Lactar es Amar
(To Nurse is to Love)

This booklet, "Lactar es Amar" (To Nurse is to Love) published by Cuba's science/technical press [Editorial Cientifico-Tecnica] is quite similar to much of the literature currently available for North American mothers who are interested in nursing their infants rather than feeding them artificially contrived and expensive formula. It lacks an index but has many useful photos and diagrams. Nursing is a lot harder than it appears, and in the U.S. this has given rise to a new occupation: "Lactation Consultant". I managed to avoid hiring one, but just barely, as my stinginess and unwillingness to travel for advice left me to figure things out on my own, like millions of mothers before me.

The American Pediatric Association strongly encourages that you nurse your infant for the first 12 months if you possibly can. When our son was 11 months old, we visited family in Cuba, and I was surprised to find a certain disapproval among some (including a pediatrician friend of the family!) about the fact that he was still nursing. "It's not necessary after 6 months," sniffed the pediatrician. "You need to get him on solid food." When I explained that he already was on solid food and that North American pediatricians encourage nursing for the first 12 months, he insisted, "There's little to no nutritional value in it at this point."

I have not translated the entire booklet, only the back and inside covers, and the introduction. I did peek ahead to see what Lactar es Amar had to say about appropriate weaning times, and was surprised to see that the World Health Organization encourages nursing until TWO years of age, if possible, and after that, as long as both mother and child desire to continue.

A. Regalo (translator)
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To Nurse is to Love
(back cover)

Dearest Mama,

You are expecting a baby or perhaps you’ve already delivered. Since the beginnings of your pregnancy, your baby began communicating with you through a sort of “sign language” which was sent by your hormones. In this way, you and your body were intelligently influenced and prepared for the baby’s needs after his birth. Without you being aware of it, in an amazing way, the baby directed you very well for his safety. In reality, you better than anyone, feel these light impulses. Scientists have been able to decipher and describe these signals, for the most part. We have learned to understand them better, and therefore, to translate them into our common human language as though they were “telephone conversations” between you and your baby. This booklet deals with what we’ve learned from this sign language, which has the important result of establishing a harmonious and successful relationship during lactation.

This presentation corresponds to the suggestions made by the international initiative to promote maternal lactation, through the United Nations Childrens Educational Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO).

Maternal lactation is not only the most natural and best way to feed infants; it also helps keep a mother and child healthy. With this booklet we wish to support the cooperative effort between the lactating mother and her child, as well as all the people close to them who lend their support.

A general overview of nursing’s advantages:
(INSIDE COVER)

- Mother’s milk provides the most effective protection for the baby’s health due to the immunization and defensive substances contained in the milk.

- Babies who nurse are far less frequently sick, which means more security and tranquility for the mother.

- Nursing saves time – no need to wash or sterilize bottles or pacifiers.

- Every mother can learn to nurse.

- A baby’s nutritional requirements regulate the quantity of milk produced.

- For this reason, nursing babies can drink as much as they want whenever they want.

- Sucking is very gratifying for a baby, and nursing satisfies that need.

- The formula is just right, according to the baby’s needs; it automatically adjusts according to the different needs of each baby.

- There is no need to augment a baby’s thirst with other liquids.

- The food is always there, at a perfect temperature and impeccably clean, including when you’re away from home.

- Therefore, the mother and the child are less dependent on others and are less socially isolated.

- The intense interaction between a mother and her nursing child stimulates milk production, maternal bonding, and the child’s early development.

- Mother’s milk is the most easily digested.

- It provides better protection against allergic reactions.

- Nursing babies are less prone to be overweight

- Nursing offers advantages for a baby’s brain development.

- It offers more security because it does not tax the renal system.

- It is economical, especially since there is no need for expensive technical development, warehousing, or transportation of the formula over great distances.

- It diminishes the mother’s risk of uterine cancer and cancer in general.

- It brings the uterus back to size more quickly.

- It can be the most beautiful experience, bar none.

- It provides pleasure and satisfaction between the mother and child.

- In every sense, it is the best thing for the baby.

To Nurse is to Love Understanding, Protecting and Maintaining a Baby’s Natural Nutritional Source. By Heinrich Brückner

INTRODUCTION Everyone knows that mother’s milk is both the best food and perfect protection against infections in existence for infants. It’s clearly superior to any other form of nutrition during the first few months of life. Even the formula industry is constantly adjusting and recalculating its ingredients to more closely approximate mothers milk. Moreover, mother’s milk is always available, it doesn’t cost a thing, and is clean and warm, without requiring a trip to the kitchen every time the baby is hungry – including during the night and when one is away from home.

It’s a shame, that in spite of this knowledge, and although certainly many young mothers do nurse their children, too few nurse as long as necessary. Without doubt, most mothers nurse their babies while they are in the maternity ward, due to the support they receive from nurses, obstetric nurses and ob/gyn nurses, but once they return to their homes, at the beginning, problems can arise that suppress milk formulation, which has to adjust itself anyway at first. For this reason, some mothers rush to give their babies bottles in order to reinforce their nutrition and this frequently results in the end of a mother’s milk production - a premature weaning which can be bothersome to mothers. Many good intentions go by the wayside for lack of knowledge in how to deal with this.

Therefore, it’s good to remember that pediatricians recommend six months of mother’s milk exclusively. Afterwards, with the introduction of other foods, lactation may continue as long as you and your child wish.

Fig. 2: If nursing babies could express themselves more clearly, many mothers would understand them better: “No bottle! No pacifier! Please just give me the breast!”

What many don’t know is that lactation doesn’t only mean feeding to satisfy an appetite; to a large extent it also provides protection against infections and other illnesses. Too often mothers satisfy themselves with a certain amount of weight gain for the baby and judge that as the most important measure of their success in providing for their child. Of course a good and constant weight gain is part of a baby’s development, but many other things are not so easily measured as body weight. This little booklet is an attempt to provide information on these other questions, under the title “To Nurse is to Love”.

One should keep in mind that some of the doubts that arise in the care of lactating infants have very simple origins – one only needs to understand them. Who knows and understands better the primitive signals which exist between a mother and child, has more patience and can do more for herself and for her child, and wishes more to understand better, and will try harder to understand better and take advantage of the practical advice in this booklet, than the women it is written for?

Many of the little problems and difficulties which come about during maternal lactation can be easily resolved or even avoided from the outset. You too can achieve this. The rewards for your child are great: less worry, more happiness with your baby, and over all, better protection and security for the health of your child.

Fig. 3: The early resort to a bottle can cause problems in maternal milk production and mean the premature end of nursing. For this reason, don’t waste time thinking about feeding the baby with a bottle or using a pacifier to tranquilize the baby. Don’t be carried away by or let attractive propaganda confuse you.