c'est moi again!

In this issue of Malaysian Cooking News, I want to bring you back to what matters most, your own health and those that belong to the ones you love.

Let's start from the very basic thing. What was the first food that you consumed when you arrived kicking out of your mother's womb?

Breastmilk?

I do hope so.

In this issue, let's decide if breastfeeding is a troublesome chore or is it the best thing that the Good Lord bestows upon us, a sustenance that will ensure the survival of the human race as we know it?

Women who breastfeed their babies, exclusively for at least the first six months after birth, have given their children priceless gift. It is a gift of health and of bondage that would last forever between mother and child.

Do you know that the milk's content automatically adjust to the baby's needs as it grows? It is a complex unduplicated substance that is full with antibodies specifically made for thebaby. The breast is also a wonderful organ that provides the milk as needed, regardless the size of your brassieres! Isn't this wonderful?

Breastfed babies have zero exposure to germs brought about by improperly cleaned milk bottles. It is also free from GMO substance fed to cows which milk was used to produce the formula. Lately, we heard about the scare of melamine content in milk powder. Thousands of babies in China are dying of kidney failure because of the greed of formula milk producers.

Now is the time to wake up and fight back! Spread about the goodness of mother's milk. Encourage every woman in your life to breastfeed their babies. Even if it means sacrificing a few months of social life, relationship or even your career. That also includes awareness to the boys and the men. The reason is because they form the other half of the equation that can ensure successful nursing practise too.

I know this sounds like a tall order in our fast paced, competitive world. However, a lot of NGOs are pushing more and more employers to give longer maternity leave for women who just gave birth. This should give ample time for the women to bond with babies, also to establish a certain breastfeeding routine. They still can continue giving their babies milk after going back to work. There are methods to express the milk and keeping them fresh.

Do you realize that breastfeeding help relieve stress after work? Imagine coming home to a bundle of joy who needs and depends on you for food, and you are the ONLY living machine who can provide it.

For me, the bond that I have between me and both my children is unshakable. Both were breastfed but my daughter had had the previlege of nursing until she was two and a half year old.

I can sum up the satisfaction by quoting what my now six year old daughter recently told me:

"Mama, I can still remember how sweet and delicious your milk was. Yummmy, I really loved it".

Now, can you beat that statement?

To cap this issue, please check out this web site, which advocates breastfeeding and the official NGO for breastfeeding issues:

World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action

Check it out, write to me and let me know what you think.

Thank you for reading. Please spread this important issue to as many people as you can.

Till next time.

Best wishes,
Nazlina
A Unique Outlook from a Malaysian Cook.