Lima moms give advice, support on nursing kids

LIMA - The health benefits of breastfeeding for moms and babies are nearly endless - healthier and smarter children, reduced risk of breast cancer, more money in the bank account without buying canisters of formula.

Yet the state ranks 44th in the nation in breastfeeding initiation rates, about 60 percent, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Two breastfeeding moms are trying to increase that, working as peer helpers and offering support to other new moms with questions or difficulty starting.

Jasmine Marshall, 25, and Laura Langley, 29, both clients of WIC, work a few hours a week through the local Women, Infants and Children office spreading the gospel.

"Because of our culture, many moms don't have anyone to turn to. Their mothers didn't breastfeed because formula has become so popular," said Langley, the mother of children ages 7, 2 and 1. "We're saying to a generation of women, ‘Look - it's free, it's simpler, it's portable. It's not hard. It doesn't hurt.' And there's a revelation of, ‘My body can provide the best thing for my baby.'"

Marshall took an infant feeding class in Williams County with her first child and so was eager to help in Allen County.

"The look in moms' eyes is great when they have someone to talk to," Marshall, the mother of a 3- and 1-year-old. "They can count on us to get the right information."

The women do a lot of referring moms to lactation consultants in the area. Lima Memorial Health System, St. Rita's Medical Center and Bluffton Hospital all provide consultants and free classes. Several support groups are also in the region and the WIC office provides and refers to a wealth of resources, much at no cost.

Breastfeeding reduces food costs for babies by an average of $800 a year and can reduce health care costs by thousands of dollars. Breastfed babies have a lower risk of ear and respiratory infections, obesity and diabetes. Breast milk is greener, doing away with the energy needed to manufacture formula and canister waste. And, best of all, what ends up in the diapers is a lot more tolerable.

Marshall and Langley say pregnant women wanting to breastfeed need to be assertive about it to doctors and nurses when delivering. They also need to be confident about their choice, especially in public. Breastfeeding is legal anywhere a mom can be and they can learn ways to be more discreet if they choose.

Langley and Marshall like to offer a 10-day challenge to new moms, saying if there aren't other medical reasons prohibiting it, to try feeding only breast milk. Even the early colostrum, what exists before a mother's milk comes in, is unsurpassable for the immunity properties it passes on to babies.

"If you breastfeed for only one day," Langley said, "You've given them a gift no one else can give."

August is Breastfeeding Awareness Month. Contact the WIC office at 419-224-8200 for details.