Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Prolacta Bioscience. All opinions are mine alone. This post shares my experience with breastfeeding along with information for mamas who may deliver a preemie. It is not intended to shame mothers who cannot, or have chosen not to breastfeed.
I’m very passionate about breastfeeding. I think it’s so cool that a woman's body can create liquid gold for their little one. With both of my boys, my goal has been to breastfeed through the one year mark and then wean whenever they are ready.
Now that Adrien has passed the one year mark I’m noticing more people saying that I can “finally stop breastfeeding him.” This comment started about the time I began incorporating solids into his diet and has become more frequent in the last couple months.
I love the bond Adrien and I share when nursing and I personally don’t understand why it’s such a common practice here in the US to wean babies off of breast milk before THEY are ready. There are so many benefits to human milk in the earliest days of life and even beyond year one. I gently started weaning Zaden when he showed signs of being ready around 18 months and am planning on doing the same for Adrien when HE shows signs of being ready. Breastfeeding helps me to slow down and live in the present and enjoy my baby while I still can.
Breast milk isn’t just beneficial for full-term babies. For the tiniest premature babies born too soon, breast milk is even more important. Which brings me to why I’m teaming with Prolacta Bioscience on this sponsored post today.
Prolacta reached out to me to help spread awareness to expectant parents on the importance of breast milk-based nutrition in the NICU and beyond. This article explains more about why human milk matters.
While breast milk alone is sufficient for a full-term baby, preemies need their breast milk “fortified” with additional protein, calories and minerals to help them grow. To provide this added nutrition, NICUs use something called human milk fortifier (HMF). But don’t let the name fool you!
Did you know that nearly all HMFs are made with cow milk?! Often, because cow milk contains foreign proteins, some babies and especially preemies, struggle to adjust to and digest cow milk in their diets.
This can cause serious complications, like NEC (necrotizing enterocolitis), a leading cause of death for preemies (see study here and here).
But there is an alternative. Prolacta Bioscience makes fortifiers using 100% human milk from moms who donate their excess breast milk. How amazing is that?
This video shares one family’s story and a special message detailing the difference 100% human milk-based fortifiers make for preemies in the NICU. This video brought me to tears. If you find yourself or someone you love with a preemie in the NICU, ask your doctor about Prolacta.