Krista's Experience with Breastfeeding

My experience with breastfeeding my daughter is a memory that I will treasure all the days of my life. I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world. Honestly, I cannot imagine not nursing my child. The blessings extend well beyond the nutritional benefits breast milk has to offer. It is profound to think that God created a mother’s body to uniquely feed her baby, and the moments each and every day for the first months/year(s) you alone can share with your baby are precious. I’d like to share with you my story of breastfeeding, why breast milk is so beneficial, and what you can do to help ensure success if you choose to breastfeed.

I had always wanted to nurse my children. However, I was alarmed and even worried by the number of stories I had heard from mother’s who had tried to breastfeed and were unsuccessful. My heart’s desire was set on nursing and I ached at the thought of not being able. I prayed often that I would be able to successfully nurse my baby. But, I kept coming back to the fact that, throughout all of history before the last century, breast milk was the only option for nourishing a baby and if a mom wasn’t able, then a wet nurse had to be found or the infant would not survive. I remember talking with a doula early on in my pregnancy and asking her about breastfeeding and she said, “I can tell you a mother’s chances for success at breastfeeding based on how many bottles she has in her house.” She said that while nursing can be H-A-R-D, your chances of succeeding are much greater if you don’t have a Plan B. I took this to heart.

The very best resource I found on breast feeding was/is the book The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding by the La Leche League. While I skimmed it before Lydia was born, I cannot count how many times I have referenced it over the past 15 months with specific questions. About the only thing I felt like I had down before Lydia was born was that nursing should not hurt. So, when she was born and her latch HURT I asked for the lactation consultant at the hospital. She was wonderful and showed me (and especially my husband who was a tremendous help and support in the beginning!) how to make sure Lydia was latched on correctly. I remember her saying it is “breastfeeding” NOT “nipple feeding” which is what Lydia wanted to do. I’m really thankful I persevered in the first couple weeks to make sure Lydia learned to latch on correctly or I really don’t think I would still be nursing her today. This was really the biggest issue I faced. From the first day Lydia had a strong suck. I remember many nights in the beginning just aching and being in pain with engorgement but I was absolutely determined to persevere. This all subsides after the first few weeks and then it was just total enjoyment to get to nurse my daughter. I loved the fact that, no matter who was holding her, she always got to come back to me every 2 hours or so!

I shared in my post on scheduling the problems I had beginning when she was about 4-6 weeks old. She nursed so much at night I was convinced she wasn’t getting any milk. Again, I think this fear was fueled by so many friends I had who had doctors tell them they didn’t have enough milk and they should supplement. I knew this was a slippery slope for as soon as you do this, your milk supply will decrease and then you really will need to supplement, and the cycle will continue. I realized that overall, we really don’t have a “culture of support” for breast feeding moms. I had no idea that around 6 weeks your breasts settle into a routine and won’t feel as full; I also didn’t know that there’s always milk even when you don’t feel full. Now that I’m living overseas in a culture where everyone breastfeeds (formula is much too expensive to be a viable alternative) I see such a difference. The women in this culture just know basic things that we don’t in our American culture. (For example, there is standard wisdom here for all new moms to drink milk with fenugreek and molasses. Well, we know that fenugreek is important for female hormones and milk supply just as molasses is a good source for iron which any new mom is depleted of.) If I have a problem nursing, I can go to any mother and she will know how to help; everyone nurses and they nurse for the first 2 years so they have wisdom they pass along to other women to develop that culture of support. I just cannot tell you what a wonderful feeling this supportive culture is. If you are nursing, I encourage you to seek out people who can provide you with this support too, whether friends, family, or finding a La Leche League group near you. If you are struggling, this could be the support you need to be successful!

While there are many nutritional benefits of nursing, you just can’t overlook the “cuddle factor.” Being the only person in the world who could feed my baby was a truly awesome task. I would take those precious times during the day and pray over Lydia, sing to her, rock her, talk to her, and just cuddle and hold her. Afterwards we would read books and, to this day, Lydia loves to go to her room and flip through her books.

