Better education and support will help mother breastfeed

Many women are misled by myths about breastfeeding and better education would benefit mothers and babies.

ABU DHABI // A lack of knowledge about breastfeeding has led to the development of myths that could deter new mothers from nursing their babies, a counsellor says.

And insufficient community support has allowed those myths to be perpetuated.

Many new mothers believe they cannot produce enough milk for their babies, or that the nutrients in breast milk are not enough.

They also believe that frequent breastfeeding could lead to low milk supply or could make babies more prone to obesity.

Marie-Claire Bakker, a breastfeeding counsellor at La Leche League International, is part of the battle against such myths, which she says spread when nursing is no longer the norm.

“The generations who did not breastfeed or who tried and failed through lack of knowledge and or support can perpetuate these myths either through ignorance or a misplaced sense of guilt,” Ms Bakker said.

“It’s easy to blame ‘not enough milk’ or having a ‘hungry baby’ for a breastfeeding failure. Rather, it is society that has let them down.

“When you have a generation – or two or three in the case of the West – where breastfeeding has stopped being the norm, children do not see their mothers, aunts, cousins and sisters breastfeeding.

“They do not listen to conversations about the reality. They do not see how mothers hold and soothe their babies naturally through breastfeeding while going about their daily lives and continuing to meet the needs of other children.

“They do not get the chance to hear about the reality of life with babies and how normal breastfeeding is.”

Many women believe breastfeeding is a “struggle, time consuming, or ties you to the house or to your baby”, she said.

But the benefits of nursing outweigh problems that might arise.

For a good milk supply to be established, babies must be in contact with the mother within the first hour after birth, and to continue having close skin to skin contact, Ms Bakker said.

The mother must ensure the baby receives “every last drop of colostrum”, or the first milk formation.

“Colostrum is only ever produced in very small amounts and has numerous amazing benefits, helping to seal the baby’s immature gut and providing lots of antibodies,” she said.

“Ensuring that the baby is correctly latched and sucking correctly, and removing colostrum and then milk from the breast efficiently, ensures a good milk supply and good weight gain.”

Newborn babies must be fed between 10 and 12 times in 24 hours, Ms Bakker said.

“The more milk that is removed from the breast, the more milk a mother will make. The more frequently a mother breastfeeds, the more milk she will have,” she said.

She said a baby who was fed on demand “can happily grow exclusively on his mother’s milk until he shows signs that he is ready for solid food around the middle of the first year”.

Breast milk provides a baby with necessary nutrients, even after they have started on solid foods.

“Breast milk continues to provide high quality, free and safe nutrition for babies and young children throughout their early years, alongside providing unparalleled immunological protection while their own immune systems slowly mature,” Ms Bakker said.

Mothers who have difficulties should seek help and look for community support. She also suggested mothers surround themselves with supportive friends and family.