The Tribune

By REV ANGELA PALACIOUS

THERE is a minority of women who are not able to breastfeed for medical reasons but by far the greater number is able to do so if given encouragement. It is a wonderful experience to be connected to one’s child in this way, so I strongly recommend it, if at all possible.

The Bible is full of references to breastfeeding. In Genesis 21:8, mention is made of Isaac’s weaning, the term used for the process of ending breastfeeding. In 1 Sam 1: 22-24, we are told that Hannah kept her son with her until he was weaned, and then she took him to the priest, Eli, to serve in the temple around the age of three.

In Psalm 131, the psalmist describes the experience of prayer as sitting in God’s lap like a weaned child with his mother. In Isaiah 11:8, the prophet foretells of a time when the weaned child will put his hand on the hole of a snake.

In Job 24:9 NIV we read, “the fatherless child is snatched from the breast”, and he speaks of himself in this manner: “Why were there knees to receive me and breasts that I might be nursed? (Job 3:12 NIV). In Joel 2:16 NIV, the following command is given: “Gather the people, consecrate the assembly, bring together the elders, gather the children, those nursing at the breast.”

In Isaiah 28: 9 NIV the prophet poses this question: “Who is he trying to teach? To whom is he explaining his message? To children weaned from their milk, to those just taken from the breast?” And in Isaiah 60:16 NIV this prophecy is uttered: “You will drink the milk of nations and be nursed at royal breasts”.

In the New Testament, we have this remark made by our Lord on his way to be crucified as he sees women weeping for him: “For the time will come when you will say, ‘Blessed are the barren women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!” (Luke 23:29).

Therefore, it is a well-established fact that breastfeeding was the order of the day.

What does this say to us today? How can we promote this practice to ensure better bonding with our children and improved immunisation for them? This does raise the question of the mother’s approach to nutrition. If she will not eat properly, it might mean that supplements in the form of formula would have to be introduced.

It is our hope that all mothers will understand the sacred trust that child-bearing involves and that they will see their contribution to nation building as an immeasurable one.

It has been suggested that children are calmer and more focused if they are breastfed, are better able to relate to others and have better self-esteem. The milk is the right temperature and readily available if the mother is present or has expressed it before leaving.

The health of our people is under attack and we have to make every effort to remedy the situation. We are dying too young and in alarming numbers from preventable diseases. We have to take care to avoid poultry enhanced with hormones, preservatives that are questionable and all the other things against which we have been warned.

The best beginning will contribute to a stronger finish, though we are talking about a lifetime journey with many decisions to be made along the way.