Carry Them
Some days I worry that we’ve over-complicated lactation and breastfeeding. I wonder if families take a prenatal lactation class, and by the end think, “That sounds exhausting, and painful. I think we should just bottle feed and use formula.”
Parenting and caring for a newborn is exhausting. New babies need to be fed at least every two hours in the first days and weeks, but that’s true no matter what they eat. Their stomachs are tiny, and so they need to eat frequently.
Mammals come in a few varieties, and once you understand each type, it all makes a lot more sense. There are cache, follow, and carry mammals, and each one has a slightly different milk composition.
Cache, Follow, Carry - What’s the difference?
Cats are cache mammals. Cache mammals feed their babies infrequently and leave them for long periods in a nest. Their babies are born helpless and sedentary, meaning they can’t leave the nest on their own, so they’re pretty safe to be left alone for long periods while their parent is out hunting. The parent then brings back food, and feeds her babies in the nest. Cat milk is therefore higher in fat and slower to digest since it needs to keep kittens satisfied for longer periods.
Giraffes are follow mammals. Giraffes are born able to walk within a few minutes because they must keep up with mom as she walks around grazing. Giraffes feed frequently, on demand, as they need to since mom is always right there. Giraffe milk is much higher in carbohydrates since the baby giraffe needs energy to walk and move, and digests quickly, but that’s fine since milk is always nearby.
Humans are carry mammals. Carry mammals bring their young along with them, wherever they go. But unlike the giraffe, the carry offspring aren’t born able to walk within minutes. They take months to years before moving on their own. Carry mammals are worn on the body and stay close to the breast at all times. Their milk also digests quickly, but since mom is always nearby, that’s perfectly fine. Humans actually have some of highest levels of lactose in their milk of all the mammals!
Mammal Confusion
A common mistake humans make is trying to treat their young as if they're cache mammals. Often parents are trying to “tank up” their babies by feeding them larger amounts of milk less frequently and hoping the baby will sleep in the nest, but that’s just not how it works! Human babies are meant to be carried and kept close at all times. They eat small amounts of food, every 2-3 hours. It digests quickly, and then they’re hungry again. Human babies are really good at sleeping on the go, since they're happiest being carried along, so don’t be afraid to use that baby carrier you were gifted to free up your two hands while your baby naps on you.
I also think “Netflix and chill” is a perfectly good solution to a baby needing to be carried all the time. New parents need a lot of rest, and it’s perfectly ok for a baby to contact nap on a parent’s chest while you binge-watch a series.
Feeding on Demand
By far the best part of carrying or keeping your infant close, is feeding on demand. When a baby’s hunger cues are responded to quickly, they don’t need to cry to communicate. Less crying means less stress for both the parent and baby. Not to say your baby won’t cry, but a well-fed, well-rested baby tends to cry less.
More to Learn
If any of this was new information, or you’d like to learn more, please reach out for a consultation or take my prenatal breastfeeding class. I’d love to connect!
