The Many Benefits of Breastfeeding Babies
England has one of the lowest breastfeeding rates in the world, yet around 90% of women are able to nurse naturally. It’s of course your choice, but NHS says that breast milk is not just free, but the best nutrition-wise, and offers better protection from SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome), type-1 childhood diabetes and leukaemia, and also better protects against infections and bowel problems for babies with Down Syndrome.
All health professionals recommend breastfeeding for the first six months (which is why you’ll always hear formula ads saying this). But there are benefits to breastfeeding until weaning, like helping babies to digest food, and avoiding issues with dairy and soy allergies.
Parents can bond with children with bottle-feeding, but breastfeeding also releases oxytocin, a calming hormone, and can even help to return the uterus to its normal size, and helps reduce later life risks of breast and ovarian cancer, osteoporosis, diabetes and heart disease.
Colostrum (the thick liquid produced just after birth) is full of antibodies, protein, vitamins, sugar and fat, crucial to building a child’s immune system.
It also helps flush out sticky poo that babies excrete in the first couple of days of life. Colostrum coats and protects your baby’s gut. Cordelia Uys (breastfeeding counsellor)
You are allowed by law to breastfeeding in public laws. Employers must offer a resting space (like a private room, not public toilets).
It’s easier to breastfeed if you wear sustainable maternity clothes with special flaps for discreet feeding, and less chance of ‘lactation leaks!’
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- Your GP and midwife should be able to help
- National Breastfeeding Helpline offers a free phone line
- The Art of Breastfeeding and Practical Breastfeeding are two good books, by experts covering basic information and dealing with common challenges like latching, mastitis and cracked nipples.
Foods to Avoid While Breastfeeding
As with pregnancy, there are certain foods and drinks it’s best to omit. These include:
- Caffeine. Best omitted entirely. If you do drink it, no more than 300mg a day (2 mild mugs of tea or one coffee, cola or chocolate – note chain stores tend to be higher in caffeine.
- Alcohol. Again, it’s best to avoid entirely. If you do drink, wait a few hours (or express milk beforehand, to give later on). Never share a bed (nor sleep on the sofa) with a baby if you (or anyone) has been drinking. This is linked to SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome).
- Limit (or omit) fish. If you eat fish, no more than 2 weekly portions of oily fish (fresh tuna, salmon, trout, mackerel, herring, sardines, pilchards). And no more than 1 weekly portion of swordfish, marlin or shark. There are plenty of plant-based fish alternatives in shops today. It’s easy to eat omega 3s without fish and mercury.
- Peanuts? Health experts say that there’s no evidence that you need to avoid peanuts or peanut butter, unless you’re allergic. But do choose organic brands free from palm oil.
- Dairy milk? Many babies are allergic or intolerant to cow’s milk and/or lactose, so your GP or midwife may recommending avoiding it, for some babies with eczema, blocked nose, skin reactions, tummy ache or constipation. Again, there are plenty of plant-based calcium-rich foods (green leafy veg, dried figs, calcium-enriched foods).
How to Prevent & Treat Colic
Colic is a common condition for young babies, which usually remedies itself within a few months, usually recognised by crying for hours with clenched fists and arched backs (and knees pulling into tummy). It’s caused by windy tummies, being bored or being too hot or cold:
Crib death charities recommend removing extra clothing like hats when coming into warmer temperatures (inside, cars etc). The Lullaby Trust has more info on SIDS prevention.
Sometimes colic can be remedied by holding your baby upright when feeding, with regular ‘burping’ (babies should always sleep on their backs anyway, to prevent SIDS). NHS says NOT to raise the head of your baby’s cot or Moses basket.
For warm baths to soothe colic, run cold water first (then add hot water), testing with wrist or elbow. Keep baby’s head clear of water. Don’t bathe after feeds, or if hungry/tired. NHS has a good 2-minute video. Never leave babies or children alone for a second. Avoid baby seats, these can quickly detach, and drown babies in just a few centimetres of water.
Why Less Breastfeeding in England?
So why does England have such low breastfeeding rates, when NHS and WHO both recommend it as the best option? In Norway, 70% of babies are breastfed, yet just 30% of UK babies (and hardly any at 12 months, compared to 99% in Senegal).
Not breastfeeding also leads to more ear, chest and throat infections, which adds £50 a million to NHS budgets. Breastfeeding counsellor Cordelia Uys believes that considering the UK gets fairly good maternity leave, the only reason is simply culture, where women’s breasts are seen more as objects for ‘lads’ mags) rather than their intended purpose.
