother included in every batch of food she made for me, and it cannot be found in any jar of store-bought baby food:  LOVE!!