I was busy minding my business as I rode in a matatu heading back home when my eyes bumped into a woman’s breasts. They forayed back and forth for a final glimpse – after which I would shift my sight to where my shoes and feet were.
She had removed the left one, straight into her baby’s mouth. The innocent one clamped on the nipple like its life depended on it – and it did. Don’t you just envy that? Don’t get me wrong, there are babies out there who, for some reason, have never tasted a drop of their mother’s milk – even though that is where the centre of gravity emanates as far as their lives are concerned.
And while situations may force some babies to live without their mother’s milk, there are occasions when women have weaned their babies off early “to preserve the plumpness of the breast,” like one friend admitted. “I fear that my breasts will droop and hang out looking ugly. I still want to look beautiful,” she added. This question may sound stupid, but can you really avoid droopy breasts?
Dr Esther Wanjohi, a gynecologist at Nairobi Hospital says drooping is a result of age. The mere act of breastfeeding is not to blame. In her opinion, wearing the right bra size and exercising often should take care of such misplaced fears. Exercise keeps everything aloft – effortlessly pinned on the chest.
Corpus ligaments, that offer breast support, don’t degenerate with breastfeeding – which is what the fear mongering suggests. In selfishly maintaining ‘beauty’, those who take their babies off the breast even before a year are only denying their children valuable nutrition.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends that mothers breastfeed their babies exclusively for the first six months. “Exclusive breastfeeding means ‘nothing else,’ not even water is supposed to enter the baby’s mouth. Even formulated milk of whatever kind cannot substitute breast milk,” says Dr Wanjohi.
Nutritionist Manaan Muma of Kenya AIDS NGOs Consortium (KANCO) cites studies which show that the first 1,000 days of human life are crucial for nutrition to be administered well. “After that, an individual’s susceptibility to illnesses, height and general well-being would be affected. That is why even among children born at the same time, there could be distinct disparities in their states of health,” she explained.
Consistent balanced diet, she says, in the first 1,000 days of life, would ensure better health in future. It so happens that exclusive and steady supply of breast milk in the first six months of a baby’s life is also balanced diet. “Breast milk has all the nutrients that a baby needs for survival,” says Dr Wanjohi.
So, are you still clinging on to beauty and keeping the baby off your breasts? Get off that high horse and suckle the young one!