Let’s talk about breasts, from which the perfect infant food is derived. Seven thousand Filipina mothers gathered recently in one area to breastfeed. The world today is making much ado about breasts for feeding — yummy!
For the past four months I’ve watched Mikee breastfeed her baby on a round feeding pillow covered by a bib; and under the bib is little Renzo, Mikee’s third boy. It’s gotten me to remember the schedule mothers have to maintain for newly born infants: running back home every two hours, or drip, drip, drip goes the milk, wetting blouses with two circles like 25-centavo coins outlining the nipples. I went through that.
I remember breastfeeding Liaa for four months. Then my second daughter started to detest my milk and, skinny as she became after five types of milk, we ended up giving her Carnation milk. She’s healthy and tall and I’m so grateful for Carnation. The third, Mikaela, I fed for five months, my fourth for three months and my last girl, one month.
The more children I had, even my “baby books” began showing signs of a mother’s delinquency. For the first, the book was filled up. Every question was answered — weight, length, looks, likes and dislikes. Even a fallen-off umbilical cord was Scotch-taped to a page. Then the books became shorter and shorter. Now I can’t even find my baby book.
You have heard about my breastfeeding becoming a faltering experience and even my baby memories are vanishing.
Liaa and Pin have this funny anecdote. When my fourth daughter was born and my yaya told them — mind you, there wasn’t an ultrasound machine so the baby’s sex was unknown — they answered, “Girl.” Ah, okay. Later na lang we’ll go to the hospital. “When my fifth child was born after two years they said, Well, wait for the baby to come home.” Enthusiasm had waned and my supply of milk had dried out. I know I got thirsty as I fed each daughter and still don’t know medically why, so I drank more water, and Mikee does the same as she feeds Renzo every two hours! She’s constantly accumulating milk with an electrical breast pump — squeeze, squeeze, swish, swish, it goes while she’s on the computer and the milk drips into a plastic container automatically. It’s so amusing. That’s what the instructions say: “Pump and do your thing.” Well, sometimes it’s like that. I had to squeeze my breasts on all four sides — up, down and under and at the sides — into a bottle. Every bottle of milk had to be placed into the refrigerator. That hasn’t changed. As I fed, I also felt my uterus contract which is enough to convince moms to give their breasts to their newborns. The uterus contracts and lets the bad blood out — practical, we’re told.
My baby’s milk came from a goat. I grew up drinking the alternative to breastfeeding for one whole year. My mom told Mikee: “I thought I’d feed your mommy goat’s milk just for her to try, as a new recipe aside from my milk. She liked goat’s milk and my motherly duties became more complicated. We had to squeeze the milk from the goat, feed it healthy food, and take very good care of her health. It was so much easier to breastfeed. Open the blouse and there the food was. “
For infants, breast milk contains at least 100 ingredients that aren’t found in cow’s milk and that can’t be precisely replicated in commercial formulas. The protein in breast milk is mostly lactalbumin, that white stuff which is more nutritious and digestible then the major protein component of cow’s milk, caseinogen. The amount of fat in the two milks is similar, but the fat in mother’s milk is easily broken down and absorbed by a baby faster than cow’s milk. Nursed babies are almost never constipated, thanks to the easier digestibility of breast milk. They also rarely have diarrhea-causing organisms and it encourages the growth of beneficial flora in the digestive tract. The bowel movements of a breastfed baby are sweeter-smelling — until solids are introduced, that is! Then, even moms hold their breaths before their lovable one’s poo-poo.
It’s reassuring to know milk fed directly from breasts isn’t improperly prepared, contaminated, tampered with or spoiled. It never gets pulled from the shelves for passing its expiration date.
It’s too bad some women can’t nurse their newborns. The reasons may be emotional or physical, due to the mother’s health or the baby’s. A mother may have a serious debilitating illness — cardiac or kidney impairment, severe anemia, infections such as HIV or tuberculosis. There are medications for chronic conditions that c can pass through the breast milk such as antithyroid, anticancer, or antihypertensive drugs or mood-altering drugs. Tranquilizers aren’t a good idea to take, if moms are breastfeeding. Neither is alcohol, cocaine, heroin or marijuana.
On the other hand, some conditions in the newborn can make breastfeeding difficult, like children born with a cleft lip or mouth deformities that can interfere with sucking.
If you end up not being able to nurse your baby, even if you very much want to, there’s no reason to add guilt to your disappointment. Don’t let those blue feelings interfere with getting to know your baby — a process that doesn’t need to include breastfeeding but does take a lot of love and cuddles.
Filipino moms I’ve seen in the provinces breastfeed anytime. It’s “all natural” with them. Open the blouse and pop the nipple in the child’s mouth, in spite of any men around. City women cover up even in public bathrooms when the baby won’t stop from wailing. As you become more comfortable with breastfeeding, keep a book or magazine handy to keep you busy during marathon feeding sessions. Remember to put your reading material down once in a while as you coo and interact with your nursing infant. Get comfy. If you’re sitting up, find a relaxed position. Put a pillow under your arm and one in your lap to raise your baby to a comfortable height.
If you lie down, position your baby on his side facing your nipple. Make sure baby’s whole body is facing you, tummy to tummy, with ear, shoulder and hip aligned. You don’t want your baby’s head turned to the side. Imagine how difficult it would be for you to drink and swallow while turning your head to the side and your body straight up!
I used to tickle my baby’s lips with my nipple when they didn’t open their mouths wide. That’s a no-no; sorry. Don’t stuff the nipple in an unwilling mouth. I even used to stop them from crying by using the knuckles of my pointing finger as a pacifier. My fingers were clean, of course!
Once that little mouth opens wide, move your baby closer to your chest. Don’t move your breast toward your baby. Let him find you, like his dad did. It’s discomforting for a mom to be in a hunched position over her baby. Keep your back straight and bring your baby to your breast. Sucking on just the nipple won’t compress the milk glands and can cause soreness and cracking and that hurts a lot. Both nipple and areola must be inside baby’s mouth.
If your breast is blocking your baby’s nose, lightly press down the breast with your finger. Elevating baby slightly may also help provide a little room to breathe. You don’t want a blue-purple baby from feeding!
You can be sure that milk is flowing if there is a strong, steady, rhythmic motion visible in your baby’s cheek and mouth. If your baby has finished sucking but is still holding on the breast, don’t pull it off abruptly. Remember: this will result in cracked, painful breasts.
Good or bad news first? You can lose 500 calories a day from breastfeeding. Which means you can eat more or starve yourself to thinness.
Last message: stay calm and keep your cool. Tension hampers milk production. It can generate stress in your baby and infants are extremely sensitive to Mom’s moods. Chin up while your baby sucks it in.