Nurturing Liquid Gold: Virtues of breastfeeding center stage during awareness month
By KEITH ERICKSON
For Coeur Voice
Once deemed inappropriate and even indecent by many, that natural motherly act of breastfeeding is becoming more widely embraced thanks in large part to enthusiastic education efforts in Idaho and across the country.
August is National Breastfeeding Month, an opportunity to raise awareness about the unparalleled benefits of nurturing infants with their mother’s milk.
The public’s perception of breastfeeding today is a far cry from what it was just eight years ago, when the U.S. Breastfeeding Committee passed a proclamation recognizing the first National Breastfeeding Month.
In its Aug. 6, 2011, declaration, the committee cited then-U.S. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin’s call to action. She urged health-care providers, employers, insurers, policymakers, researchers and the public at large to support breastfeeding mothers.
The movement has had strong local support from the very beginning.
“We’ve always called breast milk ‘liquid gold,”’ said Kim Young, coordinator of the Woman, Infants and Children program for the Panhandle Health District.
“There are over 1,000 known ingredients in breast milk that help babies grow and develop,” Young said. “Plus, breast milk contains antibacterial, antiviral agents, and its vitamins and minerals are absorbed at a greater percentage than [cow’s] milk.”
To support breastfeeding women in the five northern counties, Panhandle Health District offers peer counseling to expecting and new mothers as they face motherhood’s never-ending choices, including how to feed their babies.
“Our counselors have breast fed themselves and been part of the WIC program,” Young said. “They’re available 24/7 to cheer on and support pregnant and postpartum women.”
It’s a critical program in a state that lags the rest of the nation in public acceptance of breastfeeding, Panhandle Health District breastfeeding coordinators Mary Monroe said.
“Idaho was the last state to make breastfeeding in public legal, and we were a big part of [that initiative],” she said.
Until January 2018, Idaho was the only state that didn’t support a mother’s right to breastfeed in public. A bill sponsored by Rep. Paul Amador, R-Coeur d’Alene, legalized public breastfeeding last year on a 66-0 vote. Lawmakers didn’t even debate the measure.
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“Breastfeeding is a proven primary prevention strategy, protecting both infants and mothers from a host of chronic and acute diseases and conditions and building a foundation for life-long health and wellness.”
— National Breastfeeding Month proclamation
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Idaho’s past resistance to public breastfeeding has not discouraged mothers from nursing their infants.
Statewide, more than 90% of new mothers report breastfeeding at least once, compared with a national average of 83.2%, Young said. When their infants reach 6 months, 62.1% of mothers continue to breastfeed. Nationally, that’s 57.6%.
Beyond the proven health benefits, including protecting infants as well as mothers from a host of chronic and acute diseases, breastfeeding builds a strong emotional connection between the mother and infant. The bond lasts a lifetime, Young said.
Monroe said that bond can be critical to helping at-risk moms.
“With the prevalence of postpartum depression, or ‘baby blues,’ breastfeeding can be a really positive thing,” she said.
And, as if the emotional and nutritional benefits aren’t enough, breastfeeding is known to help new mothers lose pregnancy weight more quickly. It’s also cheaper: Breastfeeding can save hundreds of dollars in formula expenses.
“We know that breastfeeding moms tend to lose more weight than mothers who do not breastfeed,” Young said, “because it helps moms burn calories and get back to their prebaby weight.”
Panhandle Health District peer counselors help new mothers understand how to tell if their babies are getting enough milk and shows them the best breastfeeding techniques to minimize discomfort.
Despite the support and recent pro-breastfeeding legislation, the committee recognizes that more needs to be done to support and encourage breastfeeding.
In Coeur d’Alene, breastfeeding advocate Susan Johnson, a 29-year-old mother of three girls, has taken the crusade to a new level.
The owner of CDA Birth Photographer, Johnson works to unify, recognize and celebrate breastfeeding and recently held her third annual World Breastfeeding Portrait North Idaho.
Johnson brings together new moms for a breastfeeding photo to raise awareness. This year, 51 moms attended the event at Corbin Park in Post Falls with 54 babies and children.
“I started this event four years ago to bring awareness to the fact there were no laws protecting breastfeeding moms in Idaho,” Johnson said. “While this new law is certainly a step in the right direction, we still have room to grow,” she said.
CUTLINE
Fifty-one new moms from greater Coeur d’Alene area converged at Corbin Park in Post Falls last month to celebrate National Breastfeeding Month.
Photo courtesy Susan Johnson, CDA Birth Photographer