My Guilty Pleasure

Those closest to me know that my guilty pleasure is Häagen-Dazs Chocolate and Peanut Butter ice cream.  I have found a local store near my home that has had the wisdom to keep it in stock for me.  I admit that I have eaten it in on a regular basis during every season since making that discovery.  Now that it is summer, I am chagrined to find out that Häagen-Dazs is now among the brands owned by Nestlé.

As a nurse, lactation consultant and passionate advocate for breastfeeding mothers and their babies, I have engaged in my own personal Nestlé boycott since the late 1970’s.   This has not always been easy.   Over the years the long arm of the Nestlé corporation has continued to extend its reach by expanding its business holdings to include bottled water, pet food and cosmetic companies among many others in their vast empire.   The brands owned by them are listed here.  

Nestlé is the largest food company in the world.  It continues to systematically violate the World Health Assembly’s marketing requirements for baby foods.  This second incarnation of the boycott has been active for almost 22 years duration and  has had some impact upon their practices.   However, they continue to come up with ways to break the Code.   A 6.16.10 press release, excerpted below, outlines their latest scam and includes a link to their email campaign page.

Protest Nestlé’s claim that breastmilk substitutes ‘protect’ babies, public urged for UK breastfeeding awareness week
(21 – 27 June 2010)

Mike Brady, Campaigns and Networking Coordinator at Baby Milk Action (who plays the role of Mr. Henry Nastie in the 3 minute youtube clip below which explains the strategy), said:

“Breastfeeding week promotes the message that breastmilk protects babies. It is a living substance containing antibodies and other protective factors. Nestlé competes with breastfeeding by claiming its baby milk ‘protects’ babies. The boycott campaign helped force companies to put ‘breast is best’ messages on labels, but Nestlé is trying to trump these with its more prominent colourful ‘protect’ logos and false claims of health benefits from using baby milk.” 

 

Please join me in the Nestlé Boycott.  Choose to buy a different mascara, cereal, water and ICE CREAM whenever possible.  Check the list and exercise your power as a consumer.  Nestlé puts profits before health and thus it is only when they notice an impact upon their bottom-line that they will take heed of the need to abide by the Code. 

It is especially important that we lend our voices and our support to these efforts.  Conscious breastfeeding and retail discretion are my call to action for you! 

Oh, and yes, if anyone has a killer recipe for home-made chocolate and peanut butter ice cream send it my way!

To spare nipples pain and trauma during breastfeeding, it is essential that we re-examine our view of the latch. We must keep in mind that it is Breastfeeding and not Nipplefeeding!

The human nipple is comprised of responsive, erectile tissue which carries messages to the brain. However, unlike other body parts with such traits, it does not lengthen that dramatically if there is a great latch during breastfeeding.

The nipple should never be the focus of attention. It is just the exit through which the milk fl0ws.

During breastfeeding, it should be the bottom of the breast, rather than the edge of the nipple/areola, which is actually on top of the baby’s tongue. This is described in some circles as a “sandwich” of breast tissue which needs to be deep in the babies mouth.

I am happy to report that there are thousands of breastfeeding pictures now posted on the internet. You would think that they might add some dimension to the teaching toolbox. However, there is a big difference between an artistic shot of breastfeeding such as this, by Marga Serrano,

FOOD TIME!!

and one that is instructional for a new mom with sore nipples!

Many of the photos that I found depicted babies that are clearly older, experienced breastfeeders. It would be fair to assume that sore nipples would no longer be an issue for their mothers.

Those shots that portrayed newborn babies were vague at best. Varying latches were seen from different angles; the details of each latch were unclear. Most of these breastfeeding photos were understandably focused on the baby and gave no clue as to the mother’s experience of the latch.

Unfortunately, the conventional wisdom is that the baby knows what it is doing and that an attachment of any sort is acceptable. Most people, health care workers, family members and the mothers themselves, believe if it looks like breastfeeding, then it is breastfeeding.

I beg to differ. Breastfeeding should be evaluated by how it feels and how well it works, rather than merely upon how it looks.

Please share your points of view.

‘Breastfeeding Malcontents’ are everywhere these days.  Those of us who advocate for breastfeeding need to come to terms with this reality.   The scorn of the dutiful women who have breastfed but ended up feeling disempowered or unhappy with their experiences must be addressed.

