IT IS NOT ALL ROSY BUT BREASTFEEDING IS STILL BEST

It has been an interesting week as we advocate for breastfeeding support across the world. The message has remained consistent that breastfeeding is best for baby and every mother requires to be supported in every possible way to make the experience as easy as possible. Special focus has been on supporting breastfeeding in the workplace. There has also been a lot of controversy around breastfeeding in public spaces.

While we continue debating on what is appropriate regarding breastfeeding in the office, park, public transport and restaurants, moms on social media have found a safe space where they can share their breastfeeding experiences with each other without fear.

One mom, Diana Awuor, in her classic humorous fashion talked about waking up in the middle of the night to find herself soaked with milk, but what was totally bewildering to her was that the milk was spilling out of her armpits! The comments that followed were even more rib-cracking.

She reminded me of my fascination during the anatomy classes when we learnt about the mammary line (milk line). This is a developmental step during the growth of the human embryo where an elevated ridge develops, arching from the armpit, down to the groin on both sides. This is the line along which the breasts develop. The rest of the ridge disintegrates, leaving the normal paired breasts behind.

This line is present in all mammals and its persistence can be demonstrated well in mammals that will have more than one pair of teats such as cats and dogs. In humans, where the disintegration is incomplete, extra breasts or extra nipples may be the end result. These will be dormant but may become active during lactation for some moms.

During routine examination, the doctor will be able to pick them out as incidental findings. It is quite helpful to reassure the mom before she is even more traumatized by social media “doctors” who will come up with a perplexing array of diagnoses, including being bewitched. These are not much of a concern but it is important to note that the ectopic breast tissue may be the primary site of development of breast cancer.

Alongside the supranumerary nipples are other acquired breastfeeding complications that may occur during the breastfeeding period. The commonest is cracked nipples. This happens pretty much almost immediately breastfeeding commences, in the event the new mom does not know how to position the baby to latch properly onto the breast. By the second or third day, mommy is in tears every time she has to feed the baby. If there was ever an important task for the lactation specialists, it is to prevent cracked nipples.

Cracked nipples may be the nightmare of many a new mom but it can get even worse. Mastitis, an inflammation of the breast tissue secondary to infection, may result from the cracking of the nipples. Bacteria enters the breast tissue causing the breast to become sore, tender and hot to touch. Coupled with full breasts, it is easy for the mom to miss the early signs of infection, mistaking them for breast engorgement.

Left untreated, the mastitis may result in formation of a breast abscess. The tissue being destroyed by bacteria dies off and results in accumulated pus. This becomes a surgical emergency. What starts out as a nurturing experience may take a downward turn that must be quickly halted.

Additionally, breast cancer can strike at any moment, including during breastfeeding. A diagnosis of breast cancer at any time in a woman’s lifetime is traumatizing. To have your doctor tell you that your breast biopsy has tested positive for cancer when you have a breastfeeding five-month old infant is beyond comprehension. There is no possible way to prepare a mother for what will lay ahead in the course of treatment.

New moms must be sufficiently empowered to recognize the early signs of mastitis to prevent breast abscesses. If it doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t. Healthcare providers should take breast complaints seriously and not just write it off as breastfeeding inexperience.

As if waking up to the a milk-soaked bed is not enough, Diana brought even more good humour to the group by reminding us just how motherhood has a way of changing all of us in the blink of an eye. From a stylish young lady in touch with the trending fashion, to just a mom more concerned with ensuring her baby is fed.

That is what happened when she forgot and wore the wrong dress on the day was taking her baby to the paediatrician. The moment her little one started wailing for his meal, she suddenly realized that in her new capacity as an official mobile milk dispenser, her tap was completely inaccessible! In the end, she found herself walking around in a workman’s overalls, several sizes bigger, procured from a nearby hardware by her husband. At that moment, it did not matter. She was just relieved to be able to breastfeed her baby, oblivious to the stares she was drawing.

Women have worked hard to scale the professional ladder. They have moved on from wearing dreary maternity wear in the name of motherhood. They have a right to carry their pregnancies in comfort but still look great. In the same vein, when their bundles of joy make their arrival, they should still be able to wear breast pads with ease underneath their power suits at the corporate meeting and glide seamlessly into mummy mode when baby demands so.

The expectation is that breastfeeding should be natural and spontaneous. In many instances, this is the case. However, when this does not happen, we must be empathetic and supportive. Most mothers are juggling so many balls in their life, we must make sure they do not drop the baby!