Should I breastfeed my baby?

In an ideal world, every human baby would receive human milk for their first two years of life. 

However, real-life is quite different than "ideal land," and there are many reasons why babies are fed infant formula rather than human milk. Sometimes it's due to medical issues, occasionally its circumstances, and other times its personal preference.  

Rather than tell you whether or not you should breastfeed- something that only you can decide is best for you and your family- I wanted to share with you the various ways breastfeeding can look and the benefits of each. 

But first, here are four universal facts of lactation: 

1. If you're expecting and halfway along in your pregnancy, you're already making milk for your baby (Colostrum)

2. Baring underlying medical/health issues, the volume of your milk will increase the days following delivery, whether your breastfeed or not

3. If not stimulating or removing your milk, the pressures of full breast and the lack of stimulation will quickly decrease your milk production leading to eventual "drying up" (involution) 

4. If you desire to human milk feed, stimulating your breasts (either by direct breastfeeding or expression) early and often will continue lactation.

Colostrum is milk, and it's available before your baby is born.

Lactation is the continuation of a metabolic change that begins at conception, and by mid-pregnancy, colostrum production is in full swing, though you may never even see it!

This milk is jam-packed with immune factors that protect in the days after birth when protection from unfamiliar bacteria and viruses is of utmost importance.

"Milk coming in" happens to most parents regardless of breastfeeding.

Just as colostrum production is universal, so is "milk coming in," which, while technically incorrect (colostrum is milk), is the cultural way we describe the beginning of increased milk production. 

Generally, around day 3, the phenomenon of engorgement occurs, followed by a marked increase in milk volume. Because this whole process is hormonally controlled, one's current breastfeeding status is irrelevant, which may or may not be reassuring.

Managing engorgement and monitoring breast health is something all birthing parents must add to their post-baby to-do list. 

Not removing milk will cause involution (Drying up) 

Once your milk volume increases and usually by the end of the first week, breast milk production switches from hormonal control to "demand & supply." 

If you ultimately decide to provide your milk to your baby, frequent milk removal (at a minimum of 8/9 times a day) is super essential for maintaining milk production. Thankfully your baby should be quite hungry and should ask to eat frequently. 

If you opt not to continue lactating, gradual reduction of milk removal during the first week or so post-delivery should lead to drying up without causing issues such as Mastitis. 

There is no one "right" way to breastfeed.

Breastfeeding looks different for every family. Personal note: This is why I prefer the phrase human milk feeding over breastfeeding because not all breastfeeding takes place at the breast. 

Some common ways of breastfeeding include: 

• Exclusive at the breast/chest feeding

• Exclusive pumping

• Combo feeding

• Exclusive donor milk feeding

• "Dry nursing"

What are the benefits of each?

Exclusively "Boobed" 

This method of breastfeeding seems to be the goal of most human milk feeding parents and, unfortunately, is often thought of as the only "real breastfeeding." 

Some of the benefits may include: 

• No preparation necessary: Milk is always available as long as you and baby are together. No bottles. No washing.*

• Synched sleep schedules: While this is not the case for everyone, directly breastfeeding allows more possibilities for synched sleeping, especially if practices such as bedsharing take place. Neither you nor baby needs to wake up fully, and you can dose while babe dream feeds. 

• Optimal oral development: At the breast/chest feeding develops the oral space and oral muscles to promote optimal face development, proper airway and mouth motor function for future eating of solids, and reduces the chances of misaligned jaw/teeth (malocclusion). 

• Proper integration of infant reflexes: Might not be exciting for parents, but the act of directly breastfeeding allows opportunities for the brain to connect & communicate to reach all the incredible milestones we see later on in development. 

*Sometimes there might be washing involved if using tools that facilitate at the breast/chest feeding such as nipple shields or an at-the-breast feeding system. 

Exclusive Pumping

When direct breastfeeding is not an option or desired, exclusive pumping is a breastfeeding method that allows your baby to receive your human milk to meet their daily intake needs. 

Benefits include: 

• Shared feeding responsibilities: Someone else can take over feeding duty while you are pumping whenever they are available, saving you time and energy. Having shared feeding duty is especially helpful for those middle of the night pumps!

• Physical Separation of breastfeeding: Sometimes, direct breastfeeding is triggering. For some parents, it may be so triggering that it falls out of being a long term feeding method. Exclusive pumping may create the physical or emotional distance necessary to continue to human milk feed.

• Visualization of intake: One of the biggest concerns parents have about direct breastfeeding is that they can't see how much their baby is eating. Parents who exclusively pump can easily monitor daily intake long term, which is a benefit that many parents find comforting. 

• Uniquely empowering: The choice to breastfeed YOUR way is uniquely empowering, especially in the face of those who feel Exclusively Pumping is unsustainable, should only be done out of necessity, or not a valid choice for breastfeeding. 

