Connie can only shake her head seeing how something as natural could provoke the most curious of looks.

Connie Wilson, 24, is mother to eight-month-old Connor, and way before her baby was born, Connie made the choice to breastfeed. Connie and her husband had long planned to give their newborn the best nutrition there is and that meant feeding her with mother’s milk for the longest possible time.

“I was lucky to get a six-month break from my work as human resources head, and I took all that time with my kid,” Connie says.

One glitch however is the fact that Connie had to breastfeed her baby Connor outside their home. She had no problems with that. But apparently, many do.

For instance, when Connor was three months old, Connie went to the neighborhood hairdresser to have her hair done. While waiting, she breastfed her baby at the reception area. Out of nowhere, a man swooped over and draped a big, black rubber cape over the baby.

“At first I thought he was prepping me up for a haircut, not knowing that I was finished. Then I. realized .he wanted to protect his other patrons, most of whom were women, from the sight of nursing a baby,” Connie narrated. “Imagine my baby eating lunch under a material that doesn’t breathe. So I told the man that it’s my baby’s food. I didn’t make a big production out of it, but I managed to politely send the man away.”

MOST IMPORTANT FOOD

There is no argument that mother’s milk is the most important food in sustaining good infant nutrition. This is the reason why the health sector is trumpeting how crucial breastfeeding is in promoting not only infant nutrition, but also the long-term effects on a person’s health.

International experts in breastfeeding and fertility management also recommend LAM or Lactational Amenorrhea Method as an excellent family planning choice for couples.

Because breastfeeding stops the production of hormones necessary for ovulation and fertility in mothers, LAM is proven to be 98 percent effective in avoiding pregnancy for up to six months from the birth of the baby.

However, LAM provides natural family planning protection against pregnancy only if all the following conditions are present: the woman is fully or nearly fully breast-feeding with her baby getting at least 85 percent of his or her feedings as breast milk: her menstrual periods have not returned and her baby is less than six months old.

Baby Nursing may also have psychological benefits for the infant as well, creating early attachment between mother and child. Many psychologists believe the nursing baby enjoys a sense of security from the warmth and presence of the mother, especially when there is skin to skin contact during feeding.

Ironically, as in the case of Connie and countless others, the noble decision to breastfeed the baby does not leave the most insecure of feelings.

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Although, in most cases breastfeeding a new born infant is the preferred option for all mothers, certain exceptions produce concern for health care experts and mothers about breastfeeding as an optimal feeding source for the child. One of these exceptions is a disease of the human immune system called Acquired Immunodeficiency syndrome and it is caused by the virus Human Immunodeficiency Virus, also known as HIV. This is transmitted by the direct contact of a mucous membrane or blood stream with a bodily fluid containing the virus, and one of these fluids is breast milk.

Apart from breastfeeding, this virus can also be transmitted to the infant during pregnancy and delivery. In the absence of anti-retroviral drugs or any other intervention, between 15 to 30 percent of infants are infected with HIV during pregnancy or delivery; among all breastfed infants, around 10 to 20 percent will be infected because of it. So, two thirds of children of infected women will not be infected whereas, one third of infected children will have so through breastfeeding.

Even after a mother has been discovered to be HIV positive, there are certain choices that she can make, it is imperative that these choices be influenced by the accurate information of health experts, their support and counseling and the feasibility of the economic and social environment. It is recommended that if a mother knows she is infected and substitutes for breast milk can be provided for, along with clean water and proper health care facilities then, it is better to not breastfeed the child, as it would put the baby at a greater risk of virus transmission. On the other hand, in places where infectious diseases such as diarrhea and pneumonia increase infant mortality, proper hygiene and water are unavailable, breast milk substitutes are expensive or unhealthy and adequate health facilities are not available, then breast feeding is the best chance of survival for the infant.

