Why breastfeeding Matters

Kellie Eason RN, RM, IBCLC

Kellie is a Nurse, Midwife and International Board Certified Lactation Consultant in private practice, with over 25 years experience.  
She has a special interest in providing personalised support for families with complex infant feeding issues as well as Gentle Sleep & Settling Solutions for Newborns to 3 Year Olds.   
Working collaboratively with holistic practitioners at Osteo 4 Kids & Adults in Preston, & Family Tree Health in Briar Hill, Melbourne, Kellie also supports families via in home & Skype/FaceTime Consultations.

It takes a team to be able to successfully breastfeed & support strong & healthy families!
It concerns me as a health professional at how unacceptably low our global breastfeeding rates are. 

WHO and UNICEF recommend:
1. Early initiation of breastfeeding within 1 hour of birth;
2. Exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of life; &
​3. Introduction of nutritionally-adequate & safe complementary (solid) foods at 6 months together with continued breastfeeding up to 2 years of age or beyond.

Optimal breastfeeding is so critical that it could save the lives of over 820 000 children under the age of 5 years each year.

• Globally in 2016, 155 million children under 5 were estimated to be stunted (too short for age), 52 million were estimated to be wasted (too thin for height), & 41 million were overweight or obese
• About 40% of infants 0–6 months old are exclusively breastfed worldwide
• Undernutrition is associated with 45% of child deaths
• Few children receive nutritionally adequate & safe complementary foods; in many countries less than a fourth of infants 6–23 months of age meet the criteria of dietary diversity & feeding frequency that are appropriate for their age
• Over 820 000 children's lives could be saved every year among children under 5 years, if all children 0–23 months were optimally breastfed
• Breastfeeding improves IQ, school attendance, & is associated with higher income in adult life
• Improving child development & reducing health costs through breastfeeding results in economic gains for individual families as well as at the national level

These facts cannot be ignored and this post IS NOT aimed against families who are unable to breastfeed...

For the health and wellbeing of our children, as parents, we all have a responsibility to be informed.  Please take notice of these statistics & reach out & get or give the help that is needed to help families be able to successfully breastfeed.
We need to help our children commence life with a better start than we are already doing.

A FEW EXTRA FACTS

• Our developed countries have the poorest breastfeeding rates....most little girls don't grow up around babies and toddlers being breast-fed.  Our anxieties & tensions associated with life itself are non-issues in developing countries as their culture.  These mothers are better resourced with breastfeeding as being the normal way to feed their young.  They have extensive networks of women banding together as a close community to provide the necessary support to other mothers.  This is where we as a society, are failing miserably.

• Breastfeeding is challenging to begin with, for some more so than others.
• Breastfeeding is a learned skill for both mother & baby, which requires 4-6 weeks of support to establish...
• IT TAKES A VILLAGE to support a breastfeeding mother - this is everyone's responsibility to pitch in & help new parents, wherever they can
• You are going to be exhausted after you give birth - you are going to need help to meet your needs to rest & cope with the demands of your new baby.  The less support you have, the more likely you will give up on breastfeeding your baby.
• Think about any potential lifestyle adjustments you will need to make before your baby is born - if you are fearful of asking for help, get out of your comfort zone & ask for it; set aside some money in your budget to account for private support for after baby is born such as an IBCLC &/or a housecleaner. Maybe think of getting a deep freezer & preparing double meals for when baby is born.

SOME TIPS TO HELP YOU BE A SUCCESSFUL BREASTFEEDER

• Join the Australian Breastfeeding Association (www.breastfeeding.asn.au/membership/individual) 
• Attend a breastfeeding education class prior to giving birth, can be either via your maternity hospital or via the Australian Breastfeeding Association
• Consult with an IBCLC before baby is born to prepare yourself as best as possible, this could be via your maternity hospital or seeking one privately via www.lcanz.org/find-a-lactation-consultant/
• Involve your family in learning about why breastfeeding is so important for you
• Prepare an action plan for your family and extended supports, outlining for them exactly how you will need their help when baby comes
• Lower your expectations & be realistic - unless you have a live in nanny, you won't be able to go out for lattes or shopping everyday let alone every week with a new baby. Reality is, that having a shower before midday will be a luxury as will having 3-4 hours straight sleep. You won't be able to do school/kinder/after school activity runs for a while, so ask other mums to help out here
• If breastfeeding is important enough for you, you will use your resources to be able to do it & you won’t quit on a bad day....The first few weeks of breastfeeding will usually involve emotional turmoil, exhaustion, feelings of weakness and inability to cope and wanting to give up
• You need to prepare for breastfeeding in the same way an athlete prepares for the olympics...Train/prepare beforehand, set up your action plan with helpful resources to recruit & help you to succeed....When it gets at its hardest push through....When you feel like you can't push through, your supports are going to be behind you, telling you that 'YOU CAN DO IT!'

Think about it this way, during the Sydney 2000 Olympics, if Cathy Freeman didn't train before she won gold, she may have quit well before she started.  Cathy Freeman had to focus on achieving gold in order for success, & this meant having a team behind her to keep her focused.  When Cathy Freeman was training & racing, she was in a heap of pain & no-one from the sidelines told her to give up...EVER!  They cheered her on to keep on going...and she won GOLD....

SOURCES
1.www.who.int/en/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/infant-and-young-child-feeding
2.www.breastfeeding.asn.au/membership/individual
3.www.lcanz.org/find-a-lactation-consultant/

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