International Breastfeeding Month: Benefits for Babies and Mothers with Nurses Katherine Rockwood and Jess Stevens

Broadcast from KSQD, Santa Cruz on 8-31-2025:

• Dr. Dawn interviews Katherine Rockwood and Jess Stevens, both registered nurses and breastfeeding advocates, during International Breastfeeding Month. They discuss community events including breastfeeding cupcakes at hospitals, partnerships with WIC (Women, Infants & Children) nutrition programs, and upcoming festivals featuring educational booths from various healthcare organizations. The conversation covers how these events aim to normalize breastfeeding and provide support resources for new mothers.
• The discussion explores milk donation programs, with Jess explaining her experience as a milk donor after becoming an "overproducer." They detail the screening process involving health questionnaires, blood tests, and milk quality checks before donation. The conversation addresses the high cost of donor milk at approximately $30 per ounce and insurance challenges, highlighting cases where fundraising helped provide donor milk for babies whose mothers couldn't breastfeed due to medical conditions like cancer. Dr. Dawn comments that breastfeeding a baby is like giving them a $100.00 restaurant meal daily.
• Katherine and Jess explain the superior benefits of breast milk over formula, particularly for premature babies who face risks like necrotizing enterocolitis from formula feeding. They discuss how the mother's breast milk composition automatically adjusts it's content for premature infants and how there is a 28-day window for establishing milk supply that affects long-term breastfeeding success.
• The nurses describe their support programs, including Katherine's "Baby Talk" group meetings where experienced mothers help newcomers learn breastfeeding techniques. They explain how group settings provide encouragement and demonstrate proper latching through observation and imitation. The discussion includes practical tips like playing jazz music and creating calm environments to facilitate milk letdown, drawing from Katherine's background in jazz clubs.
• Dr. Dawn explores the science behind breast milk, including human milk oligosaccharides that feed beneficial gut bacteria and establish healthy microbiomes. The conversation covers how breast milk changes throughout the day, with higher melatonin levels in evening milk, and how the antibody percentage composition shifts when babies are sick. Amazingly, breast milk becomes more yellow in color due to increased antibodies. They discuss how milk adapts for different aged children and even changes caloric content based on baby's gender with males receiving 25% more calories.
• The discussion addresses workplace and societal challenges for breastfeeding mothers, including the need for proper lactation rooms and supportive employers. They mention legal requirements for lactation spaces in California government buildings and the particular challenges faced by agricultural workers who lack adequate facilities. The conversation emphasizes the importance of community support and reducing guilt for mothers who cannot breastfeed.
• Dr. Dawn then shares statistics showing increasing breastfeeding rates, with 83.8% of babies receiving some breast milk and 25% exclusively breastfed for six months. The discussion covers additional maternal benefits including reduced breast cancer risk through complete breast tissue maturation, improved bone health through enhanced calcium absorption during breastfeeding, and natural birth control effects. They conclude by encouraging any amount of breastfeeding while supporting mothers who cannot breastfeed for various reasons.