To feed milk to your newly born baby through your breast is called as breastfeeding or nursing. Doctors recommend breastfeeding minimum for a period of 6 months and you can continue till 1 year including other solid foods. Every baby prefers different time, like some take small feeding while others take longer. But in general, newborn needs feed after every 2-3 hours, 2 months old needs feed after 3-4 hours and 6 months old needs feed after 4-5 hours. It’s completely personal decision to breastfeed or not. But if you are not aware then before making any opinion just look at the amazing benefits of it, which are as follows:
BREASTFEEDING BENEFITS FOR BABY
GREAT PACKAGE OF NUTRITION: Breast milk contains all the essential nutrients that your infant needs in the right proportion which also gets easily absorbed. Honestly it’s a super-food for your baby. That first milk (called as colostrum) is very helpful for the development of your baby’s digestive system. Only one thing is deficient in this magical milk i.e. vitamin D, so vitamin D drops are generally recommended.
STRONGER IMMUNE SYSTEM: Breast milk is a great package of antibodies which help to build your baby’s immunity. Several studies show that breastfed babies have a lower risk of bacterial infection, ear infections, allergies, asthma, respiratory-tract infection, diarrhea, bowel diseases, SIDs (sudden infant death syndrome) and diabetes. Breast milk simply work as a protective layer for your baby’s health.
ACT AS A BRAIN BOOSTER: The fatty acid present in breast milk affects a lot on your baby’s brain development. Breast milk acts as a brain booster and makes your child smarter with higher IQ level later in life. Also, breastfed babies have less learning trouble as they mature.
PROMOTES HEALTHY WEIGHT: Breastfed babies gain healthy weight rather than becoming overweight. Breast milk provides them more beneficial gut bacteria and a hormone (called leptin) to regulate their appetite and fat storage. This makes them become healthier rather than obese later in life.
BREASTFEEDING BENEFITS FOR MOM
PROMOTE WEIGHT LOSE: To reduce your pregnancy weight faster, breastfeeding helps you a lot. Lactating helps you burn extra calories i.e. around 300-500 calories a day. In general, you’ll see the difference after nursing for around 3-4 months by having rapid increase in fat burning as compared to non-lactating women. It also helps to reduce the risk of hypertension.
HELPS THE UTERUS CONTRACT: The uterus grows tremendously during pregnancy. So when you breastfeed, a hormone called oxytocin increases in your body which helps the uterus to return to its previous size. In other words, we can say nursing helps your uterus contract more quickly and reduces post-delivery blood loss.
LOWER RISK OF SEVERAL DISEASES: Breastfeeding gives you long-term benefits by reducing the risk of several diseases including breast/ovarian cancer later in life. Women have a lower risk of diseases like high blood pressure, arthritis, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, etc. who breastfeed as compared to those who don’t. It also helps to reduce stress and risk of PPD (postpartum depression).
IMPROVE BONDING BETWEEN YOU AND YOUR BABY: Breastfeeding not only promotes skin-to-skin contact, but also makes physical/emotional bond stronger between you and your baby. That closeness, holding and cuddling your baby while nursing makes you feel special and happy. That bond even helps to bring down the social and behavioral problems both in mom and baby.
HELPS BIRTH SPACING: In most of the cases, continued breastfeeding i.e. around the clock will help pause ovulation and menstruation. It acts as the natural birth-control protection by giving some time between pregnancies. But there are some breastfeeding guidelines for this, which you have to follow to delay your ovulation else it returns your ovulation sooner.
SAVES TIME AND MONEY: You don’t have to spend money on bottles, nipples, or sterilizers and don’t have to spend time for cleaning or warming up bottles. Breast milk is totally free, at the right temperature and ready to drink. It also makes traveling easier.
JUST LOOK AT SOME OF THE BREASTFEEDING TIPS FOR NEW MOTHERS WHICH ARE AS FOLLOWS:
- Just be patient while nursing especially in the first few days. The more you feed your baby, the more your breast produces milk. It gets a little difficult in the first week, when very little milk is being produced by your breast and even your baby doesn’t know how to suck it. Just little patience of around a week and you are all sorted.
- Breastfeed a new-born baby is a time-consuming process as your baby needs feeding after very short intervals. So just relax and make yourself comfortable.
- Try to understand your baby’s needs and then feed accordingly. The more you spend time with your baby, the more you understand the need of your baby through his/her expressions.
- No doubt that there are different positions for breastfeeding your baby like cradle position, side-lying position, the cross-cradle hold, and football. But let your baby decide in which he/she is comfortable. Analyze the comfortable position for your baby and make it natural.
- It’s natural to leak milk from your breast in the first few weeks of nursing. Just don’t be stressed. It will disappear gradually, till then you can use nursing pads which absorb the leaks.
- Breastfeeding regularly can make your breast skin little dry, irritated, and sometimes even painful. After feeding you can pat your skin dry and use balm or moisturizer to ease discomfort. It’s better to talk to your doctor which product is to be used in that case.
- While nursing, it’s important to keep your baby awake. You can encourage your baby to keep sucking by rubbing his/her hand or feet.
SOME OF THE FOODS THAT INCREASE BREAST MILK:
- SESAME SEEDS: It is a great source of calcium, which is very essential for you and your baby’s growth. Sesame seeds just works wonder to boost your breast milk.
- GARLIC: Garlic is good for lactating mothers. This has been used from centuries to increase breast milk. You can have it in any form but don’t over-do it.
- FENUGREEK SEEDS: Fenugreek seeds are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B, iron, and protein. It helps to produce more milk and works great for the baby’s development.
- GREEN LEAFY VEGGIES: Spinach, kale, mustard greens, and almost all green leafy veggies are rich in essential nutrients like calcium, iron, and folate. It helps a lot to increase breast-milk production.
- OATS: Oats are rich in dietary beta-glucan, fiber, and a great source of energy which work wonder for breast milk production.
- CARROT: Vitamin A present in carrots not only helps to improve breast-milk production but also helps to improve the quality of the milk. It proves to be one of the best food to improve lactation.
- SALMON: It’s a great source of omega-3 fatty acids which prove very helpful to increase the breast-milk production.
First of all take care of your own health with proper diet and supplements, only then you’ll able to give proper nutrients to your baby. The more nutritious you eat, the more nutrients your baby gets through your breast milk. Hope this article will help you to realize the importance of breastfeeding for both mom and the baby. So just enjoy this phase and make the foundation of your baby’s health through your milk.