Lactation 101: Busting Myths About Breastfeeding
At Beijing United Family Hospital (BJU), we’ve seen a fair number of new moms who have misconceptions about breastfeeding and its importance. As we progress further into the Year of the Rooster, BJU expects to welcome many more rooster babies into our community. This World Breastfeeding Week, we hope to bust some myths about breastfeeding so that the moms in our community can make informed decisions about early childcare.
Myth #1: I’m producing a discharge that doesn’t look milky. I don’t have milk.
After delivery, every woman produces a pre-milk substance called colostrum for about three to five days before milk starts to flow. Colostrum is high in protein and relatively low in carbohydrates and fat. It also contains a lot of antibodies from the mother. It’s like a giant vaccine that your baby takes for three days. Colostrum primes the baby’s gut, coats it, and forms a protective barrier against harmful bacteria while promoting the growth of good bacterial cultures.
Myth #2: I’m not producing enough milk to keep my baby fed.
The volume of a baby’s stomach immediately after birth is 5 ml. That’s tiny! Babies that are fed a formula routine get 20 to 30 ml, which artificially stretches the baby’s stomach. Also, because the baby’s stomach is so small, s/he will want to nurse all the time. This is normal. Your baby wanting to nurse so frequently is not a sign that you are not producing enough milk.
Myth #3: My baby’s crying all the time. S/he’s hungry because s/he’s not getting enough milk from me.
It is normal for babies to cry; it’s how they communicate. Babies could cry for a variety of reasons (needing to poop, wanting to be held, etc.). Once you get to know your baby’s cries, you’ll know which are caused by hunger and which are caused by other reasons. As mentioned earlier, babies need to nurse frequently anyway, so spending more time with your baby will help you learn to tell the difference.
Myth #4: Breastfeeding can be unhygienic.
There are actually a lot of good bacteria on the mother’s skin that can colonize in the baby and help the baby develop a strong immune system. Unless the mother’s breasts are dirty (have blood on them, have been thrown up on), there’s no reason to wash the breasts before every feeding.
We recommend that moms spend the first month bonding with their babies, preferably skin-to-skin. If possible, moms would ideally spend 23 hours a day holding their babies. This bonding is wonderful for the baby’s development and actually affects the mother’s hormone levels and increases milk production.
Myth #5: Special massages and soups are required to stimulate milk production.
Breast massages can be good if you have clogged milk ducts, but they are not known to stimulate milk production. Milk production works on a supply-and-demand basis. Your interaction with your baby tells your body to produce adequate amounts of milk.
I (Dr. Sabet) often have women asking about special soups that will increase milk production. I don’t know of any foods that have been proven to increase milk production. I usually tell patients that mothers in India eat customary Indian food right after delivery, and their milk production isn’t affected. Similarly, cultures in Southeast Asia consume a lot of spicy foods, and this does not affect milk production either.
Myth #6: I need to raise my babies on breast milk and formula so that they won’t react negatively to bottles after I go back to work.
There’s no need to mix formula in with breast milk; in fact, we discourage it for the sake of the baby. If you consistently breastfeed in the first six weeks, you’ll produce enough milk to pump for your baby after you go back to work.
Myth #7: I need to take care of myself. The baby’s grandparents and ayi should on hand to take care of the baby while I’m recovering from delivery.
During the first month of a baby’s life, it's important for them to bond with their mother. This time is also crucial for babies because they start to become exposed to the outside world. Because formula doesn’t help babies develop the right antibodies, formula-feeding can actually compromise the baby’s gut and result in a baby with more allergies. We recommend that mothers take care of their babies themselves. Everyone else can take care of the mother.
This article was written by Jennifer Lecleir (pictured above left), who is the lactation counselor in BJU's Obstetrics and Gynecology Department, and Dr. Leila Sabet (pictured above right), who is a pediatrician at BJU. If you have any questions about breastfeeding, please don’t hesitate to make an appointment with either of them by calling our service center at 4008 919191.
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