I talk to so many people who say “I tried breastfeeding but…”. We know that the rates of mothers who are breastfeeding in the first days their babies life are going up, but that the rates of babies breastfeeding at six months or a year are not. Every time there is an article on the Internet about breastfeeding there are comments from moms who say “I couldn’t” or “it didn’t work for me”, some site long struggles with lots of help and intervention but most talk about how in the early weeks the baby wasn’t happy, the baby wasn’t gaining enough weight, their health care professional told them to stop, etc. I know breastfeeding can be more difficult for some mothers and babies then others, believe me I’ve known mothers who have struggled to maintain breastfeeding through all kinds of difficulties; babies with cleft palettes, heart defects (who burn incredible amounts of calories), persistent nipple pain from yeast or other causes, etc. but for most breastfeeding couples breastfeeding becomes easy after the first few weeks. We know that long term breastfeeding is easier then bottle feeding, especially during the night, when traveling, in emergency situations and in many other ways. We know that most moms requiring a little extra help in those early weeks have problems that can be fixed in an hour or two with a good IBCLC (Internationally Board Certified Lactation Consultant) and some phone follow up.
So again I ask why do parents give up so quickly?
We know that breastfeeding has enormous health protections for both mother and baby and that many of these are life long; reduced cancer risks, reduced obesity, reduced diabetes, just to name a few. When we start an exercise program or new diet to improve our health we know that it can be challenging at first but usually we stick with it because we are looking for long term benefits. We don’t start a diet thinking by next week I will be 50 pounds lighter or by next month I will be at a lower risk for diabetes. We don’t usually quit exercising on the second day because our muscles are sore when our goal is to be able to do a 5K race in 3 months. Sure, sometimes we do give up but usually we start again, find another diet or a different exercise program. Often we get help: Weight Watchers, a personal trainer, a gym, an exercise buddy… It may take us years to reach the weight or the fitness level we desire but again, we know the goal is a healthier lifetime. Yet, with our babies we often meet one stumbling block and our quest for giving our baby the best, healthiest nutrition and development is over. It doesn’t have to be – just like we try a new diet, we can try again, even if we stopped a week or even a month ago. We can get that personal trainer (in this case an IBCLC) or that friend to support us (in this case La Leche League or a similar group), we can put aside the excuses and just do what we intended initially to give our baby the healthiest available nutrition and “medicine” and enjoy a long, healthy life with our children.
