Back to Basics.

Imagine if - just for a day - you couldn't wash the dishes, flush the toilet, take a shower, water the house plants, wash your hands/ teeth or use the washing machine.

These are just a few of the things we take for granted in our privileged part of the world.  We have safe, mains water piped to our homes.  It comes on with the pull of a switch or the turn of a tap.

We look on with pity at the TV pictures of those less fortunate than ourselves, the women queueing for water at a pump and washing their clothes in rivers.  We remind ourselves that we are fortunate because in the Western World this is not something we have to deal with.

The dangers are obvious.  UNICEF says:

'Unsafe drinking water, along with poor sanitation and hygiene, are the main contributors to an estimated 4 billion cases of diarrhoeal disease annually, causing more than 2.2 million deaths worldwide. Of these, some 1.5 million occur in children under five.'

Apart from the other risks associated with formula feeding of infants, it is an accepted fact (even amongst those who use formula) that the risks of powdered formula milk is increased hugely when the water supply is poor.  I have often heard people (including my own relatives) say 'formula is fine, it's only a problem in the Third World where they don't have clean water'.

But we don't live in the Third World though, do we?  So that's ok then....

Unless - like me, you live in the 'developed world' and suffer from a compromised water supply.

Last Christmas we had no mains water in my home from Boxing Day (26th December) until New Year's Eve - five days.  My neighbours' water went off on the 22nd - nine days.  You might think 'sure that's no big deal, brush your teeth with bottled water and fill up at your neighbours house'.  Yup - that's what I thought too.  Thing is, my neighbours' supplies were off, my family's too, and the shops had sold out of bottled water.  I couldn't get through to the water board and their website was down.  We were promised a delivery of 'emergency water' on the 27th, but of course nothing arrived.  When I DID eventually manage to speak to someone from the Northern Ireland Water Board their advice was to collect snow and rainwater to melt...



This is a photo of every pot and pan I own filled with water.  That was before it went off. 
My husband thought I was mad.

Our mains pipes had burst due to the extreme cold weather here, (lasting several weeks, temperatures below -10 degrees),  and when that happened somehow the local reservoirs also ended up being drained.

Unlike years ago, our town no longer has a functioning well (of course not, that's positively primitive isn't it?) - so we literally had nowhere to turn.  To be honest it was a total nightmare, and not for the first time I thought about the realities of trying to formula feed a young baby in such a situation.

You think it can't happen to you don't you? 

You're wrong.

'About 80% of the world's population lives in areas where the fresh water supply is not secure, according to a new global analysis.  Researchers compiled a composite index of "water threats" that includes issues such as scarcity and pollution.'

The chances are, that if you're reading this blog, you probably live in one of the 'high stress' areas of this map.  I confess this map shocked me but like many things I was able to push it out of my mind when I first saw it...  However, nothing brings the realities of water stress home to you more than wondering how you're going to cope without water for an unspecified amount of time.

My daughter was two years old last Christmas, and fortunately she was able to have water from a safe source throughout the 'wet drought'.  She was also still being breastfed.  We were very lucky!  Boiling rainwater to kill bacteria might make it safer, but there is no way of knowing exactly what chemicals that rainwater might still contain. 

'Fine particles or soot, a large fraction of which are formed from the same gases as acid rain (sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide), have been shown to cause premature deaths and illnesses such as cancer and other diseases' ~ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acid_rain

If I had been formula feeding a young baby, quite frankly I'd have been very concerned.  Not only had the supermarkets sold out of bottled water - but they were also very low on pre-made formula.  Even where they did have some left, there are no guarantees that they'd have the right brand, and babies react differently to different brands - so it's a bit of a minefield. 

It's not something many mums consider when they're struggling with breastfeeding, but I did wonder at the time how many new mums here (in Northern Ireland) were struggling to sterilise and make up clean bottles for their babies last Christmas?  Of course it's not always easy to breastfeed, and good support and advice is so often not there when people need it - but formula feeding has risks.  One of those risks comes from using contaminated water.  


