Episode 116: Benefits of breastfeeding

By Timiiye Yomi, MD. Editing and comments by Hector Arreaza, MD.

Dr. Yomi explains the benefits of breastfeeding for mother and baby. Three doctor listeners share their experiences with breastfeeding. 

You are listening to Rio Bravo qWeek Podcast, your weekly dose of knowledge brought to you by the Rio Bravo Family Medicine Residency Program from Bakersfield, California, a UCLA-affiliated program sponsored by Clinica Sierra Vista, Let Us Be Your Healthcare Home. This podcast was created for educational purposes only. Visit your primary care provider for additional medical advice.

Breastfeeding is the process by which a child is fed breast milk. It is an ancient practice that dates to pre-historic times. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends breastfeeding as the sole source of nutrition for babies for about 6 months and can be continued for as long as both mother and baby desire it, while the World Health Organization recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of life and up to 2 years with appropriate complementary foods.

Human milk has many advantageous anti-infective and immunologic properties, making it the ideal nutritional source to optimize the infant's well-being. Of the over 130 million babies born every year in the world, only 42% of mothers breastfeed their newborn within the first hour of life, 38% practice exclusive breastfeeding, and over 50% breastfeed for up to 2 years. In this segment, we will be talking about the many benefits of breastfeeding to both children and mothers.

Benefits to the baby: 

• Breast milk has the right amount of nutrients and fluids needed for a baby’s growth and development.
• It is easier to digest than formula, and breastfed babies have less gas, fewer feeding problems, and less constipation.
• It contains antibodies that protect infants from illnesses like otitis media, gastroenteritis, and respiratory illnesses like asthma and allergies, especially in children breastfed beyond 6 months. 
• It reduces the risk of atopic dermatitis, NEC, Celiac Disease, Crohn’s Disease and ulcerative colitis, Late-onset sepsis in the preterm infant, and childhood leukemia.
• Reduces the risk of childhood obesity, HTN, and type 1 and 2 diabetes  
• Breastfed infants have a lower risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
• Breastfed infants have been shown to have better cognitive development.

Benefits to the mother:

• Promotes weight loss and some degree of contraceptive for mothers
• Women who breastfeed longer have been shown to have lower rates of type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure, breast and ovarian cancer in premenopausal women, thyroid cancers, rheumatoid arthritis, and osteoporosis
• Reduces the risk of post-Partum depression
• Breastfeeding triggers the release of oxytocin that promotes uterine involution and may decrease the amount of postpartum hemorrhage.

Additional benefits:

• Promotes mother-infant bonding 
• Cheap and economical for families and society
• Convenient

In summary, breastfeeding delivers a lot of health, nutritional and emotional benefits to both children and mothers. When not contraindicated, we encourage mothers to engage in this practice as it presents babies with a healthy start in life.

The benefits of breastfeeding cannot be overstated. However, we recognize that some mothers have challenges breastfeeding. For those mothers, we say you are a great mother if you take good care of your baby, even if you cannot breastfeed him/her.

Testimonials:

Breastfeeding is highly recommended by healthcare professionals, and in most cases, it is a natural and smooth process. However, it is not always free of challenges. You will listen to testimonials about three different breastfeeding experiences. All these testimonials are anonymous and written by advanced-level healthcare providers. Their experiences fall on a spectrum ranging from positive and easy to negative and difficult.

Testimonial #1: My grandma told me so.

When I was pregnant with my first child, I was already keenly aware of the benefits of breastfeeding because by that time, I was established in my profession as a health care provider. I looked forward to breastfeeding my newborn. However, when my baby was born, I found that my breast anatomy made it extremely difficult for my baby to latch on. While it is possible for women to breastfeed with inverted nipples, for me and my baby, it did not work out. 

I felt like a failure as a new mother.  When my grandma came to visit me and my newborn, I told her how frustrated I was with my body.  She replied, “yah, sorry about that; you got those from me!” Yes, inverted nipples are a genetic trait, and 10-20% of women are born with inverted nipples. I had been feeling alone in my plight, but after talking with my grandma, I realized there were other women struggling just like me!  

Although I was very disappointed that I couldn’t breastfeed, I didn’t let that deter me from giving breast milk to my baby. Where there is a will, there is a way! I decided to bottle-feed my baby with my pumped breast milk. It was extra work and a bit time-consuming, but for me, the health benefits for both my baby and me were worth it. 

Thankfully, I am blessed with a supportive husband who took on the nighttime feedings while I pumped milk. I could only keep up this pumping routine for 3 months before my maternity leave ended. While I would have preferred my baby to receive breast milk for longer, I find peace in the saying, “something is better than nothing.” If only there had been wearable breast pumps back then, I’m sure I could have given my baby breast milk for much longer. Technology today is amazing!  

While I encourage all my patients to breastfeed, my personal experience has made me empathetic to the physical challenges and even heartache that women experience over breastfeeding. I always keep in mind that every woman and baby’s situation is unique, and I also give myself grace for what I initially felt was a shortcoming as a new mother.  

Testimonial 2: Fed is best.

I have been a breastfeeding advocate since medical school.Prior to the delivery of my first baby, I had my breast pump and bag ready. I had all the handouts about different breastfeeding techniques, positions, and all the available community resources.  I had the tablets and teas that would stimulate milk production. I was ready!

