I am from the Philippines and since the onset of 2020, my country has been through a lot. The Taal Volcano, which is just 20 kilometers near my home, erupted and many people were affected, the swine flu fever happened and those who depend their livelihood on raising pigs were famished, and now, this COVID-19 has indeed tested us all in so many ways.
I was, and is still, veiled with so many worries not for myself but for my little one who has been through a lot in such a young age. But there is one thing I am happy about: that I chose to breastfeed my child.
When I knew I was pregnant, my husband and I decided that we will breastfeed our baby whatever happens. I mostly did a lot of researches, talked to the few friends I have who also opted to breastfeed and collected as many information as I can. I even joined support groups to help me along the way and up to now, I am thankful that I gained not only support, but good friends as well, since I developed Post Partum Depression, and of course my single friends would never understand. Fast forward to today, I have been exclusively breastfeeding my 20 month toddler and I could not be any happier! There were so many challenges and people who’ve witnessed suggested that I switch to formula milk but as a mother, as long as I can, I will provide her the best milk for her nutrition. And during this time, I have been one of those who continue help other moms to breastfeed their child and to help them see how beneficial it is in time of uncertainties.
I collated this based on experiences of my mom friends, and how we found breastfeeding very beneficial during disasters and calamities:
1. No need for clean water. When feeding formula, we need to make sure we have good clean water supply to sterilize the bottles. We also need distilled or purified water to mix the formula. When in emergencies, there is no need for these to be able to make sure we feed our babies well. There is also a lower risk for the babies to develop diarrhea due to unclean water.
2. Breastmilk is free. In a developing country like ours, people survive calamities through donations from private sectors. However, we cannot guarantee sustainable support from the government all the time, so there is a huge risk that if the mother did not decide to breastfeed during an emergency, formula milk donations will not be sustainable.
3. Higher probability of a healthy baby. When the Taal Volcano erupted, many families were cramped in evacuation centers and during this scenario, the baby might catch viruses and other illnesses since there is no proper sanitation. Also, it has been proven that common illnesses like flu, cough and colds cannot be passed on through the mother’s milk, but antibodies can, making the baby healthier and immune to these illnesses. According to a recent study, Corona Virus cannot be passed on through the breastmilk as well.
We could enumerate more and more reasons why a mother should choose to feed her baby through her milk, but at the end of the day, it would still be the mother’s choice and whatever she chooses, what is more important is she chose to love her baby enough to feed her in whatever is available.
Life of G 