With all the talk about infant formula and quality control in
baby-food production, why isn't anyone talking about the
miraculous system that Hashem created to nourish babies for
their first year of life and beyond?
That's what Jessica Billowitz wants to know. Mrs. Billowitz,
I.B.C.L.C., a certified lactation consultant in Ramat Beit
Shemesh, not only educates women about the basic mechanics of
nursing, but tries to dispel the myths circulation among both
first-time and veteran mothers.
"One of my goals is to restore the self confidence of women,
to show them that they can succeed in nursing," says
Mrs. Billowitz. "This is the best thing for both them and
their babies. Many times, when a woman starts with the
attitude, `Hashem created this process and I want to succeed
because it's the most healthy thing I can do,' she's
successful, no matter what. She can hire someone to clean her
floor or wash her laundry, but only she can nurse her
baby."
Understanding the Process
Understanding the process is the first step to success. "It's
not mysterious; it doesn't have to do with whether you have
or don't have milk," explains the lactation consultant who
worked with new mothers at Beit Hachlama Mother and Baby
Convalescent Home for four and a half years. "It's just a
matter of supply and demand and the laws of science and
nature."
Scientific research has found that nursing is even more
complex than anyone ever realized. The system basically
operates on a supply-and-demand basis: the more the baby
needs, the more is produced. Mother's milk is always
delivered at the right temperature, and actually changes in
nutritional composition as the baby matures. Although some
vitamins and minerals are found in lower concentrations
compared to fortified infant formula, they are better
absorbed. Nursing babies, for example, rarely become anemic.
While mother's milk contains lower concentrations of iron
than does iron-fortified formula, the iron in mother's milk
is better absorbed.
Beyond that, mother's milk contains at least one hundred
ingredients which are not found in cow's milk and which can
never be duplicated in the laboratory. These include
immunological factors, cell-building mechanisms, anti-
bacterial components, anti-infection factors and ingredients
that improve visual and cognitive development. In general,
nursing babies have less colic, upset stomach, constipation
and diarrhea and fewer ear infections than do formula-fed
babies.
Nursing benefits the mother, as well. Studies show that
nursing mothers are at lower risk for developing certain
female cancers, R'l. A study that measured IQ in
children found that those who drank mother's milk scored
higher on the intelligence test than those who were raised on
formula. "You'll also find more bottle-fed babies who are
overweight," adds Mrs. Billowitz. "That's because you can't
force feed a nursing baby. He paces himself -- he takes in
less quantity but can go farther with those calories."
Overcoming Difficulties
If nursing is so beneficial for both mother and baby, why
don't all women succeed at it?
"Ninety-five percent of mothers have the potential to
successfully nurse their babies," the consultant notes. "In
three percent of cases, primary lactation failure halts the
process. Occasionally, a mother may develop a medical
problem, such as hypothyroidism, that may restrict the milk
supply. In rare cases, a baby may be born with a soft cleft
palate that precludes nursing. However, preemies or other
infants who have a hard time establishing lactation due to a
weaker suck or difficulty latching on, can nurse successfully
with the help of a lactation consultant."
A far more common scenario is the mother who gets discouraged
by technical problems that are easy to remedy. She might be
misinterpreting her baby's cues. Or she may experience pain
or soreness that she thinks is normal, but really isn't. Some
women give up because the nursing seems to take too much
time. There is also confusion about weight gain, ranging from
mothers who think, "So long as I'm nursing, if my baby's not
gaining weight, it doesn't matter," to mothers who think, "If
he's not gaining weight like the chubbiest bottle-fed baby, I
must be giving him skim milk."
Whatever the reason, a lactation consultant can evaluate the
nursing process and offer helpful guidelines to make it work,
even for mothers who failed with their first six or seven
children.
In Eretz Yisroel, the three month maternity leave can set an
unrealistic deadline for nursing. "A mother recently asked
me, `How do I get my baby onto a bottle, because I want to
get him off nursing by three months?'" relates one
pediatrician in disbelief. New mothers who must return to
work can successfully nurse at home and prepare bottles of
mother's milk for their baby to drink while they're away.
One should be wary of alternative-medicine supplements or
herbs that promise to boost milk production. The drug called
Motilium is actually a prescription drug that is given after
everything else has failed. "It's sometimes used if a mother
has a severe preemie and hasn't even begun to nurse her baby,
and then her milk supply drops after three months of
pumping," Mrs. Billowitz says. "It is not for the average
mother who thinks she doesn't have enough milk."
A confusing array of information and advice bombards nursing
mothers from all sides. They may hear one thing from their
doctor, another from hospital nurses, another from Tipat
Chalav clinic nurses and another from friends who "had the
same problem."
"A mother should choose one expert to listen to, rather than
taking advice from fifteen different people and being
confused," Mrs. Billowitz advises. "Sometimes I find I do
mothers the biggest service because they can call me all year
long to discuss nursing and related issues such as growth
spurts, weaning and starting solids."
Not everyone who gives nursing advice is qualified to do so.
To qualify for certification from the International Board of
Lactation Consultant Examiners, a candidate must first
complete a minimum of 2,500 contact hours under supervision,
which takes years to accrue. There are currently 44
I.B.C.L.C. -- certified lactation consultants in Eretz
Yisrael, including a number of Shomer Shabbos professionals.
La Leche League and the Israel Childbirth Education Center (a
branch of the National Childbirth Trust of Great Britain)
also demands rigorous training before certifying lactation
consultants.
Introducing Solids
Only a decade ago, doctors advised nursing mothers to start
their babies on solids at two months of age. Today, major
health organizations like the American Academy of Pediatrics
and the World Health Organization acknowledge that mother's
milk is the best thing for a baby for at least twelve
months.
These organizations now recommend introducing solids sometime
in the middle of the first year. Mother's milk will still be
the main food and solids will be supplementary between the
ages of six and twelve months. After the first birthday,
solid food will become primary and mother's milk
supplementary until the child is weaned. Here, too, a
certified lactation consultant can evaluate individual needs
and desires to make nursing the most enjoyable and rewarding
experience for both mother and baby.
Jessica Billowitz can be reached at 02-999-9979