Combo feeding

Combination feeding- feeding both human milk and formula- may be viewed as the "best of both worlds" for those who want/need to use infant formula but don't want to exclusive formula feed. Whether pumping, feeding at the breast/chest, or using donor milk, the biggest perk of combination feeding is the inclusion of human milk, which, as we know, is what reduces the health risks of skipping human milk entirely.

Benefits include

• Increased Flexibility: You can breastfeed when you can, pump when you want to, use donor milk when it's available, and use formula whenever you need. 

• Shared feeding responsibilities

• Maintaining the 'benefits' of human milk intake : (See below)

• Oral development & infant reflex integration when at the breast/chest

Donor milk 

Not every breastfeeding parent has a robust supply that meets their baby's intake needs in full, and donor milk is a great option, whether or not you need a little or a lot extra. While not as convenient as formula when it comes to accessibility, donor milk feeding, even exclusively, is possible.

Benefits include:

• Visualization of intake

• Avoidance of associated risks of formula usage when own human milk is not available

• Shared feeding responsibilities

"Dry" nursing

Not to be overlooked as a legitimate method of breastfeeding, dry nursing focuses on the "other benefits" breastfeeding provides as nutrition is not the primary goal. 

Benefits Include:

• Unique and special comfort source: At-the-breast feeding is so much more than just supplying food for babies. It is a special bonding activity that provides enough comfort for all ailments. 

• Positive impact on Oral development

• Integration of infant reflexes

Why is Human milk amazing for babies?

It's easy to look at human milk as just another food option. Humans have been using milk from other species for thousands of years, and with it being a staple in the Standard American Diet, the wonders of human milk are easily lost. 

Human milk is NOT just food; it's a complex bioactive fluid that, among other things, provides the required nutrition for human babies to grow & thrive. 

Many breastfeeding advocates talk about human milk with regards to the "benefits" it provides, which perpetuates the notion that giving human milk will add extra "goodies" for those who choose to breastfeed. 

Instead, it's the lack of human milk and the absence of the complex biological actions that human milk initiates in the body on a cellular level, which increases the risk of long term negative impacts on health. 

In other words, it's not the addition of formula, per se, that increases health risks, but rather the exclusion of human milk. Hence why any breast milk is better than none, even as babies age into toddlerhood. 

Breast milk contains components that 

•  create an environment in the gut that makes pathogens less likely to grow and that actively fight bacteria and viruses, resulting in reduced incidence of things like Enterocolitis, Necrotising Enterocolitis, and Diarrhea. 

• work together in ways that allow for better absorption of nutrients and increased immune protection that can't be replicated by formula

• more efficiently breaks down fats making them easier to absorb

• are antioxidants in nature, uniquely reducing oxidative stress compared with formula - This is a sciency way of saying it has a positive effect by preventing cellular damage

• promote maturation and development of the digestion tract

• include stem cells

The above is simply a shortlist of the amazing nature of human milk. 

Why is Lactating phenomenal for parents?

The "benefits" of breastfeeding are not limited to babies; the act of lactation itself, being that it's an altered metabolic state, provides short and long term help protection for lactating parents. 

HEALTH benefits lactation may provide include: 

• reduced risk of breast & ovarian cancer

• "eating up" the fat stored during pregnancy 

• decreased risk of endometriosis

• reduced risk of type 2 diabetes 

• reduced risk of osteoporosis 

• lowered blood pressure 

• reduced risk of metabolic syndrome

• reduced risk of Multiple sclerosis, Rheumatoid arthritis, and Alzheimer's

• reduction in autoimmune symptoms

For many, the degree of risk reduction listed above are duration dependent, so the suggestion to breastfeed for as long as you can/want is based on science. 

One thing that you may have noticed in this whole post about whether or not you should breastfeed is that I never said breastfeeding is free.

For the majority of families in the US, human milk feeding of any kind is NOT free. At a minimum, it's a time commitment, and time is the most valuable asset in existence.

Exclusive pumping has upkeep costs:

Not everyone has insurance to cover a breast pump, and while breast pumps are not necessary all the time, many parents in the US choose to have one, and some parents will need one. 

Some parents will seek lactation support to help them overcome their breastfeeding/lactation troubles, and not all insurances will cover the required visits. In cases where it is covered, there may still be out of pocket costs such as co-pays. 

The impact breastfeeding may have is not always so obvious- parents have quit jobs or refused raises or been denied promotions because of accommodations needed to continue their choice to human milk feed.

The idea that breastfeeding is free-therefore a reason parents should consider it-is not only inaccurate, but it also limits the parent's ability to make an informed choice regarding their options. 

Human milk feeding is undoubtedly the best for most babies, but It's okay NOT to breastfeed. I hope that this post provides you with the information you need to help you answer the question of whether or not YOU should breastfeed, and how that will look for your family. 

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