The Basics Of Breast Feeding

Every baby is born to breast-feed; it is a natural way for a newborn to be nourished. There are many benefits of breastfeeding for both the baby and the mom. Breastfeeding is relatively easy to...

Every baby is born to breast-feed; it is a natural way for a newborn to be nourished. There are many benefits of breastfeeding for both the baby and the mom. Breastfeeding is relatively easy to learn how to do and there is plenty of support and information about how to breastfeed. Nutrition is important and a basic tool for successful breastfeeding.

Benefits:

Babies benefit from breastfeeding because studies show that those babies who are breastfed for the first six months of life are less likely to develop diarrhea, ear infections, or respiratory illnesses. There are also studies that show it is also possible that breastfed babies are less likely to become obese as children.

The baby and mom benefit because breastfeeding naturally creates a stronger bond between mom and baby.

Moms benefit because breastfeeding delays the return of menstruation and can also help to space pregnancies out more. Breastfeeding has also been shown to reduce the mom’s risk for both breast and ovarian cancer.

Breastfeeding benefits families because it costs less to breastfeed than it does to bottle feed, saves on health costs for the baby and mom, which contributes to a healthier society.

Learning how to breastfeed:

Most moms-to-be are presented with lots of reading material concerning pregnancy including how the body prepares for breastfeeding and the benefits to the post-natal body and to the baby of breastfeeding. These informational pamphlets usually also contain information about how to breastfeed and about the value of good prenatal care so that your baby has a better chance of going to full-term so that you can have a smoother start to your breastfeeding as opposed to your baby having to be in NICU which may delay the ability of your baby to nurse.

Most hospitals have lactation consultants on staff. These consultant are trained in not only knowing how to breastfeed but in how to teach new moms how to successfully breastfeed. They are usually available in the hospital to show you the best way to have your baby latch-on and the many proper positions you can use to hold your baby while nursing.

There are many sources available to you for learning how to breastfeed including books, magazines, Websites, support groups etc. Your doctor can also tell you about some sources in your community that can be supportive of your breastfeeding.

Every breastfeeding mom needs to understand the connection between proper nutrition and water intake and the success of her breastfeeding endeavors. While breastfeeding you may become thirstier than otherwise, and you may develop a larger appetite than before you started breastfeeding this is all normal and your body’s way of letting you know how important water and proper food is for your body as it works to produce breast milk.

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