In wet weather flooding can contaminate reservoirs.  Water in Glasgow was contaminated with cryptosporidium in 2002.  Anyone failing to correctly prepare their formula feeds during this time would certainly have put their baby at risk of a potentially serious illness.  We face an increasing strain on our vital water supply.  We can no longer look out of our ivory towers and down our noses at the third world where formula feeding is more dangerous, since in reality we can easily face the same problems.

The truth is, it only took a few days of sub-zero temperatures to leave thousands of homes without safe water right here in the UK.  I would put money on it happening again too.

Personally, I'd like to see a few more of these:

I have lots of empty bottles and buckets, and a wheelbarrow to put them all in.  If a situation occurred again where there was no mains water, all I'd need would be somewhere to fill them up - but there isn't anywhere.  

After I finished writing this post in it's original form (last December) I rang my sister to see if she had any luck getting water out of my cousin's well.  It's located in the yard of an C18th farmhouse and it was dug long before anyone took our natural resources for granted.  Back then everyone breastfed - you had to!  My relatives grew their own food, made their own clothes and were self-sufficient.  We have lost much of this resourcefulness.  

We had a wood-burning stove installed in our living room this summer - the reason?
Last winter was so cold here that many people had burst pipes and their heating failed.  Thanks to our wood burner I am satisfied that even if our electricity fails and the pipes freeze we will still have heat and a means of cooking.  Did you ever wonder how you would feed your family and heat your home if you lost your water and electricity?  No?  Until last year I hadn't either.  

Long range weather forecasters are already predicting lower than average temperatures for this winter.  At the risk of sounding utterly paranoid, I think it's worth considering that our planet has gone through many periods of climate change in the past and we may just be entering another.

I sometimes jokingly call my mother 'Amos' (because she's always the 'prophet of doom').  However, now I'm starting to think there is something to be said for having some bottled water in the basement and some extra tins in the cupboard - just in case things come to a standstill for a while.  Unlike my mother I hope to ensure that some of my tins are within their use-by date though ;)

Disasters happen around the world all too frequently, and we often hear about how life-saving breastfeeding is.  We think it won't happen on our doorstep.  I would argue that we cannot afford to be so complacent.

(The biggest irony of last year's 'deep freeze'?   My wifi worked perfectly.  The phrase 'fur coat and no knickers' springs to mind!)

Doctor Extraordinary

If more GP's admitted when they lack knowledge and helped to refer mums to breastfeeding organisations more often, would breastfeeding rates be higher? 

The Sisterhood.

Sometime ago I wrote a piece about the reasons why I believe our society has 'lost touch' with breastfeeding. 

I believe that one of the biggest factors behind the struggle some women have with both the concept and practice of breastfeeding, is that they no longer have access to support and knowledge from their fellow women.  They don't see others breastfeeding - except if they attend specialist groups.  The knowledge has been lost and breastfeeding is no longer considered normal.

The mothers, sisters, aunties, and grandmothers of these women quite possibly never breastfed.   Even if those close to them are supportive of their desire to breastfeed, they most likely have no understanding of how to get a baby on to the breast, or of how to manage and cure common breastfeeding problems. 

I was reminded of all this earlier today when a member of the DBM Facebook group wrote a question on the wall.  This happens quite a lot and without fail the other members of the group bring forward their collective wisdom and empathy to help.  Sometimes we share our own experiences and sometimes we post links to other advice available online. 

I remembered seeing a picture in a blog piece which I thought might help the questioner, so I set about finding it.  It turned out the picture I was thinking of was posted by a fellow blogger and myth-buster, the Leaky B@@b.  She had written about her own struggle with mastitis and included a few fairly intimate photos.  One of the things she did to help ease her mastitis was not the sort of thing most doctors would suggest (although I do believe there are a few out there who do!), but it was exactly what several of the mums on DBM had suggested.  

Her blog was both helpful and informative, and I was struck by the fact that she had (to some extent) shared herself and her journey online with a bunch of strangers.  It felt like the writer was taking on the role of an older sister maybe, demonstrating a technique which was utterly female and no doubt harks back a long, long way in time. 

