Beating The Odds in a Bottlefeeding Culture

Breastfeeding a baby in a bottle-feeding culture can be challenging but two organizations that support the are using national breastfeeding week (Aug. 1-7) to help moms overcome the obstacles.

Stori Hart, breastfeeding coordinator for the Grundy County Health Department WIC (Women, Infants and Children) program will be distributing floral tote bags to the 32 mothers who participated in the breastfeeding support group during the month of June.

“We encourage our moms to breastfeed for up to six months and we’re really surprised and happy if they breastfeed for a full year,” Hart said, “Some of them are not able for medical reasons. Breastfeeding also slows down when they go back to work.”

Also, two La Leche League leaders, Tara Buchanan of Channahon and Ellen Goodwin of Minooka, offered insights and solutions into breastfeeding’s most difficult areas, while stressing that the ability to nurse one’s baby is within the reach of most women.

“Breastfeeding should be considered natural and normal,” Buchanan said. “It’s not something just the ‘A’ students do.”

Although the number of new mothers who leave the hospital breastfeeding their newborn is greater than it was several decades ago, by six months, only 32 percent of those mothers are still nursing.

“Many moms return to work when their babies are between 3 and 6 months, so that’s when they stop breastfeeding,” Buchanan said. “They’re just too overwhelmed to do both.”

Nursing issues may also appear during certain milestones: the growth spurts at six weeks and three months, when solids are introduced, teething, and illness (mother and/or baby). Breastfeeding may also be trickier, but not impossible, if either mom or the baby has a disability.

“That’s where groups like La Leche League help,” Goodwin said. “When a mother attends a meeting and has a problem, three moms will chime in and say, ‘That happened to me and here’s what helped.'”

Although Illinois law now mandates employers to offer reasonable break times and private areas—not the company restroom—for pumping milk, repercussions for not heeding the law are few, Buchanan said, unless the mother takes her boss to court.

Buchanan suggests a positive approach. During pregnancy, inform your boss about your intentions to nurse and stress the positive benefits to him, such as fewer and less severe illnesses for your baby and minimal lost work hours for you.

If he also embraces being green, remind him that breastfeeding means less waste for the environment.

“This promotes a spirit of cooperation, especially if you want to keep your job,” Buchanan said.

Goodwin reminds new mothers that bottle-feeding is rarely the easy answer. In addition to its cost, sterilization is mandatory and, even then, there’s no guarantee the baby will tolerate formula or not be allergic to it. Some mothers frantically switch from brand to brand, seeking a product that will agree with their baby.

Even in the 21st Century, many hospitals and pediatricians, who often have no formal training in breastfeeding, still subtly suggest formula is the best option, especially if the baby is jaundiced or the mother is in pain from a Cesarean section.

“What the mother really needs is assistance to get breastfeeding going,” Goodwin said. “I’ve seen nurses or lactation consultants come in and be abrupt. That can really undermine the mother’s confidence.”

Finally, Buchanan said new mothers should remember that what seems to be a breastfeeding problem is really a new baby problem. So often a woman’s concept of motherhood come from TV’s unrealistic depictions, which no mother or baby can meet.

“The first few weeks are intense,” Buchanan said. “The transition from pregnancy to new motherhood can be crazy. You feel like you’re going nonstop, so it’s natural to question yourself.”

What: La Leche League, Joliet group

When: 7 p.m., fourth Monday of the month

Where: Call for location for the morning group. Evening meetings are at Family Health Chiropractic, 1736 Essington Road, Joliet

Call: 815-317-6065.