[breast talk]

It was a day of breast, breast and more breast. No we weren't watching some porno movie...Much more tamer...our Breast Cancer Symposium held in conjunction with our 60th anniversary celebrations. It was cool to see our department on TV, apparently M invited CNA to film the thing. I was quite lucky to catch it on TV..actually came out of my room just to refill my cup. Then as I stood by the TV (distracted for some reason), they were like "Breast cancer is on the rise in Singapore..." and I was like hey that sounds familiar lol. CKS, PH and KWP were on TV with their interviews..kewl. We had guests from all sorts of places...even the National Cancer Registry, Breast Cancer Foundation, AWARE (we think), and even a couple of breast cancer survivors. The article also appeared in yahoo news and CNA. We're famous!

Anyway what did we learn? Yeah breast cancer is on the rise..we might catch up with Sweden/US in a couple of decades so better do something about it now. Obvious causes: lifestyle factors like diet and having fewer children and later. Take home message:

1. Eat soy. Just a minimal serving a day is sufficient. It seems to protect Asians against breast cancer.
2. (Get married and) have kids. Not 1, not 2, but about 3 to reduce ur risk significantly. No I'm not promoting the PM's national day msg haha. But hey, double benefits...reducing ur breast cancer risk and contributing to the nation..lol.
3. Breastfeed..and for a longer time. It was found that Malay women had more kids and breastfed, for a longer time, than Chinese...and their breast cancer risk was reduced by quite a bit comparatively.

The 2nd and 3rd point lead me to think about how Muslims have been rightly guided. How getting married and setting up a family is considered half of faith, and how a seemingly small point like breastfeeding your child is highly recommended. Verily Islam is indeed a way of life. Even surrogate breastfeeding is recommended if for some reason a mother can't breastfeed her own child. Interestingly even the WHO states that: "The second choice [after breastfeeding] is the mother's own milk expressed and given to the infant in some way. The third choice is the milk of another human mother. The fourth and last choice is artificial baby milk (formula)." Glory be to God for guiding us with such precision.

And then of course, there are a whole lot of other benefits associated with breast-feeding:

-- Bottle fed infants are fourteen times more likely to be hospitalized than breastfed infants.

-- Bottle fed infants are three to four times more likely to suffer from diarrheal diseases.

-- Bottle fed infants are four times more likely to suffer from meningitis.

-- Breastfeeding reduces the risks of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

-- Children who were breastfed as infants have IQ scores which average seven to ten points higher than children who were formula fed.

-- There are one million white blood cells contained in each drop of breast milk.

-- Breastfeeding reduces the risk of juvenile-onset diabetes.

-- Formula fed babies have a higher rate of allergies than breastfed babies.

-- A breastfed baby often has smoother, softer skin than a formula baby.

-- Breastfed babies have a lower incidence of eczema than formula fed babies.

-- The mother who breastfeeds passes on her antibodies to an infant whose immune system is still developing.

-- Breast milk contains DHA, an omega-3 fatty acid which is widely considered to be vital for the growth and development of brain tissue. Formula does not contain DHA.

-- Breast milk is rich in cholesterol, while formula has none at all. Cholesterol helps build the brain and manufactures hormones and vitamin D.

-- Breast milk contains lactose, while formula contains glucose and galactose. Lactose is valuable for brain tissue development and promotes intestinal health.

-- Children who are breastfed are less likely to be obese during adolescence.

-- Breastfed babies have better jaw alignment than formula fed babies, and are less likely to need orthodontic work when they are older. This is because the suckling action for breastfeeding is more complex and involves more "work" than the suckling action for an artificial nipple.

-- Breastfed babies develop a larger nasal space, which can reduce problems of sleep apnea and snoring later in life.

-- Breast milk contains the easy-to-digest whey proteins, while formula contains harder-to-digest casein proteins. This means that breast milk is digested quicker and is less likely to be spit up by baby.

-- Breastfed babies have diapers which are much more pleasant to change than the formula fed baby. Because formula is harder to digest, their stools are harder and more foul smelling than the breastfed baby's.

But the advantages aren't just for baby. There are advantages for Mama too, such as:

-- A faster post-partum recovery. The sucking action of the breastfeeding baby stimulates the release of oxytocin, which helps the uterus contract to its pre-pregnancy size.

-- Breastfeeding mothers normally have an easier time losing weight than formula feeding mothers. (woohoo..I've witnessed this with my own eyes..)

-- There is a reduced risk of breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and uterine cancer in the breastfeeding mother.

-- The mother who breastfed her infant is less likely to develop osteoporosis in her older years.

-- Breast milk is free. With the costs of formula, bottles, nipples, and additional medical expenses, formula feeding can cost up to $1,200 a year.

-- Breastfeeding promotes mother-baby bonding.

-- Breastfeeding allows a mother to take some quiet relaxed time for herself and her baby.

For the environmentally conscious mummies out there...I even read that breastfeeding is better for our environment because there is less trash and plastic waste compared to that produced by formula cans and bottle supplies.

Hurray to breastfeeding!