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Go Green - Breastfeed
With Earth Day almost here, special guest writer Susan O'Hara-Brill of Chatham Lactation Services and the N.C. Breastfeeding Coalition writes about one way to go green: breastfeed.
To breastfeed or not. That is the question. I’m an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, so it’s pretty clear where I stand.
But when I was pregnant, and the question came up, I said "YES" to breastfeeding because I really didn’t want to fix bottles in the middle of the night and nursing my baby seemed really convenient. Motivation is complex and intriguing, ain’t it? I mean, doing the “right thing” is often just not enough even though most women of childbearing age are aware of the lifelong health benefits that breastfeeding offers, both to the mother and the child.
Women who don’t succeed often experience punishing loss and guilt, even when it’s clear to us in the perinatal health care field that they most likely didn’t receive timely intervention and support. A mother’s fundamental need is to feed her baby.
So what if the whole community “got it” about supporting breastfeeding, was aware that breastfeeding not only has zero environmental impact, its exclusive practice for six months delays a return to fertility and, that in turn, has a cascading positive effect on the welfare of the whole community? When a mother is given what she needs to succeed in doing what’s best for her child and herself, the “right thing," she’s making a difference for all of us.
“Breastfeeding saves lives while protecting the environment,” says Laura Sinai, MD, MSCE, North Carolina State Breastfeeding Coordinator for the American Academy of Pediatrics. “When you consider the costs to the environment made by the manufacture, packaging, transportation, sales and marketing of artificial baby milks, breastfeeding wins every time.”
Formula requires agricultural production, which may involve land clearing for industrial farming, chemical fertilizers and pesticides for soybeans. Infant formula is also wasted when it is thrown away if the baby does not finish a bottle, something which is unlikely to happen with breastfeeding.
Breastfeeding is also drought resistant and does not require water other than what the mother drinks. There is no need for water for cleaning bottles and artificial nipples. Anyone living in North Carolina during summer 2007 will remember the distressing experience of the severe and prolonged drought. Being breastfed also protects infants from possible exposure to dirty water in underserved communities. Again, what if we all “got it?"
“Breastfeeding is ‘green’ and saves money. Frequent breastfeeding, day and night, helps delay fertility return for the mother until her menses resume. The Lactational Amenorrhea Method is as effective as oral contraceptives when in use, reducing the need to purchase contraceptives and menstrual care products for many months. Increasing the time between each child also has a positive effect on the health of mothers, children, and their families, and on the social service dollar for the whole community,” says Miriam Labbok, MD, IBCLC, director of the Center for Infant and Young Child Feeding and Care at the UNC School of Public Health. “All in all, breastfeeding, especially exclusive breastfeeding, saves money by reducing our need for many commercial products, reduces pharmacueticals, plastics, fuels and dairy waste products, shrinking our carbon footprint."
We all have a stake in this, locally, nationally, globally. Human milk remains one of our most valuable renewable resources and has been shown to be the far superior food for infants by every measure science has been able to offer. Simply respecting the wishes of breastfeeding families and offering a few words of encouragement can make a positive difference in their lives and ours as well.
“Parents planning to breastfeed benefit greatly from prenatal education, nurturing and timely support by the newborn’s household kin, extended family and the community at large. Support groups like La Leche League and Nursing Mothers of Raleigh offer group meetings. Many WIC (Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants & Children) offices have trained bilingual Peer Counselors who provide home visits. And healthcare professionals including International Board Certified Lactation Consultants are also available to address breastfeeding issues,” said Vicki Carlson, RN, IBCLC, chairwoman of the North Carolina Breastfeeding Coalition.
If you are interested in finding out more about the N.C. Breastfeeding Coalition, go here.
Comments
I breastfed both of my children and pumped at my full-time job to keep them fed. It wasn't easy. I wasn't doing it to prove anything. But it worked for me.
I was fortunate enough to work for a small company that, despite the fact that I was the first nursing-pumping Mom, was supportive of my temporary special needs. I was also fortunate enough to have a private office with a door I could lock and clients who thought it was kind of funny that they could hear the breast pump while we were discussing business.
