Can Vegans Breastfeed Their Babies?!?

Question

Ok...my twin sister (rox.all.worlds) thought of this question...and i think it's a really good question!

Ok....so we all know vegans cannot eat any animal products. So that's no meat, honey, eggs, or milk, just to name a few.

Vegans can't drink cow's milk (Or any other animal's milk for that point!).

So can/do vegans breastfeed their babies?

If so....why can't they drink cow's milk...what's the difference?

Thanks! Have fun!

Answer 1

The couple you are thinking of are just one exagerated case of some messed up thinking that just happened to include veganism (more likely veganism was used as an excuse and last ditch defense). That child likely wouldn't have survived even without the vegan factor so it wasn't really the vegan thing but that was blown up by at least one militant anti-vegan writer who somehow was published at the New York Times (and roundly criticized for her piece -- but even she mentioned how breast milk is ideal for babies).

http://www.tigersandstrawberries.com/200...

Even the New York Times distanced themselves from what she wrote:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/24/opinio...

Truth is, the dairy, meat and egg industries are responsible for making you think we need those things. Please read this other New York Time Magazine article on nutritionism by Michael Pollan which was the forerunner to his latest book.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/28/magazi...

The thing is, milk from cows is meant for their babies which are taken away from them at birth so none is lost that could be sold. That's after having pregnancy forced on them to begin with because a cow doesn't produce until they've given birth -- much like a human. Like a human a cow does not keep producing milk unless stimulated to and that stimulation comes from milking.

And cows seriously miss their babies just as we would (can you imagine if our babies were forcibly taken from us -- but what really is the difference?):

http://www.goveg.com/factoryFarming_Cows...

http://www.meatstinks.com/f-hiddenlivesc...

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John Avizienius, the senior scientific officer in the Farm Animal Department of the RSPCA in Britain, says that he “remembers one particular cow who appeared to be deeply affected by the separation from her calf for a period of at least six weeks. When the calf was first removed, she was in acute grief; she stood outside the pen where she had last seen her calf and bellowed for her offspring for hours. She would only move when forced to do so. Even after six weeks, the mother would gaze at the pen where she last saw her calf and sometimes wait momentarily outside of the pen. It was almost as if her spirit had been broken and all she could do was to make token gestures to see if her calf would still be there.”27

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I've read and heard of another cow who escaped the farmer she'd been sold to and roamed for over seven miles to find her calf. And another who was separated from her baby at the slaughterhouse and fought so hard to get to him her neck was broken and since she's was considered a downer cow then she was left to die like that.

http://www.mcl.unisonplus.net/cowandcalf...

Most of the male cows are sold within a few weeks for veal or soup.

The other thing is that cows milk is formulated to bring a cow to full size in a few months so is very high in fat and protein. Human milk is formulated for humans and has only about 5 to 8 percent protein (which is ideal for humans). Neither milk is meant for grown-ups of either species.

The majority of dairy cows are very abused only living for a couple cycles because they are so depleted by the intesity of the milking system they are under. Then they are sent to the slaughterhouse. Many of the cows seen being abused in the Humane Society videos that led to the recall of 43 million pounds of beef a few months ago were dairy cows that were no longer considered productive. A cow can naturally live to 15 to 20 years.

The milk industry is pretty heartless and cruel.

Truth is we can get enough, and probably better calcium from green leafy veggies, beans, seeds, nuts, figs, seaweeds, and several other sources including supplements. The protein from animals is very acidic for the body so causes calcium to be leached from the bones to make the blood more alkaline which is then very hard on the kidneys leading to several diseases and complications.

Same with other nutrients including protein and iron (a vegan still gets about twice as much as the RDA which is padded -- we really need only about 30 or so grams mostly or all from plant sources):

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/27/weekin...

http://ultimatenutritiontables.com/

Answer 2

This actually isn't a good question by the way. It's actually sounds quite ignorant.

HUMAN breastmilk is for HUMAN babies. It's the only thing that an infant should have.

Most cows actually live through h**l just for humans to drink their milk for NO GOOD REASON. It doesn't really matter what you think is silly as you don't seem to think about things before you judge.

http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=ea...

Answer 3

No they can't breast feed ...they have to feed their babies by photosynthesis!

Answer 4

Grrr... I was going to ask that!

:) Luv Tamsin

Answer 5

I can't believe some of the stupid questions on here.

Answer 6

Yes, vegans feed their babies breast milk.

All mammals, including humans consume mother's milk.

It is designed for consumption by the baby.

Cow's milk is designed for the cow's baby.  Not for human babies.  Feeding cow's milk to a human baby or the baby of another animal would be a very bad thing to do because the milk will not have proper nutrients etc. for a different type of animal.  Mother's milk is *specifically* designed to give a baby the *exact* nutrients it needs.  Not only that, but antibodies, enzymes, and other things an infant needs.  When a baby feeds from it's mother, the nipple has an interaction with the baby's saliva, and the mother's milk will adjust depending on what the baby needs.  If the baby needs more of this or that or less of this or that or more antibodies, it will adjust according to the baby's needs.

> i mean cows need to be milked and such!

No they do not.

