Is breast-feeding best?

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The medical community says breast-feeding is best for babies, but it's not always easy. In fact, it can be downright difficult. But depressing?

In some cases, according to new research.

A study in the Obstetrics and Gynecology journal found that women who experienced difficulty breast-feeding were more likely to develop symptoms of depression two months after giving birth.

The good news? Other studies suggest that strong social and peer support not only reduces the likelihood of postpartum depression but also makes it more likely that women will eventually breast-feed successfully.

"Support systems are important from health-care personnel but also at home," said Sue Hall, a lactation consultant at Methodist Women's Hospital in Omaha. "They need that buy-in from their partner."

Without it, she explained, moms are more likely to abandon breast-feeding and feel like they failed their child.

"It can be depressing or upsetting to them," Hall said.

Rita Madden, a lactation consultant at Jennie Edmundson Hospital in Council Bluffs, said strong support is important because new moms often underestimate how much there is to learn about breast-feeding. They expect it to be easy, she said, and when it's not, they panic.

"People think all a mom has to do is lift her shirt and get the baby remotely close," Madden said, but that's not the case. "She has to learn, and the baby has to learn."

Heather Ploen of Minden, Iowa, said it took her and son Noah about six weeks to "get in the groove."

Noah developed thrush, an infection that affected his mouth, tongue and throat. He also had trouble latching, a common problem for newborns. If babies latch improperly, breast-feeding often is painful for moms, and sometimes babies don't receive enough milk.

"I felt pretty committed to (breast-feeding) but also very anxious because I was worried I wouldn't be able to feed my baby. I was worried he wouldn't grow stronger. I was worried that maybe I'd lose my milk or that it would become so unbearable, I wouldn't be able to do it," Ploen said.

Thanks to professional advice, new-mom support groups and her husband's encouragement, Ploen successfully breast-fed Noah.

In some cases, medical issues hamper breast-feeding, according to Hall.

"Anything that disrupts the natural birth can disrupt natural breast-feeding, too," she explained.

Madden said delivery via forceps, vacuum or cesarean section can be "uncomfortable, to say the least," for the baby, and even traumatic. Particularly difficult or long labors can also impact newborns. As a result, the baby is less receptive to breast-feeding immediately after birth — and the sooner the baby breast-feeds the better, Madden said.

Within an hour of delivery, alert healthy newborns are capable of successfully latching onto the breast without specific assistance. That lays the foundation for future feeding experiences. The skin-to-skin contact also releases hormones that help mom and baby bond.

Epidurals also can interfere with breast-feeding because the medication affects the baby, too.

"If baby is not as perky or alert at birth, they're not going to breast-feed as well ... That's going to play on the mom's confidence," Madden said. In rare cases, the medical issues lead to more acute complications. Sarah Genereux of Omaha lost two-thirds of her blood after giving birth, a condition called Sheehan syndrome. Sheehan syndrome sometimes slows milk production or stops production completely.

In Genereux's case, it stunted her supply. To make matters worse, son Jackson had trouble latching on.

"Emotionally it was frustrating, and physically it was painful," she said.

Genereux said her strong will and support from her husband and other moms helped her push through.

"I had somebody saying, 'No, you're doing the right thing. If this is what you want to do, we're here to support you,''' she said. "That's key."

Carlie Lesley, a lactation consultant at the Nebraska Medical Center, said there are a number of support groups in the metropolitan area, including hospitals, that help "smooth the road."

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that moms exclusively breast-feed for at least six months. Babies should continue to breast-feed for a year and for however long suits mom and baby after that point. Breast-feeding reduces the risk that infants will contract ear infections, viral stomach flus and respiratory illnesses.

Moms who breast-feed are less likely to develop type 2 diabetes, ovarian cancer and breast cancer. They also return to their pre-pregnancy weight more quickly.

"There's always a learning curve when you become a new parent," Lesley said. "And breast-feeding comes with its challenges. The benefits far outweigh those challenges."

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