1. Human milk sells on the open market for $4 an ounce, more than the price of oil
2. Precious and coveted as it is, breastmilk is actually 87% water
3. Although more than 85 percent of new parents in the U.S. say they intend to breastfeed for at least three months, only 32 percent actually do.
4. Nevertheless, breastfeeding has been seriously on the rise throughout the last several decades. In the 60s and 70s, only 20-25% of women were breastfeeding. In the year 2000, 35% of newborns started out breastfeeding. Today that number has reached a current high of 77%.
5. At the same time, the rate of teen moms breastfeeding has decreased. In the last decade, the use of formula by teen mothers has gone up by 10%.
6. Babies can pick their mothers out of a line-up by the scent of their milk
7. Breastfeeding consumes 25% of the body’s energy. By comparison, the brain’s functions only utilize 20%.
8. Metabolically, breastfeeding is the equivalent of a 7 mile walk
9. More than 3⁄4 of all women produce more milk in their right breasts (whether or not they are right-handed)
10. On average, babies only drink about 67% of the milk available in a breast at one time
11. While some women carry a much greater volume of breast milk than others, it has nothing to do with breast size
It’s been part of human life for thousands of years but recently, scientific ‘betterment’ and the pace of modern life has made it more of anomaly than regularity – that practice is breastfeeding. Dana Ben-Ari’s new documentary BREASTMILK looks at the whole array of issues that women making this ‘retro’ choice face, and hopefully inspires a few more to consider it.
What’s great about Ben-Ari’s film is that it is wholly unscientific. Sure, there are a few interviews with doctors who agree that breastfeeding is better for the baby, but mostly it’s about the families who are doing it. One woman has a full time job and complains about how late she is to nearly every meeting because she’s in her office pumping. One woman’s having trouble producing a enough milk to feed her child and is torn by feelings of guilt and failure. One lesbian couple is sharing the duties, with the mother who did not have the baby still able to lactate due to hormonal realities that are instinctual in nature. The film never sugarcoats the issues, this is a hard choice, and many women find it too much to mesh with their lifestyle. However, those who are able to make it work, find it to be essential.
BREASTMILK is not a narrative-driven documentary. Although there are several mothers we follow over the course of the film, checking in with them at various times of their baby’s lives, the film never feels like it is trying to tell anyone’s story. In fact, there are so many examples of different mothers and families, that most people watching the film will find themselves reflected in it. There is even a ‘my-two-dads’ couple that that rely on milk given to them from other mothers, a milkshare program, which is really inspiring. The film is not a facts-and-figures type documentary; it never tries to convince you that breastfeeding is the right thing to do. In fact, one of my favorite interviews comes from a psychologist who says that most women will tell you they are breastfeeding because it is better for the baby but there is some personal choice that leads them to this, something for them.
Breastfeeding has a long history in human culture. As far back as ancient Mesopotamia, wet nurses signed business contracts with new parents. But on the other side, philosophers often argued for the ‘natural’ state of parenting. Benjamin Franklin urged early American women to breastfeed, saying: “there is no nurse like a mother.” But what about cases where the mother cannot produce enough milk? This concept is virtually annihilated in the film, with many mothers and doctors saying this whole ‘not enough milk’ concern in modern society is more about undercutting the mother’s greatest strength then really addressing how much milk the child actually needs, as well as just the simple ease of handing the baby a bottle to get on with your day. Still, one of the most impassioned advocates of breastfeeding in the film finds herself unable to accomplish the task, and is wracked with feelings of guilt and failure. “The idea was not to judge what happens to any of these families but to illuminate it,” says Ben-Ari, “it’s also important to acknowledge that even if we achieve more maternity leave and the working environment becomes more friendly to breastfeeding in the future, there will still be parents using formula for a variety of reasons. But it shouldn’t become a means of dividing people or pitting women against one another.”
So, I’m a guy and I am still at this time, babyless. But I found Dana Ben-Ari’s BREASTMILK absolutely fascinating. It is personal and heartfelt and allows you a view into a world and issue that seems shrouded in mystery to the uninitiated. In fact, it is amazing how much the women in the film discover themselves as they go through it. The delivery is very balanced and honest, and while it certainly advocates for breastfeeding, it never judges the women who do not take up the call.
BREASTMILK is available on iTunes, Amazon Instant Video and Google play today, August 5th. Also available, limited edition ‘boobie bags’ which are certain to turn heads (http://breastmilk.bigcartel.com/product/breastmilk-bag-1).
I leave you with these 11 fun facts ‘you never knew’ supplied by the BREASTMILK team. The information is illuminating, but to really understand the full experience, you have to watch the film and meet these amazing mothers.