What's so special about breastfeeding anyway?

Only a third of British mothers are still breastfeeding their babies at six months. (By comparison, in Australia, more than 90 percent of mums carry on to six months and beyond.) This is a class issue: the women who are subject to the strongest social pressure to bottle feed are the people who can least afford it. Click on the flipbook above to read the chapter I wrote to persuade new mothers to give breastfeeding a go, not because you SHOULD, or you HAVE TO but...

...because you might like it.

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"I would not have succeeded breastfeeding my son if it wasn't for this book. I was 26 and I and found lots of my peers really weird about breastfeeding, through lack of knowledge, and embarrassment probably. If it hadn't been for this book I would have given up, because some of my friends (as well as my Mum's generation who were encouraged to bottle feed) made me feel like a bit of a freak for wanting to do it. This book was like a friend to me. So many people give you terrible advice when you have a new baby so it's amazing when you can find a book which you can totally trust. With my second baby I feel 100% confident breastfeeding and I'm positive this book is one of the reasons why. I can't recommend it enough.
JUST BUY IT!!!!!!!!!!!"

Transcript
Transcript for accessibility readers
What’s so special about breastmilk anyway?
You look hungry. Where are all the bottles?
We have lots of bottles. Where are they?
Got one. OK my love, let's put the kettle on.
waa huh uh (JIGGLE) Hey sweetie Mama's gonna wash the bottle.
Wash inside the teat. There we go.(J1GGLE) (J1GGLE)

waah
Ten minutes later: I'll do the microwave sterilising thing
- it's quicker. waaah waaah waaah
Oh NO! I didn't plug the KETTLE in!
We'll have to wait for it to boil. waaahwa waaaaaah waa aaa
hngh huhnaaaaaagh
waaaaa wa waa waaaah aaawaaaaaah waaahwaaah
Is it cool enough yet?
Two scoops Three scoops Hushasweetie.
How many scoops was that? aaaaaaaah Mama's just trying
to cool the bottle down...
waaaaa
waaaaa
waaaaaaa
waaaaa
waaaaa
waaaaaa
waaaaawaaaaa
waaa
waaaa
waaHey, 

What’s so special about breastmilk anyway?

Breastfeeding is easy!
You look hungry. [mother puts baby on breast and turns on TV]

Breastfeeding is
a great excuse for
being lazy.*

Sorry, I'd love to help
but I have to sit here
feeding the baby !

* Don’t tell my husband.

What’s so special about breastmilk anyway?

Breastfeeding is lovely. Prolactin, a hormone which is released during breastfeeding, fills you with loving feelings.

Got the steriliser, and the sterilising tablets, and the bottle
 warmer, oh, but I'll need an adaptor for the the plug.
Could take the microwave sterilising bags,
but they might not have a microwave.
They will have a kettle, won't they?Do I have to bring a kettle?
Got the formula. That should be enough. I hope that's enough. Should I pack
another one?
Got the bottles,
got the lids,
got the teats,
got the


dummies... The Food of Love

19What’s so special about breastmilk anyway?
Breastfeeding is convenient.
BOING! Just packing your
lunch, dear.

Breastfeeding
gives you
a fantastic
cleavage.

 Hello boys !

The Food of Love

What’s so special about breastmilk anyway?
Breastfeeding helps you lose weight...
Or, depending on how you look at things,
breastfeeding is a brilliant excuse to
carry on eating double dinners!

Brilliant ! A thousand
extra calories every day.

...it helps you to get back in shape...
The hormone oxytocin, which is released when a baby suckles,
also helps your womb shrink back down to size.
...and it protects your child against obesity.
Breastfed babies know how much to eat. The
rich, creamy hind-milk that comes at the end
of a feed contains a substance which makes
them feel naturally full up. Breastfed babies
are 35% less likely to become overweight
six-year-olds than babies fed on formula.
What’s so special about breastmilk anyway?
Breastfeeding helps you lose weight...
...it helps you to get back in shape...
The hormone oxytocin, which is released when a baby suckles,
also helps your womb shrink back down to size.

Breastfed babies know how much to eat. The
rich, creamy hind-milk that comes at the end
of a feed contains a substance which makes
them feel naturally full up. 


Breastfed babies are cleverer.
Human beings have very large
brains, and human milk is the best substance for growing them.
So, breastfed babies have higher
IQs than formula-fed babies.
And, the longer babies are breastfed,
the smarter they get

Hmm, if I'm not mistaken
this milk contains docosahexaenoic
arachidonic acid, omega-3 fatty acids and optimum glucose and
cholesterol levels for brain
and nerve development.
It seems that
scientists have still not
discovered all the
ways in which
breastmilk aids
 brain growth.
Just wait
til I grow up.

The Food of Love

What’s so special about breastmilk anyway?
Breastmilk contains the
natural sleep
promoter ‘deltasleep-inducing-peptide’.
Formula milk
doesn’t.
Breastfeeding helps you sleep. Breastfeeding helps your baby sleep.
Breastfeeding hormones prolactin and oxytocin are nature’s relaxing tranquillisers.

