Michael Levine, one of the top public relations practitioners in the world and author of the bestselling book “Guerilla PR,” once stated that “controversy can be found in the most innocent thing, as long as you look hard enough”. While there are countless examples that will undoubtedly prove his assertion, I can think of one that is particularly relevant this month. August is National Breastfeeding Awareness Month, and if you think that something as pure and chaste as a mother nursing her own child would be free from disputes, you would have to think again.
The dividing line of the argument seems almost simplistic. On one hand, there are women who feel that breastfeeding is an essential duty of every mother; therefore all efforts and sacrifices must be made in order to fulfill this obligation. On the other hand, there are women who feel that mothers should not be compelled into doing anything with their bodies, including breastfeeding. From these black and white convictions, numerous shades of gray have emerged, and the issues that have sprung forth include everything from legislation to corporate conspiracies.
Interestingly, both sides of the fence have voiced similar complaints on more than one occasion. Breastfeeding supporters eschew advertisements which allegedly imply that formula milk is equivalent - or even superior to - mother’s milk. Conversely, there are women’s groups that have expressed outrage at commercials suggesting that mothers who do not breastfeed are irresponsible, selfish, and unworthy (including the Philippines, which ran a rather heavy-handed ad saying “ang gatas ng kalabaw, para sa kalabaw. Kalabaw ba ang anak ninyo?” or words to that effect). Moreover, women who do not breastfeed cry discrimination whenever doctors, health workers, or even their fellow moms make them feel like total failures. In the same way, many breastfeeding mothers feel that society and its norms are against them, making it highly inconvenient to nurse their child in various situations.
From my stand, the superiority of breastmilk over formula milk is a foregone conclusion. The oft-repeated phrase “breastmilk is still best for babies” is backed by solid medical research and nutritional science. Indeed, the World Health Organization itself recommends that all infants should be fed exclusively on breastmilk until they are six months of age, and after that, continued to be breastfed until two years along with the introduction of complementary foods. Studies have shown that there are at least 400 nutrients in breast milk that processed milk cannot duplicate, and these work in tandem to maximize their nutritional effectiveness. Consequently, it has been proven that breastmilk builds up a baby’s immune system (particularly against lymphoma, Crohn’s disease, type 1 and type 2 diabetes, asthma and allergies, respiratory infections, eczema, and juvenile rheumatoid arthritis), improves brain functions, and actually helps increase Intelligence Quotient (IQ). The American Association of Pediatrics said it best when they concluded that “breastfeeding provides the best health, developmental, and psychosocial outcomes for babies.”
Certainly, these are all important facts that should be proclaimed during National Breastfeeding Awareness Month. Then again, it might be a good idea to go beyond this and explore other paradigms.
When enumerating the advantages of breastfeeding for both child and mother, for instance, it might be useful to examine the reasons why some mothers are simply unable to breastfeed. A friend of mine, for example, aggravated her existing back injury when she gave birth and had to undergo immediate spinal surgery. Because of the painkillers and anti-inflammatory medications she had to take, breastfeeding her newborn was out of the question. On several occasions, she told me that she felt as if she was short-changing her child by not breastfeeding him. More than that, however, she wanted more information on how she could possibly “fill the gaps” given the situation.
Another possible topic worth tackling is how mothers can sustain the benefits of breastfeeding after the period ends. Although we are all aware of the ideal duration, not all women are able to nurse their children up to two years of age. Furthermore, a number of studies show that choosing the right formula beyond that carries great importance as well. Nutrition experts have identified three essential components to provide children with the so-called “Triple A” advantage: Activators, to support vision and brain development; Accelerators, to help stimulate growth; and Advancers, to help support advanced learning. In this light, formulated milk does not necessarily have to compete with breastmilk, but can act in a complementary role. Abbott Nutrition, for instance, has come up with their Eye-Q Nutrition System in order to harness the “Triple A” advantage, even while acknowledging that breastmilk is still best for babies. We’re told that breastfed children who were subsequently nourished with the Eye-Q Nutrition System gained significant scores in two visual acuity tests and seven cognitive performance tests - Stanford Binet IQ, Peabody Picture Vocabulary, Temperament, Information Processing, Early Vocabulary Development, Bayley Scales Psychomotor Development and Bayley Scales Mental Development. These data mothers can check out for their babies.
There are many other subject matters that can make Breast Awareness Month more inclusive and purposeful. Hopefully, those in charge of the various information and education campaigns can consider some of these and include them in the agenda. If not, we can always look forward to next August - after all, it is useless to cry over spilled milk.
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Dr. Marvel K. Tan, wishes to link up with the BBA graduates who are members of Batch 64 re their participation in the sapphire homecoming at Silliman University which is marking its 108th founding anniversary August 23 to 29. Members may call Marvel at 9316914 or e-mail him at marvelktan@yahoo.com. Calling Pete Palallos, Ed Roberto, Jimmy Amarillo, Zach Bayawa, Rudy Alentar, Ely Ilano, Eric Lagumbay, Romy Abiera, Romy Rinonos, and Prakit Pradepasen. Someone else is calling the female members of Batch 64.
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My e-mail:dominimt2000yahoo.com