Image by juhansonin

By Nina, Contributing Writer

We believe breast milk is the best first food for babies. It’s nutritionally perfect for infants and, assuming there were no problems with breastfeeding, really easy to provide. Sometime around 6 months, though, babies start showing an interest in other foods.

During a doctor’s visit during this time, a mom will likely be given the recommendation to start feeding baby solid foods. What’s the recommendation she’ll likely hear? Rice cereal. The only problem with that suggestion is that grains are not a good food for any infant.

Why cereal is a bad suggestion

According to Kristen Michaelis, creator of the blog, Food Renegade, and author of Beautiful Babies: Nutrition for Fertility, Pregnancy, Breastfeeding & Baby’s First Foods (a great book I think every woman should read), in order to digest grains, our bodies need an enzyme called amylase:

You see, newborns don’t produce amylase at all. Salivary amylase makes a small appearance at about six months old, but pancreatic amylase (what you need to actually digest grains) is not produced until molar teeth are fully developed. First molars usually don’t show up until thirteen to nineteen months old, on average.

So what happens when a baby is given cereal they’re bodies can’t digest? Potential complications can stem from their inability to digest grains, such as:

• Upset stomach
• Gas
• Food allergies
• Gut bacteria imbalance
• Behavioral problems
• Damaged intestinal lining

What do you try instead? Here are a few suggestions:

Egg Yolks

Egg yolks contain vitamins, minerals and cholesterol. Wait, cholesterol? Isn’t that bad? Well, babies actually need cholesterol for important mental development. To prepare, soft boil an egg (from pastured hens is best) and feed that to your little one. If baby isn’t interested, don’t push it. Egg yolks are pretty rich and they might not like it. You can always try giving it to them later. Avoid giving the egg whites until after a year old. They contain proteins which can be difficult to digest.

Bone Broth

If you make your own bone broth, you have a terrific first food for your baby. Homemade bone broth contains minerals and calcium that are beneficial for your baby. The natural gelatin in bone broth is also great for the digestive system and can help protect against harmful intestinal bacteria.

Avocado

You know those good fats you hear so much about in avocados? They’re pretty good for your baby, whose developing brain needs plenty of fat. Many babies enjoy the taste and texture of avocados and will eat them plain.

Raw fruit

Give your baby fruit, particularly bananas, which already contain the enzyme amylase. I recommend introducing fruit after veggies, otherwise your baby might dislike the vegetables after the sweetness of the fruit (as my oldest did). You can also combine the fruit with veggies – sweet potatoes, blueberries and applesauce is a great combination – if they’re already more fond of fruit.

Cooked vegetables

My babies loved carrots cooked in beef broth (ok, I did, too). They were also fond of other vegetables including sweet potato (especially with a pinch of cinnamon and a little butter mixed in), squash, green beans and potatoes (also with butter). We gave them food that was cut up into little (non-choke-hazard) pieces or gave them a spoon and bowl if it the foods were smashed or combined. It was messy at first, but they figured out how to feed themselves.

Yogurt

This is a yummy probiotic food that can help baby properly digest foods by building up the proper balance of bacteria in his gut. Buy or make plain, whole milk yogurt and let them try it out. Starting off without any kind of sweetener (like smashed berries) can help them get used to tart flavors, which you’ll be grateful for later. Start off with just a spoonful and increase after they reach one year.

What were your baby’s favorite first foods?

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As a babywearing group leader, one of the most common questions I hear is “What carrier is the easiest to nurse in?” The short answer is any carrier you are already comfortable using, once you are used to it. We recommend that you first learn how to breastfeed easily, learn how to use your carrier safely, then combine the two. You may need to use one hand for support until baby has great head control. For very busty mamas, you may never be completely hands free, but learning to nurse in a carrier is always a helpful skill! For step by step instructions on how to nurse in a specific carrier, I strongly recommend getting hands on help from a knowledgeable babywearer. Check around for groups in your area. Here, I’ll speak generically about some considerations when nursing in any carrier.

Three Tips for Breastfeeding and Babywearing

• Safe positioning

Baby’s chin should be off his chest, never pressed into it, as this could constrict the airway. You want to be able to see your baby’s face and be checking to ensure the airway is protected. Before you put any material over baby as a nursing cover, put it up to your mouth and nose. If you can’t easily breathe through it, neither can baby. If you choose to use something like a ring sling tail as a cover, you MUST be vigilant in checking on baby.

