The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the American Association of Family Physicians (AAFP) recommend that babies receive nothing but breast milk for about the first six months of life and that mothers continue breastfeeding at least until the end of their baby’s first year.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends breastfeeding exclusively for up to six months of age, with continued breastfeeding and appropriate complementary foods for up to two years of age or beyond.
Physicians recommend that mothers breastfeed their babies, as breastfeeding has many health benefits for both the mom and her infant. But, many babies never receive breast milk, especially in developing countries. A UNICEF report released May 2018 shows that in high-income countries, more than one in five babies is never breastfed, whereas in low- and middle-income countries, one in 25 babies is never breastfed. Among the high-income countries, Ireland, France, and the United States had the three lowest breastfeeding rates.
What do the numbers tell us?
Among infants born in 2015 in the United States, four out of five (83.2%) started to breastfeed, over half (57.6%) were breastfeeding at six months, and over one-third (35.9%) were breastfeeding at 12 months. Compared to rates for infants born in 2014, rates increased for breastfed infants born in 2015 at six and 12 months (CDC Breastfeeding Report Card2018).
If you have a vaginal birth, you are discharged in two days. Typically, this is before your milk ”comes in,” so you will be stuck without resources when you need them the most. Many new moms find themselves on the internet at 2 AM looking up symptoms and self-diagnosing.
Why are breastfeeding rates in the U.S. so low? Based on years of patients’ feedback, the decline is not due to a lack of effort, but the anxiety caused by breastfeeding problems or concerns that the baby is not getting enough. Most of the 10,000+ patients I have seen have told me they would have given up if it weren’t for my help.
Chapter 2: The Benefits of Breastfeeding for Mom and Baby
We all know that breastfeeding is better for a baby, so why isn’t everyone doing it? The reality it is that most women want to breastfeed, but breastfeeding can be harder than you think. The AAP recommends that infants be exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months with continued breastfeeding alongside appropriate complementary foods for 1 year or longer. The CDC reports 83% of mothers in the US are exclusively breastfeeding in the hospital, at six months that number dips to just 25%. EACH DROP of breastmilk contains one million white blood cells and large quantities of secretory IgA antibodies. Breastmilk KILLS bacteria, fights infection, prevents disease, and repels invading germs by forming a protective layer on the mucous membranes in your baby’s intestines, nose, and throat.
Antibodies are passed from mother to baby through the placenta during the last three months of pregnancy and this gives the baby some protection when they are born, but if the baby is born premature, they will be more vulnerable to infection and to them, breastmilk is more important than ever.
When an infant is exposed to a germ, bacteria, or virus, the mother is often exposed too. In the first six to nine months of life, the infant’s ability to make antibodies to fight that germ is limited, so the mother makes these germ fighters for her baby. These antibodies travel to her milk and are delivered to her baby.
What if the baby is in daycare and exposed to a germ, bacteria, or virus and the mom isn't? When a baby is nursing at the breast, their mouth and saliva exposes the breast itself to what baby has been exposed to. Within eight hours, the breasts are able to make antibodies to fight that germ and offer them to the baby through the milk. This reduces the chances of getting meningitis, stomach viruses, ear infections, asthma, juvenile diabetes, sudden infant death syndrome, type 1 and type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, inflammatory bowel disease, and even childhood leukemia.
In 2009, scientists at Queen Mary University of London discovered an ingredient in human breast milk called pancreatic secretory trypsin inhibitor, or PSTI. In their research, when they inflicted damage to cells in the intestines, they found that PSTI stimulated the cells to move across the damaged area, forming a natural protective “plaster.” In 2010, researchers at Lund University and the University of Gothenburg, Sweden found a substance found in breast milk that can kill cancer cells. A 2010 cost analysis was published in Pediatrics that stated the U.S. government would save $13 billion per year if 90% of U.S. women breastfed their babies for the first six months of life. In addition, children breastfed longer than six months scored a 3.8-point IQ margin over those who were bottle-fed, according to a seven-year study by researchers at Jagiellonian University Medical College in Poland.
There are benefits for the mother as well. Breastfeeding reduces the risk of breast cancer by as much as 25%. It also reduces the risk of uterine and ovarian cancer, osteoporosis, aortic calcification, strokes, hypertension, heart attacks, and other cardiovascular complications. It reduces postpartum anxiety and depression, and blood pressure is “significantly higher” in moms who have not breastfed. Breastfeeding saves money and creates less waste for those of you who want to be green!
My professor at UC San Diego told our class a story about a nurse who made a point to tell her on a regular basis that breastfeeding wasn't “all it's cracked up to be” and her son that was never breastfed went to Stanford. My Professor always smiled and said how great that was, but all she wanted to say was, “If you breastfed he might have gone to Stanford for FREE!” She also told us that we can not want something more than our patient, so from the moment I started my private practice, my goal has been to love and support every new parent and baby without judgment.
If that is not enough to convince you, breastfeeding burns 480 to 1,000 calories per day. Do you know how much cardio you would have to do a day to burn that much, ladies? The fat that tends to accumulate during pregnancy is, in part, visceral fat, which sits around organs in the midsection and can put people more at risk for heart disease and other types of diseases. A recent study found that of the 351 women aged 45 to 58, those who did not breastfeed had 28% more visceral fat than those who consistently breastfed. You can say goodbye to that muffin top!
Chapter 3: Breastfeeding Basics
Before we begin, I want you to raise your right hand and repeat after me:
1 I will do the best I can.
2 I will not feel any guilt if this doesn’t work out.
3 I am going to tell my friends and family to support me in my choice to breastfeed.
4 I am going to work hard to provide the best start for my baby.
5 I am awesome, super smart, and look like a supermodel. :)
The most important influences on your decision to breastfeed are your significant other, your family, and your friends. If they have never breastfed, they will not understand. You need to trust your instincts and look at the research. It’s that simple.
I recently read an article with Katie Couric that said, “Life is a bunch of reboots.” That is very true in day-to-day life, but having a baby is like a complete system overhaul. It’s like switching from a Mac computer to a DOS system. Everything you think you know goes right out the window. You can’t imagine how much you will do on practically no sleep, how the color and frequency of poop will consume your day, and how you can love this little person 10,000 times more than anyone or anything on the planet.
We all know breastfeeding is best, and we all want to give our babies the best possible start, BUT...if you have cracked,
