Make it
Mama’s Milk- Biological Benefits of Breastfeeding Babies
The concept of
breastfeeding in our society has come to be known to some as inappropriate,
impractical, indecent, and uncomfortable.
I present many of the known benefits on a biological level of breast
feeding, both for the baby, and for the mother.
I believe that if better informed about these benefits, more mothers
would choose breastfeeding over the bottle and formula. The fact that breast milk meets babies’
nutritional needs perfectly, helps build their immunity, and provides some
long-term health benefits will be discussed, as will the many physical benefits
on the mother such as a quicker physical return to a pre-pregnancy bodily
state, and the positive effect on emotional health, as well as emotional
bonding with the newborn infant. In any
case, I hope to show that in most cases nursing should be much preferred over
bottle feeding.
Whether from an
evolutionary or a creationistic viewpoint, it is clear that from the dawn of
human existence, babies have been raised from their infancy on a diet of milk
produced and provided by their mothers, or in some cultures, from a wet-nurse
taking the place of the mother in such cases where it has been necessary or
preferable. At any rate, this is clearly
a proven method. It has insured the
survival of our species anywhere from 6,000 to 600,000 years, depending on your
beliefs and the accuracy of your favorite scientific study. Point being, you
definitely can’t go wrong with it. It is
biologically viable. Most anyone who
knows anything about the subject could tell you that breast milk is the “gold
standard” for baby nutrition, basically, it’s got everything. (Godfrey, 2010)
On a biological
level, we all know who important it is to maintain a well-balanced diet, not
too many carbs or fats, and lots and lots of vegetables. Well, interestingly enough, breast milk has
been designed ingeniously to fit perfectly the nutritional demands of a growing
baby. The perfect amount of
carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids are all there. In
fact, research shows that babies who are breast fed in the first year of life
gain more weight than those who are not.
This could be due to the increased amount of protein found in breast
milk.(Sidnell, 2009) All in all, nursed
babies do not have to worry whether or not they are getting a well-balanced
meal, nature already makes sure of that (as long as mama is eating enough
nutritious foods). What is more, breast milk is also easier to digest than
formula milk. On a very dangerous side note, there is a risk of water
intoxication to infants whose parents opt to use formula and bottle, and do not
mix the formula correctly. On one hand,
it is possible that the infant may become constipated if too little water is used,
and even more seriously, if too much water is used, the baby may suffer from
water intoxication. (Schulman, 1980)
This of course is not a problem for breast fed babies.
Sicknesses and
infections which may be common and not at all alarming in adults can wreak
havoc and very seriously affect or even be lethal in infants. During pregnancy, the fetus is relatively
sterile. Normally not even the mother’s blood comes in contact with it. In essence, babies are born biologically
innocent. They have no defenses against
the “bad” infections because they have never come in contact with them. They do not receive mama’s antibodies, even
though they just spent 9 months inside of her.
However, though mama’s antibodies didn’t make it to the womb, they do
make it to the bosom. Babies who are
breast fed receive with every mouthful, a measure of antibodies perfectly
designed for the environment that the baby has just entered, and where it will
be spending the rest of his or her infancy and even childhood. Looking back to the days of the colonization
of America, we see just how important antibodies can be. It is said that before the pilgrims even
arrived, about 9 out of 10 of the indigenous were already dead. (Taylor, 2002)
This is due to the arrival of the Spanish.
It was for this same reason that Hernando Cortes was able to defeat the
undefeatable Aztec Empire. Because the
bacteria and viruses that he and his men carried in their bodies and in their
food and on their clothes were bacteria that had never set foot in the new
land. Cells of the natives had never
fought against these new bacteria and were therefore killed by them. Well, if they had as infants been breastfed
by Spanish wet nurses, then they may not have died.
It is the same today. Infants who consume breast milk receive not only
antibodies, but also white blood cells, which fight off bacterial infections.
And aside from that, research has shown that not only white blood cells and
antibodies, but also lysozyme found in breast milk can contribute to a baby’s
immune system. Apparently by helping in
the colonization of the intestines in a baby, lysozyme promotes the growth of
intestinal flora. This promotes the
growth of bifidobacteria or “good” bacteria, while inhibiting the growth of
clostridia and enterococci or “bad” bacteria. This helps the baby to resist
infections and helps them have a more fully functional digestive system. (Maga,
2012) Finally, research has shown that
although breast feeding “primes” babies’ immune system, vaccinations are required
to help the immune system to fully develop.
However, it has been shown that while most babies who are regularly
breast fed react positively to vaccinations, babies who are not have had
diminished and even negative responses to the vaccinations, in other words,
some vaccinations don’t work as well on babies who aren’t drinking mama’s milk.
(Dórea, 2012) Studies show that breastfeeding babies are less likely to have
wheezy breathing, coughing, and a less likelihood of developing asthma in their
childhood. (Green, 2011) Among children, those who were breastfed have fewer
food allergies than those not.(Yamamoto, 2012) Also, though the results are
still inconclusive, research between breast feeding and early onset childhood
diabetes suggests that there is a reduced risk among those breast fed and those
not. (Cardwell, 2012)
Interestingly,
however, is a study that shows that infants who drink breast milk acquire a
sense of taste for a wider variety of food than formula fed infants on account
of the different flavors cause by the types of foods eaten by the mother on any
given day. In one study, a man even
showed that his not-yet-weaned child preferred breast milk to even a small
variety of sweets that he offered them.
