Women Affairs

World Breastfeeding Week can leave bottle-feeding mothers feeling guilty and resentful of society's judgemental pressure. Picture this. A newborn child is brought to the mother for its first feed. Mother and child both glow with health and happiness as they bond over this age-old ritual, which has well-documented benefits. But in the case of Simran Jha, 28, the experience wasn't quite like this rosy picture. "It was embarrassing as I tried to breast-feed but couldn't produce milk for over an hour," says the accounts executive. The fact that all her relatives were around, trying to figure out what was going wrong, only added to her woes. Jha eventually opted for bottle-feeding a month after her baby was born but resents the labels that come with the decision. "Women who don't breast-feed their kids are accused of being selfish and lazy," she says. "To people who make such harsh allegations, I say: it is my breast, my milk, and my ...

In a search of good health there is a controversial alternative cancer treatment using something that usually goes to babies. Breast milk is filled with all sorts of unique nutrients to help babies grow. For mothers who can't breast feed, there are breast milk banks where donated milk is stored and sold. But now, breast milk is not just for babies as cancer patients have started to drink it. Pauline Sakamoto of Mothers’ Milk Bank said they have sold breast milk to 60 cancer patients. “It may not mean that the cancer is cured, but we're seeing a dramatic change in the quality of life for some of them,” she said. Howard Cohen says it worked for him after being diagnosed with prostate cancer. Instead of traditional treatments, he turned to purchased breast milk that he mixes with fruit and yogurt. “If you drink it straight, it has a bit of a yucky, oily under taste,” he said. Some Swedish research says a protein in mother's milk can kill cancer cells in Petri dishes. “That doe...