Letter Re: Feeding Infants at TEOTWAWKI

Hugh,

That was an outstanding article that was supported by facts and dispelled many myths. When I was in PA school, we had an entire lecture dedicated to learning the facts as this article has described. When I nursed my infant (for nine months), I had to fight against two guilt-driven grandmothers who believed I was harming my baby by not giving him formula, despite my medical background. Indeed, this article takes a sledgehammer to the consumer driven culture of formula feeding.

I’d like to add that learning about the “techniques” involved in breastfeeding is best done pre-collapse. It’s not always as easy as one may think, and people who know these skills may not be readily available. Babies are born with neurologic reflexes called rooting (touch their cheek with a finger or nipple and they turn their head towards it, which helps with feeding) and sucking (they suck when something touches their lips, like a finger or nipple). Despite this, you often have to train the baby how to breastfeed, and moms may give up if the baby doesn’t learn immediately. In the first 48 hours the milk is different, and there isn’t much of it. Many moms gets disheartened and give up, which is the opposite of what is needed. Baby’s don’t need volume in the first 48 hours, they need exactly what the body produces. Finally, knowing how to deal with complications is important too. Breastfeeding can be painful, with cracked nipples and infections. Do some research now and add it to your library. Perhaps readers will want a how-to guide on this blog. It’s not bullets and band aids, but it is definitely critical to the survival of our next generation. If you want your babies and grandbabies to survive, don’t chuck this info to the side. That attitude is a direct result of marketing campaigns. – J.P.

o o o

HJL,

I’m a new mom and have been nursing for seven months now. I just wanted to mention an item to purchase and keep for any post-collapse nursing mother: a nipple shield. I was very frustrated soon after giving birth when my son just wouldn’t latch. I knew that this might be a problem because my midwife told me I had flat nipples. A nipple shield is a plastic nipple that allows for a better latch. I’m still using mine because I still need it. It is about $10 at Walmart. I would also recommend it for maintaining nipple health, as it protects you from cracked nipples, which can discourage even the most focused mom. – R.M.