The room buzzed with enthusiasm and smiles as midwife Louise Bugeja clarified myths about breastfeeding to about 40 grandparents.

Ms Bugeja picked up a small marble, representing a newborn’s stomach, to the surprise of those present. A newborn’s stomach, she said, could only contain five millilitres of milk and after 10 days it could hold up to 25 millilitres... much less than what was indicated on formula milk packaging.

The information session, one in a series, was organised by Mater Dei Hospital and the Health Promotion Unit that teamed up for breastfeeding week, which ends Saturday with a public seminar.

The idea of the information session was to help grandparents do away with any contradictory advice so that they could be more supportive of breastfeeding. Ms Bugeja said breastfeeding reduced breast cancer and was also environmentally friendly. Surrounded by eager faces, the midwifery coordinator from Parent Craft within Mater Dei, said the island’s culture was not a breastfeeding-friendly one.

Mammals, including kittens and puppies, clung on to their mother for weeks on end while humans put their offspring in cots and refused to hold them in their arms every time they “protested”, lest they were “spoilt rotten”.

“Being held in its carers’ arms is a baby’s basic need. Babies need attention and comfort because some newborns could go through separation anxiety and they might feel lonely or depressed,” Ms Bugeja said, adding children were more likely to become independent if they were reassured they would find comfort when they needed it.

“Ah, that has just rid me of the guilt which I have been carrying for years,” a grandmother present for the lecture sighed. She said relatives and friends had scolded her for “spoiling” her newborns “all the time”.

Ms Bugeja said the information session acted as a pilot project for prospective grandparent craft classes. The feedback the unit received was quite positive, with some commenting they wished they had had the same information available when they were younger.

“The mother’s milk is made specifically for the baby and no other milk could even begin to compare with it,” Ms Bugeja said, adding that kids were ideally breastfed until they were two.

The few sips of breast milk a toddler was fed were like a “daily vaccine”, she said. Breastfeeding worked on a demand and supply basis and the only thing that broke the “perfect system” was the introduction of bottle milk formula.

The general breastfeeding seminar will be held at the Intercontinental Hotel today between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. Those interested can call Parent Craft on 2545 5124 or the Breastfeeding Clinic on 2545 4445 to book a seat.