Why would someone give birth, and walk out of the hospital to stock formula milk for a baby that is just weeks old? What happened to exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months? We are talking about a mother who has no justifiable reason not to breastfeed.
Why would someone give birth, and walk out of the hospital to stock formula milk for a baby that is just weeks old? What happened to exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months? We are talking about a mother who has no justifiable reason not to breastfeed.
For some women keeping in shape means not messing up their breasts with six months suckling from the baby. Outrageous as it sounds, some women choose not to breastfeed their little ones in the name of keeping in shape.
"When my sister mentioned that she was not going to breastfeed the baby, we thought she was joking. It was not on recommendation of the doctor nor did she have any particular condition not to breast feed. She just didn’t want to,” says Flavia Kamikazi.
Kamikazi’s sister is only 21 years-old. Efforts by her mother to convince her to breastfeed were futile. Like many first time young mothers, she was under the illusion that if she breastfeeds her baby, her breasts will sag, and that formula is as good as breast milk.
However, medical experts warn that such decisions have implications on the health of the baby. They deprive the baby from relishing the benefits that come with breast milk as it is the only food that explicitly meets the baby’s needs in the first six months. However, some mothers are not able to breast feed due to conditions beyond their control.
Doreen Umurerwa’s first experience as a mother was not all bliss. She was unable to feed her newborn baby because her breast milk was not enough. She was forced to look for other options.
"My breasts were dry and I felt guilty for starving my baby, the doctors told me to try and relax because getting stressed was only going to worsen the situation but I couldn’t do anything about it,” Umurerwa recalls.
Her only option was to give her newborn formula milk which, according to experts, isn’t the best option for a newborn.
Umurerwa’s experience is not rare as many women find themselves with a new baby and no milk in their breasts to breastfeed.
What experts say
According to Dr Iba Mayele, a gynecologist at Doctor’s Plaza, breastfeeding provides the baby with all the nutrients needed for its growth and development.
Breast milk not only contains all the nutrients the baby needs, but it can also be easily digested by the baby. It also contains antibodies that protect the baby from infections, making the immune system stronger.
"Some women choose not to breastfeed their babies but they should know the risks that they are putting their children into before they make such a decision,” Dr Mayele cautions.
"Breast milk contains growth nutrients and hormones that help the baby grow healthily and these cannot be found in formula milk. Babies who breastfeed always tend to have a higher intelligence quotient than those who didn’t breastfeed,” the doctor adds.
According to a journal titled "The Risks of Not Breastfeeding for Mothers and Infants,” health outcomes differ substantially for mothers and infants who feed on formula compared to those who breastfeed.
The journal states that babies who are not breastfed are associated with an increased incidence of infectious morbidity, including gastroenteritis, pneumonia as well as higher risks of childhood obesity.
Among premature infants, not receiving breast milk is associated with an increased risk of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC).
For mothers, failure to breastfeed is associated with an increased incidence of premenopausal breast cancer, ovarian cancer, retained gestational weight gain and the metabolic syndrome.
By supporting breastfeeding as the normal way to feed an infant, the obstetrician-gynecologist can play a powerful role in improving health outcomes across.
Counseling is helpful during antenatal care; most mothers make decisions about infant feeding early in pregnancy, therefore early in prenatal care the obstetrician can educate mothers about the health impact of infant feeding and address potential obstacles to breastfeeding.
What women say
Estella Niwemubyeyi says that women who choose not to breastfeed in most cases have their own complex issues, like the fear of sagging breasts.
She says, "I understand where they come from, but I think for any loving mother, the health of the baby and its wellbeing matters more than their appearance.
One’s background also depicts one character meaning that if one wasn’t breastfed, it’s easier for them to do the same for their offspring. Some, however, just imitate behaviours from the western culture which isn’t good at all,” Niwemubyeyi says.
Scovia Karungi, a mother of one, says that it’s common to find women nowadays who do not want to breastfeed their babies. She points out that whereas some may not breastfeed as a result of unavoidable circumstances, others do it out of choice.
