Baby Feeding - Breast Milk & Baby Health

Source: Verywellhealth.com

Most parents are concerned about caring for their baby, which generally concerns nutrition. Babies can feed themselves with breast milk for the first six months. But as your baby grows, breast milk alone is certainly not enough. A 6-month-old baby usually eats familiar and complementary foods. Therefore, when a baby is in transition from breast milk or formula to solid food, solid food is given.

Breast Feeding Baby

Breast milk is recognized as the best source of nutrition for babies. Compare to formula milk, breast milk is higher in protein, chloride, calcium, sodium, iron and nitrogen. Human milk provides all the protein, sugar, fat, vitamins and specials benefits that babies need to be healthy.

Because human milk contains protective substances that are not found in formula milk, these protective substances helps to protect babies against certain diseases and infections.

Also, no babies are allergic to the milk produce by their mother. Sometimes, babies do react to something the mother eats. This problem could be eliminate if the mother remove that particular foods from her diets. For example, smoking can cause vomiting and diarrhea, breast feeding mothers should not smoke.

How is Breast Milk Produced?

During pregnancy, the pregnant woman body increases the production of a hormone called prolactin that stimulates breasts cells to increase breast milk production. When she start to nurse, the amount of prolactin her body produce also increases.

It is worth noting that the breast size does not control the amount of milk produced. The production of milk is controlled by the baby nursing. The more a mother nurse, the more milk her body will produce.

Breast Feeding Benefit Babies in the Following Ways:

• Breast milk is naturally designed for babies
• Breast fed infants tends to have a lower rate of hospital admissions, ear infections, diarrhea, allergies, rashes than formula fed babies
• Breast milk is easier to absorb and digest
• Breast milk contains antibodies that helps babies to fight infections
• Breast milk doesn’t need to be prepared and is always available at the right temperature
• Because it is harder to get milk out of a breast than a bottle, babies have to work harder at sucking at the breast which promotes good jaw development
• Breast fed babies are less likely to have ear infections, allergies, diarrhea, vomiting, pneumonia, bronchiolitis, and meningitis
• Closeness that create a bond between the mother and her baby

Breast Feeding also Benefit the Mother:

• Breast feeding burns more calories which will help you to get your pre-pregnancy weight back more quickly
• Helps the uterus to contract to its regular size more quickly
• Reduces the risk of ovarian cancer and breast cancer
• Builds bone strength to protect against older age bone fractures
• Delay the return on menstrual period (may help to extends the time frame between pregnancies)

Breast Feeding Disadvantages:

• In early weeks, your nipple may become sore or cracked.
• When your breast is full of milk, it may become hard and painful.
• Changing lifestyle – you must wear clothing that allows you to nurse everywhere and changing your diets to avoid foods that may irritate your baby.

How Long to Breast Feed?

Because breast feeding benefits both the mother and her babies, it is important to breast feed your baby as long as possible (1 year or even longer). Although 1 year is recommended, some women choose to breast feed for six months. How long you choose is a very individual choice. Keeping in mind that some breast milk is better than none at all.

When your baby starts to teeth it may be difficult to breast feed. This can be solve by expressing breast milk to give to your baby. Breast milk can be efficiently and effectively expressed using a breast pump.