What You May Not Know About Breastfeeding
What is breastfeeding?
No, I am only joking. We are going to more or less assume that the term breastfeeding is self-explanatory. However, the thing that isn't so self-explanatory is the benefits both you and baby (and significant other) might reap if you decide to breastfeed your baby.
0-6 months
It is recommended that infants be exclusively breast fed for the first 6 months of life, despite contamination concerns. This means not even water should be added.
- Immunity- Breast milk is amazing. Not in the way most people use the word either, I mean seriously amazing. Baby will passively acquire the antibodies you have spent your whole life developing and getting immunized against. Not to mention, breast milk changes hour by hour adapting to your surroundings and passing on more of what baby needs. Hubby got the flu? Your body knows and your breast milk will add antibodies to babies next feed, sometimes before anyone shows signs of being sick! - Respiratory infections, diarrhea, ear infections and even SIDS could be on the list of things breast milk could help your baby fight. - Weight loss. There is nothing quite like post baby weight, but breastfeeding burns calories. Your body has to sustain both yourself and your tiny human providing for both peoples caloric needs. - Bonding time. Not only is this a special time for just you and baby, but breast feeding has been shown to release (chemical here) which increases the bond you have with baby and the bond baby has with you. They are also the same chemical that fights off depression. - Fiscally responsible. $$$ Living ain’t cheap. Really it isn’t and this is especially true when baby is going through up to a canister and a half a day of $16- $30 formula every day. - It exposes baby to a variety of foods (doesn't expose baby to added sugar). Breast milk is made of the foods that mom eats what baby will get is exposure to a variety of different flavors- milk can potentially change flavors when strong foods are introduced to moms diet- and proteins potentially limiting allergies in the future. Something baby won’t get is the added sugars and syrup solids found in many commercial formulas. Seriously, check the labels. - Control quality of baby's food. Mom is more or less in control of the quality of the food baby gets. Want baby to eat local, then eat local. Your baby should only get organic or grass fed, then that’s what you eat and then that will be what baby gets. - Lowers risk of diseases for mom. Osteoporosis and reproductive cancers are reduced in women who chose to breastfeed. - Lowers risk of diseases for baby later in life. Multiple sclerosis and juvenile diabetes are both decreased in children who were breast fed for the first 6 months of life. - The US has the lowest rate of breastfeeding and highest infant mortality rates in the developed world.
When you shouldn't breastfeed
Please understand, the following will address medical and physical reasons why mothers who would otherwise choose full time breastfeeding should not or cannot exclusively breastfeed baby. This is not a section for bottle/ formula bashing. So here we go, - Though low milk supply is often present in the early stages, a continuance of this may result in difficulties for mother and baby. The ultimate result may be supplementation. - Medications. Certain medicines for diabetes, birth control, seizures and much more just should not be passed to baby. If these medicines are necessary for mom to survive and function on a daily basis, breastfeeding might be absolutely out of the question. Ask your Doctor. - Causing undue stress on mother or baby. If breastfeeding is causing mom or baby health problems such as protein intolerance, severe postpartum depression, accelerated weight loss (in either party) or some other unforeseen health issue breastfeeding may not be the best option.
Please remember to listen to your body, your baby and your instincts when making these decisions. Having a doctor on board isn’t a bad idea either.
http://www.nrdc.org/breastmilk/benefits.asp
About the Author
Randi Kauth is a licensed nurse and certified Reiki practitioner. She has a passion for writing about the abundance of information she has gathered throughout her ten years in alternative medicine and therapies with the world. Randi loves to encourage people to learn how and when they might heal themselves and teach them how to keep themselves balanced and healthy. Her favorite words of wisdom are “All forms of healing have a place!” Randi is a regular contributor to the It’s Essential for Life brand.