She says, "Some women do not breastfeed because of infections like HIV/AIDS, breast cancer and so on, as this can be transmitted to the young one and that’s why doctors also advise mothers in such conditions to either breastfeed for a few months or not breastfeed at all.”
She, however, stresses that some women do not breastfeed, reason being that they prefer their bodies to remain the way they were before giving birth.
"Some do not breastfeed because of circumstances like having had a caesarian section and are in a lot of pain, whereas some mothers may be having demanding jobs that require them to wake up early in the morning and return home very late,” Karungi adds.
However, for Claudette Uwimana, every mother’s situation is different and so no one should judge.
She says that giving birth is something that is really complicated and that it comes with twisted emotions because what people say about pregnancy and what one experiences are totally different.
"Some women get pregnant under bad circumstances which could sometimes cause trauma, for instance a pregnancy out of rape can lead to difficult situations and mixed emotions during acts like breastfeeding,” Uwimana says.
Roset Mukashyaka says that unless the mother dies after giving birth,she doesn’t understand why a mother would refuse to breastfeed her baby.
"Unless the doctor advises so, otherwise, I think it’s best for every mother to breastfeed their baby. The bond that is created during breastfeeding is strong and healthy for both the baby and mother,” Mukashyaka says.
Whether it is research or opinions from medical experts, breastfeeding is seemingly the best feeding option for infants, though, like mentioned, some women tend to go for other options.
After weighing the pros and cons, the safest way, most medical experts will surely say, for both mother and the baby is breastfeeding.
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Breast vs. bottle for feeding your baby
Many new mothers struggle with the decision to breastfeed or bottle feed their new baby. Here’s some guidance to help you choose what’s right for you.
Breastfeeding baby
Breast milk is the perfect food for baby, with numerous advantages over baby formula, especially in the first four months or so. Here’s why:
•It’s always available.•It’s free.•It contains active infection-fighting white blood cells and natural chemicals that give increased protection against infections in the first months, when these can be the most serious.
•It can help prevent SIDS, sudden infant death syndrome, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.•It contains the perfect proportion of nutrients that your baby needs, including protein, carbohydrates, fat, and calcium.
•It is easily digestible.•It may protect against allergies and asthma in the future.•It may decrease a baby’s risk of obesity in the future.•It may contain some fatty acids that promote brain development.
•Breastfeeding can help new mothers lose weight more easily.•Additionally, there probably are other beneficial components of breast milk that we are not aware of and so are not added to formula.
Bottle feeding baby
With all these advantages of breast milk, should you feel guilty if you choose not to breastfeed? Absolutely not!Infant formulas have gotten better and better at matching the ingredients and their proportions to that of human milk.
While breastfed babies may have relatively fewer infections, the vast majority of infants won’t get a serious infection in the first months whether breast - or bottle fed.
A happy, unstressed mother is the best mother. If you feel that bottle feeding best fits your needs, then it’s the best for meeting your baby’s needs as well.
Tips for bottle feeding baby with formula
There’s no need to heat the formula for your baby. Drinking it at room temperature is fine.
Once a baby has sipped from formula, it should be discarded. You can, though, save unused formula that baby hasn’t sipped from for the next feeding.
Tips for choosing formula
Don’t hesitate to pick a less expensive brand of formula if finances are a factor. Most formulas are pretty much the same. More expensive does not necessarily mean better.
Avoid low-iron formula. Most formulas on the market have adequate iron. Just be sure to check that its iron fortified when you buy a formula. There is a lot of evidence that iron deficiency in the first years adversely affects brain development. And side effects from iron (gas, constipation, discomfort) while much discussed, are actually very rare.
Pick whichever type of formula -- powder, concentrate, or ready-to-feed -- best suits your needs. There is no nutritional difference between them. You may want to keep in mind that powdered formula is the least expensive, though.
Choose cow’s milk formula over soy to start with.
Agencies