Breastfeeding misconceptions remain despite option becoming more common

Aug. 12—Breastfeeding is becoming more common, but assumptions remain about why the practice might be difficult for mothers.

August is National Breastfeeding Month, which provides health agencies and providers an opportunity to highlight that choice. Women sometimes think they can't breastfeed because their mother or grandmother couldn't, but that's usually a misconception, Andrew County WIC Nutrition Coordinator Jessica Bowman said.

"Sometimes there's hormonal issues, but it's very, very unlikely that a woman is not able to breastfeed," she said. "Breastfeeding is very supply and demand, and we know a lot more about breastfeeding and there's a lot more resources out there that can help breastfeeding go along a lot smoother."

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends breastfeeding exclusively for the first six months of a baby's life, and the practice serves two major purposes, Bowman said.

"(There's) a great bond between mom and baby when breastfeeding occurs," she said. "It's very close when you're feeding a baby and plus, like, when a baby's actually latched on, that saliva actually goes back into the mother's breast. So like, let's say the baby's sick or something, the body and the woman's body would actually know what exactly the baby needs and be able to give that back to the baby to make the baby well again."

For women who can't produce breast milk, a place like Andrew County's Milk Depot can provide that resource. It's the only milk bank in Northwest Missouri, so that makes it a valuable option for mothers needing assistance, Hillary Loucks, a nurse at the Andrew County Health Department said.

"It's a cool process," she said "Hospitals in the Kansas City area are getting the milk back from our moms. And then if there's moms that are struggling to breastfeed, they can also contact the milk bank or moms that can't find the specialty formula — because there is some formula issues going on still. They can potentially get donor milk."

Even if a mother can't provide all of the breast milk a baby needs, she still should try to provide as much as she can to provide the baby as much benefit as possible, Bowman said.

It also increases the assistance available, since the amount of food provided by WIC to breastfeeding women and babies is about double what is offered to mothers and babies who are not breastfeeding.

Alex Simone can be reached at alex.simone@newspressnow.com. Follow him on Twitter at @NPNOWSimone.