PULEVA It is one of the best known manufacturers of baby milk, milk for children, adults and dairy foods in our country. They have been working with cow's milk for years to offer it to us in various products aimed at different ages and, in addition, they have been researching something for sure that many do not know and that may surprise you: breast milk.
It is (now I tell you more extensively) probably the Spanish company, and perhaps even worldwide, that has more information about breast milk and, therefore, those who know them, we were sure that it would take or sooner they would take advantage of that knowledge, not only to make their artificial milk, but also to create products to somehow help nursing mothers with problems.
The first products have arrived and the result can not be more bitter, and I do not mean the taste, but that they have created infusions called "PULEVA Mama", with the subtitle "Infusion for Breastfeeding", whose mission is to help breastfeeding mothers increase breast milk production and help the baby to have better digestions. The problem? Than there is no evidence that the ingredients included do anything and the worst, that they can even be dangerous for the baby.
Do you study breastfeeding?
6 years ago my wife, Miriam, suffered a strange infection in the breasts. It was a mastitis, but he did not have the typical symptoms of engorgement, with a swollen chest, hard and reddened, but a kind of peeling on the nipple that caused terrible pain in each shot. Commenting with the midwife Inma Marcos told us about the possibility of taking milk samples and analyzing it to find out what bacteria was making her own.
Analyze milk? But that is not usual! At that time it was not too common to analyze milk because mothers with mastitis were usually prescribed an antibiotic and that's it, when it is logical to see which bacteria is waging war and prescribe an appropriate antibiotic for that bacterium.
The most curious thing is that the milk we collected was sent by cold messenger to Madrid, to the Complutense University, where a group of researchers worked in order to Know breast milk, its composition, its bacteria, what happens when there is infection, how to treat them, etc etc.
Thanks to this research and several later we know that breast milk is full of bacteria that coexist with each other in equilibrium, that these concentrations vary greatly between women and that when there is no proper extraction, when the baby does not breastfeed properly, when something is not going as it should be, some bacteria decide to annoy more than the count and begin to multiply, resulting in an imbalance and the subsequent infection. Thanks to all those investigations we know that many of the mastitis can be cured with probiotic substances from breast milk (something like giving the woman breast milk to cure her breast milk) and sometimes with other types of probiotics (see if one day I talk about this too). In short, in summary, this team of researchers has been making incredible advances in breast milk for years and the most curious thing is that behind, putting the money, is PULEVA (Everything must be said, if they were not there, surely not so many advances would have been made because research costs a lot of money and there is not always someone determined to put the money).
What did we expect those who know this? Well, one day PULEVA will present a product based on probiotics isolated by themselves, based on their research, capable of treating mastitis of women, thus avoiding the use of antibiotics, for example.
However, they have taken the infusions 'PULEVA Mamá'
Well that, instead of presenting what many thought (which could be more or less useful, that would already be seen, but at least not harmful), go and take some infusions with Fennel, Green Anise, Caraway and Tila among its main components (the rest are to give flavor and aroma).
They advertise it as infusions with natural ingredients, which we already know that sounds like "very healthy" and "this is impossible to do you any harm", but at this point in the film we all know that Not everything that is natural is harmless.
What is the danger?
Already in 2004 (more than 10 years ago) in the Guide for Breastfeeding Professionals published by the AEP (Spanish Association of Pediatrics) the infusions were discussed explaining that there was no scientific evidence that they helped milk production at all and warned that, as the maximum dose was not described, the risk to the baby was evident. It is not the same to take an infusion prepared with a certain percentage of fennel than to take two. This infusion of fennel is not the same as another infusion of another brand. It is not the same to buy an infusion of fennel that says it is for mothers, than to buy fennel and make an infusion at home.
Moreover, there is widespread belief that infusions can somehow help breastfeeding and this is not the case. In fact, it is that there is no food that increases breastfeeding production, and if there is, its effect has not yet been described, because everyone who thinks they do something has not been able to prove that they actually do.
The danger, then, is to make mothers believe that what they are going to drink will help them produce more milk when it is not true. If there is no real breastfeeding problem, the effect in this regard will be zero: it will not help the mother to produce more milk, but since there is no problem, nothing will change. But if there is a problem, if a mother actually has problems with milk production, probably because of a bad grip on the baby, opting for this solution will not help at all. And the worst thing is not that she is the one who chooses it, but that some little updated professional opts for this solution "it is true, she does not gain much weight, well look, take these infusions, which increase production and so your child will drink more milk ". A real problem because there will be no improvement as long as that position is not reviewed (or the problem that causes the baby to not gain enough weight) and the risk to the baby will be more than obvious.
More risks?
But this is not all, friends. If we go to the wonderful page E-lactation, where for years we can consult thousands of drugs and substances to know whether or not they are compatible with breastfeeding, we observe that Fennel has a "Risk Level 2" for the infant:
As you can see, among other properties, it is neurotoxic and convulsive, but it doesn't seem to help mothers or babies at all.
If we look for green Anise we see that it is "Risk level 1", not very dangerous at low doses, but that May decrease breast milk production and may be dangerous if consumed in high doses:
The rest of the components are safe, but they are the ones that are in less quantity (40% is Fennel). So these infusions are not only dangerous if they are taken for drinking, but also if they are taken waiting for positive effects on production, which will never come.
What is my disappointment?
Well you can imagine it. My disappointment is knowing that PULEVA has spent years investing in researching mothers' milk, that through researchers who have done a commendable job (and that they have published several studies explaining their progress and possible treatments for infections), and see that in the end what they bring to the market is nothing more than a farce that only seeks to expand the business, to earn money, reaching a niche market still little exploited, that of nursing mothers, through a product that promises to do the fast way what mothers require in a more leisurely way: calm, patience, trust, time with the baby, efficient suction and, if there are problems, someone to accompany them, help and guide so that breastfeeding can be successful.
No, PULEVA, not like that. I had high hopes that everything would end differently. If I even got a copy with much of the studies and research about breast milk, the sea of interest, with your brand on the cover and back cover. I expected much more, but no, in the end you show that the only thing that matters is money, and that it is even above the health of mothers and babies.
