Week 2: Child Development and Public Health- Breastfeeding

Since having my first child, I have become very passionate regarding the topic of breastfeeding. I struggled with low supply and a child who was unable to latch but because I knew of breastmilk's many long-lasting health benefits, I pumped what I could until he was twelve months old, while also supplementing with formula. In preparation for my second child's birth, I researched galactogogues to help increase what was likely to again be a minimal milk supply due to multiple endocrine disorders, met with lactation consultants, made sure that I had several electric and hospital-grade pumps available to increase my pumping output, and most helpful of all, I surrounded myself with people who knew how much I wanted to succeed in breastfeeding past one year and were willing to support me in that goal. My daughter was able to latch, and while my supply was still low, I was able to personally provide her with about half of what she needed each day. My wonderful support system stepped in and provided donor milk for the rest, stocking my freezer so that she received breastmilk until she was 18 months old. While I would have loved to breastfeed for even longer, I am happy to have at least given my daughter a bounty of immunities and nutrients while bonding and sharing those exquisite moments with her.

During my time as a nursing mother, and ever since, I have acted as a breastfeeding advocate and support network for friends, co-workers, clients, and even strangers. Sometimes this means offering empathy, giving guidance or information regarding laws on public feeding, pumping breaks, et cetera, or pointing families to support groups and resources specifically for breastfeeding mothers. It also means not pressuring, guilting, or shaming mothers into breastfeeding.

With all of the time that I have spent reading about and researching breastfeeding, I am surprised that I just now found the article "Breastfeeding in the Land of Genghis Khan" by Ruth Kamnitzer. This amazing piece details the author's experience, as a breastfeeding mother, of moving to Mongolia from Canada where the social climate and expectations related to breastfeeding are very different. In Mongolia, breastfeeding in public isn't just common; it's expected and accepted as completely natural. Kamnitzer (2011), in my absolute favorite part of the article, illustrates this perfectly with the following vignette:

When I walked through the market cradling my feeding son in my arms, vendors would make a space for me at their stalls and tell him to drink up. Instead of looking away, people would lean right in and kiss Calum on the cheek. If he popped off in response to the attention and left my streaming breast completely exposed, not a beat was missed. No one stared, no one looked away—they just laughed and wiped the milk off their noses. (para. 8)

There is no pressure to wean children from the breast at 6 months or 12 months, as is often the case in North America; Mongolian children often breastfeed until their third birthday or beyond. The article mentions that it's not even uncommon for adults to drink leftover breastmilk; there is no attached taboo or stigma. Clearly, they "get it" in Mongolia! One of my current personal/professional goals is to help others "get it" by having my workplace certified as breastfeeding friendly for both the public and employees. More information on what that means can be found here: http://www.c-uphd.org/documents/maternal/Breastfeeding-Friendly-Business-Rating-System.pdf  If we normalize breastfeeding, mothers, children, families, employers, and communities will all benefit.


References

Kamnitzer, R. (February, 2011). Breastfeeding in the land of Genghis Khan. In Culture Parent. Retrieved March 14, 2014, from http://www.incultureparent.com/2011/02/breastfeeding-land-genghis-khan/