The breastfeeding debate has reared its controversial head again with news that the NSW public service had granted new mums 60 minutes per day, over and above their allocated meal breaks, to breastfeed or express milk in a private room furnished with a refrigerator for their exclusive use.
It is hoped this measure will result in increased breastfeeding rates and allow women to continue providing their child with the optimal start in life after returning to work.
It would be wonderful if such well intentioned initiatives had the desired impact but sadly they are destined to fail as they do not address what is at the core of Australia’s deplorable breastfeeding rates; the selfishness of mothers.
It is simply much easier for women to disregard the advice of doctors and midwives and turn to formula.
We have known for years that breast is best but figures show that only 14% of Australian mothers are complying with the World Health Organisation recommendation that newborns be exclusively breastfed for the first six months. And more than 80% are not breastfeeding at all by 12 months.
It is estimated that 2-4% of women are unable to successfully breastfeed for medical reasons, for the rest it is a lifestyle choice and one that is made when the mother’s interests supersede that of the child.
The advantages of breastfeeding are universally acknowledged. Artificially produced alternatives don’t provide the level of nutrition nor the protective qualities that only breast milk contains, which is why breast milk banks have been set up for the benefit of premature babies.
Breastfeeding has been shown to reduce the incidence of a host of ailments such as ear infections, diarrhoea and respiratory complaints. Research also indicates that it has many long term benefits with breastfed children recording higher IQ scores and far less likely to be overweight or obese as adults.
So one would think that unless you want your children to grow up fat and stupid you would heed the advice of medical professionals and abide by the WHO guidelines. So why do so many quit breastfeeding in the first six months?
The simple answer is that breastfeeding exclusively is a heavy burden for mothers and for many it is one they refuse to bear.
Bottle feeding facilitates a great many freedoms that an exclusively breastfeeding mother is simply unable to enjoy.
It allows a mother to leave a child with another carer for longer than a couple of hours at a time without the onerous task of expressing sufficient milk, it allows stressed out mums to enjoy a drink or two or three without worrying about the effects on bub, it means that women can take the contraceptive pill, and they can share the all important night-time feeding duties with their partner whilst they get some much needed sleep.
Simply put bottle feeding has many charms that can be very tempting to an exhausted mother.
Breastfeeding rates are highest amongst educated and wealthy women whilst they are lowest amongst the socio-economically disadvantaged. Given the cost of formula, one would be forgiven for thinking that the reverse was true.
Successful women are more likely to persist with breastfeeding despite the many inconveniences. Perhaps these women more keenly feel the pressure to ‘do the right thing’ by their child for the pressure to breastfeed is applied as soon as a woman finds out she is pregnant.
Not only do doctors and midwives emphasise the importance of breastfeeding but it is talked about at length in prenatal classes. And yet Australian mums fail to do what they know is best for their child when women in countries as varied as Norway and Iran manage to achieve breastfeeding rates that far exceed what we manage in Australia.
Perhaps if we stopped sugar coating the real reasons behind our poor breastfeeding record then we could start finding ways to tackle this worthy health issue.
Feminists are quick to point the finger of blame at an unsympathetic male dominated society but the unpalatable truth is that it’s not chauvinistic male attitudes or outdated workplace practises that prevent women breastfeeding, it is simply mothers putting their own interests before that of their child. 30 years ago smoking and drinking when pregnant was the norm.
We now know the devastating effects that nicotine and alcohol can have on the foetus and such behaviour is frowned upon. In the future we might also frown upon those who can breastfeed but refuse to do so.
It is not all about choice; it should also be about what is best for the child.
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