Understanding the importance of breastfeeding is critical not only for women, but also for caregivers, families, and the community at large to ensure breastfeeding mothers receive the support they need. While every mother has to make her own choice concerning breastfeeding according to her circumstances, being aware of the advantages of breastfeeding improves breastfeeding rates, nutrition, and health of both the baby and the mother.
Breastfeeding is the best source of nutrition for most infants and has many benefits for both the baby and the mother. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only one in four infants is exclusively breastfed during their first six months of life. Low rates of breastfeeding add more than $3 billion dollars a year to medical costs for the mother and child in the United States.
“Breastfeeding provides unmatched health benefits for babies and mothers,” said Dr. Ruth Petersen, director of CDC’s Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity. “It is the clinical gold standard for infant feeding and nutrition, with breast milk uniquely tailored to meet the health needs of a growing baby. We must do more to create supportive and safe environments for mothers who choose to breastfeed.”
Kate Bock is a registered nurse and an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) at St. David’s Georgetown. She agreed and said as a community we must be supportive and vocal in our support of breastfeeding mothers.
“It’s very important to normalize breastfeeding,” Bock said. “We need to empower moms to be able to breastfeed publicly and have workplaces, families, and the community in general support moms to breast feed their babies.”
Bock says education and support during those first couple of days and weeks of breastfeeding leads to many success stories for new moms. “Breastfeeding helps immediately after birth,” she said. “It releases a hormone that helps prevent the mom from hemorrhaging while helping her produce milk.
“In the first few days of breastfeeding, the baby receives colostrum, which transmits the passive immunity from the mom, meaning antibodies that the mom has in her body are passed to the baby,” Bock said. “That immunity is amazing. Otherwise babies would have much weaker immune defenses. In times of Covid and other seasonal viruses going around this gives the baby some immune protection. It (breastfeeding) also helps with temperature regulation, regulating baby’s blood glucose levels, and with brain development.”
According to the CDC, infants who are breastfed have reduced risks of asthma, obesity, Type 1 diabetes, severe lower respiratory disease, ear infections, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), and gastrointestinal infections.
Benefits for the mother include a lower risk of high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, ovarian cancer, and breast cancer. “It also helps mom take off weight after having a baby because breastfeeding burns quite a few calories every day,” Bock said. “There’s also the importance of the bonding aspect. The bonding and the closeness that form between baby and mommy. When babies are held skin to skin and are being breast fed their stress hormones go down.”
Bock also pointed out the economic aspect for mom. “Breastfeeding is completely free,” she said. “It is definitely cheaper than having to buy nutrition.”
Bock stressed the importance of new mothers seeking help when they need it. The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) provides federal grants to states for supplemental foods, health care referrals, and nutrition education for low-income pregnant, breastfeeding, and non-breastfeeding postpartum women, and to infants and children up to age 5 who are found to be at nutritional risk.
“The WIC office in Georgetown is amazing,” Bock said. “They have IBCLC lactation consultants, like me. They offer nutrition, free classes, and help mothers prepare for parenting, as well as breastfeeding. After the baby comes, they continue that help and with lactation follow ups. If somebody needs supplementation, they can help with that as well.”
Other local recourses include Mom’s Place, a lactation support center in North Austin. “They are an organization that has been helping women breastfeeding in this part of the state for a very long time,” Bock said. “It’s the place I call if I have a question. They can help a mom get a breast pump, point her to a nearby lactation consultant, and help with a variety of other issues.”
Bock said Le Leche League and Kellymom.com are two other wonderful resources. “Le Leche offers a 24 hour breastfeeding support hotline,” she said. “Kellymom.com is a parenting and breastfeeding website that is science-based and has so much helpful information.”
According to the CDC, in the United States the percentage of babies who start out breastfeeding increased from 73% in 2004 to 83% in 2019. Bock said one of the biggest indicators of continuing this success is a breastfeeding support group.
“I encourage breastfeeding moms to get in touch with other breastfeeding moms.” she said. “Breastfeeding support groups, whether online or in person, plus supporting these moms as a community is so important. Continuing awareness and support during those first couple of days, weeks, and months of breastfeeding will help moms and babies succeed.”
For more information on breastfeeding or for help, contact St. David’s Georgetown at 512-943-3000 or www.stdavids.com.
Comments