I have posted a few intimate photographs here and there too - and to be honest sometimes I feel a bit uncomfortable having them 'out there'.  Some of you have shared personal pictures too, and I'm extremely grateful to you all!  Despite any personal reservations I might have about my own pictures, I think there is real power in sharing information a visual way, so I will continue to promote it here on the blog.

I 'follow' a good number of mother-bloggers out there.  They provide an amazing resource.  They all bring their own gifts to the table.  Some are funny, some are quite factual and well-researched, some are personal and some are contraversial. 

I learn from all of them and I want to say thank you.

In no particular order, I thought it might be nice for me to show my appreciation to some great websites and bloggers, and share their sites with you. 

It isn't always easy to 'put yourself out there'.  Although you can receive appreciation and support yourself, people do sometimes respond in a critical or negative way.  That can be hard.  No-one likes criticism or confrontation.

The bottom line is, we are all helping each other.  Whether you have a blog, offer support online by responding to another mother, or simply show you support by increasing the numbers of a group - it all matters!

The shared experience, empathy, and wisdom we are all accessing through the medium of the internet is priceless.  It is the C21st equivalent of the wisdom which was removed from our communities over a century ago. 

It causes ripples which travel a long way - both around the world, and down through time to our daughters and grand-daughters.

It makes a difference.  Thank you to all of you!  It makes me feel very hopeful to see the wisdom of women being re-connected and re-shared in this way!

Analytical Armadillo
Nurtured Child
Barefoot Mother
BestforBabes
BF Medicine
Blacktating
The Leaky B@@b
CodeNameMama
Connected Mom
Eats on Feets
Feminist Breeder
Flintshire Feeders
Informed Parenting
Attached at the Nip
Phd In Parenting
That_Danielle
Daily Momtra
Kelly Naturally
Kellymom
Bravado Breastfeeding Information Council
BoobBaby
Birth Routes
The IBCLC
The Unnecesarean
Compassionate Motherhood
And1MoreMeans5
Moonflower Lactation
Lactivist
Global Breastfeeding
Breastfeeding Resources Northern Ireland
Real Baby Milk
Our Sentiments
Milk UK
Simply The Breast
Breastorical


PS - I'm almost BOUND to have forgotten someone I value - so if I have PLEASE don't take it personally, just drop me an email ;)

Help DBM make the list of Top 50 Parenting Resouces on Facebook!



http://www.babble.com/



Please help DBM get amongst the 'top 50 parenting fan pages' in Babble.com's list!

As you probably realise, a lot of (unpaid) work goes into maintaining the group and the blog - and it's a real boon to me when we get more 'likes' or someone takes the trouble to share a blog. 

Best of all though, if we get onto the list, we'll get more exposure online and more members.  The more members we have, the more we can achieve.

Each and every person who posts on the FB page or leaves a comment here (whether as part of a debate or to share their experience), helps.  I really value the positive and supportive atmosphere you all help to generate, and I know we could be helping more people by dispelling all dem dere pesky myths!

We've been nominated for awards in the past, but I didn't like to hastle people into voting - every time, we lost....

This time I'm asking ;)

You can vote very simply by clicking here. 

There are several pages of nominations, hoepfully we'll still be on page one, but if we're not, please scroll through until you find us!

THANK YOU!

Myth – Many women can’t produce enough milk for their baby.

By Sarah McCann (IBCLC)

While it is known scientifically that most women can produce enough milk for their baby/babies (about 98%), many mothers in our culture feel it is a struggle to produce enough milk.

Most women who believe they don’t have enough milk are reassured by talking to a volunteer breastfeeding counsellor or peer supporter.  Often behaviour that leaves a mum feeling she does not have enough milk is very normal behaviour.  Baby wanting to feed very often in the early weeks is normal.

While some babies are happy to eat and sleep many others need to feed very often and be held in between feeds before they will fall asleep and be content to be put down.

However there are some women who are at risk of poor milk supply. These include:

• Mothers with wrong or poor information about breastfeeding
• Mothers of premature babies
• Stressed mothers
• Women who needed help getting pregnant (what made it difficult to get pregnant may interfere with their ability to make milk)
• Mothers of a sick baby (baby struggles to remove milk from the breast)
• Women who did not notice changes in their breasts during pregnancy
• Very young mothers

Even many of the above mothers do go on to feed their baby exclusively.


