Babies Eat One Thing, So Why Is It So Hard To Feed Them?
August is Breastfeeding Awareness Month.
And this year it hits different. We have faced a severe shortage of infant formula, with an out-of-stock rate surging to 70%.
“Just breastfeed!” is a common refrain. But that’s not so easy. Not everyone can breastfeed for a variety of reasons… and we don’t exactly make it easy for working mothers.
Some reasons someone might not breastfeed:
They don’t have paid maternity leave and need to return to a demanding job
They have no place to pump and store milk at work
They have an infectious diseases that can pass to a baby through breast milk
They face lactation problems such as sore nipples, engorged breasts, mastitis, leaking milk, pain, and failure to latch on by the infant
Their baby was born through surrogacy or adoption
They lack family and medical support
They are on a medication that can pass through breastmilk
The baby has a condition that precludes breastfeeding
They are receiving chemotherapy
They don’t want to
In this episode, we talk to Dr. Leila Strickland, a biologist, scientific communicator, and co-founder of Biomilq. Biomilq is a women-owned, Bill Gates funded infant nutrition company producing cultured breastmilk in a lab.
Topics covered:
The cause of the formula shortage
Mom-shaming and stigma around breastfeeding
Is breastfeeding best, or is it overrated?
The psychological toll of breastfeeding
If breastfeeding benefits are from the chemical composition of human milk or parent-child interaction at the breast
Her journey to produce cell-cultured breastmilk
Listen