There are many, many benefits to breast milk. Really, there is no other food for a baby that even comes close. Breast milk is a living substance that is always fresh, readily available, and tailor-made to fit the unique needs of your child each day. Did you know that when your baby nurses, the breast is stimulated by the bacteria introduced by your baby? This bacteria travels into the breast tissue, causing an immediate reaction with the formation of antibodies, which can then be found back in the mother’s milk within 8 hours!! So if your baby is fighting a cold or other illness, your body is creating antibodies specific for what your baby is combating that very day. It’s called the diathelic phenomenon and if you’d like to read more about this and some of the other amazing benefits of breast milk, I strongly recommend the book, The Milk Book by William Campbell Douglass II, MD.

There are some wonderful websites with information on this topic as well. For the most comprehensive site, please check out Kelly mom.

Benefits of Breast Milk
This is not an exhaustive list, but I would like to highlight a few other reasons that I think are very interesting:

~Breast-fed babies have a striking reduction in incidence and seriousness of gastrointestinal infections, respiratory infections, ear infections, diarrhea, lower respiratory infections, bacterial meningitis, urinary tract infections, eczema, asthma, and SIDS, to name a few.

~Breast milk gives your baby immunities. It contains immunoglobulins which allows a mother’s milk to specifically protect against the organisms her baby is exposed to.

~Breast milk contains lactoferrin which helps to regulate the healthy bacteria in the gut and has an antibiotic effect on such things as staphylococci and E. coli.

~Breast fed children have fewer cavities.

~Breast fed babies visit the doctor less.

~Breast fed babies have significantly fewer food allergies

~Breast milk tastes different from feeding to feeding which helps to prepare babies for the tastes of different foods they will be exposed to in the future.

~Breast fed children have a high IQ.

~Click here for a great list of benefits from baby's brain to bottom

Pitfalls of Formula
~Formula is an industrially manufactured food. It contains chemicals, flavoring, vitamins, and proteins that attempt to replicate breast milk. The multiple processings, ingredients, and alterations required to convert cows milk or soy beans to the finished product opens up numerous opportunities for contamination by harmful bacteria, chemicals, insects, and foreign bodies.

~Formula is static, often not tolerated well, and does not contain live white cells and antibodies to fight disease

~One of the most alarming trends in formula is the use of soy. Click here for extensive information on the harmful effects of soy and here for testimony given before Congress on the harmful effects of soy infant formula

~If you are interested in further information, please check out this chart for a side-by-side comparison of breast milk and formula

The decision to breast feed is a personal decision. However, for any mom who wants to nurse but doesn’t know where to begin, doesn’t have a culture of support around her, or is facing specific struggles, I’d like to offer these suggestions:

Practical steps to ensure success
~Ask to immediately nurse your child after birth and not be separated so that the strong sucking reflex can be utilized and your milk will begin to come in.

~Make every attempt to not supplement with formula.

~Seek out a strong support system with other mothers who have successfully breastfed.

~Read The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding (preferably before your baby is born – when you still have time!).

~Remember that determination and the will to succeed will go a long, long way in helping you to not give up in those first few weeks when it can be tough.

~Remember that there is incredible power in prayer!

Finally, it’s important to note that your milk is only going to be as healthy as you are. If you are eating a diet full of junk food and sugar, so will your baby. While I still believe this milk is healthier than formula, it really is important for you to eat well so that your baby can get the most nutrition possible from your milk. Concentrate on eating real foods – fresh fruits and vegetables, eggs, chicken, beef, whole grains, bone broths, cheese, brown rice, etc. Steer clear of processed foods, foods out of a box, sugar, soda, caffeine, hydrogenated oils, commercial fried foods, white flour, etc.

Nursing my baby truly is one of the most special memories I have with my daughter. I’ll treasure it in my heart all the days of my life. Now I’m on the other end of nursing and wondering about weaning. This can pose its own challenges and joys and just may be something we should discuss on Prayer of Hannah in the future!