Healthful choice

Health officials say breastfeeding a newborn is the most effective way to start off a child on the right track to a healthier adult life.

In a recent mandate, all counties in Florida are required to have a peer counseling program in place for breastfeeding support and encouragement.

Hernando County ranks about 10 percent below the state average of 77.6 percent for mothers who initiate breastfeeding to their infant.

Hernando has not had a peer counseling program in place in recent years.

In contrast, Miami-Dade has been in practice with a breastfeeding support program and is ranked about 10 percent higher than the state average.

Thanks to a new grant, Hernando County Health Department, Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program will soon have more local peer counselors for breastfeeding available to new moms in the area.

The Breastfeeding Peer Counselor program offers local moms, training to become peers with the ability to help and influence mothers in a way health professionals cannot.

The counselors take a 20-hour course that includes training in breastfeeding basics, counseling skills and an emphasis on the role of being a peer counselor, making referrals for circumstances outside the realm of normal breastfeeding.

Mary Becker, an international board certified lactation consultant, serves as the training director for the Breastfeeding Peer Counselor Program in Hernando and Pasco counties, said most moms need basic information and support regarding breastfeeding.

She said they are currently training 12 peer counselors for Hernando County.

"Having peer counselors in the area will bridge the gap for mothers and a place for referrals for more complex concerns, being able to train the peer counselor, means I know their level of expertise," she said. For a mom who needs support, peer counselors will be able to visit mothers in the hospital and help them get off to a great start, Becker adds.

"Our local hospital has limited lactation services," Becker said, "I see this as the place where most benefit will be seen."

Becker, who is also a health educator and lactation consultant for the Women, Infant and Children (WIC) Program at the Hernando County Health Department, has a master's degree in health science and is a trained physician's assistant said, "Mother-to-mother support has proven to be one of the most successful approaches to encourage mothers to breastfeed their babies."

Breastfeeding is normal and a healthful choice for infants and mothers, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. Breast milk has many disease-fighting cells called antibodies that help protect infants against germs, illness and even SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome).

The Breastfeeding Peer Counselor Program is designed to improve infant health through the increased practice of breastfeeding.

The program goals include increasing the number of pregnant WIC mothers who choose to breastfeed their infants, provide follow-up support for mothers when they have their babies to help them initiate and continue breastfeeding, and to provide a long-term neighborhood based network of breastfeeding support.

Becker describes the peer training as helping counselors who go beyond the mothers experience, giving them advice and help in normal breastfeeding situations. The assistance is based on current research and consensus of knowledge from breastfeeding experts.

"I hope the biggest impact for mothers will be to have a peer counselor visit them while in the hospital to empower, assist and continue the support to breastfeed her child," Becker said.

At home, having a counselor available outside normal office hours to help those who need assistance, including more classes and support groups available in the community for mother participation are other goals, Becker adds.

"We currently offer only one breastfeeding class per month," Becker said. There is a need for special classes for NICU parents and more one-on-one follow up for moms.

Becker describes peer counselors as being able to relate to a mom because she is a mom, "being a mom, too, she has walked the same road."

"Additional benefits to becoming a peer counselors can be the development of skills and self-esteem, added work history, and enables them to go on to other employment," Becker said.

Approximately 300 peer counselors have been hired into full-time jobs in the WIC program, many others have gone on to other full-time employment or returned to school. Many peer counselors have become IBCLC certified lactation consultants.

Benefits to breastfeeding
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), even with the advances of baby formula, there is not a way to match the exact chemical make-up of human breast milk, especially, the cells, hormones, and antibodies that fight disease.

Breastfeeding also lowers the risk of health problems for infants such as ear infections, stomach viruses, diarrhea, respiratory infections, asthma, obesity, diabetes, leukemia and SIDS. Mothers benefits are lower the risk for Type 2 diabetes, breast cancer, ovarian cancer and postpartum depression, according to the CDC.

The Department of Health and Human Services also states, "Breastfeeding is more than a lifestyle choice, it is an important health choice." One of the best things that only you can do for your baby is to breastfeed. Any amount of time that you can do it will help both you and your baby.

Colostrum is the thick yellow "first" breast milk that you make during pregnancy and just after birth. It is known as "liquid gold" and has been proven to give a baby the best start at life. It is rich in nutrients and antibodies to protect your baby as he or she first enters the world.

Although the baby only gets a small amount of colostrum at each feeding, it matches the amount his or her tiny stomach can hold.

Breast milk changes over time to meet a baby's needs. The breast milk that begins to be made by the third to fifth day after birth has the right amount of fat, sugar, water and protein that is needed for a baby's growth. It will be a thinner type of milk, but just as full of all of the nutrients and antibodies for your baby.

For most babies, breast milk is easier to digest than formula. It takes time for their stomachs to adjust to digesting the proteins in formula because they are made from cow's milk. Also, premature babies do better when breastfed compared to premature babies who are fed formula.

Unlike human milk straight from the breast, infant formula has a chance of being contaminated. When you breastfeed, there are no bottles and nipples to sterilize.

Breastfeeding can be easier, as you do not have to purchase, measure and mix formula and there are no bottles to warm in the middle of the night.

According to the Department of Health, breastfeeding can save you between $1,160 and $3,915 per year, depending on the brand of formula. Also, breastfeeding requires a mother to take some quiet, relaxed time for herself and her baby, helping them bond.

"Physical contact is important to newborns and can help them feel more secure, warm, and comforted," states the U.S. Surgeon General.

"Breastfeeding mothers may have increased self-confidence and feelings of closeness and bonding with their infants."

Breast milk stays the baby's main source of nutrients during the first year. Beyond one year, breast milk can still be an important part of your child's diet, according to the Surgeon General.

Under the USDA, the WIC program serves to safeguard the health of low-income women, infants and children up to age 5 who are at nutritional risk by providing nutritious foods to supplement diets, information on healthy eating and referrals to health care.

WIC recommendations include increasing your fluid intake while you are breastfeeding, drinking enough water and other fluids to quench your thirst. A common suggestion is to drink a glass of water or other beverage every time you breastfeed.

Some beverages, such as soft drinks and fruit drinks, contain added sugars. Limit your intake of these beverages. A moderate amount, up to two or three 8-fluid-ounce cups a day, of coffee or other caffeinated beverages does not affect your baby.

The American Academy of Pediatrics advises breastfeeding mothers should avoid the use of alcoholic beverages because alcohol is concentrated in breast milk and its use can inhibit milk production.
An occasional celebratory single, small alcoholic drink is acceptable, but breastfeeding should be avoided for two hours after the drink.

Caution is advised if alcohol is consumed while a mother is breastfeeding, recommends WIC.