When I say I am a breastfeeding advocate...

1. I believe that every mom is created fearfully and wonderfully - fully capable of nurturing each offspring.

A lot of moms are made to feel inadequate. That they can't produce enough milk. Too many times, the natural process of supply and demand is not well understood and this leads to frustration..

Did you know that an average newborn's stomach is just about the size of a calamansi or jackstone ball? This little tummy expands as the mom's milk builds up. Little by little until the milk "comes out". (Even this is not accurate, because mommy has milk even though she can't see it dripping yet!) And what increases mom's milk? It's the cues that the nursing baby sends mommy's brain, releasing substances that prompt her body to produce more milk. 

But how can her baby ask for more milk if it's tiny capacity is brimming with water or formula? And as this crucial demand for her milk decreases, so does her milk production. 

Moreover, some make moms feel that certain products or services are necessary to sustain lactation. And it doesn't help that these commodities are usually not that accessible, not that affordable, and not even evidence-based. Though enterprises that arise from breastfeeding should be encouraged to make the lives of moms easier, integrity and accountability should still be foremost.

2. I understand its benefits for my own child, and I hope you would consider it for your own too...

I am not shoving it down your throat. Most moms obsess about keeping everything clean and giving their kids shots on time to protect them. We all love talking about antibodies because they fight infection. 

ABPro

Did you know that mommy's body remembers most nasty microbes and produces antibodies against them? And when her body meets those bugs again, she won't get sick anymore because the antibodies stay for life and protect her system. 

A whole bunch of these antibodies, developed throughout her lifetime of fighting nasty bugs, gets passed on to the baby through breastmilk!

Talk aboout "sana ako na lang ang nagkasakit". This, to some extent is literally possible - simply, and only through breastfeeding. 

And this is is why solid medical evidence confirm that formula-fed babies are more sickly. Of course milk companies won't say that in their gimmicks, and that is where the Milk Code comes in to protect mothers' and babies' best interest.

I bet NO formula milk will be able to mimic antibodies in breastmilk even if they attempt for the next 50 years. And having a molecular biology background, I am definite that they won't even attempt because the effort is not going to be worth it. Lugi sila.

Of course, this is just one of the countless benefits. The IQ, the EQ, the cancer protection for the mom and everything else - just google it up.

3. I believe it is every Filipino mother's right to breastfeed.

Photo taken from  http://breastfeedingpinay.wordpress.com

Breastfeeding is not just for moms who get around with a driver, a yaya and a personal assistant. It is the right of the boss, and the right of the janitress who just gave birth. It is the right of the urban mom, and the right of a mother in an isolated island.

Furthermore, it is not just the right of the mother. Isn't it the right of the baby to eat and survive? And everything must be done to protect this right.

As breastfeeding becomes trendy these days, something's fishy when commercial areas set up breastfeeding rooms that can be accessed only by their VIPs.

Or when establishments throw out breastfeeding moms, just because they are breastfeeding.

And something seems fishy when legislators start to weaken the very laws that protect this right. (Read more about this below)

4. I am not against formula-feeding mothers. 

For those who work and choose to breastfeed, it takes a lot of determination to sustain the commitment. But a lot of working moms intentionally choose not to breastfeed and they can't be blamed.

Getty Images

It's just natural for any parent to decide on what is perceived to be the best choice. With all the marketing gimmicks and the apparent convenience it offers, it's easier to choose formula. Each of us make decisions based on our unique circumstance and on the kind of information that we have (especially if this comes from sources that we trust, like our doctors or favorite celebrities?).

To breastfeed or not is mostly decided prior to the baby's arrival. Some moms decide not to breastfeed altogether because they worry about getting back to work. It has been known that the length of maternity leave impacts breastfeeding success. (Did you know that in other countries, the maternity leave is 1 year and paid? And that there is a four-year-old house bill that aims to increase ours from 60 to 120 days?).

These days, there are so many reasons for moms not to breastfeed. But when they are provided with accurate information and good social support, they tend to breastfeed.

5. I am not claiming to be a better mom. 

But I want you to know that I care, I understand, and you can find company in me. I am a doctor, but was not spared of the problems other breastfeeding moms typically encounter - the pressure to give formula, the bleeding nipples, the sore engorged breasts. I have been in your shoes. I am not saying that I am a better mom than you, but I am telling you that if I was able to do it, you definitely can too.

I hope you'd drop your biases and give it a shot. There are so many moms out there who understand and are willing to help. 

And as I watch my own son peacefully drift off to sleep while nursing, I felt all the more 

compelled to share this post with you.

“But we proved to be gentle among you, as a nursing mother tenderly cares for her own children.”

1 Thessalonians 2:7

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Read about the House bill against breastfeeding. I am appalled that 3 women (one's even a doctor*) co-authored it. Sign a petition against this bill and help protect Filipino babies!
*in defense of Dr. Bondoc, I quote Atty. Jenny Ong of Chronicles of a Nursing Mom below:  "the original bill sponsored by one of the doctors, Dr. Bondoc is a good bill - HB 3396 which aims to extend the marketing restrictions to 3 years. but it has been corrupted when it was consolidated to other bills. the author is on leave due to a delicate pregnancy.. that's when rufus rodriguez and anthony golez stepped in". 

Read about a Filipina doctor, Dr. Natividad Clavano - well-respected all over the world for her studies at the Baguio General Hospital. Her startling findings caused a global movement to promote breastfeeding.

"What you need to know about breastfeeding." - a brochure by the respected Joint Commission.

Learn about Unang Yakap (Essential Intrapartum and Newborn Care) - the best standard of care for mothers and newborns as dictated by medical evidence, a process jointly endorsed by the WHO and DOH in order to decrease illnesses and deaths among newborns and mothers. Among it's core steps are non-separation of mother and baby and early initiation of breastfeeding.