Breastfeeding Trivia: Got Whale Milk?
September 23, 2007 by Angela White, J.D., breastfeeding counselor
Filed under breastfeeding
As I was reading through my daughter’s latest copy of National Geographic Kids magazine
a) 30 gallons
b) 70 gallons
c) 130 gallons
d) 170 gallons
The answer is: c) A baby humpback whale drinks up to 130 gallons of milk each day! In contrast, a human infant might drink anywhere from two-and-a-half cups to almost four cups (a quart — a quarter of a gallon) of breast milk per day.
Hey! I haven’t received my latest copy (or maybe we subscribe to Little Kids).
On a related note, I was at the Monterey aquarium a few months ago and they had a display about a baby gray whale and some amazing facts about how much milk it drinks. I was shocked that for comparison they use the number of BABY BOTTLES that milk would fill. They show a human infant DRINKING FROM A BOTTLE and they describe the amount of milk that the mammal drinks IN TERMS OF BOTTLES!
“A baby gray whale drinks enough milk to fill over 2,000 bottles a day.”
Can you believe it?
I took some photos and meant to write them a letter. My issue with the display is not that is doesn’t promote breastfeeding. That isn’t their job as an aquarium. However, as a scientific institution I expected them to present biology correctly. The display is in a section designed for small children and basically says that while gray whales drink milk from their mothers (there is even a cartoon showing the baby whale swimming next to its mother, presumably nursing), human babies drink from bottles.
Did the National Geographic Magazine talk about baby bottles at all?
Eilat, that is terrible! I hope you do write to the museum (and let me know if you get a response!)
The magazine showed a graphic of a milk carton (a cardboard cow’s milk carton) — not the best graphic but still better than baby bottles!!
Just another fellow breastfeeding mother who enjoys reading your blog!
The struggle continues here in Austin – the DISNEY Store in Round Rock told a local mother she couldn’t breastfeed there. I’ve attached the link. They said it was a liability! Then she was asked to feed in the toilet room as it was the outlet’s ‘designated facility’.
I would have e-mailed you the information, but couldn’t find an address. Here’s the news link:
http://www.myfoxaustin.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail;jsessionid=CF914B5BC71A0D0375D04B36BEE05628?contentId=4426958&version=2&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=1.1.1&sflg=1
Hi Melissa! There’s a email link hidden next to my name in the sidebar, but you can always just email me directly at angela at b5media dot com. Thanks so much for leaving a comment to share that story with me. The mother did such a great interview, even demonstrating how she nurses her son!!
It’s so surprising that these incidents keep happening. I suppose it shouldn’t be, but I keep hoping things will improve.