As positive an experience as breastfeeding was for me, I worry about people being militant or judgmental about other people's choices. As random as my choices of why to breastfeed might have been, so are the choices of those who choose not to breastfeed. One friend of mine tried so hard for about two weeks after her son was born. He was losing weight. She had the contraption that feeds the baby while he sucks on the nipple in order to stimulate milk production. The doctor had no explanation as to why she couldn't lactate. But she couldn't. How cruel would it be for her to be questioned about her "choice."
I feel about the questions, "Are you going to breastfeed?" or "Are you breastfeeding?" the way I do about, "Are you having children?" or "Were your twins conceived naturally?" None of your business. And I don't want to see a world where people look askance at a woman who is feeding her baby with a bottle. Maybe the baby is adopted. Maybe the mother couldn't lactate. Maybe the mother simply isn't comfortable breastfeeding in public. When it comes to being a mother, I say, live and let live. We are a community and we need to support one another rather than looking for ways to divide us.
I breastfed my daughter until she was 7 months old, and would be doing it still if she hadn't given it up out of the blue! I am a huge advocate of breastfeeding but have the unique perspective from a mom who struggled immensely and almost gave it up. All my siblings and me are breastfed, my husband and I took the breastfeeding class, I read all the books, memorized all the stats, and had my whole life always planned on breastfeeding. But shortly after my daughter was born, all my intense determination slowly crumbled. She simply could not latch on, no matter how many positions I tried or what time of day. We saw numerous lactation consultants at the hospital, and even they were baffled as to why she just couldn't seem to get it. I was absolutely heartbroken, because I wanted to do this for my baby girl more than anything in the world. I knew that breastfeeding was the single most influential thing I could do for her at this age that would impact the rest of her life.
So I pumped my colostrum at the hospital, and continued to pump when I got home for two weeks straight. Day and night. Every single feeding. It was torture and I was so ready to give it up. My husband and I were exhausted. You pump for 15-20 minutes then you have to turn around and feed the baby for the same amount of time. By the time you finish you can squeeze in a 30 min nap before beginning again. We tried every contraption out there to get her to latch on. The hospital gave us some items and the rest we bought and tried ourselves. Nothing worked. Then one day my friend found a nipple shield online that is an artificial nipple that goes over your breast. We tried it and, above all odds, she latched on! So I used my nipple shield for 7 months, and can honestly say that I would not have been able to breastfeed without it.
As supportive as I still am for breastfeeding and the obvious benefits, I can still support a mom who tried her hardest and just could not make it work for her. But I have to be honest- most moms don't breastfeed because of the sacrafices on their part that they don't want to make. As convenient as it is, there are things that I dislike about it. But I am 9 weeks pregnant with our second child and hope and pray it will work out easier this time!
Thanks so much for sharing. I hope it's easier for you the second time around too.
My daughter finally latched on but it took two solid months to get close to any kind of routine. We used the nipple shield too.
I understand about the guilt and loss. My daughter is 2 1/2 months old and she has never been able to latch on. I took classes prior to her birth, but I didn't get good support in the hospital. By the time I got home and my milk came in, I was unable to produce enough to exclusively nurse her - she lost weight very quickly. We have seen 2 lactation consults but my supply has never increased. I pump for every feeding and supplement with formula. It is so hard but I know I am doing the right thing. I hope to do it until 6 months at the very least. I still feel horribly sad and guilty that I can't do "what's best". I am a working Mom, and I was hoping that nursing would give us some real bonding time together.
So sorry to hear about your experience. It took my daughter at least two months to latch on successfully. But my friend went through the same experience as you I think. Her son never latched on. She pumped for a year. Mary Rose Tully at the N.C. Women's Hospital at UNC was my lifesaver. She's head of lactation over there and really helped me. If you want to try again, I'd give her a call.
Just remember you're doing everything you can and that there are plenty of other ways to bond with her - holding, playing, singing, being there for her. I'm a working mom too so I know what you're feeling at least on that level.
Good luck.
Sarah