Lactation 101

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: