Refresh Saturday, July 21, 2018
14 IN THE FIELD
Doctor-mom extols breastfeeding BY SCOTT SCANLON R E F R E SH E DI T OR
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r. Sara K. Berkelhamer, a neonatologist, expressed disappointment with the recent news that a U.S. delegation tried to water down an international call to encourage more breastfeeding. She did so both professionally and personally. Berkelhamer – attending physician for neonatology and medical director of respiratory therapy at John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital – gave birth to her second daughter, Samantha, a little more than two weeks ago. A few days later, the New York Times broke a story that American representatives during a May gathering in Europe looked to strip away the words in a World Health Assembly resolution that called on governments to “protect, promote and support breastfeeding,” as well as another passage that baby formula makers viewed as detrimental to their businesses. “This World Health Assembly initiative was about a global perspective on breastfeeding and that is where it is tremendously shortsighted to have not been more supportive in that breastfeeding in low-resource settings can be the difference in a child surviving or not,” Berkelhamer said. Berkelhamer, 46, a Chicago native, and her husband, Dr. David Rothstein, a pediatric surgeon who grew up in Western Massachusetts, have two daughters, Alexandra Rothstein, 4, and new baby Samantha, the latter of which Berkelhamer brought to an interview on Tuesday at Oishei. Berkelhamer and her husband are both associate professors in the Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, roles similar to those they had at Northwestern University before moving to Buffalo in 2014. Q: What was your reaction to last week’s news about breastfeeding? A: It was an embarrassing moment to look at what our country was saying. I so disagreed with the message. Above all, we should be supporting that resolution and supporting women in both the initiation and continuation of healthy breastfeeding practices. Q: Can you talk about benefits of breastfeeding compared to formula or other forms of milk? A: Beyond the obvious – facilitating bonding between an infant and a mother – breastfeeding ... reduces
Shuran Huang/Buffalo News
“Don’t get discouraged,” Dr. Sara Berkelhamer advises new moms who, like herself, are breastfeeding their babies. “Breastfeeding is not always as easy as it sounds.”
rates of infections, allergies, asthma, sudden infant death syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease. When we think of these benefits to the newborn or infant, we have to be so cognizant of how important breastfeeding is in low-resource settings, where the use of formula is unsafe or potentially dangerous if dependent on a clean water source. Q: Is there any research that talks about the long-term benefits of breastfeeding? A: It goes beyond the newborn and infant period into adulthood. Those who were breastfed as infants have lower rates of obesity, less risk of diabetes and lower risk of cardiovascular disease. There are certain cancers that are reduced after breastfeeding. There also are benefits to a woman who breastfeeds. Breast and ovarian cancer risk is reduced. There is also a reduction of diabetes risk in a breastfeeding mom, as well as hypertension.
If we had global, universal breastfeeding, 800,000 childhood deaths would be prevented, according to UNICEF. The National Institutes of Health also released a cost-effective study that said if 90 percent of babies and infants in the U.S. breastfed, there would be a $13 billion savings in health care expenses [The percentage stands at 74 percent, UNICEF reports]. Q: What would you recommend to a new mom who is struggling to breastfeed? A: It’s a great question right now as I have a 2-week-old slightly premature infant with me. Don’t get discouraged. First of all, breastfeeding is not always as easy as it sounds. Even as a neonatologist, I remember calling friends two weeks into it the first time, in tears, and had to have them give me a pep talk. I myself, and many moms, have found that support through lactation can be critical. At Oishei, we offer lactation support 12 hours a day, seven days a
week. The other thing, if you’re balancing work and an infant, advocate for what you need to be successful in continuing use of breast milk. An important concept for working moms is having the time and the right place to be able to pump and produce breast milk while you’re away from your infant. Your employer should be able to provide those supports. Q: How long did you breastfeed the first time and how long are you planning to do it now? Is there an optimal length? A: For each mom, the answer may be very individual and balance their own work and family life. The American Academy of Pediatrics would recommend that babies are breastfed through six months of age. My first baby I fed through a year and hope to do the same for this baby. Any amount that moms can find time, energy and the ability to provide is fantastic.