I haven't blogged for awhile, but recent events have led me to write again.
At
the end of November our church was burned to the ground by an arsonist
and, of course, the massacre in Newtown has been shocking and unbelievably sad.
I was reminded this week of something I heard in a La Leche League
meeting years ago: "Pay me now or pay me later". What does this have
to do with tragedy? Breastfeeding? Kids? I think of the phrase as meaning,
"Meet your kid’s needs now or they will go looking to meet them in other
(potentially unhealthy) ways." I have to clarify that I am in no way
suggesting that all mental illness stems from poor parenting or that people who
do bad things must have been neglected as children. However, why not invest
heavily in your most precious "product" - your kids?!
Ok - back to breastfeeding. Nursing your child gives them not only the healthiest start in life, but also the experience of being skin-to-skin with mom, being fed both emotionally and nutritionally. Breastfed babies tend to be fed more frequently (breastmilk is digested much faster than formula), are put to breast for both nourishment and non-nutritive sucking, and often spend more time with their moms. In fact, it is said that breastfed babies can smell the difference between their mother and another nursing mom in the first few days of life. Finally, human milk is for human babies (and ideally, breasts are for nursing). The first few years of life involve incredible brain development and doesn't your child deserve the best brain food? I can't guarantee that every breastfed baby will grow up to be a nice, kind, law abiding citizen, but I am willing to bet that there is a better chance for a good outcome if you begin with the best (or the breast!).