You can nurse baby upright in many carriers by simply loosening the carrier until baby is at the right height. In some carriers, baby may prefer to recline, so you’ll need to transition to a cradle position. In this case, you need to be very careful to position properly. Baby should be in a checkmark shape with bottom being the point of the check and the back being straight-ish. Baby should never be in a “tight C” shape, as you would find in a bag sling, with chin tightly to chest. This can compromise baby’s breathing. Again, this is where hands on help is so valuable.

• Right Clothing

The right clothing can make nursing easy or a hassle. This is especially true in a carrier. You do not want to be trying to work your shirt back down in between you and the sleeping baby strapped onto your chest. What I like to do is wear a tank that can be pulled down from the top or a nursing tank under a regular shirt. If I know I will be nursing in the carrier, I pull up the top shirt to just underneath my bust. My belly is still covered by the tank, nothing is exposed. Then, I put the baby and carrier on. When it’s time to nurse, it’s easy to do so without having to hassle around a lot. You can see a picture tutorial of how to do this here.

• Practice

Practice at home first! Yes, it is wonderful to be able to discretely nurse in public. The way you get to that point, though, is to nurse at home. Look in the mirror when you do so. You may feel very exposed, but many carriers offer wonderful coverage. With the right clothing choice, a little planning and some practice, you can nurse at the grocery store with no one the wiser! Nothing makes me feel like I have it all together more than strolling through the grocery store pushing a cart full of groceries and a toddler, while secretly nursing an infant!

Beth has been nursing and wearing babies, toddlers and preschoolers for 5 years. She is a co-leader of Babywearing International of Peoria, a non profit group that helps caregivers find the right carrier for them and learn how to safely use it.

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After experiencing issues that we feel were a result of using contraceptives, my husband and I both received a moral conviction regarding contraceptives and chose to take a more natural route, avoiding artificial hormones and artificial methods of birth control.

I already viewed myself as a die-hard breastfeeder and wanted to use breastfeeding as a natural way to space my children, but I didn’t think it worked, because even while breastfeeding exclusively, my cycles come back immediately. So I never gave it a chance.

But what the majority of women deem as “exclusive” breastfeeding is far from what nature requires.

Exclusive breastfeeding shouldn’t be confused with Ecological Breastfeeding.

After reading a copy of Breastfeeding and Fertility by Jenny Silliman and then  Breastfeeding and Natural Child Spacing by Sheila Kippley, who is considered an authority on the topic, I realized that I hadn’t followed this mothering lifestyle as closely as I assumed. There’s a distinct difference between exclusive breastfeeding and ecological breastfeeding, and the effective method is usually the latter.

While Ecological Breastfeeding has shown to be effective when the standards are followed, every woman is different. It’s important to note the necessity of the standards. Yes, there are rules to follow, just like other contraceptive methods require certain rules.

Seven Standards of Ecological Breastfeeding

1.Breastfeed exclusively for the first six months of life (don’t use other liquids and solids, not even water.)

2.  Pacify or comfort your baby at your breasts.

3.  Don’t use bottles and don’t use pacifiers. Here is where we start to deviate a little from typical “exclusive.” Shipley writes that when she speaks to a woman who talks of how her cycles returned while mom was exclusively breastfeeding, chances are that the baby is sitting on the mama’s lap with a pacifier. I used to think that pacifiers were absolute necessities. When we decided to stop using the pacifier, I had two concerns:

1.      Baby would always want to nurse, without a break.

2.      Baby would simply begin thumb sucking.

         But what I discovered is that when I allowed him to nurse on demand, even when only for comfort, he needed to comfort nurse less and less. It was as though that need was truly being met and therefore he needed less to be satisfied.

4.Sleep with your baby for night feedings.

5.Sleep with your baby for a daily-nap feeding.

6.  Nurse frequently day and night, and avoid schedules.

7.  Avoid any practice that restricts nursing or separates you from your baby.

Putting it All Together

When looking at the standards, one can understand how this more intensive way of nursing can affect a woman’s body more than our culture’s exclusive breastfeeding norm.

As the baby nurses, it sends a signal that she’s taking care of a baby who needs her and to suppress ovulation. If the baby is taking a pacifier or a bottle, having that need met through other methods, the signal to delay fertility isn’t there.

For some women, typical exclusive breastfeeding is enough to naturally delay fertility, but for many, all seven standards of true Ecological Breastfeeding must be followed.

