The Magic of Breastmilk, pt. 1

There are very few substances on earth that I would call magic.  I can truly think of only one: breastmilk.  

While it’s best known as food, it’s also medicine, comfort, long-term protection, and so much more.  This liquid gold is so, so important for baby’s development.  

My breastfeeding journey did not go at all according to plan, but knowing the importance of breastmilk drove me to find any way possible to get my son breastmilk.  Exclusively pumping was not fun, but it allowed me to exclusively breastfeed my son and to continue to provide him with breastmilk to this day.  And in the process, I ended up feeding over a dozen other babies with this amazing substance as well!

So why did I dedicate myself to exclusively pumping?  Well, here are a few amazing things about breastmilk and breastfeeding that drove my decision:

• The composition of breastmilk changes according to the age and circumstances of a baby.  During a growth spurt, a mama’s milk will have more calcium.  During big leaps in mental development, mama’s milk will have more brain-building cells.  Nutrients in the milk also change minute to minute according to baby’s needs, and it provides all the micro and macronutrients a baby needs to survive and thrive.  Even within one feeding, the milk changes from the thinner, more hydrating foremilk to a fattier, more filling hindmilk.
• Breastmilk changes when a baby gets sick.  This one is fascinating.  When a baby gets sick, the number of leukocytes (white blood cells….aka the immune system’s soldiers that create antibodies to fight off infections) increases in the milk.  Breastmilk literally becomes the exact medicine a baby needs to fight off whatever infection he or she has!  There are a few theories as to how this works, but research and true understanding is limited.  Some say it’s the backwash from a baby’s mouth through the mother’s nipple that alerts her body as to the baby’s needs.  The other theory – the one that I witnessed in action as an exclusive pumper who never had the opportunity for the backwash theory to happen – is that the antibody response in the mother’s milk is actually fueled by the mother’s incessant kissing of her baby, particularly on the face and near the nose and mouth.  To this day, kissing my son is almost a compulsive behavior.  It’s something I NEED to do.  The theory is that when a mother kisses her child, she picks up the same germs the baby has interacted with, internalizes them, and then her body goes to work producing antibodies that are then passed through the milk.  Seeing my milk visibly change (antibody rich milk presents with a more yellow hue) when my son got ill, I am a big believer in the second of these theories.  
• Breastfed babies have lower rates of illnesses including asthma, allergies, ear infections, obesity, childhood leukemia, type 1 diabetes, SIDS, gastrointestinal infections….you get the point.  The fatty acids found in breastmilk have been found to improve immune response (see above).  They also strengthen the lining of the colon leading to a healthy microbiome setting up good gut health for life.  Some studies have shown a connection between lack of breastfeeding and development of gastrointestinal diseases like Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis later in life.
• It’s not all about baby – breastfeeding mamas have lower rates of breast and ovarian cancer, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, and high blood pressure.  Breastfeeding also helps a mama’s uterus contract after birth.  Research also claims breastfeeding mamas are less exhausted than formula feeding mamas, possibly in part due to hormones released that help mama relax and sleep better (though I question this one….aren’t all mamas just completely exhausted?).
• Breastmilk helps babies develop their circadian rhythm.  Recent research has shown that breastmilk at night has higher levels of melatonin which encourages sleep, and breastmilk during the day has higher levels of cortisol which encourages wakefulness. 
• Breastmilk adjusts with a baby’s age.  As a baby gets older, the fat and energy contents in a mother’s milk are higher than those found in milk for a younger baby.  Breastmilk never expires, and all the benefits of breastmilk help an infant just as much as they help toddlers.  In fact, studies have shown that the immune-boosting properties of milk become more concentrated in a child’s second year of life as he or she ventures out into the world more and interacts with more germs.
• Breastfeeding encourages more skin-to-skin and cuddle time with mama and baby which, especially in the first few months of baby’s life, helps regulate baby’s breathing, body temperature, heart rate, and blood sugar levels. It can also help with creating those antibodies mama makes when kissing and cuddling her baby.  Breastfeeding is a natural soother for babies when they’re upset or need comfort.  It also reduces stress in mom, triggering a release of oxytocin each session.  
• Breastfeeding can impact a child’s taste palate as he or she grows.  Because the taste of breastmilk is influenced by what mama eats, a baby can be exposed to a variety of flavors before ever eating a piece of food.  This has potential to make a baby less picky when solids are eventually introduced.
• Breastmilk has been studied in different settings and has been found to have some crazy and amazing medical benefits.  Three of my favorites: the stem cells from breastmilk can become other body cell types, breastmilk kills cancer cells, and breastmilk neutralizes HIV.  Mind blowing! (As a little bonus, it may be a cure for Covid.)
• Nursing is just downright convenient.  There is no waiting on mixing or heating bottles, no bottles to wash, no formula to research or endless trials and errors with different formula brands, no worrying about having all your pump parts, no or very few added expenses….the list goes on.  When a baby is hungry, made-to-order food is available at any time of day or night and at any location.  

As one of my friends wisely said, “it’s a continued bond – not just the act of nursing, but knowing that you’re providing for your baby. It’s almost a continuation of the connection of pregnancy. It kind of weans you and your baby into two independent beings.”

If you could eat a food or supplement that could do all of these incredible things on a daily basis, would you? It seems like it would be a no brainer.  Yet according to the CDC, approximately 60% of mothers don’t breastfeed as long as intended.  By the age of six months, only 15% of babies in the US are exclusively breastfed.

Next week, we’ll look at why this is and what we can do about it.  With all of the benefits for mom and baby, we should be talking more about the support and education needed to make breastfeeding more of a norm.