Breastfeeding - The Most Valuable Nutrition For Your Baby

Benefits

• Breast milk is easier for babies to digest and contains powerful antibodies to boost the baby’s immune system.

• Breastfed babies tend to have lower rates of ear infections, diarrhea, allergies, asthma, and rashes than those fed with formula. This is primarily because the mother’s antibodies that she has built up over the years are transferred to the child through the breast milk. (To enhance your baby's immune system, you can also add probiotics to your daily menu during breastfeeding, such as live culture yogurt and sauerkraut or as a natural supplement.)

• Breastfeeding helps the mother as well. Women who breastfeed lose their baby weight more quickly (because it burns an extra 500 calories a day!) and have a lower chance of getting breast, ovarian, uterine, or endometrial cancers. It can even reduce your risk of developing osteoporosis later in life!

• Breast milk contributes greatly to an infant’s brain development.

• Breast milk is economical (formula is quite expensive) and convenient – always ready for feeding and always the right temperature. It is even friendly to the environment since it does not require bottles, washing, or waste of any kind.

It's Not Always That Easy

Unfortunately, not everything about breastfeeding is a bed of roses. Many mothers get discouraged after only a few days or weeks and give up. It can be time-consuming and exhausting to be the sole provider of nourishment for your child.

Besides, it hurts for the first few days or week, until your nipples get used to it. Luckily, there are some things that you can do to make the process easier.

First of all, relax your expectations. Don’t expect your house to always be as clean as it used to be. Right now, your most important job is to take care of yourself and your baby.

Make sure you rest and recover (if you don’t rest now, your recovery will be long and slow). Let the dust and dirt wait until you have more time to get to it.

Make sure to get help. Get as much help as you can from family and friends. And hired some help with cleaning if you need it. Trust me, it’s worth it for a few weeks, you can’t afford not to.

Fathers can help by taking over other tasks, such as changing diapers, burping the baby and taking the baby for a walk so Mom can relax, take a nap, or enjoy a shower.

It is important to keep yourself hydrated and refrain from alcohol or caffeine drinks that will affect your breast milk. Too little liquid intake can quickly dry up your milk supply. (Many doctors recommend having some light beer. It relaxes you, which promotes milk let down, and it has lots of B vitamins, which help your energy level.)

Some moms find breastfeeding relaxing, because you get a break from a crying baby (his mouth is full, after all!) and you can watch TV or read a book with your feet up.

Unfortunately, not every mom has such a pleasant experience. The first few weeks of nursing can be very painful as the mother’s breasts adjust to this new job.

Books might have helpful remedies to alleviate the pain and other tips. Best of all, get expert advice from experienced moms or professional…

Lactation consultants in your area can give you lots of helpful information and ideas that can make the entire process much easier as well.

Even joining a breastfeeding support group can be helpful and keep you encouraged. There is nothing else quite as supportive as other mothers who have been through it or are currently experiencing what you are.

Most of all enjoy this time of closeness with your baby!

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