Breastfeeding is a wonderful experience to a woman. Although it’s a natural process, breastfeeding is a learned skill, which requires practice and patience. First of all make sure you should increase your water intake. This is extremely important when you are breastfeeding your newly born. If you stay hydrated more milk will be produced and it will help you feel energetic the whole day too. Keep your meals simple yet nutritious. Always keep fresh fruits and vegetables at home so that when you feel hungry you do not grab any snack or cookies or high and empty calorie food items.
Let’s discuss the benefits of breastfeeding:
Your breast milk is the best possible food for your baby and will give her the best start in life. It provides the required nutrition as well as immunity for your baby. Here are few benefits of breastfeeding for you and your baby:
- It gives right nutrients and right balance: Breast milk has the right proportions of proteins, carbohydrates, fats and other nutrients your baby needs to grow and develop.
- It is easy to digest: Unlike proteins found in regular cow’s milk, the proteins in breast milk are naturally gentle and easy to digest.
- It builds tolerance: it helps protect your baby against early food allergies, protein intolerance and sensitivity.
- It offers protection: it provides natural protective antibodies and other immune-related benefits; protects babies from infections and illnesses that include diarrhea, ear infections and pneumonia and Breastfeeding Breastfed babies are less likely to develop asthma.
- It helps digestive system: it fosters a healthy environment in your baby’s digestive system.
- It creates bonding: It provides a perfect opportunity for bonding with your baby and and skin-to-skin contact
- It reduces risks: it reduces the risk of diarrhoea and respiratory illnesses.
- Children who are breastfed for six months are less likely to become obese
- Breastfeeding also reduces the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
Breastfeeding is equally important for mothers and IVF mothers (i.e who gave birth to a child using IVF technique) but can be challenging as well. Owing to medical complications, often babies can't consume the breast milk by themselves or the mother is unable to lactate naturally. IVF patients should request more support from the outset. That means additional assistance from lactation experts, midwives and your local doctor.
- Produces helpful hormones: It stimulates the production of the hormone oxytocin, which causes your uterus to contract and return to its pre-pregnancy size.
- Burns calories: It helps burn extra calories and lowers fat stores, helping you to return to your pre-pregnancy weight more quickly.
- Risk of becoming pregnant reduced: Mothers who breastfeed exclusively and frequently have less than 2% risk of becoming pregnant in the first six months of delivery, provided they still have amenorrhoea.
- Longer health: Mothers who breastfeed have a decreased risk of breast and ovarian cancers