These mothers are typically well-educated, well-heeled women who have literally bought into breastfeeding; they have attended classes, purchased books, pumps, gadgets and other products designed to facilitate a positive breastfeeding experience.  Many of these mothers may have even paid lactation experts to help them, but still ended up being dissatisfied with the pressures and constraints associated with breastfeeding in the 21’st Century.

The core idea of La Leche League, mother-to-mother support, which fueled the renaissance of breastfeeding over the last half century, is beginning to backfire. There is a new wave of mothers whose angst is channeled into active discouragement of their friends and peers and an ever increasing need to disprove the value of breastfeeding.

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Helen Rumbelow, the author of “Exposing the Myths of Breastfeeding” is one of these women with a need to ventilate.  She claims that she wrote this exposé because she wanted,  “…to get to the bottom of the medical evidence”.

Her thesis centers on this quote from Joan Wolf, an American academic writing a book on breastfeeding in the West, “The evidence to date suggests it probably doesn’t make much difference if you breastfeed.”

There is no doubt that this comment has stuck in Ms. Rumbelow’s craw as she shares this personal note, “For someone who prolonged my breastfeeding more out of duty than desire, this made me feel slightly nauseous.”  Apparently she is not alone.  She adds, “Many women — the ones who feel that they jeopardised their jobs, marriages, or sanity for the boob — have a right to feel angry about that”

Ms. Rumbelow does not directly tell us about her own experience with breastfeeding.  I am left wondering if these comments might give us a clue:

“…under the weight of this advice from the Department of Health, doctors, midwives, and breastfeeding activists, millions of Western women bow their heads and unclip their Elle Macpherson Maternelle bras.” or  “Dark thought at 3am, when one’s nipples feel like shards of glass. ..”

She can’t seem to make her mind up.  She criticizes the public health authorities for “heavy-handed encouragement of breastfeeding and then facetiously asks us,  “the medical establishment can’t be wrong, can it?”

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Lest we forget, breastfeeding is the biologic norm.  Whether or not “Breast is Best” has not been a concern of women until the past 50+ years.  The existence of relatively safe, commercial artificial baby milks to be used in lieu of breastfeeding does not negate the fact that human milk is species specific and designed by nature for human babies.  голова болит секс

Apparently the Chinese Melamine debacle of 2008 was not relevant enough science to be included in the discussion.  The “confounding” effect of which Ms. Rumbelow and her “experts” speak could just as easily be applied to an analysis of formula-feeding with regard to its safety and value in human nutrition.

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Medical science is only as good as those funding it and doing the research.  It is interesting to note Dr. Kramer was a speaker at a Nestles conference on infant nutrition held in Beijing, China in 2004.

If doctors were truly that influential in inspiring modern women to breastfeed, why then are the global rates of breastfeeding so abysmal?  Being risk adverse, many doctors do little more than pay lip service to the idea of breastfeeding.  Operating in a managed health care system that stresses conformity, they are often more comfortable managing the intake of formula.

Breastfeeding promotion efforts could learn much from this lesson taken from retail marketing, “…a brand’s worst nightmare is of being hijacked by disgruntled customers with plenty of attitude, heaps of time, and a high-speed Internet connection.

The rancor expressed in Ms. Rumbelow’s article should be a red flag for all of us who support breastfeeding families.  The issue of concern is not about good, bad or indifferent science being applied to breastfeeding vs. formula-feeding.   It is about the experience of breastfeeding in our modern world.

How would you describe your breastfeeding experience?

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I am often asked in my prenatal breastfeeding classes whether it is ok to drink and breastfeed.   

Being true to my Irish roots, with a wee twinkle in my eye, I answer this question with a question.  I ask,” Have you heard about Guinness?”  I quickly follow up with this disclaimer, ” I am a nurse and a health care professional. It is my duty to recommend that you examine your own relationship with alcohol and act accordingly to moderate or avoid it while breastfeeding.  Alcohol is not brain food nor is it acceptable to be impaired if you are caring for an innocent child.”

I deliberately bring up the Guinness because it shows the mixed messages being bandied about with regard to alcohol.  

Against the backdrop of my heritage, a la Sonia Sotomayer, I can bring out the various aspects of this debate.

