Whenever we talk about motherhood, the image that comes to a woman’s mind is a growing belly and, soon after the baby is born, the classic scene of breastfeeding. In my mind, I imagined breastfeeding all my children, I knew that was for sure! Who can predict the future? In my first experience as a mom, I didn’t have the chance to feel that sensation since the baby had issues and was kept away from me in an incubator when she was born. The size of my frustration is inexplicable! I had milk, my breasts were full, but so what? I should have received guidance right there in the maternity ward that the milk should be pumped, even if she couldn’t breastfeed, but unfortunately I was very young and inexperienced as well. In the end, Joana had formula because my milk, which was so abundant at birth, just wasn’t there anymore when she came home. With Eduardo it was even more stressful! He was born perfectly healthy, but I didn’t have a drop of colostrum in my breasts, nothing, ZERO!!! I suffered horribly in the hospital, didn’t know what else to do, the nurses in the ward would glare at me thinking I refused to breastfeed, but that wasn’t it, I put him to the breast and he sucked and sucked and nothing came out! Sad and frustrated, I became terrified seeing my child cry and not having milk to offer… Those were the worst days, because every time a bottle with Nan came to feed Dudu. Everyone gave me side glances because he was on formula instead of breast milk, but honestly, I was falling apart on the inside and exhausted on the outside. The pressure was incredible, until finally a nurse came and, unbelievably, managed to make the experience more traumatic, she simply squeezed my breast so hard that I was all red and started crying! She saw my tears and still had the nerve to say I was being lazy, and I had to endure because it was for my child’s sake. I felt like the worst creature alive. Finally, after physical and psychological torture, I thought nothing could save me, and then at the shift change, a nurse—the head of the others—came to talk to me because I was crying. I explained what was happening and she said: “Mommy, you need to take a simple medication, Plasil, are you allergic?” I said no and she asked the doctor to prescribe it. I took it and two hours later, I felt the colostrum flowing! I don’t even know what I felt at that moment, this time I cried but out of happiness! I breastfed Luiz Eduardo for 5 months, until I had to stop due to health problems, but I am so grateful to God and that nurse who showed respect and humanity in one of the hardest moments of my life!
Benefits of Breastfeeding
Without any doubt, breast milk is the best food for babies until 2 years of age. But do you know why breast milk is the exclusive and ideal food for newborns up to six months old? I will list some reasons why breast milk should be the only food a baby receives until age-appropriate foods can be introduced:
Immunity
Breast milk is rich in the mother’s antibodies. Vaccines she had as a child or even recently, as well as diseases she has acquired, provide acquired antibodies. It’s a form of natural vaccination that the mother passes on to her child through breast milk. This natural vaccination can help in the baby’s first six months, protecting against common infectious diseases like otitis, for example.
Reduced Risk of Allergies
Breast milk also prevents children from having severe reactions to cow’s milk protein. Children who are fed formulas can develop an allergy to animal milk. Besides this allergy, respiratory tract diseases can be prevented with exclusive breastfeeding for six months. This is explained by the effort the baby makes sucking breast milk from the mother’s breast. Not only does it keep lungs free from diseases like asthma and respiratory allergies, but the exercise the baby gets from sucking also strengthens the jaw and face muscles, which will help with chewing in the future.
Vitamin Intake
Artificial milk can cause the baby to have an excess or deficiency of certain vitamins, while breast milk has them in just the right amounts. Proteins, potassium, magnesium, and sodium can appear in much higher quantities than is ideal for such delicate organisms as newborns, especially preterm or extremely preterm babies born at 26 or 27 weeks of pregnancy. These increases can overload the baby’s system and digestive tract, potentially causing future diseases.
Fights Obesity and Diseases
Exclusive breastfeeding up to the sixth month can protect a child from becoming obese in the future. Diseases like hypertension, diabetes, and celiac disease can be avoided from birth; breast milk helps prevent this child from becoming an obese adult or hypertensive in later years. Also, anemia is a word that doesn’t exist for a baby exclusively breastfed. Breast milk has the right amount of iron for the baby. Until the baby can consume iron-rich foods, breast milk meets all of their needs.
Reduces Colic
The baby might reject artificial milk, and colic is one way their body shows it’s not mature enough, but artificial milk can worsen this problem a lot. Formula has sugars that can be hard for babies to digest—their delicate systems process these sugars slowly, which then ferment beyond what their intestine can handle, causing gas. Breast milk has the right enzyme for little ones’ digestion. Plus, milk straight from the breast prevents air from entering with the milk. A proper latch greatly prevents colic caused by air—gas due to air intake is almost unavoidable with bottles.
