Last night, I was blessed to be able to consult with a lactation
educator that made things very easy for me and came to my home! I'm new to the
mommy world and needed some help in the breast feeding department. I've heard
some of the benefits to breastfeeding versus formula feeding but last night, my
lactation educator, Nicole, taught me so much more! I think this class should
be high priority to moms who want to breast feed so you can learn how to
prevent complications and know how to do it correctly. Nicole went through how
to establish the first bond, the correct latch on and how to correctly redo a
bad latch, how to know baby has had enough, knowing the cues of when baby is
hungry before crying, pumping, hand expressing, benefits of breast milk vs
formula, bottle feeding, and different complications. I was shocked to learn
that lactation organizations and WHO recommend breastfeeding for the first 2
years of life to gain the most of the benefits! The longer a child is breast
fed, the more benefits the child will get in it's life. Of course they say
breastfeed exclusively for 6 months and weening off as they get older.
Who would of thought there was so much to learn to just feeding
your baby! I was amazed and pumped up (literally) to get started. If you're new to
the breast feeding world like I am or just want to know how to properly do it,
I definitely recommend hiring a lactation nurse or consultant and set up a
class or private visit. It will be so beneficial.
If you want to know the benefits I've learned, read on below :-)
Benefits
of breast milk:
To
the baby-
·
Many studies show that breastfeeding strengthens the immune
system. During nursing, the mother passes antibodies to the child, which help
the child resist diseases
·
Respiratory illness is far more common among formula-fed children.
In fact, an analysis of many different research studies concluded that infants
fed formula face a threefold greater risk of being hospitalized with a severe
respiratory infection than do infants breast-fed for a minimum of four months.
·
Diarrheal disease is three to four times more likely to occur in
infants fed formula than those fed reduce the likelihood of ear
infections, and to prevent recurrent ear infections. Ear infections are a major
reason that infants take multiple courses of antibiotics.
·
Reduces the likelihood of ear infections, and to prevent recurrent
ear infections.
·
In developing countries, differences in infection rates can
seriously affect an infant's chances for survival. For example, in Brazil, a
formula-fed baby is 14 times more likely to die than an exclusively breast-fed
baby.
·
Researchers have observed a decrease in the probability of Sudden
Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) in breast-fed infants.
·
Protection from allergies. Eczema, an allergic reaction, is
significantly rarer in breast-fed babies.
Benefits
to child later in life-
·
Infants who are breast-fed longer have fewer dental cavities
throughout their lives.
·
Less likely to become obese later in childhood. Formula feeding is
linked to about a 20 to 30 percent greater likelihood that the child will
become obese.
·
Children who are exclusively breast-fed during the first three
months of their lives are 34 percent less likely to develop juvenile,
insulin-dependent diabetes than children who are fed formula.
·
Breastfeeding may also decrease the risk of childhood cancer in
children under 15 years of age. Formula-fed children are eight times more
likely to develop cancer than children who are nursed for more than six months.
(It is important to note that children who are breast-fed for less than six
months do not appear to have any decreased cancer risk compared to bottle-fed
children.)
·
As children grow into adults, several studies have shown that
people who were breast-fed as infants have lower blood pressure on average than
those who were formula-fed. Thus, it is not surprising that other studies have shown
that heart disease is less likely to develop in adults who were breast-fed in
infancy.
·
Significant evidence suggests that breast-fed children develop
fewer psychological, behavioral and learning problems as they grow older.
·
In researching the psychological benefits of breast milk, one
researcher found that breast-fed children were, on average, more mature,
assertive and secure with themselves as they developed.
Benefits
to mom-
·
Breastfeeding helps a woman to lose weight after birth. Mothers
burn many calories during lactation as their bodies produce milk.
·
Breastfeeding releases a hormone in the mother (oxytocin) that
causes the uterus to return to its normal size more quickly.
·
When a woman gives birth and proceeds to nurse her baby, she
protects herself from becoming pregnant again too soon, a form of birth control
found to be 98 percent effective.
·
Breastfeeding appears to reduce the mother's risk of developing
osteoporosis in later years.
·
Diabetic women improve their health by breastfeeding. Not only do
nursing infants have increased protection from juvenile diabetes, the amount of
insulin that the mother requires postpartum goes down.
·
Women who lactate for a total of two or more years reduce their
chances of developing breast cancer by 24 percent.
·
Women who breastfeed their children have been shown to be less
likely to develop uterine, endometrial or ovarian cancer.
·
The emotional health of the mother may be enhanced by the
relationship she develops with her infant during breastfeeding, resulting in
fewer feelings of anxiety and a stronger sense of connection with her baby.
·
A woman's ability to produce all of the nutrients that her child
needs can provide her with a sense of confidence. Researchers have pointed out
that the bond of a nursing mother and child is stronger than any other human
contact. Holding the child to her breast provides most mothers with a more
powerful psychological experience than carrying the fetus inside her
uterus.
Besides all these benefits, economically, you will be saving tons
of money since breast milk is FREE! And since breast milk increases a babies
immune response, that means saving money in the future for hospital visits
too!
The most amazing thing I've learned from my private class was that
breast milk has many ingredients that formula just can't duplicate and that
each time you breastfeed, the milk is always different! Your brain is the
culprit that signals your bodies response to give the baby what it needs. So
it's a process of demand. Baby needs something, brain senses and then sends the
signal to your milk ducts to release that specific need into the milk supply.
Tell me our bodies weren't created in such a unique fashion! Amazing.
Here's a list my lactation nurse showed me of the ingredients of
breast milk vs formula:
Posts