Breastfed babies are healthier.
Breastfed babies have better vision better digestion fewer ear infections less tooth decay clearer speech (later on, that is) fewer allergies permanently reduced risk of diabetes less constipation lifelong lower blood pressure bushier tails protection against heart  disease in later life less childhood asthma fewer chest infections straighter teeth fewer tummy upsets fewer colds
I lied about the bushy tails

The Food of Love

What’s so special about breastmilk anyway?
Breastfeeding mothers are healthier...


less likely to suffer from
post-natal depression reduced risk of breast cancer
reduced risk of ovarian cancer
reduced risk of uterine cancer
...and breastfeeding mothers’
bank balances are healthier.

How does breastmilk keep your baby healthy?
Your baby does not have an efficient immune system at birth. It takes up to a year for him to start producing enough antibodies to protect himself from serious illnesses. Until then, he needs... breastmilk!
Every drop of your milk contains literally millions of white blood cells – those same white blood cells which circulate through your bloodstream,
gobbling up harmful viruses and bacteria. These cells pass straight into your baby’s blood and help protect him from every illness that you have ever suffered in the past. Breastmilk also contains infection-fighting proteins known as immunoglobins. These are like natural antibiotics which act against harmful germs that your baby may encounter, but at the same time, allow beneficial bacteria
in the digestive system to flourish. Groovy, huh?
But this is the best bit:
The infection-fighting properties of your milk are being continually updated in response to your environment. When you encounter a new germ, your
mature immune system will knock up some white blood cells to fight it off and immediately pass them to your baby through your milk. And that means that if you should come down with gastric flu for example, provided
that you are careful about hygiene, it is quite likely that your baby won’t
get ill.
And whenever your baby picks up an infection, the thin skin on your nipples allows germs in his saliva to pass directly into your bloodstream.
Your immune system kicks in, manufactures a few billion white blood cells in response, and administers them back at the next feed.

The Food of Love

What’s so special about breastmilk anyway?
Colostrum is a thick, creamy, yellow or clear milk that you only produce for a few days after your baby is born. There may not be very much of it, but it is absolutely chock-full of antibodies and immunoglobins. It works like a natural vaccination, giving your baby
instant protection against a range of diseases.
Colostrum primes a baby’s digestive system to work effectively.
A newborn baby’s intestines are immature and porous. Particles of cow’s milk or other artificial foods can pass straight through the gut lining and into the bloodstream. Colostrum is rich in growth factors which help ‘seal’ the lining of the gut, and speed up the growth of
tiny hair-like cells that digest the food. One particular immunoglobin, Secretory IgA, forms a protective coating over the gut wall to ward off gastric infections.
As well as this, colostrum is a natural laxative. This gets waste out of your baby’s system quickly, which is easier on her little liver.
Breastfed babies are less likely to be jaundiced.
Your colostrum is unique. You can’t buy it off the shelf, and feed it in a bottle.
Just three days of breastfeeding makes
a real difference to your baby’s health...

28...but why stop after three days?
Your baby’s gut matures fully at an average of about six months of age. Until the gut has
matured, food particles can still ‘leak’ out of the gut into the bloodstream, and this can
trigger allergies. A baby can show you when she is ready for food by picking it up and eating
it. Until then, all she needs is breastmilk.
We can do six months.
It's gonna take a lot of cuddles
but we'll make it.

The Food of Love

What’s so special about breastmilk anyway?
Breastfed babies have nicer nappies.
You can smell that breastmilk is good for a baby’s digestion. Breastmilk poo looks like mustard, and smells like
digestive biscuits.
And because their urine is less acidic, they are less likely to get nappy rash.

You don’t have to boil your nipples.
Nipples don’t need sterilising. Don’t even wash your nipples
with soap, just use plain water – they keep themselves healthy and clean.
By contrast, many formula-fed babies contract infections from
poorly sterilised bottles or contaminated water.

Breastmilk comes in millions of varieties...

Breastmilk changes all the time. A breastfed baby gets:
A DRINK!
Thin, watery fore-milk at
the beginning of each feed
quenches hers thirst.

A MEAL!When he’s hungry, he can
carry on munching to reach the
creamy, satisfying hind-milk.

 NEW TASTY FLAVOURS!
Strong flavours in your food can
pass into your milk and make it
taste different. Babies like this, and drink more.

SOME MEDICINE!
The latest antibodies
giving protection
against new germs
on the scene.

MORE LIQUID
WHEN IT’S NEEDED!
Your body supplies more
watery fore-milk in hot weather,
so you don’t have to give a
breastfed baby bottles of
boiled water.

MORE CALORIES
WHEN THEY’RE NEEDED!
The mothers of premature babies
produce more high-fat colostrum,
 and for longer, to help their
babies thrive. Breastmilk changes automatically;
you don’t have to do anything. Just sit
back and enjoy it. Because there’s one variety
which breastmilk always comes in...
...breastmilk always comes in cuddles.

The Food of Love

What’s so special about breastmilk anyway?
Breastmilk tastes like warm
vanilla ice-cream.
What's so special
 about breastmilk?
Don't they know anything?