The History of Breastfeeding Failure in the US

Since the beginning of time, breastmilk has always been the best food for babies, yet today, only half of all American mothers choose to breastfeed.  Those who do, less than thirty-two percent of American babies are still breastfeeding at six months of age.  The American Academy of Pediatrics endorses breastfeeding for a minimum of twelve months and the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends at least two years. 

In the 18^th and 19^th centuries, wet nurses – lactating women who nursed and cared for the infant of another woman - hit the height of popularity. With little oversight, these wet nurses often created mixtures of grains and broth for feeding the babies, instead of nursing.  As a result, babies died, and wet nursing was wrongly blamed.

When the Industrial Revolution turned our attention to science and technology, specialized formulas were prescribed by physicians and scientifically thought to be superior to breastmilk.  So began the relationship between formula companies and the medical community.  As birth moved from the home into the hospital, birthing women were highly medicated and unable to breastfeed during their required two week stay in the hospital, often leading to inadequate milk supply, nipple confusion, and ultimately breastfeeding failure.  As a result, breastfeeding success dropped to an all time low of eighteen percent in 1966, and formula was seen as coming to the rescue. However, it was our own community setting up mothers for breastfeeding failure, instead of formula saving our babies.

In the 1970’s the WHO and UNICEF recognized the decline in breastfeeding was due to political, social and technological reasons.  Formula companies were marketing their products aggressively which led to the development of the International Code of Marketing of Breast Milk Substitutes in 1981.  The United States was the only country of the 119 countries participating, to vote against this code.  While most of the world works to promote breastfeeding as a human right for both mother and baby, the United States continues to fall behind in this most basic human need - infant feeding.

Infant formula is the fourth recommended way to feed an infant, falling behind breastfeeding, pumped breastmilk, and the breastmilk of another woman.  While the FDA recognizes that the “exact chemical makeup of breastmilk is still unknown”, nutritionists at a leading infant formula manufacturer admit that it is “impossible” to create an infant formula parallel to human milk, no matter how well the marketing agencies may try to convince consumers otherwise.  These same nutritionists issued the following statement in the March 1994 Endocrine Regulations – “(It is) increasingly apparent that infant formula can never duplicate human milk, which contains living cells, hormones, active enzymes, immunoglobulins and compounds with unique structures that cannot be replicated”. 

Most consumers incorrectly assume that the FDA closely monitors formula production. The Infant Formula Act of 1980 requires formula manufacturers to include only an insignificant number of mandated ingredients and list them on the packaging.  The WHO and UNICEF continue to report that between one and two million infants worldwide still lose their lives each year due to artificial feeding.

Placenta for Postpartum Recovery

During pregnancy, human mothers need 1000mg of total body iron to maintain oxygen to the fetus, increase maternal red blood cell mass, and allow for normal blood loss during delivery (Bodnar, Cogswell, McDonald, 2005).  After delivery, this requirement declines significantly, and the risk of iron deficiency of the postpartum mother is considered to improve dramatically.  However, this puts many postpartum mothers in a very vulnerable state for developing anemia and fatigue, both of which contribute to postpartum depression. 

While the Centers for Disease Control, the Institute of Medicine, and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists have published recommendations for prevention of postpartum iron deficiency, the US Preventive Services Task Force states that there is insufficient evidence to support the need for screening postpartum mothers for iron deficiency if they show no sign of iron deficient symptoms.  Those symptoms, such as fatigue, decreased productivity, and poor cognitive functioning could all be attributed to mothers who are simply adjusting to life with a newborn.  Most mothers suffering from these symptoms as well as postpartum depression rarely seek medical attention.  Left untreated, the effects of iron deficiency are severe and the damage from it increases over time.

With symptoms of new parenthood and iron deficiency being so similar, and the lack of screening all postpartum mothers, studies by Bodnar, Cogswell, and McDonald, 2005 suggest that the postpartum iron deficiency is “more prevalent than previously thought and that the postpartum period should not be considered a time of low risk for iron deficiency”.  Even more noteworthy is the fact that postpartum depression and stress respond well to iron therapy when available.

Studies by McCoy, Bleiler, and Ohlson examined the amount of iron in whole placentas and umbilical cords and suggested that birthed placentas contain just less than 92% of the 1000mg of iron needed in a pregnant mother.  This high concentration of iron is available to all mothers, custom made by her own body that sustained her and her infant through pregnancy.  This same source, if ingested, could provide the new mother with the additional iron supplies her body needs during her postpartum period to help combat anemia, fatigue, and postpartum depression.  These studies assume that natural iron will be more readily absorbed by the body than a synthetically manufactured supplement.  Postpartum depression, stress, and cognitive impairment in women may be related to the existence of iron deficiency anemia, and all respond well to iron therapy.