Mother-Child Bond
There is no greater reason to breastfeed than this: the mother and child bond during breastfeeding can lower rates of postpartum depression and irritability from the lack of the intrauterine environment in babies. In a mother’s embrace, so many positive feelings and so much love are passed on that breastfeeding is worthwhile for this reason alone. Mothers of preemies who can’t have direct contact with their babies really need moms who breastfeed to step up. Donate your extra milk to those who can’t feed directly at the breast. Breast milk saves lives; be a life donor. The campaign “Donate Vials of Life” is here to help these preemies; learn how to join the campaign even if you don’t have breast milk available here at LOBALE.
#euapoioleitematerno Campaign by Moises Chencinski
Name one very precious thing: breast milk! Did you know breast milk is the best thing a child under 2 can have? It is essential from 0 to 6 months, and it is every baby’s right to receive it on demand and exclusively. That’s why combining efforts to talk more about this necessity is fundamental! SMAM, or World Breastfeeding Week, came to raise awareness among mothers and caregivers about the benefits of breast milk. But a week is too little for such importance! That’s why dear Dr. Moises Chencinski had an innovative idea! How about talking about breast milk for an entire year? The #euapoioleitematerno campaign came to revolutionize all breastfeeding campaigns. We’re going to talk about the topic every week and give very important tips. In a conversation with Dr. Moises, he gave me various explanations. I thought it was important to share them here! Help spread the word; breast milk is essential and important for both mother and child.
What are the main goals of the campaign, and how can people help?Dr. Moises: Our ambitious goal starts with raising awareness and informing the country about the importance and viability of breastfeeding. Everyone’s participation makes a difference. The involvement and commitment of all is necessary and fundamental: families, health professionals, schools, media, social networks, journalists, artists, lawyers, teachers, politicians, athletes, municipal, state, and federal governments—there are no restrictions. Anyone can participate. People who have breastfed or not, are breastfeeding or not, plan to or not, men, women, children, elders, everyone. ALL are welcome.What is the ultimate aim of the #euapoioleitematerno movement?Dr. Moises: The dream is to “flood the country with breast milk,” increase exclusive breastfeeding rates (from 51 days now to 6 months), the percentage of mothers who exclusively breastfeed at 6 months (from the current 41% to 100%), and increase the average duration of breastfeeding (from 11 months now to 2 years or more). This is a possible dream. It’s not easy. It’s not quick. It’s not without effort. But undoubtedly, it is possible and worthwhile.Where can I find more information on breast milk and the campaign?Dr. Moises: Information on breastfeeding can be found on the Ministry of Health’s site, the Brazilian Society of Pediatrics, the São Paulo Society of Pediatrics, and UNICEF. Many health professionals (pediatricians, obstetricians, etc., nurses, nutritionists, psychologists, pediatric dentists, among others) are well informed. Seek them out. They are easy to identify. They stick to some basic guidelines and will do everything to achieve these goals:
- Breastfeeding from the delivery room;
- Exclusive, on-demand breastfeeding until 6 months;
- Extended breastfeeding to 2 years or more.
