The near death of her child due to hunger was what inspired this mother to form a core group of women assisting mothers who have difficulty breastfeeding but do not get enough help or information about breastfeeding.
Four years ago, Di Anne Mendoza found herself in the emergency room watching her child who was only a few days old, having a seizure, dehydrated, and at the brink of death because no matter her effort in breastfeeding her baby, no milk would come out.
“My baby would latch and I thought she was being fed but it turned out, no milk would come out,” Di Anne said recalling that after giving birth, the only assistance she got when she could not produce milk were assurances that if a baby was made to continue latching, milk will eventually come out.
This strategy did not work. She said this technique is also told to other mothers but many only end up frustrated because they are not taught troubleshooting techniques that will address the specific issue of the child or the mother.
“Breastfeeding will not be easy but it need not be a struggle every time a child feeds. If mothers are provided the correct information, breastfeeding will be lot easier.”
Di Anne eventually found help from a foundation whose personnel have gone extensive training on troubleshooting breastfeeding problems.
Her child, now four years old, is still breastfeeding and she intends to continue doing so, until the child instinctively decides to wean from her.
“It should not be us who should be deciding when they should stop breastfeeding. While the ideal is up to two years old, if the child wants to feed from us, we should let them,” Di Anne said.
To help mothers who had a similar experience, she founded the Breastfeeding Center of the North. Aside from giving seminars, the group is affiliated with the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center where they are referred to assist mothers who have difficulty breastfeeding.
In the lactation seminar organized by the National Nutrition Council, CAR Media Educators on Nutrition, in coordination with the City Nutrition Office, Di Anne and her team reiterated to the participants, who are first-time mothers, to breastfeed exclusively. By exclusive, she said breastmilk should not be transferred into feeding bottles where an infant will be made to drink the milk using rubber nipples.
She said this will result in a condition called “nipple confusion” and eventually the infant will refuse to feed from the mother.
Di Anne said the best way is to express breastmilk in a cup then make them drink it using the cup with a cover with tiny holes.
Di Anne also cautioned the participants against making an infant drink water or broth. From zero to six months, exclusive breastmilk dapat. No to early feeding. Ang practice kasi nating mga Pinoy, four months pa lang binibigyan na ng sabaw o tubig. Others also practice “mix feeding” or alternate intake of formula and breastmilk.
She said infants have virgin guts that could not yet fully digest any kind of food they take in. “Their stomachs still have tiny holes. Only breastmilk can coat those holes.”
She said this explains why some infants who are made to drink formula milk often experience stomach flu, are constipated, or are often asleep.
“Kahit gaano pa kamahal ‘yang gatas na ‘yan, it’s still cow’s milk. Mataba nga sila but that’s because of the sugar. Notice also that formula milk-fed babies are often asleep…that’s because they have difficulty digesting the milk.”
Di Anne said formula milk has become a convenient alternative but with proper guidance, she hopes more mothers would breastfeed.
She also advised that while pregnant, mothers should also have a birth plan. “Habang buntis hindi lang mga gamit ng bata ang handa. Dapat ikonsulta rin sa Ob-gyne kung ano ang gagawin kapag nagkaproblema sa pagpapasuso. As much as possible, consult with doctors, pediatricians, or midwives who advocate breastfeeding.”
Among the concerns encountered by mothers are sick or premie babies, liptie or tongue tie, inverted nipple, engorged breast, wrong latch, low milk supply, growth spurt, and absence of milk.
Di Anne said the center or any breastfeeding advocate has remedies for these concerns. Some of these were demonstrated to the participants during the seminar. They also provide prenatal massages, counseling, and they also facilitate the donation of breastmilk.
The Breastfeeding Center of the North is located at Ecco Building, General Luna Road.
~Rimaliza Opiña
