BREAST FEEDING

Breastfeeding also called Lactation or Nursing is the feeding of an infant or young child with breast milk directly from female human breast. Babies have a sucking reflex that enables them to suck and swallow milk.

Human breast milk is the healthiest form of milk for human babies. Breastfeeding promotes health, helps to prevent diseases and reduces health care and feeding costs.

World Health Organization (WHO) emphasises the value of breastfeeding for both mothers and children and recommend exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life and then supplemented breastfeeding for at least one year and up to two years or more.

The advantages

The nutritional advantages of breast milk to your baby are certainly numerous.

Breast milk contains the right balance of nutrients to help your infant grow into a strong and healthy toddler.

Breast milk contains amino acids (the building blocks of proteins), sugars (primarily lactose) and fats.

The baby's intestinal tract is best aided in its digestion by the vitamins, enzymes and minerals found in breast milk.

Breast milk also contains infection-fighting antibodies from the mother which help protect your infant against some common childhood illnesses and infections. Breast-fed babies are believed to be at a reduced risk from many acute and chronic infections early in life.

The cholesterol content is also high in human milk and very low in formulas. Cholesterol promotes brain growth and provides the building blocks of hormones, vitamin D and intestinal bile.

Exclusively breastfed babies are less likely to have food allergies and related problems such as diarrhea, vomiting, eczema, gastrointestinal infections and respiratory infections.

Food allergies are thought to begin when foreign proteins enter the bloodstream through the walls of the baby's intestines, causing sometimes mild and sometimes life-threatening reactions. Breast milk has several different immunoglobulins that help to protect against allergies.

There is a well-accepted extra closeness that breastfeeding mothers experience that is both hormonal and emotional in nature. It may also help their health. Otherwise referred to as bonding.

Certain types of cancer may occur less often in mothers who have breastfed their babies.

The only inconvenience for the baby in breastfeeding occurs if there's an inadequate supply of breast milk or an inefficient suck reflex in the baby. However, it is unusual for a mother not to produce enough milk for her baby unless she is not breastfeeding correctly or frequently enough.

Breast-fed babies eat more often than formula-fed babies since breast milk is more quickly digested and leaves the stomach empty more frequently. This puts a little more stress on the mother because of the potential necessity for more frequent feedings.

Women who don't have health problems should try to give their babies’ breast milk till advised by the doctor.

There are some cases when it's better not to breast feed.

If you have HIV or active tuberculosis, you should not breast feed because you could give the infection to your baby.

Certain medicines, illegal drugs, and alcohol can also pass through the breast milk and cause harm to your baby.

As a mother, one of the best things you can do for your baby is to breastfeed.