Putting breastmilk under a microscope: An interview with the mum behind it

theAsianparent conducts an interview with the Singaporean mum behind this viral video of breastmilk under a microscope.

Singaporean mum Rachel Lim uploaded a video of her breastmilk under a microscope on Facebook. It became a viral hit and was featured on theMirror, garnering over 20,000 hits in a few hours. Check out the video that sparked all the interest.

www.facebook.com/amulet.rachel/videos/10153825881539434/

Recently, theAsianparent was given the opportunity to conduct an interview with Rachel Lim and got her thoughts about the whole experiment and breastmilk.

Q: What is your stance on breastmilk now and did it change?

A: I had always believed breastmilk as the most suitable/ ‘best’ form of nutrition and nourishment for human babies. Now it only affirms this further.

Q: You mentioned in your Facebook post that the idea of putting your milk under a microscope was a sudden idea. What do you think invoked such a thought?

A: We were checking out our blood cells under the microscope and I was actually keen to check out sperms since we read about how sperms move and swim, and thought it will be cool.

But it’s a little ‘troublesome’ to get some sperms so I thought, why not check out some breastmilk since I had read that breastmilk is alive, with live enzymes and (good) bacteria. It even contains food to nourish the good bacteria in the milk and in our guts.

It’s a lot faster and fuss-free to get too.

What exactly did Rachel see in the breastmilk? Find out on the next page.

Q: What do you expect to find when you put the milk under the microscope? Was it what you thought you’d see?

A: I was expecting to see some kind of live cells. Under the microscope we saw big round fat globules, some white blood cells and some other very small ‘organisms’ (this hardly shows up in the video as it’s too small and the upload quality of the video just isn’t sharp enough) running around which we believe are bacteria.

Q: Do you have any message you wish to tell other mums?

A: Equipping ourselves with knowledge and theories beforehand helps when the time for practical exam comes. Educating our family from our pregnancy period helps garner positive support when the baby arrives. Support groups are very helpful too! They have been very informative and assuring throughout my breastfeeding period with both babies.

Q: Did you follow up on your findings from the microscope? What was actually under the microscope, would you describe it in detail?

A: After that I didn’t follow up as I couldn’t find any formula milk sample and was really caught up with work and other activities the entire month.

Rachel was kind enough to point us to comparisons done by other mums.

Q: How much milk did you put under the microscope?

A: Just a tiny drop of milk. I squeeze it directly from the boob. That’s why I say it was fast and fuss free.

Q: What were the reactions of your husband and your other family members?

A: My 7-year-old was amazed just as it would be with other science experiment.

My husband was totally impressed by the milk sample. He had been in the healthcare industry for more than a decade and do knows a tad or two about health. He had been totally supportive about breastfeeding as he knows it is good for his son.

When he saw the milk sample on the microscope, he was like ‘This is what my son had been drinking! Can you imagine? WOW!’

Now he is even more supportive of breastfeeding than before.

What do you think about this interesting observation on breastmilk? Tell us below!