While the standards may sound restrictive, the benefits we experience are incredible. I believe my delayed cycles contributed to increased energy and the avoidance of anemia. My cycle returned at 22 months after my fourth and 17 months after my fifth–I deviated from the seven standards when he was 15 months old. My babies also experienced improved health, even compared to older siblings who were more traditionally breastfed. And I experienced a more responsive relationship. While I’m close to all of my children, I seem to extend greater patience to my ecologically breastfed babies. Could it be the extra oxytocin at work?

While I refer to ecological breastfeeding as a natural contraceptive, I don’t look at my children as birth control, which is a common misconception from those not familiar with ecological breastfeeding. As I naturally mother my babies, meeting their needs as I’m designed, a delay in fertility is simply a natural occurrence.

Above all, I hope that readers will see the difference between ecological and exclusive breastfeeding, understanding that ecological breastfeeding is a viable option for natural child spacing, and the importance of following the seven standards. 

For more detailed information, please visit La Leche League, Kelly Mom, Ask Dr. Sears, and Natural Family Planning International.

What about you? Have you practiced ecological breastfeeding by following the seven standards? Have you heard of the standards before?

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In part 1 I shared some of the benefits I found in extended breastfeeding. If you have not read it, please do so as it sets the stage for this post.

Reasons I found not to Practice Extended Breastfeeding

As wonderful as breastfeeding both kids well into, or even beyond, toddlerhood there were reasons I chose to actively wean both of them, as well as cons to the fact that I did do extended breastfeeding.

Tandem Nursing issues- I nursed Christopher through my pregnancy with Natalia. I honestly do not know if it was the best choice. I am glad that I got to nurse him for so long, but there were many issues with our tandem nursing experience. It hurt. It was exhausting. It was a crazy stressful time for us and I further stressed my body. The entire pregnancy I struggled with depression and though times of nursing was relaxing I am not sure I was asking too much of my body.

Most of all though, one day it caused my uterus to contract terribly hard and set off a chain of contractions leading up to me being on partial bedrest. Do I think it was due to nursing? No, at least not directly. I think there was other things going on which meant my body could not handle the extra strain.

I did not nurse him for three weeks, then ended up nursing him again after it was safe for baby to come. I did not nurse him much because it did lead to painful long contractions, but I did.

Gungho/legalism- I felt a lot of pressure from reading articles (like this one I am afraid) that talked about the benefits of extended nursing. I had it in my mind I wanted to reach to 3. After the birth of my daughter I enjoyed nursing both kids- for a few weeks. Then we were moving. I had a not quite two year old, a newborn, and an entire house to pack as I was not able to get to it before Natalia’s birth.

One morning as I laid there nursing Christopher I cried out to God “I just can’t do this anymore!” The beautiful bonding and relaxation were gone and I was doing it out of the legalism need to “give my kid the best”. God answered my cry and I felt at peace with not nursing him. We stopped and I told Christopher I just needed to focus on nursing baby Natalia. He was heart over head in love with her and accepted that answer with only a few tears.

A few weeks later after the move was complete I let him nurse again because I could handle it then and it was once again that beautiful experience. I did have to cut back on his nursing though because he would have nursed 4-5 times a day if I let him and with a newborn that was not happening!

Nursing can take a lot out of you! I urge you to pray about it, and then do what you feel is right for you and your family and not let a list of rules dictate you. I actually chose, based on my first experience, not to nurse my daughter past the first few months of pregnancy. I did not want to cold wean her and she was nursing full time when I got pregnant, so it took a while to fully wean.

Why I actively weaned both kids:

I would have loved to self wean, but when my three year old still would have nursed multiple times a day and I was dealing with a lot of health issues last summer I knew it was time. I just could not handle it anymore. It was once again not that beautiful time of relaxing and bonding but something I did because I felt like I should. We still snuggled and had plenty of one-on-one time just not nursing any longer.

The decision to wean Natalia when I got pregnant with baby #3 was incredibly hard. She was still nursing at night, and many times during the day. She in no way seemed old enough to wean. But, like I just mentioned I had a lot of health issues over the summer. My hormones were so out of whack I had morning sickness symptoms without even being pregnant. I really struggled to eat enough to be able to nurse, much less to be nurse during pregnancy. I had pretty extreme fatigue. I had many signs of magnesium deficiency Looking back over my pregnancy I am so glad I chose to wean her even if I get sad when she still (4 mo later) asks to nurse.

