Sesame Street, Breastfeeding, and the Pump
MC sent me this link, as a follow up to my post “Breastfeeding Reduces Anxiety in Children“. Apparently, breastfeeding creates anxiety in some mothers, thus they have chosen to feed their infants exclusively pumped breastmilk. Actually, I know of two women who have done this, and I applaud their commitment to giving their infants the best possible nutrition from the start.
One such mother, that has chosen to exclusively pump for her daughter, is Carrie Mehi, a lawyer from Cambridge, Massachusetts. Carrie explains her psychological struggle with breastfeeeding:
This is a part of my body that’s always been reserved for sexual activity, and I sort of assumed my brain would make whatever necessary adjustments it had to do to make [breastfeeding] not a completely creepy experience for me. I really don’t think we tried breastfeeding after the first day we left the hospital. I was not interested in having my sweet baby crying at my breast for one more minute. I just wanted her fed. [Breastfeeding] was an unpleasant sensation to me, and I thought, you know what, if I’m flinching, I might as well flinch to a machine instead of to my girl.
Dr. Ruth Lawrence, a professor of pediatrics and expert on breastfeeding at the University of Rochester explains the psychological struggle some women face when breastfeeding:
Some women do it because they can’t envision the baby suckling at their breast. I suspect it has to do with our whole modern attitude about the breast. It’s become such a sex object.
Personally, I have more of a psychological issue with being hooked up to a breast pump than allowing my babe to suckle at the breast. When I had to pump because my son had had open-heart surgery, I felt like a milk cow.
Why are so many women choosing to pump exclusively? Dr. Lawrence thinks women are not getting the support they need when they set out to nurse. This has been the experience of my sister and step sister-in-law, both of whom were discouraged by so-called “lactation experts”. A lactation nurse asked my sister if she had a plan if her new baby didn’t latch on, when my sister was pumping due to my niece’s hospitalization for jaundice. The baby was only three days old, and the nurse was telling my sister to give up. Thankfully, she did not. My step sister-in-law was told that she could not make enough milk by a lactation consultant before she ever left the hospital. She was only making colostrum at the time, and her milk had yet to come in. Thank goodness for the support of my midwives when my heartsick son had trouble taking to the breast!
Whatever choice a woman makes for delivering breastmilk to her child, the choice to breastfeed is important! It is not for me to judge the choices women make between the breast or the bottle; however, I do believe that the breast is better for the environment. Pumping involves using electricity for the pump, as well as for breastmilk storage and reheating. A majority of plastic baby bottles contain BPA.
If feeding from the breast is important to a new mother, my advice is to find the support you need, if you feel at all discouraged. Support is out there, you may just have to seek it. A local midwife or the La Leche League can help!
Research shows breastfeeding benefits babies with heart problems.
From “Breastfeeding Special Care Babies” by Sandra Land, Second Edition 2002,pg 168 in section 6.4 Breastfeeding the baby with breathing and heart problems:
“Evidence suggests that breastfeeding is less stressful to preterm babies than bottle-feeding, and that temperature and oxygen levels also remain more stable throughout breastfeeding. This is partly because a baby who breastfeeds can pace his own feeding, in time and quantity, whereas with bottle-feeding, it is the person giving the feed who may influence the pace, in a number of direct ways (e.g. gently shaking the bottle when the baby stops sucking, or making the hole in the teat bigger). A breastfed baby is held close to his mother’s breast , with its familiar scents, taste and sounds. All of these factors are an advantage for a baby compromised by respiratory or heart problems, and who needs to conserve his energy.”
Since babies aren’t as well oxygenated with bottle-feeding, the baby with a cardiac problem won’t do as well with a bottle. Yes, the milk pours in freely, but there’s considerable stress - and oxygen desaturation - involved in trying to handle it. I’d certainly *start* at breast and see what happened. Start with normal and adjust only as needed.
One baby with a rather serious heart defect was *carried continuously and had continuous access to the breast*, where he could eat small, frequent meals to tolerance. His doctors said they’d never seen a baby with that defect do that well.
LactLady, thanks for your comment. My son was born with a congenital heart defect (TOF), and even though breastfeeding was hard for him at first, I really felt it was a huge benefit. I still remember the surgeon on rounds after his surgery saying he looked “outstanding”, and I really think it was because he was back on the breast only four hours after open heart surgery.
I realize this article is now almost a year old, but I just came across it and figured I’d add in a different perspective.
One scenario in which exclusive pumping may be the only option for breastfeeding is when a woman has been sexually assaulted. This is the case for me, unfortunately. My thoughts of the breast being sexual arent caused by our media’s/society’s obsession with sex, but more or less my own inability to see them otherwise. When I was pregnant I decided early on that I wanted to breastfeed my daughter, but after learning that the sensation can be uncomfortable and almost sexual for some women, I decided that I would try to exclusively pump as an alternative. This way I can cope with the psychological issues I have without worrying about resenting my child or resorting to formula-feeding.
Natalie, thanks for sharing your experience. That is a perspective I had not considered. I am sorry for your past experience, and I hope motherhood has blessed you.