When we think of Saskatchewan, we don't think about breastfeeding and "natural disasters", but as I sit in my house looking out the window today, I do think about the advantages of breastfeeding in this province when Mother Nature presents herself like she did yesterday and today.
After a couple days of above 0 temps we have had melting snow and ice, which is usually a treat. But add to that freezing rain for a few hours and then fresh fluffy snow overnight and all morning and temps that dropped drastically and we have a dangerous recipe for travel.
In a news report, I saw that there were 28 reportable accidents in 24 hours in our city. How many were not reported or reportable? Yikes, that makes 1 or more an hour that needed assistance.
Wow, am I glad to be able to stay inside safe with my children, one who is a young breastfeeding infant.
But, what if he was not breastfeed? What if I ran out of an alternative to feed him, which for the vast majority of non-breastfeed babies in our province, would be formula? Forced into heading out onto these roads to shop for infant formula would be awful.
Add to that, what if I was out travelling on the roads, and got into an accident, either with or without that baby with me. Now, I have a hungry baby whom I cannot get food for, that I may or may not be with, and an even bigger delay in getting him feed. That sounds stressful to me and would be stressful to that baby.
As a breastfeeding mom, an accident delay if we did happen to be travelling, at least maintains a food source for the infant. So long as mom and baby can remain together, baby has a food source. Of course, accidents are the extreme, but what if we were to have gotten stuck in some snowy/icy roads. In conditions like this it can take hours for help to come. Babies cannot wait hours to be feed. I did get stuck in some snow while travelling with a baby a few years ago and it did take hours for help to come. I was so grateful that I was able to just nurse that baby while we waited.
So, while we do live in a province that is free of hurricane's and earthquakes that can create major havoc for days on end, loss of electricity, food shortages, etc and we can easily think of why breastfeeding is so important in times like that, Saskatchewan mothers are not immune for the effects of Mother Natures extremes and how they can impact infant care and well-being.
Take care in this crazy weather Saskatchewan families and happy safe, cozy, warm breastfeeding.
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