Woman 2 Woman - Why I Think Breast is Best

Posted on

22 March 2016

| Last updated on 30 March 2016

Why I Think Breast is Best

The first chapter in human anatomy dissector manual is structure of breast and in medical schools unfortunately form the basis of merciless ragging (hazing) of new dewy eyed female entrants to their hallowed precincts. I was made to learn by rote the advantages of breast milk by lewd male senior medics adding the tongue in cheek ones of ‘doesn’t curdle or go sour, doesn’t need refrigeration , the cats can’t get to them & come in beautiful containers(sic!).

On a serious note, in my in-depth study of human immune defenses, the list of advantages of breast milk is endlessly long with more additions by the day. Fascinating ones being that it contains antibodies that protect against long list of diarrhea causing germs and is rich in molecules that mimic the attaching sites which microbes need for latching on to cause respiratory infections. This may be one explanation for the fact that breast-fed babies have less runny tummies, noses and ear infections than the non-breast-fed. Enhanced IQ by nearly 10-15 points, better school results, less risk of certain cancers and perhaps of juvenile diabetes are sure incentive for any caring mother.

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So armed with so much knowledge, when the time came for me to be a mother more than two decades ago, the choice was clear. Even though the practice was not so widely accepted then amongst professional mums, I stood my ground. Both my babies were put straight to breast even before their first bath or rest, straight after the umbilical cords were cut & birth weight recorded. In fact, newborns have the best sucking reflexes soon after birth & seek the nipple and latch on to it without any fuss.

Think of a little Joey finding its way to a Kangaroo mum’s nipples even when it’s a wee size of less than an inch. I don’t remember asking to rest after strenuous labour pains & difficult delivery at least the first time around. I guess strong motivation to breast feed in the build up to delivery did the trick. Strangely, my biggest detractors at that point to persistently nursing my little girls in their first year of life came from the elder women in the family who discussed with pride how they stopped nursing in a couple of weeks and horrors …used imported formula milk for me as a baby paying a premium during war times.

Thank God, times have changed for the better and the day is not far when we shall stop stealing the milk from the poor calves to feed our babies. Cheers to breast-feeding day!

*Written by Dr. Nishi Singh MD, M.Sc, FRCPath