"Breast is Best"

There are many advantages to breastfeeding, both for the mother and for the baby. It is free, sterile and the perfect balance of nutrients for the baby. Research shows that breastfed baby's get sick less and have lower rates of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease as adults. For the mother, breastfeeding lowers the chances of getting osteoporosis and breast cancer, as well as increases bonding with the baby and requires less preparation than formula (Berger, 2012).These are just a few of the benefits; the list of benefits to breastfeeding could go on and on.

Although doctors around the world recommend breastfeeding, the statistics are not that impressive. "In the United States, 75 percent of infants are breastfed at birth, 46 percent at six months (most with other food as well), and 22 percent at a year (virtually all with other food and drink)" (Berger, 2012). When researching information about the rest of the world, I found that "exclusive breastfeeding in the first four months of life varies from 1-90% depending on where the baby is born" (Osman, 2009). Many factors help determine whether a mother chooses to breastfeed, some include: "cultural beliefs, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, education, urbanization, modernization, and local feeding practices" (Osman, 2009).

A 2007 study done in Lebanon demonstrates how cultural beliefs can influence breastfeeding habits. "A study of breastfeeding prevalence in Lebanon in 2005 showed that while the initiation of breastfeeding is high, exclusive breastfeeding at one month was only 52% and declines further at four and six months. In that study, women cited insufficient milk, maternal or infant illness, the baby refusing the breast, and the baby being "old enough to stop" as the main reasons for stopping breastfeeding" (Osman, 2009). The 2007 study, created a hotline for new mothers to call with questions and concerns regarding breastfeeding. After analyzing and recording the phone calls, researchers found that the Lebanese woman had many cultural beliefs that interfering with successful breastfeeding. Many of the questions that came in to the hotline were in regards to the quality of the breast milk. Whether they could hurt the baby, depending on what foods they ate, if they were sick, or if the baby had jaundice. "Several mothers called the hotline for assistance to figure out whether their milk was "good" or "bad"" (Osman, 2009). Many concerns also revolved around producing enough milk or not producing enough and supplementing early on with formula. Some women thought that they could transfer pain from the breast milk to the baby. The study found that support from family and doctors is an integral part to establishing a healthy breastfeeding pattern for the mother and baby (Osman, 2009).

Breastfeeding is not necessarily an easy task to accomplish and maintain. From personal experience, breastfeeding can be very time consuming in the beginning to establish. It takes some practice from the mother and the baby to learn how to work together. Many questions and concerns can arise and having support from family, friends, and professionals is very important. I feel that breastfeeding is very rewarding and creates a special bond between baby and mother that I still cherish today with my own daughter. I teach early childhood education to high school students and when learning about child development, we cover information about breastfeeding in class. Every year, some of the students are uncomfortable with the idea of breastfeeding and say things like they think it is "gross." After reading about another culture, it makes me realize that they may have some beliefs about breastfeeding that are getting on the way of understanding the complete picture. I will definitely, share more from other cultures in class next year and ask more questions if a student make a negative comment. They may just have some misinformation like the some of the women in Lebanon.

References:

Berger, K.S. (2012). The developing person through childhood (6th Ed.). New York, NY: Worth Publishers

Osman, H., Wick, L., & Zein, L. (2009) Cultural beliefs that may discourage breastfeeding among Lebanese women: a qualitative analysis, International Breastfeeding Journal, 4:12, DOI:10.1186/1746-4358-4-12. Retrieved from: http://www.internationalbreastfeedingjournal.com/content/4/1/12