When I delivered my beautiful baby girl, she had trouble latching and it was very painful for me. All through that first night at the hospital, I requested the lactation coaches to come to the bedside to guide me, and they came by every shift. They even gave me all these extra syringes and tubes to feed my baby. We ended up feeding her with donor’s milk at the hospital. We even fed her via a syringe the first few nights. I was never able to get her to latch. I drank my water and my tea, I  took my tablets, and I was able to pump some milk,filling only 1/4 -1/2 of the bottle each time, only about 3-6 cc from each breast in a 20–30-minute session. My baby started to be fed with formula and my breast milk. I continued to pump during my lunch breaks when I returned to work. I did this until she turned 6 months old, then I stopped.

My second baby was able to latch a few times in the hospital. I felt so relieved that I would be a successful breastfeeder, but she started to get jaundiced because of inadequate intake. We decided to give her donor milk again. At home, I still could not breastfeed, but I was able to pump. I even bought the hands-free Willow pump, thinking I could pump while charting or seeing patients, but it was not for me. My baby alternated feedings between breast milk and formula. I stopped pumping at 3 months.

It was quite frustrating to not successfully latch and breastfeed. Somehow, I had this feeling as the song goes, “ I did my best, but I guess my best wasn’t good enough”. Thankfully, one of my pediatric colleagues put my mind at ease. She said, “fed is best.” Indeed, my baby girls have grown to be beautiful, healthy babies, and our bond is strong. Now I counsel with grace and consideration. My  mantra before was “breast is best”; now, it is “fed is best.”

Testimonial #3: A mother of seven.

I had seven babies, and each of them had different experiences with breastfeeding. I’d like to share with you how it went. 

• Breastfeeding my first baby was relatively easy. He was a cooperative, calm infant and caught on quickly to the process. 
• Baby number two was 6 weeks premature, so in the first week, he kept falling asleep, but as he got a bit older, things went well. 
• Baby number 3 was born with a cleft lip and alveolar ridge, and breastfeeding was necessary. The breast tissue filled up the cleft in his lip, so he was able to grow normally until big enough for reparative surgery. He did have a bit of nipple confusion when I had to return to work. Baby three actually continued some token breastfeeding for a couple of weeks when his newborn sister was co-nursing. Because the breast is a demand-organ, increased suckling increases milk productivity, so neither child was deprived of milk. 
• Baby four adapted well.
• Baby five was a somewhat slow learner but, with persistence, ultimately did well. 
• Baby six also was an eager learner, but when she was 9 months, decided that she had had enough of breastfeeding, so we stopped. 
• Baby seven adapted too well and breastfed for a couple of years. 

Several babies were breastfed during my pregnancies without issues. In my opinion, the first week is when you must teach a baby how to breastfeed, and it is generally the most difficult. If you can tough it through that first week, things become a lot easier. Babies have their own personalities and their own way of learning, so whereas one baby will prove a natural at the task, another may require a bit more patience. 

Breastfeeding and working can be challenging, but I was able to continue breastfeeding and return to work. It took determination and the reversal of day and night feeds. I didn’t get much sleep at first, but the babies stayed so much healthier due to the immune benefits of breastfeeding, which meant less time off work with a sick child!

If you have a “special needs” baby, and this includes premies and children with orofacial problems, breastfeeding prevents nutritional issues. Breastfeeding provided me with a special feeling of tranquility and peace, that’s why it may reduce the risk of postpartum depression. Also, the luxury of being able to feed anytime, anywhere, was very helpful for me!

All seven of our kids have advanced degrees, and several have their doctorates. I would like to think that breast milk played a role in their academic success. I think breastfed babies are smarter! 

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Conclusion: Now we conclude episode number 116, “Benefits of breastfeeding.” We hope your knowledge about breastfeeding was enriched by Dr. Yomi’s presentation and that the testimonials gave you a broader perspective on the breastfeeding experience. 

This week we thank Hector Arreaza, Timiiye Yomi, Chelsea Dunn, Carmen Ruby, Anna Stewart, and three anonymous doctor mothers. Audio edition by Adrianne Silva.

Even without trying, every night, you go to bed a little wiser. Thanks for listening to Rio Bravo qWeek Podcast. We want to hear from you. Send us an email at RioBravoqWeek@clinicasierravista.org, or visit our website riobravofmrp.org/qweek. See you next week! 

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Links: 

1. Madore LS, Fisher DJ. The Role of Breast Milk in Infectious Disease. Clin Perinatol. 2021 Jun;48(2):359-378. doi: 10.1016/j.clp.2021.03.008. PMID: 34030819. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34030819/
2. American Academy of Pediatrics. (2021). Benefits of breastfeeding, Patient Care. Retrieved from https://www.aap.org/en/patient-care/breastfeeding/breastfeeding-overview/
3. Westerfield KL, Koenig K, Oh R. Breastfeeding: Common Questions and Answers. Am Fam Physician. 2018 Sep 15;98(6):368-373. PMID: 30215910. https://www.aafp.org/pubs/afp/issues/2018/0915/p368.html
4. Royalty-free music used for this episode: Gushito, Latin Pandora by Videvo, downloaded on May 06, 2022, from https://www.videvo.net

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