By Mariam Namakula
Captured on a brown leather studio chair, Catherine Ooka carried her three month-old-baby as she made it to the waves at a local radio station in Busia.
A moment captured by her, the 27-year-old shared her struggle juggling her postpartum recovery, her weekly days’ show of 6-10pm, her Sunday show of 4pm to 7pm and her lactating schedule of a 12 weeks’ old baby.
Usually, no matter the delivery, because of the body trauma, the body needs at least 6-8 weeks to fully recover. However, this is no guarantee as different bodies react differently and may thus require more rest, good diet as well as a break to recuperate but also ensure proper growth for the new born.
The first two years after childbirth, therefore, remain a very crucial and sensitive period for both the mother and child’s well-being.
Dr Alfred Jatho (PhD), Head of Department Community Cancer Services, Uganda Cancer Institute explains that a woman having her first pregnancy at less than 30 years, and breastfeeding for up to two years reduces the risk of hormone-dependent breast cancer.
Dr Jatho stresses that failure to breastfeed has been noted as a leading cause to the expansion and inflammation of breast tissues, thus increasing the risk of breast cancer in many women.
Hormone-dependent breast cancer (HDBC), also known as hormone receptor-positive breast cancer, is a type of breast cancer which is driven by hormones such as estrogen and progesterone with estimates of 70-80% of breast cancers and making it the most common type of breast cancer.
Dr Doreen Mazakpwe a breastfeeding expert, additionally noted that throughout the breastfeeding practice, a woman’s body produces a collasitine hormone that helps oppose estrogen, a hormone that is well known for driving the cancer cells.
Mazakpwe explains that most women who breastfeed experience hormonal changes during lactation that delay their menstrual period. The delay, reduces a woman’s lifetime exposure to hormones like estrogen and progesterone, which are likely to promote breast cancer cell growth.
“As long as you are breastfeeding and your periods have not yet returned, the estrogen levels are really low. Generally speaking, women are not fertile when breastfeeding and they don’t ovulate a lot unlike those that are not breastfeeding,” she said.
An increase in the lactation period has thus proved a great opportunity to lower hormones that drive the cancer cells in the body as a result of their imbalances.
Dr Mazapwe thus emphasized the need to support nursing women with sustainable solutions such as providing them with the right information and resources, including among others providing breastfeeding facilities for the working mothers, promoting good rest and also a balanced diet.
“One cannot be limited from fulfilling their reproductive role just to fulfill the productive roles, there is a lot that different stakeholders need to do, including creating a policy that supports nursing mothers by at least sacrificing the first crucial six months,” she emphasized.
According to Uganda’s working policy, women are entitled to only three months of maternity leave.
The World Health Organization(WHO) suggests that only 20% of countries require their employers to provide employees with paid breaks and facilities for breast feeding or expressing milk.
Mr. Bernard Lubega, Assistant Commissioner for Culture and Family was optimistic of the change in trend and that government was mooting for the review of two policies, including the culture policy and the family policy which embeds the maternity leave of at least six months mandatory after birth.
He revealed that while the implementation may vary from institution to institution, at end of the day that would be an assurance to the many struggling women and an emphasis that being a mother comes not as a luxury but a duty also to the nation.
With the right policy therefore, Dr. Jatho notes that breastfeeding could lower both pre- and post-menopausal breast cancer risks with an additional protection, especially for those practicing longer than the recommended six months of exclusive breastmilk.
Dr. Jatho added the practice could as well help lower the ovarian cancer risk by preventing ovulation because the less a woman ovulate, the less exposure to estrogen and abnormal cells that could become cancer.
On the side of babies, he pointed out to the fact that breastfeeding reduces the risk of being overweight or obese later in life. Being overweight or obese was more likely to increase the risk of developing many types of cancers.
Breastfeeding thus strengthens the child’s immune system through the antibodies passed from breast milk to the child, which helps lower the child’s risk of several infections, including ear infections, respiratory, digestive system health conditions, and allergies.
It is, however, important to note that besides pregnancy before age of 30 years and breastfeeding, there are other measures that can reduce breast cancer risks. These among others may include; healthy diet, healthy (normal) body weight, being physically active for at least 30 minutes daily for at least 5 days per week and not drinking alcohol.