A few years later, on a night when his wife was away from home and he
was home alone with his newborn baby, he tried giving the hungry babe a bottle
of formula. The baby grimaced and spat
out the substance. Upon return of the
wife a short while later, feeding resumed.
Both he and his wife tested the taste of the formula and were of one
accord with the infant. They concluded
that “breast must taste better”.
As a side note, my sister who has a 4 year old son and a 7 months old
daughter recently told me of an episode that took place at her house. First off, among 5 siblings, for some reason
she was the only one who was not breast fed in our family. Subsequently she did not breast feed her son. She has breast fed her daughter from the day
that she was born. When her son was born
she lived at home with us. I remember
that bottle feeding her baby was both expensive and frustrating. She now tells me how much easier breast
feeding her daughter has been compared to bottle feeding her son. A few days ago she tried to feed her daughter
formula, just to see what her reaction would be. She wouldn’t eat it. Then she gave some to her son to see was his
reaction would be. He was disgusted. She then broke the news to him that that was
what he had eaten his whole first year of life.
He couldn’t believe it.
So, disgusting as it may be to
some, I do not intend to convince anyone that breast milk tastes better, though
everything I have read says that it is somewhat sweeter than cow milk, and
rather savory to the taste of the infant.
I have heard that it is a difference in lysozyme levels that cause that
difference.
Babies, as we have seen, are
greatly benefitted by breastfeeding. However, they are not the only ones. As we will hereafter see, mothers have almost
as much to gain from breastfeeding and infants do!
One of the biggest problems that my sister faced after having her first
son, were the physical effects on her body which gave her endless amounts of
anxiety and dropped her self-esteem horrendously. She hated having the extra skin which came
from the stretching as he baby grew. She
hated how her hips seemed to have widened to twice as much as normal, and she
hated feeling like she had just had a baby.
Well, amazingly, a mother who breastfeeds her baby stimulates a
physically in her body the process of reversing the effects of pregnancy. This is due to the chemical oxytocin which is
released every time a mother breastfeeds.
This little chemical, which comes from the pituitary gland, is the
hormone that gives the signal to the breasts that it is time to release milk;
but it also gives a signal to the uterus that causes it to produces
contractions. The result of these
contractions is not only a return to the non-pregnant sized uterus, but also
prevents postpartum hemorrhaging. This
means that mama doesn’t lose iron from blood loss. Not only will she not have postpartum
bleeding, but, as long as she keeps breastfeeding regularly, her monthly
bleeding cycle will also be delayed in its return. It usually takes several months for the
menstrual cycle to fully return.
Contrast that with non-breast feeding mothers whose cycle usually
returns in 6-8 weeks’ time. Also, with
98-99 percent efficacy, mothers who are regularly breastfeeding do not get
pregnant in the first 6 months while not using any other method of
contraception. (Dermer, 2001) Oxytocin does even more, however. For example, postpartum depression, which can
devastate mothers, having very negative long lasting effects, is counteracted
by oxytocin and prolactin which can work as powerful antidepressants. (Godfrey, 2010) Many mothers claim that the
way that they feel during breastfeeding makes them feel uplifted. In some cases some mothers thought that breastfeeding
was even “fun”. The majority claimed
that the way that it made them feel helped take away the monotony of feeding their
baby several times a day, compared to mothers who genuinely disliked bottle
feeding their babies, who felt that it consumed their everyday life. Most mothers reported that breastfeeding
helped relieve stress. This is all do to
our little friend Oxytocin. (Page, 2012)
In the long term, research has shown that mothers who, in their lifetime,
spend more than 2 years in total breastfeeding, have a 37% less risk of
developing coronary heart disease.
Similar studies show that woman who breastfeed more, are that much less
likely to develop type 2 diabetes. (Godfrey, 2010) Another benefit is the
health of mother’s bones. While during
breastfeeding, the mother is shown to have less dense, more vulnerable bones due
to the redirection of consumed calcium from the bones to the breasts in order
to provide for the baby, studies have shown that in the long term, her body
overcompensates resulting in even healthier and denser bones than in her
pre-pregnancy state. (Dermer, 2001)
The benefits of
breastfeeding are many and it is almost alarming that so many women choose not
to do it. I believe that it is against
nature not to breastfeed, unless very special circumstances exist which prevent
the possibility. It should be criminal
not to do it. For both the baby’s and the mother’s health, I hope that we can
open our eyes and see what is really going on.
What is it that causes so much a shift away from this natural
process? I believe that it is because of
the money that is in it. When formula is
bought, money is gained by someone high up, and if everyone simply did what
nature intended, there would be no baby formula industry. Though now illegal, cigarette advertisements
used to portray smoking as cool and even beneficial. Well, even though it isn’t true, look at how
much money tobacco companies make. A
mother who does not breast feed in the first few months cannot decide to later,
and therefore must buy formula until her baby can consume whole foods. A smoker who smokes for a few months cannot
stop, and therefore spends his whole life buying cigarettes. Though not as inherently evil, I believe that
it is the same general technique which is being applied to keep babies away
from the bosom and closer to the bottle.
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