Key things to keep in mind about the production of breastmilk are as follows:

• The more milk that is removed from the breast, the more there will be.
• The emptier the breast, the faster it will produce milk.
• The fuller breast will slow milk production until milk is again removed from the breast.
• Baby’s wants are baby’s needs.

One problem many women have is not understanding how long a baby can take to feed.
A baby needs to double his/her birth weight between 4 and 6 months.  If you had to double your weight how would you eat?  Very often and through the night I suspect! 

Sometimes a feed is a snack, baby just wants one side. 

Other times baby wants 2 courses i.e. both breasts.  Other times baby may want a multi-course meal e.g. Feed both breasts for about half an hour (say starter and main course), have a snooze for 20 minutes, want pudding now that the first two courses have settled and left a bit of space.  Feed for 10 minutes.  Snooze for 30 minutes, fancies another portion of pudding, so feeds for 20 minutes on one breast and falls asleep for 2 hours (at last)!

Mum breathes a sigh of relief and lies down for a rest herself.

Women are often concerned because their breasts feel ‘empty’ i.e. their breasts feel much lighter after baby has fed and so there couldn’t possibly be any milk left if baby still wants to feed.  Be reassured that each time baby feeds there will be milk available as most milk is being made during a feed.  If baby is fussing on an ‘empty’ or light breast it may be because the flow is slower than baby would like. 

Don’t be afraid to swap sides at this point as the other ‘empty’ breast will have been making milk very fast and there will be some milk available at a faster flow.

It is no wonder women often don’t feel they have enough milk for their babies when our society has a distorted image of what babies really need ~  i.e the 'perfect' baby that feeds and sleeps in a pram for several hours.

Most babies (as I said earlier) are not like this.  Babies need held lots awake or asleep and most need fed often.

Women don’t need condemned for not breastfeeding, but they do need a supportive environment in which to breastfeed and our society has a huge responsibility to provide this. After all, ‘not breastfeeding’ costs everybody, breastfeeding being the basis of cost effective health care.  As Dr James Akre says: 'women don’t breastfeed, society does'.

We need to stop blaming women for not having enough milk and become a society supportive of breastfeeding.

How can we do that?

Be realistic about what new mums really need in terms of help and support.  New mothers need help with the house especially food.  They need to be allowed to rest in the weeks after birth and not expected to go shopping with their mother-in-law without the baby!!!

Instead of suggesting a bottle of breastmilk substitute, family members could bring round food instead – if this happened breastfeeding rates would no doubt soar.

Instead of suggesting a bottle of breastmilk substitute to improve weight gain (where weight gain is slow as opposed to what is called “failure to thrive”), health professionals could read about breastfeeding in a good breastfeeding book and advise accordingly, which again would produce improvement in breastfeeding rates.

Hospital practices could be improved eg. encourage much more skin to skin.

Sleeping with your baby could be condemned less, and safe practice could be encouraged.  Skin to skin contact improves milk supply as does sleeping with your baby.  Skin to skin contact can be done anytime mum and baby enjoy it.

So what can you do to help the women around you?

• Learn as much as you can about breastfeeding appropriate to your area of responsibility. The new edition of La Leche League’s ‘Womanly Art of Breastfeeding’ is a good place to start.
• Read the ‘Politics of Breastfeeding’ by Gabrielle Palmer.
• Join at least one of the breastfeeding support organisations.
• Smile at a women with a baby, you don’t know what kind of a day she is having.
• Don’t blame breastfeeding for all a mother’s woes – stopping breastfeeding swaps one set of problems for another often worse set of problems. Mothering is hard work so no wonder breastfeeding mums are tired.

If you are concerned about your baby’s weight gain or behaviour please do read http://www.llli.org/FAQ/enough.html, phone one of the volunteer help lines or contact your local peer supporters.

Sarah is the only lactation consultant in private practice in Northern Ireland. She has also been volunteering with La Leche League for the last 15 years. 

Visit Sarah's Website