I am well versed on the supposed merits of Guinness having been to the brewery in Dublin.  Indeed, I can share with them information straight from the Guinness website which is currently celebrating the 250′th anniversary of the brew.   Apparently the water comes from near the place of my father’s birth in Wicklow.  According to their FAQ, “Key ingredients -other than inspiration-are roasted, malted barley, hops, yeast and water”  (This would explain its strong association with promoting a mother’s milk supply.) 

In fact, ad campaigns from the 1930’s touted Guinness as being “Good for Health”.  Such claims are no longer legal, but the lore persists especially outside Ireland.

Believe it or not, some of these expectant mothers in my classes claim they heard you should drink Guinness in order to have enough milk.  “Like Water to Chocolate” even if drinking the Guinness could make milk flow in abundance-it is best done on a case by case basis. 

If a future mom ever enjoyed a beer or stout before becoming pregnant, she might enjoy a Guinness, on occasion, while breastfeeding.  If she does not like beer or stout, or has issues with alcohol in general, then she should not begin drinking it while breastfeeding.  It should be noted that there is a non-alcoholic version of Guinness that contains the main ingredients, sans the alcohol, which may increase milk supply.

It is human nature to want to do things that are forbidden. Pregnancy lasts 9 months and is a time frame during which most moms can maintain  healthy lifestyle choices.  However, if this period of refraining from certain foods and alcohol extends well beyond birth, it may impact their resolve to continue breastfeeding.  A just say no policy on alcohol consumption while breastfeeding may lead some to wean early. 

On the other hand, mothers should not be encouraged to drink with reckless abandon.  The use of dip-sticks to check on alcohol content in breastmilk and/or the common practice of  “pumping and dumping” does not do much to encourage moderation.   I point out to the moms-to-be in my classes that most of them will be the proverbial “cheap date”.  Having abstained from alcohol for a long time they will have a lower tolerance for its effects.  To savor the social experience and slow the absorption rate, they should be sure to eat whenever they consume alcoholic beverages.  In college frats when they intend to become inebriated, they avoid food.

Studies do show that alcohol is processed rapidly into the blood stream; the speed will vary depending upon the amounts they have drunk and whether they have eaten.  What ends up in the milk will also be affected by where it falls in relation to the breastfeeding patterns of their babies.  What is pumped is not necessarily the same as what their baby would access from direct breastfeeding.  So I am suspicious of the results of these dip sticks.

I encourage the mothers in my practice to examine their drinking history honestly when deciding whether or not to drink while breastfeeding.  The consequences go far beyond the risk of a hangover now that they will be parents.  Annie, from PhdinParenting, has a wonderful post which sums it up so well You Should Not Be Drunk While Caring For Your Baby. 

I view breastfeeding as a golden opportunity for mothers to further expand upon the conscious choices they made while pregnant to promote their own health and the well-being of their child. 

The question has come full circle. It is not merely whether it is ok to drink and breastfeed.  The old adage of eating for two while pregnant could be expanded to drinking while breastfeeding.

You need to think before you drink because it’s not just about you now…you have become a parent.

Alex Mandossian is one of my favorite teachers.  Recently he asked readers of his blog and students “What is your verb? “  It generated a very interesting response from all of us and got me thinking about ‘Conscious Breastfeeding’ as a verb.

I have noticed that many new mothers identify themselves through the prism of their breastfeeding experience.  Feeding their babies is a central theme. Especially in the early days of motherhood, it is often the focus of their existence.  For them, breastfeeding is their verb…”I breastfeed, therefore I am”.

Breastfeeding is indeed an action verb that cannot be done alone.  Each time a woman breastfeeds, it is a unique experience that she shares with her baby or babies.  As with most relationships, it definitely does take on a life of its own.  It stirs up many feelings. 

Feelings according to Wikipedia…” are also known as a state of consciousness..”  Thus when examining the upgraded verb ‘Conscious Breastfeeding’ one must consider them.

On the recent episode of The Breastfeeding Salon Show  we began discussing this notion in greater detail.  Throughout the month of June we will continue exploring, both on the show and here in the blog, how feelings are a critical aspect of your breastfeeding experience. 

How does your Breastfeeding make you feel ?

Happy, Sad, Angry, Loving,Frustrated, Accomplished, Painful, Pleasureful,Tired or Energized.  What describes your journey?

…By being aware of your feelings, you will be able to improve your Conscious Breastfeeding Connections.