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Breastfeeding Info
BREASTFEEDING 101
Breastfeeding information provided by Drool Boutique is not intended to be used for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always consult your health care professional with any questions about medical care and treatment.
Information provided includes breastfeeding benefits for baby and mother, as well as when to seek medical attention.
BREASTFEEDING BENEFITS FOR BABY: FROM TOP TO BOTTOM
Breastfeeding is good for every part of baby's body--from the brain to the diaper area. Here's a list:
- Brain. Higher IQ in breastfed children. Cholesterol and other types of fat in human milk support the growth of nerve tissue.
- Eyes. Visual acuity is higher in babies fed human milk.
- Ears. Breastfed babies get fewer ear infections.
- Mouth. Less need for orthodontics in children breastfed more than a year. Improved muscle development of face from suckling at the breast. Subtle changes in the taste of human milk prepare babies to accept a variety of solid foods.
- Throat. Children who are breastfed are less likely to require tonsillectomies.
- Respiratory system. Evidence shows that breastfed babies have fewer and less severe upper respiratory infections, less wheezing, less pneumonia and less influenza.
- Heart and circulatory system. Evidence suggests that breastfed children may have lower cholesterol as adults. Heart rates are lower in breastfed infants.
- Digestive system. Less diarrhea, fewer gastrointestinal infections in babies who are breastfeeding. Six months or more of exclusive breastfeeding reduces risk of food allergies. Also, less risk of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis in adulthood.
- Immune system. Breastfed babies respond better to vaccinations. Human milk helps to mature baby's own immune system. Breastfeeding decreases the risk of childhood cancer.
- Endocrine system. Reduced risk of getting diabetes.
- Kidneys. With less salt and less protein, human milk is easier on a baby's kidneys.
- Appendix. Children with acute appendicitis are less likely to have been breastfed.
- Urinary tract. Fewer infections in breastfed infants.
- Joints and muscles. Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis is less common in children who were breastfed.
- Skin. Less allergic eczema in breastfed infants.
- Growth. Breastfed babies are leaner at one year of age and less likely to be obese later in life.
- Bowels. Less constipation. Stools of breastfed babies have a less-offensive odor.
Source: Dr. Sears, www.askdrsears.com, http://www.askdrsears.com/html/2/t020300.asp
7 WAYS BREASTFEEDING BENEFITS MOTHERS
What's good for baby is also good for mother. When mothers follow nature's lead and breastfeed their babies, their own bodies benefit--so do their budgets!
- Reduces the risk of breast cancer. Women who breastfeed reduce their risk of developing breast cancer by as much as 25 percent. The reduction in cancer risk comes in proportion to the cumulative lifetime duration of breastfeed. That is, the more months or years a mother breastfeeds, the lower her risk of breast cancer.
- Reduces the risk of uterine and ovarian cancer. One of the reasons for the cancer-fighting effects of breastfeeding is that estrogen levels are lower during lactation. It is thought that the less estrogen available to stimulate the lining of the uterus and perhaps breast tissue also, the less the risk of these tissues becoming cancerous.
- Lessens osteoporosis. Non-breastfeeding women have a four times greater chance of developing osteoporosis than breastfeeding women and are more likely to suffer from hip fractures in the post-menopausal years.
- Benefits child spacing. Since breastfeeding delays ovulation, the longer a mother breastfeeds the more she is able to practice natural childspacing, if she desires. How long a woman remains infertile depends on her baby's nursing pattern and her own individual baby.
- Promotes emotional health. Not only is breastfeeding good for mother's body, it's good for her mind. Studies show that breastfeeding mothers show less postpartum anxiety and depression than do formula-feeding mothers.
- Promotes postpartum weight loss. Breastfeeding mothers showed significantly larger reductions in hip circumference and more fat loss by one month postpartum when compared with formula-feeding moms. Breastfeeding mothers tend to have an earlier return to their pre-pregnant weight.
- Costs less to breastfeed. It costs around $1,200 a year to formula-feed your baby. Even taking into consideration the slight increase in food costs to a breastfeeding mother, the American Academy of Pediatrics estimates that a breastfeeding mother will save around $400 during the first year of breastfeeding.
Source: Dr. Sears, www.askdrsears.com, http://www.askdrsears.com/html/2/T020700.asp
RED FLAGS: WHEN TO GET PROFESSIONAL HELP
A breastfeeding mother should seek professional support from a breastfeeding clinic, lactation consultant, and/or health care provider when experiences any of the "red flags" noted below:
- There are signs of a poor latch: eg. Not hearing baby swallow, breast not softening after feeds, breastfeeding hurts for more than a few seconds, baby not taking in much of the areola or making smacking sounds.
- Baby is breastfeeding fewer than 8 times in 24 hours during the first 2 weeks.
- Baby is difficult to wake up, sleepy during feeds and appears jaundiced (yellow tinge to the skin).
- Baby is having fewer than expected number of wet and/or soiled diapers for age and not gaining weight.
- Baby not content and mother feels she does not have enough milk.
- Mother is experiencing nipple pain. ie. cracked, bleeding, blistered nipples.
- Mother's breasts are hard and full (engorgement) and may have red, sore areas (plugged ducts) and/or fever and flu-iike symptoms (mastitis).
- Mother using a breastfeeding device such as a nipple shield.
Source: The Halton Breastfeeding Connection and the Baby and Parent Health Program of the Community Health Services Division of the Halton Region Health Department.