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Health and Nutrition
One Step Back Means a Step Forward
By Marialuisa Figueroa Pitman

It was a cold afternoon with a rain that had been falling since dawn so that my patients, usually prompt, were slow in coming to their appointments. There was only one mother in the waiting room with her little baby in her arms. She looked worried because her baby, only two weeks old, had been having diarrhea and vomiting for the past two days. I invited her into my office and tried to calm her down.

This mother was more nervous and anxious than any I had seen during my twenty years of practice. Ann, that was her name, was young, this was her first baby, one she had been waiting for with joy, and now all that she wanted was that the baby be healthy. It is hard to imagine her reaction when she learned from her pediatrician that her baby was allergic to the formula that she had been giving. "How was that possible?" she asked, with a deep desire to learn the answer.

We started a conversation that introduced some ideas that she not heard before. She wanted to know if it was possible to feed a baby without the Sword of Damocles hanging over her and her baby.We started to talk about the differences between artificial milk and mother's milk. Ann had never seen a baby that had been nursed by its mother, and she had never received any training or instruction on this topic.

Ann had many questions that she wanted answered. It was hard for her to understand the cause and mechanisms by which her baby had become sick with cow's milk.

I didn't want her to feel guily or mistaken. I was impressed by the vehemence of her questions, and I only wanted to respond in the most objective and pragmatic way. We started an intimate conversation that is only possible when two mothers talk about the well-being of their children. Without realizing it, we started talking like two old and close friends about what had happened to her baby without casting any guilt or criticism only talking about the facts.

Breast-feeding is an ancient method that has persisted over the years and has assured the survival of the human race by protecting us from many diseases and illnesses.

Mother's milk provides immunity from a range of illnesses. It also offers all the nutrients such as calories, protein, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, etc., especially designed for the mother's body for the nutrition of her baby.

At a professional meeting of pediatricians, I once heard a definition of breast-feeding that has remained in my mind, "breastfeeding is like an umbilical cord uniting the mother and her child for more than the nine months of pregnancy; feeding it, providing nutrition and protecting it from the outside world.”

It is only in the beginnings of the last century, with the discovery of the techniques of food processing, that other forms of feeding became available for newly-born babies. Unfortunately for them, we have not been able to copy the basic elements and macro-nutrients of mother's milk, much less those that are present in minute quantities but are nonetheless essential.

Looking at all the evidence that exists in the professional literature about the benefits and advantages of breast-feeding and considering that all mothers and fathers want to offer the best to their children, one wonders why the number of mothers who breast-feed is so low.

There are many reasons for this low rate. It is a complex situation with many variables. However, some studies indicate that one of the most important factors in breast-feeding is group support for the mother. Knowledge about breast-feeding from her support group encourages the mother to initiate and continue breast-feeding.

In the majority of cases, the mother alone is not the one to initiate and sustain this activity. It requires the support of family, friends and the community in general.

Once that mother has taken an informed decision to breast-feed or provide processed food to her baby, it is important that all of us support the mother as she follows her plan.

Ann decided to start breast-feeding. That was her decision, and I only gave her support.

At the end of the conversation, we no longer remembered the rain that continued to fall on the street. Ann and I had been on the far and ancient shores of alimentation. We said good-bye with the intention of seeing each other very soon.

When Ann and her baby left me alone with my thoughts, I remembered that on August 6th, we celebrate International Day of Breast-feeding. I promised myself that for Ann and her baby I would write about this experience. Dear Ann and baby, I have kept my promise.

Marialuisa Figueroa Pitman is a Dietitian who may be reached at CORPAC Medical Center at 441-4349 or by e-mail at malugre@hotmail.com.

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