HIV positive mothers wishing to breastfeed their infants can do so by considerably reducing the risk of virus transmission, however, this is recommended only when necessary. Unfortunately, many parts of the world make artificial feeding of an infant impossible due to economic and social factors. First of all HIV positive mothers choosing to breastfeed must do so exclusively for the first six months; adding other fluids or solids even water to the diet of the new born is not only unnecessary but also can increase the risk of transmission but contracting infections. Mixed feeding that is, breastfeeding as well as feeding other foods is highly discouraged since it can irritate the lining of the baby’s stomach, increasing risks of HIV transmission. Secondly, the HIV positive mother should try to limit the total duration of breastfeeding since the chances of transmission exist as long as breastfeeding does. So, if replacement methods of feeding become available and feasible, it is recommended that mothers discontinue to breastfeed. Thirdly, mothers should avoid problems such as oral lesions in the baby and breast problems such as sore nipple in the mother since they can increase risk of transmission. A lot of programs also advocate and strive to make common and encourage use of anti-retroviral drugs since these can be helpful in reducing possibility of transmission via breastfeeding. Alternate strategies can be adopted by HIV positive mothers; leaving expressed milk at room temperature or pasteurizing it can eliminate or reduce the chances of baby getting HIV. Milk can easily be expressed using manual or electric breast pumps like ameda breast pump. Information on pumps can be found online at www.trusted-breast-pumps.com. If lucky, mothers can also provide breast milk from alternate sources, possibly through HIV negative women, for their baby. It is important to note that in many cases, mothers are not provided with enough information and counseling to make the optimal decision; they must take special care of their own health while breastfeeding.

On a larger scale, measures have to be taken to support breastfeeding and implement ways to minimize risk of HIV transmission. Women should be helped to avoid the infection completely by promoting safer sexual behavior; reducing the number of sexual contacts, and condom usage can contribute in avoiding the infection. Health care providers and influential groups should have accurate technical information so that people are spared the consequences of misinformation. Confidential HIV testing and counseling for both men and women can help spread awareness and encourage people to communicate further the advantages of knowing one’s HIV status. For all women who are not infected, breastfeeding remains the optimal choice for feeding the baby since it fulfills the nutritional requirements and strengthens the baby’s immune system increasing its overall chances of survival.

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Mother nature set it up that breastfeeding would be the best way to give your baby it’s nourishment. There are many benefits to breast milk as opposed to bottle feeding. There are over a million newborn who don’t make it, each and every year, due to being fed with formula.

The mother’s milk is designed to give your baby all it’s nutritional needs. It has ingredients that help it to resist disease. From allergies to diarrhea, and all things in between (rashes and ear infections) it’s the best possible food for your newborn baby.

When they manufacture the formula that you buy, the base milk comes from cows. It lacks in certain proteins, has others it shouldn’t, and is missing many necessary nutrients that the Mother’s milk has.

Human bodies weren’t designed to process these foreign agents, therefore those little bodies break down from trying. What their bodies can’t break down, gets stored in fat cells. So while the baby gets fatter (which is mistaken for healthiness), it also gets sick more often. It’s been noted that there are around a hundred or so essentials found in breast milk that are missing in the formula.

Babies that are breastfed are given the same antibodies that the mother has. These are essential in fighting off disease and keeping the immune system strong against the attacks of worldy germ warfare. They have a much lesser rate of things like measles, staph infections, pneumonia, bronchitis, and many other maladies. Breast milk cells are around 80% geared toward destroying fungus and fight viruses and bacteria.

Another element of the pros of breastfeeding is that, many times women who bottle feed will let someone else enjoy the experience and feed the baby. It may seem nice, and is a nice gesture, but the baby is missing out on an excellent bonding opportunity. The more a woman breastfeeds, the more she holds her baby close, and the baby is getting nourished, and a bonding takes place. This is part of nature’s plan, and it’s sad when it’s passed over.

The only negative thing to be said about breastfeeding is that your nipples may be a bit sore at first. But with regular feeding you’ll overcome this and be just fine. With irregular feedings you may get some soreness from being too full of milk, so a good regular routine is good for both you and your baby.

Within one hour of giving birth, you may be breastfeeding. However, what comes out is called ‘colostrum’. It’s loaded with antibodies to help kickstart the baby’s fight against sickness. Newborns need feeding around every two hours at first, then they’ll settle into a more lax and normal routine.

If you’re a new mother, and you are able to breastfeed, you owe it to you and your baby to do it. It has everything your baby needs to start out on the right foot to a healthy and happy life.

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