Good morning All,

 

This has become an interesting topic for me for many reasons.  Gonneke's
post talked about the rise of breastmilk feeding - rather than feeding
directly from the breast.  I wanted to add my comments re: this newer choice
to breastmilk feed as I am seeing more frequently here too.

 

Several weeks ago I went to my local ILCA affiliate meeting and we watched a
DVD featuring Lars Hanson.  He discussed many things I had never even heard
about re: neurological development of the neonate.  There was discussion
about building neural pathways, how the brain does this and why.
Breastfeeding is clearly the optimal way to build all the necessary pathways
that a neonate needs for optimal brain growth and development.  But, it
isn't JUST about the breastmilk.  It is about both the physical act and the
nutritional aspect.

 

I am simply too over my head when it comes to trying to detail this
information properly - but I am sure someone else out there can explain it
in better detail.  Suffice it to say I am now explaining this to my clients
- every single one - in layman's terms.  

 

Breastmilk first:  We all know its importance.  We all know the benefits -
the optimal nutrition, etc.  There is no need for discussion there.  

 

The physical act of breastfeeding:  We know the basics - it promotes skin to
skin, bonding, attachment, etc.  But let's take it a step further.  It
promotes proper development of the oral cavity - developing mouths need the
breast to develop the optimal shape.  The tongue and jaws need to work a
particular way to develop optimally.  Brian Palmer has shown us this.  Lars
showed how the human brain is NOT fully developed with all its neural
pathways set at birth.  If we were to be like other mammals and be born when
the neural pathways are set we would be born at 21 months of age!  Yikes!
Both the physical and nutritional aspects of DIRECT breastfeeding are
required for OPTIMAL growth and development of the entire body.

 

Skin to skin - promotes optimal development of the neural pathways for
everything a neonate needs - being on moms skin is his HABITAT.  That is
where s/he belongs.  The act of looking up at mom while on the breast,
feeling/hearing her heartbeat and respirations, the touch, feel and smell of
mom - all these things develop neural pathways that once formed strongly do
not go away - they last into adulthood giving the child the optimal growth
and development needed to move into different phases of life and go through
them successfully.

 

For example:  I am working with a very determined mom whose baby has
cerebral palsy and bulbar palsy.  By all rights this child should NOT be BF
well, if at all.  However, due to her commitment he does.  He has tons of
skin to skin contact with his mother - his family does infant massage with
him (taught by me) - he has ample time at breast and does very well.  This
baby does have some oral aversions to solids (I have my own personal
theory's on this) but NOT to breastfeeding!  When cerebral palsy was
diagnosed (due to my recognition that something was 'off' and there were
feeding issues) this family could have gone the route of many others and
given up breastfeeding completely and given EBM or even ABM.  This mother
chose to continue the struggle and look at where she is at - baby is 9
months old, BF very well (when he goes through developmental growth spurts
he struggles, but then picks it right back up again) and is happy and doing
much better than any of his Dr's would have expected - ALL because of the
BF, the optimal habitat for the baby to develop the optimal neural pathways
to grow and develop.

 

Personally, I would love to see ALL mothers with milk supply issues feed at
the breast using the SNS or Lact-Aid systems to give the neural pathways the
optimal environment for development even if there is little or no breastmilk
to provide optimal nutrition.  Developing the neural pathways is crucial
and, to me, it makes no sense that we, as humans, don't fight like hell to
provide optimal growth is ALL ways for our babies.  The simple act of
feeding at the breast makes a difference.  However, I understand that not
all women can, want or will do this.

 

I can say from personal experience with my 2nd son (the reason I am an LC)
that bottle feeding like a breastfeeder does help to a degree - but it is
NOT the same as direct BF.  My personal attachment to that boy was different
and not at all like it was with my first and third.  There was a separation
- a distance there.  Yes, it was small - but it was there.  While I was
going through my (fondly called) breastfeeding hell only once did someone
else feed my baby a bottle - I couldn't emotionally handle anyone else
feeding him - that was MY RIGHT - MY PRIVILEGE.  So, even tho I did all the
feeding during the 7 wks he was on a bottle - there was something MISSING.
It took us a long time to get that back.  And tho he nursed for 3 yrs, I
still feel that we missed out on that time - that something special got lost
- and I never knew what it as, I just knew it was gone.

 

The discussion about moms being better mothers due to breastfeeding, etc, is
actually a good one.  I don't personally feel that it is about being a
better mother as there are many moms out there who never breastfed and they
are fabulous.  I think it may simply be a situation of the mothering being
optimal - but it has to be supported, it has to be encouraged and it has to
be VALUED.  I think too often being a mother is not valued much, if at all.
I know too many moms who simply don't seem to care too much what their baby
gets or who they get it from and I think this stems from our societal
history of distance parenting, and bottle feeding on schedules, letting
babies cry it out, etc.  When we as a society learn to value our mothers,
and teach our women (especially) to trust their Momma hearts where their
babies and children are concerned, we will be moving into a stage of better
mothering and parenting all around.  We will have much more closely knit
communities and families.  Less crime, less abuse - more good stuff.

 

My personal feelings and beliefs.

 

Love to all.going to give my kids a hug.

 

Jaye Simpson, IBCLC, CIIM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


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