Dreams for the future:

I would love to nurse future kids for as long, if not longer, then I did with Christopher because it was such a beautiful time of bonding. I will however have to listen to my body and decide each time if I can still handle, and enjoy, it.

Have you ever breastfeed past infancy? What were some of the pros and cons you found?

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photo credit: flequi

The gut flora of every human being will make or break your overall health. The human gastrointestinal tract constitutes about seventy percent of the immune system. You know, that complex system within our bodies that protects us and keeps us healthy.

In your belly, your baby is in the safest place in the world. While your little one is in your belly he or she is receiving the protection from your, the mother’s, immune system. You have spent many years being exposed to different microbes and pathogens. Your immune is strong because of your gut flora. Our gut flora is the game changer in moderating our immunity. Our gut flora is like the gate keeper and has the job of not allowint any garbage to penetrate the boundaries. When they do come across garbage this is when they signal the immune system to take action.

Our immune system offers different levels of defense against foreign invaders. Besides the anatomical barriers – such as the skin and mucous membranes- our immune system is broken into two distinct courses or progressions. First, we have the innate, or non-specific, part of the immune system in which our bodies elicit a broad, general response to foreign invaders such as bacteria or viruses. Second, we have the humoral, or adaptive and specific, immune system in which our bodies learn and improve on repeated exposure. Remember back when you were young and your mom sent you to chicken pox parties? This is so you would get chicken pox and your body would learn how to fight it off, so then when you become older your body can combat chicken pox and shingles effectively.

The most important thing you can do for your new baby is facilitate the development of their gastrointestinal tract and immune system. This is the best defense you can give your child against the outside world. Forget about all the future life’s lessons and book reports. Those are beneficial. However, if your child does not have a healthy functioning immune system he or she will not thrive.

When a baby is born, they basically have a blank canvas as far as microbial content is concerned. The second they enter this world they are being exposed to microbes, good and bad, trying to seek refuge in a new host, your infant.

Vaginal birth and cesarean birth have a significant impact on the gut flora of the newborn. Once the bacteria hit the gut, it immediately establishes a home. When the infant is born vaginally, this is where the infant receives the first dose of microbes via the mother’s vaginal canal and surrounding tissues. There is a difference in the colonization of bacteria in a vaginal birth as compared to a cesarean birth. Babies born vaginally have mostly Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Escherichia coli, and Enterococcus. These come from the mother’s vaginal and fecal flora. While babies born via cesarean section exhibit Clostridium and Streptococcus in their gut flora. However, these come from the shiny tools.

The bacteria that originate from the mother’s vaginal canal play a huge role natural development and growth. Bifidobacterium aids in digestion of the breast milk and has an immunomodulatory effect on intestinal immune cells. Lactobacillus plays a role in digestion, stimulates the immune system, and inhibits growth of pathogenic bacteria by keeping the pH low and regulating it’s own enzymatic activity. Escherichia coli is also known to produce crucial vitamin complexes.

Breastfeeding is just as significant impact on the immune system development. When the baby first latches on, he or she receives colostrum. This is specifically designed for the infant to aid in nutrition and helps pass the first stool. Infants that do not breastfeed suffer in many categories one being that they are more prone to infection because they lack the bifidobacteria. Infants that are not breastfed lack the colonization of beneficial bacteria along with numerous other issues.

Cesarean section? No big deal. However, the baby does need to be exposed to the bacteria that you, the mother, have developed. Enroll someone- the partner, the midwife, the ObGyn- to swab the vaginal canal and wipe on the mom’s breasts. This will expose the newborn baby while latching on to the mother’s breast for feeding. This is not gross. This is normal. Maybe not common at the moment, but your baby needs this exposure in order to ensure the healthy development of their immune system.

Once the first few moments of the baby’s life have passed then you can start to think about the next 24 hours, few days, weeks, and even months. The first 18-24 months of a baby’s life constitutes a whole new article, and those months are critical for establishing the infant’s immune system just as the first few moments in life are critical. The intestinal lining, the gut, takes about 18-24 months to fully form. The best advice I can pass along is to wait as long as possible before introducing grains to a new baby. Feed them real foods such as fruits, veggies, meats, fish, and healthy fats.

