“Culture vs. Nature” - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

“Culture vs. Nature”

Breastfeeding:Slide2

Birth

What happens at

birth?

What impact do interventions have on birth/breastfeeding?

Syntocinon

Induction

Epidural

Instrumental

delivery

Caesarian

SectionSlide3

At birth:

Vaginal vs. caesarian

Separation

Baby’s senses

Timing / clock watching

Hormonal influences

Skin-to-skin: When? How? Why? Slide4
Slide5
Slide6

Cache Mammals

Deers

Rabbits

Mature at birth

Hidden for up to 12hrs

12gms/L protein

High fatSlide7

Follow Mammals

Mature at birth

Follow mother

Feed often

4gms/L protein

Lower fat content than cache mammalsSlide8

Nest Mammals

Less mature at birth

Nest for warmth

Remain with others in litter

Feed several times a day

10gms/L protein

High fat content in milkSlide9

Carry Mammals

Immature at birth

Need warmth of mothers body

Carried constantly

2gms/L protein &

 fat

Feed constantlySlide10

“Skin to Skin” Contact

Humans are mammals

!

Skin-to-skin contact is a

‘Carrier’

mammal behaviour

Mothers chest wall is built for babies! Warmth

food

and

protection

When born vaginally the baby is exposed to the mothers pathogens for which she has the antibodies. Babies born by caesarean section are at an increased risk of

asthma

The

release of oxytocin

increases the temperature of the maternal chest wall and helps

with the bonding

process

Stabilizes

respiration, pulse, blood pressure and temperatureSlide11

Initiation

Breastfeeding is a basic instinct: programmed in the hindbrain

Breastmilk

immunoglobulin: is mother

specific:

Formula feeding a baby from birth means the baby is not exposed to the antibodies found in the mother’s milk – some of which have been passed down two generations

.

Smell and taste of colostrum is unique to each mother

Oxytocin

found in mother’s milk is a sedative and a relaxant and can assist the baby to recover from the trauma of birth

.Slide12

Initiation

Separation

= stress

The

baby is less stressed

in skin-to-skin contact –

cries less – therefore the blood sugar is more likely to be

stable

Stress

hormones

can be identified

in a baby separated from its mother –

drop

by 74% if returned to its

mother.

6Slide13

The infant knows no

different!

not

influenced by culture or society.

Breastfeeding is an inborn

programme

in the

hind-brain

human babies are born

to breastfeed as

are all

mammals

.

This baby is a “

stoneage

baby” in a “space-age world.”

Are we nurturing our babies in a ‘mother-led’ or ‘baby-led’ environment?

If the babies could choose ………. ?

The Breastfeeding Dyad:

Mother

and baby – belong together. Do not separate mother and baby.Slide14

So lets recap……….

Anatomy and physiology Culture versus NatureSlide15

Anatomy

Shoe size? Hat size? Breast size? – we are all different!

Breast capacity depends on glandular tissue

4 types of mammals: carry vs follow

Baby knows no different.Slide16

Facts

96% of breasts ‘work’

95% women in New Zealand initiate breastfeeding

Breast capacity – variable

Feeding frequency – variable

Duration Intensity and frequency of feeding

If left together the baby and the breast work it out together:

Mother-led or baby-led or society-led?

Cue-based feeding is the gold standard.Slide17

in a bottle-feeding culture we must remember:

Breastmilk

is designed for optimal growth

Loss of knowledge of natural breastfeeding makes mothers doubt themselves!

Stop

comparing breastfed babies to formula fed infants

Growth

charts

Sleep

patterns

Feeding frequencyWomen must stop comparing themselves with others!

An exclusively breastfed baby is the norm.Slide18

Nature

Only time in history a woman has had so few babies and breastfed so little

!

The female was once either pregnant or breastfeeding during her fertile life (often both

)

Hormonally our bodies are now ‘different’ – more likely to be

anaemic

, (due to

 menstruation) and increased risk of hormonally controlled cancers.Slide19

Conclusion

Culture or nature?

Often mothers want their babies to feed four hourly and to sleep through the night. Breasts and breastmilk invariably do not work this way.

Only 1-4% of breasts fail to produce sufficient breastmilk

#

– sadly women trying to fit their feeding into the lifestyle of modern culture readily blame their breasts:

“My milk is too thin.”

“I don’t have enough milk.”

Unlimited access to the breast ensures adequate intake in 96% of cases – the breast and baby work it out together.

Interference in this fine balance may compromise the breastfeeding outcome! Slide20

References

‘

Computerised

Breast Measurement from Conception to Weaning: Clinical Implications’

Creagan

MD, Hartmann PE. Journal of Human Lactation 15:89 (1999)

‘Suckling behaviours and growth rates of New Zealand fur seals,

Arctocephalus

forsteri

, at Cape

Foulwind

, New Zealand’

Chilvers

BL, Wilson K-J,

Hickling

GJ. New Zealand Journal of Zoology; 30 March 2010

‘Delivery by Cesarean Section and Early Childhood Respiratory Symptoms and Disorders The Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study’

Magnus MC,

Håberg

SE,

Stigum

H,

Nafstad

P, London SJ,

Vangen

S,

Nystad

W. Am J Epidemiol 174 (11): 1275-1285 (2011)‘Chemosensory Development in the Fetus and Newborn’ Browne JV. Newborn and Infant Nursing Reviews. Vol.8 Number 4 (2008)

‘Early skin to skin contact for mothers and their healthy newborn infants’

(Review) Moore ER, Anderson GC, Bergman N. Cochrane Collaboration (2009) Issue 1

‘Public Health Implications of skin-to-skin contact’

Nils

Bergman;

powerpoint

presentation

(

2012)

‘Breast Anatomy’

Breastfeeding Answer Book (Update) LLLI March 2012

‘Skin-to-Skin Information’

(pamphlet) NZBA 2010

‘Just a few breastfeeding bits and pieces for your interest!’

Team

Hartmann 2005