All mammals, including cows, only produce milk when they have had a baby.  When the baby grows old enough to be getting all of it's nutrients etc. from food, the milk will stop producing.  Cows are injected with hormones to fool the cow's body into thinking that they are pregnant or with calf, and thus the cow's body produces milk.  This is why you will unnatural hormones in milk, and another reason you should not drink it.

> but for someone to force this upon a child is bad

Um... no, it's not bad.  You are obviously ignorant.

> children need protein and real food!

Children should consume only breast milk until they are at least 8 moths old.  Then very slowly, the mother should introduce very easy to digest foods into the baby's diet, but of course continuing to breast feed.  Eventually, as the baby grows it will slowly eat more and more food and less and less milk will be needed.  After a few years or so, often much longer depending on the food that is available, the baby, now a child, will stop consuming breast milk and now be totally independent of milk.  When this happens, the enzyme the body produces from birth that helps to break down the milk (when a baby consumes mother's milk, enzymes in the milk and in the baby's digestive system will curdle the milk, and turn it into a food, a cheese) will stop being produced.  Once the child stops consuming milk, the enzyme will never be produced by the body ever again.  This means, that once you stop consuming milk, you can never consume it again (yes, humans and all mammals).  It's the natural process, because when you stop consuming mother's milk, you will never need it again, because you will never revert back to a baby, you can now for the rest of your life get all of your nutrients from food.  This is called "Lactose Intolerance" by the medical establishment.  They call it that because they want to convince you that you have a medical problem and sell you pills called lactate or lactose pills and make money from you.

> I have heard of many cases where children

> die of malnutrition due to veganism.

No you haven't.  Just one.

> Apparently a vegan couple fed their baby on only

> rice water...and it died of malnutrition at 3 months old

This was one couple.  Did you also notice that these two people were *crazy*?  The fact that they were vegan had nothing to do with it.  The fact that they were *crazy* did.

All mammals (including humans) only consume mother's milk for the first part of their life.  Nothing else until they are old enough to start eating solid foods (babies don't even have teeth, and for a good reason).

> Well yeah my question means will the child still be vegan?

Yes, the child that is consuming breast milk will still be vegan.

You should understand what the meaning of Vegan is.  See, humans are herbivores (best 'designed' to consume fruits).  Over time, many humans have convinced themselves that they are actually not herbivores, but omnivores or even carnivores.  A vegan is a person who stops, looks around, and sees that there's no way in the world that humans can be an omnivore or carnivore, so they choose to eat as a herbivore does in a society that believes that humans are omnivores or carnivores.  It sounds totally crazy to some people.  Just as crazy as the earth not being flat.  Or that the earth goes around the sun and is not the centre of the universe.  People believe strange things, even when the evidence is right there in front of them.  Actually, people believe in strange things where there is actually no evidence or proof at all, god for example.

Remember this, the majority of humans on this planet do not consume any dairy.  I'm talking about all of Asia.  Asians do not consume dairy.  They do not have a dairy industry.  All of China -- no dairy.  Billions of people.  Why?  Because humans do not need dairy.

Answer 7

VEGAN BREASTMILK IS THE BEST BREASTMILK YOU CAN FEED YOUR CHILD

Answer 8

The mother is a vegan. The baby is not. It all works out.

Answer 9

Human breast milk is not a product derived from animals, animals don't suffer when a human breastfeeds her baby. Human breast milk is the best way to feed your baby, a mother should ensure that her diet is balanced when breastfeeding. Simple as that!

Answer 10

Vegans absolutely can breastfeed their babies, but they should carefully plan their diets to make sure they're getting adequate amounts of all the vitamins and minerals and protein and fat that they and their babies need.

There are different reasons for giving up cow's milk. The most common is that people object to the conditions in which the cows live and the way they are treated. Other reasons are that it's not particularly healthy, and that some see it as just unnatural to drink the breastmilk of another species.

I hope that answers your question. =)

Answer 11

Of course vegans can and do breast feed their babies.

Human breast milk is intended for human babies - it is the best food they can get. There is no exploitation involved, the mother is voluntarily and willingly giving her child the milk that is intended to be given to that child.

Cows milk is intended for calves, just as human milk is intended for babies.

Vegans object to the suffering and exploitation involved in the dairy industry. Cows in their natural state do not 'need to be milked', their calves relieve them of their milk.

But to provide milk for human consumption, cows are artificially inseminated so that they are pregnant unnaturally frequently, and their young are taken from them so that humans can have their milk.

A vegan objecting to human mothers breastfeeding their babies would be like a vegan objecting to a cow feeding her own young - nonsensical.

I only know one vegan mother who didn't breast feed and that was because, to her distress, she wasn't able to.

Humans are the only animals - as far as I know - who drink the breast milk of another species

*Edit. I actually doubt you have heard that many stories about vegan children dying of malnutrition. The one you refer to was a case of negligence, not veganism, but because the parents were vegan the media made much of it.

In Britain there have been two high-profile cases of children dying of malnutrition recently - one literally starved to death. The media did not mention the parents' diets, therefore we can assume they weren't vegan. Negligence, ignorance and bad parenting is not confined to one group of people.