There isn’t really anything on this blog about breast feeding. That’s because I think the whole Lactation consultant thing of highly technical breast feeding explanations and science is highly over rated. Women have breasts to feed their babies and in anything but extreme circumstances this is possible with just small amounts of assistance and support. I have lots of angst when a professional (in our local tertiary centre a man) who thinks they have more knowledge and understanding than a woman who is about to breast feed her newborn. The 10 different opinions heard by women in one day lead to confusion and fear.
Breast, baby, please feed is all we really need to know.
I am amazed how many people don’t understand that human milk is the only perfect food for our newest members and any other mammal just can’t provide the exact thing. Artificial sources of milk are just NOT the same and not good enough. You don’t see any other mammal in the chemist sussing out how to avoid giving their newborns the milk made by them for the sole purpose of feeding.
This article just pins a badge of the fantastic qualities of breast milk for humans.
Breast milk used in cancer fight
A Sunshine Coast mother believes the breast milk she has fed her gravely ill nine-year-old daughter since October has contributed toward substantial improvement in the youngster’s health.
The girl was given a bleak prognosis by doctors in October when they found she had a life-threatening tumour.
The mother’s close friend, a Sunshine Coast midwife, suggested that they try breast milk as a treatment option. She said she had recently finished studying its unique health benefits.
“Six months before the child was diagnosed, I was doing research as part of my midwifery and read that breast milk contains a protein that causes cell death in malignant tumours,” the midwife said.
“I thought I would like to research this as an innovative treatment and when the child was diagnosed, I suggested they try it. There was nothing to lose and plenty to gain.”
The midwife went to an Australian Breastfeeding Association meeting in Maroochydore and asked mothers if they would be prepared to donate their milk to help.
She also advertised for breast milk in the Sunshine Coast Daily classifieds.
The child was given 500ml of breast milk each day mixed with fruit in a “smoothie”.
“Since those first weeks, donations have grown through word of mouth,” she said.
“There are so many generous wonderful breastfeeding mothers on the Coast who will do anything to help.
“We are extremely grateful to all those mothers who have donated their ‘magic milk’ as we are certain that it has been of substantial benefit.”
An examination of the child in Brisbane on Friday showed that there had been a significant turnaround in the girl’s condition.
She is now looking at going back to school.
The breast milk was used with other alternative and traditional treatments.
The girl would require ongoing check-ups, but “the doctor was very happy with her results”.
The Australian Breastfeeding Association’s Lactation Resource Centre manager Kate Mortensen said no research had been undertaken in Australia on the medical benefits of breast milk.
It was however a documented fact that breast-fed babies were less likely to obtain a certain form of leukaemia and incidences of breast cancer were less in mothers who had breast fed.
“There have been anecdotal reports (of treating cancer with breast milk), but no formal research has been undertaken,” Ms Mortensen said.
“In the laboratory it has been found something in breast milk knocks off cancer cells. In America, they have donor milk banks and you can get it on prescription. There could be great potential for research.”
The midwife encouraged anyone trying breast milk as a medical treatment to document their results. She can be contacted through the Daily.
Last night, the little girl’s father thanked the midwife and the mothers who had given his family help and support.
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i also cringe at the highly technical spin some like to put on breastfeeding. it just isn’t that big of a deal. i was seen by a lactation consultant in the hospital with my first baby, and she did nothing but make me doubt my ability to nurse. she made it out to be very scientific and rigid, and as a result, i lost confidence in myself and switched to formula at 3 weeks.
flash forward to my homebirth. no interference, no one telling me i had to do things a certain way, just letting nature take its course, the way it’s meant to be. we nursed till 18 months when she self-weaned. ta da!
Before DD was born, I thought “Got breasts, will breastfeed. What’s the big deal?” Then she was born in a totally screwed up hospital birth and I had quite a bit of trouble getting the hang of it. Lots of tears, lots of angst, no confidence at all. There was a conflict going on in my head: The way I was totally disrespected and undermined during the birth made me believe I was probably going to “fail” at breastfeeding too, but at the same time I was determined not to let them take bf away from me after they’d robbed me so systematically of the birth. I wonder if most women experience such a lack of confidence with breastfeeding not only because formula is (apparently) so good these days, and all these other women before them had so much trouble, and really it all just comes down to their personal choice anyway (right?), but because any glimmer of confidence they had in their body’s ability to just do what comes naturally is shot to pieces by their experience of birth. Having said that I know of women who have had fabulous homebirths who also struggled to establish breastfeeding. It’s a fascinating subject.
Great article too. Go booby juice! Yeah baby!
As previosuly mentioned one factor that can reuce the incidence of breast feeding can be a difficult or traumatic birth. It can effect the babies ability to turn its head or attach and suck effectively. If you think this may be an issue consider getting a chiropractic check up for your child.