Addressing the lack of pre-natal breastfeeding education

I remember being just shy of nine months pregnant with my first son when all of a sudden it dawned on me, “Oh goodness! I need to find this baby a doctor!” I had spent so much time reading about what was happening to me, how the baby was developing and growing, that I had never even thought about what happened after he was born.  And in my opinion, finding someone to care for him was just as important as finding a doctor to help me give birth, maybe even more so.

Looking back, I wish that someone would have told me this sooner.  As it turned out we found a wonderful pediatrician, recommended by a friend, but I was stressed out(as only a woman who is 37 weeks pregnant with her first child can be) trying to interview pediatricians, and juggle that with my maternity leave, my husband’s work schedule, et cetera.  A little sisterhood could have gone a long way back then.

This experience is just one way that prenatal education is lacking in my opinion.  Unless you are adamant about educating yourself and seek out information, you can really get by your whole pregnancy with knowing the bare minimum; just show up for the birth, and have someone else (i.e. hospital staff) take control of the situation.  You are then handed a baby, and sent home forty-eight hours later.  How’s that for confidence building?

I sat down to write this post because I cannot help feel frustrated by the lack of breastfeeding education and how that lack of information fails women and their babies.  How many Obstetricians take the time to tell you what is happening each trimester, not just in terms of your uterus and the baby growing inside it, but with the rest of your body.  Mine never did, and I bet the majority of those out there do not either.  I am not here to place blame on Obstetricians or their patients, but rather to show how the system could be with a little effort, much more supportive of pregnant women and babies.

Would it not be wonderful if prenatal care went something like this? Imagine at your 12 week check up your Obstetrician is reviewing your vitals, checking your weight gain, any blood work, etc., and then asks you if you are planning on breastfeeding.  Maybe you know for sure that you are going to try, maybe the thought has not entered your mind, but with this one question the doctor has planted the seed.  Then what if the doctor told you that breastfeeding was best for you and your baby as it offered increased immunity immediately after birth, ensured your baby was getting the proper nutrients, and that it was best for you as it reduced your risk of breast and uterine cancers.  Great, the mom who already knows she wants to breastfeed, feels supported, and the mom who has never thought about it until now, has some very valid reasons why she should – reasons that are coming from a health professional she most likely trusts.

And then what if your doctor went on to explain that in addition to the physical changes you can notice on your breast, such as enlargement and the areola darkening, that beginning around 10-14 weeks gestation you body actually starts producing its first milk for the baby you are growing.  That first milk is called colostrum and it is intended to prepare the lining of your baby’s gut and it is high in protein and beta-carotene to help them flush out their first little poop. Telling this little bit of information could but a nervous mother at ease, knowing that her body already has a plan to help her take care of the baby once it is born.  If she holds it in the right position, her breasts will pretty much do the rest! Most new moms, especially those who have not been around other breastfeeding mothers worry that they will not be able to give their baby all that it needs, and learning that in the first trimester nature has a plan, could instill confidence in a pregnant woman.

Maybe at this point the doctor would tell the mother-to-be that if she is not sure he would be happy to send her home with a list of resources, books, websites, etc. as well as local breastfeeding class information, and that if she has any questions they can discuss them at future visits.  And at a future visit the doctor offers to quickly examine the mother’s nipples to let her know if she needs to do anything in preparation for breastfeeding once the baby is born (i.e. wear breast shells, etc.).

And of course when the pregnant mom leaves her doctor’s office, she does not leave with a complimentary bag of formula with tons of coupons, she leaves with a bag filled with breast pad samples, lanolin samples, flyers from various breast pump companies, a flyer from a local shop where she can buy nursing bras, a list of online and local resources for breastfeeding support (La Leche League meetings, hospital support groups). She leaves with tools and resources to make her successful, and the knowledge that growing her baby does not end when she gives birth, but rather continues as a result, through breastfeeding.

My point is this: breastfeeding education needs to be addressed prenatally, and probably more so than the optional class that you have to pay extra to attend at your local hospital. When a new mother who is exhausted from giving birth holds her baby and then has a stranger (nurse, lactation consultant, etc.) try to teach her how to put that baby to breast in about 15 minutes, it can be overwhelming. Women deserve to go into birth prepared for what happens once their baby is placed on their chest or in their arms.  We should be empowered with the knowledge that just as our bodies are designed to conceive, grow, and give birth to a baby, so are we able to sustain that precious little life on the outside through breastfeeding.

Please check out the resources page for helpful information on where to turn for breastfeeding support.