Misconceptions impede a mother from breastfeeding, Dr Neerja Pauranik

Every mother can feed the child, but misconceptions about not producing enough milk, often result in switching to easy alternative feeding options. This was shared by gynaecologist Dr Neerja Pauranik in her talk on ‘Awareness about Breastfeeding’ at Shri Govindram Seksaria Institute of Technology and Science on Thursday.

“A baby is born with a stomach the size of a marble, imagine the amount of milk required to fill a marble sized stomach, it is not much,” Neerja said. The mother produces enough milk at a time to fill baby’s stomach, but family members’ specifically senior women get anxious and claim that it is not enough.

“A woman’s body acts according to a baby’s demand and produces enough to provide the right amount of nutrition, but when people claim it is not enough, then baby is given alternative feeds,” Neerja said.

Alternative feed is easier for baby and often sends the baby into comfortable sleep. “The easy feed option changes the physiology of the baby and mother reducing baby’s ability and stimulation in mother,” Neerja said.

Baby’s suckles sensory impulses to the brain, and in response the anterior lobe of the pituitary gland secretes prolactin and the posterior lobe secretes oxytocin.

“Another case, when the misconception about mother not producing enough milk is floated is when the baby experiences growth spurts,” Neerja said. A baby experiences growth spurts, when the growth is faster and need for nutrition grows for a couple of days.

“Babies don’t let their mothers sleep night-long during these small phases and require feeding every 15 minutes or so, and this is often misunderstood as not producing enough,” Neerja said.

Benefits of breastfeeding

·         Mothers, who breastfeed, recover from childbirth more quickly and easily. The hormone oxytocin, released during breastfeeding, acts to return the uterus to its regular size more quickly and can reduce postpartum bleeding.

·         Studies show that women who have breastfed experience reduced rates of breast and ovarian cancer later in life.

·         Some studies have found that breastfeeding may reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and cardiovascular disease, including high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

·         Exclusive breastfeeding delays the return of the mother’s menstrual period, which can help extend the time between pregnancies.