Let’s talk about why women need to NIP -  the physiological reasons that make NIP the healthiest choice for both ourselves and our baby, and not just a lifestyle choice.

Obviously, when the baby is hungry they must be fed, but there’s more to it than that.

 Nursing on cue is a critical part of maintaining a successful breastfeeding relationship. Evidence shows that when the breast is most full, production of milk is at its slowest. If you repeatedly allow your breasts to fill by delaying a nursing session, which is what happens whenever you give a bottle instead of nursing, then you are signaling your body to make less milk. To best support a healthy supply that meets the needs of your growing baby, don’t delay feedings – your baby and your body will simultaneously cue you as to when it is time to nurse. Respond to those cues and your body will too.

Engorgement is one result of giving a bottle instead of letting the baby nurse. Your body knows that it was time to feed the baby, and fills your breasts with milk – but no baby latches on. Until the next time you nurse the baby, you may be stuck with a pair of sore, too-full breasts. Shopping or doing other errands is miserable with engorged breasts. But the pain is not your worst problem with engorgement.

 Plugged ducts happen when the milk is not emptied efficiently from the breast. In the case of skipping a feeding to give a bottle or solids, the milk has not been emptied at all and a plugged duct is more likely to happen. La Leche League lists missed feedings as one cause of mastitis. Sure you can treat a plugged duct, and you must, in order to prevent its uglier big sister, mastitis, from setting in. But whatever you avoided by not nursing in public can quickly start to seem much less intimidating when compared to the pain of plugged ducts or especially mastitis.

It’s clear that in order to nurse on cue, we must be prepared to nurse wherever and whenever we need to. Both our baby and our own bodies give us clear signals about when it is time to nurse. By responding promptly to these signals no matter where we are, we are able to maintain a healthy supply, avoid the pain of engorgement, plugged ducts and mastitis, and of course meet our growing child’s need for frequent nourishment and comfort. Breastfeeding in public isn’t a lifestyle choice that can simply be rejected without consequences – it is a need that must be met to maintain optimal health on the part of both mother and child.

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