When new, beneficial bacteria colonize they establish a firm foundation resulting in healthy functioning immune system years later. Take action. Establishing healthy gut flora can prevent numerous ailments such as asthma, ADHD, eczema, and anything related to systemic inflammation. Give your baby’s immune system a solid foundation from the beginning.

What is the first action step you will take to establish your baby’s gut?

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Breastfeeding for one year may seem like a hefty goal, but most of us would love to provide our baby with the ‘perfect’ food if we could.  It is not easy for some who have to work, but hopefully you have an employer who is kind enough to let you pump every 4 hours or so.  I have been nursing my daughter for over 14 months now and it is so easy.  My goal was to make it one year and once we hit that mark, I just could not bring myself to wean her yet because she loves it.  She loves it so much that she pulls open the collar of my shirt, looks up at me with her beautiful blue eyes, and says, “mmmh, dat??” Meaning, “Mommy, may I have milk?”  When I say, “Sure! You may have some milk.” She gets so excited!!

Nursing at the beginning can seem a bit challenging.  My nursing experience was somewhat challenging.  At the beginning, my daughter spent 5 days in the NICU and I had to fight to get to her room to make sure I nursed her before they gave her formula.  However, because they wanted me to measure her milk intake, I had to pump and give her a bottle.  So, off the bat we had ‘nipple confusion’.  To try and get her to go to the breast again, we used a nipple shield.  This worked great until the pediatrician said she wasn’t gaining enough weight.

I consulted with my Bradley Method Birth Instructor and she said that the nipple shield was likely causing her not to get enough milk.  She recommended that I quit using the shield immediately, coached me over the phone how to get my daughter re-acquainted with my ‘small nipples’, compared to a shield/ bottle, and reminded me that she will not starve herself.  It will be a battle of the wills and encouraged me to win.  Win I did.  My daughter was nursing straight on breast the first feeding.  So those of you who think you cannot get away from using a nipple shield, it can be done.

Nursing from that point forward was easier, however, there were times where it hurt to have her latch on.  Not that she was latching incorrectly, it was just that we had not gotten into a rhythm on her latching without also making my ‘sore’ nipples hurt.  It is a little uncomfortable the first three weeks, there should not be excruciating pain, and, if there is, there is likely a latch issue.  Once you are past the first three weeks, it should be smooth sailing.  If it is not, please contact a Lactation Consultant/ Counselor or someone from the Le Leche League for support.

5 Tips to Help You Breastfeed for One Year

1. Remember the first month is the hardest, get support from breastfeeding friends, family, professionals to assure you are encouraged.
   Getting the proper support from women who have been there is key to not giving up.  Someone to show you the way, whisper kind words to you when you don’t feel like you are doing a good job.  Our sweet babies LOVE our food source.  Just when you think they have sucked every bit of energy out of our bodies and we cannot give anymore. . . they give us their first real smile.  Or if you have a child like mine. . . they make lots of fun and sweet noises while they nurse, which means, “Thank you mommy!!”
2. As your baby gets older, the feeding times get shorter and shorter.
   At the beginning they may feed 15 minutes on one side and 10 minutes or more on the other; however, after a few months they get really efficient at eating and can drink down both sides in 10 minutes or less.
3. Your milk will change with the needs of your baby.
   Do not let anyone, not even a doctor, tell you that the best most nutritious milk is only the first 4 months.  The milk you produce is the highest quality, raw, and full of enzymes which is so important to your child.  This is true for as long as you nurse your child, 1 day to years.
   
4. Do not feel pressured to introduce foods too early.
   You can breastfeed exclusively for 6-12 months.  Personally, I breastfed exclusively for 9 months because every time I gave my daughter solid food prior she would get diaper rash.  This told me her digestive system was too immature.  Since she had antibiotics for the first few days of her life, I had to take extra special care of redeveloping her flora and helping her restore a healthy gut.  Now, she eats whatever she wants (primarily organic foods and grass fed meats) and never gets diaper rash. You know your baby best, do what you think is right in your gut, and his/hers.
5. Stay strong and do not give up.
   I know it may be easy to just say, “Why am I doing this? Is it really that important?”  Well, it ultimately is your choice and you know what is right for your family.  However, remember, a good raw milk source, such as your breast milk, is specifically formulated just for your baby.  When we introduce cows milk or any other animal’s milk, it is ‘second best’.  Besides, you need to find a good raw milk source for those animals and it is expensive.  Why not provide for your baby a ‘free’ source of food for as long as possible.  It not only is a good source of nutrition, but it creates an amazing bond that cannot be matched by anything.  Who wants to give that up?

