DO YOU think that a Cavalier Daily column on breast milk would be obscure or out of place in a collegiate newspaper? You aren't alone. In fact, 100 percent of my editors thought so. But according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the average age for a woman to have her first child in the United states is about 25 years old. How many girls out there have already imagined their perfect wedding day -- complete with guests, bridesmaids, dinner menus and, of course, the dress? If the college years are an appropriate time to plan a wedding, then it is most definitely early enough to plan for both you and your child's health, and breast-feeding is an important component of healthy babies and mothers.
Women who breast-feed their children in public often gain the attention of scornful onlookers due to the social norms of our modern culture. Breast-feeding, however, is a healthy method of nourishing babies and should be promoted in most instances except where the woman's milk lacks necessary vitamins and nutrients that are vital for infant development. Regardless of social pressures, women should investigate the numerous benefits that breast-feeding offers to themselves and to their children.
According to Miriam Falco of CNN, "a woman's risk for breast cancer decreased by about 4.3 percent for every 12 months she breast-fed." Therefore, a mother who breast-feeds two children for 18 months each can cut her chances of breast-cancer by almost 15 percent. With such a favorable possible outcome, women should definitely choose to breast-feed their children in public or utilize the more discreet method of bottling breast milk in their homes.
In addition to benefiting the mother, breast milk as an alternative to baby formula and cow's milk has astounding benefits for children. The British Broadcasting Corporation reports that the insulin in cow's milk can produce antibodies to insulin in infants. These antibodies can impede our own insulin from regulating blood sugar, and babies who are fed cow's milk are placed at a higher risk of developing diabetes. But diabetes is not the only disease that infants can contract when mothers refuse to breast-feed their children. Although formula can be healthy for infants nutritionally, it still cannot provide many of the important disease-blocking nutrients that breast milk contains. Rebecca Williams of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration states that breast milk contains cells that kill bacteria and viruses. Specifically, Williams states that, "Breast-fed babies are protected, in varying degrees, from a number of illnesses, including pneumonia, botulism, bronchitis, staphylococcal infections, influenza, ear infections and German measles."
Baby formula, with its lack of important antibodies and nutrients, can even have negative impacts on an infant's health with many cases of contamination occurring globally. According to the National Resources Defense Council, recalls of baby formula "have been ordered because of contamination with substances such as broken glass, fragments of metal and salmonella and other bacteria. The fungal toxin aflatoxin has also been detected in some commercial formulas." The water that people use to mix their baby's formula can also be contaminated lead. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency states that "young children, infants and fetuses appear to be particularly vulnerable to lead poisoning. A dose of lead that would have little effect on an adult can have a big effect on a small body." The EPA also holds that for infants whose diets consist mostly of baby formula, tap water can be the cause for 40-60 percent of overall lead exposure.
In a college community full of intelligent young women, it is important that education about breast-milk not be thrown to the wayside because it often makes people feel uncomfortable. Re-evaluating social norms should be encouraged instead of shunned, and doing so in the case of breast-feeding would create a much healthier society. Women should realize the gigantic advantages that breast milk offers and make the wise decision to breast feed their children either in public or by bottling breast milk at home. While creating a club called "Hoos for Breast Feeding" clearly isn't the best way to educate women about their bodies and their future children's health, existing national organizations such as the American Cancer Society and the American Pregnancy Association can strive to educate college women nationwide.
With the clear drawbacks of baby formula and cow's milk, breast feeding becomes the obvious choice. Mothers and future mothers, through adequate education, must overcome social pressures that sexualize a woman's breast and decide to breast feed their children.
Greg Crapanzano's column appears Fridays in The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at gcrapanzano@cavalierdaily.com.
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