Most importantly, as with many areas of childbirth, mothers need to be self advocates for their own bodies, and proactively prepare their bodies for this postpartum period with the resources that their placenta is capable of providing.  Rather than wait for her health care provider to identify her as iron deficient by examining her outwardly expressed symptoms, utilizing her own natural iron resources could provide mothers with the ability to combat anemia, fatigue, and ultimately decrease the chance of developing postpartum depression. 

The fatigue issue has many factors. Fatigue can be the result of poor iron stores, and can also be caused by lack of sleep. While it may be impossible to resolve sleep issues for new moms, placentophagy does help with the fatigue. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has used placenta to treat fatigue, and a large amount of anecdotal evidence that placentophagy helps increase energy levels. It is difficult to determine whether this is due to the iron content of the placenta, or some other unknown factor. But the research linking fatigue to iron deficiency is a strong case that placentophagy would help fatigue symptoms. Since the studies show that fatigue and iron deficiency are both factors in developing postpartum depression, both of which can be relieved by placentophagy, it is assumed that placentaphagy would help alleviate postpartum depression.

Known as POEF (Placental Opioid-Enhancing Factor), placenta is also an effective pain-management option with advantages over standard narcotics.   Results from a variety of studies have unanimously shown support of the analgesic qualities of ingesting placenta during the postpartum period. 

The placenta (and amniotic fluid) contain opioids, an opium-containing substance that is produced naturally in the brain.  Ingested placenta influences specific opioid receptors in the brain.  The use of placenta also enhances the effects of other pain reducing features, such as morphine. 

Known as “pregnancy-induced analgesia”, the pain threshold of women rises at the end of pregnancy and peaks around delivery.  Pain-threshold returns to non-pregnant levels within 9-12 hours postpartum.  Placentophagy also supports the elevation of the pain-threshold. Using placenta during the postpartum period offers the new mother a natural pain relief option.

In stressful situations, the human brain naturally produces a stress-fighting hormone called CRH.  During the last trimester of pregnancy, the placenta secretes high levels of this hormone, assumed to help support the mother through the uncomfortable stage of late pregnancy and childbirth.  According to research, this hormone is key in combating postpartum depression. 

Immediately following birth, the mother’s brain must now regulate CRH itself without the help of the placenta.  This regulation period may take a while leaving the new mother with low levels of CRH, making her vulnerable and unable to naturally combat the stressful postpartum period.

            In addition to lower levels of CRH, new mothers also experience significant drops in other hormones immediately following birth.  Estrogen and Progesterone which had increased levels throughout pregnancy due to the work of the placenta suddenly drop after birth.  Estrogen supplementation is often used to significantly reduce the symptoms of postpartum depression.

The placenta is also responsible for increased levels of cortisol, another hormone which decreases significantly after birth.  It is believed that this suppresses the adrenal hormones that can contribute to depressive mood changes.  Changes in mood postpartum may also occur because the mother is extremely sensitive to the normal levels of hormones following birth.

Using placenta during this postpartum period helps the new mother gradually become accustom to the decreasing hormonal levels.  Because the placenta is responsible for the secretion of many hormones that help control mood and depression, it only makes sense to continue to offer mother’s bodies the support from placenta during the postpartum period.

An appealing option for placentophagy is through encapsulation.  In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the placenta is steamed and dehydrated.  Once dried, it can be ground and encapsulated for the mother to ingest the same as she did with prenatal vitamins.  It is argued that placentophagy is not cannibalism because the placenta is a timed, temporary organ, and does not remain part of the body.

Citations

Information for this article was gathered from research and writings on http://www.placentabenefits.info/

Selander, J. (2006-2009).  Biological Causes of Placentophagy.  Placentophagy as an Adaptive Biological Behavior.  Retrieved from http://www.placentabenefits.info/biological.asp

Bodnar, L. (August, 2004).  Have We Forgotten the Significance of Postpartum Iron Deficiency?.  American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Retrieved from http://www.idpas.org/pdf/4111.pdf

Blank. M,(November, 1980). Effects of placentophagy on Serum Prolactin and Progesterone Concentrations in Rats After Parturition of Superovulation.  . Retrieved from http://www.reproduction-online.org/cgi/content/abstract/60/2/273

Ramsey, J. (February, 2009).  Baby Blues – Postpartum Depression Attributed to Low Levels of Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone After Placenta is Gone.  WebMd Health and Pregnancy. Retrieved from http://topnews.us/content/23185-hormone-levels-may-predict-who-gets-baby-blues

Kristal, M. Enhancement of Opioid-Mediated Analgesia: A Solution to the Enigma of Placentaophagia.  Department of Psychology, State University of New York at Buffalo.  Retrieved from http://cogprints.org/180/0/review.html