What are your favorite tips for breastfeeding long-term?

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photo credit: Beautiful Breastfeeding

Whether or not your baby nurses right away after birth has to do with many things, but one of the most important is the birth itself. Birth is not an isolated event, and breastfeeding is a primary example. The choices you make during and before childbirth have an enormous impact on how well breastfeeding is initiated. There are a few of the things that can interfere with a baby’s ability and desire to latch on right away.

1. Baby is in pain

Due to a very long, or even a very short labor. Believe it or not, a short labor can actually be quite difficult for baby, due to the rapid intensity. Obviously a long labor can be difficult too. Especially since long labors can often be caused by bad position (see #2). Routine deep suctioning after birth can also irritate the baby’s mouth and throat, causing them to not want to suck. Other interventions like forceps or vacuum extraction or use of pitocin can also interfere with breastfeeding since they can cause more discomfort to baby. Some midwives carry homeopathic Arnica to give babies who seem to be in pain. I’ve seen this work amazingly well several times for the reluctant nurser who seems uncomfortable! Many things you don’t have control over, but your best bet at avoiding interventions in birth would be to hire a doula and/or get great childbirth education.

 2. Baby is out of alignment

Sometimes if your baby has been in a bad position during labor they come out needing adjusted. Many families find great success taking their newborn to a chiropractor soon after birth so that they can get back in alignment right away. I know many chiros will even make home visits so you don’t have to take your brand new little one out. Once your little one is back in alignment and comfortable, they may latch on right away.

Here I am just a few hours after delivering my third child at home. I think our undisrupted birth is one of the biggest reasons our breastfeeding relationship is still going strong at 20 months.

 3. Baby is out of it

Due to the exhaustion of being squeezed by contractions every few minutes for a whole day. Or perhaps you are one of the more than 75% of women who chose an epidural or other intravenous narcotic medication. Since the medication in an epidural and other medications cross the placental barrier, they can certainly have the effect of making the baby more sleepy and less apt to be vigorous breastfeeders.  Typically, eventually the baby will perk up and get hungry. Keep them stimulated by having them skin to skin and immediately respond to early feeding cues.

 4. Baby goes to the NICU or nursery

Say you must have a c-section. Or your baby is premature. Or for some other reason you are not able to have immediate skin-to-skin contact with your newborn. Except for extreme cases, there may be ways to get around this obstacle. You can ask for a family-centered cesarean,  which allows for more time with your baby immediately after birth. You could discuss contingency plans with your care provider about leaving the cord intact and doing any needed resuscitation or evaluation on a board next to mother. If baby has to have a stay in the nciu, check out Kellymom.com for great tips how how to approach breastfeeding the near-term infant.

 This list is by no means exhaustive of the many ways that your birth may have affected your breastfeeding relationship. Above all, though, birth is not something that is all that controllable, so if things don’t go as planned and you struggle with breastfeeding, do not be discouraged!  If you continue to have trouble, I highly recommend contacting an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant or your local La Leche League or Breastfeeding USA chapter.

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I feel very blessed to have been able to not only be able to nurse both of my kids, but to nurse them for extended periods. My son until he was three and my daughter until 20 months (I sadly felt I needed to wean her, but more on that later). There were so many reasons I did chose to extended breastfeed, as well as reasons I chose to wean when I did.

I will be sharing a bit of our nursing story as well as the pros and cons I found with nursing past infancy. Please note though: these are from my personal experience. I have read every argument out there for, and against, extended breastfeeding and have come to the conclusion that everyone needs to make weigh their own decision and make the best decision for them and their child.

Why we chose to breastfeed past infancy

There was not much a decision to breastfeed extendedly as the decision to wean just did not really seem right.

My son always “fit” during that time I nursed him. I remember holding a newborn baby and worrying that as he grew he would no longer “fit” as well. My mom assured me that was not the case–that he would fit even as he got bigger. She was right! Even when I was nursing a 2 year old and a newborn they both fit into my arms, and it was a similar bonding experience with a few different aspects.