These professionals will support mothers in whatever decision they make. But it should be an informed and guided decision. And this is possible even with legislation that does not favor mothers (maternity leave of only 4 months—6 months only with tax incentives; shameful 5-day paternity leave; company daycares, proper places for mothers to pump and store milk for their children). And this is possible even with people in society bothered by mothers breastfeeding in public, considering it pornographic, erotic, or sensual, despite people being half-naked or even naked on TV during Carnival or on beaches. And this is possible even though breastfeeding is still not taught adequately in schools, to children, young people, and, believe it or not, not even in most medical training programs or pediatric specializations.Any final thoughts on breastfeeding?Dr. Moises: Breast milk is the ideal food for babies. Everyone already knows that. Do they? What we’ve seen is that, despite being logical, this isn’t common cultural knowledge in our country. We need to inform. Sensitize. Raise awareness. Breast milk, known as our white blood, is a living food that changes and adapts during a feeding, and changes each day, and in every phase of the baby’s life, addressing all nutritional needs for the first 6 months. Breast milk is the only, exclusive, and necessary food until 6 months. It remains the main food from 6 months to one year old, and after 6 months should only be complemented. Up to a year, the child is still considered a nursing infant. Breast milk is the single most important complementary food from 1 year to 2 years or more, eliminating the need for any other milk supplement in that stage. Everything done to support breastfeeding benefits not only your child, but all children, from every mother, from every part of the country, helping make Brazil a nation focused on its future.Breastfeeding is fundamental, but for those who couldn’t breastfeed, how can they provide breast milk for their babies?Dr. Moises: In Brazil, cross-nursing is prohibited by law (due to risks—like the old wet-nurse). In the US, breast milk can be bought online, but this is totally irregular and unregulated. It’s not tested for diseases (Hepatitis/HIV), nor is the collection, storage, or transport controlled, and recent studies show most of it contains drugs and cow’s milk. So, whenever necessary, talk to your pediatrician, who can recommend relactation (a technique to restart breastfeeding) or the use of formulas tailored to each child.#euapoioleitematerno Campaign Media:
Interview with Simone de Carvalho from AMS
Have you heard of AMS? Simone de Carvalho’s group, a former breast milk donor and breastfeeding advocate, shares how the group was started and how being a breast milk donor changed her life. Be a love donor like Simone and Donate Bottles of Life!
Simone, how did you get involved in breastfeeding, what motivated you to pursue this purpose, and how did AMS start?Simone: I was a donor at the Milk Bank for six months after my youngest was born and this experience completely changed my view on the work of the banks, which had been almost nonexistent until then. Weekly pickups by the fire department, a kind nurse who collected my milk, and the feedback I received about how my donation really saved a baby’s life inspired me to create, at the end of 2009, a network of potential milk-donating mothers all over Brazil through Facebook to meet the demand for milk banks.How did you become a donor and what does it feel like to be so useful during the wonderful stage of breastfeeding?Simone: I owe this to my gynecologist, who gave me a milk bank leaflet while I was pregnant. I kept it, and after giving birth, producing a lot of milk, I decided to call the milk bank and register as a donor. A simple leaflet made all the difference for those little babies in intensive care in 2005.What are the benefits of being a breast milk donor?Simone: Any mother properly guided at the start of breastfeeding usually produces more milk than her baby needs, and it’s important to remove this excess milk from the breasts for better feedings. Donation helps regulate milk flow, making breastfeeding pleasurable for both mother and baby. But the greatest benefit is immeasurable: the result of such a noble act! Knowing you’re helping save a high-risk preemie in an ICU and letting their parents experience motherhood and fatherhood dreams is truly priceless. It’s a unique feeling of loving your neighbor that’s good for the soul and the heart.Who needs donated breast milk and what good does it do for recipients?Simone: High-risk premature babies who receive the “liquid gold” that colonizes their gut, protecting them from bacteria and giving them the best possible vaccination against disease. Breast milk nourishes these babies for all their vital growth and development needs, guaranteeing excellent health.How do you donate breast milk? What’s the first step to becoming a donor? Simone: The first step is to call the milk bank nearest to you (the LOBALE program is a wonderful tool that helps and encourages mothers to become donors). The milk bank only asks for your prenatal exams and during the first visit, the nurse brings glass jars and answers all your questions. On future donations, it’s important to donate more jars for storing the donated milk because there is high demand and need. Glass vials transport life!In your view, what is still lacking, what support is needed for the cause to go further? What progress has been made in recent years regarding breastfeeding and milk donation?Simone: There are still big challenges. The biggest action needed is that mothers receive full support and care when breastfeeding. They should be assured of paid maternity leave; encouraged to exclusively breastfeed their babies; and, in the first months, guided to donate once they establish successful breastfeeding.What kinds of information does the AMS community provide about breastfeeding and milk donation? Who can join the community and how?Simone: Since our community is online, whenever a mother comes to us with breastfeeding issues (cracked nipples, engorgement, mastitis), we always refer mothers to the milk banks for an evaluation. The Milk Bank provides guidance and support with trained professionals ready to receive these mothers. Her visiting the bank is a great chance for her to become a donor.Useful sites and groups recommended by Simone
