9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Have you ever heard the one[br]about how breastfeeding is free? 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 (Laugther) 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Yeah, it's pretty funny 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 because it's only free if we don't value[br]women's time and energy. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Any mother can tell you[br]how much time and energy it takes 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 to liquify her body -- 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 to literally dissolve herself -- 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 (Laughter) 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 as she feeds this precious[br]little cannibal. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 (Laughter) 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Milk is why mammals suck. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 At Arizona State University, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 in the comparative lacation lab, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I decode mothers' milk composition 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 to understand its complexity 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and how it influcences infant development. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 The most important thing that I've learned 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 is that we do not do enough[br]to support mothers and babies. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 And when we fail mothers and babies, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 we fail everyone who loves[br]mothers and babies: 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 the fathers, the partners,[br]the grandparents, the aunties, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 the friends and kin that make[br]our human social networks. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 It's time that we abandon simple solutions[br]and simple slogans, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and grapple with the nuance. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I was very fortunate 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 to run smack dab into[br]that nuance very early, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 during my first interview[br]with a journalist 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 when she asked me, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 "How long should a mother[br]breastfeed her baby?" 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 And it was that word "should"[br]that brought me up short 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 because I will never tell a woman[br]what she should do with her body. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Babies survive and thrive 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 because their mother's milk[br]is food, medicine and signal. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 For young infants, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 mother's milk is a complete diet 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 that provides all the building[br]blocks for their bodies, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 that shapes their brain, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and fuels all of their activity. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Mother's milk also feeds the microbes 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 that are colonizing the infant's[br]intenstinal tract. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Mothers aren't just eating for two; 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 they're eating for two to the trillions. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Milk provides immunofactors[br]that help fight pathogens, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and mother's milk provides hormones[br]that signal to the infant's body. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 But in recent decades, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 we have come to take milk for granted. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 We stopped seeing[br]something in plain sight. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 We began to think of milk as standardized,[br]homogonenized, pasturized, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 packaged, powdered, flavored[br]and formulated. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 We abandoned the milk[br]of human kindness, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and turned our priorities elsewhere. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 At the National Institutes of Health[br]in Washinton D.C. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 is the National Library of Medicine, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 which contains 25 million articles -- 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 the braint rust of life science[br]and biomedical research. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 And we can use key words[br]to search that database, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and when we do that, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 we discover nearly a million[br]articles about pregnancy, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 but far fewer about[br]breast milk and lactation. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 When we zoom in on the number[br]of articles just investigating breast milk 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 we see that we know much more[br]about coffee, wine and tomatoes. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 (Laughter) 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 We know over twice as much[br]about erectile dysfunction. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 (Laughter) 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 And I'm saying we shouldn't[br]know about those things -- 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I'm a scientist, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I think we should know about everything. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 But that we know so much less -- 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 (Laughter) 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 about breast milk -- 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 the first fluid a young mammal[br]is adapted to consume -- 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 should make us angry. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Globally, nine out of 10 women will[br]have at least once child in her lifetime. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 That means that nearly 130 million[br]babies are born each year. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 These mothers and babies[br]deserve our best science. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Recent research has shown that milk[br]doesn't just grow the body, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 it fuels behavior and shapes[br]neurodevelopment. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 In 2015, researchers discovered[br]that mixture of breast milk 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and baby saliva -- 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 specifically, baby saliva -- 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 causes a chemical reaction[br]that produces hydrogen peroxide 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 that can kill Staff and Salmonella. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 And from humans[br]and other mammal species, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 we're starting to understand[br]that the biological recipe of milk 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 can be different when produced[br]for songs or daughters. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 When we reach for donor milk[br]in the neonatal intensive care unit, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 or formula on the store shelf, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 it's nearly one-size-fits-all. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 We aren't thinking about how sons[br]and daughters may grow at different rates 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 or different ways, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and that milk may be a part of that. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Mothers have gotten the message, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and the vast majority of mothers[br]intend to breastfeed, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 but many do not reach[br]their breastfeeding goals. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 That is not their failure; 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 it's ours. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Increasingly common medical conditions[br]like obesity, endocrine disorders, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 C-section and pre-term births 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 all can disrupt the underlying[br]biology of lactation. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 And many women do not have[br]knowledgable clinical support. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 25 years ago, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 the World Health Organization[br]and Unicef established criteria 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 for hospitals to be[br]considered baby friendly -- 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 that provide the optimal level[br]of support for mother-infant bonding 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and infant feeding. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Today, only one-in-five babies[br]in the United States 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 is born in a baby-friendly hospital. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 This is a problem, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 because mothers can grapple[br]with many problems 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 in the minutes, hours, days[br]and weeks of lactation. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 They can have struggles with[br]establishing latch, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 with pain, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 with milk letdown, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and perceptions of milk supply. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 These mothers deserve[br]knowledgable clinical staff 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 that understand these processes. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Mothers will call me as they're[br]grappling with these struggles, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 crying with wobbly voices. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 "It's not working. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 This is what I'm supposed to[br]naturally be able to do, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 why is it not working?" 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 And just because something[br]is evolutionarliy ancient 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 doesn't mean that it's easy[br]or that we're instantly good at it. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 You know what else[br]is evolutionarily ancient? 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 (Laughter) 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Sex. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 And nobody expects us[br]to start out being good at it. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 (Laughter) 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Clinicians best deliever quality[br]equitable care 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 when they have continuing education[br]about how to best support lactation 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and breastfeeding. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 In order to have[br]that continuing education, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 we need to anchor it[br]to cutting-edge research 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 in both the life sciences[br]and the social sciences, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 because we need to recognize[br]that too often historical traumas 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and implicit biases 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 sit in the space between a new[br]mother and her clinician. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 The body is political. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 If our breastfeeding support[br]is not intersectional, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 it's not good enough. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 And for moms who have to return for work, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 because countries like the United States[br]do not provide paid parental leave, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 they can have to go back in as short[br]as just a few days after giving birth. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 How do we optimize mother[br]and infant health 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 just by messaging about[br]breast milk to moms 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 without providing[br]the institutional support 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 that facilitates[br]that mother-infant bonding 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 to support breastfeeding? 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 The answer is we can't. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I'm talking to you, legistlators, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and the voters who elect them. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I'm talking to you, job creators,[br]and collective bargaining units, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and workers, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and shareholders. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 We all have a stake in the public[br]health of our community, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and we all have a role[br]to play in achieving it. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Breast milk is a part[br]of improving human health. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 In the NICU, when infants are born[br]early or sick or injured, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 milk or bioactive constituents in milk[br]can be critically important. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Environments or ecologies, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 or communities where there's[br]high risk of infectious disease, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 breastmilk can be incredibly protective. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Where there are emergencies[br]like storms and earthquakes, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 when the electricity goes out, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 when safe water is not available, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 breast milk can keep babies[br]fed and hydrated. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 And in the context of humanitarian crises, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 like Syrian mothers fleeing war zones, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 the smallest drops can buffer babies[br]from the biggest global challenges. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 But understanding breastmilk is not[br]just about messaging to mothers 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and policy makers. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 It's also about understanding what[br]is important in breastmilk 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 so that we can deliver better formulas 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 to moms who cannot or do not[br]breastfeed for whatever reason. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 We can all do a better job 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 of supporting the diversity[br]of moms raising their babies 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 in a diversity of ways. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 As women around the world struggle 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 to achieve political, social[br]and economic equality, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 we must reimagine motherhood 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 as not the central[br]core aspect of womanhood, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 but one of the many potential facets[br]of what makes women awesome. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 It's time. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 (Applause)