Breastfeeding is a learned culture (all species teach new mothers how to breastfeed). The sad story of a zoo gorilla proves this. Her baby died, as she had no wild gorillas to teach her how to nurse. When her second baby was born, local mothers visited and breastfed in front of her. She copies them, and her second baby survived.
When her second baby was born, local mothers visited, and breastfed in front of her. She copied them, and her second baby survived.
Although formula companies have to legally state that breast milk is the best choice for the first six months, most then start promoting formula, when it’s not needed. The two main brands ((Cow & Gate and SMA) are respectively owned by Danone (a massive plastic pollutor) and Nestlé (one of the world’s most boycotted companies).
Getting breastfeeding advice from formula companies, is like chickens getting advice from foxes. La Leche League International
How to Express and Store Breast Milk
The chemical BPA is now banned for plastic baby bottles, but you can find good alternatives, to store expressed milk. Dr Brown’s Glass Baby Bottles feature award-winning vent systems to reduce colic, spit-up, burping and gas by eliminating air bubbles. They are heat-resistant, with silicone covers to keep hands cool.
Despite saying the bottles are microwave-safe, never microwave baby milk (or pet food). As it heats differently, and causes ‘hot spots’ that could scald the mouth and throat.
MyMilk Breast Milk Trays were created by a mum and her engineer husband. Originally designed to store frozen soup (you can buy those in Lakeland stores), these are presently only sold in the US, but it’s a one-time purchase (and once your baby is weaned, you can use them to store frozen minced garlic or ginger).
Made from silicone, each pack includes 2 reusable trays to freeze breast milk, with a storage guideline magnet. Just pour breast milk into the tray, close the lid and store in the back/bottom of the freezer (not the door, due to variable temperatures), with the date labelled.
When you need breast milk, drop the cubes in your baby bottle, then thaw overnight in the fridge (or place in warm – not hot – water, ready to use). You can sanitise the tray in boiling water.
Donate to a Human Milk Bank
Around 2% of new mothers are unable to breastfeed, due to either medical conditions or having had mastectomies. As breast milk is on ‘supply and demand’ (so you never run out), the best choice for these babies is by far donated breast milk from other mothers.
Especially for preemies (premature babies) who usually have delicate guts. Donated (frozen) breast milk is screened (just like blood for AIDS, hepatitis, syphilis etc) then collected from your home. Just a few ounces can sometimes save the life of a premature baby.
You cannot donate breast milk if you (or someone you live with) is a smoker or vaper, and you must inform of medications. On acceptance, you are sent a pack with a thermometer to ensure your freezer is the correct temperature. Find your local milk bank.
Boycott Brands That Market Formula Abroad
Some companies market ‘free formula’ to mothers in developing countries. Then when the women return home from hospital, the formula is no longer free. So some new mothers (in desperation) water down the milk (so not enough nutrition) or mix it with dirty water (the babies then get ill). Most African people are also lactose-intolerant.
WHO estimates that 800,000 babies die worldwide each year, due to not being breastfed. And Niftycup is a $1 invention that can let babies with cleft lip ‘lap milk’, so this is not an excuse to market formula to them.
Watch Tigers, the documentary of a former pharmaceutical salesman, who watched an infant die in a hospital due to diarrhoea and acute dehydration. The baby had been switched from breastfeeding to formula, on marketing advice. He resigned from his job and took on a global giant. You can imagine the resistance he met.
If Used, Which Baby Formula to Trust?
If you use infant formula, transition gradually, to avoid upsetting delicate tums. For dairy allergies, talk to your midwife as there are few commercial options available, in the UK. Abroad:
Else Nutrition (US) is approved by doctors, created to help a child with serious allergies, and is ‘shaking up a stagnant industry’ with a Toddler Formula based on buckwheat/almonds that is rich in fatty and amino acids. It contains as much of all the normal nutrients in cow’s milk, but without the dairy.
In Australia, Sprout Organic was again created when a woman had to give up nursing, due to severe mastitis. This brand again has doctor approval, sold as a range for babies, toddlers and children’s shakes. It’s made in a facility that process dairy and soy, so not for allergies.
If you use dairy formula, Kendamilk is made with organic milk from the Lake District, run by a family firm and formulated by expert nutritionists. It’s also free from palm oil, fish oil and cheap fillers.