- Our support group: www.facebook.com/groups/aleitamentomaternosolidario/
- Our official breastfeeding page: www.facebook.com/AMSBrasil
- Our Official Blog: comunidadeams.wordpress.com/
Confession of a Mother Who Didn’t Breastfeed
Since I was very young, when I played with dolls, I remember putting the dolls to my chest to pretend to breastfeed. That’s because I always heard my mother say I had been breastfed until I was 2, and that it made all the difference for my health. It was the same with my siblings, she managed to breastfeed her children very well, and I thought: it will be the same for me! After all, like mother, like child, right? No! Fate had a big surprise in store for me and even worse for my children. When I got my positive test and saw the pregnancy progressing, I nourished within my heart the idea—the absolute certainty—that I would breastfeed that little being growing inside me. I dreamed every day of finally holding my baby and breastfeeding for real, just like I pretended when I was a child! For me, breast milk wasn’t just nutrition, baby’s food; it was, the greatest proof of love a mother can give her newborn. Giving your time, your body beyond pregnancy, is a unique experience even though it’s very exhausting. The reward would be seeing my children grow through me, through a tool I would also use to provide them with the antibodies they need to be healthy. When Joana was born, my body said yes, you can breastfeed! My breasts filled up with milk. They hurt, swollen with milk, but still, I couldn’t breastfeed. Joana was born with a serious respiratory problem due to a ruptured membrane and had to spend days in the ICU and step-down unit, and I couldn’t even hold her, let alone breastfeed. In this moment of suffering, first-time mom, young, inexperienced, I received no guidance about what to do with the milk. That milk, literally going down the drain, could have fed my daughter and who knows how many more children. I remember using a pump and, crying, discarded the milk that belonged to my newborn. I think, after the pain of seeing my daughter hospitalized with wires and needles, that was my greatest pain. To have to throw away the breast milk I had. When Joana finally came to my arms, the milk was no longer as abundant and, having been bottle-fed, she refused the breast. This was my first mothering experience, and it may seem selfish, but I felt deeply frustrated. Feeding my daughter by bottle was not, by any means, a possibility I considered. Joana had formula until she was 9 months old, when she stopped using the bottle and switched to family meals. Maybe, if she’d been breastfed, or at least handled right at the hospital, things could have been different, maybe lasting until two years old like me…I was basically like a dairy cow. I noticed that after my first birth, I had no problems having colostrum and milk. I spent 9 months preparing my breasts, buying breast shields, nursing bras and all. But I didn’t count on life throwing me another test. After Dudu’s birth (which went well), I finally held my son. The sensation that I could breastfeed made me cry with emotion. So I waited for the colostrum; he kept sucking, waiting to swallow something, but there was nothing! The next day the same thing; he sucked and sucked but nothing came down. I panicked! Meanwhile, he screamed with hunger and was urgently fed formula. But wait—this wasn’t my plan, I didn’t want to see my son dependent on the bottle again. Even though it’s not always bad, and sometimes absolutely necessary, formula wasn’t what I’d planned this time.
I felt like a worthless woman. How could I not have milk for my baby? What was wrong with me?
Despite all the stimulation, the colostrum didn’t show up. The desperation of seeing my child hungry haunted me. Fortunately, this maternity hospital, unlike the first, supported breastfeeding. Some nurses squeezed my breasts to try and see if the milk would come or if it was just my fussiness. Worse than the painful pinches on my nipples was realizing there was really nothing there to feed my crying baby. Finally, after the shift change, the head nurse came and asked the on-call gynecologist to prescribe a nausea medication. This should help start milk production. I took it, skeptical, but I took it. What harm was there? Two hours later, I felt something trickling from my breast. I couldn’t believe my eyes, it was colostrum! Not much, but it was there. Not enough to feed hungry Dudu, but it made me less worried and guilty—a light at the end of the tunnel. We were discharged and Dudu managed to breastfeed a little, about 2 months with a mix of breast milk and formula. With medications to help with milk production, one day, the milk just stopped. For 2 months I had the joy of breastfeeding (not a lot, but some). It wasn’t how I dreamed—exclusively for 6 months—but I know it wasn’t my choice. I did everything to keep breastfeeding, even took medicine to help. The third pregnancy was different; this time, though I was surprised, I managed to breastfeed my daughter until 6 months. Not exclusively, but still, with lots of love. I don’t think formula is bad; many women need it. But this mother-child bond during breastfeeding is a comfort that the bottle just can’t give 100%. Though not less of a mother for not breastfeeding, looking back, I do feel fulfilled knowing I did what was necessary with the information I had. But if it were today, I’d never let my eldest miss her right to be breastfed. So if you have extra milk, be a donor. Breast milk saves lives! Photo: Stefan Mamesjo