A Few More (logical) Reasons

Though bonding was the biggest reason for us, there were other reasons as well:

Nutrition- During the 2nd year (13 -24 mo) of breastfeeding, breastmilk can provide:

• 29% of energy requirements
•  43% of protein requirements
•  36% of calcium requirements 
• 75% of vitamin A requirements 
• 76% of folate requirements 
• 94% of vitamin B12 requirements 
•  60% of vitamin C requirements

- Dewey 2001 (source)

I totally did not know those numbers, it was simply a  matter of wanting him to have something I knew was very nourishing during years of very fast development.

Brain development- 75% of a person’s brain development happens in the first three years (source) during that time I felt that breastmilk, with all of it’s brain developing nutrition, was especially beneficial.

Immune system support- A child’s immune system is not fully developed until age four or five. Breast milk provides immune supporting nutrition, as well as antibodies. When a mother has the same cold as the child the antibodies are even tailored to that sickness, helping the child even more. (source)

Hydration- Dehydration in a sick child is a scary thing. I have seen my son who refused all other forms of liquid and most foods readily except the breast- actually this happened a couple times between 1 and 2. Even when nothing else was accepted my son was nourished and hydrated with some amazing nourishment.

Comfort- Though I can not say I remember it, I can tell by watching my kids that there is something extra special and comforting about nursing. This is one of the biggest reasons I miss nursing my daughter. She has had a rough few months with some food sensitivities and allergies. Her stomach hurts, her mouth hurts, her bottom hurts, her chest itches ect. Though we are working hard to try and figure out all that is going on, I just wish sometimes I could scoop her up and nurse her just for the comfort aspect if nothing else.

There are many other benefits, these were just the ones we took into consideration more then anything else.

As much as I loved nursing my son until 3, and my daughter till nearly 2 (and wish I felt like we could have gone longer) there were some cons to it as well as reasons we chose to actively (vs. self) wean both of them. Next week I will be sharing that part of our story.

Have you ever breastfeed past infancy? What were some of the pros and cons you found?

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photo credit: sean dreilinger

Our theme this month is feeding baby, so naturally we have focused quite a bit on breastfeeding. While I wholeheartedly believe that breastfeeding is the absolute best way to nourish your baby, I am not so naive to think that it is an option for every mama and baby across the board. There are medical conditions (albeit very few) that prevent mamas from being able to successfully breastfeed. There are mamas who have had various types of breast surgery that make breastfeeding incredibly difficult or impossible. Not every new mama grows her baby inside of her. While it is possible to lactate without experiencing pregnancy, that is certainly not feasible for everyone. So, what is a mama to do when breastfeeding truly is not an option? The World Health Organization recommends following these guidelines for infant feeding in their publication entitled “Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding”:

• Milk from own mother by breastfeeding,
• Milk from own mother, expressed,
• Milk from a wet-nurse
• Milk from a milk bank
• Breastmilk substitute

Find Donor Milk

For a mama who simply cannot produce her own breast milk, the next best option is to find donor milk. There are different ways to go about this. Personally, I would choose to find a donor that I know in real life first. Once my baby is born, I am planning on exclusively nursing my own infant as well as pumping to donate milk to a friend of mine who has an adopted son with a dairy allergy. This set-up is considered to be informal milk-sharing. There are also websites such as Eats on Feets and Human Milk for Human Babies dedicated to helping mamas find informal donors. Some states have milk banks where mamas can get donated breast milk. The downside, in my opinion, to this milk is that it has been pasteurized.

Make Homemade Formula

After donated mama milk, the next best option according to the WHO is a breast milk substitute. If this is your only option, my suggestion would be to make your own baby formula. One of the contributors at our real food site, Modern Alternative Kitchen, wrote a great post on making homemade baby formula complete with a video tutorial a couple of weeks ago. You can read the full post here or click below to watch the video.

What About Commercial Formula?

One thing I cannot do is endorse any commercial baby formula. There are myriad reasons for this, but chief among them is that almost all commercial baby formulas have soy as a main ingredient. The following problems can result from the consumption of soy, no matter your age, but are exacerbated in the small body of an infant:

• the development of adult infertility.
• vitamin deficiencies.
• blockage of absorption of essential vitamins and minerals
• depressed thyroid function

It is also estimated that a baby who is exclusively fed soy based formula ingests the equivalent of five hormonal birth control pills a day. If hormonal birth control is not a wise choice for you, why would it be a wise choice for your baby? You can read more about the dangers of soy here and the dangers of commercial formula in general here.

What do you think? Have any of you truly been unable to breastfeed?

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