23/08/2024
I know this is a phrase we in the lactation professional world have shouted with confidence in the past… but it oversimplifies an incredibly complex issue. 😮💨
Yes, factually and clinically, human milk is the best food for infants.
BUT. 🙄
Exclusively breastfeeding 🤱 (by latching and/or by bottle feeding expressed milk) almost always requires privilege in the United States. You will need to have the financial resources to stay home with your baby for months and/or access to a sturdy, reliable breast pump- many of which aren’t covered by insurance, if you even have insurance. 🤷♀️ If you are working, you need access to a safe clean place to pump, a job that allows for pump breaks (because we all know that the law may require it but that doesn’t mean employers care), a way to keep milk cold, and a way to transport it to the baby. 😮💨
There are so many parents who physically cannot make enough milk to exclusively breastfeed their babies, no matter what they do. 😓 And because we have very few breastfeeding medicine doctors and NO medical specialist for breast function, oftentimes there is no known reason for low ⬇️ milk supply and no way to fix it- no matter what the marketers preying on your milk supply worries tell you. 🤷♀️
We do not have a nation-wide, easily accessible human milk 🍼 donor system. Most milk banks are only able to supply milk to hospitals for newborns and very medically fragile babies - we don’t have a system in place for the average parent to receive screened, processed donor milk for their baby long-term. We do have informal donation networks which are AMAZING! 😍 But many parents are not comfortable with this option.
What are your thoughts on this phrase? Comment down below! ⬇️
